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come a little undone, get a little bit reckless ; one-shot
Title: Come a Little Undone, Get a Little Bit Reckless
Author: loudestoflove
Pairing: Yongguk/Himchan
Rating: R for language and content
Length: 8.5k words
Summary: Brutal hangover? Check. Toothbrush in the toilet? Check. Lipstick on his face? Check. What the hell happened last night? And why is Jongup sleeping on the floor?
A/N: gift fic for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
tcaramel for ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
thebrowniebunch mini exchange!! i kind of took a couple of prompts and ran with it, i hope it suits your taste!!
Author: loudestoflove
Pairing: Yongguk/Himchan
Rating: R for language and content
Length: 8.5k words
Summary: Brutal hangover? Check. Toothbrush in the toilet? Check. Lipstick on his face? Check. What the hell happened last night? And why is Jongup sleeping on the floor?
A/N: gift fic for
tcaramel for thebrowniebunch mini exchange!! i kind of took a couple of prompts and ran with it, i hope it suits your taste!!This isn't waking up, really. Himchan is slowly, reluctantly being dragged into consciousness by the bright mid-morning sunlight. And it sucks. He groans, curling in on himself, his hangover igniting and flaring into life, pounding behind his eyes. “I am too old for this shit,” Himchan mumbles to himself, and that only makes him realize that his throat aches and his mouth tastes like something died.
It turns out that burying his face under his pillow does nothing to alleviate this, and Himchan is pretty sure that this is unfair. He's a bartender. He's supposed to dole out this kind of morning-after pain, not have to deal with it himself. Someone must accept responsibility for this. He is suffering.
Several long minutes later, Himchan is sitting precariously upright, squinting against the sunlight and grimacing. This is awful. Everything is awful. His eyes fall on his bedside table and narrow suspiciously at the sight of a glass of water and a couple of aspirin. Night-before Himchan is rarely so thoughtful. He's not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, though, so he takes them.
It takes him several long minutes to gather the strength to wobble to the bathroom, stumbling into the bedroom door as he goes. He desperately needs to wash the sleep out of his eyes and brush the fuzz off his teeth. Thing is, his toothbrush isn't in the holder, it's in the toilet. Himchan looks down at it forlornly for a few seconds. Now what is he supposed to do? Gingerly, he retrieves it, and then tosses it out. He'll have to make due with his fingers and mouthwash, like a barbarian.
As he's pouring the mouthwash, Himchan takes a second to examine himself in the mirror. He looks awful. Red eyes, his skin's a mess, and – is that lipstick? It's a good thing he's too hungover to be too horrified. He feels fairly certain he didn't get laid last night, but right now, that's still a toss up. He remembers nothing beyond a very enthusiastic few rounds of shots with Yongguk, and now everything hurts. Sadly, not really in a good way. “Ugh,” Himchan grumbles, tossing the capful of mouthwash into his mouth and swishing.
It's a very good thing that he happens to look down into the sink before he spits, because otherwise he would've ended up with a minty fresh phone. Aha! At last, a clue. He flicks it on, and his last text is from Yongguk. if you still mean it, try again. Himchan frowns. It's a little early for Yongguk's pseudo-inspirational crap. He tucks away his phone and turns his attention to getting rid of the lipstick on his mouth and also, bafflingly, a bit on his nose. Apparently, his partner last night had terrible aim.
He returns from the bathroom about as refreshed as he can possibly be after scrubbing his teeth with a finger and is moderately more successful making his way back to his bedroom. The thing that trips him up is, well, a sleeping man. “Jonguppie,” Himchan says slowly, patiently, prodding him with a toe. Jongup lets out a tiny noise of dismay and curls in on himself further, opening one eye to blink at Himchan as balefully as he can manage. “Jonguppie, why are you asleep on my bedroom floor?” He must've missed him, hiding up at the end of the bed like that, his head buried in a borrowed pillow. It's not that surprising, Jongup is fairly small and Himchan's room is a bit of a mess at the moment, Jongup blended right in with his rumpled clothes.
Jongup flashes him a sleepy smile as he sits up. “Uh, sleeping?”
“I have a whole bed,” Himchan says. He waves a hand at it. “There's room for more than one, you know.”
Wrinkling his nose, Jongup rolls his shoulders and neck, working out the stiffness in his back. “Hyung,” he says. “When you get drunk, you get all...” He stretches his arms out and wiggles them. “Starfishy.” He shrugs. “Also, you might've been sleep walking?” Himchan raises an eyebrow at that. “I don't know, hyung. You just got up in the middle of the night and disappeared into the bathroom for like half an hour.”
Himchan takes a second to consider whether or not to take offense to that. He decides to throw himself down on the bed instead. “I'm going to die,” he tells Jongup. “This is not a hangover, it's something mortal. I'm done for.”
“Okay,” Jongup says amiably. He scrambles over the end of the bed to sprawl next to Himchan. He looks remarkably well-rested for someone who's just spent the night on the floor. It's a little unfair.
Ah, but a well-rested Jonguppie might mean he's got some idea of what happened last night. And that would be helpful, seeing as it's all pretty blurry to Himchan. “Jongup,” Himchan says, turning over to face him. “Please tell me you remember last night. I woke up with lipstick on my face.”
“Sorry, hyung.” Jongup shrugs and Himchan lets out a halfhearted shout of frustration, rolling onto his back and pressing his hands to his face. What is the point of kissing someone if he can't even remember it? “Why don't you ask Yongguk hyung?”
Of course. Yongguk. He was there, after all. Himchan wrestles his phone out of his pocket again, but before he can send off a text, he's distracted by his new phone wallpaper. It's dark and grainy, but there is no mistaking Himchan's profile, his flushed cheeks, and – “Oh my god, am I up on a table?” He shoves his phone under Jongup's nose. “Was I dancing up on a table?” If he focuses, through his embarrassment, Himchan can drag up the faint memory of a thumping baseline and Yongguk's face, looking up at him and laughing.
“I guess?” Jongup says, squinting down at the screen. “Maybe.”
Himchan hauls himself upright. Table-dancing. How drunk was he last night? “I need juice,” he decides, and then he's off into the kitchen, Jongup at his heels.
He stumbles over Daehyun's feet in the living room. He's made himself pretty comfortable on Himchan's couch. He's even still got one of his shoes on. Was he raised in a barn? “Why are you here?” Himchan demands. “When did my apartment become a hotel?”
Startled out of sleep, Daehyun lets out a yelp and tumbles off the couch. “What?” he asks. His thick brown hair is standing up in all sorts of directions and he blinks up at them, wide-eyed and astonished. “What time is it?”
“Why does the time matter?” Himchan grabs a pillow off the couch and throws it at Daehyun's head. “Why are you wearing shoes inside? What is wrong with you?” Behind him, Jongup laughs softly, and Himchan watches as he pushes past the two of them to the kitchen.
Daehyun rewards his momentary distraction by returning fire, and Himchan reels with a mouthful of cushion. “I'm going to be late for work,” Daehyun says. He jumps to his feet, hurriedly straightening last night's rumpled clothes. “Where's my other shoe?”
“Irrelevant,” Himchan tells him. “It's gone to the home for lost shoes.” He grabs Daehyun by the collar and jerks him forward. “When did we even meet up with you? I can't remember anything from last night.”
With a near-growl, Daehyun slaps Himchan's hand away, rescuing his shoe from its spot on a chair in the kitchen. Jesus. Himchan backs away in defeat. Better safe than bitten by a feral Daehyun. “Sorry, hyung,” Daehyun says, dashing for the door. “I gotta go. Thanks for letting me crash!” Then he's gone.
“Well, that was helpful,” Himchan grumbles. Jongup pats his arm sympathetically and then hands him a glass of orange juice. At least he has Jongup.
They end up settling on the couch, heads together, so they can go through Himchan's phone for clues. They start with the photos. There's the one from his wallpaper and a handful of others – and there's video.
“Oh my god,” Himchan says.
“Let's watch!” Jongup exclaims, and he presses play before Himchan can stop him.
-
“Your round,” Himchan declares, stabbing a finger into Yongguk's chest and smiling, pleased, when he grimaces and rubs the spot. “It is most definitely your round.”
Yongguk is already shaking his head. “No way,” he protests. “I got the last three. You're an ass.” He's dressed up tonight, and Himchan wonders if he's aiming to get lucky. The button-up he wears accentuates the broad stretch of his shoulders and he's even broken out the eyeliner. Of course, it's the grin on his face, wide and genuine, that's really what's drawing eyes.
Himchan feigns offense. “You are the one who asked me to come out with you tonight.” He shifts to lean back in his seat, one arm stretched across the back of the booth. He likes how he feels right now, a little loose and a lot relaxed. “That totally means you're buying.”
In the noise of the club, Himchan can't hear Yongguk click his tongue in irritation, but that doesn't mean he doesn't know it's happening. Yongguk's always been easy to read. “You're so full of it.”
Waving a hand, Himchan closes his eyes and leans back. He loves this song. This song is great. He loves this song. He hums and smiles. “That's irrelevant.”
When he tips his head forward again, Yongguk is watching him, a calculating look in his dark-rimmed eyes. “I'll buy the next round,” he says, and Himchan raises both of his arms in victory. “If you get up, right now, on this table, and sing.”
Himchan's arms droop. “That's unfair,” he says.
Yongguk shrugs one shoulder easily, all nonchalance. “If you're a pussy, then I guess you're buying.”
It's a cheap shot, one aimed right at Himchan's ego, and Himchan's lip curls. The suggestion is ridiculous and they both know it, but it's a combination of the weight of Yongguk's gaze and the buzz of alcohol under his skin that has Himchan standing up anyway. “Please,” he scoffs, and he likes the way that Yongguk's eyes widen as he steps onto his seat. “I'm no pussy.”
He's always liked Secret. They almost always put out songs he can shake his ass to. It takes him a few seconds to get up on the table, but when he does, he's glad it's wide and steady. “Oh my God,” Yongguk says, looking up at him. This is a new angle. “Try not to break something.”
It takes a great deal of willpower for Himchan not to agree that yes, he is a god. “I'm fine,” Himchan sniffs, and he swings his hips to the beat. “See? Perfectly balanced.”
Yongguk raises an eyebrow, and Himchan ignores him. He's fine. He may not be the greatest dancer, but that hardly seems relevant right now. He has a round of drinks to win, and Yongguk's eyes are fixed on him.
And so is Himchan's own phone. When did he get that phone? “Smile for the camera,” Yongguk tells him, and Himchan hams it up, tossing his hair and singing right down at him. If he were a little less buzzed, he might be more aware of the eyes on them, or the faint distaste and amusement on the faces of people near them. As it is, though, he'd much rather twist and wiggle his ass in Yongguk's face. After all, it's making Yongguk laugh, his entire face stretched wide in a grin, lighting him up, and Himchan really, really likes that.
