Work Text:
a coffee when they met
When Johnny met Sicheng, the Chinese boy was still struggling with his Korean, and his English was… basic, at most. Johnny himself didn’t know his way through the mandarin language, so it wasn’t a different situation. In short, there wasn’t a way to verbally communicate as well as they’d have liked it.
He can’t remember who introduced them, probably a staff member. Back then, Johnny and Sicheng were still trainees. Those times aren’t very clear in Johnny’s memory now, because he spent so much time as a trainee he can’t remember everything, but he does remember the first time he saw Sicheng, just a couple of seconds before they were properly introduced to each other.
Ten had been talking about a cute Chinese boy he was fond of recently, and Johnny only listened to the funny stories about how his friend used simple English words and a lot of signs and mimics to communicate with said boy. He pushed those moments to the back of his mind in order to practice, until someone called him and then he was standing right in front of the prettiest boy he had ever seen. The boy smiled shyly to Johnny and woah, Johnny felt how as he looked into those cute eyes, his heart did an annoying thing.
They bowed respectfully to each other and as quickly as he was introduced to Dong Sicheng, the boy had left to go to meet more people.
That was the first time he saw Sicheng, and it was simple and in the middle of a hot and humid practice room full of sweating teenagers, it wasn’t memorable or epic, but Johnny couldn’t forget it, couldn’t forget how pretty Sicheng’s eyes were as they looked at him.
Naturally, Johnny started to notice the boy. It was as if Sicheng’s presence called Johnny. The two of them had a couple of awkward conversations soon after they met, based on short korean, easy english and even easier mandarin. Things started to get personal when Johnny was informed he’d debut in NCT 127, and he realized he was on good terms with everyone in NCT in general, except Sicheng. Well, it wasn’t that they hated each other, just… they weren’t close, and that, from Johnny’s point of view, was unbearable, they were in the same group and soon in the same unit. He had to do something about their non-closeness.
Now, the problem wasn’t the language anymore. Sicheng was considerably better than before with his Korean, and Johnny had time to study a bit of mandarin, so they could totally talk. But the problem was that Johnny didn’t know what to talk about with him, and that led to another problem: since when Johnny didn’t know what to talk about? He was an extroverted person and he knew how to talk to people about everything, he liked to talk, but when he thought about talking to Sicheng? He felt a bit nervous and his mind was on blank.
But he was a big boy, a real man, and two pretty eyes and a cute boy wasn’t going to make Johnny’s resolution shake, so he took a deep breath and approached Sicheng on SM’s building cafeteria, where Sicheng enjoyed a cup of coffee. The younger smiled at him and that only served to boost Johnny’s confidence. He placed his own coffee on the table and took a sit, greeting Sicheng.
☕
a coffee to wake up
One thing about being an idol that everyone knew, was that once the promotions started, rest wasn’t something you could find on the schedule. That was something Johnny had experienced countless times.
He was an early riser, so he was always the first to get up, especially when there was a schedule that day. As usual, he woke up and got out of bed, trying not to wake up Taeyong in his own bed, although it was not long before the other man woke up. He went to the kitchen, turning the lights on.
Everyone in that group had a way to wake up, and a drink that made them being able to start the day. For Taeyong, sugar-laden hot chocolate worked miracles. In the case of Taeil and Yuta, a ridiculously healthy smoothie did the job. For Donghyuck, freezing chocolate milkshakes worked better than an energizer injection; regardless of the weather, he drank his freezing milkshake, and the most surprising thing was how immune the vocalist was to throat diseases. For some reason green tea worked for Mark. He wasn't sure what Doyoung drank in his completely black thermos, because no one ever saw him when he prepared it, it was as if he took it out of nowhere. It was probably tears of widows or sad babies. Lastly Jaehyun took a red bull. Johnny told him that that thing would kill him of a heart attack, but Jaehyun only smiled as if Johnny was a fool and pronounced "a red bull a day keeps the doctor away" before drinking half of that poison from a sip.
Luckily, for Sicheng and him a black and loaded coffee worked, and not a bomb like his best friend's red bull.
