There are some days when it's harder than most.

Today is one of those days for Baekhyun as Jongin goes around the whole apartment calling Minseok's name.

"Hyung!  Minseok Hyung!"

"He's not here" Baekhyun tells him, exhausted from lack of sleep last night.  "He went to the gym early this morning."

Jongin's eyes narrow.  "And how do you know that when I don't?"

This time Baekhyun's eyes narrow as his brows come down to furrow against the bridge of his nose.

"I couldn't sleep thanks to some people ing super loudly last night."

Jongin has the decency to blush and clear his throat in embarrassment.

"Why do you wanna know anyway?" Baekhyun asks as he flops onto the couch.  "Do you need hyung for something?"

A serious expression appears on Jongin's face as he nods.  "I just ...  I just want..."

"Is it something I can help w-"

"I just want to kiss him so much."

Jongin doesn't bat an eye when Baekhyun falls off the couch, not uttering a sound as Baekhyun rolls on the hardwood floor.  Instead, Jongin's nose is buried in his phone, mumbling something about FaceTime-ing Minseok hyung.

#

"You guys are sick.  Sick, I tell you" Baekhyun makes a face and looks genuinely disgusted when Jongin tucks a bib inside of Minseok's sweater collar after making a show of dragging his hand down Minseok's chest suggestively.  "Should have never come with you guys."

Minseok shrugs and just puckers his lips for another kiss from Jongin, who obliges with a lovey-dovey lopsided grin.  Junmyeon manages to mask his spontaneous dry heave with a little cough into his fist, but Minseok doesn't miss it. 

"I should have known when you guys said you'd buy dinner to make up for last night."  Baekhyun shakes his head, sighing.

"Yeah" Junmyeon agrees.  "You guys were pretty loud last night.  Don't forget that there are other people living in the dorms too."

Minseok narrows his eyes at Junmyeon who diverts his gaze, pointing at a random spot on the menu board.

"Let's get that!" Junmyeon shouts a little too loudly.

They're at the Steamy Lobster, one establishment in a chain of seafood restaurants which season various seafood cuisines before steaming them in a bag.  Both Junmyeon and Baekhyun had agreed to come when Minseok had offered to buy seafood for dinner as an apology for keeping them up last night.  Kyungsoo had been invited too, but he was running late.

Everyone is seated except Kyungsoo who, upon arriving, had insisted he make an inspection of the fresh sea creatures in the tanks lining the other side of the restaurant's wall.  And as they wait for the waiter to take their order, Baekhyun throws a wad of napkins at Minseok when Minseok nuzzles Jongin's neck, making a sound that doesn't escape their ears.  Normally, Minseok would be the shy one, not so keen on public displays of affection.  But tonight, he's spurred on by the cries of dissent and Jongin's just enjoying the ride. 

Jongin squishes his left cheek on top of Minseok's head, reaching with his left arm to grip Minseok's hip.  At the movement, Minseok flushes a little but grins defiantly at Baekhyun, who mimes vomiting.    Kyungsoo comes back to the table to order, takes one look at Minseok and Jongin, then goes back to the row of fish tanks at the other end of the restaurant.  Junmyeon and Baekhyun have angled their chairs so the sickeningly sweet couple isn't in their line of sight.  

When Jongin starts to feed the complimentary chips to Minseok in little pieces, Junmyeon takes out his phone in a hurry.  He frantically makes a call, tapping his foot underneath the table as the call goes through.

"Oh Sehun?" Junmyeon speaks into the receiver.  "Where are you?  Have you had dinner yet?  I'm inviting you to dinner at the Steamy Lobster, can you come?"

Over the phone Sehun says something about being out with friends.

"Mmm, Jongin-ah, everything tastes better when you feed it to me" Minseok purrs before pressing a kiss to Jongin's cheek.

"Really?"  One of Jongin's eyebrows shoot up.  "Even when I feed you my-"

"That's not the problem here" Junmyeon shouts, he glances at Jongin who's now tilting the water cup for Minseok to drink from.  "Sooner or later this cockroach couple is gonna-"

"WHAT COCKROACH?"

This time everyone hears Sehun's voice on the other end and turns to stare at Junmyeon.  They also hear when Sehun hangs up the phone, making Junmyeon's ears turn crimson.

Baekhyun pays no mind as he's already on the phone with Jongdae.

"Come out for dinner" Baekhyun tries to convince his friend with a fake laugh.  "This place has really good ratings.  All the seafood noodles your little heart desires."

"Nah" Jongdae's voice comes over the speaker.  "I'm watching a movie with Chanyeol.  Bye."

#

Before their order arrives, Minseok goes to the restroom.

"I'll go with you" Jongin says quickly, but Minseok shakes his head.

"Wait and make sure they got our order right, babe" Minseok tells him.  He points a finger at the others.  "Can't trust these guys and Kyungsoo's over there empathizing with invertebrates."

Jongin nods, but pouts, making Baekhyun sigh and roll his eyes into the back of his head.

"I miss you already babe!" Jongin shouts at Minseok's disappearing figure.

"Ha!" Baekhyun shouts when Minseok doesn't turn around.  "Even Minseok hyung thinks that's one too much."

Junmyeon laughs, face looking a little brighter now.  But soon, Jongin's phone chimes.  It's a text.  It's from Minseok.

[Miss you too babe]

There's a sweet eyed emoji that follows and Jongin displays this to the rest of the table.

When their bag of shrimp comes out, Junmyeon shakes his head.  "Lost my appetite."

"That means we're losing hyung" Baekhyun says firmly.  "We gotta eat our money's worth."

Minseok comes back from the restroom right as Kyungsoo joins them at the table.  A waitress appears with a brown paper bag.

"Here's your to-go order, Sir" the waitress says with a smile.

"We didn't order a-" but Junmyeon's cut off by Kyungsoo.

"Thank you, ma'am" Kyungsoo says, smiling politely to the waitress.  When he turns to the table, said smile is gone.  "I put this on the check.  I'll be taking my portion to-go.  See you guys."

"Bye hyung!" Jongin yells at Kyungsoo's rapidly disappearing figure.  "Have a good dinner on us!"

Baekhyun and Junmyeon are still slack jawed when Jongin starts peeling the shrimp carefully in his plastic gloved hands.

"Say AH" Jongin says, dangling the pink and white flesh in front of Minseok's lips.

"AH" Minseok opens his mouth and smiles happily when Jongin feeds him.

Degloving, Baekhyun raises his phone to his ear one more time.  Desperate times call for desperate measures.

"Hello?  Yixing hyung?  We need you to come down to The Steamy Lobster STAT!"

"But I'm in China!" comes the distressed voice from the other end.  "I can't go there!"

Baekhyun sighs and Junmyeon shrugs.

"Besides" Yixing says matter-of-factly.  "I wouldn't want to be eating at the same table as the cockroach couple anyhow."

"How did you-"

"Didn't you check Instagram?  Minseok and Jongin have already uploaded couple selfies" Yixing informs them.  "It's really just sickening.  Sickeningly sweet" Yixing finishes gleefully.

The table is empty except for the two of them.  Baekhyun and Junmyeon have gone home already.  The crowd in the restaurant has died down and Jongin watches as Minseok slowly polishes off the last of the crab legs.

"You know" Jongin muses as he wipes Minseok's mouth for him.  "People say the honeymoon phase is short-lived, but I don't think that's true for us.  Do you, hyung?"

"Nope" Minseok answers as he watches Jongin the seasoning off Minseok's fingers.  "I don't think so at all."