Jeonghan realized that he quite literally had no food in his house, so he had to go grocery shopping, something he hated doing. One of these days he swears he's going to force one of the others to do it. Groaning, the blond made his way out the door and got in the car, driving off to the grocery store. All in all, a very boring and ordinary day for him and his friends. Yeah, he loved them, but sometimes they really got on his nerves. They didn't even live with him for goodness sake!
So yeah, they ate all his food and he was now on his way to get more, which all five of them will probably eat once again. Or mostly Seokmin. Yeah it was usually him who had the biggest appetite. The guy can eat an entire baguette length sandwich in like two minutes. Trust him, it's been timed.
Jeonghan made it to the grocery store and started shopping, once again thinking of all the random shit his friends do on the daily. They're truly an interesting friend group, as they all met when they were pretty young. Jeonghan was the oldest while Chan was the youngest, and sometimes the age gap was a little difficult to work through, but all of them made it work somehow.
It's not like they were a pack, even if the blond may or may not have had thoughts about that once or twice, but they were just really good friends who just lived their lives the way they wanted, and he really couldn't have it any other way.
And here's a prime example of what not to do while pushing a cart full of groceries. Actions have consequences and unfortunately he was bumping into someone he didn't see in front of him. Good going Jeonghan, lets just hope this guy is nice and not one of those entitled assholes that make a big deal out of everything.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going." He said, looking up from making sure nothing had fallen out of the cart. When he saw the guy in front of him, his breath almost got stolen from his lungs. Damn, the guy was pretty. He wasn't sure why he was frozen, he's been around attractive people all the time, what with literally working as a part-time model, but this complete stranger from the grocery store basically stole all working braincells he had.
"No no, that was my fault too. Sorry." The stranger said and smiled, once again basically paralysing Jeonghan. Jesus, he needed to get himself together just to talk to this guy. Not his fault he was literally breathtaking and Jeonghan was just thinking if he could maybe possibly become friends with the guy. Ok, snap out of it Jeonghan, he didn't even know what secondary gender he was or if he was even mated! He just had to collect himself and get groceries. Yes, that is what he came here for, not to ogle at a really pretty guy.
"Still, sorry. I'm Jeonghan by the way. Sorry for the inconvenience." And he was honestly proud of himself for keeping his voice straight and not stuttering like a twelve-year-old girl who was confessing to her crush. That's what his friends would call a win.
"Jisoo, but my friends call me Joshua." The stranger, now known as Joshua, offered his hand out, and Jeonghan could literally feel his heart skip a beat. He shook hands with the guy while thoughts were running through his head at the pace of a race car. He said what his friends call him, does that mean he already considered them friends? His name wasn't Korean, so he was a foreigner? So many questions and definitely not the right situation to ask them as he literally met the guy by crashing his shopping cart into him.
"I'll see you around?" Joshua asked, breaking Jeonghan from his spiralling thoughts. This was definitely confusing how he had never felt this way about anyone he had ever met, ignoring his friends, but he was totally freaking out. Just then, he realised once again that Joshua had asked him a question and he still had yet to answer. Wow, really doing great here Jeonghan.
"Oh, uh yeah, totally. See ya." he said, and to avoid even further embarrassment, he quickly walked away to the next aisle, not missing Joshua's small chuckle at his behaviour. When he was sure he was out of earshot, he put his face in his hands and groaned. God, out of all the times to have this happen to him, it needed to be in the middle of a freaking grocery store to a complete stranger!? The universe was really on his side today it would seem.
Well besides whatever the hell that was, he managed to get himself together and pay for all the food and alcohol he had collected and set off back home, where his crazy friends were probably waiting for him, judging by the abundance of notifications he can feel coming from the buzzing in his pocket.
True enough, when he pulled up to the driveway, he spotted two cars already there, immediately identifying them as Mingyu and Seungkwan's cars. He sighed. Mentally preparing himself for the bombardment of noise from his house, as he knew he had a karaoke machine and that Seungkwan and Seokmin were bound to be blasting it and singing as loud as humanly possible, which for them, was as loud as a foghorn.
Once again, Jeonghan managed to tell the future, as the second he opened the door his eardrums were bombarded by a very loud rendition of 'Like OOH-AHH' by Twice. And a small drum. It's always that godforsaken drum.