In the kitchen, Johnny began to prepare his boyfriend’s coffee and his own coffee. A blue thermos for Sicheng and a green one for himself. As loaded and black as possible. Taeyong used to tell them that drinking that on an empty stomach would eventually cause them an ulcer, but the couple just shrugged, that was a problem for their future selves. Once he finished the coffees he continued with the rest: he took Jaehyun's red bull from the refrigerator, prepared Hyuck's milkshake and Mark's tea and didn't even bother with Taeil's and Yuta’s smoothies and Doyoung's rare drink, since he didn't have idea how to prepare any.
A few minutes later Taeyong entered the kitchen with narrowed eyes, dragging his feet and his hair made a mess. Johnny smiled at him and placed the cup of chocolate in the leader's hands, wishing him a good day, to which the younger responded with a not very understandable mumble. Johnny went to his shared room to get dressed and get ready for his day.
When he returned to the kitchen for his thermos, the rest of the cups and thermos were gone, only his was waiting for him at the table. He took it and headed for the door, where his manager was already hurrying them. He put on his shoes and before he could leave, Sicheng was at his side, smiling.
"Thanks for the coffee," he pronounced like every morning, leaving a soft kiss on Johnny's cheek before they both chuckled at his manager's frustrated growl because Yuta didn't leave the bathroom yet.
☕
a coffee in the middle of the winter
"That used to be my favorite coffee shop when I was still living in China," Sicheng told him, once they both left the place. Johnny sipped from his glass, feeling the taste of his drink and letting out a soft sigh of satisfaction. It was delicious.
Sicheng warmed his hands with his own glass, and he looked so cute wrapped in his coat and with the red scarf tangled around his neck, letting out clouds of steam when he laughed or talked. He hadn’t used any makeup for days and his hair was brown, without a drop of dye. He hummed under his breath, delighted with his drink. Johnny had seen him speak in mandarin on their walk, and Sicheng was so confident and relaxed in his home country, showing Johnny all the places he liked in the city that saw him grow, telling him all kinds of anecdotes and taking hundreds of photos. Sicheng was so happy that day and in the middle of the cold of the city in midwinter, Johnny found himself feeling warm in his chest, and he was sure that it wasn't just the coffee he drank.
He hid his smile behind his glass, nodding to everything Sicheng excitedly said, and anyone who saw them would notice the adoration Johnny was looking at the other boy with.
☕
a coffee to sleep
Just as the loaded coffee made Johnny wake up, the milky coffee made him sleep. He didn’t always drink coffee overnight, however. He left it only for the nights when he had trouble falling asleep, and that night was one of those, definitely. He didn't even know why he couldn't sleep, but it was past three in the morning and he kept going around in his bed, listening to Taeyong snore softly. In the end he decided to go for a coffee and the only light that he turned on was the one from the kitchen, not wanting to wake anyone. But as soon as he finished preparing his cup, the door opened and he was afraid of having interrupted the rest of one of his members, so he turned around with an apologetic expression. He met Sicheng, in pajamas but too awake for what time it was.
Sicheng said nothing or waited for Johnny to say anything either, he went straight to his boyfriend's arms and melted into his chest. Johnny didn't need any words to understand what was happening, returning the hug.
"Do you want me to prepare something for you?" he asked softly. Sicheng nodded. "Chocolate?" He asked as if he didn't know the answer, but he wanted to extend that hug as much as possible, and if he offered the right drink at the first try he would have to start preparing it, which meant letting his boyfriend go. Sicheng denied. "A coffee?" He tried one more time, and Sicheng nodded.
Anyway, they didn't let go for several minutes, enjoying each other's touch and company in their kitchen.
There were good nights and bad nights for everyone. Nights in which Johnny couldn’t sleep as tired as he was, and nights in which Sicheng had meaningless nightmares that robbed him the desire to continue sleeping.
He passed his cup to Sicheng and prepared another for himself. Once they both had their drinks, they sat at the small kitchen table, silently. They drank from their respective cups, immersed in their thoughts.
Johnny looked at Sicheng, who tore a napkin in thin lines, distracted. There were rare moments like that, when they were alone in complete silence; In a group as large as NCT, it was impossible to be alone with someone else. There were always more members or staff around, and therefore, with so many people, it was difficult to achieve total silence. It had to be a Tuesday in the middle of the night after a day full of promotions to be able to be alone in the kitchen. It wasn't the best case, since Sicheng had had a nightmare and Johnny was exhausted and with insomnia, but at least they were together.
