Sehun couldn't quite wrap his mind around his new roommate. 

Correction: Sehun couldn't quite wrap his mind around the existence of his new roommate.

There wasn't anything wrong with this boy, no. He just was not expecting another student to occupy his sanctuary in the middle of the term. What was worse was that the space he lived in was now going to be inhabited by another person he's going to have to get to know and be kind to and all of that the RA discussed in the first week of school about living with your roommate.

Oh Sehun was the lucky one out of the other eleven boys who ended up with a larger space to fit himself in, and nothing was better than solitude for the tall, quiet male as he only frequent classes, the bathroom and the mart across the street to get on with his life. Any other time of the day (unless the RA forced him out of his little haven for a dorm meeting) was spent in his room, with music galore and video games for days.

"Hey. Yah, Sehun-ah--" 

Sehun was pulled out of his daze as he looked up from cleaning the other half of his room, moving the piles and piles of game boxes over to his side to reorganize later as well as the unopened poster tubes he had neglected to touch ever since he moved in. He could only sigh softly, focusing again on the fact that he had to share the same air with another person for the rest of his freshman year.

"Sehun!"

"Jonghyun, I really don't have time for this," Sehun groaned, slumping against his desk with an Animal Crossing box in his hand. He was feeling sulky, and having Jonghyun mother him to clean the other side of the room was making him feel all the more depressed. 

"It's ing Saturday, Sehun. Don't bring that bull to me that 'you have no time'," Jonghyun scoffed with the folding of his arms, "Mister 'Do-Not-Disturb-Me-And-My-Games-And-Music-At-All-Times."

Sehun mumbled, "Not my fault I'm not as sociable as the rest of the floor." The taller boy looked up at his RA, almost snorting at the way he cocked his hip as if he owned his position. 

"Well it's only for the rest of the year, Sehun. Then you can move wherever you want next year and hope to have enough of your own space to e to--"

"Hello?"

To Sehun's utter relief, and Jonghyun's dismay that he couldn't finish his statement, a boy showed up at the door after giving it a gentle knock. It seemed like he had stood there for some time now, having caught that ing part that.. didn't faze him one bit, to be honest. 

"This is the right room, right?" the rich, deep voice spoke as his eyes wandered around the unkempt room, slowly nodding to himself as he looked at the number on the door. "9488."

Jonghyun, gracing his ever-so-famous smile that he had greeted the other freshman and sophomores with, nodded and walked toward the taller (it was safe to say that Jonghyun will always remain as one of the shortest people on the ninth floor no matter how hard he wished and prayed), hand sticking out toward him. "You must be the transfer, right?"

The other boy nodded, giving Jonghyun's hand a firm shake before adjusting his backpack on his back. It hung off of one shoulder, Sehun uselessly noticed. Must be some sort of jock or athlete. 

"Yeah, I am. Didn't know I'd have such a handsome RA." The new tenant shone a smile of his own, one that outweighed Jonghyun's by miles. Maybe, just maybe, Sehun saw it, and maybe his jaw almost fell to the ground, and maybe he didn't stop looking when he and the other boy made eye contact for a split second.

Just maybe.

"Oh you're a charmer, huh. I like you already." Jonghyun mused as he leaned against the frame of the door. He glanced over his shoulder at the heap of mess that was Sehun's property, exhaling softly as he ignored the sight of condoms splayed out next to the frozen boy. He looked back at and leaned in closer to the unnamed boy to whisper, "Don't mind the maknae; he's actually pretty nice. We're still trying to find out when he's nice, but we know he is."

To Sehun, there was no correlation between himself and the sharp pain Jonghyun vocally expressed after he sort of stumbled forward holding the small of his back as a book feel to the ground behind him. There was no way that book so happened to have left Sehun's hand, and the smile painted on his lips totally wasn't the result of garnering the reaction he wanted from the words Jonghyun just said.

On the other hand, the eldest of the three straightened up again with a strained smile, ignoring the pain that settled as he quickly gained his thoughts again. "Welcome to the ninth floor... What's your name?"

"Jongin. Kim Jongin."

"Another Kim Jong, huh? That's makes the count three," Jonghyun gleamed, his eye smile sickening for Sehun to watch while the younger boy continued to remove his things from the other side of the room as Jonghyun continued, "You'll love it here. We're the best floor around, whatnot with being the only floor with all guys. I'll call you up again to catch up with policies and all of that fancy things."

Jongin nodded intently and waved at the short RA after he took his leave. He couldn't help but to hide a small chuckle at the way Jonghyun was waddling off cursing at his roommate, but he was glad he got a laugh out of being there for less than ten minutes. 

"So, Sehun," Jongin stared, finally walking into the spacious room that was soon going to be his as well, "Have a girlfriend?"

"No."

"Oh, so you roll the other way?"

"Maybe I like to make balloon animals with something other than balloons."

"Then those lips of yours must be really talented, hm?"

"Save it, pretty boy. I'm not going to do that to you."

"Oh?" Jongin paused, having transferred all of his suitcases and necessities into the room through their small conversation, "Do what?"

Sehun looked up at the tanner boy, and he swore there was a glint shining in Jongin's eyes that wasn't meant to hold any innocence whatsoever. "You know."

"Pretty sure you can just say it instead of beating around the bush."

"What. A ?"

It just had to be at that moment that Park Chanyeol had to walk by the room clad in his towel. They always said that curiosity killed the cat, and this cat was about to be murdered to pieces.

"This is the longest I've heard you speak, Sehun," was the first thing that came out of Chanyeol's mouth, causing Sehun to roll his eyes and throw yet another book at the other male in which was casually evaded.

"Go away, Chanyeol," Sehun growled, though the mentioned boy wasn't rattled by the futile threat. 

Jongin turned around to look at the owner of such a deep voice that seemed to piss off Sehun fairly easily, and he would be lying if he had said his heart didn't stop for a small second. It didn't help that the only thing keeping Chanyeol censored to the world was a towel, that he had that damn voice that echoed straight through his body, that his chest was still glistening with dew from the shower and was that vanilla he could smell? In the three seconds his eyes laid on Chanyeol's form, he thought about the way his skin would feel under his fingertips, maybe even how his lips would feel pressed against his own, or even his body, how Chanyeol would feel above him when he --

"You must be the newbie."

Jongin shook his head a little as he quickly escaped his fantasies, realizing that deep voice was talking to him. "Yeah, that's me. Sehun's unfortunate addition to his room."

"Find out if he's nice, will you?" Chanyeol teased as he ruffled through his locks. All Jongin was focused on at this point was that Chanyeol's towel was hanging way too low for his sanity, and it wouldn't hurt to think about how he would feel if he could have his pretty pink lips and tongue wrapped around Chanyeol's --

"Chanyeol, I swear, you need to leave now. At least go put some pants on." Sehun glanced up at his new roommate, scoffing softly as he continued to restack his video games. "This puppy here's about to drool because of you."

Jongin didn't need to think twice about Sehun's statement but he didn't want it to be true. Sure, this wasn't exactly the best impression he wanted to make for Chanyeol, a man he had just met today and yet his ual desires were already wrapped around him, but he did nothing to negate Sehun's words.

"I guess I'll see you around then?" Jongin smiled and held up his hand as if to dismiss Chanyeol, in which he returned the same gesture with a bright smile before he shuffled away to his own room. 

"I suggest you take care of that now," Sehun mused whilst busying himself with his side of the room again, and he couldn't help but to smile to himself at the bewildered look he got from Jongin.

