Too Good at Being Patient → for starrymoons
Title: Too Good at Being Patient
Recipient: starrymoons
Pairing(s): Xiumin/Lay/Luhan
Rating: R
Warnings: Slight accidental voyeurism.
Word count: 5k words
Summary: Luhan and Yixing are close in every way, but Minseok still knows more about how they feel about each other.
When Luhan heard that Minseok was looking for a place to live, he immediately suggested that he could become his new roommate.
“That would be great, but what happened to your old roommate?” Minseok asked. He'd been over at Luhan's place a few times before, and knew that it only had two bedrooms. He'd also met Luhan's roommate a couple of times, a polite and soft-spoken guy named Yixing. As far as he knew, Yixing was one of Luhan's closest friends, and he was sure Luhan would have talked his ear off about it if he for some reason was going to move out.
“Yixing is still living with me, but you don't have to worry about it. You would get your own bedroom and pay one third of the rent,” said Luhan enthusiastically. Perhaps they had decided on getting a third roommate to save money. It wasn't unusual for people their age to do anything to not go completely bankrupt.
It turned out that Minseok was right. Luhan and Yixing had decided to share Luhan's bedroom to save money. At least that was what Luhan had told him when Minseok asked about it.
The apartment didn't feel cramped even though they were so many people sharing it. Minseok was already used to Luhan and his overly clingy ways. He'd thought about if it would tire him, to live with someone who didn't know what personal space was.
Normally, Minseok liked to have a space to call his own.
Yet, truth to be told, he didn't mind the way Luhan would drape himself all over him. He'd gotten used to it, and at some point even started enjoying it. It was nice to be around someone who showed affection so openly. Living on your own could get a bit lonely at times, especially when you didn't have a lover of some kind. Luhan's never ending need for cuddling gave him all the human affection he required, and so he didn't need to have one-night stands with people he didn't know or care about just to get that physical affection every human craved.
Yixing was in many ways the opposite of Luhan, Minseok thought. Most of the time Minseok barely noticed he was there, as he wasn't particularly loud, just a quiet presence in the background. It wasn't that he was cold; he would cuddle with Luhan just as much as Minseok, if not even more. His smile was warm and he was always kind and polite.
In fact, as Minseok got to know him better, he realized that Yixing and Luhan were also in many ways similar. They were like the opposite of twins - on the outside seemingly completely different, on the inside so similar that it was clear they were made up of the same fundament. Friendly, caring, loyal, and filled with affection for everyone and everything around them.
It was obvious that they were made to be best friends.
It didn't take long before Minseok discovered that their friendship contained stuff most people only shared with their lovers. Sometimes at night Minseok had heard strange, muffled sounds coming from the other bedroom, but he'd assumed it was just Luhan and Yixing whispering, maybe trying to muffle their laughter. They often did that, whispering together and muffling laughter when Minseok was trying to concentrate on something not far away from them. He'd gotten used to it, and learned to block it out. So for the first month that he lived with them, he didn't have any difficulties falling asleep, even with the strange background noise coming through the wall.
His perception of what caused the sounds changed abruptly after coming home much earlier than usual one day. Normally he would be at work at that time, but that day the coffee shop he worked in was closed down for maintenance.
He was met by sounds that were in no way muffled when he walked into the apartment, moans and groans and yells of “more” and “harder”. At first he thought that one of his roommates had company and that they just hadn't bothered to close the door to their bedroom. Then he walked a bit further inside, and was met with the sight of Yixing fucking Luhan right in the middle of the living room. Minseok doubted he could ever see the sofa the same way again after seeing Luhan being bent over it while Yixing pounded into him.
For a few seconds he just stood there frozen, thoughts like I used to sit on that sofa and wow, Yixing has a really nice ass floating through his head. Then his mind caught up to what was actually happening, and he slowly backed off, walking out of the apartment as quickly and quietly as he could.
Well, that certainly explained why they didn't mind sharing one bedroom, he thought to himself. Did they always fuck that openly when he wasn't there? Where else in the apartment had they fucked?
The thing that distraught him the most was that he wasn't grossed out. Normally he was quite the clean freak, and the thought of them sexing up the whole apartment should have made him uncomfortable, but instead he found himself slightly turned on by the thought, what he'd just witnessed making it easy to picture the things that might have happened in the past. It wouldn't do any good for him to be attracted to neither of them, though. Luhan was his close friend, they were all roommates, and clearly the two of them was quite busy with each other already.
Now that he knew what was going on, he wondered how he could have missed it before. The sounds coming from the other bedroom at night suddenly was much clearer. He started noticing the way Luhan and Yixing sometimes would look at each other, glances filled with lust; and sometimes, shy secretive glances filled with affection. Secretive, because they weren't just supposed to be hidden from Minseok, but also from each other.
It wasn't until he and Luhan went out for drinks one night that he finally found out exactly what it all meant. Luhan was an honest and chatty drunk, and it didn't take more than a few leading questions from Minseok before he was spilling the beans.
Luhan and Yixing were best friends. But they were also fucking. Had been for a while. Just as friends though - but Luhan, Luhan sometimes wanted more.
“I just don'wanna ruin what we 'ave, you know?” He slurred. “I think I... I think I fucking love him man.” He poured another shot down his throat. “And feelings only ruin nice things.” He stared sadly down at his empty shot glass.
Minseok didn't say anything. He didn't want to tell Luhan about the way he'd seen Yixing looking at him, because what if he was mistaken and Yixing only loved Luhan as a friend?
As he supported an overly drunk Luhan on their way home, Minseok thought to himself that if they were both in love with each other they would probably discover it soon. And if Yixing actually didn't feel the same way, Luhan had gotten himself into a very painful situation. There wasn't anything he could do about it except be there as support and comfort when - if his friend needed it.