He took a sip of his coffee, dazzled by the beauty of his boyfriend. There were times when he still didn't believe that Sicheng was his boyfriend. He was so talented, funny and cute. It wasn’t easy to get him to open his heart, but somehow Johnny had succeeded and now they were there, years after starting their relationship, getting closer and more in love.
Sicheng put down the napkin and looked back at him. He raised an eyebrow when he found Johnny already watching. Johnny shook his head, stretching his arm on the table and reaching for Sicheng's hand, which rested near his coffee cup, intertwining their fingers. It was Sicheng who gave a gentle squeeze and a small smile.
In that kitchen in the middle of the night, drinking coffee in hopes of falling asleep, no one said anything, but it wasn’t necessary.
Eventually, both finished their drinks and instead of each one going to their respective rooms, they managed to fit both in Johnny's bed, and thus, wrapped in the heat of the other under the same covers, they fell asleep.
☕
a coffee to confess
Six months after their debut, Sicheng and Johnny had a habit of exploring coffee shops around Seoul. They cleared their schedules and went around the city trying coffees from international commercial chains to small family establishments. Everyone said that those were dates, and Sicheng was beginning to believe it.
He had many friends, but none ever made him feel like Johnny. It had begun little by little, so discreet that he didn't even notice. At first it was only excitment to see him, to try new things, and when he least foresaw it, his hands were sweating and his heart was shaking at the thought of being alone with the other for several hours. That wasn’t very friendly.
He wasn't stupid enough not to realize what was happening. He liked Johnny. He wasn't the first person he liked, of course, but it felt different. As already mentioned, there was the agitated heart and the sweaty hands of always, however, the feeling of immense fondness was brand new. And he liked all the new sensations, especially the duality of his feelings for Johnny: he wanted to hold his hand, kiss his knuckles and snuggle under warm covers with him, taking a nap, but at the same time he wanted to climb him like a tree.
And he wasn't stupid enough not to notice that Johnny liked him. That is, how do you hide a crush? At least for Sicheng it was more than obvious; the loving smiles, the looks that Johnny didn't know he noticed, the hugs that lasted longer than necessary, how he watched his lips when he lowered his coffee cup and then, flushed, babbled anything. It was funny to see Johnny like that because he was always so confident and flirtatious with his friends, without fear of anything, but when he really liked someone, he forgot even his own name.
He had moments of courage, anyway. Moments like that when he took a napkin and cleaned the corner of Sicheng's lips after some icing sugar from his biscuits stayed there.
Sicheng could have understood his feelings and Johnny's, but that didn't mean he knew what was supposed to happen next. Taeil told him to confess, obviously, and that was the problem: how a declaration of love was made. Ten told him to just say it, but when Sicheng reminded him that Johnny liked romantic things and that it wouldn't be considered just saying it like that without more, Ten's brain short-circuited, and that was when Kun came in with his wise advice: it was good that he wanted to make a nice statement for Johnny, but he must keep in mind that at the end of the day, if Johnny really liked Sicheng, anything would be wonderful, and for that reason he shouldn't be breaking his head thinking how to overthrow Disney and its romanticism.
He also thought about it for a while, and concluded that one of their dates would be fine. Coffee was their thing and those dates were in nice and warm coffee shops where they both sat away in a corner, chatting calmly. A perfect scenario.
So that was his plan. However, he didn’t count on losing himself in the image of Johnny laughing sitting in front of him, and leaving his brain on autopilot because Sicheng was that idiot and apparently couldn’t control his mouth when he was in love:
"I really like this place," Johnny commented when he stopped laughing, now wearing a lovely smile before giving his drink a sip.
"I like you," he babbled rawly. Johnny choked on his coffee and ended up coughing without much grace, but hey, Sicheng didn't confess his love gracefully either.
He waited for Johnny to catch his breath and held his incredulous gaze, chewing a cookie slowly.
"Seriously?" Johnny asked, his voice raspy.
"Yes."
"... I like you too."
"I know," Sicheng nodded. "That's why I told you."
"Oh. Oh, okay, it makes sense. But, uh, now what?"
God, they were so awkward Sicheng almost laughed at themselves.
"Dunno. Do you want to be my boyfriend?"
"Yeah, sure."
And that's how they became a couple. The cafe where they were was cozy and with soft music in English playing in the background, the perfect setting for a tender declaration of love where they could have said how much they liked each other, but instead Sicheng dropped it like a bomb, Johnny almost choked and now they were drinking coffee again and laughing at nonsense, as if nothing had happened.
