Something interesting must be happening at the market today. Sure, it’s a Saturday afternoon in the middle of summer, but the heatwave that’s been hitting them all week has reached an all time high and Kyungsoo has never seen a line for any of the shops wrap around the corner like this. Undeterred by the hot weather, Kyungsoo can practically feel the thrum of excitement in each of the shoppers as they drive past.

Kyungsoo watches out of the tinted windows of an air-conditioned black Mercedes, turning his whole body to keep his eye on the line through the back window when they get ahead of it. He knows what the answer would be if he were to ask to stop and check out the action.

The car turns the corner and the line fades from view. Kyungsoo slumps back down in his seat, and sighs loudly.

 

 

Being the mayor’s son isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Baekhyun used to think Kyungsoo got everything he ever wanted with the snap of his fingers. And while being the mayor’s son had its perks, Kyungsoo had to put in plenty of hard work and forego a lot of things normal people his age would have found commonplace. Like now, for instance, Kyungsoo is stuck at another one of his father’s boring parties while the mayor schmoozes with some important guests. Kyungsoo stopped keeping track of the who’s who a long time ago.

Over the years he had learned to play his part well; all he had to do was smile, nod, and laugh at their corny jokes, and you had them in your pocket. Sehun’s strategy, which Kyungsoo envied but could never quite emulate, lies in his resting face. Not only did it intimidate people from talking with him, but it made the ones who did attempt try so hard to impress him that they ended up doing all the talking and saving Sehun from doing any of the work himself. It wasn’t fair.

Of course, having grown up with Sehun from the time they were five, Kyungsoo knew that the former was just as shy as he was (stemming from the bullying he received in primary school for his lisp) and one of the biggest nerds known to man. After the parties ended, Sehun always ended up in Kyungsoo’s room playing video games and discussing the latest episode of the anime they all watched. Sometime later Baekhyun would join them, and together they would raid the kitchen for the unhealthiest snacks possible and complain their lives away.

Despite his upbringing, town gossip and politics were not Kyungsoo’s forte and he had had his fill of it for the night. He stands in a corner with a half drunk glass of champagne in his hand doing his damndest to hide from his father. He should probably find someone to keep company with in case the man comes to check in on him.

He runs a mental check of who else he could hang out with to make himself look like less of a social outcast. If only to please his mother (she had already had a talk with him once before about his duties as a host and and he doesn’t want another). Kyungsoo can only think of two people he’d willingly hang out with. But Sehun is busy entertaining guests--something Kyungsoo should be doing as well--and Baekhyun wasn’t even invited.

“Kyungsoo,” too late, his father is approaching him with an older woman in tow, and now Kyungsoo is going to have to make forced polite conversation with her, “I’m glad I found you. I was just talking to Mrs. Huang about a possible study abroad opportunity for you.”

Kyungsoo doesn’t want to study abroad. He doesn’t want to do a lot of things that his father deems “good opportunities” but he smiles and takes her hand anyway.

“Were you?” He can feel his fake smile getting even faker these days, “That’s fantastic, where would I be headed?”

“You would be staying with my husband and I at our residence in China, while you work at an internship with our company. We have a son about your age so you wouldn’t be lonely either.”

Great. An unwanted internship in a country where he doesn’t even speak the language, and now they’re forcing a friend on him as well. “Sounds terrific.” God, his adjectives are sounding a little too sarcastic. From the hard look he’s given, he’s sure his father is onto him.

“It would be a great opportunity for you to hone your leadership skills and further pursue your education. I did the same thing when I was your age.” His voice is laced with a warning for Kyungsoo to shape up and provide genuine answers.

It might be helpful to mention that Kyungsoo’s father was grooming Kyungsoo to basically become him. He would complain about it later to Baekhyun who was always game for talking the mayor, but while Baekhyun was serious about his live your own life ideals, Kyungsoo had long since accepted that there was nothing he could change.

So for now, Kyungsoo smiles and nods his way through, imagining a future where he can one day do something he wants to do.

 

 

The party ends on a rather unglamourous note, the more important guests had left earlier leaving just the minor patrons to stumble drunkenly off the premise. Kyungsoo never stays around until the end, retiring as soon as it’s considered acceptable. Sehun follows him, wordlessly turning on the Xbox and flopping onto Kyungsoo’s queen sized bed.

Kyungsoo sheds his jacket and joins him, pausing only to get up and let Baekhyun in when he finally arrives. He swings open the door to his room to find Baekhyun, unopened bottle of champagne in his hand and a devilish smirk on his face.

“Swiped it when the staff had their backs turned,” he answers the question on Kyungsoo’s face.

“Stealing is wrong,” Sehun deadpans from the bed, not even bothering to take his eyes off the screen. Kyungsoo nods in agreement.

“Oh my god, you two are such squares.” Baekhyun huffs, sliding past Kyungsoo into the room. “It’s technically yours anyway, Kyungsoo.”

“My father would probably be mad,” Not that he really cares, but another lecture on responsibility is not exactly his idea of fun. Baekhyun pops the cork anyway, putting a hand out to quiet Kyungsoo’s yelp at the noise. The gold liquid flows freely over the top of the bottle and over Baekhyun’s hand right onto Kyungsoo’s floor.

“Relax, your house is like a million square feet there’s no way anyone heard.”

Kyungsoo’s more concerned about how sticky his floor is going to be, but drops the subject when Baekhyun hands him the bottle to take a swig. The maid will take care of it tomorrow anyway.

