Archive of Our Own

“Oh fuck Yunho—right there!” Mingi gasped, clutching at the edge of the counter while Yunho pounded inside him from behind.

He had his face pressed against the cold marble, drenched with his own spit now that accumulated since they started. Yunho’s grip was firm on his hips, so firm it bordered bruising while he kept his ass at the perfect angle to aim at his prostate with every thrust.

“You feel so good princess,” Yunho groaned, one of his hands moving from his hips to one of his ass cheeks, groping it fully, spreading it a little to have a better view of his stretched hole swallowing his whole length. “All stretched out for me, you’re just swallowing my cock without any resistance now.”

Mingi whimpered, the sound echoing in the kitchen as well for Yunho’s soft groan that escaped from deep down of his chest, his body trembling with each deep, punishing thrust. He clenched involuntarily around him, so sensitive from being so thoroughly used. Their skin slapping in lewd, wet squelches echoed and Mingi could feel sweat trickling down his back.

Yunho’s hand on his ass burned with heat, fingers digging in possessively as he watched himself disappear over and over into Mingi’s well-used hole. And when a primal groan rumbled from Yunho's chest again, the sight alone was almost too much.

"Look at you," he breathed, voice rough and dark. "Taking me so perfectly… my good boy."

Yunho leaned over slightly, pressing Mingi more against the counter, biting his shoulder gently before adding in a murmur: 

“Gonna make you come just like this… all mine. Are you gonna come for me princess?”

God how crazy Mingi was when Yunho was talking in that voice—low, possessive, loving—even more frequent now. His breath hitched instantly, back bowing further beautifully while moving his hips to meet each thrusts that was making him teeter on the edge. 

His cock dripped untouched, throbbing with need but forgotten in favor of being filled like this. Possessed completely.

A broken sob escaped him when his priest bit down just slightly harder, not enough to hurt really, but enough that fire sparked across his skin.

And when Yunho's hand slid up his back and moved dangerously close to his neck, the knot that had been tightening inside of him finally snapped. 

“Y-Yun—! Ah!”

His whole body seized as he came untouched, spurting on the furniture with nothing else but Yunho’s cock sinking deep inside him. 

Yunho felt it. Of course he did. The way his body convulsed, his perfect hole clamping down in rhythmic pulses around him as pleasure ripped through every nerve. The priest’s breath came out in a hot, shuddering gasp against Mingi’s damp skin.

That was it.

The sensation of being milked so perfectly, tight and wet and perfect, was Yunho's undoing. With a guttural cry muffled into Mingi's shoulder, he buried himself to the hilt and came hard inside the condom, hips stuttering erratically as wave after wave of white-hot ecstasy crashed over him.

For several seconds all they could do was breathe. Heavy panting filled the air between them while their bodies slowly rode out their highs together.

“So good, so perfect Mingi-yah…” Yunho breathed slowly against his shoulder, pampering it with light kisses before slowly pulling out of him.

Mingi watched over his shoulder, his own breath starting to steady softly, he glanced at Yunho removing the condom carefully before closing it and throwing it in the trash. He felt as if his legs had turned into jelly and when Yunho came back to him, he took him in his arms and carried him to the bedroom where he gently laid him on the bed.

Mingi sighed as he cuddled close with Yunho once they settled comfortably, one of his legs straddling his. 

“I want to say,” he started after a few seconds of just appreciating Yunho massaging the sore muscles of his thighs, “I much prefer when you cum inside me. I love to feel your skin raw against my walls and the warm sensation of your cum deep inside.”

A soft pout took possession of his face as he looked up to see Yunho’s face.

The priest’s movements faltered, his heart swelling with a tenderness that made his chest ache. He looked down at him, his Mingi, flushed, slightly pouty and beautiful in the afterglow, and felt something deep and warm bloom inside.

Without a word, he leaned in and kissed Mingi softly. With all the care of the world. When they parted slightly after a few seconds, Yunho pressed their foreheads together, their noses brushing gently.

“I also prefer when we don't use them. When I can feel your warm walls around me, marking you from the inside,” he whispered sincerely. “But we have to go see your friends Mingi. Cumming inside would have meant more aftercare to clean you up and we can’t afford that.”

Mingi snuggled closer, pressing his face in the crook of Yunho's neck where he nibbled at the skin gently. “Wooyoung is just being annoying. He just wants to see if you're real and then judge my taste again.”

Yunho chuckled, the sound low and fond inside his chest, “And don’t you want to show me around to your friend?” he joked, “Am I not good looking enough? Or maybe you’re scared I’ll bother them—Ow!”

Yunho squealed when Mingi’s teeth sank in his neck, when he looked down the other man was glaring at him with annoyed eyes.

“What was that for?” Yunho chuckled and it earned him a swap at his chest.

“Don’t you dare saying you’re not good looking or annoying.” Mingi growled, “From all the people that I dated you are so far the most handsome, nicest, sexyest and interesting one! It's just that my friends are a lot and Wooyoung in particular has always judged the guys I've dated even when I told him I didn’t like it. He has a way to sneak his nose in what doesn’t concern him and I don’t want him to embarrass you.”

Yunho's expression softened completely at Mingi’s outburst. He cupped his face gently with both hands and kissed the tip of his nose.

“Aww, my little tiger,” he cooed affectionately. “You’re defending me? That’s so sweet.”

He pressed a slow kiss to Mingi’s lips, soft and sweet, then rested their foreheads together again.

“I won’t let your friend embarrass me,” Yunho said firmly. “I’m not some insecure guy who gets flustered by a few teasing words. I can handle it.”

“I want them to see you’re happy with me.”  Another peck on the lips before he added playfully, “Besides… if your friend tries anything stupid? I’ll just smile like an angel and say something polite that makes him feel dumb.”

Mingi smiled, “Yeah, you have a talent for that.”

Saying Mingi was nervous was not wrong. He was. Even if he would never admit it. Yunho could feel the tension in his body, the slight stiffness in his shoulders. He pulled back just enough to study his face, the faint furrow between his brows, the way Mingi was avoiding eye contact for a second too long.

Without saying anything, the priest rolled them over gently until Mingi was on top of him. Then he wrapped both arms around him and held him close, in a warm, tight embrace that said I’m here without words.

He didn’t kiss or tease. Just… held.

One hand slid up to cradle the back of the other’s head while he pressed soft kisses into his hairline. Small pecks along his forehead and temples like gentle reassurances.

No pressure. No demands. Just love quietly given through touch because sometimes that was all someone needed.

After a few minutes passed like this in silence, their breathing synced again, and Yunho finally whispered:

“I love you.”

A blissful smile spread across Mingi's face instantly at these words. “I love you too.” He said back, nuzzling against Yunho’s collarbone.

___

The apartment was loud before they even reached the door.

Music throbbed faintly through the hallway, tangled with Wooyoung’s sharp, unmistakable laugh and the smell of home-made food drifting from under the frame. Mingi slowed instinctively, drifting a little closer to Yunho as they walked. A quiet reflex for steadiness. Suddenly, he looked far more nervous than he had the entire ride over.

Yunho noticed immediately. His hand settled at the small of Mingi’s back with effortless familiarity, guiding him closer as they stopped outside the apartment. Just before the doorbell rang, he leaned in, his mouth brushing near Mingi’s ear. 

“It’s going to be okay, don’t worry,” he said gently.

Mingi scoffed, but there was no real bite behind it.

“Yeah. They’re just my friends.”

The words came out too fast, too forced.

After a beat, he glanced away.

The cheap convenience-store beer he’d downed “for courage” had already painted warmth across his cheeks, and his dark hair hung loose over his eyes in messy strands. He looked softer like this.

Yunho smiled softly but didn’t tease him for it. Even if it was rather cute to see Mingi that nervous. Far from the cocky behavior he was usually wearing as a second skin.

“It’s just going to be… intense,” Mingi admitted a moment later, voice lower now. “Especially with Wooyoung.”

Yunho tilted his head. “Intense how?”

Mingi opened his mouth—

And the apartment door slammed open hard enough to shake the frame.

“YOU’RE TWO MINUTES LATE.”

A boy with long black hair stood in the doorway, arms folded tightly over his chest, wearing a bright red apron that read ‘kiss the cook’ in peeling white letters. His stare was razor-sharp, openly suspicious as it flicked from Mingi to Yunho before narrowing entirely on Yunho, like he alone had committed some unforgivable offense.