It was so them, and that's why it was a perfect declaration.
☕
he tasted like coffee
Taeyong was still in the dance studio, Mark and Donghyuck were in a sleepover at the dreamies’ dorm, and the rest of the group was already resting in their rooms, except for Johnny and Sicheng, who were in the living room making out.
At first they had been watching a movie with Jungwoo and Taeil, but eventually the last two got bored and left. That movie was over a long time ago and now on the screen was playing some bad romantic comedy that the couple had forgotten.
The yellowish light in the hallway that led to the rooms was on, and the blue light on the television gently illuminated Sicheng's back, making the effect of a halo surrounding him. Johnny, sitting properly on the couch, watched Sicheng delightedly in his lap in that light. He leaned down and kissed the boy again.
Sicheng's lips were soft and at this point they were swollen and red for so long in constant contact with Johnny's, and he knew that he himself shouldn't be very different.
How much time had passed? Would Taeyong arrive soon? Should they go to sleep now? He had been so immersed in kissing Sicheng that he didn't find an answer to any of those questions in his mind, he could only think of Sicheng, the weight of his boyfriend on his lap, his hands on his neck stroking him, the warmth of the body against his chest, in his own hands squeezing the narrow waist and the small moans that caused.
Johnny caressed the spine of the other with both hands, and felt Sicheng shiver and sigh in the middle of the kiss. The younger had his fingers tangled in Johnny's hair, and he didn't move them from there even when he broke the kiss again and leaned his forehead against his boyfriend’s, both breathing heavily, exchanging breath as they were so close.
Sicheng straightened up and Johnny opened his eyes, finding his boyfriend looking at him through his eyelashes with half-open eyes. The light was low, but he didn't need it to feel that his lungs were low on air, leaning on the armchair and bringing his hands to his boyfriend's thighs, caressing them. God, Sicheng was beautiful.
"Baby," Johnny muttered, in english, desperate, anxious, like a prayer. "Sicheng."
The aforementioned growled under his breath and rushed back to Johnny's lips, who gladly received him, almost in need.
Sicheng's kisses were warm and deep, and his lips tasted like coffee.
☕
a coffee in the air
"I know I can't hope for more, but I’ll never get over the fact that coffee tastes like this on every plane we get on," Johnny complained. "And I also know that taste buds are fucked or whatever on airplanes and that's why everything tastes bad, but I'm sure if I took this coffee right here with me to the dorm, it would still taste like sock water."
Sicheng snorted.
"If you know it, why do you keep asking for coffee? Drink a juice or something."
They were going back to Korea after a promotion in Japan and it was past noon. He didn't understand why Johnny had asked for coffee at that time or why they even gave it to him.
"That would be to accept defeat, Sicheng."
"It is not a competition."
"It is. It definitely is, and I'm not willing to lose." and with that, he drank the rest of the contents of his glass at once. Sicheng watched with amusement as his boyfriend's face contorted in a funny grimace of disgust.
"You're a fool." he sentenced, chuckling. Johnny smiled sweetly. At least his suffering had amused the cutest boy in the world.
☕
a coffee at home
Johnny had several homes.
One of them was, of course, the NCT 127’s dorm. That was where he went to sleep most nights except that he was out of town, there he kept his belongings and there he spent great moments with people he considered his family, like the time Yuta thought Taeil was a thief who came in the middle of the night and attacked him throwing plastic plates that they forgot to put away. It had been funny because Yuta had already called the police, he was crying and Taeil was just eating a chocolate cake that shouldn't even be there because of the diet everyone was on. The best thing was when Taeyong, as stressed as ever, had to explain to the police, the manager and Red Velvet (then they lived in the apartment next door in the same building) what all the fuss was about and why they shouldn't worry. Sure, it was a horrible experience at the time, but now he could laugh at it freely even if Taeyong looked at him badly.
Johnny's other home was his parents' house in Chicago. There he had grown and lived most of his life. It was a place he knew he could always return to and would be well received. It was the home he missed most often and most strongly because it was the one that was farther away, and where he spent less time. Once, he spent almost two years without returning.
The stages were his home because that was where Johnny was the happiest, where he did what he liked best.
As we all know, a home does not necessarily have to be a structure. Chicago was his home. Seoul was his home. And following that logic, Johnny could assure without fear that the home he liked the most, the one he longed more when he was away, and the one he always wanted to return to, was Sicheng.