“How’s my little Sehunnie doing?” Baekhyun asks, throwing himself on the bed next to the youngest. The enemy lands a kill shot on Sehun’s character and he finally pauses the game to glare at Baekhyun.

“I was doing fine without seeing your ugly face.” Sehun’s face is impassive, angry even, but Baekhyun sees past the stoic demeanor into the playfulness of the words and rolls over to trap Sehun in his arms.

“You missed me,” Baekhyun says, tickling the younger. Even though Sehun is doing his best to deny it between giggles, both he and Kyungsoo would agree that their father’s parties would be much more enjoyable if Baekhyun was allowed to attend.

The three of them had grown up together, and while Kyungsoo’s father was the mayor and Sehun’s father was the assistant mayor, Baekhyun’s mother had only been a staff member in the household and Kyungsoo’s father had never deemed it appropriate for the son of ‘the help’ to join them even when a young Kyungsoo had begged and cried. Eventually, the mayor’s son had given up when Baekhyun had told him not to worry about him, that their time hanging out afterwards was much more important.

Baekhyun had prided himself on working hard for everything he got anyway, and when he was accepted into his dream college on a scholarship it was all due to his own efforts with no handouts from the mayor. He still loved to tease Kyungsoo about his wealth and connections, but he knew that Kyungsoo would rather be rid of his father’s influence most days.

The tickling stops once Baekhyun gets Sehun to admit to missing him and Kyungsoo deems it safe to join them on the bed without all the thrashing. He hands the bottle of champagne off to a still out of breath Sehun.

“So what’s the latest hot gossip in municipal government?” Baekhyun asks. For all his resentment and exclusion he still loved to know the ins and outs of everything.

Sehun shrugs, having not gotten anything noteworthy and Kyungsoo sighs. Both pairs of eyes flick over to him.

“My father is probably going to ship me off to China.” Kyungsoo’s voice is heavy, fatigue from the evening finally seeping in and coloring his tone. It hadn’t exactly been the government secrets Baekhyun had wanted, but Kyungsoo needed to tell them before it ate away at him.

“Oh buddy,” Baekhyun starts, looking at Kyungsoo apologetically, “that’s rough.” Sehun shoves the champagne back into Kyungsoo’s hand, clearly sensing the need for a distraction. Kyungsoo smiles gratefully and takes another large gulp. “Have you tried telling him that you don’t want to go?”

Kyungsoo lays down heavily on the bed, perching the bottle of champagne on his chest. He wasn’t even considering that option, knowing what the answer was likely to be.

“Kyungsoo’s father would never let him,” Sehun answers for him, being able to understand the feeling of having a life that is not his own. The younger pats Kyungsoo’s thigh in reassurance. Baekhyun heaves a sigh of annoyance; Kyungsoo’s reluctance to do anything about his father always bothered him.

“Do you ever do anything for yourself, Kyungsoo?” He asks, snatching the bottle of champagne and downing the rest. Kyungsoo glares at the loss of the alcohol. “When was the last time you did?”

Kyungsoo tries to think back on it, but his whole life had been laid out for him and he can’t seem to think of one instance. His thoughts wander to the line at the market he had witnessed earlier that afternoon. “Have you ever been to the market in town?”

“Yes.” Baekhyun answers, confused at this train of thought. He turns to Sehun who shakes his head and shrugs. “Why?”

“I’ve never been, and there was a line today when we drove past.”

Suddenly, Baekhyun’s features are lighting up, a strange glint in his eyes. “Do you want to go there?” He asks, tone a little too casual for the look on his face.

Kyungsoo shrugs, “What’s it for?”

“Oh, I think it would be better if I just showed you instead.”

“Baek, c’mon you know I can’t go. Just tell me.” Kyungsoo is practically whining now, too tired and a little too tipsy to care. These are his best friends though, he’s allowed to act childish in front of them. He kicks out carelessly, aiming for Baekhyun but missing when the older dodges him smoothly. “Please?”

“Ask your father, he should be fine with missing you for one Saturday. Sehun can come too.”

“Thanks.” Sehun scoffs at being an afterthought. “But I’ve never been either.”

Baekhyun’s eyes bug. “You guys are missing out. I’ll show you what the line is for. Pray for another heatwave.” He finishes with a wink.

Kyungsoo still has no idea what he means but he, sort of, trusts Baekhyun. Now he just has to figure out what to tell his father.

 

 

“It’s hot,” Sehun complains for what feels like the hundredth time already even though they’ve only been here for a few minutes. Baekhyun cuffs the back of his head.

“That’s a good thing, it means we’ll get to see what we came here for.”

“And what is that exactly?” Sehun responds, making sure he’s out of reach should Baekhyun attack again. “You haven’t told us anything since last week.”

“If you could be patient for two more minutes, you would see.” Baekhyun answers and Kyungsoo decides to tune out their petty squabbling in favor of taking in the sights around him.

It’s not like he’s never been outside before, but Kyungsoo feels as if he has stepped into another world once they enter the market. The streets are lined with vendors of all kinds selling anything from seafood so fresh it’s still swimming to handmade fabrics and silks. Shoppers haggle with merchants, most of them being older men and women shouting their wares at passersby in hopes that their interest will be peaked enough to stop. Kyungsoo tries several times to stop and browse, but Baekhyun drags him away with promises of returning later. Right now they’re here for something else.

It’s an exciting flood of noises and colors, mixed with the smells of delicious food wafting through the air. Kyungsoo loves it.

It had been easier than he thought to convince his father. All he had to do was spout some bull about connecting more to the community and his father relented with an impatient wave. It also helped that he was incredibly busy and in no state to really look into the whims of his son.

