9
The universe was plotting against him.
A fucking job meeting after the shift to get a better relationship with his co-workers? In a restaurant? That had to be a bad joke.
Worst of it? He couldn't deny it now that his friends knew of Hyunjin. The excuse of his cats starving to death, from love and from loneliness at home wouldn't work because Chan had told them Hyunjin was his roommate when the boys asked him when Minho left last night with the mysterious boy.
Plus, the manager after seeing his absolutely shitty face when it was announced had promised him to pay for his dinner. He might be broke, but he wasn't stupid; A free dinner was more than welcomed in that economy.
Now, sitting down in the same table as Bang Chan, his nerves were spiking to the roof.
Everyone kept on talking, making jokes and asking questions, usually to Chan since he was the new one they expected to get along with in that meeting.
Chan asked everything carefully and in no time they were already bonding as if they had met a long time ago.
"So, how did you guys meet?" The manager asked, putting her hands together with a smile on.
Immediately, Chan and Minho crossed eyes in alarm.
"High school. We were friends." Chan answered, his eyes rolling to his drink. He nodded to the comments everyone made and kept his answers short and simple.
Minho wanted to slap his face so badly... How bad was that guy at lying!?
"It must be so cool getting to work with an old friend!" Jeongin added, nodding and falling on Minho excitedly as if he were expecting amazing stories of how they both had ran away from class together or made mischief around school.
Of course they did, but Minho wasn't telling any of that. Instead he smiled deeply to the younger.
"It's amazing. So warm." He replied and was so glad Chan's rolling eyes catched the arrow.
"Why did you guys stop talking to the other? That's so sad!" The manager Chaeryeong asked, pouting.
"We just went to different college." Chan shrugged, his eyes rolling back down to his drink.
"We got busy. Really busy, you know how college is." Minho added, nodding and taking a peek at his phone.
Barely an hour had passed. One hour of pure suffering that felt like five hours.
"Are you guys getting along now?" She asked, smiling kindly at both guys. "How are you getting along with your coworkers, Chan?"
Chan nodded, and it was only Minho who could know he was avoiding the first question. "Yeah, they're all really nice and kind. They've been teaching me everything I need."
Chaeryeong nodded, patting Minho's back gently.
"I'm so proud of you. You look scary but you help a lot, don't you?" She said, laughing softly and picking up her drink. "Thank you."
Minho smiled at her, nodding and a bit of guilt was injected into his stomach. Surely he tried to help Chan as much as he could as the older employee there, but he wasn't making his work environment any easier. The poor guy must be having the worst time of his life there.
"Do you have any siblings Chan?" Jeongin asked, making Minho stop his thinking.
"Yeah, I have two. Hannah and Lucas." Chan admitted, gaining gasps from all the gable, including Minho. He didn't know about the last one.
"Lucas? How old is he?" Minho asked, making heads turn. It was the first time he spoke that night without being asked to. "I didn't know about that one."
Chan nodded, his eyes immediately lighting up. Minho remembered every time someone asked him about his newborn little sister during high school Chan would talk non stop about her. Even in his wallet he brought a polaroid pic of her as a little kid. He remembered Hannah being Chan's adoration.
"Yeah! You didn't get to know him. He's four years old!" He said, immediately taking out his phone and looking through it. "Here's s picture of him. He's so adorable isn't he?"
He asked, tossing it to Minho with a wide smile on his face. Minho took Chan's phone and brought it closer so he could be able to see the picture better. In the screen, a little boy was smiling widely.
He recognized Chan's binnie on him and a bracelet that used to belong to Chan as well.
It was scary how the brothers looked alike.
"He really is." He tossed the phone back to Chan with a soft smile. "He looks like you."
Seungmin raised his eyebrows and Jeongin gasped. Chaeryeong turned to him and whispered.
"You find Chan adorable?" She asked.
Minho frowned, looking to his friends and finding them all invested on him as if he had the greatest gossip of all times.
"What?" He asked, though it took him only a second grasp what they were talking about. Immediately a blush covered his entire face. "Hey! I didn't mean it like that!"
Chan took his eyes up from his phone, wondering where all that mess came from.
"What's wrong?"
Minho shook his head as his hands signed desperately a cross.
"Nothing, absolutely nothing."
Jeongin giggled and when he was barely opening his mouth Minho stood up from his seat and walked towards him with a napkin in hand.
"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!" He warned, not caring if he caught other costumer's attention. He had a dignity to fight for and he considered himself a great warrior.
Jeongin immediately turned to Seungmin and hid on his chest, covering his face. "Get away from me!"
Chan broke in laugh, his hands taking Minho by the waist gently and pulling him away from Jeongin as he was already trying to get his head out of Seungmin's safety.
He placed a hand on his head and petted it twice.
"There, don't bully him, he's a kid." Chan said and Minho turned to him, a pout in his face. He sighed and threw the napkin on the table.