It was a regular Friday night. Yixing was out with his friends at some club. Luhan and Minseok were cuddled up in front of the television, lazily watching a movie they had both seen before. Minseok watched the TV without really noticing what was going on, feeling himself slowly drift into sleep. He didn't do anything to stop it. Luhan was leaned up against him, Minseok's right arm wrapped around him, his body heat making Minseok warm and comfortable. A stray thought told him that he wouldn't mind falling asleep with Luhan in his arms every night.
The peacefulness was interrupted by Luhan suddenly sitting up and cursing loudly in Mandarin. He'd been fiddling with his phone, but now he was staring down at it as if he wanted to throw it against the wall.
“What?” Minseok asked cautiously.
“Yixing, that fucker,” Luhan started out angrily. “Is apparently not clubbing with his friends tonight. He's out on a date with Sehun!” He turned his phone towards Minseok, apparently trying to show him something. The way he was angrily waving it back and forth made it hard to see what it was, so Minseok carefully plucked the phone out of his hold. A text with a photo attached was filling up the screen.
From: Jongdae
Isn't that your boyfriend??
The picture showed two guys sharing a meal at a restaurant Minseok quickly recognized as the one Jongdae worked at. It was a small and intimate restaurant close to campus, known to be widely popular among couples and one of the most typical places to take your date to. One of the guys was Yixing, and it didn't take long before he also recognized the other guy. It was Sehun, Luhan's last boyfriend. Minseok quietly wondered who Jongdae was actually referring to when he referred to Luhan's boyfriend.
“How could he do something like that to me? Going behind my back like that. Going on a date with Sehun of all people!” Luhan kept ranting, while Minseok tried to comfort him by stroking his back. He could understand why Luhan was so angry. Hooking up with your best friend's ex was a really shitty thing to do. He couldn't understand what Yixing had been thinking.
He was wondering if that was what Luhan was really mad about though, or if he was actually hurt because Yixing had gone on a date at all. The fact that it was with Sehun probably just made it worse.
Instead of letting Minseok calm him down, Luhan stormed into his bedroom. Minseok didn't follow him. He knew Luhan hated letting other people see him cry.
As always, the walls were too thin to hide anything, especially when the voices on the other side of the wall went from angry-but-hushed to outright yelling.
“Just get the fuck out,” he heard Luhan yell, and not long after a door was shut with a bang. After that the apartment fell silent, so silent that Minseok could hear someone walking closer and stopping outside his door. He waited for a knock that never came. Instead he heard a sigh, followed by the sound of feet walking away. For a minute Minseok tried to convince himself that this was all Luhan and Yixing's drama, that keeping completely out of it would probably be for the best. Then he gave in to his concern and got out of bed.
Yixing was nowhere to be found, not in their tiny bathroom nor the kitchen. Minseok worried that he might have left, before he noticed that the curtain hiding the veranda door was slightly ajar. Cautiously he walked closer, opening the door with as little noise as possible. It had a tendency to creak, and Minseok was carrying a small hope that Luhan was already sleeping.
The night air was cold against his skin, his t-shirt and thin pajama pants doing little to keep him warm. Yixing probably wasn't any better off in his tank top and jeans. He was leaning against the railing, looking out on the city beneath them. He didn't turn around, but after Minseok had closed the door behind him, he started to speak.
“You must think I'm the biggest jerk in the world.”
“Are you?” Minseok asked. Yixing let out a sigh.
“I didn't mean to hurt Luhan like that. I would never want to hurt him,” he said. “Honestly, I didn't think he would mind. He and Sehun weren't exactly a serious thing, they were barely together for a month, and Luhan was the one who ended it because he wasn't really that into him.”
Minseok could see where Yixing were coming from. He knew all of this already, and he doubted Luhan would have minded if any of his other friends went on a date with his ex-boyfriend. But this was Yixing, Luhan's best friend, who he was in love with.
“Why did you keep it a secret then?” Minseok asked.
“It wasn't something serious, so I just thought... well, I probably didn't think it through very well. I guess I thought I should wait with telling him about it until I knew if I was actually interested in Sehun or not.” Some drunk teenagers walked by on the street beneath them, singing and talking loudly. They were both silent until they had passed. Minseok thought about what he was going to say next.
“So, did you find out if you're actually interested then?” he finally asked.
“Yeah... I think I knew the answer beforehand, I just wanted to know for certain,” was Yixing's answer. Minseok waited for him to say more. “I'm not interested in him, at least not interested enough to date him. I wish I was though, but...” he mumbled the last part. Perhaps he wasn't sure if he really wanted to tell Minseok this or not. “I'm already in love with someone else.”
“Who?” Minseok had a pretty good idea of who this someone could be, but he had to make sure. For the first time since Minseok had come outside Yixing looked directly at him. He smiled, but his eyes looked sad.
“Luhan,” he said simply. Minseok didn't say anything, just gave a soft smile in return. It wasn't his place to share what Luhan had drunkenly confessed to him. They both went back to staring out into the night.
For a while they simply stood there, neither one saying anything. It was freezing, but Minseok didn't want to abandon Yixing. The city looked more beautiful at night, when the dirt and garbage were hidden in shadows and the thousands of lights looked almost as beautiful as the stars they couldn't see.
It wasn't until he noticed that Yixing was shivering that he suggested that they should go inside. Yixing complied and let Minseok lead him back into their living room.
“I guess I'll sleep on the sofa tonight then,” Yixing said. “I probably deserve it.” He smiled, a similar sad smile as the previous.
Minseok didn't agree. Their sofa was way too small for Yixing to sleep on. “There is always room for two in my bed, if you don't mind sharing,” he said. This time Yixing's smile was much warmer.
It had been a while since he hadn’t woken up alone. He wasn't cold, even though Yixing had ended up stealing most of the blanket during the night. The heat of another body close to his made up for it.