Up ahead, Kyungsoo spots the long line snaking its way through the booths. It must be the same one he had noticed last Saturday and the thought that he’ll get to finally figure out what it’s for energizes him.

His hopes are immediately dashed when Baekhyun walks right past the end. But now that he’s up close, he notices that the line is mostly made up of girls. Mainly teenagers, but there are a few older women sprinkled throughout the line as well.

“What’s-”

Kyungsoo stops short when they round the corner and the small stand comes into view. Unlike many of the others, this looks like one of the permanent storefronts; one of the few that made it’s home in an actual building, small as it was. It’s the butcher by the looks of it, links of cured sausages, venison, beef, as well as all imaginable cuts of pork hanging on meat hooks over the counter.

There’s two men working the shop but it’s definitely clear which one the crowd is here for. The man in the back at the meat grinder is, for lack of a better description, smokin’ hot.

It’s an old fashioned grinder--one with a handle--and the man’s taut muscles are working overtime as he cranks it, the tight grey tank top he’s wearing leaves very little to the imagination. There’s a little v of sweat down the front of his tank, the rest is pooled on the man’s face. He has a straight nose and an angular jaw, his teeth bite down on his plush lips as he works the machine in total concentration. Kyungsoo thinks he hears the girl nearest to him sigh dreamily. He can’t blame her.

Kyungsoo is still staring when Baekhyun bypasses the line and walks straight up to the guy at the till. He turns to Sehun to see his take on the situation and Sehun shrugs, following after him.

“We have a line you know,” the man at the till sighs when Baekhyun approaches. They way he says it makes Kyungsoo believe this is a common occurrence.

“Oh I know,” Baekhyun smirks and the man narrows his eyes. “I came to introduce my friends to Jonginnie.”

“Jongin’s busy right now,” the man informs him. It comes off as slightly annoyed. He’s attractive in his own right, Kyungsoo can definitely see the family resemblance. “And so am I. If you want something you’ll have to go to the back of the line.”

“Aww, Jongdae how can you be like that to your most loyal customer?” Baekhyun pleads with puppy dog eyes.

“Believe me, we have plenty of those,” Jongdae says as the man who must be Jongin comes forward with a package for the old woman waiting at the counter next to them. She gives the butcher a pinch on the cheek in thanks.

“Oh, hi Baekhyun! I didn’t know you were coming today.” Jongin says once he spots him. Jongdae is grumbling something about how he’s there every Saturday but Jongin either ignores him or doesn’t hear him.

“Wait for it,” Baekhyun whispers, eyes trailing over Jongin’s body. Jongin wipes his hands clean on the small towel hanging from his pocket and then, lifting the bottom of his tank top, he uses that to wipe the sweat that had gathered on his forehead and in doing so reveals a toned stomach to go along with the rest of his muscled figure. Kyungsoo counts two, four, six, eight abs. Sehun makes a noise of appreciation from beside him.

Doing his absolute hardest to prevent himself from his lips, Kyungsoo forces himself to look the owner of the abs in the eye. Said owner is smiling sweetly waiting for an introduction.

“Jonginnie, these are my friends, Sehun and Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo especially was really excited to meat you.” Baekhyun tells him and earns himself an elbow to the side courtesy of Kyungsoo.

Jongin turns to Kyungsoo looking adorably confused.

“Kyungsoo here sure loves meat.” Baekhyun continues; what is he ever talking about? Kyungsoo wasn’t aware of this kid’s--more accurately, man’s-- existence until five minutes ago, though he can’t exactly find it in him to complain about the introduction with this glorious eye candy in front of him.

Sehun snorts, sticking his hand out to introduce himself, giving Kyungsoo the opportunity to turn slightly so he can whisper to Baekhyun without anyone else hearing them.

“So help me god, Baekhyun. What are you doing?” Kyungsoo hisses.

“He’s hot,” Baekhyun shrugs, “I’m trying to set you up.”

“By flirting with him?”

“Someone has to!”

“I think entire town is already on it.” Kyungsoo says, jabbing a finger at the line.

Their whispered argument is cut off when Jongdae yells to them from the till. “If you guys are gonna buy something you better do it quick.” The current customer seems put off by his obvious disgruntlement, snatching her change back from his hands and stomping off. Jongdae pays her no mind, still glaring in their direction when the next customer steps up to order.

“Do you want your usual?” Jongin asks, following up on Jongdae’s order. “I’ll cut you in line, don’t worry about Jongdae.”

“See that’s why you’re my favorite. But as much as do I love your ribs,” Baekhyun says, actually reaching out and poking Jongin’s; his finger drags down the latter’s toned stomach, “I think maybe a pound of your raw ground beef should do it for today. I just wanted Kyungsoo to have a taste so he can decide whether or not he wants to come back.”

The entire situation causes Kyungsoo to rub his hands on his face in embarrassment, smiling at tightly at Jongin through his fingers. He thinks he might die if Baekhyun says one more word. Sehun, too, shakes his head after Baekhyun speaks.

“Hopefully you will!” Jongin smiles, seemingly oblivious to Baekhyun’s innuendos and completely unaffected by his inappropriate touching, “We’ve been told our cuts are the best in the market.” He lifts his shirt again to wipe the sweat on his temples.

Gathering himself, Kyungsoo swallows thickly and manages to squeak out, “I’m sure you have.”

“Jongin,” a frazzled Jongdae calls, “Could you please get back to work.” The line is still as long as ever and poor Jongdae has been trying to do everything himself. Jongin smiles apologetically.

