Chapter Text
1. SAERAN
It's awkward. This whole day is already Not Great and dealing with Saeyoung trying to walk on eggshells around him for the past hour is not helping. Maybe it's better than him opening his stupid mouth and saying something that would actually set Saeran off, but not by much.
Maybe Saeran should have agreed to a movie. It might have been too much, but then he at least wouldn't be stuck trying to force a conversation with his brother. Saeran has no idea how to talk to Saeyoung. He barely knows how to talk to people that he doesn't have so much baggage with.
"How's Vanderwood been lately?" It's small talk, pointed small talk but still small talk. Saeran almost wants to take it back, but if he can use this to find a way to push his idiot brother into finally doing something about the stupidly obvious feelings he has for his roommate that he seems to think nobody has noticed, then he can deal with it for a bit.
"They've been good. Jumin's keeping the whole team busy, but they're still working from home after lunch." He hums his acknowledgement and looks away, what is he supposed to do with that? There isn't much to go off of. Maybe if he-
The door is shouldered open, revealing a Vanderwood who looks more pissed than Saeran can remember seeing them. He can see Saeyoung going all soft and gooey already and he can't help rolling his eyes at just how obvious he is. Is he just unaware of his feelings? That would...make an awful amount of sense and also make his self-appointed job of matchmaker much more difficult. Why had he decided to do this, again?
Right. Because he had spent so long hating Saeyoung based on all the lies he was fed that he feels like he has to do something nice for his brother. Is it too late to give up on that? Probably. He already told Minji that he wants to help and if he quits now, she'll be disappointed. Besides, perseverance is key.
He can hear Saeyoung greeting them, but doesn't pay them much attention until Vanderwood is passing by where Saeyoung is situated on the couch, tossing his bag into the spot next to him. Saeran is sure that they'll continue on to wherever it is they go during their time off, but they stop to skim their fingers down Saeyoung's arm, pausing at his wrist to squeeze and Saeyoung returns the gesture, wrapping his fingers around their wrist without thought.
Saeran waits until Vanderwood has slunk off and Saeyoung's attention is back on him to raise an eyebrow at his brother. "Been good, huh?"
Saeyoung spouts off some line that Saeran is certain he's already heard from his therapist, so he just hums, trying to figure out how to turn this back conversation back to gently prodding Saeyoung into recognizing his feelings for Vanderwood before he can turn it into an impromptu therapy session. Surprisingly, it's Saeyoung that saves it for him. "So, what did you really want to ask?"
It was hesitant, as if something like that can push Saeran over whatever edge Saeyoung is imagining he's on. He almost rolls his eyes, only barely holding himself back as he answers, not quite sure how he wants to phrase it, but knowing he has to say something. "You've been...weird lately." That wasn't nearly specific enough. His brother is going to run with that and get them so far off the topic of Vanderwood that he won't be able to salvage this mess.
"I've been-Aren't I always weird?" Saeran isn't sure who is more surprised, Saeyoung for being called weird (he shouldn't be, he should be used to it by now) or himself because his brother's response is surprisingly helpful.
"Yes. That's not what I mean, though. You and Vanderwood have been weird." And it's not a lie. They have been weird. Like, what even was that wrist touching thing? It seemed like some weird Victorian-era flirting ritual.
"Both of us? Have we been?" He still seems surprised and Saeran isn't sure why. They are clearly being strange. Or, maybe, is Saeran the one who's strange? Does everyone do the wrist-touching flirting move? Is that normal?
"You've been-" and he isn't sure how to say that he's noticed the weird flirting methods, the obvious mooning, the way Saeyoung is so clearly oblivious to his own feelings that he hasn't even noticed how weird he is being, so he just waves his hand around and hopes that it encapsulates enough of what he means that Saeyoung can figure it out himself.
"Oh, yeah. I guess we have been." Saeran is certain that his brother hasn't picked up on a single thing that he had tried to convey in his handwavy gesture. At least, he doesn't sound like he understands. And he's starting to look a bit concerned. Saeran isn't sure what Saeyoung thinks he has to be concerned about.
"It's strange." He says, hoping for his brother to bring something to this conversation that he can use to make things clear to him. Something he can point at and show Saeyoung just how obvious his feelings are.
"In what-Do you hate it? Should I-" And suddenly Saeran is no longer sure that Saeyoung's as oblivious as he thought.
Is this-Does his brother think he's homophobic? (Is that even the right word? Vanderwood isn't a woman, but he knows that they also aren't a man.) Is Saeyoung even aware that he's interested in Vanderwood or does he just think that Saeran has misunderstood? (He hasn't. There's no way his brother isn't in love with his roommate.)
"I didn't say that. It's just strange." He says as quick as he can. He absolutely cannot let Saeyoung think that he might be against Vanderwood in any way. They're more tolerable than Saeyoung is most days.
"Right. Okay." Saeyoung still sounds like he's on the verge of panicking, but before Saeran can do anything about that, Vanderwood is making their way back into the room.
"You eat yet?" They ask, and Saeyoung doesn't even need to open his mouth for the answer to be obvious. He does anyway, not even getting half through before he's cut off with a harsh, "Shut it, Zero Seven."
"Yes, Sir." Is his immediate response, mouth clamping shut even as his eyes stay firmly fixed on his roommate.
"And you?" Saeran, not having expected to be on the receiving end of the glare currently aimed his way, looks down at his hands, but not before he notices just how gooey his brother has gone, practically making heart eyes at Vanderwood.
Saeran's sure that even if he tried to lie, Vanderwood would be able to tell so he just starts twisting the cuffs of his sleeves around his fingers and tries to remember that he's not a child being scolded. " Not yet."
Vanderwood grumbles to themself as they turn to leave, but they stop when Saeyoung calls out in what was possibly the most disgustingly sweet voice Saeran ever had the misfortune of hearing from his brother. "Do you need any help, dearest?"
