The First Straw [SHINee]
Onew/Minho
PG
~4200w
Onew goes on a date with Jonghyun, and it doesn't go well. Minho to the rescue? (general!au)
For Simone :) I hope you like it. This was mainly for the purpose of my getting out of my writing block, and it's worked for the most part. I know I said that I'd write a little sequel for 'Explanations' but...well, I was iffy the moment I had posted it. If you still want it, I'll post the next part, but it's super short (as in, 500 words).
When Jinki had gotten a chance to date the famous, famous singer, the great Kim Jonghyun, he had been excited. No, beyond excited. After Jonghyun's managers had contacted him with the information, he had dragged Key to the mall (instead of the other way around). Through hours of shopping at various stores, Onew had finally bought a bootylicious (Key's word, not his) outfit that made him ridiculously...well, sweaty. But it looked good on him. That was what mattered-according to Key, but he didn't exactly disagree.
Key wanted to put eyeliner on him but Jinki refused, stating (shouting into his ear) that he wasn't a singer like Jonghyun (yet).
Jonghyun's managers had set up the date at an expensive restaurant, so Jinki hoped that his suit was suitable (haha, he chuckled to himself) enough. It seems that it is, now that he's in the restaurant, sitting down at the table the managers had reserved for the two of them. He had arrived early, perhaps too early, he thinks as he looks down at his Rolex (it wasn't his, of course, it belonged to Key, but Kibum had insisted that he wear it to impress the star).
"Lee Jinki?" The voice is breathy and deep, just as Onew had imagined it. It was much better in real life.
"U-Uh, yeah," Jinki looks up, wincing at his stutter, and smiles his 100-watt smile. His lips stretch further when he is greeted by the star, in all of his blonde, flawless-skinned glory.
Jonghyun sits down and sighs, "Let's get this over with."
Jinki looks up at him, and the skin beneath his left eye twitches, "Oh."
He's acting like this is a chore, or something, he thinks bitterly. But then he shakes his head and murmurs to himself that he shouldn't think so bitterly at the start of the date. A date, he grins to himself, A real date with Kim Jonghyun.
Meanwhile, as Onew is thinking, Jonghyun stares at the man across from him. This Lee Jinki person is not hideous, thank God, but he was talking to himself. His lips (thin, but flushed pink) are moving and his eyes are dropped down, large.
"So..." Jonghyun doesn't know how to start. This was one of the first dates that he's been on that had been set up by his managers (by using a contest, for God's sake). And it had to be with a man. Not that he's homophobic, or whatever, it's just that this date is being monitored by fangirls (they're everywhere) and he never thought that that the first one would be with a guy. He hoped the fangirls think didn't he was gay or anything.
Jinki doesn't say anything, even though he knows that he's supposed to. It's just that Jonghyun was just so beautiful and real. In all honesty, he never really considered famous people as real. Though, he supposes, pictures were proof. But he had yet to meet a famous star until now. And now that he has, he's frozen. His limbs feel numb, and his head feels light, as if he's high. But he's pretty sure he isn't, so he just smiles another smile at Jonghyun. The singer just cocks his head to the side with a wry expression, expecting something, anything. And even though Onew knows that, he does nothing.
The blonde sighs and whips his hair to the right (woah, Jinki thinks, he really does that) and takes initiative, "Where are you from?"
Onew blinks, and opens his mouth to respond. Nothing comes out, but after a few tries, he manages to say, "Uh, Gyeonggi-do."
"Oh, really? I'm from Seoul," Jonghyun attempts to smile, though he's sure that this is one of the most awkwardest conversations he's had in his life.
"That's," Jinki stops to scratch the tip of his nose, "That's nice."
"Is Gyeonggi-do crowded?"
"I don't know."
Jonghyun blinks and frowns. "What do you mean, you don't know?"
"I don't live there anymore," Jinki responds, shuffling his feet under the table. He moves his legs, and his knees accidently hit Jonghyun's; he abruptly pulls back and proceeds to hit the back of his calf against his chair. "I live in Seoul."
"Well, uh," Jonghyun scratches the back of his neck, feeling a bit sheepish. "You should have said so."
"But you asked me where I was from. I was born in Gyeonggi-do."
"Like," the singer sucks in a deep breath, glad that he hasn't let out a large sigh (yet). "Where did you grow up? Where do you live now?"
"Didn't I say Seoul?"
Jonghyun catches himself from pounding his head on the table.
He wonders why this Lee Jinki person had even entered the contest for the date if he was so awkward with people. Jonghyun knows that he is awkward with everyone now because he had just questioned the waiter, who had smiled politely at the two ("What drinks will you be having tonight?"), about simply everything, even water, asking where the water had come from, what other drinks included water, and if it was bottled or tap. Onew finally settled on orange juice, which, according to the waiter, was hand-squeezed and sweetened with sugar.
The waiter turns to Jonghyun with a glum expression, though he tries to keep it up for the sake of his job.
"Iced tea," Jonghyun says quickly, gritting his teeth. The waiter stumbles away with a blank expression on his face.
Meanwhile, Jinki continues to stare at the singer. He knows that the date isn't going so well-but it's not exactly his fault. Couldn't Jonghyun just humor him? Laugh everything off? That was how Minho was. Why couldn't he be like that?