This was going to be a fun year.

△△△△△

"How long has it been?"

"Knocking on an hour by now."

"Can they not just calm down, my ."

"We can't do anything about this, Baek."

"I knoooow," Baekhyun groaned as he flopped onto his bed with an exaggerated sigh, "but still, can't we try?"

"There's no use. Remember what happened last time?"

"...Yeah but--"

"Do you really want to relive that moment?"

Baekhyun mumbled a small 'no' in defeat. 

"Then wait it out. I'm sure they'll stop."

Baekhyun wore a small frown as he rolled around his bed entering his whiny mode. He abruptly stopped and laid on his tummy, looking over at his roommate who was perched on his own desk. "Let's go eat something. I'm hungry. Your treat, hm?" 

His roommate nodded with a simple grin lining across his lips, standing up to walk over to Baekhyun's bed. "Only because I owe you." With that comment, he hoisted his shorter friend and carried him over his shoulder, the two walking out of their room in a mess of laughs and protests as they made their descend from the ninth floor to head over to a little cafe a block away from campus. 

It wasn't until after the usual chatter about classes and attractive guys that Baekhyun was finally set down, though he felt a small discomfort from being bend over for ten minutes. Neverminding the fact, the two friends walked into the cafe that welcomed them with fresh aromas of coffee and baked goods. It felt nice to be in here, the location often cliché as many other college kids came around and had their share of memories in the student-run cafe. 

Baekhyun dragged his roommate over to a booth near the window, the two taking their respective seats as this was their usual table they sat at ever since meeting all the way back in high school. It wasn't all the way back though, more like three years ago, but it was a cute little thing they kept with themselves. Along with the usual seats came the usual order -- two white chocolate mochas with a plate of chocolate cake topped with strawberries for Baekhyun and a German chocolate cake for his roommate.

"Have you met the new kid yet?" Baekhyun idly asked as he drummed his fingers on the table to no particular beat.

"I have. He's pretty cute."

Baekhyun blinked. "Cute? Really?"

"Yeah. Pretty tan, but not like.. Tao tan. Taller than you. Uh... he has a nice voice," he shrugged, "He's just cute to me."

"He is, huh..." Baekhyun drifted off, worrying a small frown onto his lips, "You sound rather excited that he's here."

"What can I say? We need someone to crack Sehun open, and I'm pretty sure Jongin - that's his name, by the way - is the angel sent from above."

"Jongin? Don't tell me he's a Kim--" 

"That.. I'm not sure yet."

"We don't need another Kim Jong from Jonghyun to flaunt over, I swear."

"Jonghyun's a special one, isn't he?"

From where the said boy came from, the two roommates will never know as they both receive a generous pat on the back of their heads.

Pats enough to send their heads forward and almost hitting the table as they hissed in discomfort. 

"House meeting at seven tonight, boys. Don't forget!" Jonghyun casually beamed as he smugly walked out of the cafe toward campus once more.

The other two boys, however, were still trying to figure out what day it was and what the hell they were doing in the cafe. Before they could question once another, their orders came and all was forgotten about as they chowed down on the desert and talked about little nothings as if they didn't just get their lives slapped out of themselves by their RA.

"He said something about a house meeting, right?" Baekhyun asked, to which he received a small nod to as they made sure to quickly finish up and pay more than needed as they always do. Before long, the two were on their way back to the dorm building.

"Think they stopped by now?" Baekhyun's roommate asked as he stuffed his hands into his pockets.

Baekhyun glanced at his watch and emitted a small hum. "It's almost seven. I'm sure they're wrapping it up right now."

△△△△△

"Let's start the meeting then, shall we?" 

Twelve boys surrounded the RA in a disorganized fashion in their floor's commons: some of the guys were on the couch, others draped across each other, some sitting on the table and then there was Sehun, who was forced to share the rather large single seater with his stubborn roommate, Kim Jongin. Their sides were touching, and it didn't help at all that Jongin's arm was draped around Sehun's shoulders because they just didn't fit on this chair according to Jongin's perspective when in reality there was enough room for even Yifan to fit.

It's been two weeks and Sehun did not appreciate this closeness.

"Now, we have our elections today, right? We have Minseok, Tao and Chanyeol running for secretary, Baekhyun, Yixing and Jongdae for treasurer, Yifan, Sehun and Suho for VP, and Kyungsoo, Luhan and.. Oh? Jongin, you're gonna run for president, too?"

All eyes went to the newest addition to the floor as he gave a simply nod and met all twelve pairs of eyes. "What, is it a sin to run?"

"No no no, but I was just.. surprised." Jonghyun muttered as he looked back down at his clipboard. He took out some pieces of paper and passed it around to the others as well as pencils. "Speeches are dumb. Just vote for whoever you think is the best."

"Well actually I had a speech prepared--"

"Oh my god, please sit down, Luhan." Jongdae groaned as he pulled his roommate down again on top of him. "No one needs to hear about all of your high school accomplishments, valedictorian."

Luhan huffed and gladly elbowed Jongdae in the ribs.

Rustles of paper and pencil scratching filled the room as the decisions were being made for the hall cabinet for the year, and soon enough all of the ballots were turned in to Jonghyun as he folded and stacked the results as not to get a peek at the results yet.

"Now, we also have another issue at hand to talk about. Whoever is doing the do so ing loud needs to stop right now."

The whole room went silent as the expression of twelve innocent little lambs replaced the twelve men that were seated in front of Jonghyun. 

"I swear, I will find out who it is. It doesn't help that I live at the end of the hall because sound travels so horribly in this building. Either quiet down or go somewhere else."

Chanyeol's and Jonghyun's eyes went straight to the pair that were seated on the couch together looking more comfortable than they actually were, and nine other pairs of eyes followed the line of sight to Sehun and Jongin, who blinked once simultaneously.

"No way in hell I would be screwing with Jongin." Sehun deadpanned.

"He's right. I'm too good and experienced for him."

That earned a pleasant punch to the side to Kim Jongin from Oh Sehun. 

"Anyway," Jonghyun continued as he leaned back in his chair, giving his messy hair a ruffle and pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose, "Heed the warning or I'll have to actually do my work and write you up. You don't really want that, do you?"

They all shook their head.

"Good, because now whoever the pair is is in a heated competition with another pair of guys on Yong Guk's floor. Let's not start the Olympics." Jonghyun gave a small smile and concluded the short meeting as the other boys dispersed into their respective rooms. He headed into his room to count the ballot votes, quite surprised at the turnout though this had happened before when he himself won presidency when he was a freshman (most likely because he lived on a co-ed floor and it wasn't that hard to get the votes of the girls).

Once everyone headed into their rooms, Baekhyun casually strolled over to his next door neighbor and put a Post-It just below the room number before heading back into his room to watch a movie.

An ace in school must be an ace in bed, huh.
Don't break your precious little deer now!
Oh, and kindly quiet down in there.
You're actually louder than Sehun and that's saying something. 

△△△△△

"I have a date with Chanyeol tonight."

Sehun cocked a brow up as he looked up from his laptop, ceasing the essay he was procrastinating on as he had the pleasure to watch Jongin stress about what to wear and how to look for the derp of the floor. It was kind of nice, though, watching the boy pace around and talk to himself as if he was meeting some high power when in fact it's just the neighborhood idiot who couldn't care less.

