Work Text:
1.
yangyang thinks he should have expected to be stopped at the entrance to his brother's company, but it's still an annoying experience.
"sir, i'm liu yangyang, this is my id, and i'm approved to come in by my brother today. my brother is qian kun. he's a singer under your label. he's filming a show today, and it's cooking, and he asked me to bring this special spice from home because he forgot it. please check the requests and notes for entrance, because i am positive my name is on the list to be let in."
"you're going to have to wait one second. you have to understand that we have to be very careful with the security here-"
trying hard to resist the strong urge to roll his eyes out of his sockets, yangyang fishes around in his pocket for his phone so he can dial kun. his brain is whirling in a mix of anger and frustration: that motherfucker probably didn't even tell them i was coming so i can suffer-
"oh! hello, yangyang, right? kun ge's brother? the photography major?"
yangyang's head snaps up.
it's huang renjun, a dancer under the same label as kun. they'd met briefly before, when yangyang was visiting kun another time and was trying to find the water dispenser and looked like a sad lost dog, but you know… yangyang would rather forget that.
"renjun," he exclaims in relief, bowing to the dancer. renjun looks so cool, he thinks. renjun's hair is a dusty pinkish ashy brown color that's soft and dreamy, and he's got a simple silver chain around his neck. yangyang takes note of the huge oversized sweatshirt that looks more expensive than a month of his own rent, and then wonders if he's even worthy to be looking at it.
"this is qian kun's brother?" the security guard looks so baffled that yangyang can't help but laugh.
"yes, he's fine to come in. i actually saw on the schedule board earlier that kun ge noted that his brother would be coming in for his shoot today." renjun sends a hesitant smile in yangyang's direction. the sweatshirt hangs over renjun's hands, twisting between them briefly before yangyang smiles back.
"do you, uh, need help finding kun?" renjun asks as the guard lets yangyang pass through reluctantly. renjun seems restless, yangyang thinks. renjun shifts his weight again, glancing at the entrance, as if looking at yangyang might cause him to implode.
"oh no, it's okay," yangyang says, and renjun looks half relieved and half disappointed. "kun told me where to go, but i appreciate it so much. thanks for saving me today, i won't take up any more of your time!" yangyang flops clumsily into another half bow, unsure why he feels so flustered.
as soon as he's alone in the elevator, yangyang buries his face into his hands and lets out a groan. you're so fucking gay, liu. get a grip.
2.
yangyang is having an incredibly disturbing sense of deja vu.
"i'm telling you, i've been here before, and i'm qian kun's brother. liu yangyang. please check if you can let me in. please."
yangyang doesn't know why the crowds outside the company building today were so much larger, but he does not want to go back out there. his head is throbbing, and he knows it's only a matter of time before it gets worse if he doesn't get into the building fast. he glances behind him quickly. there's a car pulling up, the standard black van that kun's company uses. he hears - yelling.
oh- those are cheers.
it's slightly deafening, and it's making yangyang's headache worse. he cowers a little, pressing his fingers to his temples in an attempt to relieve the pain. he tries to think if he packed tylenol in his bag before he headed out this morning, but the throbbing is turning into a pounding, and yangyang decides that a more present concern is trying not to pass out.
"hurry up, we have to relearn the whole choreo today- wait. yangyang?"
yangyang's feeling of deja vu intensifies.
he tries really hard to open his eyes and look up, but the migraine is making him feel sick. yangyang doesn't trust himself to stand straight and not throw up all over the fancy carpet, so he blinks one eye open blearily.
yeah, it's renjun. and a bunch of dancers.
"hi, renjun," he manages to choke out.
"oh shit," renjun says, clearly surprised at the state of him. he reaches out as yangyang staggers, trying to get himself together, and yangyang finds himself gripping renjun's forearm to steady himself. if he were in his right mind, yangyang would probably laugh at himself.
"do you know him?" the guard asks renjun. yangyang wonders if it's the same guy as last time. he doesn't think kun's company would hire someone that stupid, but who knows?
"yeah, he's kun ge's brother. i'm going to take him in now. could you buzz up to kun and let him know i took him to the lounge near the dance rooms?" renjun doesn't wait for an affirmative response, already helping yangyang to the elevators.
if yangyang were in his right mind, he'd probably think authority looks so attractive on huang renjun.
but he's not. so he just thinks, that's so hot.
the next thing yangyang knows, he's in a small but cozy room, and renjun is shoving a water bottle into his hand. a couple of sips later, yangyang feels the pain subside a bit.
