Yunho had an amazing day.

In the dictionary edited by Jongin’s brother, ‘amazing’ came with the following definition: adjective, when one is too busy kissing asses and smiling until his mouth muscles hurt to please said asses. Below, it read in clear black ink on white: amazing day, adjective + noun, often used with  ‘have to’ - when a man named Changmin screwed everything and it was up to the one being described as having an ‘amazing day’ to clean the mess. Else, the consequences could be grave for the cleaner and lessened for the troublemaker. Other variants include ‘great’, ‘swell’ and ‘fantastic’ accompanied by the nouns ‘day’ or ‘night’, rarely ‘afternoon’ and ‘evening’.

He never told Jongin how much time he wasted with reports and other stuff seemingly written in hieroglyphics after only one or two hours of sleep.

Yes, Yunho had an amazing day.

So amazing, he probably had to rewrite the entire dictionary and add a couple of names to later curse in his sleep. He never imagined in his almost three decades of existence to suffer such humiliation and the more he worked for that company, the more he wanted to make a mask out of the countless documents stacked on his desk and take over the world.

After all, only the completely insane or overly dedicated to a cause became villains in fiction and real life. They could very well consider him crazy for acting like a trustworthy dog whenever those in power told him to start from scratch. Also, his dedication shifted slowly from his work to Changmin. To be exact, he dedicated his following days to murder Changmin for always preying on his uncle.

It was no secret that Changmin hadn’t really made an effort to enter the company.

Consequently, after his father deliberately turned down the head position, nobody thought the child was interested in that field. There were rumors of Changmin’s family being in the slums because of his father’s rash decision, living only on what his softhearted uncle, the father's brother, gave them – one of them being Changmin’s current position as Yunho’s partner.

People coughed ‘parachute’ behind his back and it kind of made Yunho feel sorry for the younger boy and proud at the same time since he worked his fingers to the bone in order to be where he was.

Only thinking of that made him relax a little. He knew there were people in worse situations than him, so having that job and being able to help Jongin with his studies made him happy. Then again, Yunho was an old soul that believed in peace and nobody and nothing could shatter his inner Zen monk, forever making circles in the sand or listening to the soft murmur of a waterfall located somewhere deep in his mind.

No matter how hard times got, he continued fighting at his own pace and always bowed his head as low as possible. He wasn’t in the position to bark and biting was not an option. He had often told his little brother the same, forever try to endure the hardships life throws in his face. I'd rather bend than break is what Jongin replied once, doubling Yunho’s assurance that he grew well.

In the end, Yunho was sure everybody could find bliss and a beautiful sight only they could see if they carried on through life despite all the obstacles.

Besides, aren’t they all humans? They all do mistakes and end up repairing them or leaving them broken for eternity until they don’t matter anymore or are brought back to the surface. No matter what, Yunho wasn’t the one to let every single crack expose him to the rain of insults and everything else he had been submitted to in those last years.

With a content heart, Yunho nodded at his boss.

Locked inside the office, he spent his entire morning redoing part of a project, taking and making calls and even having a small meeting with some important representatives, gaining a promise of renewing contracts in the near future.

Yes, Yunho’s curved path, in zigzag and sometimes even going back to square one, had never once made him give up. That is why he typed all day long at his laptop and minded his own business, often smiling ear to ear every time he remembered Jongin and Taemin fighting over a petty thing like who should apologize for ruining their long lost friendship.

Fine, maybe their fight wasn’t as light as Yunho thought. Jongin needed a friend like Taemin in his life, somebody to irk the Holy Spirit out of him and feed it to the Devil. That was the same reason he coped with Changmin. Having such a person around made one strive for more and later thank them for never leaving them behind when in tough moments (even if they probably had with a smug on their face and a wave of their hand).

Strutting to Changmin with the same diabolical look, he proposed they take an early leave. He wanted to treat him a late lunch since it was his duty as a hyung to take care of the younger one.

Changmin on the other hand wasn’t as impressed. The only thing that had gone through his ear and actually anchored itself to the brain was the part about leaving earlier and free food. Since Yunho was the one who proposed the idea, Changmin couldn’t get in trouble since he could always use the ‘elder made me do it’ excuse many of his age abused. The meal was merely a bonus in his already perfect week.

Gathering their stuff, Yunho drove straight to his best friend’s restaurant.

