Archive of Our Own

Chenle wasn’t that drunk. He felt good but he certainly hadn’t had enough to justify any super obnoxious behavior. Luckily for him though, his friends couldn’t prove it.

“Whatcha talking about?” Chenle asked cheerfully, plopping right into Donghyuck’s lap. His friend wheezed, attempting to push him off, but Chenle held his ground. He grabbed Donghyuck’s hands, wrapping them around his waist and holding them there firmly. Chenle shot Renjun his best, blinding smile. “Why are you hiding back here in the corner? You guys are having too much fun without me.”

“It was a lot more fun without you,” Renjun agreed haughtily. He eyed the way Chenle entwined his legs with Donghyuck’s. Chenle didn’t care for the knowing look that Renjun shot him.

“Too bad! I’m bored of those losers,” he complained dramatically, flopping back.

“Go play with Jisung, he misses you,” Donghyuck grumbled, muffled by Chenle’s hair in his mouth.

“He doesn’t even know I’m gone. He’s been attempting cell fusion with Jaemin over there in the booth. I’m personally not interested in witnessing that.”

“Who wouldn’t want to be there for such a breakthrough for the scientific community?” Renjun asked blithely. He sucked down the remainder of his drink as Chenle watched.

“If you’re so fascinated by Jaemsung, you go perceive them,” he snapped as Donghyuck prodded him roughly in the ribs. Chenle wiggled, pressing his tailbone directly into Donghyuck’s thigh as revenge. He groaned, flinching away as Chenle held on for dear life.

“Did you really just come over here to be a little bitch?” Renjun asked casually, shaking the ice in his glass before setting it down. “We were having a nice time before.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet you were,” Chenle said with the widest smile he could manage. “Frankly, I’m surprised that I ended up in Donghyuck’s lap before you did, you s-”

“Does everybody need a drink?” Donghyuck called out, standing abruptly. He was kind enough not to dump Chenle entirely onto the floor but it was close. “Should we do shots?”

There was a half-enthused cry of assent from their friends.

“You’re coming with me,” Donghyuck told him through gritted teeth. He gripped Chenle by the shoulder, pausing just long enough to give Renjun’s chin an affectionate tweak before marching them over to the bar.

“Can you please stop using me in your weird mating dance with Renjun?” Donghyuck asked smartly once they arrived, trying to catch the bartender’s attention. He didn’t sound upset, surprisingly, but Chenle still couldn’t just let it be. He had to push his luck.

“What are you talking about? We broke up. The mating is in the past. This is just typical bitter ex behavior,” he insisted. Donghyuck barely acknowledged him, making a face with a snort as he eyes remained fixed on his target. He huffed in frustration at being ignored. Chenle rolled his eyes, digging his wallet out of his pocket. He pulled out his black card, tapping it sharply against the bar, leaving his arm extended until the bartender nearest them noticed.

“What can I get you?” the dude asked, holding up a placating hand to the group he’d walked away from.

“9 shots of Jameson-” Chenle started before Donghyuck cut him off.

“10, isn’t it? I heard Hendery just showed up.”

“10 shots of Jameson, like 5 waters, uh… Renjun drinks high balls, doesn’t he?” Chenle turned to find Donghyuck smirking at him.

“As if you don’t know,” he accused. Chenle frowned, then grinned, addressing the bartender again,

“Two Jameson highballs and then whatever he wants.” Chenle nodded at Donghyuck, grin turning smug. “Something fruity, I assume.”

“Fruits for a fruit,” Donghyuck sang out easily. Chenle giggled maniacally. Donghyuck ordered and Chenle tucked his card away, giving his name for the tab he already had open. He directed the shots and waters to be brought to the booth they’d claimed in the back, grabbing he and Renjun’s drinks. Donghyuck, on the other hand, didn’t move, fixing Chenle with an expectant look, leaning comfortably against the bar.

Chenle squinted at him then sighed, setting the drinks down again.

“What?” he asked, just a touch defensive.

“I asked you a question,” Donghyuck said. He thought for a moment. “I made a request, actually.”

