Truth be told Doyoung had his doubts when Ten asked him to be his housemate. Not that he hated living with the Thai dancer, in fact they were best friends, but he just wasn’t sure if Ten would make a good housemate. Ten was messy, forgetful and he had more boyfriends than Baskin Robbins had ice cream, although one particular guy named Johnny seemed to be sticking around longer than usual.

                Ten begged and begged, and he can be pretty damn whiny if he wanted, so Doyoung finally agreed. On the day he moved into Ten’s home, Johnny and Taeyong (one of Doyoung and Ten’s old friends) helped him carry boxes and moved furniture around. That was the first time he saw him.

                “Hey Ten! Getting a housemate?” a young man waved at Ten from his driveway.

                “Yeah, about time too!” Ten laughed, waving back. “Finally someone could help me with the rent.”

                “Ten, who is he?” Taeyong asked, nudging Ten while everybody else was preoccupied with moving.

                “That’s my neighbour Jung Yoonoh, or better known as Jaehyun. He owns his own café.”

                “He is cute.” Taeyong wriggled his eyebrows suggestively and Ten laughed at him. “If I wasn’t in love with Taeil I would have definitely made a move on him.”

                “Don’t you dare, I call dibs.”

                “You can’t call dibs! I thought you were with Johnny!”

                “Well it’s not like Johnny and I are serious, yet.” He shrugged. “If all else fails at least I have a hot guy to ogle at. Did I mention he waters his plants shirtless?”

                “If you two are done giggling like a bunch of high school girls will you help me move those boxes?” Doyoung called from inside, rolling his eyes at his idiotic best friends. He went out to get the last of his belongings when he laid his eyes on Jaehyun.

                The box nearly rolled out of his hands. Jaehyun was tall, porcelain skin, deep eyes and muscles peeking from his sleeveless shirt. He was just leaning against the door checking his mail yet he looked like he was posing for GQ.

                “Hey there.” Jaehyun smiled, his eyes turning into crescents. “You must be Ten’s new housemate. I’m Jung Yoonoh, but you can call me Jaehyun.”

                “I’m Kim Dongyoung, Doyoung for short.” Doyoung shifted the box in his hand. “It’s nice meeting you.”

                Jaehyun smiled politely and waved once more before going inside his house. Doyoung felt like he ran the Indy 500 on foot with the way his heart was pounding.

*********************

                Ten was right. Jaehyun does water his plants shirtless.

                The first time he found out was when Doyoung, in all his messy hair glory and sleepy eyes, went to get the morning newspaper. Doyoung was not really a morning person and Ten was worse. This was probably because Johnny stayed over another night so Doyoung knew better than to disturb him. He had a cup of hot coffee in his hand and walked like a zombie.

                “Good morning Doyoung.”

                Doyoung nearly scorched his whole face with the coffee when he turned to greet Jaehyun. Jaehyun had just gotten back from his morning run so he still had his headband on, but his rippling muscles were the only thing Doyoung could see.

                “Good morning.” Doyoung hoped he did not sound like a fool.

                “I take it you’re not a morning person.”

                “When you live with Ten you can’t afford to be.” Doyoung suddenly remembered his messy hair and he quickly ran a hand through his ginger mop top.

                “Johnny’s car is still parked outside. He must still be inside.”

                “I don’t think he left since the day I moved in.” Jaehyun laughed at Doyoung’s comment and his voice was just so deep and soothing, his laugh so breathy and warm that Doyoung instantly smiled and laughed with him.

                Doyoung was developing such a huge crush on his cute neighbour.

******************

                After a couple of weeks, Ten announced that he and Johnny were officially going steady. The way he said it was as if the two of them had decided to elope and get married, so when Doyoung simply muttered out a “So?” he slapped his best friend a few times with a pillow.

                “What do you mean by ‘so’?” he whined. “You know I have a problem with commitment so why can’t you be happy for me?”