He made his way over to the kitchen and found Jun sitting there on his phone. He sighed in relief, happy to have someone else who knows what his suffering is like. Jun just looked up and smiled, offering his pity to Jeonghan, who constantly wondered why he ever gave any of them a key to his house.
"Need some help with that pile you got?" Jun asked him, gesturing to the amount of shopping bags he had on the counter. Jeonghan almost couldn't see over it as there was so much.
"That would be amazing. Get over here." He said, and Jun stood up and began unpacking all the groceries that would probably last at most a week.
"So... anything happen at the store? You're weirdly quiet and I need something to distract me from the pterodactyl screeching." Jun said, putting two boxes of cereal in the pantry. Jeonghan laughed at the other, knowing all too well how he was feeling.
"Yeah actually. I bumped into this guy and luckily it wasn't one of those Karens. He was really nice actually. His name is Joshua and he's pretty and all. I didn't really get to know him that much since I literally crashed into him with my shopping cart but I think he lives around here, as he said he'll see me around and... I'm rambling aren't I?" He said, turning back to Jun.
The guy had the biggest fucking smirk on his face that he just wanted to wipe right off. "No, not at all. I totally didn't hear you say he was pretty or anything." He said, turning his back to Jeonghan, and the latter could literally see his back moving from Jun trying to hold back his laughter. So, he threw a squash at him.
"Hey, what was that for!?" Jun said, earning a very harsh glare from Jeonghan, who instead of actually responding verbally, just continued putting the abundance of groceries away. It was already four in the afternoon and they had to get this done if they wanted to be able to feed all the children currently residing in his house.
Speaking of children, Seungkwan came into the kitchen, still holding the microphone from karaoke and looking out of breath from what Joenghan had to guess his latest rendition of 'Alcohol Free'. Seriously, what is up with him and Twice? Seungkwan had a big grin on his face as he saw all the food and immediately bolted for the cookies like some five-year-old.
"What's f'r dinn'r?" He asked, food still in his mouth. Jeez, Jeonghan really felt like a single parent with the occasional help of Jun. He just looked at Seungkwan as the latter stuffed yet another cookie in his mouth. After the fifth treat he snatched the box from him and shoved it in the pantry, earring a betrayed look from the other. Meanwhile, Jun was just minding his own business, snickering at the two.
"Nothing if you don't stop eating whatever you can get your hands on." He said, making Seungkwan's expression even more betrayed, if that was even possible.
"Hannie met someone~!" Jun piped up from his silent observation, making Jeonghin whip his head as fast as possible around to glare at the younger, making him cower slightly but Jun was holding his ground against the blond.
"Oh my god, really?!" Seungkwan asked, more like shouted, right in Jeonghan's ear. After that, all sound of literally anything else in the house came to an abrupt stop, making Jeonghan worried someone had died. It was never this quiet ever.
He soon got his answer as three people came running from wherever they had been hanging out, and they all crowded around him, demanding answers. Jeonghan once again felt like the mother of five children. This time Jun was not helpful.
"Who! Who did you meet!?" Seokmin asked, practically bouncing off the walls.
"Oh my god, are you gonna leave us? You better still be our friends, Hyung!" Chan, the youngest, declared, making Jeonghan pull a face from the way he just automatically came to that conclusion.
"Okay okay, everyone shut up!" He yelled, effectively, shocking all his friends and himself. Wow, they must really be invested in his weird non-existent love life. Well, now he found their weak spot, and he can use this to his advantage. Some might say this was wrong, but to Joenghan it was just a way to finally get some peace and quiet during the day.
"I'll tell you what I told Jun. I accidentally crashed my cart at the store into this guy, who happened to be attractive. We didn't exchange numbers or anything, I just got his name. So no, I'm not leaving you and no, I don;t have a boyfriend or anything. I don't even know if he's mated or not." he said, surprised by how much they're actually paying attention to what he's saying. God, they really are children.
However, Jun seemed worried about one thing. "You didn't accidentally... you know?" He asked, and the atmosphere in the room immediately changed to one much more tense. He understood where they were all coming from. It wasn't exactly accepted in the world for people to be unusual or have the abilities all six of them do, but Jeonghan had an excellent judge of character and he's very careful whenever he goes out, unlike a few of his friends, who are still learning.