"You were saved, but you won't be lucky the next time," he threatened, but his mind immediately went to the weight on his waist. His eyes opened widely when he realized Chan's hands on him.
"Thank you," Chan laughed and as if he's s hands already knew the way, he moved Minho gently away from the boy.
He didn't say anything until Chan after a second realized what Minho was staring at. Chan's hands flew away from Minho, his cheeks coloring red and a nervous laugh followed.
"I'm sorry, I didn't-" He hurried to apologize but was quickly cut off by Minho.
"Whatever." Minho rushed to his seat, immediately grabbing his drink and sipping it. A burning sensation on his shoulder made him turn to Chaeryeong, who immediately looked away with a blush.
"Don't you dare." He warned, making the girl shrug.
Jeongin quickly uncovered his eyes, looking up just to find everyone with a different reaction.
"What happened? Was the beast calmed down?" He asked, but Seungmin immediately shook his hair. "Nothing. You're too young for this."
Minho's thoughts were drowning him, though.
His cheeks kept on burning up and he tried to hide his eyes under his bangs. His hand kept close to him for security even if he had to fake drinking his lemonade.
His waist right where Chan placed his hand on burned like crazy, tingles running up his back like spiders.
Why did Chan grab him like that? Was it even intentional or was he just trying to protect Jeongin?
He barely looked up from his hiding, noticing Chan trying to make himself smaller on his seat and looking away.
The meeting ended soon after and Hyunjin picked up Minho, just as he had promised.
Ever since the apology day Hyunjin refused to let Chan bring Minho home. A bit overprotective, but Minho wouldn't complain.
If he could do anything to avoid the older one he would even drag himself on dirt and mud, more now that he felt the most stupid he had ever been in his entire life.
Blushing over an accidental touch, was he that desperate?
...
If beating himself up wasn't so hard he probably would be doing it.
Why did he grab him like that? It was clear Minho had gotten mad at him.
It had been an instinct and an instant, his body just did it the second he had wanted to calm Minho down.
A repetitive movement, maybe muscle memory but it didn't matter. Now he had to apologize again or he wouldn't be able to sleep again.
He got home and he was lucy the guys were already sleeping. Jisung complelty dead on his bed and Changbin had been sleeping on his own bed with Berry on top until she sensed Chan coming home.
Now laying in bed after showering and brushing his teeth, he had nothing to think about but the way he had fucked up again.
He couldn't understand Minho's anger when he apologized, but it had been necessary. Now he wanted to apologize again for the hand thing, even if Minho got mad at him again.
He had hoped to release the tension between them in the dinner but he had complelty ruined it. Now there was no way Minho would accept a sorry even if he spilled a hot drink on him.
Heck, he could report him for harassment! What if Minho had thought he was trying to get touchy with him and take advantage of the situation?
A sudden panic crossed his entire body, paralyzing him. He never meant to harass Minho, but what if the boy took it like that?
His hand kept on petting Berry slowly and gently, his little precious princess had decided to cuddle on top of him. The only one helping him to keep sane had been his little dog.
He took his phone in hand and quickly opened Minho's contact.
"Hey, just wanted to apologize for today."
Was that too much? Was that enough? Should he be specific? He didn't want to make Minho uncomfortable again.
He was screwed.
Maybe it was best to apologize the next day.
...
He couldn't understand why he couldn't get over Chan even after five years.
Five years had passed and now he kept on blushing all the way towards his apartment while his brain zoomed out every word Hyunjin kept on speaking.
All because Chan had touched his waist while trying to pull him away from attacking his coworker. He probably didn't even mean it.
Instinct, to protect Jeongin. It surely was that... Yet he had been so gentle following with the head pats that he didn't care at all.
Why did he follow it with that? Was the caring he felt something he had just placed on his imagination like the stupid, desperate he was?
He was making things up at this point.
He was refusing to get over Chan and he knew it, but he couldn't stop it.
He didn't know how.
While Chan was probably already sleeping, he kept on breaking his head with wonder, thoughts and a stupid hope that wasn't going to take him anywhere.
He had to stop now.
"Are you listening to me?" Hyunjin asked in a red light, popping his bubble of thoughts.
"No." Minho admitted bluntly, turning his head to Hyunjin, who stated at him in disbelief. "You have a snot."
He lied, but when Hyunjin was about to check it the green light turned on. Cursing under his breath, Hyunjin had to keep on driving and stressing over an inexistent snot that he didn't talk much on the way back.
This time though Minho tried to listen.
He couldn't ignore his now best friend over his ex even if he was stressing out so much now.
When they got home, like the routine it was he made sure his cats were okay. Just then he buried himself on his bed, threw his headphones on and put some loud music to sleep.
He didn't want his thoughts hunting him for another whole night. He needed some sleep if he wanted to survive the day for tomorrow.