in our frozen time now, stay, just like this

“I was so sure you hated me”
“Funny enough, I’ve been in love with you since the start”
or
Minho is really bad at interacting with Seungmin, despite how much he loves him.
Seungmin just wants to know why someone who attends every event hates him so much.

Notes:

What everyone does bc i dont always know how to tie it in lol
twilight consists of four members
- Seungmin
- Hyunjin
- Felix
- Jeongin
Non Idol
- Minho (Dance Instructor)
- Jisung (Cafe Owner)
- Changbin (Tattoo Artist)
- Chan (Freelance Producer)

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Chapter 1: we'll never go there right?

Chapter Text

Promotions were always so long, especially the first week after a comeback. There was stage recordings, variety content, busking events, findings, video calls, and so much more to work on behind the scenes still. Sometimes it got too much, especially when the energy wasn’t quite there yet. As much as twilight loved performing and meeting fans, it sometimes was too much too fast during promotions. It was nice to see a familiar face or two amongst the crowd, at least it meant that there was less people to try and memorize from scratch. It was barely their second in person fan sign for the comeback and it was already starting to get too much. Too many odd requests or weird comments being made. It was getting to all of them, but they were just happy to be back.

“Oh! It’s you again, Minho-ssi right?” Seungmin asks, a smile spreading across his face at the boy sitting down in front of him. Minho just nods in response, gently pushing his open album towards Seungmin. His eyes are focused on the table, suddenly more interested with his rings than the idol sitting in front of him. “Did you want me to sign the group photo or was there a specific page you wanted?” Seungmin tries again, hovering his marker above the page with all four of the members on it. There were sticky tabs on the edge marking what page each member should sign, the only name missing was his.

It takes a moment before Minho registers the others words. “Any photo is fine, you can sign the group one if you want to.” His voice is low, practically a mumble laced with indifference as if he truly had no interest in being here. Seungmin’s expression falters at his response. He takes a breath in before deciding to just sign on the group photo and slide the album back towards Minho.

“I hope you’re enjoying the comeback this time. I know it’s not our normal concept.” Seungmin tries again, hoping to at least get the other to acknowledge his words. Minho looks up from his hands, blinking slowly as if he wasn’t expecting Seungmin to continue talking after signing the album.

“Oh, yeah. It’s definitely different.” His words are so quiet, it’s a miracle Seungmin’s able to pick them up. Minho’s eyes are darting around, trying to focus on anything but the idol before him.

“I hope that means it’s a good type of different for you, Minho-ssi. Please keep supporting us!” Seungmin beams, his smile coming back to his face for a second. Minho opens his mouth to respond back but closes it quickly as the staff begins ordering everyone to move onto the next member in line. “It was nice seeing you again!” Seungmin says, watching as the older one slides over to the open spot in front of Hyunjin. If his gaze lingers a second too long, that’s for only himself to know.

For a moment, Seungmin hears laughter to his right. Curiosity gets the better of him for a moment, his eyes stray from the girl in front of him. He watches as Minho throws his head back, laughing at whatever comment Hyunjin made. His smile wide and his whole face glowing, a complete one eighty from how he was in front of Seungmin. An ugly feeling creeps into Seungmin’s stomach at the sight.

Maybe Minho really did just hate him.

It shouldn’t bother him as much as it does. After all, Minho is just another fate, another fan in the crowd. Seungmin knows there are plenty of people who don’t like him, who hate him just for being a public figure, an idol. It really shouldn’t bother him. However, for some reason, it just doesn’t sit right at all to him.

Maybe it’s because Minho has been at almost every event in Seoul since their debut showcase.

Maybe it’s because when he sees Minho in the crowd, it almost seems as if his attention is solely focused on Seungmin.

Or maybe, just maybe, it’s because Minho intrigues him in a way no other fan has.

-- + --

Minho wants to slam his head into a wall, wants the earth to swallow him whole, wants to move to the middle of nowhere and be unreachable for the rest of his life. Unfortunately for Minho, he has a job and friends who would really prefer if he stuck around a bit longer. That fact is how he finds himself face first on the couch, screaming out his frustrations into the cushion.

“Oh, come on. It couldn’t have been that bad, hyung.” Jisung speaks up from his spot on the floor across the room. He’s been watching his roommate lose his mind for the better of twenty minutes now. The moment the older got home, he threw himself on the couch mumbling about being ‘the absolute worst fate and sky to exist’.

Minho turns his head for a moment, glaring at the younger. “Yes it was! I’m the worst Seungmin stan to ever exist. How could I mess up one of the simplest things for a fansign?” Minho practically whines before burying his face back into the cushion.

“What did you possibly do this time? Did you accidentally threaten him when you were finally trying to talk to him?” Jisung asks, going to lay back on the floor, finally becoming slightly disinterested in watching his roommate lose it. Minho mumbles a reply into the cushion, refusing to lift his head again. “Can’t hear you with your face full of fabric, idiot.”

Minho huffs, pushing himself up and rolling off the couch onto the floor with a thud. “I didn’t realize his sticky tab fell off. He signed the group page, he probably thinks I hate him! I’m the worst fan ever, how could I mess that up?” Minho rambles out. “When he asked where to sign, I panicked and said wherever was fine, all because I didn’t notice! He probably is already tired of seeing me and interacting with me, now he thinks I hate him. I should just run away to the countryside and never come back! I didn’t even actually talk to him again!”

Jisung cackles at Minho’s rant, taking a while before he actually calms down. “Hyung, it’s really not that serious. I don’t think he thinks you hate him because of that. If anything, it would be from that time you called him stupid by accident.” Jisung giggles again at the memory. He remembers having to drag the older by the wrist away from the photo area because he was mortified.

Minho groans, dragging his hands down his face. “Why would you remind me of that? He definitely thinks I’m some kind of anti. He probably thinks I only like the other three and only interact with him because I have to if I want to see the others. Oh my god, who does he think my bias is?”

“Well, as much as I would love to lay here and have a crisis with you, some of us have work to do. I need to close tonight, Jay called out and I really don’t want to call Sunghoon at the last minute. Want to come with?” Jisung asks, picking himself off the ground extending a hand out to the older.

“I want to rot here for the rest of my life.”

“So, that’s a yes?”

Minho huffs but still grabs Jisung’s hand regardless, letting himself be yanked up.

-- + --

Congratulations!

You’ve been selected for twilight’s 1:1 video fan sign event with Seungmin! Please have your identity verification ready prior to your designated call time of 19:35 KST. If you are unable to make your call time, we will try an additional time at the end of all other calls. The length per call is 3 minutes each, please try your best to not hold over time. Thank you for your participation and support!

Minho stares at his phone in disbelief. The email practically mocking him after yesterday’s in person fan sign. He only bought two albums from them, specifically for the exclusive photocards, not expecting to actually win anything from it. He wanted to scream, to cry, to melt into the floor. What kind of sick joke was the universe playing on him? The first time he gets into a video fan sign and it’s a one on one call with the one member he freezes up in front. Maybe he should’ve just done an order with Jisung or Changbin so they could’ve had a bigger chance to win a slot with their bias. A message notification draws his attention away from the announcement email, craving a distraction from it.