“How can I stop doing something I wasn’t doing to begin with?” Chenle asked obnoxiously, pulling a face. Donghyuck just looked at him, sipping his cocktail sardonically through the stupid tiny straw. Chenle glared to no avail. He gave Donghyuck a half-hearted shove. “I wasn’t. Well…”

“~Well~,” Donghyuck repeated, mocking, but he was smiling now at least. “As if you two haven’t fucked every other time we go out and blamed it on the alcohol. That’s all well and good, or whatever, a queer ex’s sacred right. But like I said - leave me out of it.”

“I wasn’t,” Chenle repeated sullenly, even though he was and clearly they both knew it.

“And like, what’s worse is you know I’m into Renjun and you’re still like this,” Donghyuck continued merrily.

“I didn’t,” Chenle insisted, even though he did.

“Are you trying to rub my nose in it? Are you punishing me? Claiming your territory? What?”

Chenle took a long swig of his drink with his useful, full sized straw to avoid answering. It wasn’t exactly that.

“I’d do it to anyone,” he tried, treading lightly. “Not everything’s about you.”

Donghyuck snorted at this, giving his nonexistent hair a flip,

“Of fucking course it is. I’m the main character, bitch.”

Rather than argue, Chenle only grinned. It was sometimes true. Usually the main character was Renjun, though. Donghyuck waved Chenle's words away exaggeratedly, hand in his face.

“Sure, whatever. Be in denial. But if you don’t want me or the embarrassing number of our other friends who are down as fuck to monopolize your man, why don’t you just tell him you’re still into him?”

“I’d rather die,” Chenle chirped sunnily. Donghyuck laughed at this and Chenle smiled. At least he was being honest. “I’ve got my pride, you know?”

“Save it for June,” Donghyuck said, feigning unamused. He slurped the last of his drink, slamming the empty glass down on the bar. Chenle put his hands out to steady him as he took a teetering step forward. “I don’t give two shits about your pride if you’re willing to stomp all over mine. I’m giving you a week to shoot your shot, or I’m going for it myself. And I don't just mean getting in his pants, either. I’ll wife Renjun all the way up, you got that fucker? Consider this your warning.”

“Ooh, I’m so scared,” Chenle teased, grabbing hold of Donghyuck’s shoulders as he swayed ever so slightly. He ducked his head, looking closely at Donghyuck’s eyes. Chenle didn’t doubt that Donghyuck 100% meant what he said. But it was hard to take anyone well on his way to getting white girl wasted very seriously. “Are you already blacked? Will you remember anything after shot number 4 in the morning?”

“You’d better pray I don’t,” Donghyuck said with a sleepy smile, leaning his weight into Chenle heavily. Chenle grunted, taking a step back to steady himself. He bumped into the girl behind him waiting for her drink, quickly apologizing. When he turned back, Donghyuck’s face was so close that Chenle dropped him in surprise. Donghyuck collided against him in a hug, holding on for dear life.

“I think you’d better skip that shot, lightweight,” Chenle told him fondly, hugging him back, ruffling Donghyuck’s gel-stiffened hair.

“Fuck you,” Donghyuck mumbled into his neck with a huff of laughter. “You’re not the boss of me.”

“That’s not what you said when I paid for your utilities last month,” Chenle teased. “What happened to ‘President Chenle’?”

Donghyuck sighed into the curve of Chenle’s neck, the puff of air making him fidget, ticklish. He hummed and Chenle twitched again. He was just about to complain when Donghyuck moved - lips brushing Chenle’s jaw, hot breath in his ear.

“Take me home,” Donghyuck murmured, pulling back just far enough to meet Chenle’s eye. He gazed at him expectantly.

What?

“What??” Chenle asked, cringing when his voice cracked a little in surprise. Donghyuck pursed his lips, looking Chenle’s face over leisurely. He titled his head with a coy grin, leaning in closer.

Chenle froze. Was Donghyuck going to kiss him?

“Take me home. I’m drunk and tired and I want to sleep at your place,” Donghyuck explained patiently in a stage whisper. Then he pulled away, raising a judgmental eyebrow. “Didn’t you say I could?”

“Oh. Yeah right,” Chenle said weakly. He let Donghyuck ease himself out of Chenle’s embrace. It only took a moment for Donghyuck to steady himself. “But I, uh. I have to take the drinks over-”

“Sure, sure, fine,” Donghyuck said, holding out his hand, demanding. Chenle just looked at him. “Give me your phone so I can call an uber. Go take your boyfriend his drink and do your shot, I’ll be outside.”