Ever since Jinki opened it, Yunho found himself more and more immersed in chicken than any other meat. There was something tender and delicious in his friend’s secret recipe. It must be love, he told himself countless of times. He couldn’t help smiling like a fool even before he got inside the building.

As his foot went ahead, he suddenly stopped and squinted at the dirty windows covered in promotional material and menus. He could swear he saw Taemin there, chatting like there was no tomorrow with Jinki. He grabbed Changmin’s collar and pulled him back before the automatic doors welcomed them. Just to be sure, he placed his hands over the windows and stared like a creeper, making his partner roll his eyes and enter the restaurant without Yunho. Seeing Changmin there panicked Yunho, yet it also gave him the perfect opportunity to analyze the situation the moment the honey head turned around.

Yes, it was Taemin indeed, not a girl or another man with hair too long and body too slim to be confused with a woman. Good thing he could see the counter all the way from there. Fixing his expensive suit (joke, it was rented) and colorful tie (red with white polka dots, it came with the suit), he crouched to give his shoes a quick polish before he followed Changmin at the table.

Secluded behind the large menu, he peeked from time to time after Taemin who continued to talk with Jinki. At one point, he saw him bent over from laughter, using the counter as support. He wondered what made him burst in such a way that even his stomach hurt.

He sneered.

It reminded him of kid Taemin, the one that pulled pranks on Jongin and then laughed at his misery, only to apologize afterwards and give the crybaby the biggest hug possible, chalk flowers and imaginary stars igniting around the two in a spiral of overloading cuteness.

Lowering the menu, his smile also dropped. He had to get those two back together, no matter what.

After all, he was a hyung taking care of everybody else.

Changmin couldn’t help roll his eyes (again) at Yunho’s weird actions, snapping his fingers for somebody to come and take their order before he’d regret coming there.

;;;

It was past evening already, the moon and lampposts lighting the roads.

Minho swept and washed the floors, folded every cloth after washing those too and went through his stuff. He pulled out his photobooks and artbooks, his notes and other stuff he always liked to carry around for no apparent reason. Sorting them one by one in Taemin’s ground shelf, he knew they would be safe with his friend. It might take him several more weeks until he could move out, so it was not necessary for him to keep everything in his bag.

Browsing through his very first shots, he gladly remembered everything that happened that day. Through Taemin’s smile, Taemin’s frown, the way his fingers laid over his lips in a seductive manner made him crack up. He tried hard while looking like a mushroom with that awful haircut and pseudo manliness while still being a fetus in Minho’s eyes.

He cringed.

Not an actual fetus, but close.

Minho also recalled the deal they made. Taemin swore to become his exclusive model until both decided it was time to let go if their collaboration could never ever work again. That meant both parties should have an excruciating pain whenever around the other, repulsed by each other’s presence. With that, came a few obligations that Minho insisted upon and Taemin agreed with.

One of them was Taemin’s hair. For a model, hair was an asset. Of course there were other factors of greater importance, but for Minho, hair took the crown most of the time. The only reason the honey head was a honey head with gorgeous locks cascading his shoulder blades was his agreement with Minho. He still couldn’t believe that Taemin was okay with being bullied for looking like a woman, as long as he spent his time with Minho and never ever spit on his trust.

Minho admired him.

No matter what happened, Taemin never gave up on his dreams to be a professional dancer and at the same time, respected their deal with sanctity. Doing complicated choreographies made him sweat and heat up fast. If that's the case, long hair is an absolute enemy. Most of his classmates either got haircuts or made sure their hairstyle wouldn’t make them uncomfortable. Taemin's was the exact opposite, heavy and hot whenever he barely finished an hour or two of dance classes.

The man flipped the page and his fingertips brushed over a smiling Taemin holding a water bottle with wet golden locks. His back rested against the dance room’s wooden wall, part of his reflection coloring the large mirrors peering from the corner. One of his piercings glittered from the strong lights shining above and water glistened over his exposed arms and neck. Both of his legs stretched forward, while his free hand decided to give a ‘V’ sign to the photographer. Minho felt himself drawn inside the photo and back to when he snapped it and then sat at his side. Taemin smelled of sweat and cheap cologne, mixed in an awful odor that girls rejected from a single sniff.

Minho liked that scent. He didn’t know why.

He just liked it.