"Jongin, just wear the stupid plaid shirt and slap on some skinny jeans. If you want him to you after the date, maybe you should do something about your face and hair." Sehun kindly added his two cents into the conversation, snorting at the glare he received from his hyung. He didn't like referring Jongin as his hyung, but then again he really didn't care. There was something about being the youngest that Sehun liked.

"I'm pretty sure I can just walk up to his door after I wake up in my morning glory and he'd still take me," Jongin grumbled as he decided to give in to Sehun's advice and put on the mentioned outfit. He made sure to wear a white v-neck that was a little smaller than he was inside the plaid, leaving the buttons undone so as to accentuate his toned body. The skinny jeans fit just right, and he could tell that there was some intention behind Sehun's suggestion when he caught the smirk the typing boy wore. 

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Don't wake me up to tell me about the magical things that happened, hm?" Sehun mumbled as he focused on his essay once more.

With a small nod, and the tiniest application of eyeliner no thanks to his roommate as well as spraying his cologne, Jongin walked out of the shared space with his wallet and headed out of the building and toward the meeting place.

Chanyeol, on the other hand, was still in his room.

His roommate was out for the day (well, being Friday, he always travelled home to his parents for homemade meals and came back the next day) and that left poor little Yeollie in his room with no advice whatsoever on how to dress or act for his date. He's been on plenty of dates before, had his fair share of girlfriends, but he'll never forget the fact that Amber Liu was the one girl that made him realize he didn't like the bras and the . 

He prefers the briefs. 

It didn't take long before Sehun was surprised by Satan himself as Chanyeol shuffled into the room, forgetting about the fact that his date lived here and that he could've walked in on.. something.

"He's already waiting for you, idiot," Sehun frowned without looking up at the male who wasn't even prepared to get ready for the date.

"I need your help--"

"Condoms are in the second drawer." It was then that Sehun looked up at the boy with a deeper frown, "Flavored?"

"I-- Yah! Not that! I don't know what to do!" Chanyeol almost whined, and it was damn unattractive coming from him, Sehun thought. 

"Great. I have two clueless kids in my hands." Sehun sighed, setting aside his homework for now as he stood up and dragged his tall hyung back to his room by the ear, in which earned him a slew of protests that only made him smile even more.

"ing , Sehun--" Chanyeol growled, but he was cut off when clothes were flying toward him, managing to catch most of the articles before giving the maknae a small look.

"White jeans and a simple sweater. Wear that, please. Oh, slip on some Adidas; heard you'll be walking around for a while. As for your face..." Chanyeol stared at the speaking boy blankly. "I'll figure something out. Now hurry, he's already waiting for your ."

Chanyeol did just so, still a bit scared of Oh Sehun as was the rest of the floor. He could've sworn he heard him say something along the lines of 'Why did Jongin have to like you, of all people.' which tugged a small smile onto Chanyeol's lips. It was a compliment of some sorts. It was also probably one of the nicest things he's heard from the younger, the runner-up being "What you lack in your brain, you make up for down there."

What Sehun always neglects to admit is that Chanyeol is a born genius, but he didn't have time or energy to own up to the fact.

Once Chanyeol was properly outfitted, Sehun came to the rescue to style his hair in a sort of messy way, bangs swept to the side as to create a casual look with the mop of black hair he was given to work with. Next was the make-up, applying a bit of eyeshadow but not too much to bring out his eyes as well as a small dose of eyeliner. He sort of felt bad that he left Jongin to fend for himself in that department, but Jongin still looked pretty decent and attractive, so he knew Chanyeol would appreciate it anyway. Before he knew it, Chanyeol was out of his dorm after agreeing that he would owe Sehun something in the near future.

Half an hour had passed as Jongin let out a small sigh, sitting inside the cafe that Sehun brought him to on the day following his arrival as a little but never-to-be-mentioned-to-the-others official welcoming to the dorm house. He sipped on his caramel macchiato, tongue peeking out to wipe away at any residue as he glanced down at his watch with a small frown. It was 5:30, and Chanyeol was late. He started to wonder if he was stood up but remained patient and occupied by the world news showing on his phone's screen.

"Jongin?"

The all too familiar voice immediately pulled the aforementioned student out of his train of thought as he was greeted by a pearly white smile. Again, his heart melted and did flips at the sight, but Jongin was quick to stow away the feeling as he returned a smile of his own to his date.

"Sorry I'm late," Chanyeol huffed between his breaths, still surprised that he had run that fast in hopes that Jongin would still be at the cafe, "Forgive me?"

"Forgiven." Jongin simply stated, standing up after polishing off the coffee. 

"You.. look really nice." Chanyeol grinned shyly, mentally hitting himself for being so awkward. He could practically hear Sehun roll his eyes, though maybe he's just imagining things?

Jongin blinked once, caught off-guard as he himself admired and took in the way Chanyeol was fashion. "Oh, thanks." You're so stupid, Jongin.

It took almost everything in Chanyeol to ask the younger boy if he was ready to go, and after receiving a small nod, the pair were on their way on their little date. 

Around the same time, Sehun was pulled out of his concentration by the sound of his chiming phone, opening up the text message he had just received.

bbh: coming back sooner than i thought. how're things there?

osh: yeol and jong just went on their date. probably won't be back until tomorrow.

bbh: perfect. 

osh: i swear though they're such idiots. jongin could barely dress himself and yeol was so lost without you.

bbh: oh my god, i missed out, huh. i'm sure you made them pretty for each other.

osh: of course. even if they have those personalities of theirs, they can at least appreciate each other's appearance.

bbh: aw, look at my little sehunnie being helpful and ~.

osh: stfu. i'm lonely. hurry up and come with kimbap?

bbh: already on my way, dickhead. strawberries?

osh: and chocolate. 

osh: snuck some beer in this morning too.

bbh: i'm about to report to your call of duty. ; )

osh: just don't take forever. exoexo.

△△△△△

Somewhere between the romantic dinner and the night full of laughter and smiles, Chanyeol and Jongin had the unfortunate honor of dealing with their drunk selves. The date wasn't supposed to end like this, with two boys stumbling down the sidewalk while depending on each other for support that wasn't even remotely guaranteed. Chanyeol was mumbling something about girl and how much they just want to ride all night, while Jongin on the other hand complained and complained about how much of an roommate Sehun was.

Maybe, just maybe, Sehun had convinced Chanyeol that Jongin was a strong drinker, when the reality was that it took two drinks before Jongin completely lost it.

Chanyeol wasn't any better with one drink.

"..." Chanyeol frowned, stopping himself in his tracks which made Jongin come right back to him, back pressed against Chanyeol's chest but the two couldn't care less. "We can't go back like this. Jonghyun's gonna flip ."

"But we have to go somewhere," Jongin whined, leaning comfortably against the tall tree as he angled his head awkwardly to look up at Chanyeol. Even if his mind was hazy, he could still make out the handsome features Chanyeol had, which were all the more softened by his rosy cheeks from the alcohol he consumed. "Can.. is there a nearby hotel or motel or something? Hell, a box would do just fine."

"Hotel," Chanyeol quickly chimed in, starting to walk again but making sur to catch Jongin who almost fell back when Chanyeol left his rooted place. The two boys managed to make it to a nearby one, and Chanyeol managed to book a room for the two of them. 

How they managed to get to the ninth floor and into their room, how they found themselves in a tangle of limbs and tongues meshing together, how they left a trail of clothes leading to the bed and how they quickly and heatedly became one was still unknown to them.