Not one to stay in bed for long after waking up, he soon abandoned the warmth and comfort and got up. Yixing looked cute when asleep. His hair was even more tousled than usual, almost curly, and all traces of his worries from last night were gone from his face. The more Minseok looked at him the more endearing he found the sight. He resisted the urge to lean down and ruffle Yixing's hair even more. Instead he found a change of clothes and a towel, leaving the room to go take a shower.
Luhan was nowhere to be seen. This wasn't very surprising, as Luhan always had to get up and leave early on Saturdays. He had a very early shift at work, and even an early morning bird like Minseok rarely got up early enough to see him off.
Neither he nor Yixing brought up what they had talked about last night that day. Even when Luhan came home they all kept going as usual, no one bringing the topic up. Luhan acted like nothing had happened, even talking to Yixing as if he hadn't been yelling profanities at him last night. He didn't protest when Yixing hesitantly followed him to their bedroom when they went to bed.
Minseok thought that ignoring the matter wouldn't solve anything, but he didn't speak his thoughts aloud. That was something they had to work out on their own.
A few weeks had passed, and everything was back to normal. Muffled moans and the sound of the bed creaking could again be heard from the other bedroom at night. As far as Minseok knew, the two of them had yet to talk about their feelings for each other. He and Luhan had met up with Jongdae for coffee, and when their friend inquired about Yixing and Sehun Luhan only laughed and said that he didn't understand why he was asking.
One thing had changed though, and that was the fact that he and Yixing were much closer than before. They talked more, and started hanging out more often just the two of them. Sometimes Minseok even joined Yixing on Friday nights, going out clubbing instead of staying home with Luhan. Luhan never joined them, as he had to get up early on Saturdays. Minseok had worried Luhan would feel abandoned, but when he voiced this worry Luhan told him he didn't mind at all.
“Sure I like our Friday movie nights a lot, but it actually makes me really happy to see you and Yixing getting closer. What could be better than two of your closest friends also becoming friends?” Minseok smiled and didn't mention how many people would have preferred to keep both of them just to themselves.
One Friday night Yixing brought up something related to him being in love with Luhan again, for the first time since what Minseok had dubbed ‘the Sehun incident’ in his head.
“One thing I really love about going out clubbing with you,” he said, as they were walking home. Both were tipsy, but not really drunk. “Is that you never try to hook me up with anyone.” Earlier that night another friend of them, Zitao, had insisted that he'd found the perfect guy for Yixing. He'd pointed to a young and very attractive guy on the dance floor, who was dancing just as intensely as Yixing used to do. Yixing had just smiled and jokingly said Zitao should hit on him himself if he thought him to be so flawless.
Minseok and Yixing had been dancing together for most of the night, Minseok being the only one of their friends who could keep up with Yixing's dancing. Sometimes Minseok wondered about if it was all just friendly, like when they were dancing so close they were nearly grinding against each other. But he supposed that to Yixing it had to be. He was in love with Luhan else after all, he didn't seem interested in hooking up with anyone else.
Even when Yixing sometimes grabbed his hand to lead him to the bar or just not to get lost in the crowd as Minseok lead the way, Minseok didn't think the action was anything other than one between friends. After all Yixing was just as fond of being physically affectionate as Luhan. Well, at least almost. No one was as fond of being physically affectionate as Luhan, he thought. He couldn't keep a smile of his lips as he thought about how lately Luhan had been even more cuddly than usual. Maybe it was because they didn't get to have their Friday movie, aka cuddling, nights as often as before.
The three roommates stumbled into their apartment. They had been out drinking, celebrating that they were all done with their exams. Luhan laughed as Yixing tripped over a pair of shoes, and Minseok joined in when he saw the stunned look on Yixing's face. Together they helped him up. They stumbled further in, before falling together in a heap on the couch.
“Do we have any beer left?” Minseok tried his best to speak clearly. He was quite drunk, but probably the most sober of the three. Yixing had a terrible alcohol tolerance, and Luhan wasn't much better off.
“I'll go'n see,” Luhan said, struggling to get up. Minseok gave him an encouraging push, helping him off the couch. He couldn't help but admire how nice Luhan looked in his tight jeans as he walked away.
Luhan returned with two beers in his hands, giving one to Minseok and keeping one to himself.
“Whaddabout me?” Yixing slurred.
“You've'ad enough,” Luhan answered, and Minseok laughed.
The cold beer was refreshing, and before he knew it he'd drunk the whole can. When Luhan was busy laughing with Yixing about something Zitao had said the other day, Minseok snatched his beer too, drinking what was left of it before Luhan even had time to notice it was gone.
“Hey, that's mine!” He yelled. “Give it back!”
“Too late,” Minseok said with a grin. He wasn't prepared to suddenly have Luhan's lips on his own, meshing their mouths together in a wet kiss. He pulled back with a grin.
“This beer taste really good,” and then turning towards Yixing. “You should try it too.” Then he was kissing Yixing just as wet and sloppily. Yixing kissed back with vigor and even less finesse.
They looked hot together. He thought back to the time he'd walked in on them fucking on this couch. Imagine how much hotter it would be to be this close when they were fucking, Minseok's drunk mind supplied. To not have to run away, but to get to see it all from start to finish.
“Delicious,” Yixing pulled back, smacking his lips together as if savoring the taste. “I want more.” And then he crawled over Luhan and settled down on Minseok's lap. He leaned down, but miscalculated and ended up kissing only the corner of his mouth. Minseok helped out by turning his head to the side, their lips finally meeting in an open-mouthed kiss.
“I want to kiss too,” Luhan whined, crawling so close that he was almost in Minseok's lap as well. He tried to join in, their mouths meeting in a weird three-way kiss before Minseok pulled back. He probably enjoyed watching his roommates kiss a little too much. And if he'd thought it was nice to watch them from the other end of the couch, watching them kiss right in front of him was even better. They looked so perfect together. What a nice couple they'd make.
