Chapter Text
For broke college students, the apartment Doyoung and Taeyong are able to rent is decently sized and comfortable. It has two bedrooms, a small living room and a full kitchen. Doyoung and Taeyong are currently in the living room. Taeyong likes the living room because of the huge window that you can stare out while laying on the floor. Doyoung likes the living room because he can sit on the couch and do work in the natural light. Which is why they are both sad that the work Doyoung is doing right now is apartment hunting. Taeyong is lying across the couch, putting his head in Doyoung’s lap, hoping that he could replace the computer Doyoung is using to apartment hunt. It didn’t work, Doyoung just moved his computer to Taeyong’s stomach and is continuing to hunt. Every few seconds Taeyong readjusts and sighs loudly. Doyoung has gotten very good at ignoring Taeyong until he says what’s on his mind over the last four years.
“Do we have to move?” Taeyong steals Doyoung’s computer as he sits up. Doyoung rolls his eyes.
“I don’t know if we’re going to be able to, I can’t find a single good apartment.”
“Good, then we can just stay here.”
“Taeyong,” Doyoung sighs, “we live like twenty minutes from campus, assuming you get into your grad program here, you want to drive twenty minutes every day just to get to campus?”
“Practice for when we have actual jobs,” Taeyong motions like it’s obvious.
“We have one car.”
“We’re getting paid for teaching this year, we can save up for another one.” Doyoung just sighs as the front door flings open.
“We brought the mail,” a very excited Jeno says, finding the two older boys easily with his eyes.
“Hello to you too, little brother,” Doyoung stands up to greet the two first years invading his apartment.
“And for you, Doyoung, I brought Jaemin,” Jeno pulls Jaemin by the hand to where Doyoung will walk past them to get to the kitchen.
“Ah yes, my favorite little brother,” Doyoung ruffles Jaemin’s bright pink hair as he passes.
“I’m everyone’s favorite, you’re not special.” Jaemin says. Jeno hands Taeyong the relevant piece of mail, a letter from the grad school. Taeyong takes it but just slides into a stool at the island and stares at it. After Taeyong has stared at it for thirty seconds, Doyoung decides it’s time to interrupt.
“Alright, who wants to open Taeyong’s letter?” Doyoung turns to the two kids. Jeno raises his hand excitedly. Jaemin reaches across the island and takes it.
“Hey,” Taeyong scolds. Jaemin stops in the process of tearing it open. “Let Jeno open it.” Jaemin pouts but hands it to Jeno. Jeno bounces a little and carefully rips the envelope open. Before Jeno can start reading anything, Taeyong snatches the letter out of his hand and holds it closed.
“Taeyong,” Doyoung says softly, “just open it.”
“This is the best dance school in the country, Doyoung, they sent me physical mail, I don’t know what this means,” Taeyong doesn’t move his eyes away from the cream colored paper.
“That’s a good thing, they cared enough to spend money on you,” Jaemin nods reassuringly. Taeyong stares at it for a few more seconds. Then he holds it up.
“Someone read it for me, out loud.” Taeyong averts his eyes as Jaemin snatches it. Doyoung rolls his eyes at the theatrics.
“To Lee Taeyong,” Jaemin starts. Taeyong immediately gets up to read over Jaemin’s shoulder. Jaemin doesn’t get to read three more words before Taeyong starts screaming over it.
“Doyoung! I got in!” Taeyong starts jumping around. He pulls Jaemin and Jeno in for a hug, despite Jeno’s yelling of congratulation at him. Taeyong picks up each of them in one arm and spins in a circle before placing them down and bouncing to Doyoung. Doyoung immediately pulls Taeyong into a hug.
“Congratulations, Taeyong.” Doyoung is of course happy for Taeyong but now all he can think about is how they really need a new apartment now. Taeyong doesn’t even get to wiggle out of Doyoung’s arms to bounce some more before they hear Jeno yelling at the phone.
“Jaehyun! Taeyong got into his grad program!” Doyoung feels sorry for Jaehyun who probably had his phone to his ear. Taeyong squeals and steals Jeno’s phone to scream at Jaehyun himself.
“I got in, Jae!”
“I knew you would, baby, congrats,” is the last thing the three of them hear before Taeyong takes Jaehyun off speaker and closes the door to his room.
“I’m gonna get my phone back, right?” Jeno asks Doyoung. Doyoung just rolls his eyes.
“I’m gonna start making Taeyong’s favorite meal,” Doyoung announces. Jaemin immediately moves to help Doyoung. Doyoung swats him out of the kitchen. “Why don’t you two go play video games on the TV or something?” Jaemin frowns but Jeno pulls him to the couch and they start playing some video game Doyoung doesn’t recognize. Once the food smells reach Taeyong, Taeyong exits his room and puts Jeno’s phone on the island.
“Smells good, Doyoung, can I help?” Taeyong steps into the kitchen to look at what Doyoung is doing. Doyoung’s hands are full so he can’t swat Taeyong away.
“Nope, this is your celebration dinner, you can’t contribute to the making of it.” Doyoung tries to use his eyes to glare Taeyong out of the kitchen. Taeyong puts his hands up and retreats to a seat at the island.
“Hey,” Taeyong calls to the video game players, “how did you guys get here?”
“Johnny drove us,” Jeno calls back.
“They live in the dorms, and they got here without you, we could get back and forth to campus staying in the apartment,” Taeyong tells Doyoung.
“Wait,” Jaemin pauses the game, “did you just say you’re moving?” Jaemin turns to glare at the two of them. Jeno just turns his attention to the two of them with a look of complete lack of understanding.
