Title: Insatiable
Pairing: Kai/Chanyeol, BaekHyun/Lay (so far)
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Twelve people somehow all related one way or another. A band with a groupie that turns into more. Couples, pining and lots more. The lives of the members in the group Insatiable.
She’s definitely not what he’d expected when Kris had told him to expect the unexpected. Peering out of the corner of his eye he takes in her short dyed platinum blonde hair, one side even shorter than the rest and the big tattoo sleeve on her right arm, that is visible thanks to her tiny black tank top. Never before had he ever interacted with someone like her and the thought of having to boss her around scared him a bit. She seems like such a tough girl, her exposed ear covered in metal rings and when she looks up he sees similar rings on each side of her bottom lip and one in her nose like a bull. Her face is undeniably beautiful though. Big doe eyes with long lashes, a cute little button nose that he wonders how can hold a big ring like that and slightly pouty lips where the rings dug into them a little.
He sees her hand run through the short side of her hair before finally she pushes the door open. Quickly he pretends to be busy, humming under his breath as he rearranges already perfectly arranged salads and sandwiches. Carefully he keeps his eyes on the counter as she approaches him and he doesn’t look up until she clears her throat. With a small smile he straightens and looks at her questioning.
“Uhm, are you KyungSoo?” Her voice is softer than he expects it to be. It’s calm and she pronounces the words carefully and slowly as if to make sure she gets them right. It’s pleasant to his ears, which is nice since the last assistant he had constantly talked his ear off in this high nasal tone and he almost cut her throat a few times in pure frustration over never having a quiet moment. “Yes I am.”
There’s a shine in her eyes and she starts bowing introducing herself as “Lu Han, I’m your new assistant.” Of course he already knows that. He knows that she’s Chinese and her full name is Lu Han, but she goes by it as if it’s one name. He knows that she’s older than him too and has worked in a kitchen before. He knows she’ll only be working with him some days of the week and that she’ll be the bartender during the weekend nights. He knows this because he does his background checks, reads the file that Kris gave him. Still she wasn’t the amazing assistant he had expected coming back from his vacation to.
“Come, I’ll let you in on what you'll be helping me with.”
Do KyungSoo, twenty four years old and head chef at the small café/bar Wu Picasso’s Café & Bar. It is a ridiculous name, but Kris, the owner, insists it fits with the ‘artistic’ feel of the space. KyungSoo mostly just rolls his eyes at the older and hope they won’t get stuck with how often it happens. All around on the walls Kris displays his artworks and a lot of the guests find it charmingly sweet and always asks, “Is it your son’s drawings?” and “Do you accept children drawings?” To which KyungSoo merely smiles and shakes his head.
He had met Kris because of a cruel joke his friends pulled on him. Telling him the set him up with this hot ass babe and then when he stooped up it was Kris he met instead. They had talked and found out that they both desired to own a café. Three months later Kris had managed to get money to rent a rundown café and half a year after that Wu Picasso’s Café & Bar opened up. They had been successful with the low prices aimed at poor students and the weekly live shows that they pay in food and drinks. The bar was always full during the weekend nights and during the week KyungSoo had a run for his money to prepare sandwiches to hungered customers.
Luhan is surprisingly meek compared to her appearance. She follows him and listens attentively, only nodding and giving out soft okays in answers to his explanations. It the first time KyungSoo has ever experienced anyone just going along with his anal obsession over everything having to be in the exact same spot always unless in use, but Luhan just nodded and said that soft okay with a small smile, the stretch making the rings in each side of her lip go a bit limp. It had pulled his attention to her lips and the thought they look so soft runs through his brain before he can do anything. He quickly contemplates if he can ask her to not wear them, when she wets her lips and a glimpse of two pieces of metal comes out and he forgets the thought. There’s also the small flash of flesh from her top sliding up a bit as her jeans ride low on her thin hips that constantly teases his eyes that is a bit distracting but she’s not his type so he figures it’ll be alright especially since she’ll mostly be dressed in the kitchen wear. In which no colorful tattoo or flashes of improper skin can distract him.
Tomorrow will be her first day helping out and he hopes that nothing goes wrong so they’ll have to look for another because he rather like her quiet company so far and he can look past the whole thing with her appearance if she keeps being so cooperative.
“Will you shut up? I know how good you are with your fingers and tongue, you fucking practiced on me.” SeHun hisses at her over ecstatic best friend, who just used all lunch break on bragging about how she had made her new girlfriend come a billion times and SeHun wanted nothing more than to choke her so she would shut up. “You’re just jealous because I got it with ChanYeol unnie and MinSeok unnie still doesn’t know you exist.” JongIn retorts with an eye roll before going back to texting on her phone, probably sugar coated messages with her new girlfriend.
SeHun can’t figure out why the (significantly) older girl hadn’t noticed her yet. She had pink hair for crying out loud, she stands out no matter what and it doesn’t help that she’s utterly gorgeous either. SeHun is a catch that the older would be lucky to get and yet there’s little (nothing really) that can get her the attention of the bassist. It’s frustrating to be honest, SeHun is used to getting what she wants without a big fuss but if something doesn’t happen soon she’ll start a fuss.