And then it hit him. Luhan loved Yixing. Yixing loved Luhan. Adding him to the mix would only make things even more complicated.
He pushed Yixing off his lap and into Luhan. They were both startled, looking at him with wide eyes and open mouths. Both of their lips slightly swollen, looking oh so kissable.
“This isn't right,” he said. “You should date, not try to fuck other people.” And then he got up from the couch, walking toward his room on unsteady legs. He didn't want to, but it was the right thing to do.
He closed the door to his room and tumbled into his bed without taking his clothes off. Good thing he was so drunk, or else his conflicted thoughts would have kept him awake. Instead he fell asleep almost at once.
When he woke up, sunlight was streaming into the room. He'd forgotten to draw the curtains, and the light felt painfully bright. A glance to his alarm clock showed that it was already late into the day. He groaned and closed his eyes again. The happenings of last night sunk in. What the hell had he been thinking, making out with Luhan and Yixing like that? What the hell had they been thinking, getting it on with him when they were in love with each other? He could only applaud himself for managing to stop and walk away even though he'd been drunk as hell. Telling them that they should date though... well, he'd tried to keep out of it and look where that had gotten them. Maybe his outburst had finally gotten some sense into their heads.
He only hoped this wouldn't make it awkward between them. If he should be completely honest he liked both Yixing and Luhan more than one should like their friends, but it didn't matter as long as he kept that to himself. Yixing and Luhan were meant for each other.
He finally got himself out of the bed, changing out of the clothes he'd been wearing yesterday. Postponing meeting the others wouldn't change anything, and so he left the room. He could hear the shower running, so he went straight to the kitchen.
Yixing was sitting next to the kitchen table, sipping his coffee. He didn't look very awake, even though it was clear from his wet hair that he'd already had time to take a shower.
Minseok was lucky when it came to handling his alcohol, both having a high tolerance and rarely becoming especially hungover. He still downed two cups of water before getting a cup of coffee of his own.
“Good morning,” he said to Yixing as he sat down across from him.
“'G'morning,” Yixing said back, giving him a tired smile.
They sipped each their coffee for a while. Neither said anything, but it wasn't an awkward silence. After a while Yixing got up and fixed himself a bowl of milk and cereal. He asked Minseok if he wanted some too and Minseok nodded. They ate their breakfast in the same comfortable silence as before.
Soon Luhan joined them, making himself a cup of coffee and a sandwich. Neither one mentioned what had happened last night. The soft smiles they were sending each other made Minseok feel hopeful. His suspicions were confirmed when Yixing leaned in and gave Luhan a quick peck on the lips when he sat down next to him. They had been fucking for months, and been cuddly with each other for even longer, but Minseok had never seen them openly exchange affection in such a romantic way before. He was happy for them, at least that was what he told himself.
Minseok tried his best not to think about what had happened last night as he showered. Jerking off to his roommates probably wasn't a good idea if he wanted to convince himself that he wasn't in love with them. Because it had hit him, when he felt both sad and happy that they had found each other. It wasn't just simple attraction. He was in love with both of them. He wanted to fuck them, but he also wanted to hold them in his arms and kiss them. Most of all he wanted them to be happy. And falling out of love with both of them was a good way to begin.
He wasn't prepared to be ambushed as soon as he left the bathroom.
“Yixing and I want to talk to you about something,” Luhan said. He looked nervous.
Minseok nodded and followed him into the kitchen. Luhan sat down next to Yixing, and Minseok sat down opposite of them. He wondered if they were going to talk about how they were dating now and that last night had been a mistake. Maybe it was for the best, to clear it out instead of just pushing it away. It still wasn't a conversation he looked forward to.
“So, last night,” Luhan began. He hesitated, and looked towards Yixing for help.
“After you left, we finally talked, about everything,” Yixing said. “I guess you've been waiting for us to confess for the longest time, since you knew about how both of us felt.” He smiled.
“So from now on there is no more fucking around,” Luhan said. “Isn't that right, boyfriend?” He said the last part with laughter in his voice. They stared at each other fondly. Minseok was sure that if any of their other friends were here they would have yelled for them to stop being so sickeningly cute. He just found it endearing.
“But the thing is,” Luhan continued, now looking at Minseok again. “We talked about how we both, well, the reason why last night even happened at all...”
“Is because we like you too, as more than just a friend,” Yixing finished for him. “And we decided that instead of just keeping everything to ourselves, since that hasn't exactly worked out well before...”
“We wanted to ask you if you wanted to be our boyfriend,” Luhan ended with a smile.
Minseok stared at them in shock. Were they serious? It wasn't long ago that they had both told him that they loved each other, and now they were saying that they were in love with him too? He was about to deny the prospect of it even being possible when he remembered that he was in love with two people as well. And if he was, why should it be impossible for someone else to feel the same way?
“Of course, if you don't feel the same way we'll just forget that this conversation ever happened,” Luhan said quickly, probably interpreting Minseok's silence as him wanting to say no.
“No I,” Minseok started. It was almost comical how quick the others' faces changes from nervous to hopeful. “I do like you, both of you. And if you both want to, and think that it could work out, I'd love to be your boyfriend.”
Luhan actually cheered out loud, and Yixing smiled. They both looked ecstatic, and not at all as if they'd only done it for the sake of the other, secretly hoping for him to say no. Not half a minute later Luhan had moved out of his chair and down into the one next to Minseok.
“Does that mean you wouldn't mind me kissing you right now? Because I really liked kissing you last night and...” Minseok shut him up with a kiss.