“Sorry, looks like I gotta run. Summer is our busiest season.”

“Can’t imagine why.” Sehun notes as Jongin returns to his post. The butcher quickly weighs out a pound of ground beef and wraps it up carefully, handing it to Baekhyun with a glance to Jongdae and a conspiratorial finger on his lips.

“I hope you’ll be able to come back.” He says to Kyungsoo before giving a short wave and getting back to work.

“Guess I’m invisible, huh?” Sehun says once they’re out of earshot.

Baekhyun pulls him under his arm. "It’s a shame there are only two brothers, right? I hope you enjoyed the show at least."

Scoffing, Sehun shrugs Baekhyun's arm off his shoulder, "And do you really think Jongdae is going to like you back with that display?"

"He'll come around."

"Maybe I know that in some weird, twisted, Baekhyun way, you were trying to get him to notice you but dude....you were flirting with his brother right in front of him."

As the pair continues to bicker, Kyungsoo once again tunes them out in favor of taking in the sights around him. There are so many different stalls that Kyungsoo thinks he could spend a week here and never get to all of them. Every so often he chances a glance back at the butcher. Jongin catches him looking and gives him a tiny wave. Kyungsoo waves back before quickly turning away and letting Baekhyun drag them around to the remainder of his favorite marketplace haunts.

 

 

Curiosity gets the better of Kyungsoo and he returns to the market the next week. He figured if the young butcher had expressed his wishes for seeing Kyungsoo again it was only right for Kyungsoo to oblige. He hadn’t exactly gotten permission this time, seeing as he was without Sehun and Baekhyun, but he was accompanied by his bodyguard Minho, and Minho had always been soft on him.

The market is just as busy as it was last week what with another sweltering day of heat ahead of them. Kyungsoo would have thought that that fact alone would have kept people home, but the line stays long, its occupants holding various forms of handheld fans to quell the stagnant press of air. He takes his time through the stalls, examining trinkets here and there, before joining the line. Kyungsoo is not Baekhyun, so he settles in at the end ignoring the look he receives from Minho who knows very well that Kyungsoo’s family has staff to do all the buying of food for them. Still, he doesn’t question him, and for that Kyungsoo is grateful.

The line moves quicker than Kyungsoo had expected of a two man operation, and soon enough they’re within seeing distance. Jongin is wearing another tight tank top as he brings his strong arms down on the slab of meat he’s cutting, and Kyungsoo is just as hopeless as everyone else in the line who had come to watch.

It’s a really nice view, no wonder the line is so long.

Jongdae looks at him suspiciously when Kyungsoo approaches, craning his neck to look around the latter. Finding nothing he narrows his eyes.

“Not that I miss him but where’s Baekhyun?” He asks, eyes back on Kyungsoo but still with a hint of mistrust. “Or your other friend.”

“He’s just started a new internship so he couldn’t join me today and Sehun had a family thing.”

“A shame really,” Jongdae clucks, “Whatever will I do with all of my extra time now that he’s not wasting it.”

Kyungsoo laughs at his friend’s expense, figuring that Jongdae doesn’t really mean it judging from the disappointment he’s trying to mask. As he’s doing so, Jongin spots him, waving to him with his butcher’s knife. He finishes the cut that he’s working on before joining them up front.

“I was hoping you would be back.” Jongin wipes the sweat from his brow with the back of his forearm. Kyungsoo is secretly thankful, as much as it’s nice to look at, he’s not sure he could survive another attack of the abs.

“Here I am.” Kyungsoo replies awkwardly. And for some reason Jongin is still smiling at him brilliantly.

Jongdae clears his throat. “Are you getting something?” he asks, yelping a little when Jongin elbows him. “We have a long line, Jongin,” he hisses by way of explanation.

“I’ll just have Baekhyun’s usual, whatever that is.” Kyungsoo cuts in. He didn’t want to cause a fight.

“Okay.” Jongin smiles, moving to package up a decent sized slab of ribs while Jongdae rings him up. Once he’s done paying he steps aside to wait for Jongin at the small counter.

Jongin comes back with the ribs, and strikes up a friendly chat. Kyungsoo is no stranger to small talk--being forced to talk to every one of his father’s important guests. Most times it’s awkward and painful, but Kyungsoo finds talking to Jongin easy. The latter works while they talk, sometimes having their conversation interrupted by Jongdae when Jongin lingers just a little too long.

Eventually, they’re forced to part when Kyungsoo realizes the time. He better get home if he doesn’t want any awkward questions from his father. As much as he would like to stay, he reluctantly pulls Minho from the vegetable stand across from the butcher, pointedly ignoring his bodyguard’s smirk when Jongin calls goodbye despite still being very busy.

 

 

“I like you kid.” Jongdae says when Kyungsoo reaches the front of the line. For the second consecutive week, the mayor’s son had patiently waited his turn. Jongdae eyes Minho, who is standing behind Kyungsoo in a black suit and looking very stoic. “But if you’re here to see Jongin again, you don’t have to wait in line and pretend to buy something. I’m pretty sure he’s been looking out for you all day.”

Kyungsoo blushes at Jongdae’s accurate assessment of him. Truthfully, like probably eighty percent of the line, he was only here for Jongin and hadn’t decided what to order yet as a cover. Even though the ribs had gone over well, they did earn him a few inquisitive looks as well as one rather knowing one from one of the young female kitchen staff when he had awkwardly dropped them off.

“No, I was going --” Jongdae raises his eyebrows, “--yeah I came to see Jongin.”