Saeran's nose wrinkles and he tries to ignore the very obvious flush that comes over Saeyoung's face at Vanderwood's threatening retort. He waits until Saeyoung is finally turning his eyes back to him to raise a brow. He needs his brother to know how absolutely awful that was to sit through and how hopeful he was that it might calm down a bit if he could finally get him to act on his feelings.
"Dearest?" He asks, hoping that it's very clear to his brother that he thinks the stupid pet names are probably not helping Saeyoung's chances of getting with his roommate. The pouting probably doesn't either, it makes him look like a boy on the playground who had pulled the pigtail of a cute girl but didn't get her attention, just a scolding from the teacher.
Saeyoung grumbles and he can only just make out the very weak defense of, "They don't mind," and Saeran can't help snorting. He's fairly sure that Vanderwood feels the same way about his brother (why else would they tolerate him so long? Why else would they be willingly living with him?), but he is definitely sure that they are only barely tolerating any of the ridiculous pet names his brother seems to insist on.
2. YOOSUNG
Yoosung isn't sure what is going on with Seven Saeyoung. He knows that a lot has happened. That he has found his long-lost brother, has been kidnapped by his father, and has done...something to leave the agency he had been working for. And, despite what the rest of the RFA seemed to think, Yoosung isn't stupid. He knows that every single one of those things are big, huge, and all them would have left some sort of a mark on his best friend.
Whatever is going on with Saeyoung isn't just inspired by the trauma, though. Yes, there are definitely some changes that are clearly caused by recent events, but there is something else that Yoosung isn't sure how to properly explain either.
He has met Saeyoung's maid coworker friend roommate (Vanderwood keeps denying it, but Yoosung is pretty sure they have been living at Saeyoung's bunker since they got him back from his father), and he isn't really sure what he thinks of them. He has tried to make sense of how Saeyoung's "cute, sweet, caring maid" is the same person as the very large, very buff, very grumpy agent he met when they had reached out to help them get Saeyoung back.
But when Saeyoung had woken up in the hospital, struggling to swing his legs out of the bed and then reaching for tubes and wires attached to him and fighting to leave, he was completely unmoved by Yoosung's attempts to soothe him. That agent had come back in from a "walk" (they kept saying it like Yoosung was a child and wouldn't understand them saying that they needed to have a smoke) and had been the one to get Saeyoung to calm down long enough to not pull out any of the IVs or yank off the wires attaching him to the heart monitor. They had seemed irritated, barking out Seven's name, but that had been all it took for him to become compliant, letting them shove him back into the bed.
Despite all the time he has spent with the hacker, all the movies and arcades, all the chatrooms and late-night calls, all the pranks and the years they have known each other, Yoosung is sure he hasd never seen Saeyoung as pliant and relaxed as he had become when he finally realized that it was Vanderwood urging him back into the hospital bed.
At first, Yoosung was a bit hurt that Saeyoung didn't seem to consider him as a best friend, but as Vanderwood kept living with Saeyoung and Yoosung kept going over to hang out, he realized that it wasn't quite that simple.
(Okay, so maybe he does know what's going on with his best friend.)
It still stings a bit that he doesn't want to talk to Yoosung about it, though. They are best friends (they are. Now that he is sure that the feelings Saeyoung has toward Vanderwood aren't platonic, Yoosung is confident that he is the closest friend that Saeyoung has), so why is Saeyoung refusing to tell him anything?
Is he worried that Yoosung won't support him? That he won't understand? Does Saeyoung just not want to talk about it? Or does he even know that he likes Vanderwood? Does he even know that he's attracted to people who aren't girls?
Yoosung isn't sure (because Saeyoung refuses to talk to him), so he's soothing his own emotional turmoil by concluding that Saeyoung just doesn't realize. He had said, at some point over the last few months, that he hadn't been allowed to have personal connections while working for his agency. Maybe he just doesn't recognize what he's feeling because he has never been able to really feel it before.
It isn't hard for Yoosung to decide that he has to help his friend sort out his feelings and ask Vanderwood out. Of course, Yoosung isn't sure how to help with that last part. Vanderwood kind of scares him and if he hadn't been there to see the way they had sat at Saeyoung's hospital bedside until he had woken up, he wouldn't even be sure that they care much for him at all.
Yoosung's plan consists of three parts. Phase One: Use manga to show Saeyoung what those kinds of feelings are like. Phase Two: Subtly push him towards thinking about Vanderwood to make him realize how he feels about them. Phase Three: Encourage Saeyoung to ask Vanderwood out.
Phase One is simple. All he has to do is make an excuse to bring over a bunch of his well-loved shoujo manga for Saeyoung to read. And the universe seems to be working in his favor because, just as he was agonizing over a good excuse, the finale of one of his favorite series finally announced the release of its official translation.
And so, he chooses a few series he thinks Saeyoung should read, sends a warning message to his friend that they won't be playing LOLOL today, and hobbles his way along to catch a bus.
He really hates how far out of the way Saeyoung lives and has never felt it more strongly than now. He's lugging around 62 books and has to walk thirty minutes only to be stopped by the stupid gate telling him to beg for entry in Arabic ("Say, 'Please let me in, Master' in Arabic! Otherwise, security measures to remove you from the property will be engaged, meow!").
Yoosung has gotten used to Saeyoung actually opening the gate for him when he's expected to be arriving, so he curses and grumbles at the computer barring his access to his friend's house. He fumbles with his bags to try and ease his phone out of his pocket to translate the embarrassing phrase that Saeyoung had set for the day's password.
Yoosung has just about managed to wiggle his phone out of his pocket when Saeyoung finally bails him out. "Yoosung, I thought you weren't coming over?" His gaze snaps up to his redheaded saviour and is surprised to find that Saeyoung seems surprised.
Had he forgotten to tell Saeyoung that he was bringing over some series to read? But he hadn't cancelled their plans, just said that he- He had forgotten to mention the change in plans. Just that they weren't gaming today. "I didn't say that! I just wanted to reread this one series because the final issue's official translation was released! I still wanna hang out! I brought-I mean, if you don't want me here, I can go. I just-" Yoosung rushes to explain, realizing about halfway through that if Saeyoung had no longer been expecting him, he might have made other plans.
