The Deal * Seokmin x Joshua

Twenty seven

The weather was turning warmer and warmer every day. Joshua wondered if Seokmin ever went away for the summer holidays, to his family, to the beach, to anywhere really. He'd love to take him somewhere nice, maybe camping even, sleep in a tent by a river and walk through forests and besides waterfalls... His mind wandered as they strolled around the campus. They were headed to the library to sit side by side and do a little study. Studying at Joshua's apartment too frequently turned into Netflix sessions these days.

"Do you have plans for the summer break?" he asked as he reached down and grabbed Seokmin's hand. "No, why?" the boy replied as he smiled in that way that made Joshua's heart warm. "You want to maybe go somewhere?" Joshua asked and Seokmin hummed in agreement. "Maybe, I'm kind of broke though, I've been thinking about getting a job. The coffee shop is hiring.." he suddenly turned to Joshua with the brightest smile the older had ever seen. "You think I could work there? I mean, I'd get heaps less tips than Jeonghan and that Mingyu guy..." "I think you'd be amazing. And I'll give you all the tips," Joshua quickly replied making the younger blush with embarrassment. Joshua just gripped his soft hand tighter. "Make sure you wear gloves if you have to wash dishes," he said and chuckled at Seokmin's confused shake of the head.

"Anyway, I'll pay, you don't have to worry about the money," Joshua gripped Seokmin's hand even tighter as they began to press into the light crowd milling around in the main courtyard of the university campus. "Let me take you away, you know, as a thank you. For helping me out with this deal," Joshua knew he was reaching but the thought of having Seokmin to himself for a few days was too good. He'd been so busy with his vocal training and his work on the musical, and every time his phone got a notification he knew whom it would be. Ever since they started working together for the musical Soonyoung just wouldn't leave Seokmin alone. He constantly texted him and his texts always made Seokmin smile and laugh, worst of all they made him run, as soon as the dancer wanted him for something Seokmin would drop everything.

They'd just made it inside the library when Joshua head the familiar noise of Seokmin's phone. "No," he whined a little and Seokmin laughed. "He's busy today in the dance studio. He probably wants me to come and watch, Soonyoung loves an audience, but I won't." Seokmin dropped Joshua's hand to manage his bag and coffee and take his phone out of his pocket. Joshua couldn't help the ripple of jealousy he felt run through his body. He didn't have Soonyoung's sex appeal, his smooth dance moves or his exuberant personality; he really didn't know how to compete. All he could do was make the most of their time together and show Seokmin what the perfect boyfriend should be and maybe it would be enough.

And then he froze.

The man walking towards him was his height, handsome and fair skinned, dimpled and gorgeous. And the last person Joshua ever expected to run into. "Hyung, are you okay?" Seokmin pulled at Joshua's arm, concern written all over his face, as the man heading in their direction suddenly looked up from the piece of paper he was carrying and spotted them. "Hyung you look like you've seen a ghost."

"Joshua?" The handsome man called out to him and Joshua swallowed thickly. He'd travelled to the other side of the world to escape his past, the man he used to be, and yet it somehow caught up with him and was staring him down in the middle of the campus library. "Jeffrey. What are you doing here?" he stammered out and Seokmin didn't understand a word of it. He knew it was English but he didn't recognise the words. "My family decided to come back. Grandad's sick, Dad has to start taking over the company, and this is the best university in Seoul."

Seokmin stared from Joshua to the other man. He guessed him to be younger than Joshua, clearly foreign by his language and appearance, his surprise only increased when the man turned to him with a hand outstretched. "Hi," he said brightly, "I'm Jaehyun. I'm Joshua's ex-boyfriend." His Korean was fluent and took Seokmin by surprise a little but he recovered quickly enough to shake his hand. "Hi, I'm Seokmin," he said and Joshua grabbed his arm. "My boyfriend," he said quickly and Seokmin didn't miss the amused smirk painted across Jaehyun's perfect features.

"Boyfriend, wow, you've only been here a few months Joshua. Did you forget me so quickly?" The flirtation was thick, Joshua flushed pink and moved a little closer, and something inside Seokmin felt like he needed to protect him. Some instinct awoken, some intuition telling him Joshua needed him, something inside screaming at him to do something. He couldn't think of anything else but to wrap an arm around the older man's shoulder and pull him possessively close. "We just really hit it off when we met," Seokmin said as he smiled at Joshua's pink cheeks and flustered reaction. "It was love at first sight."

"Couple necklaces and all," Jaehyun said as he leaned closer for a better look and Seokmin could smell his expensive cologne. He decided right then and there that he didn't like him at all. He couldn't imagine Joshua, his Joshua, with this massive douchebag. He was the image of a stereotypical athletic popular boy with his casual but expensive band t-shirt and his white Tommy Hilfiger backpack. "We should catch up," he said with a slight wink that Seokmin caught and he went from dislike to hating him instantly. How was he supposed to compete with this? It was bad enough having Jeonghan around but now this ex-boyfriend, this cool and confident and good looking guy, was going to give him trouble too. He could feel it. He was self assured, flirtatious, and obviously came from money. He was everything Seokmin wasn't.

His phone buzzed in his pocket again and Seokmin untangled himself from Joshua to check it. "I've got to meet Soonyoung," he said quickly as he shoved it back in his pocket. "You two go and catch up. I'll meet up with you later." He could see the slight pout on Joshua's face but he ignored it. He had to get away.

"So," Jaehyun's face hadn't lost its smirk as they watched Seokmin take off out of the library, "you cut your hair and get a few piercings and suddenly start sucking some nerds dick? What are you thinking Josh?" Jaehyun began to laugh and Joshua wanted to disappear. He hated the sound of his name coming out of Jaehyun's perfect gleaming mouth. No one here called him that and he much preferred the gentle sound of his new friends calling him 'Shua.'

"Don't be like that," Joshua said weakly as he watched Seokmin's retreating figure move quickly away from the library. He'd done it again. He'd let Soonyoung steal him away and for what? Jaehyun never cared about him, he never wanted the couple necklaces or the hand holding, he definitely never wanted to revere his body and make him feel strong and sexy and then hold him tight when it was over.

"Come on," Jaehyun grabbed Joshua's arm and began to pull him away from the library. "Let's go to this cafe that's close. You can meet my school friend," Jaehyun was insistent and Joshua didn't want to be alone with his thoughts of Seokmin watching Soonyoung dance. So he slung his bag onto his back and followed his ex boyfriend across the campus.