Behind him, another boy leaned into view.

His hair was shorter, his almond-shaped eyes warm with poorly hidden amusement as he rested both hands on the first boy’s shoulders in an attempt at restraint. The expression on his face carried the exhausted fondness of someone who had witnessed this exact scene far too many times before.

“Sorry,” Yunho said smoothly before anyone else could get a word in.

His hand slipped from the small of Mingi’s back to rest at his waist instead, drawing him a little closer at his side.

“Mingi spent twenty minutes fixing his hair.”

Mingi made a scandalized noise. “You said you wouldn’t mention that—”

A sharp laugh burst from somewhere deeper inside the apartment.

Wooyoung’s eyes widened with immediate delight. “I knew it.”

“Okay, come in before Wooyoung starts a fight in the hallway,” the softer-looking one sighed, stepping aside to let them in. “I’m San, by the way. And this is Wooyoung, sorry about him.”

“I heard that.”

“You were supposed to.”

The apartment was warm in the way only truly lived-in places could be.

The lights were turned low, casting everything in soft gold while music hummed quietly from a speaker somewhere near the kitchen. Empty bottles already cluttered the counters despite the night having barely begun, and the smell of food—bibimpap—curled through the air the second Yunho and Mingi stepped inside.

And then there were the people.

The blond man sprawled cross-legged on the first couch noticed them first. He had sharp eyes and a prettier face than should’ve been fair, his gaze flicking over Yunho with the kind of quiet scrutiny that felt almost dangerous. 

Beside him sat another man with elegant posture and soft doe eyes. The moment he smiled at them, warm and completely genuine, Yunho felt some of the tension ease from his shoulders without meaning to.

At the dining table, two more heads turned.

One of them, the one with bright red curls falling into his eyes, lifted a shy hand in greeting almost immediately. Beside him, the other man simply gave a single nod before finishing opening a beer can. Without a word, he slid it across the table toward the redhead, who accepted it with an absent little smile that suggested this happened often.

“Mingi!” the elegant one called immediately, eyes lighting up. “You actually brought him.”

“I said I would,” Mingi shot back, though there was a defensive edge beneath the embarrassment. “Seonghwa, please.”

“Oh my god,” the blond man interrupted, leaning forward over the back of the couch like he physically couldn’t contain himself. “Why is he that tall?”

His stare traveled up Yunho with dramatic disbelief.

“Are you two trying to personally humiliate me? What is this giant-ass couple nonsense?”

Yunho blinked once. “...Thank you?”

“No, seriously,” the blond continued, waving a hand. “Mingi usually dates guys who look like they’d fly into another town if you breathed too hard on them.”

“Hongjoong,” Seonghwa sighed at the exact same moment Mingi groaned, “Be polite for God’s sake.”

“He’s not wrong, though,” Wooyoung commented from the kitchen.

“Wooyoung!”

“I’m just saying!”

Mingi looked one comment away from collapsing dead on the floor. Yunho, meanwhile, laughed. The sound seemed to catch Wooyoung off guard far more effectively than offense would have. His mouth snapped shut mid-retort while San quietly hid a smile behind his hand beside him.

Introductions blurred together after that.

Hongjoong stood first, shaking Yunho’s hand with a firm grip while watching him closely, as if piecing together something unspoken. 

Seonghwa followed with a gentle smile, clasping Yunho’s hand between both of his for a brief moment that felt effortlessly warm and welcoming. 

Yeosang offered only a soft smile at first, though it quickly shifted into something sly once Wooyoung started complaining again. 

Jongho kept it simple, giving a small nod and said, “Nice to meet you.”

“Alright, come in already,” San said with a laugh, steering them farther inside before Wooyoung could pry Yunho at the door. 

“Let’s have a little aperitif before dinner. What do you want, Yunho? Beer, water, soda? I can make you a vodka-apple, or pour you some soju if that’s more your thing.”

“Soju’s fine, thank you,” Yunho replied, then looked at Mingi. “And you?”

“Anything with alcohol,” Mingi said immediately, already halfway collapsing into the sofa like his bones had given up on him. He tugged Yunho down with him, fingers still loosely hooked around his.

That small contact didn’t go unnoticed. Wooyoung did a slow blink from across the room.

“Oh,” he said flatly. “So we’re doing that tonight.”

“Doing what?” Mingi asked, genuinely oblivious.

“Never mind.”

San laughed softly as he moved around the room, passing out drinks with an ease that seemed entirely natural to him. There was a quiet warmth in the way he carried himself, something steady that softened the atmosphere without him even trying, balancing out Wooyoung’s intensity before it could overwhelm the room. When he handed Yunho his glass, he dipped his head slightly.

“Don’t pay too much attention to him,” he said under his breath. “He’s in protective mode.”

Yunho huffed an amused laugh. “Yeah, I noticed.”

The second Mingi got his drink, he tossed it back in one swallow like he’d been waiting all day for it.

Across the room, Hongjoong was already leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, eyes fixed on Yunho with sharp concentration, like he was carefully testing the integrity of something before deciding whether to trust it.

“So,” he said, “you’re the summer miracle lover who got Mingi completely whipped.”

Yunho blinked once. “Summer miracle lover?” he echoed.

“The guy who somehow convinced this idiot to answer texts when he receives them.”

“Ah.” Yunho nodded as if this were a formal introduction. Amusement flickered in his tone. “Then I suppose that’s me. And it didn’t take much effort.”

“Hey!”

Seonghwa gave a soft laugh from his seat, his presence steady and warm in a way that seemed to anchor the room.

“It’s really nice to finally meet you,” he said sincerely.

There was something instinctively protective in the way he glanced at Mingi afterward, quietly checking his expression. Only when he saw how naturally Mingi stayed close to Yunho did his shoulders ease.

Yunho caught it too and understood immediately. This wasn’t just a group of friends. It was family. Chosen, not inherited. And in some ways, that made it even stronger.

“Mingi was really excited for you to get here,” Yeosang chirped happily as he and Jongho joined the circle.

“He’s been complaining nonstop about how slowly time was moving,” Jongho said.

A moment later, Wooyoung and San came back carrying bowls of appetizers, setting them down across the coffee table before slipping into their seats. Wooyoung’s attention never left Yunho for even a second. 

“So,” he said after a pause, tone unreadable. “You’re the priest.” 

Yunho blinked once.

“…That sounds more threatening when you say it like that.”

San snorted softly while Seonghwa covered his mouth to hide his laugh. Wooyoung, however, remained completely serious.

“You’re older.”

“A little.”

“You’re huge.”

“I’ve been told.”

“You met him at church.”

“Must be God’s will, don't you think?”

Mingi immediately buried his face in Yunho’s shoulder. “Please end me.”

Yunho rested a hand at the back of his neck, rubbing soothingly, then glanced up at the others with an infuriating calm. Wooyoung’s eyes narrowed further, like Yunho’s composure alone was personally offensive.

“Wooyoung,” Seonghwa warned gently, voice soft but firm. “Let’s not pry at him from the start. Let him settle into the group first.”

“Right,” Hongjoong added as he shifted closer. “We’ve got all night to interrogate him.”

“That’s comforting,” Yunho said with a faint smile.

San immediately burst out laughing, nearly tipping into Seonghwa, who caught him on instinct with a single arm without even looking.

Mingi let out a quiet breath of relief when Yunho’s other hand slid to his thigh. Gentle, grounding. Not possessive. Just steady. Present.

Like he was making sure Mingi knew it was going to be fine.

Wooyoung still watched them. Still suspicious. But at least he stopped looking like he was about to throw Yunho out of the apartment personally.

For now.

Dinner came and went in a blur of noise and overlapping conversations after that. They moved to the dining table. Plates were passed around, bottles were opened faster than they were emptied, and the apartment gradually shifted from friendly gathering to comfortable chaos.

Yunho listened more than he spoke at first. He observed them carefully but not in a judgmental way. More like he genuinely wanted to understand them.

“So you’re studying production?” he asked eventually, looking toward Hongjoong, which was occupied to fight with Seonghwa, who was insisting on putting vegetables on his plate.

