Just a little incident | Junhao

8

Minghao spotted Junhui in the window seat of the Italian place the older had chosen right as he entered the restaurant. A server had waved him down to wait in line, but he merely pointed at the older and started towards him. As he walked closer, he eyed Junhui's outfit. That turtleneck. It was the same one on his Instagram. Minghao couldn't see much of anything though, since the older had on a jacket that blocked his view. 

Junhui shot the younger a dazzling smile when he looked up. "Hey," he said nonchalantly. The other returned a polite grin, sitting down opposite him. 

"Order anything you'd like. My treat," Junhui offered. He spun the menu around such that Minghao could get a closer read of the items. The younger looked surprised for a moment, but ultimately settled on a simple pasta dish. He surveyed the place. He hadn't the time to take a good look at the place, yet now looking at the menu, the prices erred on the side of expensive. Looking up, he peaked at Junhui's blank expression. A doctor's salary could definitely afford this. His? Not so much.

Junhui tapped his foot rhythmically to the soft jazz music in the background of the restaurant. The table had sunk into some awkwardness after the server took their order and left. The younger did try to initiate conversation, but after a few back-and-forths, they ran out of things to say. 

"So, my sister has a fundraising gala at her job next week and..." Junhui trailed off. Minghao's head had perked up, and he was listening intently, waiting to hear the end of the sentence. 

Junhui inhaled. "I was wondering if you could... be my plus-one." As soon as he finished, it felt like a weight had been lifted. It felt better to get it off his chest, after days of mulling over the idea. However, now staring at the younger stunned into a loss of words, he wasn't so sure it was the best of ideas. 

"Uh-" Minghao responded. Honestly, he was expecting a lot of things, but an invitation to a gala?

Junhui sighed. See, it was a bad idea. "If you don't want to, I totally understand. If I'm telling the truth, I'm also hesitant about the whole socialising, fancy thing." His words came out in a rush, probably in an attempt to salvage the already awkward situation. Not one of his finest moments. However, necessary for an actually enjoyable dinner. 

"No!" The younger exclaimed. Junhui raised his eyebrows in shock. Minghao facepalmed internally. 

"I mean yes, I'd love to go!" He corrected himself. 

A small smile spread across the older's face. "That's great. Though I do have to warn you, there's a little bit of a dress code..."

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Perhaps the older had been downplaying the dress code, just a little bit. When Minghao received a text two days later about a fitting, he didn't expect to find himself in one of the most luxurious clothing store he'd ever stepped foot in, surrounded by suits and gowns of every kind one could possibly look for, and even personal tailors that offered drinks. Drinks, while shopping? 

"Hi! You're Minghao right?" An excited lady rushed up to him as soon as he had appeared at the entrance of the store with Junhui a few steps behind him. Seeing his confusion, the lady quickly introduced herself as Huili, Junhui's elder sister, then started thanking him profusely for accepting the invitation. 

Huili leaned in closer and whispered, "Just between you and me, I'm glad he asked you." 

One of the tailors walked up to them, asking whether they needed any help. He fumbled for words to respond to the anticipating man, since he also had no idea why he was there, but the older quickly took charge of the situation.

"We're looking for a two-piece suit for him, preferably formal and comfortable enough." Junhui gestured to the stunned younger. Minghao took a double take. Not just at the fact that he was supposedly getting a suit, but also at Junhui's serious tone being surprisingly... hot.

Before he had the opportunity to clarify things, Enrique had clapped his hands together, yelling something in Spanish, and dragged him unwillingly to the fitting room. Minutes later, Enrique had come back with almost five options of different colours and cuts. The younger sighed. He was interested in fashion, yet this was a whole other level. 

Huili had forced Junhui to take a seat in front of the fitting room. He watched, rather amused, as Enrique carefully took the younger's measurements and murmured incomprehensible things under his breath. Enrique had been the go-to person in their family for years, and albeit his eccentric nature and sometimes too passionate expressiveness, he was the very definition of a fashion connoisseur. Not to mention, Minghao with his arms up like a scarecrow and face scrunched up was a cute sight to behold. We'll not mention Junhui secretly taking a picture of him. For memories' sake. 

After a whole half hour did Minghao finally come out in the first of many options. Huili, who had been seating beside Junhui and chatting to another lady, gasped. 

Minghao tugged at the sleeves of the suit, slightly conscious of himself under the gaze of the two siblings. "This is a bit fancy, isn't it?" He asked softly. "The price-" 

His sentence was cut off by Huili's excessive shushing. "Nonsense. He's paying, so what matters is that you like it." Junhui let out a harrumphing sound, which Minghao took as a sign that he too was learning about this for the first time. Minghao remained silent, watchfully examining the older's expressions. 

"Well, I guess it is nice..." From the side, Enrique made a strangled noise. All three eyes flew towards him. 

"It's just..." Enrique continued, his words thick with his accent, "So many to try..." He gestured towards the other suit options, pitifully hanging in the dressing room. Minghao laughed, acceptingly letting the tailor draw the curtains and put on the next choice. 

While the two were busy, Junhui picked up his phone and mindlessly scrolled through social media. He only looked up when his sister let out a high-pitched squeal. 

"Jules is here, I'm going to meet her. Don't you dare leave! I'll be back!" She explained, dashing for the store's exit. Junhui shrugged, going back to his phone. 

Almost an hour had gone by since they'd arrived, and Minghao was on his fourth fitting. They had kept the first one in mind, but utterly rejected the second and third options. The second, Enrique explained didn't go with his body type, and the third didn't fit his hair colour. However, when Minghao had come out in the fourth suit, Junhui immediately knew it was the one.

"What do you think?" The younger asked. He looked at himself in the mirror. Even he had to admit he had fallen in love the minute he put it on. 

A smile was playing on the older's lips. Watching Minghao get all excited undeniably did things to his heart. "You wear it really nicely. It suits your eyes." Junhui complimented gently. Minghao stepped closer to his reflection. Hm, he thought, I guess it does. 

Enrique, a witness to the endearing interaction, hummed under his breath. Once the two had confirmed that they were going to get it, Enrique happily went to package it up. The older was in the midst of pulling his card out, when a hand gripping his arm stopped him in his tracks. He turned around to face Minghao.

"I can't let you pay for that..." He said. Junhui paused. Hadn't they been over that? 

"It's fine. Take it as a repayment for your time on Sunday." The older smiled. 

Minghao pursed his lips, his nose scrunching up in the adorable way it always did. "Just so you know, I can afford it too!" Junhui laughed, walking towards the counter. 

"I'm sure you can sweetheart."