POLYCHROMATIC :: minlix ✔︎

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"Thirteen cats?" Hyunjin sputtered, nearly tripping over one as he and Changbin entered the Lees' apartment. "I thought you had, like, seven!"

Changbin nudged him. "Y'know, it's because they don't have kids. We're the same way with Kkami, Simon, P—"

"Oh, guys, you're here!" Minho sarcastically cut in.

Minho had opened the door to let them in, and he knew they'd arrived, obviously. He just didn't want an argument to break out, and he most certainly did not want to hear the list of Changbin and Hyunjin's pets.

Felix, scrambling in the kitchen, called back to let them know that their mid-afternoon coffee and dessert would be ready in just a few more minutes. "Just... don't... burn..." he whispered to the flan, glancing over his shoulder at the kettle.

He poured four mugs' worth of steaming water into a container, pressing the now-floating, crushed coffee beans down in an attempt at making something 'fancy.' French pressed coffee was a nightmare to make—for Felix, at least.

Meanwhile, the flan burnt.

"Aw, crud."

Minho left Hyunjin and Changbin on the balcony to go check on his husband. "Lix, everything alright here?"

"Yep, perfect. The burnt flan is there; the weird, fancy coffee that will probably end up being disgusting is here; and the plates are on the verge of shattering, considering how close to the edge of the counter I put them. Plus, my foot is cramping."

Minho immediately pushed the plates in, left the flan to cool—he thought it still looked salvageable—and dropped to the floor in a comical fashion, pressing his elbows against Felix's foot to massage it, making the younger man giggle and nearly kick him. "You really shouldn't have taken all this responsibility, Lix. I'm not that bad in the kitchen."

"Yeah, but we have guests to entertain."

"Hyunjin can entertain the both of them well enough; you can't even deny that," Minho protested. He had a point. "And you're the priority."

Even after six years of dating, followed by seventeen years of marriage, Felix couldn't help the heat that rose to his cheeks at Minho's genuine, tender words. "M'kay."

The two of them managed to save part of the flan, working in perfect tandem, as only they could.

The coffee was bitter, but both were okay with dumping spoonfuls of sugar into their caffeine. It was a day to relax and get hyper, oxymoronic as it were.

"Man, Minho, what did you do to your husband in there?" Changbin teased, taking in the sight of a very disheveled and flushed Felix.

"I helped save this," Minho replied, ignoring the implication of Changbin's comment as he set the lopsided, slightly depressing flan down on the table, "and I helped carry the giant box of sugar out. Wait 'till you see how dark the coffee is."

When they did see, Hyunjin dramatically made a face. "It's five in the afternoon; you want me to drink that?"

"It's office happy hour, Hyunjin. Be happy. Have caffeine. Have sugar. I can pop the lid on some champagne, if you want," Felix joked. "Not actually, though, because I have a conference call at eight."

"Party pooper."

Minho smirked at Hyunjin, already prepared with a low blow. "Says the guy who wet his pants at his own wedding."

"Shut up!" Hyunjin whined, throwing his head back. "I made you sign a contract saying you'd never speak of that."

Minho only shrugged, attempting a sip of his coffee at the same time that Changbin did.

"Although I do like dark, this needs sugar," the latter dryly commented. Three spoonfuls went into the cup before he deemed it consumable. "Uh, it still needs more, but I have a body to maintain, so i'll just deal with it."

"Hey, this custard is actually really good!" Hyunjin exclaimed, taking a bite.

Felix glared.

He dares to disrespect it?

He dares?

"This what, Jinnie?"

"...Custard?"

"It's flan."

"Are they not the same thing?"

Minho intervened. "Hey, hey, hey; let's all get along, shall we? This is our home, so we're calling it 'flan.' Deal?"

"Deal," Changbin said on behalf of Hyunjin. Felix shot his friend one last playful, dirty look before digging in. It was burnt, yes, but still good. Felix didn't even know why he'd cooked it; wasn't flan cold? Or was that something else? He couldn't bring himself to make sure that it actually was flan, and not some weird oven-pudding that he'd managed to burn.

And although the coffee was colorless, a black void through-and-through, it marked many new memories of that day.

Once the guests had left, and Minho and Felix were done cleaning up, they retreated to the quiet and serene balcony, facing the deep, blue ocean as their fingers intertwined.

"I know I asked this years ago, and every day since then, but how could I be so lucky?" Minho marveled, turning his head to look at his husband. His soulmate. His other half.

Felix smiled in spite of himself, glancing at his feet before raising his eyes to meet Minho's. "I ask myself the same question all the time."

"Lixie," Minho said for the nth time in his life, "I really do love you."

"I love you, too, Minho..."

They both grinned, bringing their lips together in a familiar routine.

"I truly do."

— THE END —

hi everyone!

this is my first soulmate au, so thank you for reading it! i mean, i always thank you guys—probably too much, if that's possible—but a special special thank you is in order for this one.

i love minlix and i love cats and i love seungmin but most of all i love you :3

thank you!

with more affection and gratitude than you know,
~  nina :)

written: june 4, 2020 ~ june 6, 2020
published: july 24, 2020 ~ august 13, 2020