△△△△△

"Right about now?" Baekhyun asked, assuming his seat between Sehun's parted legs as they both sat on the floor and set themselves up for a night full of Call of Duty and snacks. Baekhyun turned to show a small smirk to Sehun, who returned the same expression with a small nod.

"Pretty sure they are right about now." Sehun mused, chuckling softly at how Chanyeol and Jongin were so easy to read.

△△△△△

Chanyeol never spoke about that Friday night to Jongin, nor vice versa as they kept everything on the down low. It wasn't that it was a shameful night or anything, but it was just better that way for the two of them. Little did they know that Sehun and Baekhyun knew about their little endeavor, but they weren't going to threaten about it. 

The hotel incident, however, sparked more between the two guys as they started to see more of each other, have more cute little (and definitely sober for now) dates to the point that Jonghyun was amazed at the fact that they hadn't made anything official, or confess at the least, even after a month of this. Chanyeol didn't mind, and neither did Jongin. Though yes, Sehun still made fun of the two whenever he got a chance and Baekhyun would still steal away Chanyeol from time to time for traditional best friend stuff, the pair of deep voiced boys still stuck together.

Another hall meeting took place in mid-October, the single seater now consisting of Jongin and Chanyeol as Sehun was graciously kicked out and was forced to sit next to Jonghyun. The twelve boys all waited intently for whatever the RA had going for the meeting.

"First things first, because I should have actually told you guys after the voting, I have the results of the voting. Our secretary is Park Chanyeol, treasurer Byun Baekhyun, Vice President Oh Sehun--" Jonghyun almost choked at this turnout. He was pretty sure Yifan would win, but Silent Sehun? Everyone was just as shocked as he was. "Uh.. Wow. Didn't expect that. Last but not least, your president is Kim Jong--" Again, Jonghyun almost choked. Isn't Jongin new? How did he win presidency? Must be his looks. It must be a Kim Jong thing. A cocky smile painted Jonghyun's lips as his thoughts almost got the better of him, but he was pulled out of his little dream as a chorus of groans rang melodiously in his ears. 

"Another Kim Jong, huh." Yixing frowned, looking toward Jongdae who shamefully had his head hung. 

Jonghyun carelessly shrugged and brushed off the remark. "Congratulate your new cabinet members, hm? We're gonna go have dinner together tonight, so cancel your plans and procrastinate later, everyone. You have half an hour to get ready after the meeting!"

After the Olympics matter was stressed again and the RA gave some more announcements about campus events, there was a small ceremonious cheering for the four students. Soon following, though, the bodies became disgruntled as they dispersed once more to get ready for the celebratory dinner, leaving the cabinet members in the commons all looking at each other.

"Fate is such a wonderful thing," Baekhyun smiled, straightening himself out from laying down as he leaned against Sehun's side, in which to the other two's surprise, Sehun did nothing to push the older boy away. "Looks like we'll all be working together, yeah?"

Chanyeol and Jongin exchanged glances before looking back toward Baekhyun, simultaneously nodding to the fact before they both stood up and went to their respective rooms without another word.

"Life always works to our benefit," Sehun chuckled, playing with Baekhyun's fingers as he looked down at the other.

"There goes their date, though. They wanted to go to the arcade tonight, but Jonghyun totally butted in on their plans."

"What a shame, hm?"

Baekhyun could only chuckle as he got on his feet and helped the maknae up as well. "Sit next to me at dinner?"

"I'll even make sure Yeol and Jong sit right in front of us."

△△△△△

"Chanyeol, Chanyeol, Chanyeol!" Baekhyun almost squealed as he burst into their room rather excitedly, causing the mentioned boy to look up from his work and adjust his glasses. 

"Baekhyun, Baekhyun, Baekhyun," he chuckled softly as he reclined in his rolling chair. His attention, however, quickly went to the ball of fur that was in Baekhyun's arms. "What is--"

"Puppy Love!" Baekhyun interrupted as the white Maltese perked up from hearing the foreign sound of Chanyeol's bass, yipping at the intruder as Baekhyun had to calm the little pup down. "It's okay, Puppy Love, he's nice! I swear!" As if there was a weird language barrier between Chanyeol and the two puppies before him, he saw the Maltese calm down and snuggle back into Baekhyun's hold.

"He is your method of confession, Chanyeol," Baekhyun nodded as he perched himself on Chanyeol's desk, most especially on his papers that the studious boy was looking over for his exam tomorrow. What held him back from pushing Baekhyun off was what came out of his mouth.

"Method of confession?"

"Dude," Baekhyun deadpanned, and the Maltese so happened to have turned his head to look at Chanyeol with the same expression, "How long has it been? Two months and give or take a few weeks. This is crazy. You haven't confessed to the boy yet you two look like you'll get married tomorrow!" 

Chanyeol remained speechless as he was handed his "method", quite unsure of what to do as the little puppy stared up at the new owner before cuddling into the warmth of his lap. Chanyeol looked back up at Baekhyun with a small frown lining his lips. "How am I supposed to use this--"

"I heard that Jongin has a few pups of his own back home, but unfortunately he couldn't bring them with him. Use the clever name I gave your little blessing and ask him out already. Or share your feelings. One way or another."

After getting a small yet still confused nod from the younger boy, Baekhyun smiled brightly and was out of the room as fast as he came in, leaving Chanyeol dazed and a bit worried for himself as he looked down at the ball of white fur on his lap. The puppy sort of reminded him of Jongin: extremely adorable and cuddly, an angelic and innocent appearance and the cutest face he's ever seen.

It was right there and then that he started to think about what he could do with the pup for Jongin. 

Puppy Love...

△△△△△

"Did you just say a double date?"

"Why, afraid that we might catch you guys ing in the hot tub?"

"What-- What?! We've never even in the first place!"

"Kim Jongin."

"I swear."

Sehun shrugged. "Fine. Tell Chanyeol to give me back my vanilla then."

Jongin froze. "I--"

Sehun rolled his eyes and shoved Jongin over. "Look, Baekhyun and I just want all of us to get to know each other, and since we're a part of the house cabinet, we have to get along with each other and work as a damn team for a year. This is our idea, and you two are following it. Chanyeol's already on board, so I'm waiting on your to pack, princess."

Jongin was unfazed at how much Sehun has become more talkative over the semester, but his words never failed to hit him each and every time as he could only nod under the power of the vice president and begin to pack. "I'm only doing this because of that, not because it's a quote unquote double date."

"Oh?" Sehun inquired, raising a brow as he idly sat down on his bed. "Who said it would be you and Chanyeol regardless of it being a date or not? Oh no no no, my friend, we're the dating pair."

"Excuse me?!"

"You two don't have the balls to say anything to each other, and Chanyeol obliviously agreed to be Baekhyun's date since they're already gay friends for life, so I get the unfortunate honor of being yours." What angered Jongin as well as confused him all in a matter of seconds was that horribly bright and feigned innocent smile Sehun casted.

"You know, I think you're nice somewhere in there," Jongin blinked, reaching over and poking the other on the forehead as if to push a button.

Sadly, all he got was a kick to the thigh.

"Don't touch me, Jongin. Oh, and don't me up either~."