He loses his balance when he tries to drop it low and he tumbles forward, barely catching himself from a tragic fall. His hands land on Yongguk's shoulders, knocking the phone into his lap. Himchan is way too close to Yongguk's face and too drunk to do much other than grin at his nose. “So graceful,” Yongguk snorts.
“I'm graceful as shit,” Himchan retorts. He rocks back on his heels and lands on his ass, one leg sliding off the table, and his foot ends up in Yongguk's lap. He glances over to find a fairly large guy staring at them, arms across his chest. The bouncer doesn't look terribly impressed with Himchan's dance skills. Quickly, he puts on his best charming smile and presses his hands together, ducking his head. “It was a one time thing,” he says, and out of the corner of his eye, he can see Yongguk bite his lip, trying not to laugh. “I'm done now, see? Getting off the table. Please don't kick us out.”
“Us?” Yongguk says.
“This is your only warning,” the bouncer cautions, holding up one finger. He doesn't move until Himchan eases himself off the table and stands, and even then, he narrows his eyes at Himchan like he expects him to jump back up as soon as his back turns. Rude. Himchan's not that drunk.
He waves at the man's receding back. “Thank you, goodbye, have a nice night, etcetera.” He flops back down on his seat and straightens his collar. “Okay,” he says. “Your round.”
Holding his hands up in surrender, Yongguk slides out from behind the table and heads to the bar. He pauses just long enough to toss Himchan's phone to him. “I'll show mercy,” he says. “I didn't send that to anyone.”
Himchan clutches his phone to his chest. “I have nothing to be ashamed of,” he says, and Yongguk just favours him with a long look over his shoulder as he leaves.
Himchan is trying very hard to figure out how to delete that atrocity of a video when a companionable arm is slung around his neck as he's pushed further into the booth. “Hyung,” Daehyun says, his irritatingly handsome face too close to Himchan's. “I didn't know you were a dancer.”
“Daehyun,” Himchan says, pushing him off. “I was well aware you're a terrible human being.”
Youngjae takes Yongguk's seat, across the table, looking amused. Both he and Daehyun are well past tipsy and a good couple of miles into drunk, faces flushed and eyes half-lidded. Youngjae's hair is dark again, carefully styled up and out of his face. It's a good look. Himchan gives him a thumbs up and gets a very baffled look in return. “Nice moves, hyung,” he says.
He could take offense, but Himchan would much rather take their words at face value instead. “Right? I think I missed my calling.”
“Sure, you'd make a ton of money dancing on tables.” Yongguk passes over the shots in his hands before Himchan even has a chance to make grabby hands for them. “Bet you'd look real pretty.” Himchan narrows his eyes at him, but Yongguk blithely ignores it, as always. “Sorry, kids. If I'd known you were here, would've gotten some for you.”
“I wish you had,” Daehyun complains as Youngjae squishes over to make room for Yongguk. “I need to be way drunker to forget what I just saw.” He's still got his arm draped around Himchan's shoulders, and Himchan lets it stay for now, tipping his head back to take his shot. He hasn't yet decided if Daehyun counts as his competition in the handsome face department or if he could serve as a wingman.
“That,” Youngjae says finally, definitively, hands flat against the table top, almost like he's steadying himself. “Was one of the more terrifying things I've ever had to see.” Himchan scowls at him and the table erupts, Himchan's protests competing with Youngjae and Daehyun's disparaging remarks, and through it all, Yongguk sits back and laughs, eyes on Himchan.
-
“I hate my life,” Himchan says mournfully. Next to him, Jongup is very valiantly trying to hold back his giggles, lips pressed shut. Himchan can't believe he let Yongguk talk him into that. He wasn't even that drunk! Ridiculous. Immediately, he deletes the video file. That is not something he needs to see floating around twitter in a couple of days.
“It's okay, hyung,” Jongup says carefully. “You weren't even that bad.”
The encouragement only makes Himchan groan and hide his face in a cushion. This is probably the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to him, second only to that time he decided to get adventurous and picked up a guy with multiple piercings in interesting places and, well, that night had gone distinctively south.
Jongup gently tugs Himchan's phone out of his hand. “More pictures?” he suggests. Himchan wilts.
There are a few shots of the four of them in the booth, including one pretty comical one of both Daehyun and Youngjae looking horrified at something Himchan is saying. He needs to upload that one, they look like idiots. Next though, seem to have been taken outside the club. After they left? Maybe. Jongup pauses on one, humming quietly. It's got Yongguk, on his knees, his furious blush visible even in the shitty picture quality. He seems to be serenading some guy Himchan has never seen before, and that guy doesn't seem too pleased. Neither does his girlfriend. Yongguk looks more embarrassed than he's ever seen him. It's great. “I like these better,” Himchan says. Jongup grins.
-
“Alright,” Himchan says loudly as they spill out into the street. “Alright, alright, alright.” The summer air is cool, but it's not enough to sober him up. Himchan can't decide if that's a good thing or not, really. He feels pretty good, but he's maintaining a death grip on the back of Yongguk's collar just to stay upright, and that's a little less fun. If he falls, he might break his nose and, well, nobody wants that. He has a beautiful nose, it would be a great loss for all mankind. “Alright, okay.” Yongguk's arm is tight around his waist as they wobble down the street, Daehyun and Youngjae behind them, squabbling about something. “I did my dare. Your turn.”
“My turn?” Yongguk scoffs. “Why, you gonna buy the next round?”
Himchan considers this. It is his professional opinion that another round would end in tragedy and vomit, so that's a no. He needs to try a different tack if he's going to get Yongguk back. “What,” he says. “Are you gonna pussy out?” He turns to Yongguk, an exaggerated pout on his lips. “Such a delicate flower, aren't you, Bbang?”
Yongguk's shove sends Himchan reeling, and it's sheer dumb luck that stops him from ending up on his ass. If asked, of course, Himchan will attribute it to his own cat-like reflexes. “I'm the delicate flower?” Yongguk crosses his arms across his chest. “I never said no.”
“Oh, good.” Himchan's smile turns wicked. Now, he just needs a dare.
He casts about the street, trying to kick his alcohol-sodden brain into gear. He wants it to be good. His eyes land on a couple a few meters ahead. Ah, yes. He knows what he's doing. He lunges at Yongguk, grabbing him around the shoulders and shoving him forward. “Go forth and woo your true love with song,” he says into Yongguk's ear.
“What?” Yongguk asks, a bit bleary, dragging his heels. “Who, her?”
“Don't be stupid,” Himchan says. “Him.” Yongguk groans and Himchan grins. “Excuse me!” he calls out. The couple turns and oh, hey, he's not even half-bad. Yongguk could do worse. “Hi, this is Yongguk, and he has something he wants to say to you.”
“Himchan – ”
He waves off Yongguk's protests. “On your knees, now,” he says blithely. “Tout de suite. Don't want to leave your suitor hanging now, do you?” His smug pose, hands on hips, is a bit less satisfying when he sways a little, but he's fine. He's got this. He is totally not gonna fall. He jeopardizes his stability a little when he tugs his phone out of his pocket, but really, it's worth the risk. He definitely needs to record this moment for all posterity.
Yongguk turns a violent shade of red and slowly gets on his knees. Reluctantly, he spreads his arms and begins singing. Himchan recognizes the melody from a song that Yongguk has been working on for one of his artists, just your basic love song, guy pines for girl. Yongguk's voice isn't strong, and it's not particularly sweet, but it's got a nice tone to it.
Or at least, Himchan thinks so. Yongguk's potential suitor is not really so into it. The man stands, a disbelieving look pasted to his face, arms crossed across his chest. His girlfriend, by comparison, looks torn between amusement and irritation. “No wonder he's a producer,” Daehyun gasps to Youngjae, the two of them hanging off each other and howling with laughter. “This is...”
If possible, Yongguk turns even redder. He grits his teeth and then suddenly he's on his feet again, this time spitting rap and getting right up in the man's face. Of course he'd take the easy way out and fall back on rapping. Yongguk is an incredibly easygoing guy, and he's always been hard to really, truly piss off. That being said, when he slides back into that old rap persona of his, he can come across as, well, pretty threatening. So even if the words that he was saying were theoretically romantic, the man in the street was only hearing the aggression in his voice and starting to back away, raising his fists.
Whoops. Better head this one off before it gets violent. Himchan stuffs his phone in his pocket and starts punching Yongguk, shoving him and yelling at him. “Yah,” he says. “You're doing it wrong! What kind of serenade is that, you big idiot. Don't you know anything?” He keeps slapping at Yongguk until he starts laughing, catching Himchan's wrists and holding his hands captive. “Rapping,” he scoffs. “What kind of romantic gesture is that?”
He's dimly aware of the couple making a quick getaway and Youngjae shouting something at their backs, something about paying for the free show. “What, you didn't like it?” Yongguk asks. He holds Himchan's wrists firmly, tugging him just a little too close and rocking them back and forth. “I thought it was pretty good.”
Himchan sighs. “You're so bad at this,” he tells Yongguk. “You might have just lost the love of your life, you know.”
Unceremoniously, Daehyun shoves between the two of them. Freed from Yongguk's grip, Himchan sways backwards, making a face. “You're so gross,” Daehyun says, and Himchan can't decide who it's directed at. He chooses to believe it's Yongguk. “Pretty sure that dude was not available.” He smirks and mutters something under his breath that sounds suspiciously like “not like Yongguk hyung is, either”. Himchan deliberately chooses to ignore this.
Looking at Himchan, Yongguk raises his eyebrows. “See? It wasn't meant to be.”
As Daehyun stumbles further down the street (Himchan is fairly certain he's rambling now, something about gross displays of public affection but honestly, Himchan had stopped paying him any attention as soon as he'd walked away), Yongguk reaches for Himchan again. Neither of them are steady, Himchan rationalizes. And if he's hanging on to Yongguk, at least if he goes down, he gets to take him down too. “Whatever, don't say I never do anything for you.”
Yongguk hums, long fingers settling against Himchan's hip. “You're a saint,” he agrees dryly.
“Aren't I?” Himchan beams.
-
Himchan looks down at his wrists, and he sees a bruise already there, in the shape of someone's thumb, from when Daehyun had yanked Yongguk away. “At least,” he says. “At least that only sucked for him.” He's not really into this whole black out thing. Piecing his night together from grainy pics taken with his cellphone while hungover is really not his idea of fun.
Returning from the kitchen with more juice, Jongup looks confused. “Why'd you have him sing for someone else, anyway?”
Himchan opens his mouth and then closes it, narrowing his eyes. “What does that mean?” he demands. Jongup, unfortunately, knows when to keep his mouth shut, and he just shrugs and smiles instead. “Aish,” Himchan grumbles.
