Chapter Text
If you would've asked Minho a couple years ago about where he sees himself by the time he turns twenty-five, this was definitely not it. Changbin having kids was not on anyone's bingo card, and neither was becoming a single dad by the age of twenty-two. Minho, much to everyone's surprise (seeing as he was never shy about the fact that he absolutely hated children) stepped up as Changbin's best and longest-standing friend, and moved in with him the second Changbin's ex-fiancé bailed. It had been a fun yet bumpy eight months, and as much as Minho enjoyed co-parenting his nephew and becoming the cool, single wine-uncle, standing in line with a bouncy two-year-old for a much too small amusement park ride is really beginning to test his patience. He isn't sure if it's the heat or the dozens of other screaming toddlers that are also waiting in line with their respective adult chaperones, but Minho is feeling overwhelmed and overstimulated, and the sticky feeling of his shirt rubbing against his shoulders every time he moved has him wanting to rip his hair out.
"You're lucky you're you," Minho mutters, hoisting Jeongin up into his arms. "If you were anyone else's baby...well. Let's just say there would be no Uncle Lino."
Jeongin laughs at that and runs a sticky hand through Minho's long black hair, making his uncle visibly cringe. "Innie no baby. Innie big boy!"
Minho gently removes Jeongin's hand away from his face, and pokes him in the forehead. "If you're so big, then why aren't you potty trained yet?" Diapers are the one thing Minho always refused to help with. Changbin was on his own with that one. "You know the potty monster isn't real, right? Uncle Chan just made that up." For some godforsaken reason neither Changbin nor Minho could figure out, Chan thought it would be funny to tell Jeongin that the "potty monster" would reach out from inside of the toilet and drag him down if he didn't use the potty like a big boy. Chan said it was supposed to make Jeongin to want to use the toilet, but all it did was terrify him to the point where he didn't even want to be in the bathroom. "Nothing is gonna happen to you if you peepee in the toilet. Your Uncle Chan is dumb and doesn't know what he's talking about."
"Dumb is a mean word!" Jeongin bounces around in Minho's arms, and Minho sets him down, being sure to take his small hand in his so that he can't go anywhere. "Daddy says dumb is bad word. We not say that, Unca' Lino."
"Yeah, well, your daddy is dumb, too," Minho says sarcastically. He looks over his shoulder at Changbin, who is standing in the shade doing something on his phone. He looks up when Minho whistles, and smiles and gives him two thumbs up. Minho replies with a middle finger, and turns around while Changbin shouts "Not in front of the baby!"
Jeongin pays his dad's shouting no mind and points to the front of the line, which is only three people away now. "Almost to the line, Unca' Lino."
"To the front," Minho corrects. "We're waiting in line, and we're almost to the front. Are you excited?" Jeongin nods while excitedly bouncing up and down. This ride isn't the worst one he could have picked, but it's definitely not how Minho pictured spending his afternoon either. Under normal circumstances, it would make sense for the shorter adult to accompany Jeongin on all of the kiddie rides, but Changbin is too beefed out for that. The ride operators would turn him away before they even had the chance to get on, seeing as his just shoulders alone would probably take up both his and Jeongin's seats. Unfortunately for Minho, that made him Jeongin's designated ride chaperone for the day, and despite this being their very first ride of the afternoon, he's already over it. "Tell your dad that you want popcorn after this. Or a churro. He owes me."
"You didn't have to come, you know." Changbin is cutting a slice of pizza into small bite-sized pieces, and looks up at Minho thoughtfully. "It was optional. I didn't force you to be here or anything." He slides the plate over to Jeongin and hands him a plastic fork, scooting his high chair closer to the table so that he can reach better. "One piece at a time, okay? And make sure you chew it. I don't want you to choke."
"Okay daddy," Jeongin replies happily, immediately disregarding the fork and picking up a piece with his hands. "I no choke."
Minho softly shoves Jeongin with his palm. "What do you say to your dad, you little turd?" No nephew of his was going to grow up without manners.
"Thanks you, daddy!"
"Not with your mouth full," Minho says with a sigh. "Chew first and then talk." He takes a bite of his own pizza and looks across the table at Changbin with a mocking expression. "And what? Deprive my favorite nephew of these wonderful, totally not horrible toddler rides? I'd like to see you try and fit on some of those."
Changbin laughs. "Jeongin is your only nephew. And yeah, I guess you're right. You just looked so miserable out there is all." He opted for the restaurant's pasta option over pizza, and feels instant regret upon taking his first bite. He makes a face and covertly spits into a napkin, and reaches for a slice of Minho's pizza instead. "Never woulda thought that you of all people would actually want to be present in a child's life like this. Kinda crazy to think about to be honest."
"Yeah, well," Minho mutters, feeling a blush beginning to form in his neck and cheeks. "Never woulda thought you'd be the type to get knocked up and end up with a kid so young, or even at all. Guess we're both out here just making a mess of other people's expectations."
"I don't think it's getting knocked up if we were engaged to be married," Changbin remarks bitterly, not wanting to reminisce in the past. "But yeah, that's why I put up with birth control now. Not too keen on some of the side effects, but we definitely don't want to end up with another surprise." He glances over at Jeongin, who is still happily eating his pizza. "Not that it really matters considering I haven't bothered dating since you-know-who left, but you know."