B.I.T.C.

seo cb

guess what !!

i won a call with hyunjin

be happy for me >.>

LMH

soooo happy for you

hopefully you embarrass yourself

seo cb

i’m not you lol

did you or sung get anything?

me and my twin are meeting again <33

i need to get more info on how to woo my wife

LMH

felix is going to think you’re obsessed with him

or using him

J1 disliked two of LMH’s messages

LMH

the universe hates me

seo cb

so you did???

who did you put omg

LMH

don’t ask stupid questions

i didn’t expect to get in

i just wanted the pc’s

seo cb

have fun freezing up again <3

LMH

choke

seo cb loved LMH’s message

cbc

happy for all you

do i want to know how much you’ve spent

It’s better to live in ignorance channie hyung

seo cb and LMH emphasized J1’s messaged

cbc

as long as you’re happy i guess?

-- + --

Papers were being placed in front of each member, a list of fan names and time slots lined the sheets. The four of them were tired, restless even at this point. This was the last schedule for the day and they all wanted nothing more than to go back to the dorms and crash. The members were skimming over the names, trying to see if there was anyone they recognized, good and bad.

“Oh! Jisung’s back on my list this time! I’m starting to steal your favorite dumpling, better win him back soon.” Felix teased, watching Hyunjin’s reaction to the information.

“That’s not fair, you can’t just take my fans!” Hyunjin whined, a pout settling on his face.

“I mean, he’s always going for the one on one calls with Felix Hyung now, maybe he really did switch sides.” Jeongin joins in, laughing when Hyunjin’s pout deepens. Seungmin tunes out their teasing, his eyes trained solely on one name off his list.

Lee Minho at 19:35

Maybe it was a different Minho, he tried telling himself. There was no reason or way that the Minho who always ignored his attempts would want to win a one on one call with him. The same Minho who could never meet his eyes, could never say more than a few words, who behaved so differently with all the members. There's no way he would ever willingly want to talk to Seungmin. It definitely had to be someone else with the same name, right? Right.

“We’re starting in about five minutes, is everyone good to go?” Their manager announced, clapping his hands to get their attention refocused. The members nodded, ready to get through this and get home.

The video calls went by fairly fast at the start. Luckily for Seungmin, there weren't really any super weird demands or requests on his calls. The worst he had to do was pretend to bark for one fan who seemed a little too fixated on the idea. He watched the clock on the wall between each call, the time ticking closer and closer to 19:35, until it was finally Minho’s designated time slot. He glanced over at the staff handling his calls, noticing a frown on their face.

“I’m sorry Seungmin-ssi, Lee Minho isn’t answering the call and hasn’t done verification yet. We’re going to push him to the end and see if he picks up then. Enjoy a few minute break until your next call.”

All Seungmin could do was sigh and nod in response because of course . Of course, it really was the same Minho as always. Why would he want to talk to Seungmin after all? He couldn’t linger on it for too long, he still had five more calls to get through before they would start calling back everyone who missed their time slots. When the last call disconnected, he glanced over at the staff to see how many calls they’d have to try again. Only two this time.

“Seungmin-ssi, we’re going to try Kang Jisoo first. If they don’t answer, we’ll go straight to Lee Minho so you can leave as soon as possible, okay?” Seungmin nodded, stretching his arms above his head.

The first call failed to go through, Kang Jisoo lost their spot. The staff member fumbled with the tablet one more time, inputting Minho’s ID. Seungmin watched the clock again as the call started to ring, his eyes widening slightly when he heard the staff begin to speak.

“Hello Lee Minho-ssi, thank you for answering. Do you have your form of identification ready?” There was a moment of silence before the staff spoke again.

“Perfect thank you so much, Minho-ssi, please give us one moment while we finalize some details. We’re going to put you on a hold and Seungmin-ssi will connect when ready. Thank you for your patience and cooperation, it’s greatly appreciated.” The staff waited a moment before gesturing for him to go ahead whenever he was ready. Seungmin could feel his nerves increase, wondering if it actually was someone new for a change or not. Taking a deep breath, he took the call of hold, waiting for the screen to load. Seungmin could practically feel his heart jump into his throat when he finally heard the voice on the other end.

“- hard not to freak the fuck out right now. Wish me luck Jisung or I’ll make sure you never see the light of day again.”

Seungmin cleared his throat, startling the man on screen, if the way he jumped, nearly falling out of his chair, was anything to go by. “Hi, Minho-ssi right?”

“Oh, uh yes hi that’s me, Minho. I am so sorry about that. My roommate was um, saying something stupid.”

Seungmin raised an eyebrow at his words, finding the whole interaction amusing. “Stupid enough to warrant a death threat? That must be really rough living with him.” He really hoped his tone came across teasing, he couldn’t fumble this one chance to talk to him properly.

“It’s a lot harder than you think. He’s always talking and yet, it’s never anything important. Oh god, that’s kind of mean, I meant like in a joking way. I’ve been friends with him my whole life, I swear I don’t hate him.”

“Don’t worry honestly, I get it. I’m the same way with the members.”

“Thank you um for not being upset about that. Oh! I had a question I wanted to ask you, if that’s alright?”

“Yes, of course, why wouldn’t it be? I mean it is your video call, Minho-ssi.”

“Oh, huh, I guess that’s true. I was just wondering if there are any b-side songs that you would ever want to have some choreography, if any? Does that make sense? If not, I can always try to reword it.”

“Choreography for a b-side? Like one that doesn’t already exist?” Minho nodded in confirmation. “Hmm, maybe Phobia? Is there a reason why?”

“It’s just something for work, some of my students found out I’m a fate and now they’re begging me to do one of your songs for the end of the year showcase. I figured why not use the chance to ask one of the members, you know? I’m so sorry I feel like I keep rambling.”

“Don’t be, it’s nice, honestly. Are you a dance teacher? You should show me it when it’s finished, Minho-ssi.”

A blush spread across Minho’s face as the timer went off in the background.

“I will, I promise. You’re doing amazing this comeback by the way, I’ll keep cheering for you”

“Thank you, Minho-ssi. Don’t be so quiet next time, cutie.”

Seungmin found himself smiling as the call disconnected and the screen went blank. That was unexpected, but yet, not entirely unwelcome.

-- + --

B.I.T.C

LMH

you guys so owe me

don’t listen to him

he’s delusional

seo cb

????

why do we owe you

LMH

because all of you doubted me

had no faith in me

cbc

not me though right

there’s no favoritism here chan

cbc disliked J1’s message

they booed me bc i’m right

LMH

anyways

i made it through an entire conversation this time

and he called me cutie

which like doesnt matter at all

seo cb and J1 disliked LMH’s message

cbc

good job ^^

i’m proud of you for finally doing it

but like what did you even say for that

“oh my god seungmin i love you so bad sorry im too emotionally constipated to ever say anything marry me”

LMH disliked J1’s message

seo cb

or was it more like

“seungminnie have my kids and i won’t be mean to you ever again”

LMH disliked seo cb’s message

LMH

…. watch your backs

especially you Han Jisung

we share an apartment don’t forget

jokes on you i’m crashing with chan tonight

cbc

…?

doors unlocked then?