He heads over to where Jongin is t a brisket. His brows are furrowed in concentration and his lips stick out in a natural pout that makes him look incredibly cute. It’s an alarming contrast to the fact that the gun show is in town. Today, Jongin is wearing a tight black shirt that does nothing but accentuate how muscular and toned his arms are. Kyungsoo takes it all in before speaking up.

“Hey,” he says when he’s had his fill (he really hasn’t but staring any longer would border on weird and creepy). Jongin’s head lifts and a grin fills his face when he sees who it is.

“Hi Kyungsoo.” Jongin says, smiling at him for a moment before finishing the section he was working on. When he’s finished he looks up at Kyungsoo apologetically. “We have a few more special orders than usual today and Jongdae won’t be happy if I take any breaks.

“That’s okay, I can go--”

“No!” Jongin practically shouts and then clears his throat, “I mean, you don’t have to go, I just won’t be able to stay around and talk much.”

“I can help if you need?” When he sees Jongin looking confused between Kyungsoo and the brisket, he clarifies, “With running orders and stuff.”

“Oh, okay. Yeah.”

For the next few hours Kyungsoo flits around helping Jongdae with orders. Things are even more smooth sailing when there’s three people instead of two, and Kyungsoo enjoys it. So much that he offers to help the next week too.

Spending time with Jongin is a nice break from the pressure that his father puts him under. He recently signed him up for some summer college courses to keep him on his toes. At least Sehun was enrolled too so he had someone to commiserate with, but he always made sure to go back to the butcher on Saturdays.

Maybe this was what Baekhyun meant by doing something for himself. He might have been working, but he had fun doing it.

Jongdae was also good company when he wasn’t stressed over customers and orders, and having Kyungsoo around certainly aided with that.

The heat remains unbearable as the summer drones on, so Jongin’s tank tops and toned arms were a common, but no less welcome, sight. Kyungsoo is not proud of some of the excuses he used so he could brush up against him. There were even a few Saturdays where the rain clouds blocked all the sun and the wind sent a little chill through the streets of the market. Those days would be far less busy, but Kyungsoo still came anyway and the three of them would chat the afternoon away.

 

 

“I miss Jongin’s abs.”

“Hello Baekhyun.” Kyungsoo sighs, snatching his summer coursework away just in time for Baekhyun to flop down in front of him with a dramatic sigh, rolling into Sehun’s personal bubble as usual.

“Also,” Baekhyun addresses Kyungsoo, “a little birdie told me that you’ve been going to the market every Saturday without me?”

Kyungsoo whips his head around to Sehun. Sehun shrugs.

“It’s not like you invited me either…or told me not to tell him.” Sehun plucks his own work back from Baekhyun’s nosy grip and adjusts his position on the bed to accommodate the new arrival. He shakes his head. “You get one look at some eye candy and suddenly your friends aren’t important anymore.”

Kyungsoo frowns. “You know it’s not like that.”

“Nah. I understand, I mean I do have eyes. Who wouldn’t abandon their friends for that hunk of meat?” Baekhyun high fives Sehun and Kyungsoo only frowns harder, eyebrows furrowed.

“He’s more than a hunk of meat.” Both of Kyungsoo’s friends raise their eyebrows at Kyungsoo’s defensiveness.

“Oh really? Is that why you ‘accidentally’ broke their fan?” Sehun nearly doesn’t get the words out with how quick Kyungsoo is to react, tossing aside his forgotten schoolwork and jumping on Sehun to shut him up.

“I told you that in private.” Kyungsoo grunts, wrestling Sehun out of the fetal position so he can try and punch him in the stomach. Meanwhile, Baekhyun looks mildly impressed.

“I should have thought of that one.” He says with a dreamy look. Kyungsoo changes course to tackle him instead, threatening more bodily harm if Baekhyun were to ever open his big mouth to Jongin.

“Okay, okay. Jeez.” Baekhyun throws his hands up in surrender. “You can’t fault me for looking though, I mean the dude is jacked. Just imagine those strong arms pinning you down as he--oKAY.” The last bit is muffled by the pillow Kyungsoo grabs to suffocate him with. “Anyway,” Baekhyun continues once he wiggles free, “has Jongdae said anything about me?”

Satisfied that Baekhyun won’t test him further, Kyungsoo lowers the pillow. “Just how glad he is that you aren’t there bothering him.”

“Well that’s no fun,” Baekhyun tsks, “I’ll have to come with you this week. I do have the day off.”

“Do I have to invite myself since I know neither of you will?” Sehun scoffs.

“Sehunnieeeeee! Don’t be like that.”

Kyungsoo and Baekhyun share a brief look before both deciding to team up and smother Sehun with affection. The youngest tries shoving them off to no avail.

“Doing adult stuff ,” Baekhyun whines. “Let’s play video games.”

The other two can only agree, their schoolwork already lying forgotten on the floor.

 

 

It’s fun hanging out with just the three of them again. It had been far too long since the last time, their hangouts lately had just consisted of sitting in the same room while they all did their respective work. Minho lets Baekhyun control the music on the car ride over (he still thinks it’s hilarious and totally cool that Kyungsoo has his own bodyguard) and the three of them have fun singing along to the latest pop hits. Sehun wants to try some of the street food that the different stalls have to offer so they snack their way through the market before eventually making their way to the real destination.

“I was thinking it had been too quiet around here lately.” Jongdae calls as they approach.

Baekhyun smirks, “Kyungsoo told me you missed me so I’m here to fill the void.”