“Why would you do that? You love this apartament, we love this apartment,” Jeno says.
“Well,” Doyoung glares at Taeyong before turning back to Jeno and Jaemin, “I can’t find anything right now but we live so far from campus, it would be a pain to get to classes.”
“It’s always a pain to get to classes,” Jaemin waves a dismissive hand.
“The boy’s got a point,” Taeyong appeals to Doyoung.
“My boyfriend always has a point,” Jeno shouts to them, restarting the game. Doyoung sighs and starts moving the food from pots and pans to serving dishes. If it was just him and Taeyong he wouldn’t bother with the apartment search, but when it comes to Jeno, his instincts always go in a more parental manner. It’s Jeno’s first year at college in the fall; Doyoung wants to be close. He sets four stools around the island in front of four plates and glasses. He steps back to review all his preparation and then he turns to summon the kids.
“Food’s ready,” he calls over their yelling about whatever game they're playing. In a lot of ways, this apartment feels a lot more like home than anything has in a very long time. As Doyoung watches Jeno come rushing into the kitchen with Jaemin in tow, he thinks that maybe that’s true for Jeno as well. He sighs and takes his seat.
“Here’s to Taeyong,” Doyoung says as he raises his glass.
“Taeyong!” Jeno and Jaemin shout together and push their glasses next to Doyoung’s.
~~~
Entering the QH is always an experience. Johnny just started living there this summer but he’s gotten used to it enough to brace himself before entering. Today, he doesn’t even get inside before the shenanigans start. Chenle is currently outside on Felix’s shoulders trying to hammer something above the door and failing because Felix can’t stay still. Johnny’s security deposit flashes in front of his eyes and he rushes up the steps to take the hammer from Chenle.
“What are you doing?” Johnny asks casually, grabbing the hammer from the little one. Felix and Chenle both yell at him at the same time. Johnny pulls Chenle off of Felix’s shoulders and waits until they speak one at a time.
“We were hanging the official QH sign,” Chenle turns around the wooden sign that reads ‘The Queer Haven’ so Johnny can see it. Johnny laughs.
“You should’ve waited for someone tall enough to get home to hang it for you,” he says and holds his hand out for the sign. Chenle puts the sign in his hand and Felix puts nails they had been using on top of the sign. Johnny hangs the sign and pulls the door open for the two freshmen. They high five and run inside to cause more trouble. Jaehyun walks around the corner, his phone pressed to his face, to look at Johnny standing in the doorway.
“Johnny? What was that?” Jaehyun asks, looking at the hammer in his hand with concern.
“Come look,” Johnny tilts his head to the outside.
“Taeyong, I’m gonna have to call you back, Chenle did something.” Jaehyun hangs up the phone and walks outside without bothering to put shoes on. Johnny points to the sign above the door.
“Oh,” Jaehyun says. The QH is Jaehyun’s creation, his baby. The whole house is dedicated to creating a space for queer people to stay if they don’t have anywhere else. Chenle is the QH’s biggest supporter but Jaehyun is the one who created the space three years ago when he moved out of the dorms, mostly because he needed somewhere to go once.
“Sometimes I love that kid.” Jaehyun says. Johnny laughs and goes inside. Jaehyun lingers outside to look at the sign a little longer. Inside is just as chaotic as usual. Chenle is somehow already up to something else. The kids’ room is already full of more mattresses than it was designed to hold and it’s only five o’clock. Kun is already in the kitchen making food for everyone already here and then a few more.
“What did Chenle do this time?” Kun turns his head and shoulders to look at Johnny but can’t move his hands.
“He made the QH a sign. Jaehyun loves it. You should go see it when you get a chance.” Johnny can’t imagine what it’s like to be Chenle’s blood brother. “Here let me watch the food for a minute,” Johnny insists when Kun just shakes his head. Kun looks at Johnny skeptically but hands over the wooden spoon he was using. He gives Johnny very specific instructions and then rushes outside.
“I’m not that bad of a cook,” Johnny calls after Kun. Renjun and Winwin look up from their books at that statement in concern for their food. Winwin rushes into the kitchen and pushes Johnny out. Johnny just holds his hands up and walks past the video game crowd in the living room across from the kitchen and past the one calm kids bedroom that has been taken over by the chaotic kids right now. When he enters his own bedroom opposite Kun and Ten’s bedroom, it’s of course not empty. Mark and Haechan are laying across Johnny’s bed, watching a movie on his computer. Jisung is sitting on Jaehyun’s bed, staring at his phone. Johnny picks up Mark and Haechan’s legs and sits underneath them so he can see what movie they’re watching.
“You give me a bad reputation,” Johnny pokes at Mark’s legs to get his attention.
“Huh?” Mark isn’t really paying attention to Johnny.
“People think I’m a bad cook just because I’m related to you,” Johnny expands.
“Well, you can’t be any good if you taught Mark,” Haechan says. Mark probably doesn’t know what Haechan said but knows that tone well enough to know to turn his head away from the screen and pout at Haechan.
“Not everyone can be taught, Hyuck,” Johnny says. Mark responds by kicking Johnny. They all turn their attention to the movie. There are very few quiet rooms in the QH and all of them have moments where they aren’t quiet. Right now, this room is quiet except for the noise of the movie and the remnants of the QH chaos finding their way into the room. These are the moments Johnny likes. He switched schools for grad school so he could be at the same school as Mark and so far it seems like the choice will be the exact right one.