In books and tv, we see the protagonists say that a person is their home, and it may seem ridiculously cheesy and silly, or tender and romantic. For Johnny it had always been the last one, with a touch of the first one because it had to be admitted, it was cheesy.
Most people might wish that someday someone would become their home, and Johnny used to be one of those, and he thought he understood, that when it happened it would be like "ah, yes, just like in dramas" but dramas don't prepare you for this. Neither books, television nor social media prepare you to fall in love infinitely. So when it happens and you realize it, you can do nothing but stop and contemplate those feelings that are so strong and sincere that you never thought they could exist.
Sicheng was his home because he made him feel safe. Sicheng was his home because he brought him peace, tranquility, warmth, like a real home does. For Johnny, any place could be called home if Sicheng was in it.
Johnny had many homes: the tangible ones with address like his parents' house and the dorm, the hypothetical ones like the stages, the generals like Seoul and Chicago, and the emotional ones, which was Sicheng.
Then, it was hard to imagine his happiness at having Sicheng in his arms, curled up in his bed at his parents' house, which was in Chicago. Three homes at the same time.
In a couple of days, it would be Christmas and they decided to spend it at the house of Johnny's parents, who were elated at the idea. In Chicago it was cold at that time of the year, perfect excuse to hang around the fireplace or not to get out of the comfort of your bed after a sweet coffee that was more milk than actual coffee. That was exactly what they were doing.
They had breakfast with the family and after Johnny's mother gave them delicious coffee that was drunk near the fireplace while eating cookies cookies. They were sent by the woman back to bed, because they needed to rest.
They just hugged each other, gave themselves pure, short kisses with a mint toothpaste taste, chuckled and talked softly, as if it was early morning and they could wake someone up with their voices. And neither Johnny nor Sicheng could ask for more.
☕
a coffee that tastes like goodbye
He looked at the time on his cellphone. It was past one in the morning. He looked at the people around him; There weren't many people at that time, but being such a large and busy airport, it was never empty. There was a couple in the corner, a woman and her daughter were passing outside the store dragging their suitcases. A man in a suit received his coffee and went out the door. Sicheng's coffee tasted like dirty water, his donut was hard and those two things had cost him a fortune, but what could he expect from an overvalued shop in the middle of an airport in Seoul.
Maybe he should return now, his plane would leave soon and they had to board. But he supposed he had some time still, since Kun hadn't called him in complete panic yet. He had separated from the members about twenty minutes ago, and normally, Ten would have followed him, the manager would not have let him going alone for coffee, but considering that there were no fans nearby as this flight was something like a secret, the manager said nothing. Sicheng doubted he would even care. Ten had looked at him with disguised concern and stayed in his uncomfortable seat, watching Sicheng walk away.
He wondered what Johnny was doing. He had no idea what time it might be on the continent where the other was, but according to Ten, Johnny was fine. He sighed, looking at his glass in front of him.
It was normal for couples to fight, especially couples who spent as much time together as they both did, and yet, Sicheng and Johnny didn’t fight; they didn't let the misunderstandings grow, they always talked when something was wrong, and that's how they avoided fighting, with communication. This time, however, they didn't even notice that things were not going well when they were already shouting at each other. They had been stressed by the tour of 127 from which Sicheng was excluded, in addition to going to debut in a new subunit that would promote in China, quite far from the United States, where Johnny would be at. That, mixed with the uncertainty and fatigue typical of practices, had them very sensitive to everything. The only thing necessary to unleash that fight was a staff member giving an uncalled for comment and suddenly everything was going downhill.
People tended to think that Johnny was the one who gave more in that relationship, because it was he who gave hugs and kisses in public, who always smiled and chatted and held Sicheng's hand first. The staff told them that maybe Johnny gave too much of himself. But people didn't see what was happening beyond Johnny's extrovert front, they didn't see how Sicheng squeezed the grip of his hands, they didn't notice how he looked at his boyfriend and how he took care of him discreetly. Both gave of themselves so that what they had could work.
The fight was based on Johnny saying that Sicheng gave more of himself than himself and Sicheng claiming it was the opposite. Of course, they didn't reach any conclusions, they just put an awkward atmosphere in the dorm, they didn't talk to each other the next day and then Johnny and the rest of 127 except Sicheng were leaving with suitcases to Japan. Two days later, Sicheng went to China with other members.
