Honestly, Jihoon was fed-up. He had enough. It was the same thing over and over again and he wasn’t going to be forced to endure it any longer. 

 

“I have had enough of this!” He screamed, his fists banging on the table and scaring the living daylight out of Mingyu who was calmly slurping his soup. 

 

“E-enough of what?” Mingyu coughed, trying his best to clear his lungs of the soup that had most likely gone down the wrong tube due to Jihoon’s sudden outburst. 

 

Jihoon clanked his spoon on the table and frowned at the taller male. After they had finished a photoshoot down at the mall, Mingyu had brought him back to his place to cook him food. Unfortunately for him, what Mingyu decided to cook had been what he had been cooking for him for weeks on end. 

 

“Frickin’ cream of broccoli soup again? Can’t you make anything else?” Jihoon clicked his tongue and pushed his bowl away from him. The creamy liquid spilt on the polished wooden table and Mingyu could only look at it as if it were an incredible waste of food; thus, he swiped his finger and it all up. Jihoon grimaced. 

 

“But you said you didn’t want pasta today, so I made soup!” Jihoon frowned as Mingyu rebutted, wearing an innocent pout. 

 

“Are those the only things you can make?” Jihoon guffawed, his arms crossed against his chest. Mingyu pouted further, his sliding across the seat and his body sinking further down his chair. 

 

“I said I cooked pretty good, but I never said I was a five-star chef…” he grumbled under his breath while Jihoon rolled his eyes. He backed up his chair and stood up, walking around the table to stop beside the sulking giant. 

 

“Why don’t we go out for dinner for once?” Jihoon offered, giving the male a judgemental stare. Mingyu sulked, his cheek squishing on the surface of the table and his hands reaching down to show Jihoon the contents of his jean pockets. 

 

“Empty, Ji. I’m a poor college student that is rich with a passion for the arts, but broke in terms of having the money to treat you to good food,” Mingyu let out a dramatic sigh and pretended to sob. Jihoon snapped and smacked the back of his head, earning a single squeak. 

 

“I’ll pay, you numb nut. Let’s just go, I could go for a double-stacked burger.” Mingyu cheered as Jihoon tugged on his collar and led them out of his house. 

 

---

 

After a short walk, they both arrived at a local fast food joint by Mingyu’s house and got in line. It didn’t come as a surprise that there were barely any people seeing as it was like 12:00 am on a Thursday night and the only customers were a bunch of drunks and lonely people with nothing better to do. 

 

“What are you getting?” Mingyu asked him, his hands deep in his pockets and his back kept straight as he looked up at the fluorescent menu. 

 

Jihoon eyes swept the younger man’s entire body all the from his feet up till the top of his fluffy, fiery red hair. Jihoon was shocked the first time he opened his door to find Mingyu with a head the same colour as their neighbourhood firetruck. Usually, he found those kind of vibrant, unnatural hair colours on people a bit off-putting or not so suitable, but with Mingyu it was a different story. Jihoon actually liked Mingyu with this hair colour. Maybe it was because Mingyu already had the dimensions of a model and the muscles of a body builder that it suited him, but Jihoon knew for sure that something like that wouldn’t look good on him. Mingyu suggested ash-grey, but he didn't think so. 

 

“Um,” Jihoon teared his eyes away from Mingyu’s sleeveless arms and looked up at the menu. “I’ll get the double patty Angus burger with a side of curly fries. You?” 

 

Mingyu nodded, his lips at the thought of food. Jihoon mindlessly his own lips as he watched his pink tongue pop out from between his lips and sweep across his bottom lip. “I’ll get the same. Drinks?”

 

Jihoon opened his mouth, but Mingyu grinned and answered for him. “Coke, right? I knew that!” He smiled and walked to the cash register ahead of him. Jihoon rolled his eyes. 

 

“Hi, what can I get for y- Mingyu?” Jihoon looked between his friend and the male at the cash register. Mingyu gasped and gave the male a high five. 

 

“Hao! What are you doing here? You work here?” Mingyu exclaimed excitedly. Jihoon grinned, it was as if he could see his imaginary tail wagging. 

 

“Yeah, I had no choice. Painting supplies are expensive and I’m not going to let Jun keep paying for me every time we go out,” Minghao sighs as he taps their orders onto the register screen and hands Jihoon his receipt. 