"ing , Sehun--"

△△△△△

Chanyeol's car was all packed and ready to go an hour later as the four of them piled into the car and headed off on their two hour journey. Baekhyun had somehow snuck the puppy into his lap unknown by Sehun and Jongin, as he was seated aside Chanyeol while the younger two sat in the back in all of their awkward glory, and the puppy was fast asleep. Baekhyun and Chanyeol kept the radio down and cared over the sleeping blessing as Chanyeol felt a wave of nervousness crash over him. He felt warmth replace the unwanted feeling when his eyes met Jongin's through the rear-view mirror, full of unspoken adoration and silent admiration.

That is, until Sehun slid over and his pair of suggestive eyes met Chanyeol’s, almost causing the older to swerve at the sudden appearance as Baekhyun slapped his shoulder for being so reckless.

Thankfully, Puppy Love didn't stir.

Damn you, Sehun.

They arrived with no trouble, Jongin having fallen asleep with an annoyed Sehun staring down at his poor shoulder supporting Jongin's head. He had to endure three days of this, and it wasn't going to be easy, but he had to since Jonghyun gave them "permission" to do this and miss a Monday class. You guys are going on a field trip to learn more about the culture of one another and explore why you think you exist Jonghyun had reasoned out, and as dumb as it sounded, it passed as a University absence.

Baekhyun was the first to get out, inhaling the fresh sea air that welcomed them before he hurried into the Park's beach house and the room he was sharing with Chanyeol, quietly putting Puppy Love down on the fresh cotton sheets before coming back out to grab his luggage and walk in together with the other three. Sehun and Jongin looked around in awe, never in their lives having seen such a beautiful place conveniently located on the shoreline of what looks to be a privately owned beach. Chanyeol explained that his family has owned this place for a long time now and that he would inherit it once he graduates. For the time being, it would be their new home.

"What to start with?" Jongin asked as he flopped down on the couch with a soft groan, limbs stretching every which way before he laid with an arm and leg hanging off the edge. Sehun casually sat on his lap, leaning back into the comfort of the couch and shrugged his shoulders as he looked up at the part-owner of the house. "Yeah, how are we going to start 'conducting our research'?"

Jongin whined at the additional weight of Baekhyun sitting way too comfortably on Sehun's lap, and he was lucky that he worked his core otherwise he would be a complaining mess right now. All that was left out of the mix was Chanyeol, who decided to play it safe and stand in front of the pile of bodies. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm going out for a swim."

Jongin immediately perked up. "I'll come too--"

"Nuh uh, lover boy, you're staying with me." Sehun casually declined in Jongin's stead as Baekhyun jumped up excitedly and ripped his clothes off to reveal a way too flat and way too white chest and some blue lagoon trunks.

"When was the last time you let the sun touch your skin, Baekhyun, geez, you're like a ghost." Sehun frowned, and was that a hint of worry embedded in his voice?

"I don't go out often, and this is the chance. Let's go go go, Yeolliepop!" Baekhyun exclaimed as he already rushed out the back door and ran maniacally toward the water. What a sight it was to watch Baekhyun face plant onto the sand. As if for once the three remaining synced, they all thought that he deserved it. They don't know for what, but they thought so.

~

Night soon feel upon Baekhyun and Chanyeol as they walked back inside after playing in the water for so long. They were pruned all over, but they didn't care. It was almost like a tradition for them: every time they came here with Chanyeol's family, the two would always disappear into the water and frequent inside for a quick snack or a bathroom break, but other than that their day was spend in the water. It didn't matter that they were in college now; they still had the mentality of high schoolers. Youth is such a wonderful thing for them.

The small talk about a chemistry professor slowly died as Chanyeol took in the scene he found in the living room. There he was, a mere ten feet away from Kim Jongin, who was fast asleep and snuggling up Sehun as if he was the most comfortable thing in the world. He couldn't help but to notice his sharp jawline, the way his lashes fanned along his cheeks and the soft snores that occasionally left his parted lips. His toned muscles were tense, probably having a bad dream or something, and he chose right there and then to hum unconsciously and let out a small moan of Chanyeol's name.

Sehun froze.

Baekhyun's jaw was unhinged.

Chanyeol? A strawberry couldn't be found if it were pressed against his cheeks as he felt a small twitch due south. "Oh --" 

Baekhyun frowned and looked at his best friend. "Yah, I swear if you're starting to get a--"

"Shut up!" Chanyeol hissed as he excused himself to take the first shower.. and to also relieve himself of his very rude surprise that woke up just because a simple call of his name. 

Sehun and Baekhyun exchanged smirks as the latter walked past Sehun, making sure to give him an affectionate ruffle of the hair before disappearing to shower in Sehun and Jongin's bathroom.

A few minutes later, Jongin stirred as he comfortably found himself in someone's hold, his head resting on their arm as his arms tightened around the other's torso. He inhaled deeply, only to be welcomed by the strong scent of strawberries rather than the assumed vanilla. Jongin snapped his head up and immediately groaned at the face he saw.

"Good morning, princess~."

"What is up with you and calling me a princess."

"You did a rather incredible thing just now, though. I'm completely amazed."

Jongin's brows furrowed as he tilted his head the slightest. "What...?"

"Let's just say you should use your morning voice on Chanyeol more often." Sehun teased.

"What even are you talking about," Jongin grumbled as he stuck to the warmth that Sehun didn't push him away from, refusing to inhale deeply since he didn't want that scent to stick in his nostrils. "You're so weird, Sehun."

"And you're such a coward. I might as well confess to Chanyeol for you." Sehun deadpanned as he prodded Jongin's side, who squirmed and pressed further against Sehun in return.

"Why can't I wait for him to confess?" Jongin frowned as he fiddled with the fabric of Sehun's shirt.

"Because according to Byun Baek, he's just as scared to confess to you as you are to him. See? You guys just need to step out of the damn comfort zone and be together already."

Jongin blinked and looked up at the maknae again. "Wait. Is the whole reason why we're here--"

"Dinner time!"

Baekhyun twirled into the living room with one of Chanyeol's shirts on and a pair of briefs, all smiles and sparkles from the rather short shower he took.

"Did Cinderella's animals help you shower or something?" Sehun chuckled, his attitude completely different when it came to Baekhyun, now that Jongin had noticed. He didn't complain, quite satisfied with what he had anyway as he acknowledged Baekhyun's presence with a small wave of the hand.

"Oh please," Baekhyun scoffed, "I'm just happy I'm away from all of my engineering work." 

"Anyway, you and Yeol're cooking, right?"

"No, that's tomorrow. We're ordering tonight!"

"I'll have whatever you're getting."

Baekhyun hummed in response as he sauntered into the kitchen to get a drink of water.

Chanyeol finally emerged all fresh and clean to join the others in the living room, the four of them agreeing to buy two whole teriyaki chickens and side dishes for dinner. 

"So..." Jongin initiated again, now seated on the floor but still next to Sehun as Baekhyun and Chanyeol sat across from them. "What to do?"

"I'm gonna go check on something," Sehun casually replied, giving Baekhyun a small look as they silently agreed on something.

"Can I come with?" Baekhyun innocently asked, causing the other two to look up at the pair who seemed to want to run away. With a quick nod from the maknae, Baekhyun followed him out of the living room and to his bedroom. Once they entered the space and locked the door, Sehun's curious tongue and lips commenced their check on the particular thing, and Baekhyun had never had to muffle his sounds so much until today.

Jongin conveniently busied himself with looking down at his extremely fascinating and interesting fingers, leaving Chanyeol to once again gawk in awe at how lively and amazing Jongin's features were. There was just something about his eyes, his cute little nose, his full lips, that had Chanyeol howling at the moon. The observed boy so happened to look up, and their eyes met. 

