The Deal * Seokmin x Joshua

Thirty

Seokmin wasn't sure about this party. He'd been to the parties held by the Chinese exchange students, finding them reasonably tame, but this was different. As Joshua and Seokmin approached the share house belonging to Jaehyun's friend they could hear loud music thumping and smell the scent of  weed and too many people.

"Are you sure?" Joshua said as he felt Seokmin's nervousness. "Yeah, I mean, we can just put in an appearance right? Talk to a few people and leave?" Joshua nodded his agreement and they made their way inside. Seokmin clung tightly to Joshua's hand as they made their way through the oppressive crowd of people to find someone they knew.

"Hey!" a loud voice echoed over the even louder music and Seokmin knew who it was immediately. "Hey Soonyoung," he said as he let the other grab him in an aggressive hug. A strong smelling drink spilled out onto Seokmin's shirt making him cringe at the smell and feel and he wondered how long Soonyoung had been there to be so drunk. Joshua spotted Jaehyun and his friends and the other waved him over. "Soonyoung can you look after him for me?" Joshua smiled at the dancer who immediately snapped his hand to his forehead in a mock salute. "My pleasure," he said and dragged Seokmin away from the crowd towards the corner where the other dancers were gathered together.

The last thing Joshua wanted to do was push Seokmin and Soonyoung even closer but he just couldn't have Seokmin around Jaehyun. It was too risky. Jaehyun was unpredictable and he could see by the red around his eyes and the uncoordinated wave he'd also been here drinking for a while. He sucked in a deep breath and walked over towards Jaehyun and tried to smile politely. "Here he is boys," Jaehyun said a little too loudly. "My pretty little ex. Joshua this is Yugyeom," he waved his hand over at a tall boy with dark hair, "this is Eunwoo," Joshua nearly fainted when he turned to the second boy. He was possibly the best looking person he'd ever seen in real life. Objectively speaking, of course, he much preferred the easy bright smile and sharp features of Seokmin over this vision of perfection. "And you know Mingyu?" Joshua nodded at the third boy and wondered why all of Jaehyun's friends were so dam tall.

"So tell me Joshua," Jaehyun said as he leaned a little too close, "miss me?" Joshua smiled awkwardly and looked around at the boys staring at him. They were all younger but he felt so intimidated by them. He was suddenly aware of his new persona, the image of the cool and worldly foregather, and how much of a fraud he was. He felt exposed, small, like it was all for nothing. He'd hated who he used to be and moved to the other side of the world to try and escape it but it had just caught up with him and hit him head on.

"Why would he miss you Jae?" the one called Eunwoo laughed loudly. "He's got a new boyfriend now. And he sings like an angel. I've heard him." "Really?" Yugyeom asked as his eyes flicked around the room. "That guy," Eunwoo pointed out Seokmin on the other side of the big living area standing with the other musical theatre kids and Soonyoung. Whatever Soonyoung was doing must have been hilarious as they were all laughing and Joshua noticed Seokmin had one of the cups in his hand already. "That guy? He's such a nerd, I don't know how he got that part in the musical, he beat my friend Bam Bam." Yugyeom rolled his eyes and Mingyu pushed him a little too hard making alcohol slosh out all over the carpet. "That's because your friend sucks," Mingyu laughed as Joshua began to panic. He knew he somehow had to defend Seokmin but he just didn't know what to say. "Hey," a voice called out behind him and Joshua turned to find Jeonghan waving him over. "I'm stealing him for a bit," he said to the younger boys who took little notice and went back to their banter.

"They're jerks," Joshua said immediately as Jeonghan pulled him over towards the back door. "Yeah, they're just immature," Jeonghan said as his blond hair shook. "don't you remember being young and stupid?" Joshua nodded. He did. But they were the same age as Seokmin and he didn't act like that. "Maybe my past taste in men is just shit," Joshua laughed as Jeonghan grabbed a bottle from a bucket of ice and handed it to him. "Whatever you do don't take the drinks in the cups. It's some kind of fruit punch but someone filled it mostly with homemade vodka. Anyway, it tastes like lighter fluid, and that's why most people here are wasted." Joshua remembered seeing Seokmin with one and decided he better go in soon and find him.