Hongjoong perked up instantly with a bright smile on his face. “Music production, yeah.”

“And composition,” Seonghwa added fondly while he took the occasion to slide some carrots into his boyfriend's plate discreetly. Something in his tone made Yunho think he’d heard Hongjoong explain this a thousand times already. (Maybe because he did.)

The blond man gave him a fond smile before adding with a cocky tone, “What can I say, I’m good at all positions—wait did you just put carrots on my plate?!” 

“Especially at whining,” Wooyoung teased, out of his dark and cold behavior for a second, “He cries all the time over software updates.”

“Because they ruin my settings.” 

“Sure they do.”

“They ruin my creative process.”

“They also ruin my sleep schedule.” Seonghwa added dryly before taking a sip of his drink.

Yunho laughed softly at the outrage in Hongjoong’s voice. Not mocking. Just genuinely entertained.

“That’s fair,” he said. “I’d lose my mind too.”

“Thank you!” he said, sounding vindicated as he leaned forward, “People always act like producing is just pressing buttons, but if one thing glitches, suddenly the entire track sounds wrong and then you can’t even remember what you changed because your ears are already exhausted.”

“Mingi mentioned that you two stay up all night working sometimes,” Yunho said. 

“He complains about it because we’re living depending on coffee.”

“We are.” Mingi confirmed immediately.

“And they forget to sleep,” Seonghwa added with a sigh that sounded painfully practiced.

“And sunlight,” Jongho muttered.

Hongjoong looked offended. “I go outside.”

“The convenience store does not count,” San informed him cheerfully.

“That’s still exposure to society,” Hongjoong defended weakly.

“Barely,” Wooyoung said.

Yunho laughed again, softer this time, and Mingi felt some of the tension in his chest finally loosen. Nobody was forcing politeness. It was just… flowing.

“Honestly,” Yunho admitted, glancing toward Seonghwa, “I think you deserve financial compensation for managing all of them.”

Seonghwa let out a startled laugh. “Finally, someone understands me.”

“He’s the mother of our group.” Yeosang explained happily.

“I am not.”

“You absolutely are,” Jongho said. “You literally remind us to drink water all the time.”

“Because otherwise you survive on caffeine and bad decisions.”

“That sounds dramatic.”

“Mingi once ate gummy worms for dinner.”

Yunho turned slowly toward him.

Mingi froze. “Traitor.”

“You told me you forgot groceries.”

“I did forget groceries.”

“And then you ate candy instead of real food.”

“I was busy.”

Wooyoung stared at Yunho carefully while the others laughed, almost like he was waiting for the moment the priest would become annoyed. Instead Yunho only sighed sympathetically.

“I get it,” he told Seonghwa sincerely. “I help with the youth group at church, and teenage boys are terrifying.”

“That’s exactly what I’ve been saying,” Seonghwa said immediately, pointing at him in vindication.

“We’re literally adults,” Hongjoong complained.

“Legally,” Wooyoung replied.

Jongho grinned after taking a bite of his food. “Emotionally questionable though.”

“Speak for yourself.”

“You cried because your laptop froze.”

“It froze during export.”

“And?” Wooyoung asked.

“And I saw my entire future collapsing before my eyes.”

Yunho snorted into his glass before catching himself, smiling apologetically when Hongjoong looked betrayed.

“No, no, I understand,” he assured him. “Mingi’s the same when his projects go wrong.”

Mingi frowned. “I’m not dramatic.”

Seven people stared at him.

“…Okay maybe a little.”

“Quite a lot,” Wooyoung corrected.

The sharpness in his tone had softened, though. Not gone. Still there, still observant, still assessing but no longer barbed. Mingi noticed it immediately. Without thinking, he shifted a little closer into Yunho’s side, and Yunho’s thumb brushed his thigh again, light, absentminded, grounding in a way that steadied him more than it probably should have as they ate in peace. 

By the time the plates were cleared, their stomachs full and a third round (fourth or more for some) had been poured, the atmosphere had settled into something almost too comfortable for how quickly it had come together. One by one, they drifted away from the table and back toward the living area.

The music had been turned up just a little. The lights dimmed a little more. San had somehow produced a blanket from nowhere and draped it over the back of the sofa like it had always belonged there before heading off to clear the table.

Yeosang had already staked out a corner of one of the couches, and Jongho settled beside him without ceremony, their shoulders pressing together in a way that only looked casual if you knew them well enough to notice otherwise.

“Alright,” Hongjoong said suddenly, clapping once as he leaned back with theatrical ease. “I’m officially bored of emotional development. We need entertainment.”

“I agree,” Wooyoung said at once.

“No one’s surprised,” Seonghwa murmured, though he was already smiling as he stood to start collecting plates and glasses.

San tilted his head. “Board games?”

“Too calm,” Wooyoung dismissed immediately.

“A movie?” Yeosang offered.

“Too quiet.”

Mingi let out a long sigh. “You just want chaos.”

Wooyoung pointed at him like he’d just spoken undeniable truth. “Yes.”

That decided it faster than anyone could object. San finished stacking the dishes and slipped briefly into the kitchen. Seonghwa gave up on cleaning altogether with an amused, resigned look. Even Jongho leaned forward a little, interest flickering into his expression for the first time all night.

“Truth or dare?” Hongjoong suggested, almost offhand.

The reaction was immediate.

Mingi groaned. “No.”

Wooyoung smiled. “Yes.”

Yunho raised a brow. “That escalated fast.”

“It builds character,” Wooyoung said.

“It builds trauma,” San muttered under his breath.

“That too,” Seonghwa added lightly as he dropped back into place.

Within minutes, they had arranged themselves into a loose circle between the couches and the floor, snacks and drinks within easy reach. The mood shifted again. Turning looser, louder, and unmistakably more chaotic.

Mingi found himself wedged between San and Hongjoong, much to his quiet despair. Yunho sat directly opposite him, with Seonghwa on his right and Wooyoung on his left.

“Rules,” Hongjoong declared, as if he were officiating something far more important than a drinking game. “No refusing. No vague answers. And if you lie, Seonghwa will know.”

“I will not,” Seonghwa said gently.

“You absolutely will,” Wooyoung countered.

Seonghwa only smiled.

Mingi shifted slightly, already looking like he was rethinking every decision that had led him there. Yunho noticed immediately, but there was nothing he could do from the distance and the game was already starting.

Hongjoong spun an empty bottle with dramatic flair in the middle of the coffee table. It clinked, wobbled, and finally came to rest pointing at Yeosang.

“Truth or dare?” he said with a devilish grin.

Yeosang blinked at him, then smiled faintly. “Truth.”

“Coward,” Wooyoung muttered.

Yeosang ignored him. “Ask.”

Hongjoong narrowed his eyes. “Mm, what’s the most awkward thing that’s happened to you that you’ve never told Jongho?”

Jongho’s head snapped toward Yeosang instantly.

“Hyung.”

Yeosang coughed, suddenly very invested in the rim of his glass. After a moment of silence, he gave a faint smile. The kind that already knew it was too late to back out. “It’s not that bad.”

“That tone means it’s bad,” Wooyoung said at once, pointing at him like a prosecutor who’d just found his witness.

Hongjoong leaned forward, clearly delighted. “Tell us anyway.”

Seonghwa let out a soft sigh, already bracing for chaos. “Be gentle.”

From somewhere behind the circle, San made a small, sympathetic sound as he chewed on something he’d definitely stolen from the kitchen.

Yeosang cleared his throat again. “Okay. So. Last semester, I accidentally joined a Zoom lecture with my camera on… I was only wearing one of Jongho’s shirts and boxers… and I didn’t realize until… the professor asked me why I was eating cereal in bed.”

There was a one-second pause. Then the apartment erupted.

Hongjoong nearly toppled sideways, laughing. “No waaay!”

Jongho immediately covered his face, his shoulders shaking despite himself.

Wooyoung laughed hard, pointing at his best friend. “That is so you. So clumsy.”

“I wasn’t fully awake,” Yeosang defended weakly.

“That makes it worse,” San said, laughing into his hand.

Seonghwa pressed his lips together, clearly trying not to laugh too loudly. “Did the professor say anything else?”

“Yes,” Yeosang muttered. “He asked if I was… ‘emotionally okay.’”