"thank you, renjun," yangyang says sincerely, grasping renjun's hand briefly. the authoritative renjun is gone for a second as his face glows bright red.
"it was nothing," renjun replies shyly, looking hesitant. he pulls his sleeves over his hands, and yangyang feels like the movement is so oddly familiar. yangyang digs his fingernails into his palms.
yangyang wants to hold renjun's hand.
the door slams open.
"yangyang? renjun? is everything okay?"
kun, you cockblocker.
3.
yangyang isn't even surprised the next time he's stopped when trying to enter kun's company building. he's resolved himself to have to wait, shrugging off his jacket in impatience.
it's definitely a different security guard this time, he thinks idly as he takes his mask off.
he isn't even here for kun this time, which is ironic. kun's colleague, jeonghan, was recording with kun once when yangyang visited, and saw yangyang eyeing jeonghan's camera. he promptly offered to arrange a time to teach yangyang how to use it, which yangyang gladly took.
unfortunately, it isn't looking like he'll be able to make it in to try out jeonghan's camera. he hopes that jeonghan will notice the time and come down to check for him, but he's worried that's just wishful thinking. just as he's about to give up and leave, he sees the elevator doors open. yangyang steps forward, hoping to see jeonghan emerge, but instead sees a familiar figure.
renjun's without his signature huge sweatshirt today, which makes yangyang concerned. it's a chilly winter day, and no one should be going around in a tank top, and yangyang tries his absolute hardest to avoid checking out renjun's biceps.
renjun's face is angled towards the floor, so he doesn't spot yangyang until he's already almost at the door. yangyang looks closer at renjun, and realizes that he's trembling, his shaking fingers curled around a box of cigarettes. not wanting to startle him, yangyang clears his throat.
renjun flinches for a second, and looks right at yangyang. he follows yangyang's line of sight and hastily shoves the cigarettes into his pocket, as if he could erase the sight of them from yangyang's memory. he glances between yangyang and the guard, and he says almost automatically, "you can let him in, sir. he's qian kun's brother."
renjun's gaze falls back down and he steps forward to brush past yangyang to the door, but he freezes when he feels yangyang reach out. yangyang presses his fingers to renjun's wrist in concern, bicep thoughts completely forgotten.
"renjun, are you going out like this? it's so cold out."
"yeah, i'll be fine, don't-"
yangyang shoves his jacket into renjun's arms, and he sees renjun opens his mouth to object.
"please. i can't in good conscience let you go out like that," yangyang insists, pressing the jacket back towards him. "you can always return it later. you can get my number from kun and let me know, but please use it now."
renjun takes the jacket reluctantly, muttering a weak thank you.
yangyang doesn't move towards the elevators until he sees renjun putting the jacket on cautiously as he rounds the corner to the door.
later that night, yangyang gets a text from an unknown number.
thank you for lending your coat. i'll wash it and return
yangyang is just about to reply when another message comes in:
and you should really get kun to get you an entrance card to the company lol
4.
the next time yangyang is denied entrance to kun's company, he's half expecting renjun to show up, as if it's some kind of tradition. it's still cold, and he rubs his hands together as he waits for the guard to find whatever he's looking for.
"liu yangyang?"
yangyang spins around.
a dancer has just arrived, but it's not renjun.
"donghyuck!"
donghyuck is an old friend of yangyang's from high school, and yangyang is thrilled to finally have met him at the company, though a little baffled.
"oh my god, it's you!" donghyuck wraps yangyang tightly in a hug. "hello cutie, how are you?"
"how come i haven't seen you around here? i knew you danced with kun's company but never saw you," yangyang says into donghyuck's shoulder.
donghyuck explains that he usually has schedules at another separate studio owned by the company, and is about to start another story about how a couch in that studio got torn up by ten's cat when he realizes that they're both still standing in the entranceway in their huge coats.
donghyuck scans them in quickly, explaining to the guard that yes, he's sure yangyang is good to enter the building, and they head for the elevator. yangyang decides to wait with donghyuck even though he doesn't need to take it, since kun's recording session was moved to a room on the ground floor. yangyang's being pelted with questions, and he's just answering that no, he hasn't gotten a nosebleed since he moved into his new apartment, when the elevator doors open.
renjun looks up from inside the elevator.