Author's note: I'm sorry that I didn't include proper smut in this (as I was originally planning to). Sadly I ran out of time, and had to drop the smut to be able to finish it before the deadline :(
Recipient: starrymoons
Pairing(s): Xiumin/Lay/Luhan
Rating: R
Warnings: Slight accidental voyeurism.
Word count: 5k words
Summary: Luhan and Yixing are close in every way, but Minseok still knows more about how they feel about each other.
When Luhan heard that Minseok was looking for a place to live, he immediately suggested that he could become his new roommate.
“That would be great, but what happened to your old roommate?” Minseok asked. He'd been over at Luhan's place a few times before, and knew that it only had two bedrooms. He'd also met Luhan's roommate a couple of times, a polite and soft-spoken guy named Yixing. As far as he knew, Yixing was one of Luhan's closest friends, and he was sure Luhan would have talked his ear off about it if he for some reason was going to move out.
“Yixing is still living with me, but you don't have to worry about it. You would get your own bedroom and pay one third of the rent,” said Luhan enthusiastically. Perhaps they had decided on getting a third roommate to save money. It wasn't unusual for people their age to do anything to not go completely bankrupt.
It turned out that Minseok was right. Luhan and Yixing had decided to share Luhan's bedroom to save money. At least that was what Luhan had told him when Minseok asked about it.
The apartment didn't feel cramped even though they were so many people sharing it. Minseok was already used to Luhan and his overly clingy ways. He'd thought about if it would tire him, to live with someone who didn't know what personal space was.
Normally, Minseok liked to have a space to call his own.
Yet, truth to be told, he didn't mind the way Luhan would drape himself all over him. He'd gotten used to it, and at some point even started enjoying it. It was nice to be around someone who showed affection so openly. Living on your own could get a bit lonely at times, especially when you didn't have a lover of some kind. Luhan's never ending need for cuddling gave him all the human affection he required, and so he didn't need to have one-night stands with people he didn't know or care about just to get that physical affection every human craved.
Yixing was in many ways the opposite of Luhan, Minseok thought. Most of the time Minseok barely noticed he was there, as he wasn't particularly loud, just a quiet presence in the background. It wasn't that he was cold; he would cuddle with Luhan just as much as Minseok, if not even more. His smile was warm and he was always kind and polite.
In fact, as Minseok got to know him better, he realized that Yixing and Luhan were also in many ways similar. They were like the opposite of twins - on the outside seemingly completely different, on the inside so similar that it was clear they were made up of the same fundament. Friendly, caring, loyal, and filled with affection for everyone and everything around them.
It was obvious that they were made to be best friends.
It didn't take long before Minseok discovered that their friendship contained stuff most people only shared with their lovers. Sometimes at night Minseok had heard strange, muffled sounds coming from the other bedroom, but he'd assumed it was just Luhan and Yixing whispering, maybe trying to muffle their laughter. They often did that, whispering together and muffling laughter when Minseok was trying to concentrate on something not far away from them. He'd gotten used to it, and learned to block it out. So for the first month that he lived with them, he didn't have any difficulties falling asleep, even with the strange background noise coming through the wall.
His perception of what caused the sounds changed abruptly after coming home much earlier than usual one day. Normally he would be at work at that time, but that day the coffee shop he worked in was closed down for maintenance.
He was met by sounds that were in no way muffled when he walked into the apartment, moans and groans and yells of “more” and “harder”. At first he thought that one of his roommates had company and that they just hadn't bothered to close the door to their bedroom. Then he walked a bit further inside, and was met with the sight of Yixing fucking Luhan right in the middle of the living room. Minseok doubted he could ever see the sofa the same way again after seeing Luhan being bent over it while Yixing pounded into him.
For a few seconds he just stood there frozen, thoughts like I used to sit on that sofa and wow, Yixing has a really nice ass floating through his head. Then his mind caught up to what was actually happening, and he slowly backed off, walking out of the apartment as quickly and quietly as he could.
Well, that certainly explained why they didn't mind sharing one bedroom, he thought to himself. Did they always fuck that openly when he wasn't there? Where else in the apartment had they fucked?
The thing that distraught him the most was that he wasn't grossed out. Normally he was quite the clean freak, and the thought of them sexing up the whole apartment should have made him uncomfortable, but instead he found himself slightly turned on by the thought, what he'd just witnessed making it easy to picture the things that might have happened in the past. It wouldn't do any good for him to be attracted to neither of them, though. Luhan was his close friend, they were all roommates, and clearly the two of them was quite busy with each other already.
Now that he knew what was going on, he wondered how he could have missed it before. The sounds coming from the other bedroom at night suddenly was much clearer. He started noticing the way Luhan and Yixing sometimes would look at each other, glances filled with lust; and sometimes, shy secretive glances filled with affection. Secretive, because they weren't just supposed to be hidden from Minseok, but also from each other.
It wasn't until he and Luhan went out for drinks one night that he finally found out exactly what it all meant. Luhan was an honest and chatty drunk, and it didn't take more than a few leading questions from Minseok before he was spilling the beans.
Luhan and Yixing were best friends. But they were also fucking. Had been for a while. Just as friends though - but Luhan, Luhan sometimes wanted more.
“I just don'wanna ruin what we 'ave, you know?” He slurred. “I think I... I think I fucking love him man.” He poured another shot down his throat. “And feelings only ruin nice things.” He stared sadly down at his empty shot glass.
Minseok didn't say anything. He didn't want to tell Luhan about the way he'd seen Yixing looking at him, because what if he was mistaken and Yixing only loved Luhan as a friend?
As he supported an overly drunk Luhan on their way home, Minseok thought to himself that if they were both in love with each other they would probably discover it soon. And if Yixing actually didn't feel the same way, Luhan had gotten himself into a very painful situation. There wasn't anything he could do about it except be there as support and comfort when - if his friend needed it.