He hesitated for long enough that Donghyuck made a noise of impatience, swatting Chenle on the chest with the back of his hand. Chenle dutifully retrieved his phone from his pocket, handing it over. Donghyuck lit up, satisfied, leaning over to steal a sip from Chenle’s drink before waving himself off with a cheeky grin. Chenle watched until he disappeared through the front door before looking around helplessly. He sighed, grabbing the two highballs that had been sweating away on the bar, making a beeline back to their friends.

“God, there you are. We were this close to drinking without you,” Jeno said, throwing an arm around Chenle’s shoulder and yanking him close. The drinks in his hand dribbled over the rim of the cups.

“What the fuck, dude,” Chenle complained mildly, handing one drink off to Renjun before turning and wiping as much of the sticky wet alcohol that he could manage on Jeno’s face. Jeno released him, ducking away with a wounded noise. Chenle glanced around to see Jisung perched comfortably on top of Jaemin in the far corner, looking pink around the cheeks and unbearably pleased. Chenle held in a retch.

“Thanks for the shots, man. I know none of these losers would foot the bill for all of us,” Yangyang said, sidling up to give Chenle a hearty slap on the back.

“Oh shit, speaking of bill, could you do me a favor and close out my tab before you go?” Chenle asked, snatching up one of the shots and downing it. There was a mass grumble of disdain and complaint.

“Dude! We’ve all gotta drink together,” Hendery said, reaching out to claim a shot of his own. “Plus I need to catch up.”

“Take Donghyuck’s shot then, I’m out of here,” Chenle said, looking around for the sport coat he’d worn in.

“Why the hell doesn’t Donghyuck get Donghyuck’s shot?” Jaemin demanded, muffled with his face buried in the back of Jisung’s neck.

“Does anyone wanna finish this?” Chenle asked, holding out his highball. It was snatched away by Dejun who was quickly accosted by Hendery, and they began bickering over who should get it.

“What the fuck, you’re leaving us?” Yangyang whined, throwing him into a friendly chokehold.

“Where is Donghyuck?” Renjun asked, sipping innocently on his fresh drink. Chenle knew better than to trust it.

“He got too fucked up too fast, so he’s heading home. Thus the extra shot,” he explained, not looking Renjun in the eye. He could imagine the smug ass expression well enough. What was Chenle even doing?

“Yeah, okay, makes sense,” Renjun drawled predictably. Chenle pursed his lips, fighting his way out of Yangyang’s hold. “But then, uh… that doesn't explain where you're going...”

“Home,” Chenle said shortly.

More groaning and vicious dissent.

“To be clear… you’re going home with Donghyuck?” Renjun asked. Chenle glared at him and Renjun only smirked.

“It’s not like that. Maybe I’m tired of you assholes, have you ever considered that?”

“So the owner of the asshole you’re not tired of would be-”

“Fuck off,” Chenle said, giving both Hendery and Jaemin the finger as they giggled evilly. He turned back to Yangyang who was shaking his head pityingly. “Don’t forget my card, dude. I’ll get it from you sometime next week.”

Yangyang opened his mouth to offer further ribbing but Chenle just rolled his eyes,

“I’ll let you order another round on me.”

That perked him right up.

“You got it, bro. Anything for you, man,” Yangyang said cheerfully. Chenle made a face, swatting him roughly in the stomach. When Yangyang keeled over, Chenle offered him a loving pat on the head.

“I’m out,” he announced, throwing his jacket on and waving without looking back.

“You two have fun~” Renjun called serenely to uproarious laughter. Chenle didn’t pause, flipping them off over his shoulder.

When Chenle finally managed to fight his way through the crowd and out the door, he caught sight of Donghyuck standing off to the side, arms wrapped around himself to stave off the slight chill. Chenle started toward him but stopped abruptly when he realized Donghyuck was talking to a girl.

“Yeah, we come here a lot, you’ve probably seen us around. I'm surprised we’ve never met before,” Donghyuck was saying warmly, smiling down at her. Chenle hovered just at the edge of this interaction, not sure whether he should interrupt. When Donghyuck caught sight of him over the girl’s shoulder he immediately widened his eyes, jerking his head minutely to beckon Chenle over.