Jongdae glares daggers at Kyungsoo who immediately waves his hand to prove his innocence. The former may have let it slip a few weeks ago about how funny he thought Baekhyun was, but Kyungsoo had promised not to tell and he’s always been a man of his word.

Just then, Jongin walks out from the freezer with a large leg of lamb already wrapped in paper and tied up with a bit of twine.

“Hey Baek, we missed you around here!” Jongin says, bringing up the customer’s order for Jongdae. He waves a greeting at Kyungsoo and Sehun and opens the hatch door to let them in.

“I’ll only let you come back here if you buy something.” Jongdae says, stopping Baekhyun from coming behind the counter.

Affronted, Baekhyun pauses to assess his options. “How much for that hunk of meat?” He finally says, pointing at Jongin. The butcher once again looks adorably confused at Baekhyun’s advances. Jongdae scowls. “Fine, I’ll take a couple of steaks. No rush.”

With a smile, Baekhyun skips past Jongdae and joins Sehun where he’s poking around the small shop. Jongin starts preparing Baekhyun’s order ahead of the rest of the line, pulling two steaks from the cooler.

“Hey Kyungsoo,” Jongin starts in a deceptively casual tone, laying the steaks on a square of brown paper to wrap them, “do you think we could, I don’t know--”

“Jongin, can you hold this and hit that steak a few times?” Baekhyun appears suddenly with a giggling Sehun, interrupting them and handing the butcher a meat tenderizer.

Jongin clears his throat, “Um, sure.” Though clearly confused, he takes the tenderizer and does what he’s asked. Kyungsoo narrows his eyes at his friends when Baekhyun pulls out his phone and starts recording.

“Yeah, harder. Just like that.” Sehun chimes in from the side. He holds an arm out to block Kyungsoo once he’s figured out what they’re doing and tries to put a stop to it. He can’t believe Baekhyun somehow roped Sehun into this nonsense.

“Perfect. Thanks, Jongin.” Baekhyun says, clicking his phone shut. “You two kids have fun, me and Sehunnie are going to explore.”

“But I don’t wan--” Sehun starts, as Baekhyun shushes him and pulls his arm to drag him away.

Jongin stares after them. “Baekhyun didn’t get his steaks.”

“Unfortunately they’ll be back,” Kyungsoo sighs, fearing what Baekhyun is going to do with that video. He’s pulled back from his thoughts by Jongin clearing his throat again.

“So, about earlier,” Jongin begins, looking a little unsure of himself. In all of his friends’ crazy antics, Kyungsoo had forgotten that Jongin had been about to ask him something. “Do you maybe want to hang out sometime? In a date way? Preferably when we’re not surrounded by meat.”

Jongin looks so shy, his brown eyes looking at him hopefully as he waits for Kyungsoo's reply. It's such a striking contrast to the muscles and the sweaty tank top that Kyungsoo feels like he has whiplash.

“Of course.” He answers, making Jongin’s face light up with absolute delight.

Kyungsoo, too, is so happy he doesn't think anything could bring down his mood, not even when his phone pings with a message from Baekhyun containing a link to a YouTube video titled Hot Butcher Beats His Meat.

In fact--Kyungsoo discreetly clicks the link to bring it up in the app on his phone--he might just watch this one or ten times later tonight.

 

 

The smile doesn’t slip from his face the entire car ride home. He tells his friends about his date, scheduled for next Saturday night, as soon as their out of earshot from the butcher shop. Baekhyun yells in victory and Sehun offers a more subtle “Eyyy, congrats man. Good luck fighting off all his fangirls.” And Kyungsoo had honestly not thought about that.

It’s only fitting that his father ruins all of his plans in one simple sentence.

It’s a week later Kyungsoo has barely touched his lunch, his nerves too on edge from excitement about his upcoming date that night. At this point he’s just tuning out his parents’ chatter about business in the community and pushing the food around on his plate waiting until he can be excused.

“I had your suit pressed for tonight.” Kyungsoo’s father tells him, “I’ll have the maid bring it up for you.” It’s offhand and far too casual, so there’s no way that he knows but Kyungsoo’s head snaps up too fast anyway. He must look like a deer in headlights because his father regards him for a moment before clarifying. “The party for the school board trustees, I had it moved to tonight, did you forget?”

And just like that his heart sinks. How could it have escaped his memory. “No, sir, I-” he swallows hard. What’s he going to tell Jongin?

“Is it crucial for me to go?” Kyungsoo regrets even asking the second the words are out of his mouth when his father’s face immediately hardens in disapproval.

“You are expected to be present as my son and an upstanding member of this community.” He replies and Kyungsoo deflates as the barest flicker of hope he was keeping alive is extinguished.

“May I be excused?” He needs to get away from here so his face doesn’t give away his disappointment, “I have a bit of work to complete before the guests arrive.”

His father gives a curt nod of dismissal. Kyungsoo does his best to not let his face fall until he reaches his room, dropping dramatically on the bed in a very Baekhyun fashion and pulling out his phone.

Kyungsoo
Bad news.
Horrible terrible awful news.

Sehun
whats wrong

Baekhyun
????????????????????

Kyungsoo
My dad has one of his parties tonight

Sehun
did mr lee get invited or somethign

Kyungsoo
Worse

Sehun
what could be worse than mr lee asking if u wanted to come see the train set he keeps in his basement. i’m telling you that’s the reason junmyeon hasn’t been to a party in months

Kyungsoo
I mean that’s up there but

Baekhyun
Not To Be Rude But Spit It Out

Kyungsoo
Tonight is my date with Jongin

Baekhyun
Hmm that is a pickle isnt it

Sehun
just reschedule

Kyungsoo can practically hear the eyeroll through the phone even without any emojis to convey it. He supposes he could do that, but it feels rude to Jongin and Kyungsoo himself was really looking forward to tonight. He wants to be childish here for a minute where he couldn’t be with his father.