"…how did you win the contest?" Jonghyun's tone is light and curious-and he can't exactly fake that; though he's a good singer (more than good, amazing, he corrects himself) he's not such a good actor.
"The contest? Oh, I sold the most chocolate."
The singer is perplexed, his mouth open in the shape of an "o". "Chocolate?"
"Yeah," Jinki fiddles with his suit jacket.
"The contest was to sell the most chocolate? That's it?"
Jinki stares up calmly at him, as if this weren't anything special.
He curses a little bit, but he can't help the next question that comes out of his mouth. "How many did you sell?"
"Six-hundred and fifty-six."
Jonghyun slinks back into his chair, glad that it is supportive. "Six-hundred?"
"And fifty-six," Onew says, as if it means something. And maybe it does, but Jonghyun doesn't care right now. His managers set him up on a date with the person who sold the most chocolates? He sets his spoon down with a big thump and Onew flinches.
But now, now, he realizes that this doesn't mean anything. This whole date is pointless, and really, he shouldn't have to act all cordial and nice, because this has got to be a joke, set up by his managers because they couldn't possibly be this dumb. He picks up his spoon again, lightly, and smiles across at the other. He does nothing else; Jonghyun just stares at Jinki, and this time it's switched-Jinki is the one uncomfortable now.
Why is he staring at me? Jinki blinks and flashes another smile at Jonghyun.
Their orders come (with a different waiter, this time) and they dig in; Onew relishing in his Alfredo Fetuccini and Jonghyun gobbling up his lobster. They don't talk while they eat, and that's probably for the best.
Onew really doesn't understand it though. Yes, this is awkward, probably made more so by the staring. But wasn't this supposed to be a date? He did not go on many dates, but he was sure that they didn't go like this. On the sparse dates he's been on, the person across from him was always talkative, and it made up for Jinki's...well, un-talkative-ness. Sometimes they even managed to engage Jinki, so much that he lets them call him Onew by the end of the date, even though he hasn't known the other person well yet.
He sighs into the pasta and continues to eat.
The so-called date continued on for what seemed like forever to the two of them. Jonghyun debates calling his manager-hyungs to pick him up because he's definitely not having a good time. Onew replies to two texts from Minho asking how the date's going, with something along the lines with help me, jjong is really awkward. Minho replies back with a he lets you call him jjong?
Then Jinki needs to go to the bathroom, and later he curses himself for having such a small bladder. He excuses himself politely, smiling a closed-mouthed smile (Jonghyun doesn't deserve his full-blown one) and rushes to the bathroom. After he's done, he lets out a sigh and returns to the table, pushing open the bathroom door.
And really, he should've expected this to happen. It's happened every time. Of course, Minho was always there to catch him, or to help him up.
Jinki falls, and instead of his usual small stumbles that don't break anything, Onew brings down the table with him. Jonghyun stands, surprised, and sputters something. The lobster he had been eating is now on his Armani suit and his blonde hair is covered with the special sauce they had given him.
Jinki doesn't notice this until he realizes that he's pulled down their table. His Alfredo Fetuccini is on the floor, stark white against the restaurant's deep brown patterns. He groans for the sake of his pasta but then looks up at Jonghyun and finally sees the mess he's created on the singer.
He is absolutely horrified and he really can't blame the singer for the next obscenities that come out of his mouth. His only expectation is that he be a gentleman, though he doesn't even do that. He is still on the floor, whilst Jonghyun calls his managers, raging on his smartphone for them to pick him up, mixed with little pleas of please Manager hyung-nim. He yells at the nearest waiter for the manager of the restaurant, promptly scaring the girl to death.
The awkward boy doesn't notice when Jonghyun leaves but what he does notice is the large check that Jonghyun sticks him with. The waiter from before (the one that had attempted to explain to Jinki how the water was) smirks as he hands him the check, eying the white, green, and orange colors that stick to his suit (the one that he had bought with Key, because he didn't have enough money).
Key is going to kill him.
It doesn't matter by this point, is his glum thought as he trudges out of the restaurant, his cash gone and his credit cards maxed out. When he is outside, he realizes that he had walked here, and there was no way in Hell that he'd walk back covered in colorful crap.
He looks down at his phone and sniffles a little, but he wipes away the tear that is close to coming out of his eye and speed-dials 2 for Minho.
"Onew hyung?" Minho sounds sleepy, so Onew looks down to his watch and realizes that it's already late.
"Aaah," Jinki scratches his head sheepishly, even though his throat is clogged (he can be sheepish and upset at the same time, you know). "I know it's late, but...can you pick me up?"
Minho chuckles and Onew knows that it's going to be okay. "Did the date not go well?"
Jinki nods his head and then realizes that Minho can't see him right now, "Yeah."
He can almost hear Minho's wide smile, "I'll pick you up."
Jinki mumbles the address of the restaurant (he had memorized it in case he got lost, which happened a lot). The two friends say goodbye and Jinki sits down at the bench next to him, taking off his suit jacket (he's glad that his undershirt hadn't been ruined). He thinks as he waits for Minho to come, about Jonghyun and how he had fled right after Onew's tumble. Jerk, he scowls. Stupid singer. Not even worth it. Kim Jonghyun was so not beautiful and gorgeous and smart and sweet. He was ugly and stupid and dumb and a jerk and stupid and really, really ugly.