Welp. There you go, then.

“Hey babe, sorry I took so long,” Chenle said casually, draping his arm over Donghyuck’s shoulder. The girl glanced at him, surprised.

“Really though,” Donghyuck replied teasingly, leaning into his embrace. “You’re lucky that Ricky in the white Nissan Altima was so far away. I would have left your ass.”

“Well, it was really nice talking to you. I’d better get going,” the girl said awkwardly, offering a little wave before scampering off.

“Bad?” Chenle asked, letting his arm drop. Donghyuck immediately shivered.

“Nah, she was fine. Just a little pushy,” he said, watching as Chenle shrugged off his sportscoat.

“If you didn’t want her to keep talking to you, you probably shouldn’t have been flirting so hard,” Chenle teased. Donghyuck scoffed.

“That’s just how I talk,” he reasoned, eyes following the motion of Chenle swinging the jacket over his shoulders. 

“Exactly. But it’s one thing to know that and another thing to be on the receiving end.”

He said it casually (or so he thought) but it made Donghyuck look at Chenle like he’d suddenly been presented with a puzzle. Then he scoffed, glancing down at himself.

“What a gentleman~” Donghyuck said wryly, wiggling to adjust it.

“Just playing the part,” Chenle said, fighting a smile. "I think that girl's still watching."

Chenle tugged on the jacket's lapels under the guise of straightening it. Donghyuck was looking at him and smiling and. Goddamit, why did Chenle keep getting that stupid romcom They’re About To Kiss vibe? Like where was it coming from all of a sudden?

There was an abrupt honk and they both jumped.

"Looks like Ricky finally showed up," Donghyuck said, slipping his arms properly through the coat sleeves. Chenle merely nodded, following Donghyuck to the car. They slid into the back and the driver waited just long enough for them to get buckled before taking off.

Donghyuck pressed Chenle's phone into his hand. It prompted him to rate the driver. Chenle glanced up at Ricky who continued to drive in absolute silence. Five stars. 

Chenle turned to joke with Donghyuck only to find him nodding off where he sat. Chenle grinned to himself, rolling his eyes as he reached over to lean Donghyuck carefully against his shoulder. He smelled like gel and sweat and glitter and musky cologne, hair just a bit disheveled. Chenle rubbed his face against Donghyuck’s messy, crunchy hair, breathing him in. When he pulled away, he made the mistake of catching Ricky’s eye in the rearview mirror. He scowled, staring pointedly out the window for the remainder of the ride.

When they arrived, Chenle prodded Donghyuck awake, grinning when he groaned and moaned, steering him upstairs. He ignored Donghyuck’s pleading to be carried and his complaints that he was tired. Chenle did allow himself to be hung on the entire elevator ride up, though. And for the trek down the hall. And until Chenle forcibly dropped Donghyuck in the bathroom with instructions to take a piss and wash his face. Chenle had no desire to be bitched out for ‘letting’ Donghyuck sleep without taking care of his nighttime routine. As if Chenle gave two shits about skincare. He would prefer Donghyuck brush his teeth though.

Chenle let him do his thing, returning to the living room where Daegal was waiting, whining and bouncing excitedly in her pen. There were two little pee spots on her pad but no poop, so Chenle went to retrieve her leash and harness. She was instantly overcome with excitement, practically vibrating as he put them on her. Daegal pranced happily into the elevator and Chenle wandered around the small grass area behind his building as she sniffed and yapped at stuff. Once she finally curled one out, Chenle tossed it into the nearby pet waste bin and made his way back to the apartment.

Donghyuck was no longer in the bathroom, which was a good sign, probably. All of his clothes were though, along with a bunch of used makeup wipes and a dripping wet toothbrush in the middle of the counter.

Well, better than nothing.

Chenle threw Donghyuck’s toothbrush into the holder before scrubbing his own teeth, and splashing cold water on his face. He wiped it off viciously with a nearby washcloth, stripping down to his boxers and kicking both sets of clothes into the corner before making his way to the bedroom.