He's about to pry further when his phone vibrates with a message. It's from someone who was apparently 'the prettiest girl in seoul'. “'Are we still on for drinks tomorrow?'” he reads aloud. He squints down at his the screen. “Who is this? Do we know?” Not that he'd turn down drinks, really, but he'd like to make sure first that this person really was the prettiest girl in Seoul. He feels like he'd remember something like that.
Jongup shrugs helplessly. “Sorry, hyung.”
He yelps when Himchan tosses his phone at him and barely catches it when it bounces off his chest. He looks a little annoyed and it sends a twinge of guilt through Himchan. “Sorry, Jonguppie,” he sighs. He pats Jongup's knee and then sprawls out on the couch again. “I'm suffering from a serious case of the morning-afters.”
It takes a few seconds for Jongup to reply with his usual “it's okay, hyung”, and that makes Himchan tip his head up and look at him. “Uh, hyung?” Jongup says. He turns Himchan's phone around to face him, and Himchan is faced with an uncomfortably clear picture of him sloppily making out with a tall woman. “You must've had a good night.”
Himchan straightens in a rush, snatching the phone out of Jongup's hand. “When did this happen?” he demands. He holds the phone up to his face and examines it closely. “Ah. This explains the lipstick,” he says, blinking down at the screen. He takes in the woman's bright red lipstick, then her toned biceps, and – oh. It's starting to come back again. “Oh, her,” he says, and he smiles.
-
They wander for a few blocks, arguing over what to do next and where to go. Youngjae's in favour of noraebang, but Himchan has had quite enough of singing for the night, thank you very much. Daehyun's vote is more drinking, which, no. Himchan, he's busy trying to talk Yongguk out of wanting to go home. “You're such an old man, Bbang,” he says. “It's barely one. You're just gonna go home and sit around in your sweatpants and play with your iPad. I know you.”
“I'm less than a month older than you!” Yongguk protests, and he pinches Himchan's hip. “If I'm old, so are you.”
“God, give it a rest,” Youngjae groans. “You two are insufferable.”
“I could say the same about you,” Himchan retorts.
“Easy,” Yongguk murmurs and reluctantly, Himchan quiets, a sour look still pasted to his face. “Anyway, I'm just saying, we've already done table-dancing and serenaded someone in the street. Haven't we done it all?”
From where his hand is situated against Yongguk's shoulder, Himchan idly rubs his thumb against the soft short hair on the back of Yongguk's neck. “You're so boring,” he complains. He watches Daehyun stumble and laughs when Youngjae catches him just barely, hauling him back with his grip on his lapels. It makes him feel a little better about his inability to walk in a straight line right now.
“You're boring,” Yongguk replies, looking amused.
“Well, that jacket isn't boring,” someone says. Himchan uses his grip on Yongguk's shoulders to wheel them around to face the source, a woman who, in her heels, is several inches taller than Himchan. This strikes him as a great injustice. “Bright and patterned? That's, um, a bold choice.”
She's mocking him, but she's pretty, long nose, high cheekbones, so Himchan is gonna let it slide. “Thank you,” Himchan says graciously. “I make it work, don't I?” He smooths down his jacket front with one hand. It's a blessing, being as handsome as he is. He can pull off almost anything.
The woman smiles at him. She is wearing the reddest lipstick, and it makes her mouth look really, really nice. “That's one way of putting it,” she says sweetly. Himchan's friends erupt in laughter, and he lurches forward when Daehyun punches him in the shoulder. They're always so irritating when he's striking out. “So where are you gentlemen headed tonight?” she asks, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.
“Don't know,” Himchan admits. He's doing his best to straighten up and not look so drunk, but he thinks it might be a bit of a lost cause. His bangs hang in his face, damp with sweat from the night's activities, and he pushes them back. “Maybe a pretty lady like yourself has a suggestion?”
“Uh, hyung?” Youngjae says softly. Himchan waves him off. The woman is smiling at him now in this odd smug way that makes him feel a little bit like prey. He kind of likes it. There's something about her that appeals to him.
“Flattery will get you nowhere,” she says. “I'm meeting a couple of friends at a bar a few streets down.” She tips her head. “Of course, that wasn't really an invitation.”
He glances at Yongguk, but his face is unreadable, so instead, he returns his attention to the woman in front of him. “Ouch,” Himchan says, grabbing his chest. “Lady's got bite.” He grins. “I like it.”
“I'm sure you do,” she says.
“Hyung,” Youngjae says again, more insistently.
Himchan shrugs him off, taking a few wobbly steps towards her. Fuck it, right? What does he have to lose tonight? He's already danced on a table. “I like you,” he tells her boldly.
“Himchan,” Yongguk says warningly. Now that's unexpected. Himchan turns to look at him, but he's still got his face closed down. He can be so hard to read sometimes. Yongguk doesn't follow it up with anything else, and Himchan frowns at him.
“You're such a sweet talker,” the woman says. She's totally softening up. He is so good. Now is the time to strike.
“My name is Kim Himchan,” he says, taking another few steps further. “What's yours?”
“Ahn Jaehwa,” she replies, shifting her purse a little higher up her elbow.
Himchan comes even closer. “That's a pretty name,” he says.
“Do you like it?” Himchan may be drunk, but he's also kind of certain that the way that her hips turn towards him and she leans in, that's definitely a good sign. “I picked it out myself.”
It takes him a few seconds for those words to sink in, and it makes him pause, confused. “What?” he asks, and she shrugs a shoulder. Ah well, doesn't matter anyway. “Okay,” he says. “So, Miss Jaehwa. What if, right now, I were to kiss you?” She raises her eyebrows, and he holds up his hands. “No strings, no nothing, just a kiss, because I am very, very drunk, and you are very, very pretty.”
“Hyung!” Youngjae says. Daehyun is cackling.
“Hmm,” Jaehwa says. “Just a kiss?” Himchan nods. “It won't lead anywhere, you know, so keep your hands to yourself.”
“Deal,” Himchan says, and then he's closing the distance between them and stretching up on his tiptoes to kiss her.
It's not a bad kiss, really. It's not a good kiss, either, but it's not really a bad one. She has a nice mouth, and she tastes like lipstick and some expensive, sweet drink. He's not very good with his aim right now, and they bump noses, but all in all, even if he's not going to pursue anything with her, it was a pretty decent kiss.
“You weren't kidding about the being drunk thing,” Jaehwa says as he pulls away, looking amused. Her bright red lipstick is smeared, but he kind of likes it. It's nice knowing he did that. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Daehyun leaning heavily on Youngjae, holding his phone up with one shaky hand. Let them take pictures, Himchan thinks magnanimously. They're both very attractive. He bets they make a great picture.
Himchan's eyes travel from Jaehwa's face, down her body, and then up again. He'd like to remember this, he thinks. On the way back up, he gets stalled at her throat. “Ah,” he says. “You have an Adam's apple.”
She smiles tightly. “Yes,” she agrees. “I do.” She shrugs. “Some nights, I like wearing dresses.”
“Cool,” he says, and he grins at her. He doesn't much mind, really. It does get him wondering, though: would he look that good in a dress? “You're still very, very pretty.”
“Himchan,” Yongguk says. His hand lands on Himchan's shoulder and he pulls him back. “Now it's definitely time to go home.” His voice is rough and when Himchan glances over at him, he could swear that Yongguk is pissed off.
Himchan pushes his hand off. Who is he to be getting all pushy? “Hold on,” he says. It takes him a few minutes to wrestle his phone out of his pocket, then he holds it out to Jaehwa. “Can I get your number?”
She hesitates. “No offense, honey, but that was not a good kiss.”
“That was a solid six!” he protests. He wiggles the phone at her. “C'mon,” he says. “This meeting was fortuitous. I'm not trying to get under your skirt, I promise.” She makes a non-committal noise. “I think you're fun.”
Gingerly, she takes it from him and hands over her own phone. “I'm only doing this because you're such a sweet talker and I like the compliments,” she warns him.
Himchan shrugs. “That's fine,” he says. He takes his time putting in his number, because his fingers aren't quite cooperating with him. “Hey, I'm on bar the day after tomorrow at Punch, you should totally drop by.” He smiles, at his most charming. “I'll treat you to a drink.”
“You're strange,” Jaehwa says.
“That's what we've been trying to tell him for years,” Daehyun says sadly. “And now you've gone and let him kiss you, he's never going to let this go.”
“He's like a duckling,” Youngjae adds. “He imprints on anyone who indulges him.” He easily dodges Himchan's swing. “Also, he's genuinely not interested in you. He's already got someone on his mind.”
Himchan hands Jaehwa's phone back and scowls at them. “I – what?” he says. “This is slander. I'm going to sue you all.”
Jaehwa looks up from where she's been carefully fixing her lipstick as best she can and gratefully accepts the device, tucking it back into her purse. “Nothing I can't handle,” she says. She snaps her compact shut and puts it away, wiggling her fingers in goodbye. “See you around.”
Tipping his head, Himchan watches her go (no ass, but nice legs). “This was not how I was expecting tonight to turn out,” he admits.
“Me neither,” Daehyun agrees, laughing.
When he turns again, Yongguk is frowning, talking quietly to someone on the phone. “Who are you calling?” Himchan asks.
Yongguk says his goodbyes and pockets his phone. “Our ride,” he tells Himchan. Himchan doesn't like the way that Yongguk won't quite look at him, his eyebrows furrowed and the set of his mouth uncharacteristically sullen. Himchan doesn't understand it.
“Why are you such a wet blanket?” he protests, and when Yongguk doesn't reply, just shrugs his shoulder and sits down on the curb, Himchan's mood is definitely dampened.
-
“Was she the prettiest girl in Seoul?” Jongup asks. He peers down a Himchan's phone, and then shrugs. “I can't tell.”
The aspirin is finally starting to kick in, dulling the edge of the headache that still pushes at the back of his eyes. Himchan takes a second to think about it. “She was very pretty,” he says finally. “I don't know if I'd say the prettiest, there are a lot of girls in Seoul.”
“Sure,” Jongup agrees. Himchan rubs at his eyes and yawns. “So, that's when Yongguk hyung called me and Junhongie.”
“Must've been,” Himchan agrees. He holds out his hand. “Are there any more pictures on there?” If anything else happened, then, well, Himchan would like to know now, before he gets mocked for it. It's better to be well prepared for this type of thing.
There's only one more, a shot of two sets of feet, facing one another, clearly taken by accident. He knows it's him and Yongguk by the shoes. This memory, it hits him fast and hard, and his stomach shifts unsettlingly. “Oh, right,” Himchan says, and he doesn't meet Jongup's eye, pressing his fingers to his lips thoughtfully.
-
“I can't believe you called in babysitters,” Himchan hisses at Yongguk. “Now you've got the kids out past their bedtime.”