"renjun! i know i'll see you later for dance practice, but i wanted to introduce you to yangyang!" donghyuck is practically bouncing with energy and happiness, and yangyang wonders how many iced americanos he's drunk today.
renjun looks taken aback.
"you… know yangyang?"
"yeah, we were classmates back in high school and we've stayed in touch since!" donghyuck grins so wide that yangyang can feel the pain in his own cheeks. then, abruptly, he pauses. "wait. how do you know yangyang?"
"i… helped him come in to visit kun. the guards didn't let him in a few times and i just happened to be here." renjun looks reluctant, shifting his weight from foot to foot awkwardly.
"oh," donghyuck says breezily, before suddenly freezing. "oh. renjun, is he the guy that you said-"
"donghyuck, shut the fuck up."
donghyuck breaks into an evil grin that makes yangyang anxious. he still doesn't really know what's going on when donghyuck leans over out of nowhere and presses a kiss to yangyang's cheek.
"see you later, yangyangie!" and the elevator doors are closing.
startled and confused, yangyang's hand comes up slowly towards the cheek that donghyuck kissed. he chances a look at renjun, and does a double take.
renjun looks livid.
renjun catches the closing elevator doors with his hand, throwing his body in. he yells "ya, lee donghyuck!" and then both of them are gone in the elevator and yangyang is just left standing there, flabbergasted.
5.
it's finally warming up, and yangyang's thinking that it wouldn't be so bad if they didn't let him in. he could walk down to the han river and buy himself a pack of ramen.
yangyang glances down at his phone, and on impulse, he sends a text to renjun: i really should've followed your advice to get an entrance card.
there's no response, so yangyang slips his phone back into his pocket, now seriously considering that ramen. the security guard asks him to wait for a second, and he bites his tongue to avoid quipping back that it's been more than a second, when someone rounds the corner to the entrance area.
it's renjun.
yangyang is both grateful to see him and humiliated.
"fancy seeing you here," renjun says with a smile once yangyang is let in.
"sorry, you didn't have to leave work just to come get me," yangyang puts his palms over his cheeks, feeling them grow red.
"it's no trouble," renjun replies, almost shyly - a complete 180 from his first statement. "i'll head back to practice now, but i'll text you, yeah?"
yangyang doesn't remember what sort of affirmation he ends up giving, but he must give one, because renjun ruffles his hair affectionately and disappears into the room.
the text comes later: what's your address? i'll bring your jacket.
+1
it's saturday, and yangyang plans to spend the day at home in his favorite sweats and a huge hoodie. he's just about to look for a show to watch when he hears the phone ring.
it's the doorman.
"sir, there's someone here to see you. he's got purple hair -" he's cut off abruptly by a familiar voice.
"it's not purple! it's ash brown!"
"um, ash brown hair, apparently, and an armful of -"
"don't tell him!"
the security guard sounds very concerned, but he manages to finish his question to yangyang: "should i let him up?"
"yeah, go ahead," yangyang replies, trying to hold back his laughter.
there's a knock on his door, and yangyang is suddenly aware of the fact that he's in sweats and a hoodie. he runs a hand through his hair, as if that would change anything, and after deciding there's nothing he can do, he opens the door.
he closes the door.
renjun is holding fucking flowers.
"yangyang! open up!"
yangyang opens it again and covers his face, peeking between his fingers.
they're gorgeous.
"they're for you," renjun says quietly.
yangyang reaches out to take them, and renjun follows him into his apartment. still speechless, he stares at the flowers.
"are they that bad?"
renjun sounds like he's joking, but he looks like he's going to throw up, and yangyang hurries to reassure him that no, that's not it at all. to his horror, yangyang feels himself tear up.
"what happened? no, don't cry," renjun panics.
"i'm just such a romantic," yangyang sniffles, "so please don't bring me flowers unless you mean it, i wouldn't be able to take it." he lowers his head. "i like you a bit too much."
"yangyang, why the fuck would i bring you flowers if i didn't like you?" renjun looks aghast. he places the jacket yangyang lent him on the table, and pulls yangyang toward him. "seriously. you crybaby, didn't you consider my feelings?"
and because yangyang is a crybaby, he keeps crying, and he hugs renjun harder.
later, after renjun leaves, yangyang pulls on the jacket renjun returned. it smells clean, renjun's detergent scent clinging to the seams. he reaches his hand into the pockets of it and his fingers stumble upon a card. he pulls it out.
it's an entrance id card to the company.