Donghyuck was sprawled out obnoxiously, face down on Chenle’s favorite pillow, gripping it like a lifeline. Chenle frowned, poking around the foot of his bed for a spare. He let it drop half on Donghyuck’s head, poking and prodding him until there was enough room to actually fit.

“You sleep in a goddamn full, how can you take up my entire queen-sized?” Chenle asked grumpily as Donghyuck groaned, flinging himself around to suction his octopus limbs all over Chenle instead of the pillow. He pretended to be annoyed by this for all of two seconds before giving up. Chenle turned to plug his phone in, ignoring Donghyuck’s loud noise of complaint. He briefly considered letting Donghyuck’s phone die as punishment for his laziness before plugging that in as well. He shut off the lights and allowed himself to be reclaimed by Donghyuck’s demanding arms.

Chenle listened to his even breathing for a few minutes before succumbing to sleep.

💅

There was a dick on Chenle’s ass. That was his first conscious thought the next morning when he woke up to find Donghyuck somehow more wrapped around him than he’d been when they fell asleep. Chenle couldn’t blame him for morning wood, and it’s not like he would mention it. Bro code and all. But he didn’t really need another reason to suddenly be thinking a little too hard about Donghyuck. Or his dick.

Chenle tried to wiggle subtly away but he ended up waking Donghyuck, who groaned loudly, much to his dismay. Had he always sounded like a romance novel heroine in the morning? Had Chenle simply not noticed until now?

“It’s too early,” Donghyuck rasped. He must have noticed the long, hard truth of the matter because he stuffed a handful of comforter between himself and Chenle’s ass as a barrier before stretching his arms above his head. “Isn’t it too early?”

“To what? Exist?” Chenle asked, reaching over to check his phone. “It’s almost 10:30.”

“Way too early,” Donghyuck confirmed, flipping onto his back and throwing an arm over his face. Chenle felt like he’d earned the right to tease him. He rolled over, hooking one leg over Donghyuck’s and pressing a hand just over the top of his briefs. He felt Donghyuck’s stomach flex in surprise, though his face remained impassive. Impressive. But now he knew that Chenle knew.

“You were unconscious before 1am,” Chenle pointed out, scratching lightly over Donghyuck’s skin. He snapped the band of Donghyuck's underwear smartly. “You need over 9 hours of sleep?”

“How do you think I stay like this?” Donghyuck asked dismissively, gesturing over his face. “It’s called beauty sleep for a reason.”

“Oof, in that case, you'd better go back to bed,” Chenle said, jerking violently when Donghyuck tickled him in retaliation. Luckily the abuse was interrupted by Daegal appearing at the side of the bed.

Donghyuck’s attention immediately shifted and he crawled over Chenle aggressively to scoop her up, cooing and petting wildly. Chenle lay there for a while, allowing his torso to be used as leverage until he simply couldn’t take it anymore.

“Let me up, my bladder’s gonna explode,” he complained, sliding out of bed at the first opportunity.

“Your daddy’s so bossy,” Donghyuck told Daegal in a high pitched, sing-song voice. Chenle hated to admit he stumbled. “Why is he so grumpy in the morning, hmm? Why is he such a whiny ass?”

“Maybe Daddy didn’t feel like going home at midnight like a little bitch,” Chenle said, trying for accusatory but it came out too wobbly. He fought not to cringe when Donghyuck looked at him.

“Too late to cry about it now, D- stupid,” Donghyuck snorted, turning his attention firmly back on Daegal. He snuck a look at Chenle from the corner of his eye, tone bright. “Anyway, you know I don’t expect favors for free.”

“Since when?” Chenle demanded, laughing out loud. Donghyuck threw a pillow at him, grabbing ahold of Daegal when she tried to chase after it.

“Shut up. I’ll make you breakfast,” Donghyuck grumbled, rubbing his face aggressively against the puppy’s fur. Chenle grinned,

“I want a full course meal. Just eggs and rice doesn’t count. Frozen waffles doesn't count.”

“You’ll get what I feed you,” Donghyuck sniffed.

“Yes, Mom~”

The second pillow hit Chenle square in the face. He tossed it back, laughing maniacally as he took off toward the bathroom.