J1 loved cbc’s message

LMH

i asked him for a song to choreograph

like of theirs

he said phobia <33

my passion project for the next few weeks

seo cb

anyways

hyunjin asked about my tattoo designs again today

i think he’s in love with me

J1 disliked seo cb’s message

get away from my wife??

seo cb

he’s literally MY wife ??

cbc

everyone’s delusional here but me

LMH, J1 and seo cb disliked cbc’s message

cbc

oh fuck all of you

it’s whatever, bc you know why?

felix told me the way to hyunjin’s heart

i just have to get sexier and muscular

which is crazy bc im already quite sexy and buff

seo cb

what’s crazy here is im more buff and sexy

should be me instead

Chapter 2: the especially bright star, seems like you

Chapter Text

Minho’s sore, his whole body aches and it’s hard to breathe properly. He’s staring up at the ceiling, laying spread out like a star fish. He’s flushed and covered in sweat, having pushed himself to his limits the past few hours. Yet still, he feels like he’s nowhere near where he should be right now. He isn’t happy with his progress despite staying in the studio hours on end for the past few days. Phobia begins to play again and Minho can not be bothered to move to turn it off. The studio door thuds open with loud footsteps entering the room, not even startling him off the ground.

“Lee Minho, I swear to god, it’s almost 3 in the morning.” Chan sounds exasperated as he stops next to the body on the floor, almost kicking his shoulder in the process.

“I’m not taking a lecture from you, mister workaholic recluse.” Minho rolls his eyes, forcing himself to at least sit up off the floor.

“Jisung has been blowing up my phone for the past hour, asking me to grab you from the studio.”

“He could’ve just come himself, if he was that concerned.”

“That’s true, but you know this is his way of getting us both out of the studios. You know the whole two birds with one stone saying. Why are you pushing yourself so hard over this, anyways? The showcase isn’t even for another three months.”

“You wouldn’t get it, hyung, no offense. It has to be perfect, I want to be able to post it and show it off to the world. I mean with how much I end up seeing twilight, the chances to tell them, to show them is high, you know?” A silent, unspoken I have to be perfect or I’ll never forgive myself hangs in the air. Chan hums as a response before sitting down across from Minho.

“I know it’s not the most important thing in the world, but it’s just important to me. What if they actually do end up seeing it? I don’t want to disappoint them, you know” Minho feels himself wanting to close in. He knows there’s a miniscule chance of them actually taking the time to find it and actually watch it. He feels insecure and stupid because of it.

“Min, if it’s important to you, then it’s important. Just, don’t push yourself too hard please. There’s a difference between us, you know? When I work too long, I’m not physically exerting myself, I’m just hunched over in the studio, which still isn’t good but it’s less taxing. When you do it, you’re pushing your body way past its limits. I really don’t want to come here next time and drag you out on a stretcher, idiot.” A snort escapes Minho before he can even attempt to stop it.

“I’ll try to not overdo it, okay? Now, come on, I guess we should get home before Jisung calls and reports us missing. Crash the night?”

Chan nods a yes before getting off the ground. Minho pushes himself up as well, his legs shaking as he fully stands up. He feels his whole body shake, definitely having pushed a little too far. Chan watches as he stumbles to grab his belongings, sighing before deciding to intervene. He grabs Minho’s bag off of him, putting in on backwards against his chest, before squatting down in front of him.

“Hop on, I’ll piggyback you to the car. You can barely walk by yourself.”

Minho wants to try and fight it but every part of his body is screaming after resting for a little bit. He climbs onto the older male's back, loosely wrapping his arms around Chan’s neck. He murmurs a soft ‘thank you hyung’ as Chan stood back up and started exiting the studio.

-- + --

“I think I want to get a tattoo, what do you think?” Hyunjin asked, walking into the living room with a bowl of popcorn. It was one of their rare nights off and they promised to have a drama binge watch before their schedules picked up again tomorrow afternoon.

“Depends, what is it?” Jeongin asked, making grabby hands for the bowl as Hyunjin sat in between him and Felix.

“I’m not sure yet, maybe my birth flower?”

“You should do a whole bouquet, one for each of us. You’re too committed and it’s just the right amount of sappiness for you.” Felix chimed in.

“I even have an artist in mind, hold on look at this.” Hyunjin pulled up the artist's account, passing it over Felix. Jeongin practically threw himself over Hyunjin’s lap to look at the account. Seungmin leaned his head back into Felix’s lap trying to glance up at the screen as well.

“Woah, their work is really good. Have you reached out to them yet?” Felix asked, passing the phone back once they finished scrolling.

“I wanted to get your opinions before I did. Do you think management is going to have an issue with it?” The question was mostly directed at Seungmin.

He took a moment before responding, trying to figure out if it would be a big deal or not. “I don’t think so, I mean just get it somewhere they can cover it up if needed, you know?” Hyunjin hummed in response, seemingly ending the conversation there for the moment.

-- + --

B.I.T.C

who’s free rn rn

cbc

i could be

what’s up??

seo cb

i’ve got like two more clients today

sorry dude

i just got a massive order due in like two hour

and it’s only me rn

chan loml can you please help

minho pls respond i need you too

LMH

i can be there in like 15??

my class just ended lol

cbc

^^ me too

i’ll shut down and come help

how big are we talking tho

like i need everything baked an hour ago

type of big

idk why people place such massive orders on mobile

but also i’m literally not turning it down

LMH

why not

that’s literally rude as hell???

what, did hyunjin place this order himself

and thats why you cant lmao??

cbc

hate to agree but

i know it’s business

but still wtf

can you guys just please get here omg

-- + --

As soon as Minho entered Collision, he knew it was going to be a long few hours. He could hear Jisung fumbling with dishes and pans in the back while Chan was at the register helping a customer. Minho made a beeline to the kitchen door, waving briefly at Chan as he walked by. He set his bag in an open locker by the door and grabbed an apron off the wall, ready to help fix whatever mess Jisung was making.

“Hyung! Thank you so much, can you throw those in the oven and take out the others? The timer literally just went off.” Jisung practically yelled, pointing at two trays of chocolate chip cookies on the other side of the kitchen.

Minho nodded, slipping oven mitts on before handling the trays. Once they were in the oven and the others on the cooling racks, he examined the state of the back room. There was flour and egg shells thrown everywhere, some cookie batter splattered over the counters. It was messy but nothing less was expected of a stressed Jisung.

“What do you need me to do?” Minho asked, walking over towards the younger who was too focused on finishing up a chocolate sauce.

“Can you get the order sheet off Chan in the front? I honestly have no idea what else needs done. We can’t start the drink until about thirty minutes out.” Minho nodded and headed up to the front of house.

Chan was zoning out at the register, clearly given instructions to handle the front since he was a bit useless when it came to baking. Minho snuck up behind him, smacking his ass as a greeting, startling the elder who hadn’t noticed his presence quite yet. A small cat-like smirk taking over Minho’s face at the reaction. “Dude, what the fuck?”

“Mister boss man said there’s an order sheet to go over?”

“It’s literally right there, grab it yourself.” Chan said pointing to the clipboard sat near the hand off area.

“You’re so mean to me today, what happened to the Chan that carried me around two days ago, hmm?” Minho teased, walking over to grab the clipboard, almost dropping it the second he picked it up.

“Maybe stop assaulting my ass as a hello and you wouldn’t have this problem.”

“Now, where’s the fun in that?”

Chan scoffed before trying to shoo Minho back into the kitchen. He wasn’t actually upset, Minho knew that. It was just fun to push each other's buttons when they could. Glancing over the order sheet, Minho felt his brain short circuit.