"No, you know I'm good with that. Trust me, nothing happened." It seemed to reassure everyone as they all collectively let out a loud sigh of relief. Another thing about having special abilities is that you can easily get noticed because if someone doesn't have full control, the power will automatically do something depending on what it is. Luckily for Jeonghan, he knows how to control himself all the time, unlike Chan and Seungkwan, who are still working on it. The two of them aren't allowed to go out to places where there are a lot of people as they don't know what could happen.
Yeah, it wasn't exactly ideal to have these kinds of powers, but it was also fun to be special and be able to do things others can't. Nevertheless, the only time they can freely use them was in the safety of their own homes, to not alert others and get the police called on them to get arrested.
Yeah, the world arrests people with abilities. It's not exactly morally right according to a lot of people, but the government doesn't really care about that.
Well, it looks like Seungkwan already got bored of the conversation and headed back to where the karaoke machine was, pulling Seokmin and Chan along with him. Jeonghan saw Chan mouth a quick 'help me' before disappearing past the door frame and felt a small amount of pity for their youngest. Looks like Jeonghan was thinking about all that Jun had put away the rest of the food, so they could get started on dinner.
"Mingyu, help us with dinner?" He asked, and the mentioned brightened up at the thought of doing something he liked. The three of them got to work. Jeonghan worked on grilling the meat while Mingyu cooked ramyeon and some other kinds of noodles while Jun peeled vegetables to put with everything. Overall, they have a pretty good system when the other three don't get in the way. Those three aren't the best at cooking, so they left the job to the others.
After about an hour, everything was ready and placed on the table, and Jeonghan called the others in so they could all eat together. This was pretty much normal for the group, as they hang out with each other more often than not.
All six ate in peace and not quiet. Seungkwan and Seokmin were talking about who knows what while Chan joined in occasionally to point out how they were wrong about something. Mingyu and Jun were having their very own separate conversation completely away from everyone else. All in all, Jeonghan was smiling like a lunatic looking at all his friends.
None of them has had an easy life, but once they all found each other, everything got significantly better. God, this was beyond cheesy, but he needed to get it out. He just loved all these crazy people so much. They spent so much time together that he had permanent rooms for them, as he was the only one who owned a house while the others just had small apartments.
"I love you guys." He said, stopping all conversation and causing a big mix of emotions directed towards him. There was surprise from Seokmin, confusion from Seungkwan and Chan, and pure joy from Mingyu and Jun. It was quite funny to see the wide eyes and somewhat disgusted expressions, but he needed to assure his friends he was always here for them.
"That was unexpected. I love you too hyung." Seungkwan said, breaking the suffocating silence. The others all voiced out their own 'i love you's' and evening turned into night as they all finished their long conversation and headed to bed for the night.
In all the chaos and affections, Jeonghan almost completely forgot about Joshua, and he remembered how nice the other was. It wasn't often anyone met people that nice in public, so he definitely made an impression. His face turned slightly red remembering Joshua, and he was silently hoping that he would be able to meet the other again soon.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
He woke up to silence. Okay, first thing he thought about the morning and something was already wrong. So he may have been over exaggerating, but it was almost never quiet in the mornings when his friends had spent the night. He got up from bed, checking the time and noticing it was about ten in the morning. Wasn't too early or too late, like he wakes up most days. He knows that Mingyu and Jun usually woke up earlier, and the others like to sleep in. One time, Chan managed to sleep in until three in the afternoon, where they needed to literally drag him out of bed.
He made his way down the stairs and saw a very sleepy Seokmin sitting at the counter with a mug of coffee while Mingyu and Jun stood at the kitchen. Jun was sporting a similar cup of coffee but he looked much more awake, and Mingyu was the reason for the delicious smell wafting through the whole house. He was making what looked like bacon and eggs, something they don't get to eat very often.
Turns out, the way to get everyone out of bed early was the smell of delicious breakfast, as by ten-thirty, everyone was eating and chatting over the food. The morning went by pretty quickly and soon it was lunch time. Jeonghan decided to go out to the local bakery and get something for everyone while they were busy. He didn't want to cook and didn't want to make Mingyu cook for them, so he quickly slipped out the house, telling Jun, who wasn't as busy as the others, where he was going.