                “I am happy for you trust me! But I had known that you would fall in love with Johnny since the first time you introduced him to all of us, so this really isn’t much of a surprise.”

                “Pffft,” Ten scoffed. “That’s just one half of the news. The other news is that I’m gonna have a little dinner party for Johnny’s birthday next Saturday!”

                “That’s nice!” Doyoung was surprised at how excited Ten was over the whole thing. “It’s such a sweet thing you’re doing for Johnny! We can invite Taeyong and Taeil, then there’s Kun and Sicheng…”

                “Don’t forget Hansol and Yuta, though I really do hope they would leave Jisung home.”

                “You can’t expect them to leave their child at home can you? Jisung is only 5 years old.”

                “I have nothing against children but I was hoping it would be an adult affair, you know what I mean?”

                “Fair enough. Anything you need me to help you with?”

                “You mean aside from everything?” Ten laughed. “You work at a wedding planner studio so you need to help me with party favours, food, decorations…”

                “So I’m doing all the work?”

                “I’ll be helping! It’s not my fault you said I was a lousy planner.”

                “That’s because you hired a stripper instead of a magician for Jisung’s first birthday. When she appeared in that tight dress I swear Hansol’s face got so red he could have combusted then and there.”

                “She called herself the Magnificent! Isn’t that a standard name for a magician?!” Ten defended himself, pouting away. The memories of that disastrous party flooded Doyoung’s mind. He remembered Yuta screaming at Ten while Hansol tried to hide the kids in the living room.

                “I do need one more thing.” Ten said, holding up a finger in front of him.

                “What?”

                “I need you to make yourself useful and go next door to invite Jaehyun.”

                “Jaehyun? Why?”

                “He’s our friend! You know Johnny has been here often enough he and Jaehyun have really gotten along.”

                “Why does it have to be me?!”

                “Because I’m busy!”

                “With what?!”

                “Planning the party!”

                “I thought I was doing all the work!”

                “Will you stop making excuses and go over to invite him?” Ten pushed Doyoung towards the door. “Unless you’re afraid of talking to good-looking people.”

                “I’m not afraid.”

                “Then go. And don’t come back until he says yes!” Ten pushed Doyoung out and slammed the door, feeling awfully proud of himself. He knew Doyoung had a crush on Jaehyun, so what better way to get them together than this?

                “I can do this… I can do this…” Doyoung muttered to himself as he rang the doorbell. Jaehyun answered it and with his usual sweet smile he said “Hey Doyoungie!”

                He called me Doyoungie oh god somebody help me!!!

                “Uhm…ah…” Doyoung cleared his throat. “Ten is having a dinner party next Saturday and we’re hoping you could join us.”

                “Sounds great! What’s the occasion?”

                “It’s Johnny’s birthday. See, he and Ten are officially going steady now.”

                “You mean they weren’t going steady before?”

                Doyoung laughed at Jaehyun’s confused face. His eyebrows knotted together and his mouth hung open. Obviously Jaehyun doesn’t know Ten well enough.

                “Apparently not.”

                “I’d love to come! Next Saturday?”

                “Yeah, next Saturday.”

                “I suppose I better get something for Johnny. Any idea what he would like?”

                “Something he and Ten could use.” And this time both of them were laughing. Ten could hear their laughter from his living room and he pumped both fists in excitement.

                “Cool, I better check out the drugstore then.” Jaehyun chuckled.

                “Great. I’ll uhm, see you around.”

                “See you.” Doyoung nearly bounced his way home like a happy bunny.

                “I see you two have a lot in common with the way you’re laughing out there.” Ten teased.

                “Yeah, making fun of you.”

********************

                Ten’s dinner party for Johnny was a success. It was after the dinner and everyone was sitting in the living room, chatting and drinking while Doyoung was in the kitchen, cleaning up after everyone. He was about to wash his third dish when he felt a hand on that soapy dish.