He took a piss and started to leave before thinking twice. He washed his hands and brushed his teeth, ignoring the pounding on the door. As soon as he opened it, Donghyuck pushed Daegal into his hands and shoved him outside. Chenle heard the shower start as he wandered out to the living room. He refilled Daegal’s water bowl, setting her down to drink. He noticed that he’d forgot to pick up her used pee pad last night, so he fished a clean one from under the kitchen sink, swapping it out and tossing the gross one into the bin out on the balcony. He washed his hands again, turning just in time to see Donghyuck appear in the hallway completely naked. He was towel drying his hair with one hand and holding up a pair of boxers in the other.

“What the fuck,” Chenle said at the same time Donghyuck told him,

“I’m stealing these.”

“They might be your last clean underwear though,” Donghyuck continued, ignoring his alarm, wandering over to toss his towel on top of the washing machine.

Chenle stared at him for a long moment before he realized his wet hands were dripping on the floor. He snatched up a hand towel.

“I think there’s some in the dryer,” he said, not adding that they’d probably been there for 3 days as he took note of how full the washing machine looked. He wondered if he could hold off until his housekeeper showed up on Wednesday before sadly concluding that he’d probably have to do a load tonight. “You can’t just walk around my house bare ass. What if my mom was here?”

“Your mom is in Shanghai,” Donghyuck said dismissively, balancing on one foot to pull the boxers on. He caught Chenle’s eye, shimming them up saucily. Chenle scoffed. He rolled his eyes. They stood there for a moment. Donghyuck was the first to turn away.

“I’m going to do fancy brunch,” he announced, disappearing into Chenle’s room once more. “Pull out brunch ingredients.”

“I don’t believe I’m supposed to be helping!” Chenle complained, grinning when Donghyuck only squawked in displeasure.

Chenle did as he was told anyway. What did they get at fancy brunch? He pulled out eggs and whatever veggies he might like in an omelet. He pulled out bread and cinnamon sugar and syrup. He found bacon and two types of sausage. He threw out a box of pancake mix and then a bag he found of Korean pancake mix which, god only knew how old that was. Flour didn’t go bad, right? He was pretty sure Renjun had forced Donghyuck to make it one time.

There was a small mountain of food on his counter when Donghyuck returned, wearing half of Chenle’s closet.

“You’re not allowed to steal that shirt, it’s my favorite,” he ordered as Donghyuck came over, gave his ass an affectionate swat, then shoved him out of the way.

“You shouldn’t have admitted that,” Donghyuck told him with a smile. “Anyway, I thought the Warriors one was your favorite.”

“That’s my favorite jersey, this is my favorite t-shirt.”

“It was your favorite t-shirt~”

“All you do is take.”

“Because you have stuff I want! When was the last time you wanted something from me?”

Chenle pressed his lips together.

Instead of answering, he just wandered out of the kitchen with a ‘hmph’, throwing himself on the couch. Daegal immediately ran over to him with a toy in her mouth. 

Chenle yelled for Alexa to play some music, which Donghyuck began humming along to, dancing and chopping vegetables at the same time. Chenle played with his dog, occasionally harmonized with Donghyuck, and mostly ignored the way his stomach growled at the increasingly delicious smells that emanated from the kitchen.

He was up immediately when Donghyuck called him to eat.

“Wash your hands,” Donghyuck ordered, slapping them away from the food.

“I’ve already washed them like a million times this morning!”

“That was before they were covered in dog slobber, you sicko.”

Chenle gave him a look, shoving his chair back dramatically before stomping over to the sink. He didn’t bother to dry them, coming over to flick water at Donghyuck before returning to his seat victoriously.

“Thanks for the food, Mommy,” Chenle tried, cackling when Donghyuck pretended to retch.

“First of all, ew. Second of all, you’re not going to trick me into calling you Daddy again.”

“Really? Cuz you kinda just did~”

“Yeah, yeah. And what? You gonna jerk off about it?”

Chenle only grinned, digging into the food. It was delicious. Chenle wasn’t exactly opposed to cooking for himself but more often than not, he tended to get lazy and order out.

“I think this is my first home cooked meal in months,” he said happily, glancing down at Daegal who was jumping up on the side of his chair. He gave her a stern look and a little growl. She quickly sat down, tail wagging, waiting patiently. Chenle cooed, offering her a pat on the head before turning back to his plate.