The front door ringing made him abandon his reverie and rush to check on it. Both parents and Taemin had keys and knew the entrance code, so he wasn't sure who he should expect. Maybe it was some door-to-door salesman ready to bluff him with shady offers (they were more often done through telephone these days so it was less likely) or a relative he did not know. The only people Minho recognized were those from Taemin’s birthday parties and more recently, Yunho, Jongin and Chanyul.

He might have gotten the last one’s name wrong but he was sure whom he was talking about, namely, that friend of Jongin's into visual arts and with an amazingly deep voice not fit for his pretty puppy face.  

Door wide open, Minho’s jaw got stuck in a tight expression, his eyes widening and reminding one of an owl’s pensive gave, except Minho’s look screamed surprise.

“Hyung…” Taemin’s whiny voice startled him even more, jumping slightly when the boy entered with his head hanging low, hitting his chest. Minho awkwardly shoved the door close and tensed when Taemin lifted his chin up and he saw his eyes moistened and his lips pursed in a forced pout. Minho’s nose scrunched, Taemin stunk.

“What happened to you?!”

Taemin sighed and wobbled all the way to the sofa. He sank in it, still sulking and his stomach growling, covered in dirt from top-bottom. Minho had to blink several times when the boy nonchalantly picked a piece of thin bone from his hair, carelessly throwing it on the floor he diligently cleaned a few hours ago.

“You know the friend I was talking about?” Minho nodded, approaching the piece of bone like it was a twig filled with deadly ants. “Well, he was short of help and I offered myself for today only.” The black-haired guy picked the bone with his thumb and index, ignoring the honey head just enough to get rid of the chicken bone and wash his hands.

Taemin sighed, switching his position on the sofa and mumbling about stupid Jongin. If it wasn’t for him, the chaos they produced together would have never happened and Onew might still consider them hardworking fellows instead of a bunch of idiots who deserved a broom smashed against their head.

Then again, Jongin did stay with him after… and he did tend to his wounds…

Taemin stared at his hand from between oily strands, glad Minho hadn’t noticed it. The bandage Jongin applied was still there and Taemin couldn’t help giggle as he recalled the event that made Taemin’s heart melt just a little bit more towards his childhood friend. 

;;;

While Jongin mustered his courage to confront Taemin (who was having the time of his life with Onew), he stopped dead in his tracks, his heart racing at the simple thought of talking with Taemin. It hadn’t been long since their last dispute and Taemin’s hand had imprinted on his palm harder than Jongin imagined. There was also that constant fear of rejection or him being the one rejecting, which made him step back a few times and consider a peace treaty for the moment.

He was at work after all, it was a must for Jongin to be exemplary (and save Chanyeol from getting fired).  What he heard next further fueled his anger, enough to make him a human torch capable of frying the chicken for the day.

“Hey Taem, think you can lend me a hand? One of guys didn’t show up and rush hour is about to start.”

Jongin almost broke his neck turning to where the voice came from. Had his boss really propose to Jongin’s number one enemy to join them in armed forces against the coming masses?

“Sure, why not? Just today, right?”

At least Onew could cut on the gas for Jongin’s flames erupted stronger, enough to last them for weeks to come.

How could he be that shameless and not think for a second? If Taemin had no prior experience, Jongin feared his clumsiness might endanger the business and bring forth Onew’s infamous rage his brother told him a thousand times before Jongin ultimately decided to apply at the restaurant anyway.

Speaking of his brother, Jongin was surprised to see him look towards the counter, hiding his face behind the menu and staring again after. Why was he acting like that anyway? It wasn’t Yunho’s first visit to Onew’s and he most certainly had no reason to play hide and seek. Jongin’s eyes scanned as many tables as he could, still out of the two chatting traitors' view. Eyes finally landed back on his brother and on the other man dressed in a much fancier suit than Yunho’s and with the most annoyed face Jongin had ever seen in a while (except from his, that is).

Signaling for somebody to come at their table, Jongin grabbed his scribbling notebook and dashed in their direction, forgetting about Onew and Taemin. He nagged the elder countless of times to force people to the counter if they wanted to order something or buy some of those red buzzers that alerted both parties and made Jongin’s life easier.

Of course, Onew wouldn’t have it any other way. The family atmosphere stayed and Jongin’s proposals were lost in the sizzling sound of the boiling oil.

“Hi hyung!” the cheerful approach made even Jongin feel eerie for he was not in the mood anymore to play the goofy character. Jongin thought he should have taken on acting instead since he seemed to have perfected the art of putting on a show when even his last strand of patience vanished in thin air.

