Chapter Text
"have you tried that app i sent you?"
johnny's eyes are closed. he's strewn across his bed with his best friend that occasionally doubles as his worst nightmare, ten lee. ten is sitting up, pushing at johnny until he opens his eyes and does the same. a plastic cup is pushed into johnny's hand, only five percent of it being cranberry juice splashed at the top while the remaining ninety-five percent is vodka.
"you know, a vodka cranberry is supposed to actually have cranberry juice in it, right? that's why it's called a vodka cranberry," johnny snorts while ten does a cheers between the two cups, the plastic lacking the 'clink' that glass cups would offer — they are broke college students, this is as fancy as it gets.
"you chugged the first one like a parched man and now you want to complain? you're so ungrateful," ten huffs, playfully scolding him.
johnny shakes his head, but he has no rebuttal. it's not like he actually minds. hell, he needs the burn of ten's monstrous mixology concoctions to divert his mind. jocks are known for being playboy douchebags who are full of themselves and could care less about genuine connections or feelings — but johnny clearly missed that memo and let his heart get ripped in half by a dancer. Not just any dancer.
lee taeyong. top of the school's varsity dance team alongside ten. it's impossible to not think about him — about their breakup — when the dance team performs at every game and when that same lee taeyong is still best friends with ten while having offered the same to johnny.
"we can still be friends, yeah?"
taeyong's words after shattering johnny's entire way of life still haunt his mind. of course, johnny stupidly nodded and agreed. of course johnny pretended he could easily go back to being just friends like he doesn't get the overwhelming urge to scream every time taeyong joins him and ten for a bestie-hangout all the while, ten knows the truth of how johnny feels and works overtime as a best friend to save johnny from awkwardness during those hangouts.
"well, did you?"
johnny looks up from where he'd been spaced out staring into his cup of alcohol like it held the answers to his inner turmoil. right. ten asked about that hookup app he recommended nearly two weeks ago, a few days after the breakup.
"i installed the app."
johnny throws back the contents of his cup in five agonizing, masochistic gulps. it burns like hell going down and makes his eyes sting. it's perfect.
"that's not what i asked," ten lowers his own drink to shoot an unamused look his way.
johnny groans.
"i forgot, okay? i had a lot on my mind..."
ten who's always ready with a sassy remark or some form of sarcasm says nothing, attention returning to his drink. despite their bickering dynamic, this is the reason ten is his best friend. he knows johnny well enough to know when he's having a hard time and knows how to give johnny silent comfort without outright pitying him like some sort of helpless, wounded creature.
"i'll look at it now, okay? you'll have your proof that i at least tried, then," johnny concedes while reaching for his phone that had been forgotten on the nightstand sometime after their first drink.
"mmm, let me help," ten gulps down the rest of his drink before shoving into johnny's space to nosily peer at the phone screen,
"ugh," johnny complains the way he always does when ten acts like personal space is a myth. but they both know johnny doesn't actually mind.
another reason they operate so well as best friends; ten is extremely touchy and johnny is extremely touch-starved.
"shut up and let me see," ten swats him before manhandling johnny's arm out of the way so that he can see the screen better.
they end up positioned with ten hooked under johnny's arm, head laid on his shoulder while commenting as johnny boredly swipes left on profiles back to back.
"that one's cute."
"he goes to our school," johnny swipes left.
"this one seems sporty like you."
"yeah, because he's my teammate," johnny shoots ten a disapproving look. considering the dance team performs at every one of the basketball team's games, johnny would expect ten to recognize their school's home team lineup by now.
"don't give me that look. we've been over this, i'm not looking at faces when there's a bunch of fit, sweaty guys running around in fitted jerseys during games."
johnny rolls his eyes and ignores his best friend's expected unhinged remark.
"why does them going to the same school matter anyway?" ten questions.
"because!" because i can't deal with the pressure of seeing another familiar face around campus while already trying to get a familiar face out of my head — because i don't want word getting around in case taeyong changes his mind — because.... "it's complicated. just... no local campus-goers."
ten makes a little humming noise in acknowledgment. it's a sound of knowing, a silent unspoken understanding that johnny appreciates.
"how about him?" ten points to the screen before johnny can reflexively swipe left, considering he was only half-looking.
johnny does stop, though. even though he only got on the app to appease ten into thinking johnny is trying to get back out there, he has to admit the profile grabs his attention. the guys is hot and has it mentioned in his profile that he is a student at the university one city over — meaning he passes the 'can't go to the same school' rule.
------------------------------------------------------
jung jaehyun, 20
full-time student // divorced // active 1 day ago
about
i like my men how i like my coffee so swipe right if you're... a venti iced mocha with sweet cream cold foam (i forgot the punchline sorry).
looking for: netflix & chill a.k.a my roommate moved out and took his netflix with him so i need a hot guy to let me mooch off your netflix pls & thx (we can hookup too but hand over the netflix sign-in first)
ps; no i'm not actually divorced i clicked it instead of 'single' to be funny and now i can't figure out how to change it. btw i go to ncit and prefer matches no further than 1hr away unless you wanna fly me out.
jaehyun has received x127 hearts today!
------------------------------------------------------
"he goes to ncit, that's only like forty-five minutes out and passes checks off your no campus-goers rule," ten unhelpfully points out as if johnny isn't reading the same profile with his own two eyes.
"i see that," johnny hums, still staring at the screen.
jaehyun is two years younger, so not a crazy gap. he's hot. and most importantly, he doesn't go to sm university like johnny. he looks fit — like the jock type or at least a gymbro. jaehyun is extremely attractive; the 127 people who sent hearts on his profile today alone likely agree.
maybe it's because of the liquid courage from ten's alcoholic concoction — or maybe it's the pessimistic thought at the back of his mind that jaehyun seems to have so much attention on the app that he won't even see johnny's swipe — whatever the reason may be, johnny finds his thumb hovering over the heart icon to swipe right.
"so... what do you think?" ten asks, snapping johnny out of his staring.
"i think i'm going to have to reinstate my netflix subscription," johnny snorts, referencing jaehyun's adamant plea for a netflix login to mooch off of before he finally swipes right.
"are you going to message him?" ten enthuses, seemingly forgetting how the whole matching process of dating apps work.
"i just swiped right on him. he has to actually reciprocate the match if he's interested before i can even think about messaging him," johnny states flatly.
"well then, when he matches with you, are you going to message him?"
johnny doesn't bother pointing out that there is a chance jaehyun won't be interested in him, but he's not in the mood to have ten kick his ass while simultaneously shouting words of affirmation at him. so, instead, he opts for sarcasm.
"noooooo, i was planning on waiting for him to match with me so i could delete the app and never look back."
the sarcasm doesn't land the way johnny hoped because of course ten just has to be a smart ass and have a comeback ready like always.
"given how you've been acting lately, i wouldn't put it past you, actually."
johnny shoves ten playfully, knocking his tipsy friend onto the pillows and huffing at the way ten just snuggles down into the pillows looking smug.
"shut up," johnny grumbles as he allows ten to drag him down into a snuggle that seems a lot more like a chokehold that johnny grumpily leans into.
ten only lingers for an hour or so more before he ditches johnny to retreat to his own dorm. johnny would normally hate being left alone with his thoughts, but he's not sober enough to think of anything besides how comfortable his bed is and how heavy his eyes are. right as he's on the cusp between consciousness and a much-need drunken nap, a notification dings on his phone.
his eyes are already sliding shut, barely open a crack – just enough for him to catch the illuminated screen of his phone to read the notification before the screen times out into sleep mode.
'jung jaehyun has matched with you! send a heart or wave to start a conversation now!"
johnny's eyes slip shut.