“Well, I guess you can just help me with that.” JongIn shoots her a confused look and SeHun snorts at the dumb look. How the other managed to get herself a girlfriend is beyond SeHun’s imagination (not that it’s all that amazing anyway). “You do realize that as your best friend I am entitled to spend an unhealthy amount of time around you and your tall girlfriend. Who fortunately, for me, is in a band with the girl I’m trying to hook up with.”
“You’re dumb.” JongIn says in reply and SeHun is greatly offended because she is not and JongIn can shove it up her ass. “But since I’m a great best friend, I can tell you that Insatiable is playing next Saturday at that stupid café you love.” She finishes with a smirk and SeHun feels like ruining her messy bun. “It’s not stupid. Wu Picasso’s Café & Bar is amazing and serves the best sandwiches in the world. Plus the waiters are cute okay?” With a roll of her eyes and a scoff JongIn takes off when she spots TaeMin across the cafeteria. Sighing SeHun gathers their garbage and heads to class by herself. Of course she had to be a year behind.
Luhan turns out to be an amazing help in the kitchen. She moves fluidly around him and never stands in the way. When he asks for her opinion she gives it to him ruthlessly, something none of his other assistants have been able to do. Maybe it helps that she’s a noona by so many years but then again his girlfriend is too and she has a hard time doing it so it’s probably not that. It’s been a week already and KyungSoo has zero complains about her work ethics. She’s diligent and hardworking. She’s fast and precise in her movements. KyungSoo can’t even complain about her forgetting where things are supposed to be. Not once have he found something not where it was supposed to be.
“How can you remember where all the things are supposed to be?” He had asked her on her second day with a small shrug of her narrow shoulders and a soft smile she had said in that mellow voice of hers, “My roommate is just as focused on it as you are.” KyungSoo felt like hugging her for not thinking of it as a problem, he had almost done so but thought it to be inappropriate.
Kris told him that her friends were going to play later that evening as the live performance of the week; KyungSoo had eyed him skeptically because if Luhan’s friends were anything like her their music wouldn’t be appropriate. He had been assured though that they wouldn’t play anything that could scare of any of the customers. Apparently Kris had heard a small mixtape but he refused on letting KyungSoo hear it.
Luhan is already out in the bar when they arrive. ChanYeol and her new girlfriend at the front carrying a lot of heavy gear completely lost in their own world. Luhan would almost be annoyed at the rudeness of them ignoring her greeting but she knows ChanYeol has the tiniest attention span and JongIn is lost in the attention she’s getting. MinSeok greets her with a grin, bass perched on her back and Luhan can’t help the chuckle she lets out at the sight of her tiny roommate with a bag bigger than herself towering from behind her. As always JongDae carries nothing and he bounces over to her with a wide smile and asks for a hug, always up for a snuggle. Dismissing him with a laugh and some hair ruffling she sends him over to help Zitao carrying his load. The youngest bandmember is sulking, always ready with a complain over how heavy his equipment is. JongDae never fails to point out that he’s the one who chose to be a drummer. The resident couple comes in last and Yixing waves at her, dimples deepening as his smile widens. With a smile and a nod from BaekHyun, they make their way to the stage at the back of the café/bar.
Luhan has known Yixing for as long as she remembers. She’s four years older but Yixing always feels like he’s the one taking care of her. Supporting her in all of her decisions and making sure she’s never alone. Even going so far as to leaving everything behind and moving to Korea with her at the age of 16. It had been hard the first years but they’ve been here for eight years already and Luhan almost never thinks of the reasons why she left anymore.
When Yixing first met BaekHyun, a feisty petite girl, Luhan had felt pretty alone. Not really knowing what to do when Yixing was out on dates. Luckily her coworker at the restaurant, where she worked as an assistant in the kitchen, MinSeok helped her meeting new people and not feeling so alone. The band started when Yixing had been introduced to BaekHyun’s two best friends ChanYeol and JongDae. Young and stupid they had been, still are really, but ChanYeol had played instruments for as long as she could and Luhan can’t deny that JongDae can sing the shit out of anyone almost. Yixing had been ecstatic. He’s always had a liking for music, his notebook almost permanent in his hands. Pen scribbling down words and a self composed language of music notes. They hadn’t been able to afford lessons to Yixing self taught himself everything, listening and copying. Everything and nothing could inspire him and Luhan had more than once heard a song written about BaekHyun’s fingers, stomach, navel, eyes, mouth, everything really. Between all the ridiculously sappy song lyrics there’s gold though. Songs that makes tears well up in her eyes, songs that makes her face break into a smile that she can’t seem to fight back.