The other guy, Changmin if he remembered correctly from Yunho's sleep talking, only flinched his fingers and spurted out a page filled only with his order, not even bothering with other formalities. Jongin didn’t know then but the way his brother’s mouth corner twitched, he guessed the other man wasn’t the one paying for the goods.

Finally, Jongin took Yunho's order too and thanked them, waltzing back to the kitchen with the page ripped from his notebook and stuck to the old bulletin board in there.

He arrived just when Taemin tied his hair up with one of the Onew’s hair clamps and put on an apron. Jongin’s spare apron that is, which Onew had to shorten the base a little with some paper clips. By the time they made eye contact, Jongin realized he had been standing awkwardly in the same spot, staring at them like a lost child. He scurried out of the kitchen, trying to keep busy and not talk with any of them.

That is how things escaladed with the force of a typhoon.

When cold and hot air meet, disasters are bound to happen. Their names for the evening were Taemin and Jongin, engaged in a dance invisible to the eye. They stole looks and clients, each rushing to the tables for dear life. Of course, something would have gone wrong.

“MINE!” Taemin shouted near Jongin’s ear, leaping forward to the newly arrived couple. Jongin ran in the opposite direction, determined to beat Taemin in a fierce battle of wits and... alright, they were both equally too competitive for something as a family orientated restaurant and Onew couldn't help judge them every time something moronic happened.

That included Taemin ending up with a plate full of chicken bones on his head instead of the garbage can and Jongin bringing the extra spicy sauce to someone who asked for the mildest one possible just because he wanted to get at the table before Taemin - who had the right sauce.

Onew saw how their bottoms brushed from the minuscule free space between the two. Or it was most likely because Taemin placed both of his elbows on the table and flirted with the couple. Jongin all but shoved his backwards, Taemin losing his balance the following moment and ending up flat on his stomach in front of the two.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, added a low bow and quietly followed Jongin back in the kitchen.

After that, Onew guessed there was no middle ground with those two and returned to his own work.

In the meantime, Jongin kept everything inside of his chest, puffing and huffing every single time Taemin had done something wrong: taking the wrong (or same) order, mixing the orders, chat for too long with too many girls (was that jealousy? Jongin would never admit it).

The only time he let it loose was when Taemin insisted he helped with the frying. The kitchen was a hazardous place to be in. With clients coming and going, it was difficult to keep up both outside and in the kitchen without a bruise or two as reminders. Taemin hadn't worked in that kind of environment before, Jongin was dead sure of it from the way he handled everything.

Jongin had returned from taking an order when he gulped a handful of stuffy air, pumping his oxygen in his blood with each hurried step bringing him closer to the honey head. He pulled him away from the oil. 

He slammed the boy against the wall so they both wouldn't fall over the slimy floor.

“Are you okay???”

Jongin almost crushed the other. He slowly pulled away, one of his palms still resting over the wall. Taemin groaned under him, his right hand firmly clutching at his left wrist. Soon, groans turned into small whimpers.

Jongin forced the boy to let go and saw the burn mark eating away at his skin.

“I’m sorry,” whimpers turned into whispers “I’m sorry for whatever I’ve done to you in the past but please stop acting like I shoved a stick up your .”

Jongin scoffed, let go of the boy’s hand and went to Onew’s to get the first aid kit.

That bastard deserved to rot with the fishes. How could he possibly apologize while not even knowing the reason behind those words void of sincerity?

;;;

Chanyeol woke up confused, kicking the twisted blanket off him.

Somewhere after Jongin left for work, the meds drove him to a deep sleep. Among his dreams of cherub Jongins flying between puffy pink clouds in frilly diapers, Chanyeol’s eyes adjusted quickly to the room’s darkness once opened. It was already late if the only light came from the traffic outside.

As instructed by his friend, he put on a T-shirt and dragged his heavy body outside, feeling the wall's texture and the floor’s cold touch. Sleeping for so many hours gave him a similar sensation to that of freshly coming out of the shower. His damped hair quivered, frantically searching for Jongin in the medium sized apartment.

He found Yunho instead, happily cooking dinner, chopping spring onions like the perfect housewife while swaying his hips to the music. Chanyeol stared at the elder before he cleared his throat to draw his attention, right after sitting at the table. "Hyung, could I help you with anything?"

“Chanyeol-ah!” the elder came closer with the knife in hand, threatening to cut Chanyeol’s cheek “I heard you’re sick, how you are feeling?”