Order: CL4419

Type: Mobile , Delivery

Delivery Time: 18:00 (6:00pm)

Delivery Address: JYP CENTER

“Han Jisung, what the actual fuck do you mean this order is being delivered to JYP?!” Minho screeched, storming over to the younger.

“Well, you see the funny thing is, please don’t kill me, I’m dragging you with me when these are done. So please, for the love of god help me make these perfect, I’m begging.”

-- + --

Minho was about three seconds from strangling Jisung. They were currently parked outside of JYP Entertainment, both too anxious to go in and talk to the receptionist. Jisung insisted on playing rock paper scissors to decide who would go in. Minho seemed to be having the worst luck possible.

“It’s your company you go in and talk to them” He insisted, after losing yet another round. Jisung just shook his head and passed him the clipboard.

“Go talk to them, I believe in you!” Jisung reached over and unbuckled Minho’s seatbelt for him, trying to leave no more room for discussion. Minho huffed, opening his door, trying to glare at the youngest before leaving. All he got in response was a flying kiss in his direction.

Taking a deep breath, he entered the building, going up to the receptionist. His hands were shaking as he handed over the clipboard, explaining he was here for a delivery, as well as motioning outside to the delivery van with Collisions logo plastered on the side.

“Can we get your photo identification card as well as anyone who’s helping you with the delivery? We’ll have someone escort you to the designated area once we get you temporary passes.” The receptionist explained, a tight smile on her face.

All Minho could do was nod dumbly for a moment, before pulling out his wallet and phone. He called Jisung, letting him know to come in with his ID and any business identification he had in the van, just in case. Minho passed his ID card over to the receptionist and stood off to the side waiting for the younger to come in. It took a few minutes before they were cleared to get their guest passes.

“This is Yuchan, he’ll be helping with the delivery. Thank you for the understanding.” The receptionist gestured to the man off to the side.

“Nice to meet you two. We can go grab the items from your van now?”

He didn’t seem much older than either of them, but was a bit taller. He seemed to be waiting for either Minho or Jisung to begin walking out to get the delivery items. They snapped back to reality after a moment, fumbling out towards the van, muttering an apology to him. Grabbing the large bags of pastries and carriers of drinks from the plastic storage totes in the back, the three headed back inside. Yuchan led the way through the security terminal, scanning his badge and holding it open for the two.

Minho was practically vibrating as he took in the sight of the JYP building. This was likely his only chance ever to be inside, and damn it, he was going to memorize every inch. The same could be said about Jisung if the way he was fumbling every few steps was any indicator. They both may hate the company itself, but it was still not everyday you get inside the building like this. They stopped in front of a conference room, Yuchan knocking on the door before entering. The room was empty of people as they stepped in, streamers and a banner covered the wall. The banner made Minho quirk an eyebrow before shaking off his thoughts.

Congratulations on finishing promotions!

“You can just go ahead and set it up in the middle of the table, they shouldn’t mind it there.” Yuchan said, setting down his bag of pastries on the edge of the table. Jisung nodded before doing the same.

Minho and Jisung took a few minutes to arrange the pastries and drinks to look as nice and presentable as they could manage. Yuchan hung off to the side, not really sure how to help besides not getting in their way. When they finally had everything organized, Jisung stepped back to admire the set up, he hummed before nodding his head in approval.

“Do you think it’d be okay to take a photo of the set up, just for later on? I won’t post who got the order or anything like that, I promise.” Jisung asked, turning to Yuchan.

“I don’t see why not? I mean as long as you crop the background out, it should be fine.”

“Hyung, can you take the photos? You have a bit of a better phone than me.” Minho just nodded, pulling his phone out to take a few photos. It took a minute or two before Jisung was fully satisfied with the photos, complaining about too much background to cut out or how much was missing from it.

They could hear voices coming down the hall, as they were gathering all the leftover bags and carriers. They took one last look over the room before letting Yuchan know that they were all good to go back out. The three of them opened the door and they were immediately hit with loud laughter. Minho smiled to himself, at least the people who worked here were happy. They barely got a few steps down the hall before they were stopped, Minho and Jisung both tensed up behind their escort. They shared a look of disbelief.

“Yuchan-hyung! What’re you doing here? Aren’t you normally downstairs around this time?” The voice was so familiar, Minho could see Jisung having a whole internal breakdown over it.

“Oh, Hyunjin, hello. I was helping set up your gift from the company. I had to escort the caterers around.” Yuchan explained, motioning to the two men frozen in place behind him.

A look of recognition crossed Hyunjin’s face once he processed who the duo was. Minho and Jisung bowed as a greeting, their bodies shaking from anxiety. Neither of them wanted to come across as stalkers or crazed fans, especially at this moment. Before Hyunjin could say anything, the rest of the members caught up to him.

“Dude come on, they said there’s free drinks and pastries in room 25 and you’re stopping to chat? Jiham-Hyung has been talking about the place they got it from nonstop, I need to see if it’s actually that good.” Felix said, wrapping an arm around Hyunjin’s shoulders, oblivious to the others there.

“You know how impatient he is to try this.” Jeongin spoke, rolling his eyes at Felix’s hyperactivity for free food. Hyunjin nodded, his eyes trained on the duo, mainly studying Jisung who couldn’t even try to meet his eyes.

“Those are the caterers, we can at least say thank you, right?” Hyunjin spoke in a hushed voice, nudging Felix in the ribs, moving his attention to Minho and Jisung.

Felix brightened up at the sight of the two, knowing quite well who they were. Before he could even open his mouth to speak, Seungmin cut him off.

“Oh, it’s nice to meet you again, Minho-ssi and Jisung-ssi.” With the way the younger one spoke so gently and looked so soft in his oversized hoodie, Minho could hear his heart pounding in his ears.

“Thank you for delivering it, I’m sure we’ll eat well! Please send our thanks to the owner as well!” Felix beamed.

“Oh, uh, you’re welcome! We had no idea it would be for you! I hope you enjoy, it’s all my own recipes, so please eat well!” Jisung fumbled over his words, his cheeks heating up under Hyunjin’s stare. He glanced over at Minho looking for some help in this situation only to find him practically trying to hide behind Yuchan.

“Wait, do you own the place?” Jisung nodded. “That’s so impressive!” Jeongin commented, a little surprised by that fact, considering how highly their managers always talked about the cafe.

Seungmin was quietly studying Minho while the other four talked amongst themselves. From the way the older was trying to use Yuchan as a barrier from having to interact with the group, to the way he was shaking slightly and avoiding even so much as glancing at them for too long. Was Minho shy or worried about talking to them? Most fans would’ve jumped at the opportunity, why wasn’t he? Seungmin could feel his eyebrows furrowing together as he tried to piece together what he could.

Minho, on the other hand, wanted to get out of that hallway as fast as possible. He had to have the willpower of a god to not ogle at Seungmin and how pretty he looked. The way he was practically drowning in his hoodie matched with the bare minimum makeup and his hair unstyled. Minho could feel himself melting every time he glanced over for a second too long.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I really should be getting these two out of here. I have to make sure they’re out by 7:30 at the latest, it’s almost time.” Yuchan stepped in, cutting the conversation of the four others short.