At first, he was genuinely upset with Johnny and that's why he didn't try to talk to him. Then it was out of pride, he refused to be the first to yield. And now it was because of shame, since he had thought about how stupid their fight was, he didn't seem able to talk to Johnny at that moment, he would surely die of embarrassment at how immature he was. So it all ended with Sicheng sitting in a cold chair of a coffee shop paste midnight, drinking coffee with a donut that tasted like cardboard, waiting for a flight that would take him to his native country and a somewhat uncertain future, with new people, for who knows how much time.
He must have looked pathetic. He always said he wouldn't let any single man or a broken heart affect him, but would it be very silly to say that Johnny was not just any man?
Ignoring Kun's thousand calls and Yukhei's messages asking him to come back before the leader had an aneurysm, he threw the donut in the trash and took his coffee imitation, embarking on his way back to where he had left his friends.
If all the coffee he bought from now on was going to taste like this, he must have learned to prepare it himself as Johnny did every morning.
☕
a coffee that tastes like forgiveness
The last thing he expected to see when he entered WayV's dorm in China was Yangyang serving Johnny coffee while he smiled, thanked him and chatted with Hendery and Ten.
Was not he, like, in the middle of a tour that was focused on America right now? The last time Sicheng checked, they were in China, not in the United States.
He left his keys on the table near the door, which caught everyone's attention. The little shy smile Johnny gave him made Sicheng almost trip over his own feet.
"Johnny has a week off, isn't it great?" Ten asked, smiling enormously. Sicheng nodded.
"Cool." he replied, stirring uncomfortably.
"Oh, come and sit down, you must be tired." Ten, the biggest idiot ever in Sicheng's point of view, laughed, as if this were his game and they were his dolls.
As there was nothing else to do, he sat down and poured coffee too. The conversation continued naturally, but Sicheng wasn’t part of it. Partly because it was in english and he was too tired to even try to understand. In addition, even if they spoke in mandarin, his state of almost extreme fatigue would not allow him to do more than melt in the armchair he shared with Hendery and drink coffee, pretending not to feel as he felt. It's not like his members didn't know how much he was practicing lately, and he knew Johnny noticed it because of the huge dark circles he carried under his eyes.
Maybe ten minutes after arriving, all but Johnny were leaving the dorm quickly, saying something about buying dinner. Sicheng watched them leave with a speed that he wished they had in the morning when there was something to do and they were late. It was weird but not enough for Sicheng to suspect, or at least until Ten winked at him and ran outside giggling, and then he understood when he was alone and silent with Johnny in the living room.
Well.
The awkwardness of the environment was so overwhelmingly weird, so uncommon when it came to both. At least the coffee that Yangyang made was better than what they sold in any store.
"You look tired," Johnny commented.
"You too," he replied, avoiding his gaze. "How are the others? How was the tour?"
"Everything is going well. Everyone is fine. Your absence shows, however."
"I'm sure you are doing well without me," he set his cup on the coffee table. "What are you doing here?"
"Ten already told you, I have a week off," Johnny explained, as if it was so simple. As if Sicheng was not seeing his suitcase in a corner of the room, and as if he didn’t know that as soon as he got off the plane, Johnny ran there, even if it was early and he could have gone to take pictures as he liked to do when he traveled alone.
"That explains nothing."
"I came because I feel like shit because the last time we talked was to fight and I haven't heard anything from you other than the photos Ten takes you at a distance when you don't realize it. I came because I miss you and I'm so sorry that I decided to take a very long flight to China as soon as I finished a concert to spend this week convincing you not to break up with me unless you really want it because I'm not going to force you and I will accept whatever you want. And I'm tired and I haven't even bathed and under this jacket I have the Cherry Bomb wardrobe, fact by which the stylists are going to kill me. "
Sicheng blinked. And then, little by little, full of calm and sweetness, of peace that made Johnny let out a sigh, he smiled.
"That explains... too much."
Just as the fight came from nowhere and in a second, forgiveness too. This time they made sure to speak calmly, to understand the other, not to shout. It wasn’t difficult to clarify and solve the problems, and the truth was that Sicheng was willing to forget that this had happened just to be fine with Johnny and hug him. But that was something that couldn’t happen; the problems had to be solved and not left on the air, because that was going to cause even more problems. It was something that his mother had repeated all his life, and when he went to a country that wasn’t his to fulfill his dream and began to live with a lot of young people, without supervision, he understood perfectly what his mother meant. The problems should be discussed or things would end worse.