It was a regular Friday night. Yixing was out with his friends at some club. Luhan and Minseok were cuddled up in front of the television, lazily watching a movie they had both seen before. Minseok watched the TV without really noticing what was going on, feeling himself slowly drift into sleep. He didn't do anything to stop it. Luhan was leaned up against him, Minseok's right arm wrapped around him, his body heat making Minseok warm and comfortable. A stray thought told him that he wouldn't mind falling asleep with Luhan in his arms every night.
The peacefulness was interrupted by Luhan suddenly sitting up and cursing loudly in Mandarin. He'd been fiddling with his phone, but now he was staring down at it as if he wanted to throw it against the wall.
“What?” Minseok asked cautiously.
“Yixing, that fucker,” Luhan started out angrily. “Is apparently not clubbing with his friends tonight. He's out on a date with Sehun!” He turned his phone towards Minseok, apparently trying to show him something. The way he was angrily waving it back and forth made it hard to see what it was, so Minseok carefully plucked the phone out of his hold. A text with a photo attached was filling up the screen.
From: Jongdae
Isn't that your boyfriend??
The picture showed two guys sharing a meal at a restaurant Minseok quickly recognized as the one Jongdae worked at. It was a small and intimate restaurant close to campus, known to be widely popular among couples and one of the most typical places to take your date to. One of the guys was Yixing, and it didn't take long before he also recognized the other guy. It was Sehun, Luhan's last boyfriend. Minseok quietly wondered who Jongdae was actually referring to when he referred to Luhan's boyfriend.
“How could he do something like that to me? Going behind my back like that. Going on a date with Sehun of all people!” Luhan kept ranting, while Minseok tried to comfort him by stroking his back. He could understand why Luhan was so angry. Hooking up with your best friend's ex was a really shitty thing to do. He couldn't understand what Yixing had been thinking.
He was wondering if that was what Luhan was really mad about though, or if he was actually hurt because Yixing had gone on a date at all. The fact that it was with Sehun probably just made it worse.
Instead of letting Minseok calm him down, Luhan stormed into his bedroom. Minseok didn't follow him. He knew Luhan hated letting other people see him cry.
As always, the walls were too thin to hide anything, especially when the voices on the other side of the wall went from angry-but-hushed to outright yelling.
“Just get the fuck out,” he heard Luhan yell, and not long after a door was shut with a bang. After that the apartment fell silent, so silent that Minseok could hear someone walking closer and stopping outside his door. He waited for a knock that never came. Instead he heard a sigh, followed by the sound of feet walking away. For a minute Minseok tried to convince himself that this was all Luhan and Yixing's drama, that keeping completely out of it would probably be for the best. Then he gave in to his concern and got out of bed.
Yixing was nowhere to be found, not in their tiny bathroom nor the kitchen. Minseok worried that he might have left, before he noticed that the curtain hiding the veranda door was slightly ajar. Cautiously he walked closer, opening the door with as little noise as possible. It had a tendency to creak, and Minseok was carrying a small hope that Luhan was already sleeping.
The night air was cold against his skin, his t-shirt and thin pajama pants doing little to keep him warm. Yixing probably wasn't any better off in his tank top and jeans. He was leaning against the railing, looking out on the city beneath them. He didn't turn around, but after Minseok had closed the door behind him, he started to speak.
“You must think I'm the biggest jerk in the world.”
“Are you?” Minseok asked. Yixing let out a sigh.
“I didn't mean to hurt Luhan like that. I would never want to hurt him,” he said. “Honestly, I didn't think he would mind. He and Sehun weren't exactly a serious thing, they were barely together for a month, and Luhan was the one who ended it because he wasn't really that into him.”
Minseok could see where Yixing were coming from. He knew all of this already, and he doubted Luhan would have minded if any of his other friends went on a date with his ex-boyfriend. But this was Yixing, Luhan's best friend, who he was in love with.
“Why did you keep it a secret then?” Minseok asked.
“It wasn't something serious, so I just thought... well, I probably didn't think it through very well. I guess I thought I should wait with telling him about it until I knew if I was actually interested in Sehun or not.” Some drunk teenagers walked by on the street beneath them, singing and talking loudly. They were both silent until they had passed. Minseok thought about what he was going to say next.
“So, did you find out if you're actually interested then?” he finally asked.
“Yeah... I think I knew the answer beforehand, I just wanted to know for certain,” was Yixing's answer. Minseok waited for him to say more. “I'm not interested in him, at least not interested enough to date him. I wish I was though, but...” he mumbled the last part. Perhaps he wasn't sure if he really wanted to tell Minseok this or not. “I'm already in love with someone else.”
“Who?” Minseok had a pretty good idea of who this someone could be, but he had to make sure. For the first time since Minseok had come outside Yixing looked directly at him. He smiled, but his eyes looked sad.
“Luhan,” he said simply. Minseok didn't say anything, just gave a soft smile in return. It wasn't his place to share what Luhan had drunkenly confessed to him. They both went back to staring out into the night.
For a while they simply stood there, neither one saying anything. It was freezing, but Minseok didn't want to abandon Yixing. The city looked more beautiful at night, when the dirt and garbage were hidden in shadows and the thousands of lights looked almost as beautiful as the stars they couldn't see.
It wasn't until he noticed that Yixing was shivering that he suggested that they should go inside. Yixing complied and let Minseok lead him back into their living room.
“I guess I'll sleep on the sofa tonight then,” Yixing said. “I probably deserve it.” He smiled, a similar sad smile as the previous.
Minseok didn't agree. Their sofa was way too small for Yixing to sleep on. “There is always room for two in my bed, if you don't mind sharing,” he said. This time Yixing's smile was much warmer.
It had been a while since he hadn’t woken up alone. He wasn't cold, even though Yixing had ended up stealing most of the blanket during the night. The heat of another body close to his made up for it.