Minho does know. He isn't dating either, and hadn't since before Jeongin was born, but that doesn't mean he isn't having sex. He, too, struggles with a few of the side effects, but having the implant is a million times better than accidentally ending up with a little Jeongin of his own. He loves his nephew, but Changbin is right and children are not for him. "You could if you wanted to. It's been almost ten months, and nobody would judge you for it."
Changbin shakes his head. "I don't care about people judging me. They already do that over the fact that I'm a single dad at twenty-four. I just don't think I'm ready to put myself out there like that yet. That, and-" He tucks a strand of loose hair behind Jeongin's ear. "-I wouldn't want to date somebody with a kid, so."
Minho exhales through his nose. The double standard is so real. He wouldn't dream of dating someone with a kid, but he wholeheartedly expects other people to accept that he and his nephew are now a package deal. If you don't want his little bestie, then you sure as hell don't deserve Minho either. "We're gonna be single forever, aren't we?"
"Probably," Changbin agrees with a bitter half smile. "But definitely not for the same reasons. I have a two-year-old. You scare people because you're so fucking tsundere."
As much as Minho wants to, he doesn't deny it. He looks away from his best friend as he shoves the last of his pizza crust into his mouth, and watches a ladybug slowly make its' way across the table toward Jeongin. "Look Iyen-ah. She wants to be your friend." Jeongin loves bugs, and squeals in delight as Minho gently scoops the ladybug into his tiny palm with his finger. "Be careful, don't squish her."
The two of them watch Jeongin in silence for a few moments, and Changbin looks at Minho once more after glancing at his watch with a sigh. "Kinda wanna get on Skyrider, but we'd have to go separately so one of us can stay with Jeongin. You down?"
"Only if I get to go first," Minho replies. He'd just spent the better half of his morning squeezing himself into toddler rides, and letting him get dibs on their first roller coaster of the day is the least Changbin can do for him. He unlocks his phone and checks the theme park app, eyes lighting up upon realizing that it's only a fifteen minute wait for single riders. "Let's go before the line gets all long. It's only fifteen minutes right now."
It takes less than five minutes for Minho to learn that standing in line by yourself is boring. Next time he and Changbin decide to bring Jeongin to an amusement park, they'd have to ask Chan or somebody to tag along with them so the wait times go by faster.
"I like your shirt."
"Hm?" Minho looks up from his phone, startled. He looks around for a moment until his eyes land on a man with chestnut colored hair standing directly behind him. "What?"
"I like your shirt," the man repeats with a smile. "It's dope."
Minho looks down at his shirt, almost forgetting what his outfit looks like today. "Oh. Thanks. You know him?" His shirt is relatively new, something he bought from a concert he recently attended with Changbin and Chan.
"Yeah. Bang Yongguk is like, my idol." The man turns around, revealing a similar shirt that looks to Minho like it was purchased at the same concert. "Were you there on the 28th?"
Minho nods excitedly. He's never met another person outside of his two friends that even knows Yongguk exists. He's not underground, not exactly, but his music is way more lowkey than Minho thinks it should be. "Yeah, of course I was! Holy shit. Talk about small world."
"I'm Jisung," the man says, holding his hand out. "Sorry for being weird. I was just really surprised seeing someone out in the wild like this."
"Nah, nah." Minho takes Jisung's hand and shakes it, unable to keep the smile off of his face. "It's not weird, trust. I think I'm just as excited as you are. I'm Minho."
"Nice name." Jisung smiles and shoves his hands into his pockets, leaning against the side rail that divides the two lines from each other. "You here alone today?"
Minho shakes his head. "Mm-mm. My best friend and nephew are waiting for me at the exit. My nephew is only two, so we're taking turns today. What about you?"
"Yeah, just me." Jisung closes his eyes as the breeze ruffles his hair, and Minho takes the opportunity to look him up and down without getting caught. His chestnut colored hair comes down to about his shoulders, and his cheeks pudge out in just the tiniest way. It's cute, Minho thinks, and he averts his eyes once Jisung finally opens his. "I was supposed to be meeting someone, but some shit happened on their end. I wasn't down to go home, so...here I am." He shrugs, gesturing toward to the two lines. "It's honestly not so bad, though. I mean, the single rider line is less than half the wait time of the regular line, so I can't really complain about being by myself."
"I can," Minho laughs. "Waiting by yourself is so boring. Maybe it was fate or something that you popped up behind me."
"Yeah, maybe," Jisung agrees with a smile. Minho is crazy attractive, and Felix would be proud of the fact that he was able to strike up a conversation so quickly. "Maybe we'll get lucky and be seated together." The whole point of the single rider line is to seat two single riders together so that there are no empty seats. It was mainly two singles getting put together, with the occasional single rider getting saddled with a group of three or five to fill the gap. "Hope you're ready if that happens, though. I've never actually been on a roller coaster by myself before, so I can't guarantee I won't freak out."