“It was nice seeing you two again, thank you again!” Seungmin said, stepping to the side to let them pass by. The rest of the members waved their goodbyes and thanks as they started to head into the conference room.

The further they got, the more Minho felt like he could breathe properly again. He was never trusting Jisung again.

-- + --

B.I.T.C

LMH

say your goodbyes to jisung

he /might/ go missing tonight :)

seo cb

what he do now

met the loml on delivery

wedding is next week btw

seo cb

cheating on hyun?

crazy work

no wtf

why would you even say that

it was him <333

seo cb disliked J1’s message.

seo cb

delusional

nurse, he’s out again

LMH

unfortunately

he’s telling the truth

that’s the big order he had

seo cb

i’ll kms rn

pls tell me you’re joking

this is a prank right?

right guys?

guys this isn’t funny

Chapter 3: i feel like i’m a ghost, i’m out of my mind

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Changbin was having a long week, he was getting bigger projects and more people were submitting requests than normal. He was staring at his recent booking inquiries and requests, filtering out what ones he could or couldn’t take on for the rest of the month. One in particular, caught his attention.

Legal Full Name (Must Match ID):

Hwang HyunJin

Preferred Name / Pronouns:

Hyune / he/him

Description of Desired Tattoo:

Small bouquet of 4 flowers. Specifically a Jonquil or a Daffodil, Aster, Morning Glory and Primrose. Stems and leaves in greyscale, flower head colored if that makes sense?

Location of Tattoo:

Right ribcage

Sizing Estimate (EX: Credit card, Coins, CD’s):
Length of a cellphone??

Greyscale or Colored work?:

Mixed preferably?

Reference Photos:

img.325 img.326 img.327 img.328

Listen, Changbin may be a lot of things, but he wasn’t stupidly delusional. Yes, he may be a little stupid sometimes, and well yea, he may be a tad delusional, but he wasn’t actually like that. Rationally, he knew there was an infinite amount of people that could be named Hwang Hyunjin; he knew there was a high probability that they could also enjoy being called Hyune over their full names. Yes, Changbin was aware the chances were slim to none of this being the Hwang Hyunjin he regularly geeked over and talked to a few times. Still, there was never a zero percent chance of it being him. Laughing under his breath slightly, he accepted the request, sending over his number to call in order to set up a consultation appointment.

He went back to going through the rest of his requests, his brain trying to refocus on the task at hand instead of the delusional side of his mind. He managed to filter through half of the remaining ones before his work phone started going off with an incoming call. He took a deep breath before answering it, mentally ready to clock out for the day.

“Hello, this is Changbin from Dawn Studios, how can I help you?” He put his best customer service voice on, hoping to not come across as tired.

“Oh, hello Changbin-ssi. I’m hoping to set up my consultation? I know you just sent the confirmation, but I have a kind of tight schedule to work around.” Changbin knew that voice and he was praying to every god out there that he was wrong.

“Yeah of course, what’s the soonest you’re looking for?”

“Do you have any openings for tomorrow? I know it’s super last minute, but I have maybe a week of free time before my job gets busy again.”

Changbin pulled up his calendar, looking over his scheduling for the next week. “Mmm I can fit you in around twelve tomorrow, if that works?”

“Yes, of course! If all goes well, do I book the actual tattoo appointment tomorrow or could I pre-book it now? I loved your work online, so I’m sure it’ll be amazing.”

“We can book it now, if you end up not wanting to follow through after tomorrow I won’t charge the deposit. I have some availability on Friday and Sunday if you’d like either. Based on the size, it would be like a two to four hour session depending on how detailed you’d like it.”

“Friday would be perfect, anytime works. Thank you so much Changbin-ssi.”

“Yeah of course, I’ll see you tomorrow Hyunjin-ssi. Have a nice night.” Changbin hung before slamming his face on the desk moments later. Realization hitting him like a truck. Hyunjin, sorry the client , never said his name, Changbin surely felt like he just fucked up.

B.I.T.C

seo cb

someone come to the studio by 12 tmrw

not dying by myself

looking at you ji or min

-- + --

idiots unite

hyune

whos free tmrw

and wants to come w me

ill buy coffee??

bok

sleeping literally all day

sorry bruv

hyune disliked bok’s message.

iyenie

go where

hyune

tattoo :D

iyenie

mm no <3

hyune

minnie??

seung

sigh

what time

hyune

12!!!

ilysm minnie my favroite

favorire

favorite dongsaeng

iyenie laughed at three of hyune’s messages.

seung

i pick where we get coffee from tho

hyune

anything for u <33

-- + --

“Listen, I don’t know why you wanted us to come, we’re just going to sit here and stare at the wall while you do your little consultation thing.” Minho complained as soon as he entered Dawn Studios. Jisung and Chan followed behind him since they all decided to go get lunch together afterwards. Minho flopped down onto the couch in the waiting area, Jisung dropping himself on top of him earning a grunt in response to the sudden weight.

“I just need moral support if I’m right, you know? Plus it’ll be awkward if I’m wrong because the call went weird.” Changbin explained from behind the receptionist desk, finishing up some work before the next client came in. His eyes watched the clock, hoping it would magically stop. Chan hopped onto the empty space of the counter, earning a glare from Changbin, but in his defense, where else could he sit with the dumb and dumber duo taking up the whole couch.

“Whatcha doing?”

“Printing my paperwork. Why’re you on my counter?”

“Why aren’t you on your counter?” Chan shot back, a wide grin taking over his face at the blank look on the younger’s face.

The bell above the door rang as a couple of people stepped in. Chan scrambled to jump off the counter, opting to lean against it to hopefully not give the wrong impression about his friend's work. Jisung rolled off Minho, landing on the floor with a thud as he did so.

“Hi, welcome in! How can I help you?” Changbin greeted, not looking away from his computer screen.

“Um yeah, I know I’m a bit early, but I’m here for my consultation with Changbin?” Changbin’s eyes flickered over to the couch, his eyes catching Minho’s wide ones. Fuck, it was Hwang Hyunjin.

“Oh, yeah hey, just go ahead and uh fill out these real fast just so my boss doesn’t get upset with me, and then um then I’ll take you back. Do you need any water or snacks while you’re here?” He fumbled over his words, as he finally looked up. He saw Hyunjin looking at all the artwork and designs on the wall, and Seungmin staring very intensely at him. He coughed slightly, trying to hand the papers over to him.

“Oh! Changbin! You’re the tattoo artist?” Hyunjin asked, his eyes widening slightly. “What a small world!”

“Yeah, that’s crazy. Umm you can fill out the papers on the couch over there while I finish getting everything printed out.” He gestured towards the couch, watching Minho scramble to stand up, kicking Jisung in the process. The younger let out a pained whine before getting off the floor, dragging Minho over to the counter next to Chan. Hyunjin and Seungmin watched in amusement at the scene, walking over to the couch themselves and sitting.

“Hyung, what the fuck?” Jisung hissed out, his eyes narrowing at Changbin.

“Moral support, I told you this.” He rolled his eyes, spinning in his seat to grab his papers off the printer. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go do my consultation. We’re still on for lunch after this right?”

“You’re paying for our sufferings.”