Reaching for Himchan's hands, Jongup starts the arduous task of hauling him to his feet. “Even Junhong is nineteen, hyung,” Jongup reminds him amiably. It's a good thing that Jonguppie is strong, limber and muscular from his dancing, because Himchan is fairly certain that his legs have become jelly. Jongup doesn't mind, which is good, because he's the perfect height to fit under Himchan's arm like a crutch.
“Babies,” Himchan says. He waves a hand and sways, nearly taking the both of them down, but Jongup is far more stable than that. He keeps them upright. “Fetuses.”
“Legal fetuses,” Yongguk grumbles. Junhong stands behind him, steadying Yongguk with hands on his shoulders, his eyes narrowed at Himchan. Maknae is always so sensitive. “Ones who can drive us home, since clearly, you are too drunk to function.”
His words have enough bite to them that Himchan is taken aback, and he stares at him. “What is that supposed to mean?” he asks.
Youngjae snorts. “Says the man with lipstick all – ”
Daehyun claps a hand over his mouth. “No, shush. It's funnier that he doesn't know.”
“What don't I know?” Himchan decides that Daehyun is definitely not the handsome one when he smirks like that. Luckily, this decision pleases him enough that he pretty much entirely forgets what they were talking about.
Jongup gently steers him towards the car. “C'mon, hyung,” he wheedles. Himchan glances over at Yongguk but he's turned towards Junhong, the two of them talking quietly. Whatever. It's not like Himchan cares that his best friend is shutting him out or anything. He lets Jongup tuck him into the front seat of the car, his chin falling to his chest and his eyes sliding shut. Sometimes you have to pick your battles, and everything in his head is sloshing around too badly for him to pick one now. Still, when Yongguk sits down in the backseat, furthest away from Himchan, it feels a little like a slap in the face.
It's not exactly a comfortable fit, the six of them in one car, but they pull it off. Daehyun ends up in the back, sprawled across everyone's lap. “Couldn't you have sat up front with Himchan hyung?” Youngjae complains.
Daehyun shrugs and digs his elbow into Youngjae's soft belly. “I could,” he agrees. “But I'd rather not risk the vomit factor.”
“Fair enough,” Youngjae replies at the same time as Himchan groans: “I resent that.” It's frustrating when all that gets out of them is more laughter. Jokers. He's not going to puke. He's no amateur. It's insulting. Himchan wishes he were sober enough to kick their asses, but he's mostly just sleepy and a little pissed off at this point. Oh well.
He nods off for a few minutes, and only wakes up again when they pull to a stop. Jongup nudges his shoulder. “We're here,” he says.
“Already?” Himchan mutters. He frowns, squirming down in his seat. Can't he just sleep here? He's so sleepy.
“I gotta piss, hyung!” Daehyun bellows, then he's out of the car in a flash, barrelling up the stairs to Himchan's apartment. He really never should've given that kid his pass code.
Youngjae reaches over the backseat to tug at Himchan's hair. “Wake up,” he says. “You know Daehyun is totally gonna pass out on your couch, right?”
“Let him,” Himchan says, closing his eyes and sprawling out as best he can in the front seat. He's not moving if he can help it. They can carry him if they want. “I'm fine right here.”
“Hyung,” Jongup whispers. “He's doing the starfish thing again. Help?”
Himchan hears a couple of the car doors open, and then he's being subject to a two-pronged assault: Jongup shoves at him from the driver's seat and someone else is dragging him out of the car. “You're such a pain in the ass when you're wasted, you know that?” Yongguk tells him, mouth close to Himchan's ear.
Despite himself, Himchan finds the corners of his mouth curling up, and when Yongguk hauls him upright, Himchan grabs tightly at his jacket and does his best to be cooperative. “You got me drunk,” Himchan points out. Has Yongguk always smelled this nice? He smells nice. “You smell nice,” he adds. “Did you put on cologne? Fancy fancy.”
Yongguk huffs under Himchan's weight as they wobble their way up to his place. “Quit smelling me.” He seems remarkably sober for someone who'd been keeping up, shot for shot, with Himchan. How is that fair?
“You smell good,” Himchan says again, and he knocks his elbow into Yongguk's ribs. So bony, this guy. “That was a compliment, dickhead.”
“Shut up,” Yongguk says, but Himchan knows him. He's softening up again, and that makes Himchan's insides get kinda melty.
Jongup sidles by them, heading towards the door of Himchan's apartment, hanging open. That Daehyun, tch. No manners. “I'll get your bed ready, hyung,” Jongup offers, and then he darts inside.
“Jonguppie, you are my favourite,” Himchan announces. His voice echoes in the hallway and Yongguk shushes him, sighing in exasperation. “He is, Bbang, don't be jealous.” He pats awkwardly at Yongguk's head.
“I'm not jealous,” Yongguk says, amused.
At the doorway, Himchan stops, dragging his heels until Yongguk quits trying to march him into his apartment. “Bbang,” he says, and he grabs out blindly until he has both of his hands wrapped firmly around Yongguk's forearms. “I was wondering.” His phone, precariously tucked into one of the shallow pockets of his tight pants, tumbles out, the flash going off as it falls. He watches it go. Whoops. He contemplates picking it up, but he's fairly certain that if he bends over he'll fall, and he'd rather not do that.
“What were you wondering?” Yongguk asks, catching Himchan's attention again. Yongguk's irritation is softened by the indulgent undertone of his words.
“I was wondering if you're a better kisser than Jaehwa,” he says and Yongguk blinks at him, his mouth working soundlessly. “Such nice lips, you know?” He laughs a little at the strangled noise Yongguk makes. He always likes it when he knocks Yongguk off his guard. “Don't worry.” He pats Yongguk's chest. “I'd kiss you even if you don't wear dresses.”
“Himchan – ” Yongguk begins, but Himchan doesn't give him a chance to finish his thought. He grips the front of Yongguk's shirt and hauls him forward, kissing him before he can lose his nerve. He knows it's a mess from the start, and hasty and sloppy and wet, but it's not a mistake. He's certain of that the instant Yongguk starts kissing him back, one hand curling gently around the back of Himchan's head possessively. It only encourages him to grip Yongguk's waist and kiss him harder.
He lets go finally when Yongguk pushes at his chest, out of breath and laughing, a little. “You're drunk,” he says, but his lips are so nice and red now that Himchan can't help but lunge forward again and catch him in a quick kiss again. It doesn't last long though, and he makes a little noise of discontent when Yongguk slowly but firmly nudges him away. “Not now, okay?” Yongguk says.
“Now seems like a pretty good time to me,” Himchan protests, but he doesn't fight it when Yongguk collects his phone and then pushes him into the apartment and towards his bedroom. He's too sleepy, anyway, and Yongguk's answer wasn't a no, so really, he's more than happy to let himself be manhandled into bed.
He's fighting off his t-shirt when a thought occurs to him. “Wait,” he says. “Wait, wait, wait, it's too late to send Jonguppie home.”
“Himchan, he can look after himself – ” Yongguk begins, but Himchan slugs him in the hip.
“Jonguppie!” Himchan bellows until the kid sticks his head around the doorframe. “Jonguppie, put hyung's mind at ease and sleep here tonight. Okay?”
Yongguk and Jongup exchange a quick look that Himchan chooses to ignore. “Daehyun's on the couch,” Jongup tells Yongguk. “But I don't have classes tomorrow.”
“Junhong can drive us home, and Captain Drunkpants there won't mind if you share the bed.”
Jongup sighs, turning to smile at Himchan. “Okay, hyung. I'll stay.” Yongguk laughs softly as he heads out of the room.
“You are my favourite, Jonguppie,” Himchan tells him. “You have always been my favourite.” Where did Yongguk go? Was he just going to leave, just like that? He'd never pegged him for the type to kiss and run. Gentleman? Yeah, right.
“Okay, hyung,” Jongup says again, and he pats Himchan's knee. He knows he's being condescended to, but he'll let it slide, just this once.
Jongup is settling into the other side of the bed when Yongguk reemerges from the bathroom. He's got a glass of water and a couple of aspirin and, well, Himchan may have to re-reevaluate the whole gentleman thing. “Get some sleep, hey?” Yongguk says, setting them down on Himchan's bedside table. “Trust me. You're gonna need it.”
“I never get hangovers,” Himchan says indignantly, and Yongguk drags his sheet up over his face.
“Goodnight, Himchan.”
Himchan tugs the sheet back down so he can wave goodbye to Yongguk. “Goodnight, Bbang.” There's a faint smudge of lipstick at the corner of Yongguk's mouth, and the image makes Himchan smile sleepily to himself as he drifts off.
-
“Big night, huh,” Jongup says.
Himchan doesn't say anything. He's playing with his phone again, flipping back to his texts, and he rereads the last one from Yongguk. if you still mean it, try again. “Huh,” he says quietly. He lets his phone drop into his lap.
Knuckles knock against his skull. “Hyung?”
“Hands off,” Himchan says, pushing Jongup's hand away. The water and aspirin had helped, but that doesn't mean he wants someone setting off a new kind of headache. Jongup is watching him expectantly. “Yeah,” he agrees. “Big night.”
Jongup grins, and wow, is that a hint of mischief? “Finally, huh?”
“You watch your mouth,” Himchan says sternly, but Jongup unfortunately knows that Himchan could never do a thing to hurt him, so he just beams more. “Aish, you kids.”
Before he has a chance to complain some more about how hard his life is, the buzzer at the door sounds. “Ugh,” Himchan groans, reluctantly climbing to his feet. “Why? Who is even alive at this time of day?”
Yongguk, it seems. He looks as bad as Himchan feels, his soft brown hair a tousled mess and his face pale. He's got an armful of takeout containers, though, and man, they smell greasy and delicious. Perfect hangover food. “Hey,” he says. He doesn't make a move to come into the apartment, which is a little odd. He's never had any qualms about it before.
“Hi,” Himchan replies, a bit cautious. He's got a very vivid image of last night in his head right now, and he doesn't know where they stand. He toys with the doorknob. “Fancy seeing you here.”
Yongguk shrugs a shoulder. “I, uh, thought you could use this as much as I could.” Is he – is he turning red?
“Such a gentleman, Bbang,” Himchan tells him. He reaches out, gently lays his hand against the side of Yongguk's face. “Is this – ”
It's Yongguk's turn to cut him off with a kiss. They're not nearly as uncoordinated this time around, which is good, because Himchan likes to think that he's a pretty good kisser. It turns out that sober kissing Yongguk is way better than a drunk kiss, because this way, he really gets to enjoy the plush shape of Yongguk's lips and the expert way he curls his tongue into Himchan's mouth.
Or, well, he does for a second. “Jesus, your mouth tastes disgusting,” Yongguk says, and behind Himchan, Jongup leans over the back of the couch and laughs. “Like death and orange juice. Did you even bother to brush your teeth?”