“Really? What about your sugar baby?” Donghyuck asked, completely serious. Chenle stopped chewing and looked at him.

“Who the fuck-”

“You know. That sexy older guy you string along for chores and attention,” Donghyuck said brightly. “Renjun knows him too. I’m pretty sure he told me you pay for his student loans, right? One time you had him pick us up from Drag Night at 3am on a Thursday, drive all the way across town to drop me off at my place, then go back with you to yours - you don’t remember that? And I know he had work in the morning because he kept sighing and calculating the amount of sleep he’d get under his breath if he were to go home right that minute.”

“We’re not- Kun’s just a-”

“Kun, that was it. I do have to say, that man is Fine. Capital F fine. And didn’t you tell me he does marathons, n shit? He can fly a plane? Maybe it was Renjun who said… Dude, I would love to get the chance to meet him again a lower stress environment because-”

“Back off,” Chenle sniped and Donghyuck threw his head back laughing. Chenle bristled, then deflated, watching Donghyuck wipe tears of mirth from his eyes, just irrationally pleased with himself. He looked pretty like that.

Chenle pushed thoughts of Kun and Renjun to the back of his mind, watching instead as Donghyuck chuckled to himself, eating the food he’d prepared with satisfaction.

“Did you try the spread? I mixed some of your cream cheese with the chives and garlic from the-” Donghyuck started, looking up to find Chenle staring. He raised an eyebrow before his expression turned playfully exasperated.

“What?” he demanded, making a face when Chenle just shrugged. “You keep staring at me. You were doing it last night. Did I go through a sudden metamorphosis or something? Did I wake up a cockroach?”

“Nah, there’s just a giant booger in your nose,” Chenle said, giggling when his hand immediately flew to check. Donghyuck glared murderously.

“Well stop,” he said, straightening up in his chair, playing idly with the food on his plate.

Chenle stood, startling both Donghyuck and Daegal. He moved around the table, making straight for Donghyuck.

“What?” Donghyuck demanded, not looking at him. Was he nervous? A little tingle shot up Chenle’s back.

“I was just thinking… we have pretty similar taste in men,” Chenle began carefully. It surprised Donghyuck enough that he actually glanced up. Good. “Like, we’re both into Renjun, we both had a thing for Mark… You’re willing to throw yourself at my childhood friend who I may or may not have accidentally entered into a sugar daddy relationship with on accident-”

Donghyuck snorted, relaxing. He waited for Chenle to continue, chin on one hand.

“-and I was just thinking like. How come the venn diagram of friends we’ve both fucked around with is a circle but we’ve never even like. Kissed?”

Donghyuck opened his mouth and instantly shut it again. He cocked his head, staring up at Chenle in silence. He made a face.

“Are you just horny or something?” he asked finally. If Chenle didn’t know Donghyuck so well and if he was less than confident, this probably would have cut deep. Luckily though.

“Who would- But actually- Horny to makeout?” he demanded.

“So you want to makeout with me…”

“That’s what I just said!”

“First of all, no it’s not. You said a bunch of nonsense,” Donghyuck told him, once again not quite looking Chenle in the eye. “And second of all, where is this coming from? Genuinely, do you just fall for people who wait on you like your mom?”

“Fuck all the way off.”

“Am I wrong?? I make you breakfast and you want to make out with me for the first time in our entire friendship? No wonder you’re confused about Kun.”

Chenle huffed. He nearly let it drop, returning to his seat and finishing his food as usual. But you know what? Nah!

“I thought you were going to kiss me last night,” he said instead, pursing his lips as Donghyuck picked at his nails. “I guess I never really thought about it before but now I’m thinking about it.”

“Well, I’m flattered,” Donghyuck said blithely. Chenle moved to catch his eye but Donghyuck’s gaze remained fixed on his fingernails. “But that’s not my problem.”

“Come on, kissing all of your friends is a queer right of passage!” Chenle cried.

“Then we should have done it when we were drunk last night,” Donghyuck insisted.

“What’s so bad about me sober? I’m a good kisser! I’m even better than Mark.”

“Low bar,” Donghyuck said dryly. Chenle reeled back, aghast.