"Get in here," Saeyoung says, relieving Yoosung of the weight of the bags he was carrying, leading him in through the door.
"Oh my god, why are books so heavy?" Yoosung complains as he throws his backpack onto the couch, flopping down beside it as Saeyoung settles the bags onto the ground.
Saeyoung snickers at him and asks, "How many volumes are in this series? Did you really have to bring them all?"
He did. He did have to bring them all because the series are complete and if he's going to have Saeyoung read them, he had to bring them all because he has planned on leaving them for his friend to finish reading if he doesn't before Yoosung goes back home. But he can't just say that, because how is he supposed to explain that to Saeyoung without telling him that he's trying to help him figure out his feelings for Vanderwood?
"Oh! Well, I just-" He decides to ramble, hoping that he comes up with something reasonable if he doesn't think about it too hard. "I wanted to read, but I didn't want you to feel left out and you've only ever mentioned reading a few things so I brought a couple series that you have to read. I just thought, since you have more time now... But if you really don't like them, that's okay. I just-" None of it is a lie, but it's only part of the reason. A convenient secondary reason.
"Alright. What do you want me to read?" Saeyoung asks and Yoosung lets himself get excited about his specially curated selection and forget, at least for now, that he's just setting up for a larger plan.
Yoosung shuffles through the bag that holds the lightest series he brought until he finds the first volume and holds it out for Saeyoung. "From Us to Them! It's a classic! I wasn't sure how fast you'd get through it, so I brought the whole series! And a couple others..."
From Us to Them is the one that has just been completed, the one Yoosung is using as an excuse. He has already read the new volume, breezing through it as soon as he got his hands on it. But he thinks it's best to slowly ease his friend into No. 9, the series he really wants him to read. The one that's a bit different from his usual reading list. The one that's a bit more...topical to the situation.
Saeyoung takes the volume from him and sets it aside, heading to the kitchen with the promise of snacks. Yoosung doesn't waste any time pulling out the first volume of No. 9, hoping that if he seems interested enough in it, Saeyoung will ask about it himself. No such luck.
After Saeyoung has supplied their usual hoard of refreshments, Yoosung actually finds himself lost in the story again. Sure, he might have been playing up his interest earlier, but he really does love this series. It still has romance, but it isn't the focus. It's subtle, but something about it pulls at him.
He's only part way through the first volume when Saeyoung's voice forces his focus away from the pages in front of him.
"You said you brought a couple other series?" Yoosung hadn't expected Saeyoung to be such a fast reader, but he probably should have with his work. When he sees that his friend is still holding on to the second volume, he's a bit disappointed.
"Oh, yeah. Did you not like it? We can- I-" From Us to Them is a soft coming of age romance that's a bit of a comfort read for Yoosung. Out of the three he brought, it's the series that had best encapsulated the feeling of first love; he had hoped that Saeyoung would relate to it a bit more.
"It's fine, Yoosung. It's just a little..." Right. Not everyone has the same taste. Maybe Saeyoung just isn't a fan of slice of life type stories? At least two of the three series he brought were more...angsty?
"Okay, well. I also brought Cherry Bucket!" Yoosung holds up the first book of the series before he realizes- this is a great lead in to get Saeyoung to read No. 9. "Or you could- You could read this," But now that he's thinking about it, what if it's too pointed? So, Yoosung starts to backtrack, "but, um. I'm not sure-I don't know how you would feel about it."
Saeyoung starts teasing him immediately and he suddenly remembers something that he should have been thinking of since he had started cobbling together this attempted plan to help Saeyoung realize his feelings.
Saeyoung is Catholic.
Yoosung knows that. He's aware of just how strongly Saeyoung clings onto his faith, even if none of the other members seem to really believe just how devout Saeyoung is, Yoosung does. He's Catholic. A religion that is famously conservative. A religion that doesn't generally really approve of the kinds of relationships depicted in the manga that is still clutched in Yoosung's hand.
Yoosung had been prepared to help Saeyoung through any possible self-discovery he might have about his sexuality, but he hadn't prepared to possibly walk through the minefield of a discussion that religion and sexuality would cause. He isn't ready to try and help Saeyoung through the rough roads of acceptance, he'll do his best, but he doesn't know how to handle conversations like this.
And suddenly he's remembering every time Saeyoung had teased Jumin for not being interested in women, every time he had tried to bait an answer out of him regarding his sexuality. Every time he had joked about Zen possibly being with Jumin.
Saeyoung clearly doesn't have any problems with crossdressing and he doesn't seem to have any issue with how Vanderwood identifies. But a lot of the religious arguments that Yoosung has seen are about being able to have children, so maybe gender identity doesn't matter much to him. Maybe Saeyoung still finds issue with same sex relationships because they (usually) can't naturally have children together?
"No! It's just- Um. You're, um. I know you're Catholic and I know how you are, but I don't. I don't really know how you feel about things like- Um, this is-" Yoosung tries to find a way out of this hole he has dug himself into but can't. So, instead of forcing out the words, he simply holds out the volume of No. 9 he is still clutching onto like some kind of lifeline.
Saeyoung takes the book from him, quiet for a few moments before- "And what does this have to do with Catholicism?"
Looking down at the book Saeyoung had been looking in for answers, Yoosung realizes his mistake. That is the first volume. The romance in No. 9 is subtle, slow, not at all the focus of the series. Up until the fourth book it can all just be written off as a deep friendship and it isn't until the penultimate volume that they even kiss.
Yoosung makes a noise of acknowledgement and digs through his backpack to find the eighth book. He shoves it toward Saeyoung and takes back the first volume. He gently tosses the book into the spot on the couch he had vacated.
Noticing the way Saeyoung is staring at the manga in his hand as if it was refusing him the answers to the universe, Yoosung tells him where to find what he's looking for. He fidgets with his fingers, refusing to look at his friend as he shuffles through the pages. How is he supposed to look at Saeyoung if they get into an argument over something that Yoosung doesn't think should even be a debate?