Had they not drowned out everything else in the world, they would've heard a sultry moan of Sehun's name and a loud bang of the door. Probably Baekhyun's head hitting against the wooden plank because Sehun's definitely doing something right in there.

They stayed like this for a while, eyes locked and messages send to each other through silent means as well as smiles starting to form on their lips. Chanyeol started to lean in, and Jongin was sitting as still as he could. He didn't move away, nor did he close the space either, but there was a sort mutual agreement between them, one that went unsaid. Jongin's eyes were half lidded by the time he felt Chanyeol's nose brush along his own, the fluttering of his heart never leaving as he inhaled softly and anticipated. The distance was slowly disappearing, three inches, two inches, one...

wonsungi eongdeongineun ppalgae~ what! ppalgan geon hyuna hyunaneun yeah!

Chanyeol froze, flushing lightly as he could hear the quiet chuckle that Jongin was trying to hide, leaning away and scrambling into his pocket, he started to curse whoever ruined the perfect moment for their first real kiss before he quickly took it all back and self-promised to repent as he picked up and spoke with a softened voice. 

"O-Oh, umma..." 

△△△△△

Chanyeol was still on the phone with his mother, and Jongin tucked himself away at the dining table to give him the privacy he needed. Every now and then, he would look over at the long body sprawled on the couch, replying to his mother with either long sentences or short statements of agreement or denial, focusing on the highs and lows of his voice, how his fingers would casually rest through his locks and the long hums that could instead be his name again leaving his lips in such a manner.

You sick ert, Jongin. 

He quickly shook his head and continued to play Superstar SMTown before he heard a knock on the door. Jongin didn't know where Sehun and Baekhyun had gone off to, and he didn't want Chanyeol to excuse himself, so he grabbed his wallet and headed to the door. The delivery guy gave him the orders and Jongin tipped extra and thanked the kind man before sending him off, leaving Jongin to set the food up at the coffee table in front of Chanyeol, who so happened to look over and smiled through his words. 

Jongin decided to stay with Chanyeol this time, sitting in front of Chanyeol with his back to the couch as he put his earbuds in and continued his game on TVXQ's 'Dream'. When he felt his tresses being played with, a warm smile settled onto his lips, and surprisingly, he scored better than he ever had with the next few songs as well.

Sehun and Baekhyun emerged from their doings just as Chanyeol was about to kiss Jongin again, and the look on their faces were pure gold as they were caught in the action, Jongin turning away with reddening cheeks as Chanyeol only sighs as this was the second time he failed. Fate was lovely, but it was also a cruel thing toward Jongin and Chanyeol.

“Let’s eat!” Baekhyun piped up as he dragged the now stoic youngster behind him and tugged him down to sit beside his eager self. Jongin could’ve sworn there was something white stuck at the corner of his lips, but then again he had no idea what the hell the two were doing so he decided not to question.

They partook of the chicken quite well, engaging in small and ever-changing conversations as Sehun only chimed in at the most opportune moment to make fun of a fellow floormate, usually pulling a small laughter out of all of them. For once in their lives, they set aside their differences and unveiled their true selves underneath the masks college cloaked on them. Sehun genuinely smiled in front of them, Chanyeol showed his vast knowledge when asked, Baekhyun felt nice and at home, and Jongin finally felt the sense of belonging with his friends. He wanted to call them his best friends, but not yet.

Once the side dishes were chowed down as well, Chanyeol and Sehun volunteered to clean up, leaving Baekhyun and Jongin both watching their roommates argue about why Sehun hadn’t put up his Girl’s Generation posters. I didn’t want Jongin to think I was weird he frowned. Oh, and having every flavor of condoms there are out there possible isn’t weird, huh Chanyeol replied, defending himself from the whack he was about to receive.

Jongin and Baekhyun simultaneously laughed, exhaling softly as the former’s eyes stayed on the elder while the latter stayed on the maknae. Both were lost in their own little fantasies, riding the train of thoughts that only consisted of them and the person they had their eyes on.

“So, Chanyeol’s your best friend?” Jongin simply asked as he looked over at Baekhyun, who replied with a small nod and met the younger’s eyes.

“Ever since sophomore year of high school, yes.” Baekhyun grinned. “Even though he looks lost almost 110% of the time and he can’t dress himself nicely without my help, he’s actually a pretty good guy.”

“He really is,” Jongin agreed.

“I.. We. Sehun and I. We want the best for you two, hm?” This was a new, softer Baekhyun that Jongin was talking to, and he didn’t know where he came from but he didn’t want to question it as he complied.

“One day, hyung,” Jongin promised with a small nod, “I just.. I really like him and he makes me feel all of these things and I’ve never felt them before and I just don’t know what to do with myself every time I’m around him.”

“Love does crazy things for you, princess.”

Jongin was so deep into talking about Chanyeol that he didn’t realize the pet name came out of Baekhyun’s mouth. “I don’t want to say that I love him… Yet! Yet yet yet yet yet not yet. I don’t think I’m ready. My heart is just telling me to go to him because.. well.. it’s Chanyeol.” Jongin played a goofy smile on his lips, soon covering it up with the back of his hands as his gaze went back to the person who claimed his heart. “I want to be his…”

“Do it tomorrow, Chanyeol.”

“Sehun, it’s not that easy.”

On the flip side, Chanyeol and Sehun were discussing the same matters in the kitchen after they had fooled around with each other and Sehun somehow won whatever it was that they were playing.

“Look, I’m not going to sit around in my room any longer listening to Jongin talk about you day in and day out without knowing that he’s yours. You never know, some other guy can come up and swipe him away just by a mere glance the same way you swept him off of his feet that day you showed up with just a towel. I heard that Taemin kid from Yong Guk’s floor has an eye for him. Do you want to lose Kim Jongin, the person that’s so obsessed over you, the guy who you’ve done things with that you’ve never done with your previous girlfriends before, the guy who can give you a ing just by your name, to Taemin? Huh? Do you?”

There were things in Sehun’s monologue that hit Chanyeol hard, and all it took was one look at Jongin smiling down at his lap to realize that he really liked Jongin. He had to have Jongin by him. It wasn’t anyone else. It couldn’t be anyone else. Kim Jongin made him feel things that he didn’t know he could feel, and he didn’t want anyone else to experience that beautiful smile, the way his tanned skin felt underneath his fingertips, how he gets shy so easily.

“The day we leave,” Chanyeol finally said, a glint of determination settled in his eyes as he nodded to himself, “I’ll do it then.”

There came a satisfied smile from Sehun as he gave Chanyeol a few pats to the top of his head. “You know, you’re actually not that dumb.”

“For ’s sake, maknae, I’m smarter than you!”

△△△△△

Day two of their supposed researching was spend rather leisurely. Sehun had taken Jongin on a drive around the surrounding city since he was still new to the area, leaving Baekhyun and Chanyeol at the beach house to figure out what exactly it was they were going to do with Puppy Love.

“Got any ideas yet?” Chanyeol frowned as he looked over at the bigger puppy playing with the smaller puppy. They let him run out and around the house since the other two left, and he had never been more excited to be in such a big and spacious place. The pup pawed at Baekhyun’s leg, and he couldn’t help but to smile fondly at the adorable little ball of fur.

“Not yet… Oh! How about a poem?” Baekhyun glanced over at Chanyeol.