That broke everyone again. Even Mingi, who had been nervously sipping his drink, laughed properly now, shoulders relaxing as the sound filled the room.

Opposite him, Yunho smiled warmly and serenely, as if he had absolutely no fear of the chaos this game promised.

And when he noticed it, it made Mingi’s chest feel a little lighter. 

The bottle spun again. It landed on Seonghwa who straightened instinctively, looking across the group he smiled and said confidently, “Dare.”

“Oh, that was immediate,” Hongjoong said, visibly delighted as he pointed at Seonghwa across the circle. “Confident. Dangerous.”

“That’s because he thinks we’ll go easy on him,” Wooyoung replied.

“We should punish that confidence,” San added cheerfully from beside Mingi.

Seonghwa looked between them with growing suspicion. “I suddenly don’t like where this is going.”

“That’s fair,” Jongho muttered.

Hongjoong leaned back against the couch dramatically, eyes narrowing as he considered the possibilities. Before he could speak, though, San lifted a finger.

“No, wait. I have one.”

The room immediately reacted.

“Oh,” Wooyoung breathed.

“That’s never a good sign,” Yeosang agreed.

San smiled sweetly. Which somehow made it worse.

“I dare you,” he said calmly, looking directly at Seonghwa, “to take a candy into your mouth… and exchange it with Hongjoong through a kiss.”

Silence.

Then Hongjoong choked on absolutely nothing and folded forward violently while Mingi nearly slid off the couch laughing. Yeosang slapped both hands over his mouth. Jongho physically turned away for a second like he needed to collect himself.

And Seonghwa? Seonghwa froze. Not dramatically. Not loudly. Just utterly still as his eyes widened at San in betrayal.

“San,” he said softly.

San blinked innocently. “What?”

Hongjoong was red. Actually red, like a tomato.

“Why am I being punished too?” he whined weakly, though his voice cracked halfway through the sentence, completely ruining any authority he’d hoped to have.

Wooyoung pointed at him instantly. “Because you’re obsessed with him.”

“I am not obsessed—”

“You literally stop functioning when he touches your neck.”

“That happened one time.”

“Last week.”

“It was warm!”

Seonghwa covered his face briefly with one hand while everyone dissolved again. Across the circle, Yunho watched the disaster unfold with poorly hidden amusement.

“You guys are terrifying,” he said through a laugh.

“You haven’t even seen the worst yet,” Jongho informed him.

“I don’t think I want to.”

“You don’t.”

Meanwhile, San had already unwrapped a strawberry candy and held it out toward Seonghwa with the serenity of a man causing irreversible damage on purpose.

“Come on,” he encouraged gently. “A dare’s a dare.”

Seonghwa stared at him. Then at the candy. Then slowly toward Hongjoong, who immediately sat up straighter like he’d just sensed danger approaching at full speed.

“Seonghwa-yah,” he warned faintly. 

That only made Wooyoung lose his mind harder. 

“You called him in the doomed voice.”

“He always does that when he panics,” Yeosang explained helpfully to Yunho.

“I hate all of you.”

“No you don’t,” San said sweetly.

Hongjoong looked like he wanted the floor to swallow him whole. The worst part was that everyone knew San was right. Because the second Seonghwa finally sighed and accepted the candy, Hongjoong’s eyes locked onto his mouth automatically.

Immediate. Instinctive. Absolutely whipped.

Wooyoung saw it and physically grabbed the empty bottle of soda he had in front of him and twisted it hard.

“Look at him!” he screamed at San.

“I am looking!” San screamed in return.

“He’s so goooone!”

Hongjoong pointed furiously without taking his eyes off Seonghwa. “Stop narrating my suffering!”

Seonghwa, meanwhile, looked composed again somehow. Or at least better at pretending, though the faint flush across his cheeks betrayed him completely as he slipped the candy between his lips.

He moved up and circled around the space before he reached Hongjoong and leaned above him, one hand planted on the cushion of the armrest.

The room quieted instantly. Not because anyone intended it to. But because Seonghwa leaned in and Hongjoong completely forgot how to breathe.

It happened slowly enough to feel deliberate.

Seonghwa’s free hand settled lightly against Hongjoong’s jaw, gentle and familiar, thumb brushing once near the corner of his mouth as he leaned in the rest of the way.

Hongjoong melted.

Actually melted.

Yunho watched in fascination as the blond man who’d spent the entire evening acting loud and untouchable, visibly short-circuited from one soft touch.

“Oh,” he murmured under his breath.

Jongho snorted beside him. “The first person who tries to kiss me like that will get broken in two.”

The kiss began soft, almost teasing as the candy shifted from Seonghwa’s mouth to Hongjoong’s. Then Hongjoong reached out, tugging Seonghwa forward by the back of his head, deepening the kiss into something firmer and far less restrained.

The entire room erupted again.

Wooyoung shouted loud enough to scare everyone and make sure he’ll earn complaints from the neighbors. Jongho threw a cushion directly at Hongjoong’s head. Yeosang folded into laughter against the armrest while San looked unbearably pleased with himself.

And Seonghwa—Seonghwa seemed to lose whatever composure he had left.

When he finally slipped out of Hongjoong’s hold and pulled away, his lips were slightly swollen, his face burning up as he made his way back to his spot.

Hongjoong just watched him, the candy now on his tongue, looking at him with the kind of helpless devotion that suggested he’d probably walk into traffic if Seonghwa asked nicely.

“Jesus Christ,” Wooyoung wheezed, clutching his stomach. “That was disgusting. Do it again.”

“Shut up,” Hongjoong snapped instantly, still staring at Seonghwa like he’d ascended into another plane of existence.

Seonghwa avoided everyone’s eyes very carefully as he reached for his drink. “I hate this game.”

“No you don’t,” San sang.

“Yes, I do.”

“You kissed him for, like, ten whole seconds,” Yeosang pointed out.

“It was commitment to the dare,” Seonghwa defended weakly.

“Sure,” Jongho deadpanned.

“Commitment to the dare,” Wooyoung repeated in disbelief. “You looked at him like you were renewing vows.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Seonghwa muttered into his drink.

Hongjoong finally seemed to reboot enough to point accusingly at San. “You set me up.”

San looked delighted. “And yet you participated enthusiastically.”

“That’s because Hwa kissed him back,” Mingi said immediately, traitorously pleased with himself now that he was no longer the center of attention.

Seonghwa turned toward him with quiet betrayal. “Mingi!”

“What? I suffered earlier. This is healing me.”

Yunho laughed under his breath, shoulders shaking lightly. The sound made Mingi glance toward him automatically, relief and affection tangling together in his chest at how easy this was becoming.

Too easy, maybe.

The bottle spun again before anyone could recover properly.

It circled wildly across the floor, slowed—

—and landed directly on Yunho.

The room changed instantly. Not dramatically. Just… attentively. Wooyoung sat up straighter. Hongjoong’s grin sharpened. Even Jongho looked mildly more awake.

Across from him, Mingi visibly tensed. Yunho noticed immediately.

“Well,” he said calmly. “I suppose this is where my trial begins.”

“You’re taking this suspiciously well,” Wooyoung narrowed his eyes.

“I work with church teenagers,” Yunho replied. “Nothing scares me anymore.”

“That’s confidence,” Yeosang said.

“That’s delusion,” Jongho corrected.

Hongjoong leaned forward slowly. “Truth or dare?”

Mingi immediately spoke up. “Truth.”

Everyone looked at him.

He blinked once. “…What?”

“You answered for him,” San laughed.

“I know what you people are like!”

Wooyoung gasped dramatically. “The lack of trust.”

“The earned lack of trust,” Jongho corrected.

Yunho smiled softly, eyes flicking briefly toward Mingi before returning to Hongjoong.

“Truth then,” he agreed.

A chorus of disappointment echoed through the room.

“Coward,” Wooyoung sighed.

“I’m pacing myself for now on.”

Hongjoong hummed thoughtfully, studying him again with that same sharp, assessing look from earlier. Then he smiled. 

“Was it always your plan to become a priest?”

“Oh that’s too soft,” Wooyoung pouted dramatically as he slumped back against his seat like a deflated balloon.  

“Not really,” Yunho replied easily after a few seconds, “When I was a kid I actually dreamed of being an actor or a dancer, but I realized helping and listening to people was far more interesting.”