The sound of turning pages stops and Saeyoung is starting to sound upset as he demands answers. Yoosung still refuses to verbalize it, so he takes the book from him, finding the emotional climax of the series easily. It's his favorite scene in the series by far, everything had been building and building until it all clashed together in such a satisfying way. Yoosung presses the open volume back into Saeyoung's hands and waits for him figure out what he had meant by mentioning his religion.
Saeyoung calls out his name and Yoosung finally looks back over at him. He isn't sure how to read the look on Saeyoung's face. "Are you recommending me gay romance to read?"
"Is that- Do you- I know you joke around about Jumin and Zen sometimes, but do you actually...?" Yoosung scans his friend's face, hoping that the mention of their friends would give him something to work with, but it's a fruitless endeavor to try and figure out how Saeyoung might feel about all this. "You seem fine with Vanderwood, but I wasn't sure if you-"
Saeyoung's face suddenly twists, changing into something that's completely unreadable, but the emotions leech into his voice and he sounds hurt. "I- Yoosung. Did you really think I was-"
Yoosung answers quickly, not liking that he had somehow hurt his best friend. "No." And then he pauses to correct himself because, he hadn't but for a moment he really wasn't sure. "I don't know? I didn't think you were. But you- I know you joke around a lot, but I don't know. We never really talked about it before. And you- Sometimes with Jumin it's-"
Saeyoung calls his name again, grasps onto his shoulders and gently lowers him onto the couch and perches next to him. He stops himself from talking, taking a second to figure out what to say. "I know I joke around a lot, but I never thought that you- Okay, yeah, I guess sometimes I go a bit far when I tease Jumin. But I know that he'd never actually answer one way or the other so I didn't really think much about it. And with Zen it's- I know he hates the insinuation of being with Jumin, but I'm really only half joking. If he stopped with his toxic masculinity bullshit, I think they'd actually be good for each other.
"And Mary-" Saeyoung cuts himself off again and Yoosung feels like he was going to cry, had he been wrong? He really had thought that his friend was alright with them but what if he had it backwards? "I mean. I'm not straight, Yoosung. So, I don't-"
"You're not?" Well, Yoosung had already known that, but he really wasn't sure if Saeyoung had. That took away at least half of the work Yoosung thought he would have to do.
"No. You-I thought you guys all knew that. I wasn't-I mean, it wasn't a secret or anything. I've talked about people who weren't women before." Had he? Yoosung tries to think back but the only instances he can remember are the times he had talked about Vanderwood.
He isn't sure if Saeyoung had been saying any of that with the awareness of being interested in them, though. "I-I guess. But you- I didn't know you were serious." Yoosung pauses, this was a good opportunity to push, but he isn't sure how to bring it up without it being obvious. "I really only remember you doing that with Vanderwood." Yoosung wants to kick himself, that was the least subtle way he could have brought them back up. Saeyoung just laughs at him.
Yoosung decides to give it up for the day. They just had one difficult conversation and clearly, he isn't able to be subtle anymore. He doesn't want to start policing his responses, he just wants to hang out with his friend.
3. MINJI
When Minji had received an invitation to test play an AI messaging app, there were a lot of things she hadn't expected to happen. She hadn't expected to be kidnapped into a cult, she hadn't expected to meet the love of her life, she hadn't expected to be invited along to awkward dinners with her fiance's family so soon, hadn't expected to play matchmaker for her future brother-in-law, definitely hadn't expected to break down crying in front of said future brother-in-law in his kitchen when she was supposed to be doing said matchmaking.
Yet, here she is, as close to Saeran as is acceptable in polite society and sitting across from his brother's roommate during one of those monthly family dinners she attensd as moral support. Vanderwood isn't a stranger at this point. She's probably about as comfortable with them as she is with Saeran's brother, if for no other reason than wherever Saeyoung is Vanderwood doesn't seem to be far behind.
Minji is fairly sure that the only reason they suffer through these family dinners with her, though, is because Saeyoung is bribing them so he won't have to feel like a third-wheel to her and Saeran. She isn't sure how well that's working for him, but she does know that it opened ample opportunity for her to help her fiance achieve his goal of getting them together.
Minji will admit that when she had first heard his plan to push Saeyoung towards his roommate, she had been skeptical, at that point she had only ever seen them in the same room together when Saeyoung had been unconscious in the hospital. And on the rare occasion that Vanderwood had entered a chatroom, they hadn't seemed like the kind of person Saeyoung would gravitate towards and they had very openly discussed just how much they disliked 'Zero Seven'.
But then, then she had actually seen them interacting and suddenly it all seemed to make sense. Despite his cheerful disposition, Saeyoung is always so tense. It isn't even noticeable how ready he looks to snap into action at the slightest hint of trouble until all the tension seeps out of him as soon as he's aware of his roommate's presence.
Vanderwood isn't nearly as easy of a person to read, but she can see it in how they respond to Saeyoung. How, despite their grumbled complaints, they never actually try to stop him from any of his antics. How, even if they have a permanent scowl on their face, there's a special glare reserved just for Saeyoung and, while its intensity is just the same as the rest, the intent seems wildly different.
Yes, at first, she had only been going along with her fiance because he deserved her support in any progress he was making with his mental health and the relationship with his brother, but now- Now she isn't simply encouraging Saeran from the sidelines, she is joining in to see his mission to completion.
And yes, these monthly dinners are a good time to lay the groundwork between the oblivious idiots sitting across from her, but the whole situation is too awkward to actually make any headway. So, once everyone has finished eating, she uses it as an excuse to divide and conquer, pulling Saeyoung into the kitchen with her to clean up as she shoots her fiance a meaningful look over her shoulder.
When they first met, Saeyoung had been easy to talk to, friendly and cheerful and warm. He's still like that but it's distanced now. He's all those things but never directly toward Minji. That isn't to say that he has become suddenly cold with her, he just-He barely speaks with her at all. He'll greet her and engage in the bare minimum pleasantries to not be rude, but any other conversation Minji has had with him over the course of her relationship with Saeran has been had through the buffer of someone else.