"Hyung," Minho calls when he arrives. Jinki looks up from the bench (he had been staring at his hands; why were they so chubby? He didn't eat that much, except for chicken...) and lets out a smile, bright and toothy. He hadn't meant to, but it was an instinct that he never ridded of. Of course, he thinks, why would I not want to smile at my best friend?
Minho returns the smile with his own and he feels a familiar tingly feeling in his stomach; he brushes it away, as usual. He steps into the waiting car, and watches as Minho cringes at his suit jacket.
"Key's going to kill you," he says simply.
"I know," and as before, Jinki's tone is glum.
The car ride is silent as Minho drives to Onew's house, and Minho turns on the radio. When he hears Jonghyun's smooth voice, he cringes and flips to a different station. Minho merely chuckles and looks back to the road.
"So, what happened?"
Jinki flinches, because he knows that it's at least 70% his fault. "Um. It was awkward."
"I mean your suit," he clarifies, even though he knows that Onew knows what he means.
"I kind of…fellandpushedJonghyundown."
"…what?"
"I fell…on our table, 'cause I was going to the bathroom. And I fell and Jonghyun ordered lobster and I ordered pasta and it got on his suit and my suit and everyone got really mad at me even though it's not all my fault."
Minho nods, as if he's agreeing with him. Onew knows that he isn't. "Then whose fault is it?"
"Kim Jonghyun."
Minho smiles a bit, because he knew that would be the answer. He opens his mouth to retort-
"-Oh, shut up."
Minho blinks and turns to Jinki at the red light, marveling his skin under the coloring. "I know what you're going to say, Minho. You're gonna be like 'is it his fault that he ordered lobster' and 'you've got to admit that it's mostly your fault, hyung' and 'weren't you really excited for the date an hour ago' and 'you should take responsibility.' But, can't you, just once, comfort me?"
"...I was going to say that Jonghyun is a jerk."
"Oh."
Minho smiles nevertheless, "It's nice to see what you think of me, hyung."
"No, Minho! Oh, God, I didn't really mean it; I know you care about me."
No you don't, Minho almost replies, but he keeps his mouth shut for the sake of their friendship.
"I know, hyung. Now be quiet and let me drive."
"No, wait! You get to tell me to shut up, too then!" Jinki grants him a smile and Minho struggles not to melt.
"Can I save it?"
Jinki sputters, "What do you mean, 'save it'?"
"For another day," Minho replies, eyes on the road, "When you truly deserve it."
"I don't deserve it now? Minho ah, I thought you were going to berate and chastise me. And now I'm rambling on and on and on and on-"
"-Shut up."
"Okay, yeah, I deserved that."
They exchange smiles, and even though Onew's had a crappy night with the jerk-singer, he feels much better. A heavy feeling is still descent on his heart though, and he sighs inwardly. He wishes that he could have an easy relationship like this, one that was carefree and teasing and romantic (in a friendly way, of course because they were just friends) with someone he dates. Sometimes he wishes that Minho had a little brother or sister he could date; that would be much easier, and it was also a plus that Minho had nice genes.
He feels a finger on his bottom lip after a moment so he looks up and sees that Minho is closer to him, pointer finger drifting over his lips. "You're bleeding."
Onew flicks his tongue out and realizes that he is, and curses. He's tried to get rid of those damn habits, but they just kept coming back. Minho removes his finger and Onew continues to wipe at his lip. After the taste disappears from his mouth, he looks up to smile a grateful smile at Minho, who he finds is blushing. He brushes it off because Minho is always blushing, and it's really nothing new.
When they finally reach Onew's house, he steps out of the care, and pleads for Minho to stay. "It's a long way back, Minho. And you can just sleep here. Then you won't be late for work again," he reasons.
"But you don't have a guest room," Minho frowns, fiddling with his shirt. "And I don't have anything to change into."
"It's really late. And I can sleep on the couch; you can have my bed. You can borrow my clothes too."
"But-"
"No 'buts.' Now stay; it's not like I'm going to molest you or anything, right? We're best friends."
Right. Of course not. Best friends. It's a sting to his chest for every word as Jinki continues to persuade him (it wasn't really a bad idea at all). Minho really wants to reply with Maybe I'll molest you, but he doesn't dare say anything. He just nods and follows Onew into the house.
Onew smiles as he brushes back his things and lends Minho his clothes, though he can see that the smile is different from the usual. His smile is way too big, gums showing and all, and it is not nearly as attractive as his usual grin. It's a cut-and-paste smile, and Minho hates it. He wants the old, familiar, warm smile back, the one that doesn't make him feel sad.
"Hyung?"
Onew hums uncommitally as he searches for a shirt that is large enough to fit Minho, "Hm?"
"Are you okay?"
Jinki grins with the unnatural smile again, "What do you mean?"
"You don't have to lie to me. You said we're best friends right?"
"Of course!"
"Are you sad about Jonghyun? You were really excited before. But now...he really disappointed you, huh?"
Onew's foolish smile is now watered out, and his eyes are dropped down to the floor. "A little."
"He didn't deserve you."
Jinki feels around on the floor, still crouching. Then he scoots up and plants himself down on his bed, next to Minho. His suit jacket is in the wash, so now he is wearing only his undershirt. "I think it's the opposite."
Minho furrows his eyebrows, "The opposite?"