Baekhyun
oooooOOOR

Or? Baekhyun types out a half-baked plan that somehow just might work if he’s lucky or get him grounded for months if it doesn’t.

It wasn’t even that detailed of a plan. All Kyungsoo had to do was show up and greet a few guests, and then he would sneak out with Sehun to cover at the party for him and Baekhyun to drive him to meet up with Jongin.

 

 

Things are going pretty smoothly, guests aren’t staying more than a few minutes to chat with Kyungsoo and he’s about to make a break for it when Mr. Lee corners him. In an unfortunate turn of events he has been invited.

“Kyungsoo,” he calls, “Wonderful to see you as always.” Kyungsoo nods, sharing his own polite greeting and looking for any opportunity to escape when he starts telling Kyungsoo about his trains for probably the hundredth time.

Luckily, Sehun catches his eye and excuses himself from the guest he was talking through to make his way over to rescue Kyungsoo.

“Ah, you look like a young man who would be interested in trains,” the old man says when Sehun politely introduces himself, “I’ve been trying to get Kyungsoo here to have a look for years.”

“I’m sure they’re lovely, Mr. Lee.” Sehun offers. His right arm is resting stiffly at his side, but he uses his hand to frantically motion for Kyungsoo to leave.

Kyungsoo smiles gratefully at his friend and slips through the guests, checking to make sure the coast is clear before entering the kitchen and sneaking out the back door.

“Over here, rebel,” Baekhyun calls from the passenger seat of the black Mercedes. Evidently, Minho wasn’t going to allow Baekhyun to be the getaway driver like he had hoped. Kyungsoo wonders how he even convinced the man to help. “Operation Kyungsoo is Princess Jasmine is a success!”

Kyungsoo kicks the back of Baekhyun’s seat for the stupid name when he climbs into the car, and then, a second later, throws his arms around both the seat and Baekhyun for a hug. He’s lucky for the friends he has.

 

 

It’s been getting a little chillier at night and Jongin looks very cute in his sweater and jacket. It’s a lot more clothes than Kyungsoo is used to seeing him wear. He’s comes into view when they pull around the corner, waiting in front of the now closed market and bouncing on the balls of his feet anxiously. They’re running a little late thanks to the encounter with Mr. Lee; Kyungsoo didn’t even get a chance to change.

His eyes widen when the fancy black Mercedes pulls up and Kyungsoo steps out in a suit. The mayor’s son waves goodbye to Minho and Baekhyun and they drive off, leaving Kyungsoo and Jongin alone.

“I’m feeling a little underdressed.” Jongin laughs awkwardly. “But then again, I only planned for us to go to the carnival. It’s just up there.” He motions for them to start walking.

“I’ve never been to a carnival before.” Kyungsoo says, more embarrassed than ever about his attire. He’s sure he’ll stick out like a sore thumb.

“Really?”

“Yeah, my dad never really let me. I actually had to sneak out of one of his parties to come here.” Kyungsoo explains, his cheeks hot.

Jongin nods in understanding. “Jongdae told me you were the mayor’s son. I didn’t realize.”

“Yeah sorry, I didn’t know how to tell you,” he says shyly, “That’s the reason for the suit though, I didn’t have time to change.”

“It’s okay,” Jongin says. He also mumbles something that sounds like ‘cute’; then adding in a clearer voice, “Jongdae also requests that you talk to your father about the new small business tax he’s putting in place. I said I’d talk to you about it but no promises,” he finishes with a wink.

This makes Kyungsoo laugh, breaking the awkward tension and finally allowing him to relax. It’s just Jongin after all. “He might be so surprised that I finally cared about politics that he would veto it out of shock.”

The surprised giggle this pulls out of Jongin makes Kyungsoo’s heart grow three sizes. “We should think of some other laws to pass while we’re at it.”

The walk to the carnival isn’t far, they converse easily as they make their way there, entering the park a few minutes later. The area is lit up by the bright, multicolored lights from the few rides and rows of food and game booths line the pathways. There’s a ferris wheel up ahead and Kyungsoo had always wanted to ride one; the movies made them look so romantic. Jongin drags Kyungsoo to the striped ticket booth and buys enough for both of them to ride each ride twice over. Kyungsoo tries to protest but Jongin shushes him and tells him he needs to get the full experience.

As he expected, the suit earns him a few funny stares from the fairgoers, but Jongin tells him not to worry. He thinks Kyungsoo looks very handsome. From there they lose handily in almost all the carnival games before Jongin moves on to forcing Kyungsoo to try every deep-fried food imaginable. It’s a wonder how Jongin keeps his figure with all the food he’s eating.

After they’ve eaten, they hop on the rides. The viking ride makes him nauseous and the ferris wheel is more terrifying than the romantic spot Kyungsoo had envisioned. It was hard to even be happy about Jongin’s hand in his when he was praying for the structure to not topple over as soon as they made it to the top. But despite all of that, it’s more fun than Kyungsoo has had in years.

He can’t even say no when Jongin drags him to the rather creepy looking puppet show that a young female carnie is putting on for the kids. The performance has all the children gasping and squealing with delight, and Jongin especially seems really immersed in it too, so Kyungsoo supposes he enjoys it by default.

When the show has ended, Jongin insists--despite their earlier deep-fried feast--that they get ice cream. So they sit on a park bench to chow down.