She had expected having to break the ice when she chose to drag Saeyoung along with her, leaving Vanderwood to the mercy of her fiance, but even as she begins scrubbing at the dishes in the sink, she isn't sure how to start.
The way Saeyoung keeps glancing over at her from the corner of his eye is doing nothing to soothe her already shot nerves, even if she is mostly certain that he isn't even really aware of doing it. After the twenty-seventh glance her way, she can't take it anymore.
"Saeyoung, I know that none of this has been...conventional, but I'm- Is it just because he wasn't doing so well when we first got together? Or is it just me?" Her vision is blurring with tears (she always hated how quick she is to cry) and she doesn't notice the sponge dropping from her grip, landing with a soapy squish back into the sink. "I just- I'm really trying, you know? And I don't-Did I do something? I'll try to fix it, but I-" She can faintly register that his hand is at her shoulder, but now that she has started, she isn't sure she'll be able to leave this kitchen until she has answers.
They had gotten along well until they suddenly hadn't. Minji hadn't even truly noticed how much his sudden shift had bothered her until now. She had brought him in here to try and get some more information to help Saeran complete his matchmaking goal but if it, instead, helps to mend the rift that had appeared between her and Saeyoung, then at least the time wasn't wasted.
"Woah, now. What's happening, Minji? I'm not sure I'm following you."
Minji isn't really sure how to be clearer now that her emotions have taken firm control over the conversation, but she tries. She wipes at her eyes, but only manages to smear her face with the water she hadn't bothered to dry from the sink. "I really love him. I love Saeran so much and he's been doing so good. He's made incredible progress considering everything he's been through. But I-Saeyoung, did I do something wrong?"
Saeyoung's hand moves from her shoulder to rub awkwardly at her arm, like he isn't quite sure what to do but is trying to help. It's so painfully similar to the way Saeran had been that she can feel a fresh wave of tears stinging her eyes. She does her best to hold them back and is moderately successful. She turns herself slightly to look up at him, wishing she could read the answers on his face. She can't. But she can see how torn he looks, biting his lip and looking like he's struggling to figure out what to say.
"Minji, no. You've been so great; you've done so much for him. Of course you haven't done anything wrong." And Saeyoung says it so sincerely that she wants to believe it, but that's difficult after he has been avoiding her for months.
"Then, is it-Do you just think he shouldn't be dating?" Personally, Minji desn't really think that's Saeyoung's call to make, but she can also understand the concern that it would be born from. Saeran hadn't been in a good place when they met. He barely is now, teetering precariously between 'okay' and 'good' and tipping dangerously easily into 'bad'. But his therapist has said that stability and healthy relationships are good for him, that she has been good for him.
"Saeran can make his own choices about that. I-I don't know what you're thinking, but whatever it is, but I can guess and you're wrong. Saeran is lucky to have you, Minji, and I'm so glad he has someone who supports and loves him." His response is so fast and so much more supportive than she really expected to hear from him that the tears she managed to hold back earlier spilled over.
"So, you don't think I'm not good enough for him?" And that isn't something that she had consciously been aware of being worried about, but really it is at the core of all her worries about her relationship with both Saeran and his brother that she's surprised that she hadn't placed it before now.
"Of course I don't. Where did you get that idea?" He asks, completely flummoxed. Minji doesn't bother answering, just gets herself pulled back together by drying off her face and taking a few deep breaths.
She gets herself back into place at the sink, feeling much better now that she had a quick cry about her insecurities and has cleared some things up with Saeyoung.
"Great. Now, your turn to cry about your relationships." She says, knowing that it's too optimistic to hope for him to talk to her about any unresolved feelings with Vanderwood, but unable to stop herself from hoping he will. She just wants to help her fiance do something nice for his brother, dammit.
Saeyoung stares at her as she picks up another plate and makes sure it's perfectly clean. Rinsing it off, she grumbles as she presses it into Saeyoung's hands, hoping that it will kick him back into action.
"I don't have any relationships to cry about right now." He says, finally getting back to what he's in here to do, dry the dishes and talk about his relationship with his roommate. Even if he isn't aware of the second half of those duties.
She raises an eyebrow at him, not buying it even remotely. Saeran is convinced that he's in love with Vanderwood and she can't really disagree with his assessment. She's sure he has something to be upset about, so she expands the guidelines. "Hmm, none? Not even any questions or complaints?"
At first, she's sure he's just going to brush her off again, but then he's hesitating. Hesitating and looking at her like he's about to spill the secret of the century and she can't help the bit of smug satisfaction she feels at being able to get information that even her fiance hasn't been able to pull out of his brother. But then-
"My sister-in-law seems to think I hate her. Any idea how I can fix that?" And for a second, she thinks that she heard wrong, there's no way he's referring to her as his sister-in-law already, but he had, and she can't help but flush with the insinuation. Sure, her and Saeran are engaged, but they are planning on a long engagement.
And then the rest of his question actually registers and she gives him a small, grateful smile, glad that he's willing to work with her to fix the strange tension that has cropped up between them. "Maybe actually talk to her? If you're always acting like you're trying to avoid being in her general vicinity, she's going to assume she's messed up somehow."
Saeyoung actually explains himself, and she can't help pressing for a closer relationship, for something closer to the family she has been craving since she left home. "Just treat her like the rest of your friends? Or maybe..." She pauses, still hesitating despite knowing that he probably won't mind. He had been the one to call her his sister-in-law, after all. "If you don't mind it, you could just treat her like your sister. Because that's- Technically, that's what she is."
Saeyoung laughs and Minji is sure that, even though she hasn't accomplished her original goal in dragging him along to clean up after dinner, she hasn't wasted a single second with him in that kitchen.
4. ZEN
Zen used to think he was a pretty good judge of character but recently... Recently he isn't so sure. Between everything that happened with Rika and V, his awkward reconciliation with that trust fund jerk, and his new concerns about Saeyoung, he's starting to wonder if he should completely reevaluate all of his friends.