"I didn't deserve him. I mean, even though I sold all those chocolates, how would that make me deserve him? I'm really clumsy and stupid and I probably don't deserve anyone. Even though he left and was a jerk at the end, the date could've gone better. It was because of me-I was the last straw."
"You are the first straw."
"Huh?" Onew looks up, a bewildered expression on his paler-than-usual face.
"Er," Minho blushes as he realizes what he's just said, "I meant that you're not the last straw. For him maybe, but for a lot of others, you being clumsy and awkward make people love you. So, you're not the last, but the first straw."
"The first straw, huh..." Onew ponders, a light dawning on his face. The tingling in his stomach starts up again and he feels really hot.
"But really, hyung, he didn't deserve you."
"You know that I still don't believe you, right?"
Minho smiles at this, "I'll make you."
"Oh?" Jinki's lips quirk up, "What kind of person do I deserve, then?"
"Someone...who knows you. Is your best friend. Someone who knows that you hate fish, but love chicken. Someone who cares about you, is there whenever you need him. Or, uh-her. He-or she-should already love you and...he should think that you are the first straw."
Onew smiles wide, a true smile now, "That's really nice, Minho. But you know I don't deserve that."
"I don't know?"
"Yeah. Maybe I deserve someone who's...nice, at least. But not that. I could never find someone who thinks of me as the 'first straw.'" He makes quotation marks when he says the words.
"I think you're the first straw," Minho mumbles, but Onew catches the words.
"That's nice, Minho. Thank you."
"Thank you?"
"For this...pep talk? Thank you. I needed it. I'm going to go to the living room to get you a shirt, okay?"
Minho nods dumbly, and hits his head with a pillow when Jinki steps out of the room, cursing. He sighs and wills his heart to calm down, but it doesn't listen. It never listens. His bottom lip slips into his mouth and he starts biting down, knowing that he is drawing blood. Unlike Jinki's 'habit' with biting his lip, Minho does it for a distraction. A distraction from Onew himself-the fact that he's in his room, is about to sleep on his bed, about to put on Jinki's shirt, and...as much as he hated to admit it, a distraction from his close confession.
"If you like me so much, why did you let me go on that date?"
Minho sits up abruptly, wrinkling the sheets. His eyes are as wide as they could be, and his mouth is wide open. "What?"
Jinki stands at the doorway, as if he's been there for a while. And he has. As soon as he had stepped out of the doorway, he had moved to the side and peeked in, eyes wide at the image of Minho flopping onto the bed, chewing his lip off. He smiles bashfully and rubs his toes into the carpet, as if he's digging a hole, even though that's not possible because it's carpet. "A-Answer the question," he says firmly, though his eyes strayed down.
"How...How did you get that idea?"
"So, you don't like me?"
Minho looks up and when he sees the wounded expression on the others face, he immediately wants to take it back. He gulps. "I do. Just. What?"
"As a boyfriend? We could...be boyfriends."
The younger boy loves the way Onew's lips move as he whispers "boyfriend" low and quiet, like he doesn't think that it could possibly happen. Up until this point, Minho had also thought that. But This is it, his heart tells him, and suddenly it feels like the organ is up in his throat; it is clogged and he has a hard time speaking. "If...if you want."
"Okay." Jinki stands near the door, but he doesn't come closer. Minho sighs happily, and lets a smile grace his face, feeling like a large weight has been lifted off his shoulders. His heart is still pounding, and he ignores it because if he didn't, it would be a big distraction from this-him walking over to his hyung, arms stretched as he catches the older one in a tight hug.
"I like you a lot, hyung. We can be boyfriends," Minho mumbles, voice gravelly.
"I like you-"
"No you don't," Minho smiles. "But you will."
"If I don't like you then, what is this?" Minho looks down and sees that Jinki is blushing madly. "It's...really hot, Minho. My heart feels like it's about to burst. Does this mean that I like you?"
Onew nearly melts into Minho's body as they embrace and Minho remains quiet. Jinki merely smiles, even though Minho doesn't answer his question. He tilts his face up.
"So, why did you let me go on that date?"
Minho bites his lips again (maybe it really is a habit after all). "I wanted you to be happy. You were so excited to meet Jonghyun."
"I was. I'm glad you let me go, though," Onew mumbles into Minho's chest.
"You are?"
"Yeah. Or else this wouldn't have happened."
"Oh," Minho blushes. Jinki runs his fingers up Minho's face and feels the heat, smiling softly. The boy looks down at him and returns the smile widely.
"Boyfriends kiss, right?" Jinki asks, tilting his head to the right. As he is asking this, their heads drift closer until they can feel each other's breath on their lips.
"Yeah," Minho replies, and finally, his heart says, when their lips touch. Like Minho's always imagined, Jinki's lips are plump and soft, but chapped at the edges. Jinki breaks the chaste kiss for a moment and wets his lips, flushing. He returns and Minho meets him with his own smooth lips. It's not as romantic as he'd have wished, but Minho wouldn't trade this feeling for anything.
Minho whispers his quiet confession into Onew's ear that night, and they turn so red that they look like a pair of tomatoes, but Jinki doesn't care because he's found someone who's not a jerk, and really is beautiful and gorgeous and smart and sweet. He's found-no, has always had-someone who is his best friend, someone who knows that he hates fish, but loves chicken. Someone who cares about him, is there whenever he needs him. Someone who thinks that he's the first straw.