Hongjoong blinked. “So you are actually a full church guy.”

“Joong,” Seonghwa scolded automatically.

“What? I’m impressed.”

“It surprises people,” Yunho admitted easily. “Mostly because they expect someone stricter, traditional and maybe older than I am.”

At that, he glanced at Mingi with a grin, a small reminder of their first exchanges during summer.

“You don’t feel strict,” San said honestly.

“Or old,” Yeosang added.

“Or traditional.” Wooyoung muttered before taking a sip. 

That earned him a look from Seonghwa, which he immediately ignored with the confidence of someone who had survived worse consequences.

Yunho only laughed lightly. “I suppose I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“It wasn’t,” Wooyoung said.

“It kind of was,” San corrected, stretching out on the sofa like a cat who had no responsibilities in life whatsoever.

Mingi shifted slightly where he sat. His shoulders had gone a bit tight when the bottle landed on Yunho, like his body had decided this was suddenly important in a way the game had not prepared him for.

Hongjoong spun the bottle again before the moment could linger too long.

It clinked, wobbling across the table for a long moment before finally slowing, and landing on Mingi. Of course it did. (it wouldn’t be fun if it didn’t)

And Mingi stared at it for a full second like it had personally betrayed him.

“No,” he said immediately.

“No one even said anything yet,” Hongjoong protested.

“You don’t have to,” Mingi replied flatly.

Yunho’s mouth curved slightly. “Truth or dare?”

Mingi made a pain sound as if you were asking him to choose between the plague and cholera. Which, kind of was to be honest. 

And the fact that Yunho seemed to be completely oblivious of the danger that hung over their heads made Mingi want to shake him, to withdraw into himself or to run... Maybe all three at once.

“Sooo what do you choose, Minki?” San chirped happily.

“Dare,” Wooyoung said immediately, as if helping.

“No,” Mingi shot back.

“Be fun man,” Hongjoong added automatically.

“I’m being strategic.”

"Don't corner him, guys," Seonghwa said  gently.

Mingi exhaled through his nose. Then, reluctantly—

“Truth,” he said.

A chorus of groans echoed around him. But he couldn’t care less when his own dignity was at cost.

But Wooyoung had a plan, apparently, to ruin it no matter what,“Alright. Simple one.”

Mingi narrowed his eyes and let out a small, wary laugh anyway. “That never ends well with you.”

The boy’s grin turned slightly too sharp.

“Good,” he said immediately, far too pleased with himself. “It means I’m doing my job.”

Wooyoung leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees. His gaze flicked to Mingi, then, briefly, to Yunho beside him like he was measuring something he hadn’t fully decided on yet.

“Okay,” he continued, “What’s your biggest turn-on that you don’t usually tell people?” 

Mingi froze for half a second, glass halfway to his mouth. Around him, the group collectively perked up like a pack of cats that had just heard a cupboard open.

“Ohhh,” San sang softly, leaning forward with interest. “That’s actually a good one.”

“I hate this game,” Mingi muttered immediately.

“No you don’t,” Wooyoung corrected, eyes already locked on him like he was trying to peel him open layer by layer. “You love attention.”

“I do not.”

“You absolutely do,” Hongjoong added. “Now answer.”

Mingi exhaled through his nose, clearly debating whether honesty or survival was more important. Then his eyes flicked sideways.

To Yunho. That tiny glance changed the air in the room almost instantly. He didn’t interrupt. Didn’t prompt. Just leaned back slightly where he sat opposite, one arm draped over the back of the armrest of his seat, expression calm in a way that felt unfairly grounding.

Like he was saying, “It’s fine. Say whatever.”

Mingi’s shoulders loosened a fraction. “Fine,” he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. “You’re all annoying.”

“That’s not an answer,” Wooyoung said immediately.

“It is if I say it confidently enough.”

“It isn’t,” San laughed.

Mingi clicked his tongue, then finally leaned back into the sofa cushion as if resigning himself to public humiliation. 

“I like…” he started, then paused like the sentence had teeth.

The room got quieter in that anticipatory way that always happens right before someone says something they can’t take back. 

Hongjoong’s brows lifted. San’s grin turned anticipatory. Yeosang actually paused mid-bite. Jongho looked mildly amused in a way that suggested he was already regretting hearing the answer. Seonghwa, as always, looked gently resigned to whatever was about to happen.

Wooyoung, however, looked delighted.

Mingi exhaled through his nose, cheeks already faintly red. His grip tightened slightly on the glass in his hand, more grounding than anything else in the room.

“I like,” he continued, slower now, “when things get… intense.”

Wooyoung tilted his head. “That’s vague.”

“It’s not vague,” Mingi shot back immediately. Then, after a beat, he added, quieter, “Like… push and pull. Teasing. When someone doesn’t just… stay soft all the time and when pleasure can blend with slight pain...”

There was a pause.

Hongjoong blinked once. “Oh.”

San made a small, thoughtful sound like he’d just connected two puzzle pieces. “Ohhh.”

Yeosang’s eyes widened slightly. Jongho looked away very quickly, like he’d suddenly become deeply interested in the carpet.

Seonghwa coughed softly into his hand, hiding a smile that was definitely not innocent.

Wooyoung, meanwhile, looked between Mingi and Yunho like he was mentally rewriting an entire theory.

“And what does Yunho think about that?” Wooyoung asked immediately.

Mingi groaned. “Oh my God.”

“I’m just clarifying,” Wooyoung said, completely unrepentant. “Because this sounds suspiciously convenient.”

“It’s not—”

Yunho cut in gently, tone even. “It’s fine.”

That alone made the room pause again. Not because it was loud. Because it wasn’t. Yunho’s calm felt almost unfair in contrast to everyone else’s reactions.

Mingi glanced at him again, then muttered, “You’re not helping.”

Yunho smiled faintly. “I don’t think I’m supposed to.”

“Come on, Mingi” Wooyoung teased, “Why do you shy away now? I’m even surprised you never once tried to pull Yunho on your lap! Not even once!”

“Why would he do that?” Yunho asked, his head tilting to the side. 

He looked at Mingi across him and the latter was blushing—no—his whole face was turning red as a tomato.

The room went silent for exactly one second.

Then Wooyoung blinked.

“…Wait.”

San’s mouth fell open instantly. Hongjoong physically lowered his drink. Even Seonghwa, Yeosang and Jongho looked startled for the first time that evening.

Yunho frowned slightly at all of them. “What?”

Mingi looked like he wanted the floor to open beneath him.

“Nothing,” he said way too fast.

Wooyoung turned toward him slowly. Dangerously slowly.

“No,” he said. “Absolutely not. We’re not skipping past whatever the fuck that reaction was.”

“There was no reaction.”

“Mingi,” Hongjoong said carefully, “your ears are red.”

“They do that sometimes.”

“You look like you’re about to die,” San added helpfully.

“I am about to die.”

Yunho’s confusion deepened as he glanced between all of them. “I don’t understand what I said wrong.”

Wooyoung stared at him.

Then at Mingi. Then back at Yunho. And suddenly—

“Oh my God.”

His voice came out strangled.

Seonghwa’s eyes widened right after, realization hitting him too. One hand flew to his mouth while Yeosang and San looked between the couple like he was solving a murder case in real time.

“No fucking way,” Hongjoong whispered.

Mingi groaned loudly. “Can we please change the subject?”

“No,” his friends (apart from Jongho) answered immediately.

Yunho sat there looking genuinely lost while Mingi visibly contemplated throwing himself out the window.

Wooyoung leaned forward toward the priest first, eyes narrowed with terrifying focus.

“Yunho,” he said slowly, “baby, question.”

Yunho blinked once. “Alright…?”

“We agree that you and Mingi have already slept together, right?”

“I’m not sure I want to hear that…” Jongho intervened softly.

Mingi slapped both hands over his face immediately. 

"It's a rather private matter, but yes, we've already passed that stage..."

Yunho answered cautiously. Wooyoung stared straight into his eyes.

“And when that happens,” he continued carefully, “who exactly is usually in charge?”

Yunho opened his mouth. Paused. Looked at Mingi who looked away so violently it was practically an admission.

And then—

Understanding hit him all at once. His entire face froze. Wooyoung pointed at him immediately like a detective catching a criminal.