“Excuse you!” Himchan retorts. He wants to move away so he has room to be properly affronted, but Yongguk grabs him tight with his free hand and doesn't give him room to escape. Himchan finds he is surprisingly okay with this. “You seemed pretty into it last night.”
Himchan tugs the take out away from Yongguk and passes it back to Jongup. “I was so drunk I couldn't feel my tongue,” Yongguk protests, and then he's laughing, letting Himchan drag him inside and press kisses to his jaw and throat.
Himchan never did figure out how his toothbrush ended up in the toilet.
It turns out that burying his face under his pillow does nothing to alleviate this, and Himchan is pretty sure that this is unfair. He's a bartender. He's supposed to dole out this kind of morning-after pain, not have to deal with it himself. Someone must accept responsibility for this. He is suffering.
Several long minutes later, Himchan is sitting precariously upright, squinting against the sunlight and grimacing. This is awful. Everything is awful. His eyes fall on his bedside table and narrow suspiciously at the sight of a glass of water and a couple of aspirin. Night-before Himchan is rarely so thoughtful. He's not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, though, so he takes them.
It takes him several long minutes to gather the strength to wobble to the bathroom, stumbling into the bedroom door as he goes. He desperately needs to wash the sleep out of his eyes and brush the fuzz off his teeth. Thing is, his toothbrush isn't in the holder, it's in the toilet. Himchan looks down at it forlornly for a few seconds. Now what is he supposed to do? Gingerly, he retrieves it, and then tosses it out. He'll have to make due with his fingers and mouthwash, like a barbarian.
As he's pouring the mouthwash, Himchan takes a second to examine himself in the mirror. He looks awful. Red eyes, his skin's a mess, and – is that lipstick? It's a good thing he's too hungover to be too horrified. He feels fairly certain he didn't get laid last night, but right now, that's still a toss up. He remembers nothing beyond a very enthusiastic few rounds of shots with Yongguk, and now everything hurts. Sadly, not really in a good way. “Ugh,” Himchan grumbles, tossing the capful of mouthwash into his mouth and swishing.
It's a very good thing that he happens to look down into the sink before he spits, because otherwise he would've ended up with a minty fresh phone. Aha! At last, a clue. He flicks it on, and his last text is from Yongguk. if you still mean it, try again. Himchan frowns. It's a little early for Yongguk's pseudo-inspirational crap. He tucks away his phone and turns his attention to getting rid of the lipstick on his mouth and also, bafflingly, a bit on his nose. Apparently, his partner last night had terrible aim.
He returns from the bathroom about as refreshed as he can possibly be after scrubbing his teeth with a finger and is moderately more successful making his way back to his bedroom. The thing that trips him up is, well, a sleeping man. “Jonguppie,” Himchan says slowly, patiently, prodding him with a toe. Jongup lets out a tiny noise of dismay and curls in on himself further, opening one eye to blink at Himchan as balefully as he can manage. “Jonguppie, why are you asleep on my bedroom floor?” He must've missed him, hiding up at the end of the bed like that, his head buried in a borrowed pillow. It's not that surprising, Jongup is fairly small and Himchan's room is a bit of a mess at the moment, Jongup blended right in with his rumpled clothes.
Jongup flashes him a sleepy smile as he sits up. “Uh, sleeping?”
“I have a whole bed,” Himchan says. He waves a hand at it. “There's room for more than one, you know.”
Wrinkling his nose, Jongup rolls his shoulders and neck, working out the stiffness in his back. “Hyung,” he says. “When you get drunk, you get all...” He stretches his arms out and wiggles them. “Starfishy.” He shrugs. “Also, you might've been sleep walking?” Himchan raises an eyebrow at that. “I don't know, hyung. You just got up in the middle of the night and disappeared into the bathroom for like half an hour.”
Himchan takes a second to consider whether or not to take offense to that. He decides to throw himself down on the bed instead. “I'm going to die,” he tells Jongup. “This is not a hangover, it's something mortal. I'm done for.”
“Okay,” Jongup says amiably. He scrambles over the end of the bed to sprawl next to Himchan. He looks remarkably well-rested for someone who's just spent the night on the floor. It's a little unfair.
Ah, but a well-rested Jonguppie might mean he's got some idea of what happened last night. And that would be helpful, seeing as it's all pretty blurry to Himchan. “Jongup,” Himchan says, turning over to face him. “Please tell me you remember last night. I woke up with lipstick on my face.”
“Sorry, hyung.” Jongup shrugs and Himchan lets out a halfhearted shout of frustration, rolling onto his back and pressing his hands to his face. What is the point of kissing someone if he can't even remember it? “Why don't you ask Yongguk hyung?”
Of course. Yongguk. He was there, after all. Himchan wrestles his phone out of his pocket again, but before he can send off a text, he's distracted by his new phone wallpaper. It's dark and grainy, but there is no mistaking Himchan's profile, his flushed cheeks, and – “Oh my god, am I up on a table?” He shoves his phone under Jongup's nose. “Was I dancing up on a table?” If he focuses, through his embarrassment, Himchan can drag up the faint memory of a thumping baseline and Yongguk's face, looking up at him and laughing.
“I guess?” Jongup says, squinting down at the screen. “Maybe.”
Himchan hauls himself upright. Table-dancing. How drunk was he last night? “I need juice,” he decides, and then he's off into the kitchen, Jongup at his heels.
He stumbles over Daehyun's feet in the living room. He's made himself pretty comfortable on Himchan's couch. He's even still got one of his shoes on. Was he raised in a barn? “Why are you here?” Himchan demands. “When did my apartment become a hotel?”
Startled out of sleep, Daehyun lets out a yelp and tumbles off the couch. “What?” he asks. His thick brown hair is standing up in all sorts of directions and he blinks up at them, wide-eyed and astonished. “What time is it?”
“Why does the time matter?” Himchan grabs a pillow off the couch and throws it at Daehyun's head. “Why are you wearing shoes inside? What is wrong with you?” Behind him, Jongup laughs softly, and Himchan watches as he pushes past the two of them to the kitchen.
Daehyun rewards his momentary distraction by returning fire, and Himchan reels with a mouthful of cushion. “I'm going to be late for work,” Daehyun says. He jumps to his feet, hurriedly straightening last night's rumpled clothes. “Where's my other shoe?”
“Irrelevant,” Himchan tells him. “It's gone to the home for lost shoes.” He grabs Daehyun by the collar and jerks him forward. “When did we even meet up with you? I can't remember anything from last night.”
With a near-growl, Daehyun slaps Himchan's hand away, rescuing his shoe from its spot on a chair in the kitchen. Jesus. Himchan backs away in defeat. Better safe than bitten by a feral Daehyun. “Sorry, hyung,” Daehyun says, dashing for the door. “I gotta go. Thanks for letting me crash!” Then he's gone.
“Well, that was helpful,” Himchan grumbles. Jongup pats his arm sympathetically and then hands him a glass of orange juice. At least he has Jongup.
They end up settling on the couch, heads together, so they can go through Himchan's phone for clues. They start with the photos. There's the one from his wallpaper and a handful of others – and there's video.
“Oh my god,” Himchan says.
“Let's watch!” Jongup exclaims, and he presses play before Himchan can stop him.
-
“Your round,” Himchan declares, stabbing a finger into Yongguk's chest and smiling, pleased, when he grimaces and rubs the spot. “It is most definitely your round.”
Yongguk is already shaking his head. “No way,” he protests. “I got the last three. You're an ass.” He's dressed up tonight, and Himchan wonders if he's aiming to get lucky. The button-up he wears accentuates the broad stretch of his shoulders and he's even broken out the eyeliner. Of course, it's the grin on his face, wide and genuine, that's really what's drawing eyes.
Himchan feigns offense. “You are the one who asked me to come out with you tonight.” He shifts to lean back in his seat, one arm stretched across the back of the booth. He likes how he feels right now, a little loose and a lot relaxed. “That totally means you're buying.”
In the noise of the club, Himchan can't hear Yongguk click his tongue in irritation, but that doesn't mean he doesn't know it's happening. Yongguk's always been easy to read. “You're so full of it.”
Waving a hand, Himchan closes his eyes and leans back. He loves this song. This song is great. He loves this song. He hums and smiles. “That's irrelevant.”
When he tips his head forward again, Yongguk is watching him, a calculating look in his dark-rimmed eyes. “I'll buy the next round,” he says, and Himchan raises both of his arms in victory. “If you get up, right now, on this table, and sing.”
Himchan's arms droop. “That's unfair,” he says.
Yongguk shrugs one shoulder easily, all nonchalance. “If you're a pussy, then I guess you're buying.”
It's a cheap shot, one aimed right at Himchan's ego, and Himchan's lip curls. The suggestion is ridiculous and they both know it, but it's a combination of the weight of Yongguk's gaze and the buzz of alcohol under his skin that has Himchan standing up anyway. “Please,” he scoffs, and he likes the way that Yongguk's eyes widen as he steps onto his seat. “I'm no pussy.”
He's always liked Secret. They almost always put out songs he can shake his ass to. It takes him a few seconds to get up on the table, but when he does, he's glad it's wide and steady. “Oh my God,” Yongguk says, looking up at him. This is a new angle. “Try not to break something.”
It takes a great deal of willpower for Himchan not to agree that yes, he is a god. “I'm fine,” Himchan sniffs, and he swings his hips to the beat. “See? Perfectly balanced.”
Yongguk raises an eyebrow, and Himchan ignores him. He's fine. He may not be the greatest dancer, but that hardly seems relevant right now. He has a round of drinks to win, and Yongguk's eyes are fixed on him.
And so is Himchan's own phone. When did he get that phone? “Smile for the camera,” Yongguk tells him, and Himchan hams it up, tossing his hair and singing right down at him. If he were a little less buzzed, he might be more aware of the eyes on them, or the faint distaste and amusement on the faces of people near them. As it is, though, he'd much rather twist and wiggle his ass in Yongguk's face. After all, it's making Yongguk laugh, his entire face stretched wide in a grin, lighting him up, and Himchan really, really likes that.
He loses his balance when he tries to drop it low and he tumbles forward, barely catching himself from a tragic fall. His hands land on Yongguk's shoulders, knocking the phone into his lap. Himchan is way too close to Yongguk's face and too drunk to do much other than grin at his nose. “So graceful,” Yongguk snorts.
“I'm graceful as shit,” Himchan retorts. He rocks back on his heels and lands on his ass, one leg sliding off the table, and his foot ends up in Yongguk's lap. He glances over to find a fairly large guy staring at them, arms across his chest. The bouncer doesn't look terribly impressed with Himchan's dance skills. Quickly, he puts on his best charming smile and presses his hands together, ducking his head. “It was a one time thing,” he says, and out of the corner of his eye, he can see Yongguk bite his lip, trying not to laugh. “I'm done now, see? Getting off the table. Please don't kick us out.”