PG
~4200w
Onew goes on a date with Jonghyun, and it doesn't go well. Minho to the rescue? (general!au)
For Simone :) I hope you like it. This was mainly for the purpose of my getting out of my writing block, and it's worked for the most part. I know I said that I'd write a little sequel for 'Explanations' but...well, I was iffy the moment I had posted it. If you still want it, I'll post the next part, but it's super short (as in, 500 words).
When Jinki had gotten a chance to date the famous, famous singer, the great Kim Jonghyun, he had been excited. No, beyond excited. After Jonghyun's managers had contacted him with the information, he had dragged Key to the mall (instead of the other way around). Through hours of shopping at various stores, Onew had finally bought a bootylicious (Key's word, not his) outfit that made him ridiculously...well, sweaty. But it looked good on him. That was what mattered-according to Key, but he didn't exactly disagree.
Key wanted to put eyeliner on him but Jinki refused, stating (shouting into his ear) that he wasn't a singer like Jonghyun (yet).
Jonghyun's managers had set up the date at an expensive restaurant, so Jinki hoped that his suit was suitable (haha, he chuckled to himself) enough. It seems that it is, now that he's in the restaurant, sitting down at the table the managers had reserved for the two of them. He had arrived early, perhaps too early, he thinks as he looks down at his Rolex (it wasn't his, of course, it belonged to Key, but Kibum had insisted that he wear it to impress the star).
"Lee Jinki?" The voice is breathy and deep, just as Onew had imagined it. It was much better in real life.
"U-Uh, yeah," Jinki looks up, wincing at his stutter, and smiles his 100-watt smile. His lips stretch further when he is greeted by the star, in all of his blonde, flawless-skinned glory.
Jonghyun sits down and sighs, "Let's get this over with."
Jinki looks up at him, and the skin beneath his left eye twitches, "Oh."
He's acting like this is a chore, or something, he thinks bitterly. But then he shakes his head and murmurs to himself that he shouldn't think so bitterly at the start of the date. A date, he grins to himself, A real date with Kim Jonghyun.
Meanwhile, as Onew is thinking, Jonghyun stares at the man across from him. This Lee Jinki person is not hideous, thank God, but he was talking to himself. His lips (thin, but flushed pink) are moving and his eyes are dropped down, large.
"So..." Jonghyun doesn't know how to start. This was one of the first dates that he's been on that had been set up by his managers (by using a contest, for God's sake). And it had to be with a man. Not that he's homophobic, or whatever, it's just that this date is being monitored by fangirls (they're everywhere) and he never thought that that the first one would be with a guy. He hoped the fangirls think didn't he was gay or anything.
Jinki doesn't say anything, even though he knows that he's supposed to. It's just that Jonghyun was just so beautiful and real. In all honesty, he never really considered famous people as real. Though, he supposes, pictures were proof. But he had yet to meet a famous star until now. And now that he has, he's frozen. His limbs feel numb, and his head feels light, as if he's high. But he's pretty sure he isn't, so he just smiles another smile at Jonghyun. The singer just cocks his head to the side with a wry expression, expecting something, anything. And even though Onew knows that, he does nothing.
The blonde sighs and whips his hair to the right (woah, Jinki thinks, he really does that) and takes initiative, "Where are you from?"
Onew blinks, and opens his mouth to respond. Nothing comes out, but after a few tries, he manages to say, "Uh, Gyeonggi-do."
"Oh, really? I'm from Seoul," Jonghyun attempts to smile, though he's sure that this is one of the most awkwardest conversations he's had in his life.
"That's," Jinki stops to scratch the tip of his nose, "That's nice."
"Is Gyeonggi-do crowded?"
"I don't know."
Jonghyun blinks and frowns. "What do you mean, you don't know?"
"I don't live there anymore," Jinki responds, shuffling his feet under the table. He moves his legs, and his knees accidently hit Jonghyun's; he abruptly pulls back and proceeds to hit the back of his calf against his chair. "I live in Seoul."
"Well, uh," Jonghyun scratches the back of his neck, feeling a bit sheepish. "You should have said so."
"But you asked me where I was from. I was born in Gyeonggi-do."
"Like," the singer sucks in a deep breath, glad that he hasn't let out a large sigh (yet). "Where did you grow up? Where do you live now?"
"Didn't I say Seoul?"
Jonghyun catches himself from pounding his head on the table.
He wonders why this Lee Jinki person had even entered the contest for the date if he was so awkward with people. Jonghyun knows that he is awkward with everyone now because he had just questioned the waiter, who had smiled politely at the two ("What drinks will you be having tonight?"), about simply everything, even water, asking where the water had come from, what other drinks included water, and if it was bottled or tap. Onew finally settled on orange juice, which, according to the waiter, was hand-squeezed and sweetened with sugar.
The waiter turns to Jonghyun with a glum expression, though he tries to keep it up for the sake of his job.
"Iced tea," Jonghyun says quickly, gritting his teeth. The waiter stumbles away with a blank expression on his face.
Meanwhile, Jinki continues to stare at the singer. He knows that the date isn't going so well-but it's not exactly his fault. Couldn't Jonghyun just humor him? Laugh everything off? That was how Minho was. Why couldn't he be like that?