“I’m not that creative, though.”

“How about a straight up ‘Hey, I like you. Here, have this puppy’ and voila, you’re done.”

“Um, I kinda want to be more eventful than that.

bbh: hey, i miss you.

“You want something that Jongin will never forget, hm?”

“Yes, so I can’t just take the simple way out of this. Or rather in…”

Baekhyun exhaled and ruffled his messy locks. He was still dressed in the same shirt and briefs, refusing to change since he had nowhere to go.

osh: hey, stop being cute.

“What’re you smiling at?”

“What,” Baekhyun blinked, shaking his head furiously, “Nothing, nothing.”

bbh: you’re gonna get me caught by chanyeol, idiot. how’re things going there?

“I think I got it, but I’ll definitely need your help.” Chanyeol finally concluded.

osh: we’re at the arcade. something about wanting to get chanyeol a matching alpaca.

bbh: stay out of here for as long as you can. hell, drive back to campus and say you forgot something. Chanyeol’s just starting.

“I’ll be glad to help you, Yeol.” Baekhyun beamed.

osh: we might as well spend the night on campus.

bbh: that would be perfect tbh.

osh: uh. no. we’ll come back at one in the morning. miss you. exoexo

bbh: sldkfjslkdf stop yourself. miss you too, pabo.

Sehun exhaled as he finally caught sight of Jongin walking back out of the dark vicinity with a blue alpaca that had on a little bowtie and top hat. “This was what you wanted to win?”

“Well Chanyeol got me one with a dress on,” Jongin frowned, hugging the plush to his chest as he blew his bangs away, “Why not get the mister to the misses?”

“You are literally so…” Sehun grumbled the rest of the sentence, leaving it up to Jongin to ask what he said in which he decided not to.

“Where’re we going next, Sehun?” Jongin asked as they slid back into the sleek car that Chanyeol had let them use, watching as Sehun revved up the engine and hit the road in no time flat.

“Namsan Tower.”

△△△△△

Jongin wore a definite frown when he felt like he was being woken up. A muffled call of his name was heard, and with each passing second the name became clearer and clearer. It was the voice that he belatedly registered that caused him to wake right up, eyes fluttering open to meet the angel who had invaded his dreams recently.

“Wake up, Jongin~.”

Where this cute demeanor of Chanyeol’s was coming from, Jongin didn’t know, but he hoped that he got to see more of it in the future.

The waked boy grabbed his phone to check the time only to wear the depression of his lips as he looked up at the older boy. “Yeollie, it’s 6 AM…”

“I know, I know, and I’m sorry,” Chanyeol quickly apologized, “Come with me for a little bit?”

Jongin couldn’t say no to any of his offers, so he quietly got out of his bed and left Sehun sprawled on the other half of the bed. He let Chanyeol grab his hand as they intertwined so casually, the younger boy letting the other lead him to wherever it was that he was going.

“Okay, don’t be scared,” Chanyeol hesitated a bit as he stopped Jongin in the hallway, pulling out a black bandana and wrapping it around his eyes, “I’m not going to kidnap you, though it’s pretty evident that you’ve already kidnapped my heart.”

“Just ease into the moment, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun had told him last night as they finished the preparations, “It’ll be much easier to slowly build up to the . Which reminds me, how is he in bed—?”

Focus, Chanyeol!

Jongin was a bit confused, but he had enough trust in Chanyeol that the other boy could work with, lacing their fingers together again as he slowly led Jongin through the living room.

“Maybe it was the first day I saw you, but there was definitely some spark between us that I felt. I wasn’t exactly as presentable as I wish I was, but all that matters was that I got to see your beautiful self for the first time in my life and I was captivated just like that. It’s rather amazing how quick it all happened, but before I knew it, I started to think about you. A lot. All of the time. , you never left my mind, Jongin.”

They were at the door of the patio, Chanyeol carefully guiding the blinded boy out whose heart was beating way too fast for him to focus on anything else.

“Days turned into weeks, and I took you out on our first date. It was a pleasant time, and I got the honor to watch you laugh, to watch you smile, to look at you under an angelic light for the first time. My feelings for you skyrocketed at that moment, and I had it set and stone that I wanted you with me. I wanted to be more than just your friend. I wanted to get to know you better, all of the things that make you show your pearly whites, every little thing that makes you squirm and scared. I want to be the only person who knows how to comfort you when you’re sad, or relieve you of your stress whenever you’re just not feeling anything.”

There was a small pause, and Jongin didn’t know how much more of all of this he could take. The sand caressing his toes and the cool breeze brushing along his skin soothed him, but nothing could beat the hold of Chanyeol’s hand. He stood still as did Chanyeol, anticipating for whatever was coming next as he fought the tears that were getting ready to soak the bandana.

“We’ve spent so much time together, and I know there are days where we just put ourselves before our homework because we just need to be with each other that much. I’m grateful for the days I kicked Baekhyun out and we slept in the same room, grateful for the little coffee dates we go on just because, grateful that you welcomed me in to your life just as easily and warmly as I welcomed you in. I’ve never had my heart flutter like this before, and sometimes I would lay awake knowing that you’re just a wall away. I would think to myself, ‘Is he thinking about me? ‘Is he imagining how our next adventure will be like? Is he eating well? Sleeping well?’. You’re.. always on my mind, Kim Jongin, and I don’t regret your place in my mind one bit.”

Chanyeol felt himself inhaling for the first time since he started speaking, letting go of Jongin’s had to slowly untie the fabric from his eyes. He slowly blinked up at Chanyeol, willing himself from letting any tears fall since this was all too emotional for him to handle. He thought Chanyeol was done, that what was coming next was what he’s been waiting so long for (if you count six weeks ‘so long’) but that point wasn’t reached just yet.

Chanyeol had crouched down and opened up a small cage, pulling something out that Jongin couldn’t quite decipher. What he did see on the little ball of fluff was a pink bow and a huge something that read some sort of name.

“I guess you can say that what I had for you was innocent Puppy Love.”

As if on command, the Maltese yipped and Jongin’s lips parted, even though no words or sounds seemed to want to escape. His smile grew wide at the sight of the white bundle of cuteness, carefully picking the puppy up and finally reading the name that was on the tag.

Puppy Love.

“I know you had to leave your little ones back home, but I.. no, Baekhyun managed to convince the RA that you could have this little one. I hope you really really really like him. He seems to be taking a liking to you.” Chanyeol chuckled as he watched the puppy paw at Jongin’s chest before panting in excitement.

Jongin was too moved for words: here he was, waking up to the most beautiful sunrise first of all and receiving the most perfect gift from the most perfect guy, and he didn’t know if he really deserved all of this.

“Jongin?”

“Hm?”

“I like you.”

“I know.”

The two laughed at the obvious moment as Chanyeol took two steps to stand right next to Jongin, admiring Puppy Love lovingly as if they were parents to a newborn child.

“Hm? What’s this?” Jongin blinked as he turned the tag over.

Be my one and only?

This was the Baekhyun talked about as he saw the glistening of Jongin’s eyes, lips pursed to suppress any embarrassing sobbing sounds that dared threatened to leave his lips. He looked up at the perfection next to him, all crooked smiles and sniffing as the emotions got the better of him. Unable to voice out a coherent words, Jongin ferociously nodded his head.