"But is it really by yourself if you're with somebody else?" Minho questions with a raised eyebrow. "I mean..."
"Let me rephrase that," Jisung replies, crossing his arms over his chest. "I've never been on a roller coaster with a stranger before. Just know that whatever I say or do is coming from a different Jisung than the one you're speaking to right now."
"Shit, me too. Whatever happens on that thing is with a completely different Minho, so don't hold it against me." The line has been moving surprisingly fast since Jisung had struck up a conversation with him, and Minho is genuinely surprised to see that they're only six people away from the front. "So long as there are no odd numbered groups in the regular line, looks like we really will get sat together."
Jisung holds his hand up for a high five, and Minho complies and gives him one. "That's very noice! Guess if I'm gonna die, it'll be with someone that's as scared shitless as I am."
Minho raises an eyebrow again. "I never said I was scared shitless."
"Your palm was sweaty when you high fived me," Jisung points out. "It's hot out here, but it's not that hot."
"Okay, you got me. I am scared shitless," Minho says, shoving his hands into his pockets. He doesn't like that his body gave him away like that. "It'll be fun, though. Trust."
Much to their surprise, it was in fact not fun at all. Jisung and Minho were paired up like they expected, and of all places for them to end up, it just so happened to be in the very front. As if that weren't horrifying enough, the coaster got stuck right before the first drop, leaving the two of them dangling over the edge feeling like they were being suspended in mid-air. Minho thought he was going to pass out at one point, and Jisung was so terrified that he thought he would vomit.
After about six or seven minutes, Jisung reaches across the lap bar and straps and grabs Minho's hand. "I know we just met, but I can't fuckin' do this, man. I'm so fucking scared right now."
Minho squeezes Jisung's hand and peers around his headrest, his panicked eyes meeting the other's for a split second before he squeezes them shut, too. "Don't you dare let go of me," Minho replies, his voice tight and tense. "If I fall out of this thing, you're fuckin' coming with me. I am not dying by myself, not like this."
"Does this mean we're ride or dies now? Because if this ride doesn't start the hell back up, we are one hundred percent going to die."
Minho laughs at that, but it comes out sounding like a garbled choking noise instead of a laugh. "Yes, this absolutely means we're ride or dies. If we ever make it off of this thing, I want your phone number."
"What?" Jisung questions, daring to open his eyes to glance over at Minho for a second. "We've got a one-way ticket to see the lord if this thing doesn't get going soon, and you're worrying about getting my phone number?"
"Bad time?" Minho asks with a scared smile.
"Ya think?" Jisung replies sarcastically. "I'll do you one better. If we make it out of this alive, I'll go on a date with you."
Before Minho even has the chance to respond, the roller coaster starts back up again, launching them into what feels like oblivion as it drops them fifty feet without any warning.
"So, we fuckin' or nah?"
Changbin's ears perk up when he hears his best friend's voice, and he looks up wondering who the hell he could possibly be talking to. "Minho?"
"Yeah, over here," Minho replies, coming from around the corner. "Did you see that shit, Bin? I thought I was gonna die."
Changbin nods, eyes curious when Minho appears with a man he's never seen before. "We did see, and yeah, so did Jeongin. He cried so much that he put himself to sleep." He pulls back the sun visor on the stroller in front of him, revealing his sleeping toddler. His face is stained with tears and his eyes are puffy, and Minho's heart breaks a little thinking about how scared he must have been. "So, uh." He looks back and forth between Minho and Jisung, questions written all over his face as he covers the stroller again. "What's going on?"
"Oh, right," Minho says, clearing his throat a little. "Jisung, this is Changbin, my best friend and roommate. The little guy in there is my nephew, Jeongin."
"Nice to meet you," Changbin says, still not entirely understanding what's happening here. He holds a hand out, and Jisung gladly takes it. "Seo Changbin."
"Han Jisung," Jisung replies, shoving his hands in his pockets once Changbin lets go of his hand. "I was the one lucky enough to almost die next to Minho."
Changbin doesn't say anything, and waits for Minho to provide him with more information. Minho takes his phone out and hands it to Jisung, who does the same. "I'm free this weekend. If you're down for your shit now that we're not actively thinking we're gonna die."
"Course I'm down for my shit." Jisung hands Minho's phone back to him, and cocks his head to the side with a smile. "Lucky for you, I also happen to be free this weekend."
"What the hell happened while you guys were up there?" Changbin questions, face scrunched in curiosity. "Too much adrenaline or what?"
Minho smiles as he and Jisung ready themselves to bid each other farewell. "Something like that." He holds his phone up and shakes it in his hand before putting it back into his pocket. "Text me later. I'm serious."
"And if I don't?" Jisung challenges with a smile. "Then what?"
"I don't know," Minho says mysteriously with a shrug. "It was nice meeting you, Jisung."
"Yeah, you too," Jisung replies. "It was very nice. Scary, but you know." He waves goodbye as he turns around without another word, and walks off in the direction opposite of Minho and Changbin.
The two of them watch until Jisung disappears around a corner, and Changbin is the first to speak. "Bro, what the fuck?"
"I don't even know, man. Adrenaline is one hell of an aphrodisiac."