The good thing was that with Johnny no subject was difficult to discuss, not even the subject they had fought for.
By the time the rest of WayV returned with take-out containers, the couple was curled up in a corner of the couch, laughing and chatting in whispers despite having been alone all that time, with both empty cups on the coffee table.
☕
a random coffee
For many there was nothing stranger than dawn, where people tended to be sincere and vulnerable. The equivalent of that for NCT 127, was just after leaving the stage. Whether it was a concert or a presentation at Music Bank, once the adrenaline went down, the boys ended up like it was four in the morning on a Sunday, having a conversation under the stars with your best friend. It was time to cry and fight. To say things that they wouldn't normally say.
Sicheng wasn't much of having those moments. Normally, he was exhausted from carrying the music industry on his back and just laid back on an armchair to watch the drama unfold in front of him, drinking coffee because there was nothing else that gave him the strength to get up from his place with so much fatigue in his body.
Johnny was sitting in the same cocuh with Sicheng's feet in his lap, drinking his own coffee while lightly massaging Sicheng's calf with his hand that wasn’t holding his glass, both watching Doyoung and Taeyong fight in the center of the room. Everyone in the group had stopped understanding if it was their personalities crashing or if it was unresolved sexual tension that made these silly fights happen every so often. Sicheng supposed it was both.
He closed his eyes, enjoying Johnny's warm hand on his leg and expertly ignored the background screams, relaxing.
Being an idol is an experience.
☕
a coffee for eternity
NCT celebrated an anniversary in a private room of a good restaurant that they set aside. Everyone was sitting at several tables because of the number of members it would be impossible to accommodate at a single table. Conversations flowed and dessert had already arrived. Sicheng ate a slice of cake with hot coffee, listening to what Xiaojun was saying.
It wasn’t the anniversary of 127, Dream, U or WayV. It was something that the 21 members shared: the anniversary of NCT as a real project being announced. The day SM decided that NCT would stop being just an idea and become something real.
There were rare moments like that when they could all be together with so many members and consequently so many different schedules. Many times the majority were scattered across several countries promoting with their respective sub-units. For the same reason the occasion happened very few times, when it happened they lasted all night or all day, and this time it wouldn’t be different; As soon as they finished they would go to a karaoke at the request of Donghyuck and Jungwoo. They wouldn't all be in the same room because of the small size, but it would be fun anyway.
Being so entertained and comfortable in that environment didn’t prevent Sicheng from noticing how scattered and restless Johnny was at his side, stirring and laughing nervously at something that a drunk Yukhei babbled. He had noticed the somewhat odd behavior Johnny was showing for a few days, but since it didn’t affect his performance or his health, he decided not to intervene and let Johnny deal with what he needed in his space, but particularly at this time he was nervous and if he continued like this the rest of the night, Sicheng would have to ask him the next morning, even if Johnny didn't want to, because he realized that Johnny didn't want to talk about it with him.
"Hey, give Johnny your attention a moment." Taeyong called over everyone's mess, and just as he asked, the conversations died and the eyes turned to the man who rose with a trembling smile and stood in front of the table where he previously ate. Sicheng looked at him with interest.
"I'm not going to give a speech about how proud I am of us and how much I love NCT, Taeyong already took care of that," he clarified, laughing softly. "Yes, I am proud and happy, but right now I want to talk about something else. We are all family here, and that is why I decided to share this moment with you," he cleared his throat and looked at Sicheng, giving him his best smile. "I love you as you have no idea, babe. And maybe it's a bit unfair or silly that I'm doing this when I already know the answer, but you know I'm a romantic, we couldn't expect me not to. In six months will be our anniversary. Another one. And you know, we always organize something to do that day, even if we are in another country, we organize something. Although it's always just the two of us, and this year I want to share that day with more people," his gaze lit up and it seemed that even his posture changed, more straight, more confident, but his eyes were still laughing and his smile just as nervous. "I already have in mind what I want to do, in fact. If you agree, I would like us to get married the day of our anniversary."
"Oh my God." Donghyuck let out under his breath, mouth wide open, while the rest of the members were gasping simultaneously. Sicheng didn’t gasp, but let out a scream-howl combination that sounded half nasal half squeak from his diaphragm. Surely only Renjun, at his side, had heard him, but the boy was too impressed by Johnny's spontaneous words to comment on Sicheng.