"…how did you win the contest?" Jonghyun's tone is light and curious-and he can't exactly fake that; though he's a good singer (more than good, amazing, he corrects himself) he's not such a good actor.
"The contest? Oh, I sold the most chocolate."
The singer is perplexed, his mouth open in the shape of an "o". "Chocolate?"
"Yeah," Jinki fiddles with his suit jacket.
"The contest was to sell the most chocolate? That's it?"
Jinki stares up calmly at him, as if this weren't anything special.
He curses a little bit, but he can't help the next question that comes out of his mouth. "How many did you sell?"
"Six-hundred and fifty-six."
Jonghyun slinks back into his chair, glad that it is supportive. "Six-hundred?"
"And fifty-six," Onew says, as if it means something. And maybe it does, but Jonghyun doesn't care right now. His managers set him up on a date with the person who sold the most chocolates? He sets his spoon down with a big thump and Onew flinches.
But now, now, he realizes that this doesn't mean anything. This whole date is pointless, and really, he shouldn't have to act all cordial and nice, because this has got to be a joke, set up by his managers because they couldn't possibly be this dumb. He picks up his spoon again, lightly, and smiles across at the other. He does nothing else; Jonghyun just stares at Jinki, and this time it's switched-Jinki is the one uncomfortable now.
Why is he staring at me? Jinki blinks and flashes another smile at Jonghyun.
Their orders come (with a different waiter, this time) and they dig in; Onew relishing in his Alfredo Fetuccini and Jonghyun gobbling up his lobster. They don't talk while they eat, and that's probably for the best.
Onew really doesn't understand it though. Yes, this is awkward, probably made more so by the staring. But wasn't this supposed to be a date? He did not go on many dates, but he was sure that they didn't go like this. On the sparse dates he's been on, the person across from him was always talkative, and it made up for Jinki's...well, un-talkative-ness. Sometimes they even managed to engage Jinki, so much that he lets them call him Onew by the end of the date, even though he hasn't known the other person well yet.
He sighs into the pasta and continues to eat.
The so-called date continued on for what seemed like forever to the two of them. Jonghyun debates calling his manager-hyungs to pick him up because he's definitely not having a good time. Onew replies to two texts from Minho asking how the date's going, with something along the lines with help me, jjong is really awkward. Minho replies back with a he lets you call him jjong?
Then Jinki needs to go to the bathroom, and later he curses himself for having such a small bladder. He excuses himself politely, smiling a closed-mouthed smile (Jonghyun doesn't deserve his full-blown one) and rushes to the bathroom. After he's done, he lets out a sigh and returns to the table, pushing open the bathroom door.
And really, he should've expected this to happen. It's happened every time. Of course, Minho was always there to catch him, or to help him up.
Jinki falls, and instead of his usual small stumbles that don't break anything, Onew brings down the table with him. Jonghyun stands, surprised, and sputters something. The lobster he had been eating is now on his Armani suit and his blonde hair is covered with the special sauce they had given him.
Jinki doesn't notice this until he realizes that he's pulled down their table. His Alfredo Fetuccini is on the floor, stark white against the restaurant's deep brown patterns. He groans for the sake of his pasta but then looks up at Jonghyun and finally sees the mess he's created on the singer.
He is absolutely horrified and he really can't blame the singer for the next obscenities that come out of his mouth. His only expectation is that he be a gentleman, though he doesn't even do that. He is still on the floor, whilst Jonghyun calls his managers, raging on his smartphone for them to pick him up, mixed with little pleas of please Manager hyung-nim. He yells at the nearest waiter for the manager of the restaurant, promptly scaring the girl to death.
The awkward boy doesn't notice when Jonghyun leaves but what he does notice is the large check that Jonghyun sticks him with. The waiter from before (the one that had attempted to explain to Jinki how the water was) smirks as he hands him the check, eying the white, green, and orange colors that stick to his suit (the one that he had bought with Key, because he didn't have enough money).
Key is going to kill him.
It doesn't matter by this point, is his glum thought as he trudges out of the restaurant, his cash gone and his credit cards maxed out. When he is outside, he realizes that he had walked here, and there was no way in Hell that he'd walk back covered in colorful crap.
He looks down at his phone and sniffles a little, but he wipes away the tear that is close to coming out of his eye and speed-dials 2 for Minho.
"Onew hyung?" Minho sounds sleepy, so Onew looks down to his watch and realizes that it's already late.
"Aaah," Jinki scratches his head sheepishly, even though his throat is clogged (he can be sheepish and upset at the same time, you know). "I know it's late, but...can you pick me up?"
Minho chuckles and Onew knows that it's going to be okay. "Did the date not go well?"
Jinki nods his head and then realizes that Minho can't see him right now, "Yeah."
He can almost hear Minho's wide smile, "I'll pick you up."
Jinki mumbles the address of the restaurant (he had memorized it in case he got lost, which happened a lot). The two friends say goodbye and Jinki sits down at the bench next to him, taking off his suit jacket (he's glad that his undershirt hadn't been ruined). He thinks as he waits for Minho to come, about Jonghyun and how he had fled right after Onew's tumble. Jerk, he scowls. Stupid singer. Not even worth it. Kim Jonghyun was so not beautiful and gorgeous and smart and sweet. He was ugly and stupid and dumb and a jerk and stupid and really, really ugly.