As the door was closing, he could hear a very loud yell from Seungkwan at the fact Chan had probably beat him in whatever video game they were playing now. Seokmin and Mingyu cheered them both on profusely while Jun and Jeonghan watched, occasionally joining in. Jeonghan had been banned though, because he cheated literally every time he played, even if he didn't win any of the rounds.
He made his way over to the bakery, sighing contently as he smelled the familiar scent of freshly baked goods that he loves so much. This place only recently opened and Jeonghan already considered himself a regular customer what with how often he goes. The place was really good and it was nice to support local businesses.
He bought two loaves of bread and some treats for the others and made his way out. However, when he went to open the door, another person stepped into the small store, and lo and behold, it was the one person he had been hoping to see soon. Joshua stepped in the shop and saw Joenghan standing there. The other smiled at him, and Jeonghan could feel his heart going way faster than anything that was normal. God, why did this happen so soon!?
"Fancy meeting you here." Joshua said, a small smile on his face. "Jeonghan, right?" He asked, and Jeonghan was honestly surprised he remembered his name.
"Yeah, nice to see you again. How are you?" He asked, trying not to sound too desperate to have an actual friendly conversation with the guy. He noticed that his hair was different, and honestly he thought he somehow looked even better with his red-dyed hair.
"I'm good, thanks. It's funny we meet again so soon. At this rate we should just exchange numbers." The other said, startling Jeonghan. Wow, that was... definitely not what he was expecting. Well, it wasn't like he was opposed to the idea, but he definitely didn't think Joshua would say that.
"Oh, that would be great, I would like to get to know you better anyways." He said. God, was that too weird? He only met the guy yesterday. But he did offer to exchange numbers, so wouldn't that mean he felt the same? God, why is being social with people so difficult!?
"Same, here let me give you my number. We should get together for lunch one day." he said. Jeonghan really thought his brain was going to burst from all the thinking he did. What even was this? A date? Just a hangout? Guess he'll have to ask next time they get together. Anyways, he handed over his phone and Joshua quickly put his number in, texting himself to make sure it worked. He handed the phone back and Jeonghan had to breathe to remember he was still in Joshua's company and can't just die right then and there.
"We should. But I gotta go, see you around." he said, heading out the door. He heard Joshua say it back and had a wide smile on his face the whole drive home. Wow, maybe the universe really wasn't as against him as he thought. It was only a few minutes drive from the bakery home, so he got back and set down all the food where everyone was still playing games.
"What's got you so happy?" Jun asked, always the first to notice any change in people's behaviours. He just looked over to the others, making sure no one can hear him except for Jun, and smiled again, making Jun seem even more curious. He knows if the others heard they wouldn't stop pestering him about it. They'd ask him what was happening when he himself didn't even know.
"I met Joshua again. We exchanged numbers." He said, watching as Jun's eyes go almost as wide as dinner plates and his mouth drops open. Luckily, it wasn't the kind of face where he was surprised and concerned, but Jun had sparkles in his eyes and he looked genuinely happy for Jeonghan. Once again, he can't forget how much he loves his friends and their support.
"Oh my god. That's. Wow, I'm happy for you, Jeonghan! You seemed so happy after you met him yesterday, and now you have his number!" Jun rambled on, but in a whisper as he knew just as much as Jeonghan how the others in the room could blow this way out of proportion.
"Yeah, we're gonna go out to lunch one day. Maybe soon you guys can meet him, I'm sure that would be nice." He said, rambling on. Jun seemed even more excited about that and he was almost bouncing up and down.
"Just be careful please. You don't know much about this guy and you aren't even sure if this is a date or just a friendly lunch. Just please don't hurt yourself. You're my best friend and I don't want you to be sad." Jun said, going all cheesy on him. Good, maybe he wasn't the only sappy one of the group.
"Don't worry Junnie, I'll be safe." He replied, earning an even wider smile and turning to the others, who hadn't even realised he was home yet. With his luck they probably hadn't even realised he left in the first place. He chuckled quietly to himself.
"Food!" He yelled, gaining the attention of all the children, and soon enough, there were five people stuffing their faces full of delicious baked goods. They looked like chipmunks with the amount of food stuffed in their cheeks, and Jeonghan was laughing like a maniac. Luckily he had saved something for him and Jun before giving the food to everyone, or he wouldn't have anything to eat.
Yeah, maybe the universe is on his side.