“There it is!”

“Oh my God,” San wheezed, already collapsing against the armrest laughing.

Hongjoong looked seconds away from passing out. “Our giant fuckboy turned into a bottom,” he whispered like he’d uncovered state secrets.

“I hate every single one of you,” Mingi muttered into his hands.

Yunho was still visibly processing. Not negatively. Just… processing. Because now suddenly several conversations made sense. The lap comment. The teasing. Wooyoung glaring at him all night like he wanted to resolve a cold-case. The surprised reactions whenever Yunho casually touched Mingi like he was fragile instead of intimidating.

And apparently—Apparently—everyone here had assumed Mingi was the top in this relation.

Seonghwa finally recovered enough to speak, though he still looked stunned.

“To be fair,” he admitted weakly, “Mingi still projects very strong top energy.”

“Thank you,” Mingi mumbled without lifting his head.

“No, because this is insane,” Hongjoong cut in immediately. “This man spends his entire life flirting like he owns the room.”

“I do own the room.”

“You literally pout when Yunho holds your waist.”

“That is unrelated.”

San and Yeosang were fully crying-laughing now.

Wooyoung looked deeply vindicated. “I fucking knew there was something weird about the way he acts around Yunho.”

“There is nothing weird—”

“You turn into whipped cream around him.”

Mingi finally dropped his hands just to glare at him. “You’re dramatic and you bottom for San.”

“But you,” Wooyoung shot back, pointing aggressively, “are apparently getting manhandled by a church boy.”

The noise Hongjoong made after that could only be described as spiritual collapse. Seonghwa physically leaned against him laughing while San smacked the table hard enough to rattle glasses. Mingi looked one second away from committing homicide. Before anyone could continue his interrogation, he shifted, setting his drink down. 

“I need the bathroom,” he announced, already pushing himself up.

“Mingi.” Wooyoung said, almost immediately regretting pushing him like that.

“Drink water,” Seonghwa said automatically.

“I will,” Mingi lied immediately.

“You won’t,” Jongho replied flatly.

Mingi pointed at him without looking back. “Rude.”

He stumbled slightly as he stood, just enough that Yunho twitched at his place, ready to get up and help him.

“I’m fine,” Mingi insisted, though his voice had softened.

“You sure?" he asked simply.

And that, somehow, made him even less convincing when he nodded and disappeared down the hallway.

The moment the bathroom door clicked shut, the energy in the room shifted.

San stood up almost immediately. “I’m going to get more snacks before Wooyoung starts committing crimes with questions.”

Seonghwa followed right after, sighing. “I’ll help. And I’m confiscating the last bottle of soju before Hongjoong decides he’s invincible again.”

“I am invincible,” Hongjoong called after him, standing up as well.

“You are allergic to responsibility,” Seonghwa replied calmly as they disappeared into the kitchen.

Yeosang, sensing something in the air, leaned toward Jongho. “Should we…?”

“Yup,” Jongho said simply, though he wasn’t looking at the group anymore. They both stood up and walked in another room.

That left Yunho sitting beside Wooyoung.

The silence that followed wasn’t uncomfortable exactly. It was deliberate. Wooyoung didn’t speak right away. He spun on himself and just watched Yunho for a few seconds, like he was deciding how sharp to be.

Then, casually, “So.”

Yunho raised a brow. “So.”

“What exactly are you planning to do with him?”

Yunho didn’t choke on his drink, which honestly seemed to disappoint Wooyoung a little.

“I’m not sure how to answer that question,” he admitted calmly.

“That’s because people usually hear it and immediately start listing qualities about themselves.” Wooyoung swirled the liquid in his own glass slowly. “How stable they are. How respectful. How they’d never hurt him.” His eyes narrowed slightly. “You didn’t.”

Yunho leaned back slightly.

“I figured actions matter more.”

“Hm.”

Wooyoung studied him in silence for a few seconds.

“You know,” he said eventually, “Mingi has terrible taste in men.”

Yunho huffed a quiet laugh. “That’s not a very encouraging thing to tell me.”

“I’m serious.”

“I figured.”

“He picks pretty little faces with good manners and absolutely no emotional intelligence.”

“That’s oddly specific.”

“Because it keeps happening, well for the slight difference you switched roles.”

There wasn’t even humor in the boy’s voice anymore. Just blunt honesty.

Yunho listened without interrupting.

Wooyoung tapped his fingers once against his glass before continuing.

“At first they always act nice,” he said. “Cute little boys who are all drawn by his sexy fuckboy attitude. They listen to him. They make him feel special. Then after a few weeks suddenly they’re selfish assholes who think Mingi caring so much means they can treat him however they want.” 

Yunho’s expression shifted slightly at that.

“Likes he’s too loud. Too emotional. Too clingy when all he does is caring. Too intense because when he loves someone, it’s not halfway.” Wooyoung rolled his eyes harshly. “Meanwhile they were the ones chasing after him in the beginning.”

The irritation in his voice sounded old. Familiar. Like he’d watched this happen too many times already.

“Mingi loves hard,” he continued more quietly. “Like… really hard. He gives people everything immediately. Time, attention, loyalty, all of it. Even if he’s trying to act nonchalant he’s just a giant with a big heart and most people don’t know what to do with that.”

Yunho looked down at his glass briefly before answering.

“I know.”

Wooyoung watched him carefully. “Do you?”

Yunho nodded once.

“He’s always been honest about how he felt about me,” he said. “Not subtly I must admit and considering my position I gave him a bit of a hard time at the beginning. I’m not experienced, I never dated anyone before him, but I’m trying my best to give him what he wants. To treat him the way he deserves to be treated.”

Wooyoung tilted his head slightly, unconvinced. “Everyone says that.”

“Probably.”

“And you’re older.”

“By three years, not thirty.”

“That’s still enough for me to be suspicious.”

A smile tugged at Yunho’s mouth despite himself. “You really love him.”

Wooyoung blinked once at the sudden shift in conversation.

Then scoffed.

“Unfortunately.”

Yunho laughed softly into his drink.

“But yeah,” Wooyoung admitted after a second. “I do.”

His gaze drifted toward where Mingi had disappeared.

“He acts confident,” Wooyoung muttered. “But he gets attached to people ridiculously fast. And every time someone hurts him, he pretends he’s fine about it until he suddenly isn’t.”

Yunho stayed quiet.

“He jokes,” Wooyoung continued. “Flirts. Acts cocky. Then one bad night happens and suddenly he’s staring at the ceiling at four in the morning, wondering why nobody stays.”

Something tightened painfully in Yunho’s chest in the image.

“And he deserves better than that,” Wooyoung finished simply.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. From the kitchen, the echoes of Seonghwa, Hongjoong and San’s laughs rang and Yunho smiled faintly at the sight before looking back at Wooyoung.

“I love Mingi,” he said honestly. 

“What does this verb mean in your vocabulary?”

There was absolutely no shame in the interrogation anymore.

Yunho considered the question carefully before answering.

“Enough that I notice when he starts pretending to be okay,” he said quietly. “Enough that I memorize how he sounds when he’s genuinely laughing versus when he’s forcing it.” His thumb rubbed absently against his glass. “Enough that I worry about him constantly and genuinely want to do things right with him.”

Wooyoung’s expression faltered for the first time.

“And,” Yunho added with a small smile, “Enough that I came here tonight ready to face the interrogation of my life because I want to be part of his world.”

That earned the faintest snort from Wooyoung.

“Fair point.”

“I’m not perfect,” Yunho continued after a moment. “But I want Mingi in my life more than anything, I want him to feel safe with me the way I feel safe with him. Because that’s how I feel with Mingi, safe and loved.”

Something in Wooyoung’s face softened then.

Not completely.

But enough.

“You know,” he said, “if you hurt him, Yeosang will be mad at you. San will punch you in the face. Hongjoong will write diss tracks about you. Seonghwa will look disappointed enough to ruin your self-esteem permanently…” His eyes narrowed. “Jongho will break you in half, and believe me he can do it, and then I’ll bury you in a forest.”

Yunho nodded seriously. “Didn’t expect less from you.”

Wooyoung stared at him another second. Then, unexpectedly, he laughed. A short burst of genuine amusement.

“You’re weird,” he informed him.