"Hyung," Minho calls when he arrives. Jinki looks up from the bench (he had been staring at his hands; why were they so chubby? He didn't eat that much, except for chicken...) and lets out a smile, bright and toothy. He hadn't meant to, but it was an instinct that he never ridded of. Of course, he thinks, why would I not want to smile at my best friend?
Minho returns the smile with his own and he feels a familiar tingly feeling in his stomach; he brushes it away, as usual. He steps into the waiting car, and watches as Minho cringes at his suit jacket.
"Key's going to kill you," he says simply.
"I know," and as before, Jinki's tone is glum.
The car ride is silent as Minho drives to Onew's house, and Minho turns on the radio. When he hears Jonghyun's smooth voice, he cringes and flips to a different station. Minho merely chuckles and looks back to the road.
"So, what happened?"
Jinki flinches, because he knows that it's at least 70% his fault. "Um. It was awkward."
"I mean your suit," he clarifies, even though he knows that Onew knows what he means.
"I kind of…fellandpushedJonghyundown."
"…what?"
"I fell…on our table, 'cause I was going to the bathroom. And I fell and Jonghyun ordered lobster and I ordered pasta and it got on his suit and my suit and everyone got really mad at me even though it's not all my fault."
Minho nods, as if he's agreeing with him. Onew knows that he isn't. "Then whose fault is it?"
"Kim Jonghyun."
Minho smiles a bit, because he knew that would be the answer. He opens his mouth to retort-
"-Oh, shut up."
Minho blinks and turns to Jinki at the red light, marveling his skin under the coloring. "I know what you're going to say, Minho. You're gonna be like 'is it his fault that he ordered lobster' and 'you've got to admit that it's mostly your fault, hyung' and 'weren't you really excited for the date an hour ago' and 'you should take responsibility.' But, can't you, just once, comfort me?"
"...I was going to say that Jonghyun is a jerk."
"Oh."
Minho smiles nevertheless, "It's nice to see what you think of me, hyung."
"No, Minho! Oh, God, I didn't really mean it; I know you care about me."
No you don't, Minho almost replies, but he keeps his mouth shut for the sake of their friendship.
"I know, hyung. Now be quiet and let me drive."
"No, wait! You get to tell me to shut up, too then!" Jinki grants him a smile and Minho struggles not to melt.
"Can I save it?"
Jinki sputters, "What do you mean, 'save it'?"
"For another day," Minho replies, eyes on the road, "When you truly deserve it."
"I don't deserve it now? Minho ah, I thought you were going to berate and chastise me. And now I'm rambling on and on and on and on-"
"-Shut up."
"Okay, yeah, I deserved that."
They exchange smiles, and even though Onew's had a crappy night with the jerk-singer, he feels much better. A heavy feeling is still descent on his heart though, and he sighs inwardly. He wishes that he could have an easy relationship like this, one that was carefree and teasing and romantic (in a friendly way, of course because they were just friends) with someone he dates. Sometimes he wishes that Minho had a little brother or sister he could date; that would be much easier, and it was also a plus that Minho had nice genes.
He feels a finger on his bottom lip after a moment so he looks up and sees that Minho is closer to him, pointer finger drifting over his lips. "You're bleeding."
Onew flicks his tongue out and realizes that he is, and curses. He's tried to get rid of those damn habits, but they just kept coming back. Minho removes his finger and Onew continues to wipe at his lip. After the taste disappears from his mouth, he looks up to smile a grateful smile at Minho, who he finds is blushing. He brushes it off because Minho is always blushing, and it's really nothing new.
When they finally reach Onew's house, he steps out of the care, and pleads for Minho to stay. "It's a long way back, Minho. And you can just sleep here. Then you won't be late for work again," he reasons.
"But you don't have a guest room," Minho frowns, fiddling with his shirt. "And I don't have anything to change into."
"It's really late. And I can sleep on the couch; you can have my bed. You can borrow my clothes too."
"But-"
"No 'buts.' Now stay; it's not like I'm going to molest you or anything, right? We're best friends."
Right. Of course not. Best friends. It's a sting to his chest for every word as Jinki continues to persuade him (it wasn't really a bad idea at all). Minho really wants to reply with Maybe I'll molest you, but he doesn't dare say anything. He just nods and follows Onew into the house.
Onew smiles as he brushes back his things and lends Minho his clothes, though he can see that the smile is different from the usual. His smile is way too big, gums showing and all, and it is not nearly as attractive as his usual grin. It's a cut-and-paste smile, and Minho hates it. He wants the old, familiar, warm smile back, the one that doesn't make him feel sad.
"Hyung?"
Onew hums uncommitally as he searches for a shirt that is large enough to fit Minho, "Hm?"
"Are you okay?"
Jinki grins with the unnatural smile again, "What do you mean?"
"You don't have to lie to me. You said we're best friends right?"
"Of course!"
"Are you sad about Jonghyun? You were really excited before. But now...he really disappointed you, huh?"
Onew's foolish smile is now watered out, and his eyes are dropped down to the floor. "A little."
"He didn't deserve you."
Jinki feels around on the floor, still crouching. Then he scoots up and plants himself down on his bed, next to Minho. His suit jacket is in the wash, so now he is wearing only his undershirt. "I think it's the opposite."
Minho furrows his eyebrows, "The opposite?"