“Us?” Yongguk says.
“This is your only warning,” the bouncer cautions, holding up one finger. He doesn't move until Himchan eases himself off the table and stands, and even then, he narrows his eyes at Himchan like he expects him to jump back up as soon as his back turns. Rude. Himchan's not that drunk.
He waves at the man's receding back. “Thank you, goodbye, have a nice night, etcetera.” He flops back down on his seat and straightens his collar. “Okay,” he says. “Your round.”
Holding his hands up in surrender, Yongguk slides out from behind the table and heads to the bar. He pauses just long enough to toss Himchan's phone to him. “I'll show mercy,” he says. “I didn't send that to anyone.”
Himchan clutches his phone to his chest. “I have nothing to be ashamed of,” he says, and Yongguk just favours him with a long look over his shoulder as he leaves.
Himchan is trying very hard to figure out how to delete that atrocity of a video when a companionable arm is slung around his neck as he's pushed further into the booth. “Hyung,” Daehyun says, his irritatingly handsome face too close to Himchan's. “I didn't know you were a dancer.”
“Daehyun,” Himchan says, pushing him off. “I was well aware you're a terrible human being.”
Youngjae takes Yongguk's seat, across the table, looking amused. Both he and Daehyun are well past tipsy and a good couple of miles into drunk, faces flushed and eyes half-lidded. Youngjae's hair is dark again, carefully styled up and out of his face. It's a good look. Himchan gives him a thumbs up and gets a very baffled look in return. “Nice moves, hyung,” he says.
He could take offense, but Himchan would much rather take their words at face value instead. “Right? I think I missed my calling.”
“Sure, you'd make a ton of money dancing on tables.” Yongguk passes over the shots in his hands before Himchan even has a chance to make grabby hands for them. “Bet you'd look real pretty.” Himchan narrows his eyes at him, but Yongguk blithely ignores it, as always. “Sorry, kids. If I'd known you were here, would've gotten some for you.”
“I wish you had,” Daehyun complains as Youngjae squishes over to make room for Yongguk. “I need to be way drunker to forget what I just saw.” He's still got his arm draped around Himchan's shoulders, and Himchan lets it stay for now, tipping his head back to take his shot. He hasn't yet decided if Daehyun counts as his competition in the handsome face department or if he could serve as a wingman.
“That,” Youngjae says finally, definitively, hands flat against the table top, almost like he's steadying himself. “Was one of the more terrifying things I've ever had to see.” Himchan scowls at him and the table erupts, Himchan's protests competing with Youngjae and Daehyun's disparaging remarks, and through it all, Yongguk sits back and laughs, eyes on Himchan.
-
“I hate my life,” Himchan says mournfully. Next to him, Jongup is very valiantly trying to hold back his giggles, lips pressed shut. Himchan can't believe he let Yongguk talk him into that. He wasn't even that drunk! Ridiculous. Immediately, he deletes the video file. That is not something he needs to see floating around twitter in a couple of days.
“It's okay, hyung,” Jongup says carefully. “You weren't even that bad.”
The encouragement only makes Himchan groan and hide his face in a cushion. This is probably the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to him, second only to that time he decided to get adventurous and picked up a guy with multiple piercings in interesting places and, well, that night had gone distinctively south.
Jongup gently tugs Himchan's phone out of his hand. “More pictures?” he suggests. Himchan wilts.
There are a few shots of the four of them in the booth, including one pretty comical one of both Daehyun and Youngjae looking horrified at something Himchan is saying. He needs to upload that one, they look like idiots. Next though, seem to have been taken outside the club. After they left? Maybe. Jongup pauses on one, humming quietly. It's got Yongguk, on his knees, his furious blush visible even in the shitty picture quality. He seems to be serenading some guy Himchan has never seen before, and that guy doesn't seem too pleased. Neither does his girlfriend. Yongguk looks more embarrassed than he's ever seen him. It's great. “I like these better,” Himchan says. Jongup grins.
-
“Alright,” Himchan says loudly as they spill out into the street. “Alright, alright, alright.” The summer air is cool, but it's not enough to sober him up. Himchan can't decide if that's a good thing or not, really. He feels pretty good, but he's maintaining a death grip on the back of Yongguk's collar just to stay upright, and that's a little less fun. If he falls, he might break his nose and, well, nobody wants that. He has a beautiful nose, it would be a great loss for all mankind. “Alright, okay.” Yongguk's arm is tight around his waist as they wobble down the street, Daehyun and Youngjae behind them, squabbling about something. “I did my dare. Your turn.”
“My turn?” Yongguk scoffs. “Why, you gonna buy the next round?”
Himchan considers this. It is his professional opinion that another round would end in tragedy and vomit, so that's a no. He needs to try a different tack if he's going to get Yongguk back. “What,” he says. “Are you gonna pussy out?” He turns to Yongguk, an exaggerated pout on his lips. “Such a delicate flower, aren't you, Bbang?”
Yongguk's shove sends Himchan reeling, and it's sheer dumb luck that stops him from ending up on his ass. If asked, of course, Himchan will attribute it to his own cat-like reflexes. “I'm the delicate flower?” Yongguk crosses his arms across his chest. “I never said no.”
“Oh, good.” Himchan's smile turns wicked. Now, he just needs a dare.
He casts about the street, trying to kick his alcohol-sodden brain into gear. He wants it to be good. His eyes land on a couple a few meters ahead. Ah, yes. He knows what he's doing. He lunges at Yongguk, grabbing him around the shoulders and shoving him forward. “Go forth and woo your true love with song,” he says into Yongguk's ear.
“What?” Yongguk asks, a bit bleary, dragging his heels. “Who, her?”
“Don't be stupid,” Himchan says. “Him.” Yongguk groans and Himchan grins. “Excuse me!” he calls out. The couple turns and oh, hey, he's not even half-bad. Yongguk could do worse. “Hi, this is Yongguk, and he has something he wants to say to you.”
“Himchan – ”
He waves off Yongguk's protests. “On your knees, now,” he says blithely. “Tout de suite. Don't want to leave your suitor hanging now, do you?” His smug pose, hands on hips, is a bit less satisfying when he sways a little, but he's fine. He's got this. He is totally not gonna fall. He jeopardizes his stability a little when he tugs his phone out of his pocket, but really, it's worth the risk. He definitely needs to record this moment for all posterity.
Yongguk turns a violent shade of red and slowly gets on his knees. Reluctantly, he spreads his arms and begins singing. Himchan recognizes the melody from a song that Yongguk has been working on for one of his artists, just your basic love song, guy pines for girl. Yongguk's voice isn't strong, and it's not particularly sweet, but it's got a nice tone to it.
Or at least, Himchan thinks so. Yongguk's potential suitor is not really so into it. The man stands, a disbelieving look pasted to his face, arms crossed across his chest. His girlfriend, by comparison, looks torn between amusement and irritation. “No wonder he's a producer,” Daehyun gasps to Youngjae, the two of them hanging off each other and howling with laughter. “This is...”
If possible, Yongguk turns even redder. He grits his teeth and then suddenly he's on his feet again, this time spitting rap and getting right up in the man's face. Of course he'd take the easy way out and fall back on rapping. Yongguk is an incredibly easygoing guy, and he's always been hard to really, truly piss off. That being said, when he slides back into that old rap persona of his, he can come across as, well, pretty threatening. So even if the words that he was saying were theoretically romantic, the man in the street was only hearing the aggression in his voice and starting to back away, raising his fists.
Whoops. Better head this one off before it gets violent. Himchan stuffs his phone in his pocket and starts punching Yongguk, shoving him and yelling at him. “Yah,” he says. “You're doing it wrong! What kind of serenade is that, you big idiot. Don't you know anything?” He keeps slapping at Yongguk until he starts laughing, catching Himchan's wrists and holding his hands captive. “Rapping,” he scoffs. “What kind of romantic gesture is that?”
He's dimly aware of the couple making a quick getaway and Youngjae shouting something at their backs, something about paying for the free show. “What, you didn't like it?” Yongguk asks. He holds Himchan's wrists firmly, tugging him just a little too close and rocking them back and forth. “I thought it was pretty good.”
Himchan sighs. “You're so bad at this,” he tells Yongguk. “You might have just lost the love of your life, you know.”
Unceremoniously, Daehyun shoves between the two of them. Freed from Yongguk's grip, Himchan sways backwards, making a face. “You're so gross,” Daehyun says, and Himchan can't decide who it's directed at. He chooses to believe it's Yongguk. “Pretty sure that dude was not available.” He smirks and mutters something under his breath that sounds suspiciously like “not like Yongguk hyung is, either”. Himchan deliberately chooses to ignore this.
Looking at Himchan, Yongguk raises his eyebrows. “See? It wasn't meant to be.”
As Daehyun stumbles further down the street (Himchan is fairly certain he's rambling now, something about gross displays of public affection but honestly, Himchan had stopped paying him any attention as soon as he'd walked away), Yongguk reaches for Himchan again. Neither of them are steady, Himchan rationalizes. And if he's hanging on to Yongguk, at least if he goes down, he gets to take him down too. “Whatever, don't say I never do anything for you.”
Yongguk hums, long fingers settling against Himchan's hip. “You're a saint,” he agrees dryly.
“Aren't I?” Himchan beams.
-
Himchan looks down at his wrists, and he sees a bruise already there, in the shape of someone's thumb, from when Daehyun had yanked Yongguk away. “At least,” he says. “At least that only sucked for him.” He's not really into this whole black out thing. Piecing his night together from grainy pics taken with his cellphone while hungover is really not his idea of fun.
Returning from the kitchen with more juice, Jongup looks confused. “Why'd you have him sing for someone else, anyway?”
Himchan opens his mouth and then closes it, narrowing his eyes. “What does that mean?” he demands. Jongup, unfortunately, knows when to keep his mouth shut, and he just shrugs and smiles instead. “Aish,” Himchan grumbles.
He's about to pry further when his phone vibrates with a message. It's from someone who was apparently 'the prettiest girl in seoul'. “'Are we still on for drinks tomorrow?'” he reads aloud. He squints down at his the screen. “Who is this? Do we know?” Not that he'd turn down drinks, really, but he'd like to make sure first that this person really was the prettiest girl in Seoul. He feels like he'd remember something like that.
Jongup shrugs helplessly. “Sorry, hyung.”
He yelps when Himchan tosses his phone at him and barely catches it when it bounces off his chest. He looks a little annoyed and it sends a twinge of guilt through Himchan. “Sorry, Jonguppie,” he sighs. He pats Jongup's knee and then sprawls out on the couch again. “I'm suffering from a serious case of the morning-afters.”