Not one to stay in bed for long after waking up, he soon abandoned the warmth and comfort and got up. Yixing looked cute when asleep. His hair was even more tousled than usual, almost curly, and all traces of his worries from last night were gone from his face. The more Minseok looked at him the more endearing he found the sight. He resisted the urge to lean down and ruffle Yixing's hair even more. Instead he found a change of clothes and a towel, leaving the room to go take a shower.
Luhan was nowhere to be seen. This wasn't very surprising, as Luhan always had to get up and leave early on Saturdays. He had a very early shift at work, and even an early morning bird like Minseok rarely got up early enough to see him off.
Neither he nor Yixing brought up what they had talked about last night that day. Even when Luhan came home they all kept going as usual, no one bringing the topic up. Luhan acted like nothing had happened, even talking to Yixing as if he hadn't been yelling profanities at him last night. He didn't protest when Yixing hesitantly followed him to their bedroom when they went to bed.
Minseok thought that ignoring the matter wouldn't solve anything, but he didn't speak his thoughts aloud. That was something they had to work out on their own.
A few weeks had passed, and everything was back to normal. Muffled moans and the sound of the bed creaking could again be heard from the other bedroom at night. As far as Minseok knew, the two of them had yet to talk about their feelings for each other. He and Luhan had met up with Jongdae for coffee, and when their friend inquired about Yixing and Sehun Luhan only laughed and said that he didn't understand why he was asking.
One thing had changed though, and that was the fact that he and Yixing were much closer than before. They talked more, and started hanging out more often just the two of them. Sometimes Minseok even joined Yixing on Friday nights, going out clubbing instead of staying home with Luhan. Luhan never joined them, as he had to get up early on Saturdays. Minseok had worried Luhan would feel abandoned, but when he voiced this worry Luhan told him he didn't mind at all.
“Sure I like our Friday movie nights a lot, but it actually makes me really happy to see you and Yixing getting closer. What could be better than two of your closest friends also becoming friends?” Minseok smiled and didn't mention how many people would have preferred to keep both of them just to themselves.
One Friday night Yixing brought up something related to him being in love with Luhan again, for the first time since what Minseok had dubbed ‘the Sehun incident’ in his head.
“One thing I really love about going out clubbing with you,” he said, as they were walking home. Both were tipsy, but not really drunk. “Is that you never try to hook me up with anyone.” Earlier that night another friend of them, Zitao, had insisted that he'd found the perfect guy for Yixing. He'd pointed to a young and very attractive guy on the dance floor, who was dancing just as intensely as Yixing used to do. Yixing had just smiled and jokingly said Zitao should hit on him himself if he thought him to be so flawless.
Minseok and Yixing had been dancing together for most of the night, Minseok being the only one of their friends who could keep up with Yixing's dancing. Sometimes Minseok wondered about if it was all just friendly, like when they were dancing so close they were nearly grinding against each other. But he supposed that to Yixing it had to be. He was in love with Luhan else after all, he didn't seem interested in hooking up with anyone else.
Even when Yixing sometimes grabbed his hand to lead him to the bar or just not to get lost in the crowd as Minseok lead the way, Minseok didn't think the action was anything other than one between friends. After all Yixing was just as fond of being physically affectionate as Luhan. Well, at least almost. No one was as fond of being physically affectionate as Luhan, he thought. He couldn't keep a smile of his lips as he thought about how lately Luhan had been even more cuddly than usual. Maybe it was because they didn't get to have their Friday movie, aka cuddling, nights as often as before.
The three roommates stumbled into their apartment. They had been out drinking, celebrating that they were all done with their exams. Luhan laughed as Yixing tripped over a pair of shoes, and Minseok joined in when he saw the stunned look on Yixing's face. Together they helped him up. They stumbled further in, before falling together in a heap on the couch.
“Do we have any beer left?” Minseok tried his best to speak clearly. He was quite drunk, but probably the most sober of the three. Yixing had a terrible alcohol tolerance, and Luhan wasn't much better off.
“I'll go'n see,” Luhan said, struggling to get up. Minseok gave him an encouraging push, helping him off the couch. He couldn't help but admire how nice Luhan looked in his tight jeans as he walked away.
Luhan returned with two beers in his hands, giving one to Minseok and keeping one to himself.
“Whaddabout me?” Yixing slurred.
“You've'ad enough,” Luhan answered, and Minseok laughed.
The cold beer was refreshing, and before he knew it he'd drunk the whole can. When Luhan was busy laughing with Yixing about something Zitao had said the other day, Minseok snatched his beer too, drinking what was left of it before Luhan even had time to notice it was gone.
“Hey, that's mine!” He yelled. “Give it back!”
“Too late,” Minseok said with a grin. He wasn't prepared to suddenly have Luhan's lips on his own, meshing their mouths together in a wet kiss. He pulled back with a grin.
“This beer taste really good,” and then turning towards Yixing. “You should try it too.” Then he was kissing Yixing just as wet and sloppily. Yixing kissed back with vigor and even less finesse.
They looked hot together. He thought back to the time he'd walked in on them fucking on this couch. Imagine how much hotter it would be to be this close when they were fucking, Minseok's drunk mind supplied. To not have to run away, but to get to see it all from start to finish.
“Delicious,” Yixing pulled back, smacking his lips together as if savoring the taste. “I want more.” And then he crawled over Luhan and settled down on Minseok's lap. He leaned down, but miscalculated and ended up kissing only the corner of his mouth. Minseok helped out by turning his head to the side, their lips finally meeting in an open-mouthed kiss.
“I want to kiss too,” Luhan whined, crawling so close that he was almost in Minseok's lap as well. He tried to join in, their mouths meeting in a weird three-way kiss before Minseok pulled back. He probably enjoyed watching his roommates kiss a little too much. And if he'd thought it was nice to watch them from the other end of the couch, watching them kiss right in front of him was even better. They looked so perfect together. What a nice couple they'd make.