“I’ve heard that too.”

“Hm.”

The tension between them loosened after that, subtle but noticeable. Wooyoung stood up and claimed one of the couches while everyone was gone, slumping into the cushion less guarded now.

“You should go check on him and bring him back there.” He said, nodding towards the bathroom.

Yunho couldn't help but smile. To him, it was permission, a declaration that Wooyoung finally accepted him and his relationship with Mingi. He stood up with a blissful smile on his face and Wooyoung, for his part, looked mildly offended at the idea that he might be sentimental about it. 

“Don’t get weird about it,” he said, feigning offense, “You might make me regret my words.”

“I’m not getting weird about it,” Yunho replied, though there was the faintest trace of amusement in his voice. “Thank you, Wooyoung.”

Wooyoung waved him off dramatically with one hand, already reaching for his drink again like he regretted showing a single ounce of emotional sincerity.

Yunho only smiled to himself as he crossed the apartment.

The hallway was quieter than the living room, the music muffled now behind walls and distance. Warm light spilled faintly from the cracked bathroom door at the end.

He knocked softly once against the frame.

There was a beat of silence.

Then, “Occupied.”

Yunho huffed a quiet laugh. “I came to check how you were doing.”

Another pause. Longer this time.

Finally, Mingi cracked the door open just enough for one eye to appear through the gap, suspicious and slightly glassy from alcohol. Then, the door opened fully and Mingi grabbed Yunho’s arm and pulled him inside.

He barely had time to understand what was happening before Mingi's arms encircled him, and the young man buried his face in the crook of his neck, his warm breath hitting the sensitive skin there. Yunho didn't hesitate, and his arms wrapped around Mingi's waist, pulling him close until there was no distance between them, his back against the now-closed door as Mingi's full weight rested upon him.

The bathroom was small, warm from trapped steam and too little ventilation, the low yellow light softening everything it touched. Yunho could feel Mingi breathing against his throat, slow at first, then uneven in a way that immediately gave him away.

His fingers slid carefully up Mingi’s spine. Gentle. Anchoring.

“Hey,” he murmured quietly. “You okay princess?”

Mingi only tightened his hold for a second.

“Uh-huh…” he mumbled into Yunho’s skin.

Yunho smiled faintly at that. “That’s usually how people answer when something is not okay.”

A quiet groan vibrated against his neck.

“You’re annoyingly emotionally intelligent.”

“With the people I see everyday at church, it's a survival instinct.”

That finally pulled the faintest huff of laughter out of Mingi.

There it is, Yunho thought immediately.

His hand settled at the back of Mingi’s head, fingers slipping into the messy dark strands there. He didn’t rush him. Didn’t pry. Just stood there holding him while the muffled sounds of laughter drifted down the hallway from the living room.

Eventually, Mingi sighed heavily and leaned back just enough to look at him.

Up close, the alcohol flush across his cheeks looked warmer now. Softer. His eyes were dark and slightly unfocused beneath loose strands of hair, but Yunho could still see the lingering tension there underneath the tipsiness.

“It’s weird,” Mingi admitted eventually, quieter now. “Having you here.”

Yunho stayed still, letting him continue.

“These people…” Mingi hesitated, fingers tightening slightly around the grip on Yunho’s shirt at his back he had, “They’re kind of everything to me.”

The confession landed gently between them. Yunho understood immediately. He had noticed earlier.

Not just friends.

Home.

“And I know they can be a lot,” Mingi continued with a weak laugh. “And loud. And nosy. And kind of emotionally violent—”

“Yeah,” Yunho huffed a small laugh, “I noticed.”

“But I wanted them to like you.”

Something warm and aching unfurled in Yunho’s chest.

Mingi looked almost annoyed at himself for admitting it out loud. “Which is stupid because I knew they would eventually, I mean, how can they not like you,  but still.”

“It’s not stupid.”

Mingi’s eyes flicked back to him.

Yunho’s voice softened. “I wanted them to like me too.”

That seemed to catch him off guard more than anything else had tonight.

“You did?”

“Of course.” Yunho smiled faintly. “They matter to you.”

Mingi buried his head back into his neck, groaning softly, “You’re annoying. I brought you here fully prepared for psychological warfare and now everyone’s acting like you’re some kind of emotionally stable golden retriever sent by God.”

Yunho laughed before he could stop himself.

“That’s dramatic.”

“It’s true.”

“Didn’t you say you wanted them to like me?”

“I did!” Mingi said immediately, “I just thought… it’d be harder.”

Something in his voice shifted at the end there. Smaller somehow. Yunho’s expression softened instantly.

“Mingi.”

The boy nuzzled deeper against his neck.

“I don’t know,” he admitted eventually, words slower now. “I guess I kept waiting for something to go wrong tonight.”

Yunho understood immediately.

Suddenly Wooyoung’s words from earlier echoed in the back of his mind.

One bad night happens and suddenly he’s staring at the ceiling at four in the morning, wondering why nobody stays.

Yunho’s chest tightened. His hand slid from Mingi’s hair to cup the side of his face instead, thumb brushing lightly beneath his eye.

“Even if it had taken an eternity or a miracle for them to appreciate me, I would have taken it. I would have given anything for your friends to appreciate me, to prove to them that I am worthy of you, and I will continue to do what I can to prove it to them again and again.”

The honesty of it hit harder than Mingi expected. He almost wanted to tear up right here, right now but held back by swallowing hard.

For a second, neither of them moved.

The bathroom suddenly felt too small for the weight of everything sitting between them. The warmth. The alcohol. The quiet sincerity in Yunho’s voice that never sounded rehearsed, never sounded like he was saying things just because he knew Mingi wanted to hear them.

That was the dangerous part.

Mingi had spent years around people who knew exactly how to say the right thing.

Pretty boys with soft smiles and empty follow-through. People who liked the version of him that was loud and flirtatious and fun until they realized he came attached to actual feelings. Actual needs.

Yunho never sounded polished like that. He sounded honest. Which somehow made it worse.

Mingi swallowed hard, blinking once before letting his forehead fall against Yunho’s shoulder again.

“You enjoyed that too much,” he accused.

Yunho chuckled, forcing the other to look at him in the eyes with their faces only centimeters apart, breathing the same air.

“I like you better,” he said before leaning down, planting his lips on Mingi’s for a quick kiss, “And I’m happy you let me see more of your world.”

“You’re such a sap,” Mingi mumbled against his lips, but he kissed him back anyway.

Yunho smiled into the kiss, soft and slow. “I know.”

He lingered there for a moment before moving to press another gentle one on Mingi’s forehead. Then his nose. Then the corner of his mouth again.

“I like your friends,” Yunho repeated quietly, voice warm like honeyed tea in winter. “They tease you because they love you.”

Mingi huffed, “They were mean to me though.” A small pout formed on his face as he said it dramatically for effect.

“Were they?” Yunho smiled, brushing his thumb over Mingi’s lip gently, teasing it low to show his teeth as he licked his own out of desire.

“The embarrassing question from Wooyoung, the whole teasing about bottoming for you?”

Mingi huffed, his mind was getting hazy because of the closeness, the warmth, the desire pooling low inside his stomach by the simple fact of Yunho looking down at him like that.

“Did it really bother you?” Yunho asked, his voice low and steady like a prayer. “I’m sorry I didn’t stop them if that's the case.”

“You don’t have to apologize for anything,” Mingi said quickly, reaching up to tangle his fingers in Yunho’s soft hair. “I mean, yeah it was embarrassing… but they’re my idiots. I can’t be mad.”  

A small pause as he studied Yunho’s face. The gentle curve of his smile, the warmth in his dark eyes that always made Mingi feel safe.  

“I just didn’t want them to know.”

Yunho tilted his head slightly, studying him with those calm eyes that always saw too much.

“Why?” 

Mingi shifted against him, fingers fidgeting with the strands of hair at the base of his nape. 

"Because it's you," he finally said after a pause. "And I act differently around you than anyone else."

A softness bloomed across Yunho’s face at that.

“Did you ever consider it?” He asked after a few seconds, one of his hands trailing down Mingi’s side, “Switching I mean. You mentioned to me once that you used to be the one in charge before me and all your friends casually confirmed it tonight.”