It takes a few seconds for Jongup to reply with his usual “it's okay, hyung”, and that makes Himchan tip his head up and look at him. “Uh, hyung?” Jongup says. He turns Himchan's phone around to face him, and Himchan is faced with an uncomfortably clear picture of him sloppily making out with a tall woman. “You must've had a good night.”
Himchan straightens in a rush, snatching the phone out of Jongup's hand. “When did this happen?” he demands. He holds the phone up to his face and examines it closely. “Ah. This explains the lipstick,” he says, blinking down at the screen. He takes in the woman's bright red lipstick, then her toned biceps, and – oh. It's starting to come back again. “Oh, her,” he says, and he smiles.
-
They wander for a few blocks, arguing over what to do next and where to go. Youngjae's in favour of noraebang, but Himchan has had quite enough of singing for the night, thank you very much. Daehyun's vote is more drinking, which, no. Himchan, he's busy trying to talk Yongguk out of wanting to go home. “You're such an old man, Bbang,” he says. “It's barely one. You're just gonna go home and sit around in your sweatpants and play with your iPad. I know you.”
“I'm less than a month older than you!” Yongguk protests, and he pinches Himchan's hip. “If I'm old, so are you.”
“God, give it a rest,” Youngjae groans. “You two are insufferable.”
“I could say the same about you,” Himchan retorts.
“Easy,” Yongguk murmurs and reluctantly, Himchan quiets, a sour look still pasted to his face. “Anyway, I'm just saying, we've already done table-dancing and serenaded someone in the street. Haven't we done it all?”
From where his hand is situated against Yongguk's shoulder, Himchan idly rubs his thumb against the soft short hair on the back of Yongguk's neck. “You're so boring,” he complains. He watches Daehyun stumble and laughs when Youngjae catches him just barely, hauling him back with his grip on his lapels. It makes him feel a little better about his inability to walk in a straight line right now.
“You're boring,” Yongguk replies, looking amused.
“Well, that jacket isn't boring,” someone says. Himchan uses his grip on Yongguk's shoulders to wheel them around to face the source, a woman who, in her heels, is several inches taller than Himchan. This strikes him as a great injustice. “Bright and patterned? That's, um, a bold choice.”
She's mocking him, but she's pretty, long nose, high cheekbones, so Himchan is gonna let it slide. “Thank you,” Himchan says graciously. “I make it work, don't I?” He smooths down his jacket front with one hand. It's a blessing, being as handsome as he is. He can pull off almost anything.
The woman smiles at him. She is wearing the reddest lipstick, and it makes her mouth look really, really nice. “That's one way of putting it,” she says sweetly. Himchan's friends erupt in laughter, and he lurches forward when Daehyun punches him in the shoulder. They're always so irritating when he's striking out. “So where are you gentlemen headed tonight?” she asks, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.
“Don't know,” Himchan admits. He's doing his best to straighten up and not look so drunk, but he thinks it might be a bit of a lost cause. His bangs hang in his face, damp with sweat from the night's activities, and he pushes them back. “Maybe a pretty lady like yourself has a suggestion?”
“Uh, hyung?” Youngjae says softly. Himchan waves him off. The woman is smiling at him now in this odd smug way that makes him feel a little bit like prey. He kind of likes it. There's something about her that appeals to him.
“Flattery will get you nowhere,” she says. “I'm meeting a couple of friends at a bar a few streets down.” She tips her head. “Of course, that wasn't really an invitation.”
He glances at Yongguk, but his face is unreadable, so instead, he returns his attention to the woman in front of him. “Ouch,” Himchan says, grabbing his chest. “Lady's got bite.” He grins. “I like it.”
“I'm sure you do,” she says.
“Hyung,” Youngjae says again, more insistently.
Himchan shrugs him off, taking a few wobbly steps towards her. Fuck it, right? What does he have to lose tonight? He's already danced on a table. “I like you,” he tells her boldly.
“Himchan,” Yongguk says warningly. Now that's unexpected. Himchan turns to look at him, but he's still got his face closed down. He can be so hard to read sometimes. Yongguk doesn't follow it up with anything else, and Himchan frowns at him.
“You're such a sweet talker,” the woman says. She's totally softening up. He is so good. Now is the time to strike.
“My name is Kim Himchan,” he says, taking another few steps further. “What's yours?”
“Ahn Jaehwa,” she replies, shifting her purse a little higher up her elbow.
Himchan comes even closer. “That's a pretty name,” he says.
“Do you like it?” Himchan may be drunk, but he's also kind of certain that the way that her hips turn towards him and she leans in, that's definitely a good sign. “I picked it out myself.”
It takes him a few seconds for those words to sink in, and it makes him pause, confused. “What?” he asks, and she shrugs a shoulder. Ah well, doesn't matter anyway. “Okay,” he says. “So, Miss Jaehwa. What if, right now, I were to kiss you?” She raises her eyebrows, and he holds up his hands. “No strings, no nothing, just a kiss, because I am very, very drunk, and you are very, very pretty.”
“Hyung!” Youngjae says. Daehyun is cackling.
“Hmm,” Jaehwa says. “Just a kiss?” Himchan nods. “It won't lead anywhere, you know, so keep your hands to yourself.”
“Deal,” Himchan says, and then he's closing the distance between them and stretching up on his tiptoes to kiss her.
It's not a bad kiss, really. It's not a good kiss, either, but it's not really a bad one. She has a nice mouth, and she tastes like lipstick and some expensive, sweet drink. He's not very good with his aim right now, and they bump noses, but all in all, even if he's not going to pursue anything with her, it was a pretty decent kiss.
“You weren't kidding about the being drunk thing,” Jaehwa says as he pulls away, looking amused. Her bright red lipstick is smeared, but he kind of likes it. It's nice knowing he did that. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Daehyun leaning heavily on Youngjae, holding his phone up with one shaky hand. Let them take pictures, Himchan thinks magnanimously. They're both very attractive. He bets they make a great picture.
Himchan's eyes travel from Jaehwa's face, down her body, and then up again. He'd like to remember this, he thinks. On the way back up, he gets stalled at her throat. “Ah,” he says. “You have an Adam's apple.”
She smiles tightly. “Yes,” she agrees. “I do.” She shrugs. “Some nights, I like wearing dresses.”
“Cool,” he says, and he grins at her. He doesn't much mind, really. It does get him wondering, though: would he look that good in a dress? “You're still very, very pretty.”
“Himchan,” Yongguk says. His hand lands on Himchan's shoulder and he pulls him back. “Now it's definitely time to go home.” His voice is rough and when Himchan glances over at him, he could swear that Yongguk is pissed off.
Himchan pushes his hand off. Who is he to be getting all pushy? “Hold on,” he says. It takes him a few minutes to wrestle his phone out of his pocket, then he holds it out to Jaehwa. “Can I get your number?”
She hesitates. “No offense, honey, but that was not a good kiss.”
“That was a solid six!” he protests. He wiggles the phone at her. “C'mon,” he says. “This meeting was fortuitous. I'm not trying to get under your skirt, I promise.” She makes a non-committal noise. “I think you're fun.”
Gingerly, she takes it from him and hands over her own phone. “I'm only doing this because you're such a sweet talker and I like the compliments,” she warns him.
Himchan shrugs. “That's fine,” he says. He takes his time putting in his number, because his fingers aren't quite cooperating with him. “Hey, I'm on bar the day after tomorrow at Punch, you should totally drop by.” He smiles, at his most charming. “I'll treat you to a drink.”
“You're strange,” Jaehwa says.
“That's what we've been trying to tell him for years,” Daehyun says sadly. “And now you've gone and let him kiss you, he's never going to let this go.”
“He's like a duckling,” Youngjae adds. “He imprints on anyone who indulges him.” He easily dodges Himchan's swing. “Also, he's genuinely not interested in you. He's already got someone on his mind.”
Himchan hands Jaehwa's phone back and scowls at them. “I – what?” he says. “This is slander. I'm going to sue you all.”
Jaehwa looks up from where she's been carefully fixing her lipstick as best she can and gratefully accepts the device, tucking it back into her purse. “Nothing I can't handle,” she says. She snaps her compact shut and puts it away, wiggling her fingers in goodbye. “See you around.”
Tipping his head, Himchan watches her go (no ass, but nice legs). “This was not how I was expecting tonight to turn out,” he admits.
“Me neither,” Daehyun agrees, laughing.
When he turns again, Yongguk is frowning, talking quietly to someone on the phone. “Who are you calling?” Himchan asks.
Yongguk says his goodbyes and pockets his phone. “Our ride,” he tells Himchan. Himchan doesn't like the way that Yongguk won't quite look at him, his eyebrows furrowed and the set of his mouth uncharacteristically sullen. Himchan doesn't understand it.
“Why are you such a wet blanket?” he protests, and when Yongguk doesn't reply, just shrugs his shoulder and sits down on the curb, Himchan's mood is definitely dampened.
-
“Was she the prettiest girl in Seoul?” Jongup asks. He peers down a Himchan's phone, and then shrugs. “I can't tell.”
The aspirin is finally starting to kick in, dulling the edge of the headache that still pushes at the back of his eyes. Himchan takes a second to think about it. “She was very pretty,” he says finally. “I don't know if I'd say the prettiest, there are a lot of girls in Seoul.”
“Sure,” Jongup agrees. Himchan rubs at his eyes and yawns. “So, that's when Yongguk hyung called me and Junhongie.”
“Must've been,” Himchan agrees. He holds out his hand. “Are there any more pictures on there?” If anything else happened, then, well, Himchan would like to know now, before he gets mocked for it. It's better to be well prepared for this type of thing.
There's only one more, a shot of two sets of feet, facing one another, clearly taken by accident. He knows it's him and Yongguk by the shoes. This memory, it hits him fast and hard, and his stomach shifts unsettlingly. “Oh, right,” Himchan says, and he doesn't meet Jongup's eye, pressing his fingers to his lips thoughtfully.
-
“I can't believe you called in babysitters,” Himchan hisses at Yongguk. “Now you've got the kids out past their bedtime.”
Reaching for Himchan's hands, Jongup starts the arduous task of hauling him to his feet. “Even Junhong is nineteen, hyung,” Jongup reminds him amiably. It's a good thing that Jonguppie is strong, limber and muscular from his dancing, because Himchan is fairly certain that his legs have become jelly. Jongup doesn't mind, which is good, because he's the perfect height to fit under Himchan's arm like a crutch.
“Babies,” Himchan says. He waves a hand and sways, nearly taking the both of them down, but Jongup is far more stable than that. He keeps them upright. “Fetuses.”
“Legal fetuses,” Yongguk grumbles. Junhong stands behind him, steadying Yongguk with hands on his shoulders, his eyes narrowed at Himchan. Maknae is always so sensitive. “Ones who can drive us home, since clearly, you are too drunk to function.”
His words have enough bite to them that Himchan is taken aback, and he stares at him. “What is that supposed to mean?” he asks.