Changbin stood up, laughing and waving Hyunjin to follow him to the back room. Seungmin stood up to follow before Hyunjin stopped him, tilting his head towards the counter where the other three were talking. Seungmin raised an eyebrow, having a silent conversation with the other. Hyunjin only shook his head, before following Changbin to the back.

Sighing, he stood up and walked over to the counter. He coughed slightly trying to get their attention. Jisung practically jumped out of his skin at the sound, assuming Seungmin would’ve gone back too. Chan was the first to react properly, knowing his two friends were losing their minds. He took a step away to greet the other properly.

“Hey, I’m Chan.” He smiled, sticking his hand out for a handshake. Seungmin just looked at it blankly for a second, before awkwardly shaking it.

“Seungmin.” His voice was stiff, coming across awkward, feelings out of place all of a sudden.

“Did you want or need anything? Honestly, we thought you would’ve gone back with your friend.”

“Ah, no he wouldn’t let me, told me to socialize honestly.”

“Well, we’re figuring out where to get lunch, if you want to help settle this. Minho over there is very opinionated and the other one, Jisung, has too many suggestions that it’s difficult to settle between those two.” Chan smiled, his eyes turning into crescents, and Seungmin felt at ease, nodding before joining the conversation properly.

One thing he did notice was how quiet and stiff Minho was when he joined, barely speaking unless he was directly asked something. Interesting .

-- + --

“Han Jisung, fuck you.” Those were the first words out of Changbin’s mouth as soon as Hyunjin and Seungmin were out of the studio.

“Hey! What did I do?” Jisung practically yelled, defensive at the sudden attitude.

“The whole time we were back there, Hyunjin kept asking about you. He had no interest in me, man. Fuck you.”

Minho cackled at the news while Jisung’s eyes went impossibly wide and his mouth hung open slightly. Chan chuckled under his breath, patting Jisung on the back.

“We really are soulmates. I always ask Felix about him and he asks you about me. I’m gonna marry that man.” Jisung let out a dreamy sigh, his eyes sparkling.

“Yeah, Yeah, whatever, what are we doing for food? I have an hour free.” Changbin mumbled, his attitude and body language coming across salty.

-- + --

“I’m in love.” Hyunjin breathed out as soon as he stepped into the dorm, Seungmin following in tow behind him.

“You find out your favorite fan is your age and single and now you’re all lovey dovey?” Seungmin grumbled, kicking his shoes off.

“Why is Hyung being weird?” Jeongin asked, from the couch, only slightly interested in the others' antics. The question was directed at Seungmin, but unfortunately for him, Hyunjin decided to respond first.

“I’m in love Jeonginnie. Jisung’s my age, funny, and single. He’s friends with my tattoo artist. I’m going to marry him.”

“Like the Jisung you always talk about? Or do you just have a thing for Jisung’s?”

“No! It’s that Jisung and he’s friends with Changbin and Minho we always see too, crazy right? Changbin’s my tattoo artist too! Crazy. He was so cute Iyenie, I swear I’m gonna make him mine. He had this other friend there too who could totally be your type or Felix’s. I’ve never seen him at our events though,so I doubt he’s a fan”

“Go tell Lixie Hyung, I’m sure he’ll be ecstatic for you at least.” Jeongin just sighed, completely disinterested in the conversation now. It took less than thirty seconds before Hyunjin took off in the direction of their shared room yelling for Felix. Seungmin just huffed and dropped himself on the couch next to the youngest, both already over Hyunjin’s lovesick ranting again.

-- + --

Minho was determined to finish this once and for all tonight.

Chan and Changbin were sitting on the floor in the corner of the dance studio, watching intensely as Minho ran through his choreography for the duo. He finally felt satisfied with Phobia and desperately craved feedback before recording the final take. He knows he technically could’ve just filmed it and sent it in their group chat, but he needed feedback in the moment versus when they finally checked their phones.

As the song faded out and Minho slowly came back into reality, he heard clapping from his friends behind him. His breathing was heavy as he reached for his towel and water. Finally feeling like he was able to properly breathe again. Changbin was the first to speak up, quicker to his thoughts than Chan was.

“It’s amazing Min, you did so well creating it.” His voice held so much admiration that was so genuine, it made Minho’s heart swell.

“He’s right, you know? I don’t think there’s anything to critique, you put your all into it and brought life to the song. You always do, I’m so proud of you man.” Chan chimed in, a blinding smile on his with his voice full of pride and adoration.

Minho was a little shy from the praise but was still thankful for it. He smiled, setting his water and towel back down. “Can you help me film it? I want to be able to post it soon.”

The pair nodded, getting up from the ground to go set up the tri-pod. The three of them spent another hour in the studio, redoing takes and reviewing footage until one came out as perfect as Minho could get it. He was so grateful to have his friends with him, even if he wasn’t the best at voicing it half the time.

When they finally packed up everything, they decided to head out and meet Jisung at Collision since it was nearing the end of the night for him. The walk was full of laughter and jokes. Changbin almost got shoved into traffic by Minho while he was teasing the older.

( “What if Seungmin sees it before you can show him it and he falls head over heels for you?”

“What if you got hit by that car coming this way?”

“Minho, don’t kill him because you’re delusional.”

All Minho could do was gasp in offense at Chan’s words.)

When they finally got to Collision, Minho practically threw the door open, knowing all too well that the shop was empty at this time of night. What he didn’t account for, however, was someone about to open the door to leave. The door hit the customer in the face, earning a shout of pain.

“Oh my god, I am so so sorry, are you okay? Holy shit, I’m so sorry.” Minho was apologizing profusely as he bent down to the man laying on the floor holding his face in his hands. Chan, Changbin and Jisung were all too stunned to speak.

The man lifted his head to look up, one hand still cupping his nose and mouth area, a dry laugh leaving him at the sight of Minho. Minho paled, horror filling his body at who it was.

“Minho-sii, we really need to stop running into each other. I’m gonna start thinking you’re stalking me at this point.” He joked.

“I am so sorry Seungmin-ssi I really didn’t expect anyone to be here. Are you okay, oh my god? Are you bleeding? Hurt? Let me take you to the Emergency Room, I could’ve broken your nose. Oh my god every fate and sky is going to kill me for hurting you. Please let me take a look at least, I am so sorry.” Minho was rambling, his words coming out faster than he could think them through.

Seungmin laughed, his head thrown back as he dropped his hand from his face. There was a line of blood under his nose and it was very clearly red and swollen but yet he was laughing? It didn’t make any sense to Minho. “You’re cute when you don’t stop talking. Can I just please get some ice and towel and wipe my blood? I”m okay, I promise Minho-ssi.”

Relief flooded Minho before he nodded and took off to the counter to grab the items from Jisung. Seungmin got off the floor, settling into a chair that Chan had brought over just in case something was wrong when he actually stood up. He watched as Minho came back over, he could see the other’s watery eyes and bright red ears, likely embarrassed by everything.

“Thank you. It’s really okay, Minho-ssi, I promise.”

“Hyung. You can call me Hyung if you want, since we keep bumping into each other.”

“Okay, Minho Hyung.” Seungmin beamed, taking the items from the older, a wide smile on his face.

Notes:

stream karma <33
also sorry for mistakes i didn't triple read this lol

Chapter 4: these days i think are so strange

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

“What if we all just die?”

“Minho, it’s not that serious.”