                “You can dry. I’ll wash.” Jaehyun beamed. Doyoung made way for him and the two of them started washing dishes. In union. Together. Like a domestic couple.

                Doyoung wasn’t sure if it was him or the temperature in the room decided to go up.

                “It was a lovely meal. I definitely enjoyed myself.”

                “Thanks. It’s thanks to Taeyong. Neither Ten nor myself could cook very well.”

                “Maybe he could give me his recipe for the chicken.”

                “Do you cook?”

                “Yeah,” Jaehyun passed him a cup. “I came up with all the recipes in my café.”

                “That’s really cool. Girls like it when guys know how to cook.”

                “I guess, but I bet they’ll be disappointed once they get to know me.”

                “Why? Got a girlfriend?”

                “Gay.” Jaehyun shrugged. Doyoung nearly dropped the cup he was drying. “Why so surprised?”

                “I’m sorry, it’s just that you give me such straight vibes.”

                “I guess I have to. Hardly anybody knows I am gay.”

                “Family?”

                Jaehyun shook his head. “Not yet. I don’t think they are ready.”

                “I understand.” Doyoung nodded. “It took me a long time to come out too.”

                “Are you in a relationship Doyoung?”

                “I wish.” Doyoung scoffed at that. “My last date feels like a millennium ago.”

                “Hey! If you two are done playing Mr and Mrs Jung back there could you please join us?” Ten called from the living room and Doyoung so wanted to throw a knife at him.

                “Hey, what makes you think it’s Jung? Why can’t it be Kim?” Taeil asked.

                “Trust me, I know my best friend. He’s a taker not a giver.” And the whole room erupted in laughter.

                “I hate him.” Doyoung muttered under his breath. Jaehyun just gave him a warm pat on the back.

                “Relax, that’s what friends are for.”

                The whole night Doyoung just sat there drinking his wine and not so subtly checking Jaehyun out.

******************

                It’s been a few weeks since the dinner party and Ten was getting pretty tired of listening to his housemate whine about his crush on Jaehyun when neither party has made a move. The opportunity came when one day Jaehyun knocked on their door, asking to borrow some sugar.

                “Hey Doyoung, can I borrow some sugar? I’m trying to make cupcakes but I don’t have enough.”

                “You need sugar?” Ten paused for a while, a smile creeping up on his face. “Hold on, I got something.” He ran inside the house, found Doyoung sitting behind his computer and grabbed him.

                “Ten!!”

                “Just shut up and come with me!!” Doyoung was dragged to the door and pushed out. “Here, meet Kim Doyoung. He’s as sweet as sugar and take him. Don’t bother returning him until you guys go on a date.” And with that he slammed the door shut.

                “Ten!!! Chittaphon Leechaiyakul!!” Doyoung banged the door and jiggled the knob, but it was locked tight. He sighed and banged his forehead against the door. Maybe banging the door with his head will open a magic portal of Let Me Die Land who he could jump in and stay forever.

                “So does that mean there’s no sugar?” Jaehyun asked.

                “I’m so sorry. Let me just go in through the back…”

                “I’m kidding.” Jaehyun laughed, pulling Doyoung back. “Actually, Ten has a really good point. Do you want to go out with me?”

                “Me?” Doyoung pointed at himself. “You’re asking me?”

                “Of course,” Jaehyun moved closer to me. “I’ve always thought you were cute.”

                “Me? Have you seen yourself?” Jaehyun laughed at Doyoung’s shock over being asked out on a date.

                “Yes but it’s not nearly as impressive as you.”

                “Oh…” Doyoung blushed so deeply he looked exactly like the red mailbox outside the house. “Sure, I’ll go out with you.”

                “Great, let’s go.” Jaehyun took Doyoung’s hand in his.

                “Now? Where are we going?”

                “To the grocery store. I still need sugar, though I don’t think that is as sweet as you.”

A/N: this was cross posted on AO3, but I can't resist putting it here XD Let me know what you think!