Chanyeol turned the younger boy to face him, hands coming up to softly caress the apples of Jongin’s cheeks. His thumbs soothed over the small streaks that stained the cheeks, and with a curious little puppy panting and looking up between the two new lovers, Chanyeol finally closed the space between their lips in a warm and romantic kiss. This was what the two wanted to remember their first kiss feeling like, slow movements along the sweet tasting lips of each other, innocent smiles pressed along the couplets, something that wasn’t the sloppy mess of teeth and tongues that was their drunk kiss but rather something gentle and light like so.

Jongin was the first to pull away only to rest his forehead on Chanyeol’s chest, unable to calm down the smile that had permanently settled on his face. Chanyeol didn’t mind, hugging his boyfriend snugly as he murmured to the top of his head, “You know, you’re the first guy I fell head over heels for (Jongin blushed hearing this) and the first person I’ve felt so committed to (The blush deepened)  and most definitely the first person I’ll strive to fall in love with. (By now, his cheeks were redder than tomatoes).”

After a few more moments of being in the warmth of Chanyeol’s arms, he pulled away first and told the other to wait there, quickly rushing to let Puppy Love stay inside of the house. The little pup immediately came back to the glass door to watch Jongin run back to Chanyeol and jump him, the two bodies tipping over and falling into the sand in a fit of laughter before lips met again. There was a small tilt of the pup’s head as he saw clothes being discarded, and that was when Baekhyun scooped Puppy Love up and shielded his innocent little eyes from the sin that was being committed out there. Well, a sin in the puppy world.

“I swear, these two should’ve at least made it to one of the beds,” Baekhyun groaned, but there was a small chuckle that soon followed as a sigh of content left his lips. “You finally did it, idiot.”

Baekhyun felt arms wind around his waist and a gentle kiss tickle his neck, not needing to turn back to know who was giving him such a warm blessing as both boys looked outside with no shame.

Contrasting the drunken adventure they had at the beginning of the school year, their love making was slow and steady, taking the time to get to know each other physically.

“They’re finally together, huh.” Sehun mused as he soon got bored watching the couple, fluttering gentle kisses along Baekhyun’s neck.

“Finally. I watched it all go down from the moment they woke up.”

“I was dead asleep. That’s not fair.” Sehun murmured.

“You missed Jongin crying~.” Baekhyun casually teased.

“I’m pretty sure you recorded it all.”

“You know me so well, Sehun-ah.”

The two emitted a soft simultaneous chuckle, both leaving the view to head back to Baekhyun’s room. Once they were far enough in the house, Baekhyun let Puppy Love go, only to watch him bark and scamper excitedly all the way back to the glass pane.

“He’s gonna pick up bad habit from those idiots,” Baekhyun chuckled as he cuddled with Sehun on the bed, allowing himself to be taken into Sehun’s warm arms as the maknae pressed a small kiss to the top of Baekhyun’s head.

“It’s okay; that’s their fault.”

“Hey, guess what?”

Sehun glanced down to meet Baekhyun’s eyes, and he drowned in the chocolate bliss he was blessed with. “What, baby?”

“Saranghae.”

Baekhyun’s eyes fluttered close as he felt his boyfriend’s lips press along his own in a lingered fashion, feeling Sehun pull away the slightest bit as he casted a small smile onto his lips and whispered back.

“Nado saranghae, and happy anniversary.”

“Happy three years, Sehun-ah.”

△△△△△△△△△△△△△△△△△△△△△△△△△

The day before graduation – 3 years later.

“Where are you taking me so early?” A groaned voice muttered as the owner was dragged up the many steps to the destination.

“We’re here at the Namsan Tower, Chanyeol. Where do you think we’re going?” Jongin frowned at his stubborn boyfriend. He wanted to be there right when they opened so that he could have the rest of the day to spend their last day of being college slaves.

“Do you want something from there, baby?” Chanyeol asked.

Jongin shook his head. “Just shut up and let me take you somewhere for once without questions.”

A small chuckle left Chanyeol’s lips as he tugged Jongin into his embrace, his back pressed up against his chest as the taller left a small kiss on the shell of Jongin’s ear. “Fine, fine. I’ve spoiled you way too much as it is, so I guess it’s your turn.”

“That’s all I ask for,” Jongin murmured, biting back a smile that came with being in Chanyeol’s arms, “Guess how much I love you?”

“Hm? How much?”

“To the moon and back infinitely.”

“Since when did you become so cheesy?” Chanyeol chuckled as he gave his boyfriend a small squeeze.

“Ever since you made me cry all of those years ago. I’ll never forget. One day, I’m going to give back all of the cheese you spilled on me.” Jongin nodded, determine to keep that promise as he pointed to the doors that opened. “Let’s go!”

Leaving in a chorus of laughter, the two men walked into the building and made their way up to the very top of the tower. It’s been a while for Jongin since the last time he was here was with Sehun. The reason at first was unknown to the boy, but once they reached the top, Jongin had a hunch as to what he was going to do.

This very reason was why he had brought Chanyeol as he inclined his head when Jongin simply smiled at him.

“Have a look around.”

“… Kim Jongin—“

“Yah,” Jongin chuckled softly as he gave the taller male a slight pull, “Just do it.”

With a frown settled on his lips, Chanyeol shuffled to a random area of the mass of locks, eyes trailing along the numerous colors and sizes of the chained metals as he replaced the depression with an appreciation of the corner of his lips. The messages he skimmed over were cute and cheesy, all in different languages, but nonetheless holding the true universal meaning. He felt his heart flutter, noticing that some of the messages could vaguely represent his relationship he had with Jongin.

Chanyeol stopped in front of a medium-sized lock, one that had caught his attention because of the light shade and the all too familiar handwriting. He held the lock between his fingers, feeling a pair of arms snuggly wrap around his torso as the words were read out loud.

when you trip over love, it is easy to get up.
but when you fall in love, it is impossible to stand again.

pcy ♡ kji

“Sehun brought me up here when we all went for that little vacation trip, and I swear he forced me to write something for you. I… I was really scared back then since it was right before you confessed, and I didn’t know what to put on the lock so I just searched up something real quick. Albert Einstein really saved me,” Jongin paused to chuckle softly, leaning up a bit to press a small kiss to the lobe of Chanyeol’s ear, “I promised myself that I would bring you up here before our graduation and here we are. It’s not that cheesy but I just wanted—“

Jongin’s voice was muffled and he didn’t register the source of the muffler until he felt a pair of lips mold along his own, eyes slowly fluttering close as he melted against the slow and romantic connection that was made. The moment only lasted so long before he felt the lips parts from his pair, lashes fluttering as he met Chanyeol’s loving gaze.

“It’s perfect, Jongin. I love it. I… I love you.”

There they were, the three words that Kim Jongin had always dreamed of. He never knew how amazing and warm he would feel hearing the words, but now he can testify that he had never felt so loved and overwhelmed in his life. There was a shining smile, a moment of silence between the two used to convey a thousand silent words that still couldn’t compose the amount of affection they had for one another.

A soft exhale escaped from Jongin’s lips, eyes staying on Chanyeol’s ocean of bliss as he tugged a small smile onto his features and softly responded,

“I love you too, Chanyeol.”

 

a/n: this is a mess and i don't know where this was supposed to go but i love my two fave ships chankai and sebaek so that just magically happened. um. yeah! i'm going to beta this when i have time in a few days but i really wanted to get this ot before i fly back home for the week!!! i may or may not write the sebaek backstory. not sure yet. weeps. bye!!! and thanks for reading through the 12k of whatever this is. q u q