“Not that serious?! I just whacked the most attractive man ever with a door and almost broke his face like an hour ago, and it’s not that serious, Chan? Let’s all just die, oh my god.” Minho dropped his head onto the table, a thud resonating as he did so.

Jisung cackled from behind the counter, where he was finishing up the last closing tasks, finding his friend’s misery hilarious. “Maybe, you’ll stop being such an awkward loser around him now?”

Minho lifted his head slightly to glare at the younger, clearly annoyed by the teasing. He was going through a crisis and this is how he was being treated? Minho made a mental note to try and find some new friends soon. Ones that would take his pain and suffering seriously and not some joke to poke at.

“It could’ve been worse, you could’ve caused a concussion or actually broke something. I wouldn’t say some bruising and minor bleeding is a reason for all of us to die.” Changbin chimed in, not even bothering to look away from his phone.

“Oh great, remind me how severe it could’ve been. I’m never showing my face at a twilight event ever again.”

“Oh, come on you big baby. Let’s go back to the apartment, we can do a movie night if you want, all of us if Chan and Changbin are down.”

Jisung walked over patting the older man’s head as if to try and console him. His head tilted to the side as he waited for an answer from all three of his hyungs.

“I’m down, I just have to leave by 8 to get ready for the day.” Chan finally answered, Changbin nodding in agreement. Minho raised his head fully, huffing, but started getting up to head home with the others. He just wanted to be in the safety of his apartment for the rest of his life at this rate. At least that way he wouldn’t make a fool of himself again.

-- + --

i.2.n.8 started a live video.

Minho clicked on the notification faster than humanly possible. It wasn’t often any of the members went live on their personal accounts, especially unannounced during his free time. Of course he was going to join. He was currently laying on the couch after everyone had gone home for the day, it was only about 10am still, plenty of time to lay around before his afternoon class. The live finally loaded and the sight that greeted him could only be described as cute.

Jeongin was sitting at his desk, his hair was still messy as if he just woke up not too long ago. He was bare faced, yet still was glowing, maybe Minho was a little envious of that. He appeared to be eating breakfast from the looks of it. He was wearing an oversized sweater, the neckline starting to fall down his shoulder from how big it was. It was cute, honestly.

“Hii everyone, I have a little free time this morning! Thank you for all the support on this past comeback, it means a lot to us!” Jeongin beamed, his eyes turning into crescents as his smile grew. “I woke up a little bit ago and wanted to see what our fate’s were up to. Do you miss us?” He laughed slightly as he spoke and Minho felt his heart melt at the sight, the youngest was so cute.

“Oh? Some of you have class today? That’s boring, skip and hang out at home instead. I’m supposed to have a vocal session with Seungmin-hyung later today, I might just skip instead, don’t tell him that though.” He laughed again, throwing his head back slightly as he did so. He sat in silence for a minute, skimming through the comment section.

“Someone asked if we’re going to tour soon, aye, I can’t answer that right now and you guys know that. I will say this much, we have a full schedule starting very soon. Take that how you wish.” Jeongin started snacking on the food in front of him, his eyes scanning the comments again. A knock sounded in the background followed by a door creaking open. Jeongin’s face lit up at the sight of the person out of the camera frame, before he laughed loudly. “Oh, hyung, come say hi to fate’s, I’m on live.” There was some shuffling before a mop of brown hair and wide puppy-like eyes appeared in frame.

“Hello fate’s, this is as much of me as you’re going to get today.” Seungmin greeted, careful to not show his whole face to the camera before disappearing from view.

“Hyung, they want you to show your full face.”

“I literally can’t right now, I don’t have makeup on.”

“I don’t either and here I am, you’re just embarrassed about your face." Jeongin teased, knowing very well why Seungmin couldn’t show his face fully. Minho could hear Seungmin sigh before joining the youngest on camera, settling behind him being careful to keep the lower half of his face covered. Jeongin moved slightly to the left, showing off the older’s face fully to the camera. There was a slight discoloration around his nose, bruising likely, and a small cut just a hair to the right of his nose. Minho felt a wave of guilt hit him, knowing the reason behind it was him and his stupidity.

“There’s so many of you asking what happened to my face, that’s rude I always look like this.” Seungmin joked for a moment, laughing before explaining. “I walked into a door last night, I wasn’t paying attention and it swung open before I knew it. Funny enough, it was a fate on the other side. They apologized so much and even offered to send me to the hospital. If they’re watching, please don’t feel bad, I’m really okay, nothing’s broken, just bruised.” He had a fond smile on his face as he recalled the events of last night.

Minho’s fingers moved faster than his mind. He typed a simple “I’m glad it’s nothing serious, I owe you for the damages though” hitting send before he could chicken out.

“I think they’re here, look at that comment.” Jeongin said, pointing towards the comment section for Seungmin to look at. The older mouthed the words of his comment as he read it, something Minho should definitely not have found as attractive as he did.

“Buy me a coffee if we meet again and then we’re even.” Seungmin spoke, his tone serious as he looked into the camera, his eyes smiling still. Minho could feel his heart stutter for a moment, knowing it was only directed at him. “It could really be-” Seungmin paused for a second, giggling to himself before he continued talking. “-fate. Get it?”

“Get out of here if you’re going to be like this. Go bother Lixie-hyung or something.” Jeongin shoved Seungmin off screen, the older man’s laughter still echoing in the room. “What a loser. Anyways, I have to get ready soon. What else should I talk about hmm..? Oh! Lately the four of us have been playing this game..”

-- + --

idiots unite

hyune

tat appt tmrw whos coming

pls i beg

what if loml is there

and sees me being pathetic

iyenie laughed at hyune’s message.

iyenie

ill go to laugh at you

bok

I can go too!!!

for moral support..

iyenie

“moral support” he says

he’s gonna drool over your artist

bok disliked iyenies message.

seung

do you want me to come too

or are those two good

bok

omg group tat outing

let’s all get matching ones

hyune

everyones coming now

no backing out seungmo

we’re all getting matching tats

iyenie and seung disliked hyune’s message.

hyune

fuck both of you

lixie will get one w me

bok

yes<33

i think we should get koi fish

-- + --

Chan entered Dawn Studios with his hands full, the bell ringing as the door swung open. He had two bags full of sandwiches and pastries hanging off arms while he carried in a tray full of drinks. On the days that the tattoo studio was completely booked, he liked to bring them all some kind of food or drink to help with their short breaks between bookings. A call came from the back, saying someone would be up shortly. Setting the drinks on the counter, he looked around for anyone who worked there. Sighing, he set the bags of food on the counter as well, realizing all three of the artists were likely in the middle of their sessions.

He went over to the back room, pulling the curtain to the side slightly peeking in. Changbin was cleaning up his station, his earbuds in to drown out the humming of the machines around him. Chan greeted Yeonjun and Sehyoon before throwing himself at Changbin’s back as a greeting. The younger startled, almost falling face first onto his table. Chan was cackling as he stood up straight, letting go of Changbin.

“What the actual fuck dude? What happened to ‘hi hello how’re you’?” Changbin was glaring at the older man as he took out his earbuds. “Give a guy a warning when you’re gonna try to end him.”

“I brought you all snacks and coffee and this is how you repay me? With anger and accusations of attempted murder? You wound me Seo Changbin.” Chan dramatically covered his heart with hand pretending to be hurt and heartbroken.