Youngjae snorts. “Says the man with lipstick all – ”
Daehyun claps a hand over his mouth. “No, shush. It's funnier that he doesn't know.”
“What don't I know?” Himchan decides that Daehyun is definitely not the handsome one when he smirks like that. Luckily, this decision pleases him enough that he pretty much entirely forgets what they were talking about.
Jongup gently steers him towards the car. “C'mon, hyung,” he wheedles. Himchan glances over at Yongguk but he's turned towards Junhong, the two of them talking quietly. Whatever. It's not like Himchan cares that his best friend is shutting him out or anything. He lets Jongup tuck him into the front seat of the car, his chin falling to his chest and his eyes sliding shut. Sometimes you have to pick your battles, and everything in his head is sloshing around too badly for him to pick one now. Still, when Yongguk sits down in the backseat, furthest away from Himchan, it feels a little like a slap in the face.
It's not exactly a comfortable fit, the six of them in one car, but they pull it off. Daehyun ends up in the back, sprawled across everyone's lap. “Couldn't you have sat up front with Himchan hyung?” Youngjae complains.
Daehyun shrugs and digs his elbow into Youngjae's soft belly. “I could,” he agrees. “But I'd rather not risk the vomit factor.”
“Fair enough,” Youngjae replies at the same time as Himchan groans: “I resent that.” It's frustrating when all that gets out of them is more laughter. Jokers. He's not going to puke. He's no amateur. It's insulting. Himchan wishes he were sober enough to kick their asses, but he's mostly just sleepy and a little pissed off at this point. Oh well.
He nods off for a few minutes, and only wakes up again when they pull to a stop. Jongup nudges his shoulder. “We're here,” he says.
“Already?” Himchan mutters. He frowns, squirming down in his seat. Can't he just sleep here? He's so sleepy.
“I gotta piss, hyung!” Daehyun bellows, then he's out of the car in a flash, barrelling up the stairs to Himchan's apartment. He really never should've given that kid his pass code.
Youngjae reaches over the backseat to tug at Himchan's hair. “Wake up,” he says. “You know Daehyun is totally gonna pass out on your couch, right?”
“Let him,” Himchan says, closing his eyes and sprawling out as best he can in the front seat. He's not moving if he can help it. They can carry him if they want. “I'm fine right here.”
“Hyung,” Jongup whispers. “He's doing the starfish thing again. Help?”
Himchan hears a couple of the car doors open, and then he's being subject to a two-pronged assault: Jongup shoves at him from the driver's seat and someone else is dragging him out of the car. “You're such a pain in the ass when you're wasted, you know that?” Yongguk tells him, mouth close to Himchan's ear.
Despite himself, Himchan finds the corners of his mouth curling up, and when Yongguk hauls him upright, Himchan grabs tightly at his jacket and does his best to be cooperative. “You got me drunk,” Himchan points out. Has Yongguk always smelled this nice? He smells nice. “You smell nice,” he adds. “Did you put on cologne? Fancy fancy.”
Yongguk huffs under Himchan's weight as they wobble their way up to his place. “Quit smelling me.” He seems remarkably sober for someone who'd been keeping up, shot for shot, with Himchan. How is that fair?
“You smell good,” Himchan says again, and he knocks his elbow into Yongguk's ribs. So bony, this guy. “That was a compliment, dickhead.”
“Shut up,” Yongguk says, but Himchan knows him. He's softening up again, and that makes Himchan's insides get kinda melty.
Jongup sidles by them, heading towards the door of Himchan's apartment, hanging open. That Daehyun, tch. No manners. “I'll get your bed ready, hyung,” Jongup offers, and then he darts inside.
“Jonguppie, you are my favourite,” Himchan announces. His voice echoes in the hallway and Yongguk shushes him, sighing in exasperation. “He is, Bbang, don't be jealous.” He pats awkwardly at Yongguk's head.
“I'm not jealous,” Yongguk says, amused.
At the doorway, Himchan stops, dragging his heels until Yongguk quits trying to march him into his apartment. “Bbang,” he says, and he grabs out blindly until he has both of his hands wrapped firmly around Yongguk's forearms. “I was wondering.” His phone, precariously tucked into one of the shallow pockets of his tight pants, tumbles out, the flash going off as it falls. He watches it go. Whoops. He contemplates picking it up, but he's fairly certain that if he bends over he'll fall, and he'd rather not do that.
“What were you wondering?” Yongguk asks, catching Himchan's attention again. Yongguk's irritation is softened by the indulgent undertone of his words.
“I was wondering if you're a better kisser than Jaehwa,” he says and Yongguk blinks at him, his mouth working soundlessly. “Such nice lips, you know?” He laughs a little at the strangled noise Yongguk makes. He always likes it when he knocks Yongguk off his guard. “Don't worry.” He pats Yongguk's chest. “I'd kiss you even if you don't wear dresses.”
“Himchan – ” Yongguk begins, but Himchan doesn't give him a chance to finish his thought. He grips the front of Yongguk's shirt and hauls him forward, kissing him before he can lose his nerve. He knows it's a mess from the start, and hasty and sloppy and wet, but it's not a mistake. He's certain of that the instant Yongguk starts kissing him back, one hand curling gently around the back of Himchan's head possessively. It only encourages him to grip Yongguk's waist and kiss him harder.
He lets go finally when Yongguk pushes at his chest, out of breath and laughing, a little. “You're drunk,” he says, but his lips are so nice and red now that Himchan can't help but lunge forward again and catch him in a quick kiss again. It doesn't last long though, and he makes a little noise of discontent when Yongguk slowly but firmly nudges him away. “Not now, okay?” Yongguk says.
“Now seems like a pretty good time to me,” Himchan protests, but he doesn't fight it when Yongguk collects his phone and then pushes him into the apartment and towards his bedroom. He's too sleepy, anyway, and Yongguk's answer wasn't a no, so really, he's more than happy to let himself be manhandled into bed.
He's fighting off his t-shirt when a thought occurs to him. “Wait,” he says. “Wait, wait, wait, it's too late to send Jonguppie home.”
“Himchan, he can look after himself – ” Yongguk begins, but Himchan slugs him in the hip.
“Jonguppie!” Himchan bellows until the kid sticks his head around the doorframe. “Jonguppie, put hyung's mind at ease and sleep here tonight. Okay?”
Yongguk and Jongup exchange a quick look that Himchan chooses to ignore. “Daehyun's on the couch,” Jongup tells Yongguk. “But I don't have classes tomorrow.”
“Junhong can drive us home, and Captain Drunkpants there won't mind if you share the bed.”
Jongup sighs, turning to smile at Himchan. “Okay, hyung. I'll stay.” Yongguk laughs softly as he heads out of the room.
“You are my favourite, Jonguppie,” Himchan tells him. “You have always been my favourite.” Where did Yongguk go? Was he just going to leave, just like that? He'd never pegged him for the type to kiss and run. Gentleman? Yeah, right.
“Okay, hyung,” Jongup says again, and he pats Himchan's knee. He knows he's being condescended to, but he'll let it slide, just this once.
Jongup is settling into the other side of the bed when Yongguk reemerges from the bathroom. He's got a glass of water and a couple of aspirin and, well, Himchan may have to re-reevaluate the whole gentleman thing. “Get some sleep, hey?” Yongguk says, setting them down on Himchan's bedside table. “Trust me. You're gonna need it.”
“I never get hangovers,” Himchan says indignantly, and Yongguk drags his sheet up over his face.
“Goodnight, Himchan.”
Himchan tugs the sheet back down so he can wave goodbye to Yongguk. “Goodnight, Bbang.” There's a faint smudge of lipstick at the corner of Yongguk's mouth, and the image makes Himchan smile sleepily to himself as he drifts off.
-
“Big night, huh,” Jongup says.
Himchan doesn't say anything. He's playing with his phone again, flipping back to his texts, and he rereads the last one from Yongguk. if you still mean it, try again. “Huh,” he says quietly. He lets his phone drop into his lap.
Knuckles knock against his skull. “Hyung?”
“Hands off,” Himchan says, pushing Jongup's hand away. The water and aspirin had helped, but that doesn't mean he wants someone setting off a new kind of headache. Jongup is watching him expectantly. “Yeah,” he agrees. “Big night.”
Jongup grins, and wow, is that a hint of mischief? “Finally, huh?”
“You watch your mouth,” Himchan says sternly, but Jongup unfortunately knows that Himchan could never do a thing to hurt him, so he just beams more. “Aish, you kids.”
Before he has a chance to complain some more about how hard his life is, the buzzer at the door sounds. “Ugh,” Himchan groans, reluctantly climbing to his feet. “Why? Who is even alive at this time of day?”
Yongguk, it seems. He looks as bad as Himchan feels, his soft brown hair a tousled mess and his face pale. He's got an armful of takeout containers, though, and man, they smell greasy and delicious. Perfect hangover food. “Hey,” he says. He doesn't make a move to come into the apartment, which is a little odd. He's never had any qualms about it before.
“Hi,” Himchan replies, a bit cautious. He's got a very vivid image of last night in his head right now, and he doesn't know where they stand. He toys with the doorknob. “Fancy seeing you here.”
Yongguk shrugs a shoulder. “I, uh, thought you could use this as much as I could.” Is he – is he turning red?
“Such a gentleman, Bbang,” Himchan tells him. He reaches out, gently lays his hand against the side of Yongguk's face. “Is this – ”
It's Yongguk's turn to cut him off with a kiss. They're not nearly as uncoordinated this time around, which is good, because Himchan likes to think that he's a pretty good kisser. It turns out that sober kissing Yongguk is way better than a drunk kiss, because this way, he really gets to enjoy the plush shape of Yongguk's lips and the expert way he curls his tongue into Himchan's mouth.
Or, well, he does for a second. “Jesus, your mouth tastes disgusting,” Yongguk says, and behind Himchan, Jongup leans over the back of the couch and laughs. “Like death and orange juice. Did you even bother to brush your teeth?”
“Excuse you!” Himchan retorts. He wants to move away so he has room to be properly affronted, but Yongguk grabs him tight with his free hand and doesn't give him room to escape. Himchan finds he is surprisingly okay with this. “You seemed pretty into it last night.”
Himchan tugs the take out away from Yongguk and passes it back to Jongup. “I was so drunk I couldn't feel my tongue,” Yongguk protests, and then he's laughing, letting Himchan drag him inside and press kisses to his jaw and throat.
Himchan never did figure out how his toothbrush ended up in the toilet.
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thank youuuuu n______n i just really adore writing him and it comes so easily to me. i was a little hesitant to play around with the timeline!! i don't ever do that (obviously) so it was nice to try something new and even nicer not to completely fall on my face with it lmao so THANK YOU!!
♥♥♥ HIMCHAN THE STARFISH