"I didn't deserve him. I mean, even though I sold all those chocolates, how would that make me deserve him? I'm really clumsy and stupid and I probably don't deserve anyone. Even though he left and was a jerk at the end, the date could've gone better. It was because of me-I was the last straw."
"You are the first straw."
"Huh?" Onew looks up, a bewildered expression on his paler-than-usual face.
"Er," Minho blushes as he realizes what he's just said, "I meant that you're not the last straw. For him maybe, but for a lot of others, you being clumsy and awkward make people love you. So, you're not the last, but the first straw."
"The first straw, huh..." Onew ponders, a light dawning on his face. The tingling in his stomach starts up again and he feels really hot.
"But really, hyung, he didn't deserve you."
"You know that I still don't believe you, right?"
Minho smiles at this, "I'll make you."
"Oh?" Jinki's lips quirk up, "What kind of person do I deserve, then?"
"Someone...who knows you. Is your best friend. Someone who knows that you hate fish, but love chicken. Someone who cares about you, is there whenever you need him. Or, uh-her. He-or she-should already love you and...he should think that you are the first straw."
Onew smiles wide, a true smile now, "That's really nice, Minho. But you know I don't deserve that."
"I don't know?"
"Yeah. Maybe I deserve someone who's...nice, at least. But not that. I could never find someone who thinks of me as the 'first straw.'" He makes quotation marks when he says the words.
"I think you're the first straw," Minho mumbles, but Onew catches the words.
"That's nice, Minho. Thank you."
"Thank you?"
"For this...pep talk? Thank you. I needed it. I'm going to go to the living room to get you a shirt, okay?"
Minho nods dumbly, and hits his head with a pillow when Jinki steps out of the room, cursing. He sighs and wills his heart to calm down, but it doesn't listen. It never listens. His bottom lip slips into his mouth and he starts biting down, knowing that he is drawing blood. Unlike Jinki's 'habit' with biting his lip, Minho does it for a distraction. A distraction from Onew himself-the fact that he's in his room, is about to sleep on his bed, about to put on Jinki's shirt, and...as much as he hated to admit it, a distraction from his close confession.
"If you like me so much, why did you let me go on that date?"
Minho sits up abruptly, wrinkling the sheets. His eyes are as wide as they could be, and his mouth is wide open. "What?"
Jinki stands at the doorway, as if he's been there for a while. And he has. As soon as he had stepped out of the doorway, he had moved to the side and peeked in, eyes wide at the image of Minho flopping onto the bed, chewing his lip off. He smiles bashfully and rubs his toes into the carpet, as if he's digging a hole, even though that's not possible because it's carpet. "A-Answer the question," he says firmly, though his eyes strayed down.
"How...How did you get that idea?"
"So, you don't like me?"
Minho looks up and when he sees the wounded expression on the others face, he immediately wants to take it back. He gulps. "I do. Just. What?"
"As a boyfriend? We could...be boyfriends."
The younger boy loves the way Onew's lips move as he whispers "boyfriend" low and quiet, like he doesn't think that it could possibly happen. Up until this point, Minho had also thought that. But This is it, his heart tells him, and suddenly it feels like the organ is up in his throat; it is clogged and he has a hard time speaking. "If...if you want."
"Okay." Jinki stands near the door, but he doesn't come closer. Minho sighs happily, and lets a smile grace his face, feeling like a large weight has been lifted off his shoulders. His heart is still pounding, and he ignores it because if he didn't, it would be a big distraction from this-him walking over to his hyung, arms stretched as he catches the older one in a tight hug.
"I like you a lot, hyung. We can be boyfriends," Minho mumbles, voice gravelly.
"I like you-"
"No you don't," Minho smiles. "But you will."
"If I don't like you then, what is this?" Minho looks down and sees that Jinki is blushing madly. "It's...really hot, Minho. My heart feels like it's about to burst. Does this mean that I like you?"
Onew nearly melts into Minho's body as they embrace and Minho remains quiet. Jinki merely smiles, even though Minho doesn't answer his question. He tilts his face up.
"So, why did you let me go on that date?"
Minho bites his lips again (maybe it really is a habit after all). "I wanted you to be happy. You were so excited to meet Jonghyun."
"I was. I'm glad you let me go, though," Onew mumbles into Minho's chest.
"You are?"
"Yeah. Or else this wouldn't have happened."
"Oh," Minho blushes. Jinki runs his fingers up Minho's face and feels the heat, smiling softly. The boy looks down at him and returns the smile widely.
"Boyfriends kiss, right?" Jinki asks, tilting his head to the right. As he is asking this, their heads drift closer until they can feel each other's breath on their lips.
"Yeah," Minho replies, and finally, his heart says, when their lips touch. Like Minho's always imagined, Jinki's lips are plump and soft, but chapped at the edges. Jinki breaks the chaste kiss for a moment and wets his lips, flushing. He returns and Minho meets him with his own smooth lips. It's not as romantic as he'd have wished, but Minho wouldn't trade this feeling for anything.
Minho whispers his quiet confession into Onew's ear that night, and they turn so red that they look like a pair of tomatoes, but Jinki doesn't care because he's found someone who's not a jerk, and really is beautiful and gorgeous and smart and sweet. He's found-no, has always had-someone who is his best friend, someone who knows that he hates fish, but loves chicken. Someone who cares about him, is there whenever he needs him. Someone who thinks that he's the first straw.