“Ye-ye-yeah,” stuttering, he placed two fingers in front of the knife, only for the elder to skip back to their meal. “Where’s Jongin?”

“I don’t know, but I’m sure he’s good,” the answer came in a surprisingly cheerful voice, making Chanyeol wonder whether the elder had lost it for good. There were moments when he acted like a five year old and he thought it was in the family since Jongin often did the same, yet he couldn’t shake the weird vibe he got from Yunho in that right moment. Music soon dimmed in the background as the only sound Chanyeol could hear was that of slicing and dicing, all on the wooden support and Yunho’s muffled sinister chuckle. “Your mother called, are you staying overnight again? Don't worry, I haven't told her a thing about your cold.”

“I,” slowly getting out of the chair, Chanyeol stepped backwards in the same careful manner “I should go, she’s probably worried and I’m better anyway.”

Yunho turned around, shadows covering half of his smirk as his lifted the knife.

“Alright Chanyeol-ah~! Be careful out there, want me to give you a ride home?”

The giant all but rocketed back in Jongin’s bedroom, took his belongings and his shoes in one hand, escaping the apartment barefooted. Maybe it was just his imagination distorted by the now gone fever but he wasn’t about to stay around and find out.

Yunho on the other hand blinked confused, following the boy on the hallway and waving him goodbye.

“Strange kid…,” he murmured, giving a shrug and locking the front door behind, whistling and bobbing his head and fingers after the beat.

Leaving Jongin alone was the best thing he had done in weeks. 

;;;

After Onew scolded Taemin and forced him to leave earlier, Jongin stayed behind to clean the place up. Yunho waited for him outside in the car, browsing on his phone or making and taking more calls.

He was still on his device when Jongin opened the back door, threw his backpack and then shut it loud, annoyed of everything and anything. Just as he was about to take a seat near his brother and get out of there, he saw Onew trip over their large sign near the entrance in his run and almost kiss the asphalt with broken teeth.

“Good thing you haven’t left!” he shouted on top of his lungs, not giving up and eventually reaching the brothers.

“Yo Jinki!” Yunho got out of the vehicle and hugged his friend. Jongin wasn’t the only one with childhood people coming back in his life.

Onew waved a familiar backpack in front of the two brothers, making Jongin frown some more. It was Taemin’s, especially from the silly stickers. “Care to give it back?”

Jongin was about to say no and go inside the car when Yunho snatched the backpack in one hand and Jongin’s back collar (it was becoming a nasty habit, that collar grabbing) with the other. “Sure thing! See you later Jinki!”

Jongin gave his brother the best face, wondering whether the Han River could harbor one more body.

;;;

“I’ll wait here, you go ahead!”

Anybody knew not to trust a forever smiling person. The more they smiled, the more they were probably hiding and the fact that Yunho couldn’t stop humming and grinning all the way to Taemin’s house made Jongin weary of his antics. He hadn’t seen him jubilating like that ever since they were able to move back to Seoul and his brother once more worked in the company’s main branch.

The more Jongin looked behind at the vehicle, the eviler Yunho’s face became.

He shook his head and rushed to the front door, ringing and then placing the backpack on the front porch. Somebody should find it there. Just as he went down the stairs and was ready to go back to the car, Yunho glared at him with the phone locked once again at his ear. The boy sighed and returned, knocking at the door and ringing again. He didn’t want to upset his brother, so he might as well swallow his pride and wait for the idiot to answer. Honestly, he was more than glad to see the Lees instead. They were always good to their family.

Of course his wishes were always screwed over when Taemin greeted him perplexed.

“You forgot this,” he shoved the backpack at his chest, voice deeper than usual from the tiring hours “bye.”

Turning around, he stopped when he couldn't spot Yunho’s car. Where in the world had that bastard disappear?

“JONGIN-AH!” somebody head locked the unsuspecting boy “Come in! Why are you so shy? At least stay for dinner!”

Minho didn’t want to let go and Jongin couldn’t find Yunho.

He couldn’t believe it.

The number one person in his life fed him to the lions.

Hey guys, shin-oppa/Lara here! Cas was abducted so we agreed that I write the entire chapter or we'll never update >< sorry for any mistakes and co ;__;

ANYBODY ELSE EXCITED FOR TAEMIN'S SOLO THO? I'M SPAZZING SO HARD *-* (Running Man too!!! <3)