And that was exactly what took everyone off guard, how spontaneous it had been. Johnny had just stood and basically proposed to Sicheng in the middle of dessert. Ten was the only one who seemed to know what this was all about, smiling proudly at Johnny and winking at Sicheng when he discovered him watching. Oh, of course Johnny had run to Ten to tell him about the proposal.
This moment was perfect for a drama. The ending song could begin to sound, the image frozen in Johnny and Sicheng connecting looks, with credits appearing at the bottom of the screen. Or it could sound a happy and funny song because seriously, Johnny was asking for marriage in the middle of a dinner with his drunk friends, in the best romantic comedy style. It could also sound a slow and romantic song, because it seemed that even Yuta who seconds ago had tequila instead of blood, was soberer than ever, all waiting for what followed with attention and even solemnity.
If it was strange that the 21 met in the same place, it was even stranger for the room to remain silent. God, silence was something impossible to achieve with so many people in the same space. It could be that they didn't talk (which didn't happen either), but the breaths, the movements were something that didn't disappear. This time, however, or all had held their breath or were dead. But they all looked pretty alive, so...
"You and I are already a little married, aren't we?" Johnny continued, without looking at anyone but Sicheng, now with a much softer voice, almost trembling, and full of emotion, as he had rarely heard. "We live together, we sleep together, we go shopping together, only the paper that make the marriage official is missing. And I want that paper, Sicheng. I want the paper, I want the rings, I want the joint taxes, I want the children and the pets and the fights for the best brand of softener, and I want to hold your hand in every moment and be there for you even if we fight. I want to say that you are my husband, the love of my life, I want to spend my life with you. I want the confusion that comes from having to combine our different cultures. And I want to go to our children's graduations, I want to make your coffee exactly the way you like every damn morning. I want—" His voice broke. "Shit, Sicheng, I want everything. I want everything with you, because it's you," he let out a soft breath, running his hand between his strands. "It's always been you, and always will be. You know? I always wanted to say that phrase, it's so pretty on TV, but now that I'm saying it, I realize it's powerful and special, and it's perfect for you. It has always been you."
And suddenly it didn't matter that the rest of his friends were there, or where they were. Sicheng could only see Johnny, he could only hear him and his own heart rumbling in his ears. He felt no more than the lump in his throat and the tears that wanted to leave his eyes. He felt nothing but the immense warmth in his chest that Johnny's statement caused him.
"We've already talked about marriage," Johnny continued. "But never seriously. I want to believe that I know the answer to this statement, I probably know it and many would say that this speech is not necessary then, but it is. Simply because I love these things and you deserve a true proposal, it is necessary." From the pocket of his jacket that Ten had taken over when everyone was lost in Johnny's words, the older man took out a small square black box.
Suddenly Ten had already removed Johnny's empty chair from Sicheng's side, leaving a free space. He put his hands on Sicheng's shoulders, giving them a slight squeeze and made him gently turn in his place, facing the empty space. Ten wore a dazzling smile at all times, and then Johnny put one knee on the floor just in front of Sicheng and looked at him, extending the box and revealing a ring of adorable and simple design, with small diamonds. And ah, that smile; That was the smile that Sicheng wanted to see every day for the rest of his life.
"If it's not clear yet, I'll ask the question:" Johnny warned. "Dong Sicheng, will you marry me?"
Dong Sicheng didn’t cry. Not that he couldn’t or didn’t want to, sometimes all he wanted to do was cry, but rarely did. Why? Because he didn't like how his eyes and nose felt after that, because he didn't like how he looked, just because and that’s it. So he didn't cry, but with Johnny kneeling in front of him offering him that ring, his best smile with shiny eyes and a life full of happiness, Sicheng didn't even try to contain himself.
"Yes," he sobbed, seeing Johnny blurry after his tears. "Yes, I want to marry you and you know it. Oh God, Johnny, I also want everything if it's with you, especially marriage."
And the next thing he knew was that he was standing with a beautiful ring on his finger, kissing Johnny as if there was no tomorrow, both crying and laughing and everyone was screaming and celebrating and asking for more drinks. He could hear Hyuck and Ten stressing about planning from that moment and everything was so good. Everything was going to be so good.