“I thought Mark was pretty good…”

“Compared to what? A vacuum? Nah, me and Renjun both agree that Jeno takes the crown~”

“Jeno’s straight??” Chenle sputtered in confusion. Donghyuck’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline before he dissolved into malicious laughter.

“Sweetie… baby… darling - you’ve got to be kidding me,” he said smugly. “I know your gaydar sucks but this is too much. How long have you known him?? You had a crush on him!”

Chenle grimaced, poised to argue but he was suddenly more concerned with Donghyuck’s beaming face just below his than embarrassing himself with his bad takes.

“Hey… you’re really cute, you know?” Chenle asked sweetly. Donghyuck choked on a giggle, mouth half open.

“Shut up,” he ordered weakly. Chenle grinned, leaning in.

“Are you sure you don’t wanna try?” he asked, placing one hand on the Donghyuck’s seat back, resting his weight there heavily.

“Now?”

“Why not?”

Much to Chenle’s surprise, rather than arguing, Donghyuck tilted his head, raising his chin until their lips nearly brushed. Chenle smiled wide but didn’t move. He got another zing up his spine when Donghyuck grabbed a handful of shirt, pulling him in.

Donghyuck was being careful, one hand on Chenle’s face with a death grip on his shirt with the other. Their mouths tasted the same - just like the delicious breakfast he’d interrupted. Chenle nudged Donghyuck back with his lips, laughing when it made him grouse. He had both hands on the chair back now pressing Donghyuck as far into it as he could manage. Then he tipped it back on two legs.

Donghyuck flung himself forward in surprise, throwing his arms around Chenle to steady himself, making him laugh.

“There’s the passion,” he teased, crying out when Donghyuck bit his lower lip in retaliation. He didn’t let him go, though. He let Chenle suck on his tongue and his lower lip and made a noise of complaint when they accidentally bumped teeth and tilted Chenle’s head until their mouths fit together better.

“Satisfied?” Donghyuck asked when he finally pulled away. It was probably meant to be sarcastic. Dismissive, even.

But the string of spit that remained connected for that split second after they stopped and the way Donghyuck was flushed, breathing heavy… His apathy was betrayed.

“For now,” Chenle said, poking Donghyuck in the cheek when he scowled.

He practically skipped back to his seat, plopping down and snatching up half a bagel from a nearby plate. He lathered it with Donghyuck’s fancy spread, chewing thoughtfully.

“This is really good,” he said, offering Donghyuck a grin.

“I know,” he replied, with most of his usual conceit. Chenle’s grin widened as he gestured around,

“This morning was pretty perfect, you know? We weren’t too hungover, we got to sleep in. Didn’t have to meet anyone halfway across town just to get brunch.”

“Yeah…” Donghyuck said carefully.

“Pretty perfect,” Chenle repeated, his eyes twinkling with mischief. Donghyuck held very still, clearly suspicious. Chenle took another big ass bite. “We should do this again sometime, don’t you think?”

Donghyuck blustered, which made Chenle smile.

"Don't think I forgot about our deal last night," he said huffily. Chenle's smile faded. "I wasn't blacked out and I'm still holding you to it. Seven days of uninterrupted Renjun access before I try anything. Whatever you're doing right now isn't- You're not going to trick me, okay? You're only wasting time trying to psyche me out."

"Oh," Chenle said, slumping down slightly in his chair. Donghyuck was eying him critically but his hair was stuck up all funny and his lips were still slick. He didn't look intimidating in the least. Chenle had sort of forgotten about Donghyuck's ultimatum. For some reason he felt disappointed. "Yeah, okay."

He poked at his eggs a bit, peaking over at Donghyuck. He'd returned to eating, presumably carefree. Chenle cleared his throat and Donghyuck looked up at him quizzically.

"Well, it's not like I'm going to make any Renjun progress today," he reasoned carefully. Donghyuck made a face but he was amused. That was a good sign. "He usually visits his parents on Sundays. So... you might as well stay and hang out? We never finished that video game a few weeks back."

Donghyuck sighed dramatically. Chenle grinned.

"Fine," he agreed with a smirk. Then he feigned seriousness, pointing his fork at Chenle's face. "But keep your lips to yourself."

"Deal," Chenle agreed. That was fine, he thought, settling back into his chair happily. For now. Baby steps.