Saeyoung has always been a strange person, he's sure that every member of the RFA can agree on that, but in these past few months, he's been different. Behaving in ways that Zen never would have expected from one of his friends.
It had been almost cute at first, seeing Saeyoung finally calm down and start really opening up to someone, but then he had decided that the occasional message left in the chatroom singing Vanderwood's praises (messages that Vanderwood would always complain about the next time they logged in) wasn't enough and he had escalated and escalated until it got the its current state.
Vanderwood had set down their boundaries very clearly and yet, Saeyoung continued pushing past them, doing as he liked. Flirting at them when they were logged in and talking about them near endlessly when they weren't. They didn't log in to the chatrooms often and Zen couldn't blame them with the way Saeyoung behaved.
He knows they're roommates, but he's concerned about how conducive that really is for Vanderwood's well-being. He hadn't thought Saeyoung would go any further than his weird, convoluted flirting that he seemed insistent on dragging the rest of the RFA into but then they had all gathered for aquarterly meeting. And Zen couldn't help noticing every single time Saeyoung would reach out to touch them only to be met with a glare. Or every time he had thrown out some come-on and Vanderwood would roll their eyes and huff out a breath in annoyance.
He isn't sure if Saeyoung is just abysmal at reading body language or if he knows where he stands with Vanderwood and keeps pushing anyway. Either way, he had reached his breaking point when Saeyoung, finding himself alone in the chatroom, spent almost half an hour filling the logs with nothing but flirtatious comments, lecherous observations, and rapturous praise only broken up by an occasional photo used to emphasize his point.
It's too much and somebody needs to reign Saeyoung in. No one else seemed to be stepping up to the task, so it fell to him. Zen scheduled a time for them to meet up under the guise of 'it's been too long, Saeyoung'. (It has been a while, Zen is glad to see his friend again, but this is an intervention first and a friendly meet up second.)
Zen wanted be there first so he made sure to get to their chosen cafe ten minutes early, knowing that Saeyoung would show up at exactly the agreed upon time. And, as he thought, just as the clock ticked to 10 Saeyoung strolls in through the door. The precision of his punctuality is positively eerie.
Saeyoung waltzes over, drink in hand and casual greeting on his lips. He is completely unsuspecting. Good. Zen waits for him to catch on to the serious mood, watches as he does a quick double take and then swallows, laughing nervously. "What's, uh, what's going on, Zen?"
"Saeyoung. This is an intervention."
He is entirely unprepared for the beat of silence swiftly followed by laughter loud enough to shake his friend's shoulders.
"Oh, is this a new role you're workshopping a character for? That was great. Script's a little cliche, though. 'This is an intervention', really?" This is serious but here Saeyoung is making jokes. The only reason Zen is going to let it slide is because Saeyoung doesn't know what this is about.
"What else am I supposed to say in this situation?" He grumbles under his breath, not wanting to give Saeyoung any more material for his comedy routine. He takes a moment to drink some of his coffee before clearing his throat and trying to hold onto his dignity. "I was being serious, asshole."
"Oh, well. I guess you are a man of cliche." Saeyoung says and Zen is offended, but this really isn't the time to be splitting hairs and arguing about something that really doesn't matter. This is time to sit with his friend and confront him about his recent behaviour toward his roommate and why it's wrong. Hopefully, in a way that will help foster him in growing into a better person and not make him feel like he's being cornered.
Zen fishes his phone out of his pocket as quickly as he can, glad that he had thought to open up the chatroom that had been his breaking point so he doesn't have to fumble around with opening the RFA app and scrolling through previous chat records to find what he's looking for. He had really hated having to go through the chat logs to find this one, though.
He honestly feels a bit gross having it right there on his phone. Zen is sure that it's a mix of the blatantly sexual remarks on Vanderwood's body, the way too informative descriptions of Saeyoung's fantasies, and the knowledge that the targeted recipient is clearly not interested in any of the offered acts.
"Aw, Zen are you saying I need to work on my game? I didn't think it was that bad." Saeyoung says after taking no more than a cursory glance at Zen's phone. His voice is too light, too playful. As if he still can't understand what this meeting is about.
Harassing women isn't a joke, (people, Zen reminds himself. Vanderwood is a person, not a woman. Not that women aren't people, they are, it's just hard for him to remember, to wrap his head around, the idea that there's a category that isn't Man or Woman) and Zen is surprised that Saeyoung doesn't seem to be taking this as seriously as he should be.
"No." He says, because this isn't about his flirting. This is about his harassment. "Well, actually yes. That too," he adds because it's true. Saeyoung really did have to work on his flirting if he ever wants to get anywhere with someone he's interested in. "But I meant that you need to cool it on all the flirting in the chatrooms."
Really, it would be ideal to stop all of Saeyoung's harassment, but maybe if Zen eases him into backing off Vanderwood, he'll figure things out for himself and stop on his own. Starting with the chatroom will at least give Vanderwood some reprieve from all of Saeyoung's...Saeyoung.
"This is discrimination! Saeran and Minji are always gross and flirty in the chatrooms and you haven't called them out on it!"
"That isn't comparable on any level, but mostly because of the...explicity. And at least they're flirting with someone that's actually there." Zen counters, baffled that Saeyoung would even try to compare his strange fixation on Vanderwood to his brother's relationship.
"Well, that's not fair. Our personalities are different!" Saeyoung is really good at missing the point and focusing on the least important thing. He has to be doing this on purpose, right?
"A personality difference doesn't excuse public foreplay. And how does Vanderwood feel about you saying all that shit about them?" Zen asks, trying to regain some semblance of control over the conversation. He's also hoping that bringing up Vanderwood's opinion on the matter will make Saeyoung actually think about how this might be affecting them.
"They thought it was funny." Saeyoung says, pouting as he leans back in his seat. As if Zen is making a big deal out of nothing.
"Uh-huh. And what about the rest of us that don't want to be pulled into your weird courtship dance?" It's a bit of a last resort. If Saeyoung refuses to acknowledge Vanderwood's clear lack of reciprocation, then maybe he'll at least give credence to the idea that his losing battle with romance is uncomfortable for everyone else that is being forcibly involved.