 

“Must be nice to have a sugar daddy,” Mingyu teased sticking his tongue out at Minghao. Jihoon chuckles as Minghao smacks Mingyu across the head causing him to wince. Minghao shakes his head and looks right at him. 

 

“Oh!” Jihoon stares awkwardly as Minghao notices him and gives him a once over. He smiles. “You must be Jihoon? Sorry for having to put up with this mess.

 

Mingyu scowls as Minghao gestures to him and sighs. Jihoon grins and shakes Minghao’s hand. "I've heard a lot about you," Minghao smirks at Mingyu and the latter instantly looks away and down at the spotted tiles. Jihoon frowns as he wonders that could possibly mean, but puts on a smile as he greets Mingyu's friend. 

 

“And you are-” “Minghao, I go to school with Mingyu. I’m also in the College of Arts. Although, I'm a Studio Arts major with a specialization in contemporary paintings rather than being into photography like Mingyu.”

 

Jihoon nods, taking his hand out of Minghao’s hand and places it down by his side. Mingyu clears his throat and puts his hands out towards Minghao. Minghao gives him a curious look, but realizes what he wants and hands him two empty fountain-drink cups. 

 

“See you later, Hao,” Mingyu excuses them both and hurriedly nudges Jihoon's side, much to his discomfort. Jihoon raises a brow, but relents and gives Minghao a nod goodbye as Mingyu pulls him off to the side to get their drinks. Minghao chuckles as he watches Mingyu grab Jihoon’s arm possessively towards him. 

 

---

 

The ride home is calm. Jihoon’s stomach is full and he feels the fuzzy feelings of a food-coma, his heavy eyes being a telling sign that it was coming. Mingyu stayed quiet as he drove him home. Sometimes Jihoon could pick up on Mingyu’s voice singing quietly to the songs on the radio and he would tap his finger along to the beat on the steering wheel. 

 

“You have a nice voice…” Mingyu’s head snapped to the side as he stared wide-eyed at Jihoon’s face. His eyes were closed, but as soon as he noticed that Mingyu had stopped singing he peeked with one eye. 

 

“I-I thought you were sleeping,” Mingyu flushed, turning the music down out of embarrassment. Jihoon grinned and closed his eyes again. 

 

“It was nice....keep going.”

 

Mingyu cleared his throat. “Really? You want me to keep singing?” Jihoon hummed. 

 

“A-alright.” Mingyu paused for a second, his eyes focused on the road as he continued to drive. After a few seconds, Jihoon’s ears picked up on Mingyu’s soft voice singing to a familiar tune which he often heard the younger hum as he washed the dishes. Jihoon's chest rises and falls slowly as his breath relaxes.

 

Soon enough Jihoon found himself fast asleep, his eyes closing as he listened to the quiet rumbling of the car engine and Mingyu’s gentle voice lulling him to sleep. 

 

---

 

“Ji?”

 

He felt a warmth on his cheek and he leaned his face closer. Something soft caressed his cheek and kept him warm and he couldn’t help but let out a pleasant sigh.

 

“Ji. We’re here now.”

 

Jihoon grumbled in his sleep as he wriggled in his seat. The rumbling of the car engine had stopped some time during Jihoon’s long nap, yet he could hear a collection of subtle clicks from somewhere beside him. 

 

“Ji?” 

 

Jihoon opened his eyes reluctantly and groaned as a blurry figure appeared in front of him. Mingyu chuckled and unbuckled Jihoon from his seat. 

 

“You’re home.” Jihoon yawned and stretched his arms out in front of him. He looked out the window with tired eyes and then back to Mingyu’s smiling face. “What?”

 

Mingyu grinned, keeping his hands behind his back. “Oh, nothing.” Jihoon looked at him skeptically but decided not to push further- the thought of continuing his sleep overriding any other thought in his head. 

 

Jihoon got out of Mingyu’s tiny car with his help and walked to the entrance of his apartment. Mingyu waved from the side of the road and Jihoon waved back. Mingyu watched until he made it inside and vanished from sight. 

 

Before getting into the driver’s seat, Mingyu paused and grabbed the camera from his under his seat. He grinned, his eyes sparkling as he looked down at the sleepy, drooling face on his screen. “Night, Ji.”