“Is it weird that you get so many customers because of how hot you are?” Kyungsoo asks out of nowhere. They had just been enjoying each other’s company for the past few minutes, eating their ice cream silently and watching the number of fairgoers slowly dwindle as they begin to head home. Jongin pauses mid .

“Uh,” he starts with an embarrassed laugh.

“I mean your meat is good too. Wait, I mean..I don’t know what I mean.” He finishes lamely.

Jongin laughs at him. “I don’t know, a little I guess. We’re very thankful. Originally, Jongdae suggested I work shirtless to drum up even more business, but that probably violates some health codes.”

“Probably,” Kyungsoo echoes, totally not thinking about that mental picture at all and definitely not briefly entertaining the idea of bringing those laws up to his father. “What about people like Baekhyun who try and come onto you all the time.”

“I thought Baekhyun liked Jongdae?” Jongin seems surprised which doesn’t make sense because even though he’s right, Baekhyun openly flirts with the butcher every chance he gets. Kyungsoo tells him this and Jongin shrugs, “I thought he was just like that.”

Kyungsoo hums, “It seems like everyone but Jongdae knows of Baekhyun’s infatuation. Looks like he needs better tactics.”

 

 

Once they’ve exhausted every possible thing Jongin swore Kyungsoo was missing out on, the mayor’s son calls Minho to bring them home.

Kyungsoo sits as close as he can to Jongin when they pile into the back seat, but Jongin sits stiffly, back straight and hands in his lap. Kyungsoo finds it weird when Jongin had been touchy all night.

“You didn’t tell me he was your bodyguard.” Jongin whispers, looking at Minho in the front seat with a mixture of awe and trepidation.

“Who did you think he was?”

Jongin shrugs. “Just another one of your weird friends. Wait--I didn’t mean that.” He amends when Kyungsoo barks out a surprised laugh.

“They are pretty weird.” Kyungsoo agrees, “Be careful about letting them film you in the future.”

Jongin frowns at that, stiffening when Kyungsoo reaches out to grab his hand.

“It’s okay,” Kyungsoo chuckles, “he’s not going to do anything.”

With one last wary glance at the driver, Jongin relaxes and allows Kyungsoo to thread their fingers together.

In all, it’s pretty successful as far as first dates go.

 

 

Sunday morning, Kyungsoo does his best to sneak past his father’s office on his way to get breakfast. He makes it as far as the edge of the corridor when his father’s voice calls out to him.

“Kyungsoo, can I speak with you?” Dammit. So close.

“Yes, sir.” He answers in a small voice, shuffling his way back to the office and sitting in the chair opposite his father’s desk.

The old man writes a few more notes in the margins of whatever important document he’s revising before setting down his pen and looking his son in the eyes.

“I’ve noticed you slacking in your studies.” He begins, peering at Kyungsoo over his glasses. “It may just be a summer class but you should still take it seriously.”

Classes? That can be easy enough to talk around and Kyungsoo thinks he’s in the clear for a moment until his father speaks again. “Does that butcher boy have something to do with it?”

“How do you know about him?” Kyungsoo blurts, too shocked to deny it.

“Did you think I wouldn't notice if you left in the middle of the party?” He holds out his hand to stop Kyungsoo from speaking, “Don't worry, Sehun is not to blame, he didn't say a word. I have other sources.”

Kyungsoo hangs his head. “I really like him, I’m sorry.”

His father regards him evenly for a moment, taking his glasses off and setting them in front of him. “Son, you're old enough to make your own decisions. If you want to see that boy I won’t stop you.” Kyungsoo's head snaps up, he had been expecting a lecture, “But,” his father continues because there's always a but, “don't neglect your other duties.”

“I--Really?” Kyungsoo is shocked to say the least.

His father nods and Kyungsoo tries to push his luck one more time. “What about studying abroad?”

The mayor sighs, pinching his nose between his fingers. “To be discussed.”

Kyungsoo leaves his father’s office with a smile on his face because even that is more than he could have hoped for.

 

 

epilogue

“Guess what?” Baekhyun barges into Kyungsoo’s room, not even bothering to knock. Him and Sehun are sat on his bed playing video games as usual.

“What?” Kyungsoo asks because he knows Sehun won’t and Baekhyun will wait until he gets an answer.

“I managed to sneak something extra special past Minho.” Baekhyun says, returning to the hall to presumably retrieve whatever it is. “I always knew he liked me.”

“Baekhyun, if you stole more alcohol from the kitchen I’m not--”

“Hey guys,” Jongin greets from the doorway. He’s holding up a bag of what looks like sausages. Sehun snorts.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s just because Minho likes him. It has nothing to do with you at all.”

“Sehun why don’t you love me anymore?” Baekhyun pleads, bounding over to the bed and crushing the youngest in a hug.

“Get off me, I don’t like you.”

“You love meeeee.” Baekhyun sing-songs.

“Yeah about as much as Jongdae does.”

Baekhyun gasps, “Take that back, you know I’m working on it.”

On the other side of the bed, Jongin had set down the sausages and fallen into Kyungsoo’s awaiting arms, cuddling up to his boyfriend.

“You smell like meat,” Kyungsoo observes.

“Mmhmm, tasty right?” Jongin giggles, burying his face in Kyungsoo’s neck. “Should I tell him Jongdae likes him back?”

Kyungsoo takes a glance to where his best friends are once again wrestling with each other on his bed.

“Nah,” Kyungsoo decides, placing a kiss on the top of Jongin’s head, “Let him suffer.”