It is. God, it is so uncomfortable. But he really does wish that his friend could have realized that he is making Vanderwood uncomfortable and that his behaviour is really inexcusable.
"Weird courtship dance? What is this? 1800s animal kingdom?" And there he goes focusing on the least important part of what Zen said. Again.
"Saeyoung." Zen makes his voice as serious as possible, hoping that it might actually make the redhead listen to what he is saying. "We don't want to hear you talk about how you," He pulls open that chatroom again, already feeling like he needs to take a shower for what he is about to read out loud. "'Really miss all the leather they used to wear because it really gave dominatrix who would punish me until I was sobbing and begging for more.' I really didn't need to know that about you, Saeyoung."
It isn't something he had needed or wanted to know. It also isn't the worst thing that had been sent into the dead chat. It is bad enough to make a point, though, and Zen is hoping that it finally landed.
"Fine. I'll tone it down a bit."
Something about Saeyong's tone makes it difficult to believe him. It's too easy, flippant. And even if he does mean it, Zen isn't looking for him to harass Vanderwood a little bit less. He is trying to get them a place where they won't have to worry about the harassment at all. "You'll tone it down a bit?"
"Oh! Are you feeling left out, Zen? I'll start dedicating chatrooms to you, too. Though, maybe not quite so intense. I wouldn't want my darling Miss Vanderwood to think I was cheating." Saeyoung is fucking with him. There is no way he doesn't know what he's doing.
"No, unbelievable. Keep that shit out of the chatrooms." Zen presses, he is going to fight this until he gets what he wants. He isn't going to let Saeyoung continue digging in with this self-destructive behaviour.
"But, Zen! What if I think of a really good line and they aren't home?" He can feel his eye twitching. Is this what insanity feels like?
"Wait." And he doesn't like giving that answer. He wants to tell Saeyoung to fuck off entirely away from Vanderwood, but he knows that he won't comply and that it might even make the situation worse, so he's going to focus on the battle he's confident in winning. No more harassing Vanderwood in the chatrooms.
"No! Sometimes genius needs to be shared immediately." Zen isn't sure that any of the messages Saeyoung has sent regarding his roommate can be considered genius, but that is beside the point.
"Why are you so insistent on posting that kind of thing where everyone can read it? Are you an exhibitionist or something?" He blanches as he realizes the type of conversation he has inadvertently welcomed Saeyoung to start. He can see the glint in golden eyes that promise a traumatic experience if Saeyoung is allowed to open his mouth. He cuts it off immediately. "Nope, absolutely not. Do not answer that. I don't want to know."
"Fine. But all bets are off if they're logged in, too. I just can't seem to stop my fingers from saying whatever they want around them." Saeyoung is making it seem like this is some great sacrifice. Like Zen is asking for some impossible favor by asking him to stop harassing Vanderwood. But this concession isn't enough.
"Ugh. Just try to remember that your brother can see that shit, too." It's his last hope. He doesn't have the sort of relationship with his own brother that Saeyoung has with Saeran, but he knows that if he was ever in a situation where he was seeing that kind of message from his brother, even with their...contentious relationship, he would never be able to look him in the eye again.
How is Saeran even able to still be in the same room as Saeyoung? Zen is impressed with the younger twin's mental fortitude.
"How dare you remind me about that?" Good. Something Zen said has finally got through Saeyoung's thick skull.
But he had already known that, he was even the one to bring him up today. Had it really gotten through to him? Zen looks up, sees the disgust clear on Saeyoung's and almost can't believe it. "Wait, really? Is that all I had to say? God, I should have just started with that so I didn't have to-" He wants to throw his phone into a fire and scrub his skin raw from even having to read out the single message he had. He hadn't known Saeran would be such a persuasive point. really, why had he even bothered with the rest?
Saeyoung grumbles as he goes about finishing off whatever saccharine abomination he had purchased, already half melted from its blended state, and they parts ways not long after. Zen is just glad to be able to scrub himself clean of the feeling that had settled over him while reading out that damned message. He's hopeful that this is the beginning of Sayoung getting himself back in check. Though, Zen will always be here to help correct him if he strays.
1 JUMIN
Though he has now had a few months to become acclimated to being the new head of the RFA, Jumin isn't sure that he will ever be truly used to it. The RFA has grown closer since Minji's unorthodox induction, now finally able to boast being a group of friends rather than an organization of people barely tied together by common threads.
There has been some tension during this shift, uncomfortable moments where a person became more transparent or new information was revealed that made it difficult to view someone the same way. Such instances have slowed to a stop and Jumin is sure they are now settled into this new normal.
Once the dust was settled with the Mint Eye debacle, they had unanimously decided to hold quarterly meetings and, despite busy schedules, they have managed to do so. This is now their third official gathering since they have gained their newest members and Jumin has decided that it's time to begin discussing their next event.
Once they are all accounted for (Yoosung was late, missing the bus he had been scheduled to take and having to make do with a later one. Jumin isn't sure why the college student hadn't simply called and asked for a ride. Punctuality is important and this is an official meeting. It wouldn't have been a hassle to have picked him up on the way to Saeyoung and Vanderwood's house.), Jumin prepares to open the discussion, but the volume of the group rises.
He sighs as the bickering begins, unsurprising but perhaps a bit disappointing. His friends truly can be so childish. "Since we're all here now, shall we begin?" He cuts in before the quarrelling can begin to derail today's meeting.
Zen and Saeyoung (the prime offenders) both settle down, though he notices they haven't calmed much, and he keeps an eye on them both as he begins the meeting in earnest. And so, he notices that Saeyoung isn't paying much attention to the proceedings. Not too much of a problem, his brother isn't much focusing on the topic at hand either (seeing them like this, both so utterly wrapped up in their significant others to the point that everything else becomes inconsequential really emphasizes their relation. They both get the same softness around their eyes and their mouth curls into the same sweet smile.), and they can both be brought to speed by their partners when decisions are ready to be made. But then Jumin catches Vanderwood twisting around for just an instant and a glance tells him that he needs to bring Saeyoung's attention back to him.