And then it hit him. Luhan loved Yixing. Yixing loved Luhan. Adding him to the mix would only make things even more complicated.
He pushed Yixing off his lap and into Luhan. They were both startled, looking at him with wide eyes and open mouths. Both of their lips slightly swollen, looking oh so kissable.
“This isn't right,” he said. “You should date, not try to fuck other people.” And then he got up from the couch, walking toward his room on unsteady legs. He didn't want to, but it was the right thing to do.
He closed the door to his room and tumbled into his bed without taking his clothes off. Good thing he was so drunk, or else his conflicted thoughts would have kept him awake. Instead he fell asleep almost at once.
When he woke up, sunlight was streaming into the room. He'd forgotten to draw the curtains, and the light felt painfully bright. A glance to his alarm clock showed that it was already late into the day. He groaned and closed his eyes again. The happenings of last night sunk in. What the hell had he been thinking, making out with Luhan and Yixing like that? What the hell had they been thinking, getting it on with him when they were in love with each other? He could only applaud himself for managing to stop and walk away even though he'd been drunk as hell. Telling them that they should date though... well, he'd tried to keep out of it and look where that had gotten them. Maybe his outburst had finally gotten some sense into their heads.
He only hoped this wouldn't make it awkward between them. If he should be completely honest he liked both Yixing and Luhan more than one should like their friends, but it didn't matter as long as he kept that to himself. Yixing and Luhan were meant for each other.
He finally got himself out of the bed, changing out of the clothes he'd been wearing yesterday. Postponing meeting the others wouldn't change anything, and so he left the room. He could hear the shower running, so he went straight to the kitchen.
Yixing was sitting next to the kitchen table, sipping his coffee. He didn't look very awake, even though it was clear from his wet hair that he'd already had time to take a shower.
Minseok was lucky when it came to handling his alcohol, both having a high tolerance and rarely becoming especially hungover. He still downed two cups of water before getting a cup of coffee of his own.
“Good morning,” he said to Yixing as he sat down across from him.
“'G'morning,” Yixing said back, giving him a tired smile.
They sipped each their coffee for a while. Neither said anything, but it wasn't an awkward silence. After a while Yixing got up and fixed himself a bowl of milk and cereal. He asked Minseok if he wanted some too and Minseok nodded. They ate their breakfast in the same comfortable silence as before.
Soon Luhan joined them, making himself a cup of coffee and a sandwich. Neither one mentioned what had happened last night. The soft smiles they were sending each other made Minseok feel hopeful. His suspicions were confirmed when Yixing leaned in and gave Luhan a quick peck on the lips when he sat down next to him. They had been fucking for months, and been cuddly with each other for even longer, but Minseok had never seen them openly exchange affection in such a romantic way before. He was happy for them, at least that was what he told himself.
Minseok tried his best not to think about what had happened last night as he showered. Jerking off to his roommates probably wasn't a good idea if he wanted to convince himself that he wasn't in love with them. Because it had hit him, when he felt both sad and happy that they had found each other. It wasn't just simple attraction. He was in love with both of them. He wanted to fuck them, but he also wanted to hold them in his arms and kiss them. Most of all he wanted them to be happy. And falling out of love with both of them was a good way to begin.
He wasn't prepared to be ambushed as soon as he left the bathroom.
“Yixing and I want to talk to you about something,” Luhan said. He looked nervous.
Minseok nodded and followed him into the kitchen. Luhan sat down next to Yixing, and Minseok sat down opposite of them. He wondered if they were going to talk about how they were dating now and that last night had been a mistake. Maybe it was for the best, to clear it out instead of just pushing it away. It still wasn't a conversation he looked forward to.
“So, last night,” Luhan began. He hesitated, and looked towards Yixing for help.
“After you left, we finally talked, about everything,” Yixing said. “I guess you've been waiting for us to confess for the longest time, since you knew about how both of us felt.” He smiled.
“So from now on there is no more fucking around,” Luhan said. “Isn't that right, boyfriend?” He said the last part with laughter in his voice. They stared at each other fondly. Minseok was sure that if any of their other friends were here they would have yelled for them to stop being so sickeningly cute. He just found it endearing.
“But the thing is,” Luhan continued, now looking at Minseok again. “We talked about how we both, well, the reason why last night even happened at all...”
“Is because we like you too, as more than just a friend,” Yixing finished for him. “And we decided that instead of just keeping everything to ourselves, since that hasn't exactly worked out well before...”
“We wanted to ask you if you wanted to be our boyfriend,” Luhan ended with a smile.
Minseok stared at them in shock. Were they serious? It wasn't long ago that they had both told him that they loved each other, and now they were saying that they were in love with him too? He was about to deny the prospect of it even being possible when he remembered that he was in love with two people as well. And if he was, why should it be impossible for someone else to feel the same way?
“Of course, if you don't feel the same way we'll just forget that this conversation ever happened,” Luhan said quickly, probably interpreting Minseok's silence as him wanting to say no.
“No I,” Minseok started. It was almost comical how quick the others' faces changes from nervous to hopeful. “I do like you, both of you. And if you both want to, and think that it could work out, I'd love to be your boyfriend.”
Luhan actually cheered out loud, and Yixing smiled. They both looked ecstatic, and not at all as if they'd only done it for the sake of the other, secretly hoping for him to say no. Not half a minute later Luhan had moved out of his chair and down into the one next to Minseok.
“Does that mean you wouldn't mind me kissing you right now? Because I really liked kissing you last night and...” Minseok shut him up with a kiss.
Author's note: I'm sorry that I didn't include proper smut in this (as I was originally planning to). Sadly I ran out of time, and had to drop the smut to be able to finish it before the deadline :(