There’s in particular one song that always hits her hard. No one but Yixing and her knows what it’s really about and she would prefer it that way. It was the song that made Insatiable one of the most popular underground bands. A song about a struggle that tore one apart, so much that it never was possible to put it back together and Luhan always has to go out when JongDae sings it. His voice raw with emotions that Luhan always wonders where comes from and her chest aches at the sound. The band has more than once asked what the lyrics are about, but Yixing always gives them a sad smile and nothing more. Something that Luhan is outmost grateful for.
Kris comes out from the backroom when he hears the noise in the front. All of the band members stop up and stares at his imposing height. His ever present frown deepening in confusion over the sudden silence and Luhan doesn’t try to hide the amused laugh she lets out. JongDae is the first to break out of his daze and with a wide smile goes over to introduce himself. Politely Kris takes his hand and soon ChanYeol, JongIn and Zitao joins him standing in a half circle around her boss. Eyes glossy as they look up at him. She even hears ChanYeol excitedly whispering, meaning talking like a normal person, to JongIn that he’s like someone that just stepped out of a manga. Kris just blinks in confusion over the overwhelming attention and looks a bit helplessly over at Luhan. “Guys, please stop pestering my boss. I quite like working here.” Pouting they step away, except Zitao who still stands close and looks up at Kris as if he is his favourite superhero. Kris takes it in a stride though and soon he’s telling them where to set up and they begin the slave work.
KyungSoo is still in the back preparing some dinner for the guys, fussing around over small details she’s sure and it’s completely unnecessary. They’ll eat whatever is put in front of them. Well, she doesn’t know about JongIn but the band eats everything.
Customers are filling in slowly but surely and Luhan gets to work. Mixing drinks, opening bottles of beer always with a smile. The one that she knows charms people to look away from her facial piercings. In the kitchen she’s required to wear long sleeves and a hair net, but in the bar she’s allowed to wear her usual small black tank top showing off her small cleavage and exposing her lower stomach. She has a black waist apron on and she knows that her hipbone piercings are exposed and when she has to reach for the bottles on the top shelf her navel piercings will be exposed. The colorful sleeve on her right arm is fully exposed and like this she feels a lot better and more safe. She has the upper hand.
Yixing doesn’t really approve of how she dresses, but has long since given up on trying to change it.
There’s a cough behind her and she turns around looking at a bright red KyungSoo that hurriedly moves past her and over towards the scene where the band is strumming their instruments with food. With a jubilant cheer they drop everything and digs into it with a vigor that sets KyungSoo off, huffing in annoyance that his efforts are wasted.
The small chef had taken her by surprise and she constantly had to suppress the urge to push him against the nearest wall and kiss him senseless. He was her type exactly. Barely taller than her, with soft features but an aura that told her that he never lets himself be a pushover. Someone that will dominate her but still care for her. Something that she craved in all of her relationships but never found. But it was clear that she wasn’t his type, she had seen his girlfriend. A girl even more petite than KyungSoo, with long brown hair and kind eyes. Always dressed impeccably in soft colors. They look good together, cute and sweet and it makes Luhan’s eyes droop a bit sadly but there’s nothing she can do about it.
Pink hair comes in sight and Luhan turns her attention to her customer.
It’s filled when she gets there and SeHun has to suppress the urge to push to all the people around her as she makes her way to the bar. None of the usual (cute) waiters stand behind the desk instead it’s a familiar face full of piercings that makes her grimace, because that must’ve hurt to get done. Amazingly it doesn’t seem like that the other recognizes her and she even mixes her a drink even though she’s a minor when she orders it. Not really paying much more attention to the older SeHun makes way towards the stage where JongIn promised to be sitting at the front table. SeHun notices her wavy hair, for once let down, positioned with a tall glass of smoothie between her lips as she watches with rapt attention her new girlfriend strum on her guitar. Not really making a big deal out of it SeHun sits down on the seat beside her friend and starts sucking on the straw to her strawberry daiquiri.
“When do they start playing?” She drawls bored, MinSeok is talking to some small guy and SeHun is busy drilling holes in his head with her eyes. Though her glare stops as soon as he turns around. It’s her favourite chef, he always makes her a special sandwich just for her and she worships the ground he walks on for that reason. He spots her and smiles walking over, SeHun smiles back and then he starts frowning, stomping over.
“Why are you drinking alcohol?” Completely forgotten is her drink between her hands and she tries to widen her eyes innocently jutting out her lower lip to appear cute. “Drop it, you know it won’t work.” Before she can reply he’s taken her drink and is making his way towards the bar with a grim face. SeHun hopes she didn’t just get Luhan fired.
How could Luhan serve alcohol to a minor? It’s the first mistake she’s ever made and it’s fatal. KyungSoo hates that this is what he has to scold her for as the first thing. It could close down the place if it was discovered that a minor was served alcohol.He’s nearing the bar, an angry set to his eyes as he opens his mouth to call for the older when a pair of small arms wrap around his middle.
“KyungSoo-ah” A familiar voice calls out and he turns around surprised but with a big smile on his face, because she’s always more than welcome and he breathes out a happy, “JoonMyun noona.”
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masterpost so all of exo is introduced now
kekeke
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