He clears his throat. "Are the two of you done?" Jumin asks after the redhead's eyes have met his. It is perhaps a bit unfair to lump Vanderwood in with Saeyoung, they had actually been listening to the proceedings until their boyfriend's hands had strayed, but Jumin also knows that Saeyoung's hands wouldn't have made it as far as they did if Vanderwood had truly wanted to stop him.
"I'm never done with my babe," Saeyoung's reply is instant, his lips quirk up into a playful grin that's quickly replaced by a slight grimace as Vanderwood elbows him in the stomach.
Jumin has a feeling that this is going to become longer than a quick call for the distracted member's attention. He can hear Zen grumbling something about Saeyoung keeping his hands to himself and, while he agrees, the complaints aren't helpful to the situation. Jumin doesn't care much how tactile they are being as long as they pay attention.
Glancing back toward Saeran and Minji, he notes that the other Choi brother is also lost to the world, twisting the ring around his fiance's finger and occasionally raising her hand to press a soft kiss to her knuckles, wrist, palm.
Sighing, he begins wondering if perhaps the brothers shouldn't be allowed near their significant others while the RFA is attempting to have business meetings. Hmm, no, that isn't quite fair. Though, they are the only ones in the group with a partner. "Should we enforce a rule to keep couples separate during future meetings?" He muses, mostly to himself.
The sudden clamouring of the rest of the group is entirely unexpected. Assistant Kang Jaehee seems to be the only one aside from himself and the couple that isn't joining in on the abrupt yelling. It takes Jumin a moment to be able to understand anything being said in the warring voices, but when he finally does (Yoosung's voice, wobbling and sounding close to tears, asking "-and I thought I was your best friend, Saeyoung, why didn't you tell me?") he realizes that he, perhaps, shouldn't have said anything.
Jumin is aware that some people keep their relationships close to their chest, and he can recognize that they usually have good reason for doing so. He is not aware that his friends had been doing the same. About five months ago, they had begun having obvious flirtatious exchanges both over the messenger and in person. They began softening with close proximity to each other (they always had relaxed near each other, but this was something else, something more) and the space kept between them had shrunk to a point of being nearly nonexistent, always close enough to reach out and touch.
Jumin thinks their relationship is fairly obvious with the way they angle towards each other and their eyes always seem to seek the other across the room and the secret smiles and casual skimming of fingers squeezing raound a wrist or even, occasionally, a kiss brushing across a jaw or cheek.
Saeyoung finally manages to quiet the crowd and Jumin speaks before the rest of the RFA can begin demanding answers again. "I apologize. I didn't realize it was supposed to be a secret, especially considering-" Unsure of how to properly explain his observations, he simply gestures toward where Vanderwood is still perched in Saeyoung's lap with the redhead's hands resting on their hips. If they had been trying to keep their relationship status a secret, Jumin doesn't think they were doing a very good job of it.
"Your friends are all dumbasses, except Mr. Moneybags." Vanderwood says, and Jumin wants to be offended before realizing that, despite the crude phrasing, there is nothing particularly untrue in their comment.
Jumin taps his pen against his notepad where he had scrawling out the ideas of the other RFA members for their next party. He wants to go back to the meeting they had gathered for, not hash out all the details of his friends' relationship. Now that he has accidentally opened up that can of worms, though, he simply sits back and allows the others to ask their questions. Nothing will get done if no one is able to focus, after all.
He focuses in on the discussion again when he hears his name, just in time to hear Saeyoung say, "we're not really trying to be subtle." He's glad that he hadn't inadvertently exposed something he wasn't supposed to be aware of.
The topic goes off track yet again, Saeyoung always has been good at that, though Jumin is a bit surprised that Vanderwood is contributing. Perhaps they are uncomfortable talking about their personal life? So, when Minji attempts to get back to the point of this sidebar by asking about when their relationship began and neither of the involved parties immediately answer, Jumin steps in.
"Considering my observations, my best estimate would be about five months ago." He's half hopeful that it will wrap this discussion up quickly and half trying to take any pressure away from Vanderwood. They are usually a very direct individual, and if they are hesitating to answer he doesn't want them to feel obligated to do so.
"Oh? Is that right?" They ask and the sudden shift in their demeanor, going from relaxed to something that seemed like a sadistic sort of amusement, makes Jumin doubt his previous assessment of their willingness to speak on the subject. Vanderwood's attention turns back to Saeyoung as they request him to answer.
"The 18th of November." Saeyoung answers immediately, as if his response has been burning for release.
"Correct. And when did you realize?" With Vanderwood's response, Jumin realizes that he had been correct in his second guess. It isn't that Vanderwood doesn't want to talk about their relationship, it is that there is unresolved tension around the topic of their getting together.
There is some grumbling and shifting from Saeyoung and another firm prompting from Vanderwood and then- "I fully realized that I was dating this lovely individual on the 20th of December."
Ah. Yes, that explains how testy Vanderwood has become. Jumin is a fairly reasonable man, but if he learned that his partner had been unaware of their relationship for a whole month, he wouldn't be pleased either.
Zen, as melodramatic as always, gasps. It is a bit unbelievable, but Jumin doesn't think it required such a fuss from unrelated parties. "A whole month? Saeyoung, I didn't realize you were so dense."
"I did." Jumin says, voice nearly lost in the chorus of the rest of the RFA agreeing.
As the discussion winds back into more light-hearted bickering, Jumin finds himself sighing again. Hopefully this means that everyone's curiosity has finally been sated enough to continue the meeting that they had gathered for. "If this discussion is over, could we get back to the topic at hand?" He asks, grateful when everyone seems to be persuaded. "Excellent. Then, did anyone have any ideas for a theme?"
After the sudden detour, the meeting proceeds smoothly and is more productive than Jumin would have expected with the near half-hour distraction. Though, he decides that he should refrain from discussing personal matters during future meetings, regardless of how obvious they might seem.