Mingi hesitated, his breath hitching slightly as Yunho’s hand traced slow circles over his side. 

“I… thought about it,” he admitted quietly. “Once or twice.”

Yunho didn’t move. Didn’t react dramatically. Just wait. Mingi exhaled through his nose, avoiding his gaze for a second before forcing himself to look up at him again.

“I mean… I used to be the one in charge all the time with other people,” he said slowly. “The very first time we met I’ll be honest I wanted to wreck you, you know with that corruption thing and all, but then we kissed and I decided to have mercy on you and let you top. Wrecking you in another way if you can say it like that.”

He huffed a soft laugh at the memory of it. How gentle but firm Yunho had been, how he was growing confident and making Mingi putty in his large hands all over again and again. And suddenly Mingi was blushing because yeah okay he’d melted instantly.

Yunho’s expression shifted slightly as he listened. Not surprised exactly, he'd sensed this from early on, but attentive in that quiet way of his that always made conversations feel safe even when they were personal or awkward or both.

“And I also have to admit that I…” Mingi looked to the side, quite embarrassed by what he was going to admit out loud for the first time. “It feels good, to bottom with you… I like how you make me feel when the only time I bottomed for someone before you, I never really enjoyed it. With you it’s different. I get butterflies all over my tummy, my head feels light, my heart is pounding and your big cock—”

Mingi marked a soft pause, catching his breath before he kept going. 

“God—it’s so good, Yunho.” he purred, cupping his face into his hands, “I love how you stretch me, how big and long and all veiny you are. I love how you just give up to pleasure but still make sure I’m enjoying this too and you give the best aftercare I ever had. Making sure I’m clean, massaging my muscles, making me run baths if it’s not too late, cuddling with me until I fall asleep lulled by the sound of your heartbeat under my ear.”

Mingi pressed his body harder against Yunho’s, caging him between his own weight and the bathroom’s door.

“I considered topping with you, but I don’t feel the need to anymore. I love the way we are.”

For a moment, Yunho just looked at him. Silent, chest heaving slightly harder than before and with this unbearably tender expression that made Mingi feel like his ribs had been pried open and every embarrassing feeling inside him had been carefully held in warm hands instead of mocked for existing. 

“That’s…” Yunho started, voice unusually quiet. “The nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

He didn’t know what to do with that. Mingi had just bared his heart in the most beautiful way possible, and Yunho felt it all over his chest like warmth spreading through ice.

“I never knew you thought about me like that,” he admitted softly. “I mean I hoped I was doing good with you, because I want to be good but hearing you say all of this…”

There was awe in his tone. Just pure admiration and affection blooming across his face. His thumb brushed Mingi’s cheekbone gently.

Then he kissed him.

Not soft or teasing this time, but deep and slow and devouring, pouring every ounce of affection into it. His hands slid up to cup Mingi’s face as he forced his mouth open for his tongue to taste every inch of it, his breath burning against his skin.

“I love hearing that,” Yunho murmured when they finally broke for air. “I love knowing you feel that way about me.”

He kissed the corner of Mingi’s mouth again before resting his forehead against his, eyes closed for a second like he was savoring the moment.

“You have no idea how much I cherish you,” he continued quietly. “Every time we’re together… it means so much to me.”

He exhaled shakily, his hands still cradling Mingi’s face like something precious. 

“You’re the only person I’ve ever been with who makes me feel this… safe and connected,” he said quietly. “I never thought I’d be this lucky in my life, having someone like you to hold, to kiss, to love. I love you Mingi, so much, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. And just so you know, if one day you want to switch, I’m open to it, I’m open to give and receive anything you want.”

“I love you too,” Mingi whispered, the words coming out faster than he intended, raw and honest. “I didn’t think I’d ever say that to someone like this… not so freely. Not with my whole chest.” 

A nervous laugh escaped him as his fingers curled tighter into Yunho’s hair.

“But it’s true. Every word is true.”

He pressed their foreheads together, eyes closed tight like he was memorizing the feel of Yunho breathing against him.

“I fell for you so hard and so fast and so stupidly when we first met at the church,” Mingi admitted in a rush now that the floodgates were open. “You looked too handsome to be real, like you dropped from a stupid drama and I looked like the girl who finally found a reason to go to church and I thought ‘wow’. Just wow.”

He pulled him down for another quick kiss. 

“And sometimes I remember the person I was before you. How obsessed I was with this idea of ​​giving, giving, and giving more. Always more, always pushing further. I was obsessed with this idea of ​​control. With you, it’s different.”

Their hips met as he pressed their body together harder and Yunho almost swore under his breath. If they kept going that way he was sure he would have a boner.

“If you ever really want to try bottoming for me, Yunho,” Mingi continued, “I’ll give you whatever you want. But I love bottoming for you, I love losing control, I love placing my pleasure in your hands and your cock because I know I’ll never be disappointed.”

"God, Mingi..." Yunho breathed out like a prayer, his voice trembling with emotion and desire.

He kissed him again immediately after the words were spoken. Mingi parted his lips instantly, welcoming Yunho’s tongue again, greedily licking into his mouth, deep and desperate. 

One hand slid into Mingi's hair while the other gripped his waist tightly as he pressed their bodies flush together.

"I love you so much," Yunho repeated between feverish kisses.

His lips traveled down Mingi's jawline then to his neck where he placed soft open-mouthed kisses along sensitive skin. Each one was filled with devotion rather than hunger. Slow worshipping touches meant only for someone cherished beyond measure.

“You’re perfect,” Yunho murmured against his collarbone, his lips brushing warm over the skin before he bit lightly at the spot that always pulled a shiver from him.

“I love you,” Mingi whispered again, softer this time, like it was a secret just for them.

Yunho didn’t reply with words. He kissed him again. Slowly. Deeply. A kiss that felt like forever and not long enough at the same time. His lips and tongue were warm and sure against Mingi’s, moving with quiet devotion as his hands traced every inch of skin they could reach through fabric.

“Hey lovebirds!” Wooyoung’s voice rose loudly from behind the door along with three sharp knocks that startled them both, “I swear to God if you’re fucking in my bathroom right now I won’t forgive you! I’ll throw you out of this apartment no matter if you have your dicks out and Yunho will be banned from ever coming again!”

Yunho pulled back just enough to glare at the door behind him and tried and failed not to laugh, even more when Mingi made a soft embarrassed sound as he hid into his neck once again.

“We weren’t doing anything,” he reassured, “Yet.” he added just after and laughed harder because of the way Mingi’s head snapped to glare at him furiously.

“Five minutes Wooyoung!” Mingi said, voice rough and embarrassed.

“Two!” Wooyoung immediately argued from the other side. “And if I walk in and see ass, I’m suing!” 

“Go bother San,” Yunho called back lazily, still grinning.

“I already did! He told me to check on you idiots because you’ve been here forever!”

Mingi groaned and buried his burning face deeper into Yunho’s shoulder while Yunho laughed so hard his chest shook beneath him.

“This is your fault,” Mingi muttered into his neck.

“My fault?” Yunho repeated innocently, one hand rubbing slow circles against Mingi’s waist. “I wasn’t doing anything princess.”

Mingi lifted his head just enough to shoot him a warning glare, though it lost most of its power when Yunho leaned in to kiss the corner of his mouth again.

“You’re insufferable.”

“Because I like seeing you blush.” 

“Tch…”

Yunho smiled softly then, the teasing easing into something warmer as he brushed his thumb across Mingi’s cheek. 

Another loud knock interrupted them.

“I’m counting down!” Wooyoung shouted. “One minute!”

“You’re insane!” Mingi yelled back.

“And you’re horny! Open the door!”

Yunho nearly doubled over laughing at that while Mingi covered his face completely this time.

“Come on,” Yunho said gently after a moment, pressing one last lingering kiss to Mingi’s lips. “Before he actually breaks the door down.”

Mingi sighed dramatically but let Yunho pull him away, just a little, thei fingers stayed intertwined automatically, neither of them willing to let go for even a second.

Right before opening the door, Yunho tugged him back close one more time.

“For the record,” he whispered against Mingi’s lips, eyes sparkling with mischief, “I still think we could’ve made Wooyoung’s two-minute deadline, princess.”

Mingi shoved his shoulder immediately, failing to hide his smile.

“Shut up, Father.”