“You probably just got them from Jisung, didn’t you?”

“Maybe, but what’s that gotta do with your attitude hmm? Do you hate our Jisungie’s food that much?” Chan had a teasing tone in his voice, ready to push Changbin’s buttons today for some reason.

“I’ll take his portion if he doesn’t want it!” Yeonjun practically shouted from the other side of the room, focused on his client but also listening in to the others bickering since it was so quiet.

“I never said I didn’t want it! Look at what you’re doing hyung.” Changbin huffed, slightly pouting towards Chan.

It was all in good fun, thankfully. Everyone that worked at Dawn Studios got along really well. Chan actually helped Changbin secure his spot in the studio when he first moved to Seoul. They knew each other briefly through MInho and Jisung, almost immediately becoming close friends when Changbin moved. Chan happened to be friends with Sehyoon, the owner, who happened to be looking for an additional artist two years ago. The rest was history. Changbin ended up fitting right in and will forever be grateful for the older helping find him a space.

The front door bell rang, signaling a customer coming in. Changbin headed to the front, Chan trailing a little bit behind him like a lost puppy. He made a mental note to bring back the drinks for the other two when he finished putting the food in their breakroom.

“Hello, welcome in! I need you to fill these out before we can go back okay?” Chan heard Changbin going over the required forms with his client as he grabbed the bags off the front counter.

Turning around to go into the ‘break’ room to put the food away from the client's view, he almost fell as he collided with another body. “I am so sorry, oh my gosh, I wasn’t looking where I was going.” He apologized, bowing slightly to the person in front of him. His ears turning red from embarrassment.

“It’s okay, I shouldn’t be standing so close to the counter.” The man said, stepping out of the way politely.

Chan just nodded briefly before going on his way to put the food away. The staff called it the break room and the spare room, even though technically it was also a private room for clients who felt uncomfortable getting tattooed in such a public space because of either placement or anxiety, or on the rare occasions, when there was a public figure getting one. Chan nearly jumped when the door opened as he was pulling the boxes out of the bags.

“Just set them in the cabinets hyung, I have to have my next session here. Did you want to hang around at all or do you have to get back to the studio?” Changbin asked, sliding up beside him to help set the boxes in the cabinet closest to the door.

“Mmm, I shouldn’t hang around if you’re gonna be in here. I know it’s a busy day for all of you. I might go bother Jisung or Minho, I’m kind of out of inspiration.”

Changbin hummed in response, finishing putting the last box away. “Well, I have Hyunjin as my next session, and I’m honestly nervous, especially since he brought his whole group with him. I’m gonna be locked in here for the next two hours with my ult group, feel free to stop back in if you want please.”

“Isn’t that like every fan’s dream? Being locked in a small room with their favorite artist?” Chan joked, wiggling his eyebrows earning an elbow to stomach as a response. He opened the door, letting Changbin out first. The pair walked up to the counter, Chan turning to give Changbin a quick hug before leaving. “You got this, good luck with the rest of your day Binnie.” He spoke softly while hugging the younger, giving a quiet encouragement before leaving the studio.

“Get out of here, I’ll see you at home, okay?” Changbin shoved the older gently towards the exit, a wide smile on his face.

-- + --

idiots unite

bok

he’s taken

this is the worse news ive ever received

hot buff man changbin taken

by ANOTHER aussie that isn’t me

i need you to kill me

iyenie

his bf is hot tho

bok

do you think they want a third

i can share well

hyune

you really only came here to thirst

besides what if theyre not even a thing

seung

desperate and delusional

are we surprised

also ??? wdym hot innie

pls share with the class

iyenie

you cannot tell me he wasn’t attracitve

if they wanted a third i wouldn’t say no

hyune

now who’s been teaching you this shit

iyenie

literally you and lix

bok

If they add a third its me

not you

no offense <33

seung

do you think it’s too late to ask for a new group

-- + --

Seungmin was outside of Collision, his face covered by a mask and baseball hate. He doesn’t even know why he was here. It was almost time for the cafe to close and yet here he was, debating whether he should go in or not. He could see Minho sitting with someone at one of the tables against the back wall, a smile on his face as he conversed with the other. Seungmin stood there for a moment longer before deciding to say screw it and enter the cafe. He walked up to the counter, his mind set on what he wanted to order. A simple sweetened iced americano and he could leave without looking weird.

There was no one at the counter when he got there. He looked around the menu screens seeing what all they actually offered, for future reference he told himself. It took a minute before someone coughing lightly got his attention. His eyes shifted back to the register where he saw Minho instead of an employee. Seungmin’s eyes widened every so slightly. He thought Minho was just a customer.

“Hi, what can I get for you?” Minho asked, his voice bored and not making eye contact with the other. It’s clear he wasn’t expecting anyone else for the night.

Seungmin pulled his mask down to talk, feeling comfortable enough to do so. “Can I get your number, by chance? If not, what do you recommend? ” He asked, hoping it came across as teasing and light.

He watched as Minho’s face lit up with recognition briefly before going back to neutral. “London fog, iced.” His words were short and clipped, making Seungmin frown slightly, he thought they were getting more comfortable.

“You know what, sure, I’ll try it. How much?” Seungmin pulled out his wallet, only to be met with MInho leaving the register, a receipt already printing out despite him not paying.

His confusion was growing every moment. First, Minho was very indifferent to him the whole interaction but now he got his drink for free? It didn’t add up. It’s like the older man didn’t want to deal with him but also liked him enough to not charge him. Seungmin waited at the counter for a moment, before he was passed a drink.

“Here, take it. We’re closing soon, you better get going.” Minho said, his eyes not meeting Seungmin’s as he passed the cup and sleeve over.

“Have a nice night, hyung.”

“Yeah, you too or whatever.”

Seungmin frowned again as he exited the cafe, examining his cup. HIs eyes caught onto some writing on the outside of the sleeve.

I’m not giving you my number but here’s my instagram if you want it or whatever

@t.leeknowsaurus

Get home safe, Seungmin

Notes:

sorry it's been like two weeks, life is hectic lol also ?? sorry for it not ebing super focused on 2min rn i promise we're getting places

Chapter 5: i’m so confused with you

Notes:

hi sorry it’s been a minute and that this is super short :( my work has been h*ll lately lol it’s only gonna get worse since we’re hitting busy season but hopefully i’ll have another (longer) update out by the end of the year

Chapter Text

It’s been a week full of waiting and Minho felt like the second biggest idiot to ever walk the earth. He felt stupid now for actually trying to give Seungmin a way to reach him outside of fan events and random encounters. Now, here he is, checking his phone the second any notification comes through in the hopes of it being Seungmin. Spoiler, it never was him. Even now, as Minho’s trying his hardest to map out a new choreography, he still finds himself glancing over in the direction of his phone. Maybe he’s too hopeful. Maybe, this is his final wake up call to start actually talking to more people face to face, besides his handful of friends.

A ding sounded through the speakers, the music volume lowering for the notification sound. Minho had to will himself to not react to the noise until he was finished with this run through. If he kept getting distracted, the choreo would never be ready for the next session. He kept his body moving, trying to ignore the now very insistent dings disrupting his music. As soon as the final note ended, Minho practically bolted over to where his phone was laying. He scanned the messages, chuckling to himself as he read over the spam sent by Jisung.