“Want me to go with you?”

                Jongdae sighs at the question asked by the older male. He knows he's worried – knows he's afraid that Jongdae's still angry about the double date. They both are, but there's no changing that so Jongdae runs his fingers through his hair and turns to Lu Han with a small smile. “No, it's fine.” Jongdae replies, “You have a date, anyway. I don't want you to change your plans because of me. Just have some fun and I'll be fine on my own.”

                Lu Han looks at him for a while before his shoulders slump in defeat. “Alright then. Take care, okay?” He asks, and Jongdae flashes him two thumbs up just to assure him. It really isn't Lu Han's fault he's angry. It's just Zitao – but more importantly him. He can't allow himself to be angry at Zitao, he can't let himself wallow in the darkness and cry about what happened in the date. To end that, Jongdae decidedly goes to the bar alone, on a day where he knows Lu Han is most likely busy. He doesn't want Lu Han to find someone for him to sleep with after what happened, even if he knows Lu Han won't set him up with Zitao again, but to put it simply, he just wants to go alone.

                Sporting his tight jeans and a leather jacket over his white t-shirt, Jongdae downs a couple of beers as soon as he gets to the bar. When he's done, he's walking over to the dance floor, drunk and tipsy. 

                Soon enough (like he hoped to), Jongdae finds himself pressing up relentlessly against a man, in the bright coloured club, in the sea of people on the dance floor. The man is probably just as drunk as he is, and Jongdae doesn't even want to question how they began grinding up against each other but he lets it slide, lets the man hold his tiny waist as they move to the loud music. Jongdae bites his lower lip when the man buries his face in the crook of his neck, and as he lays his palm flat against the man's chest Jongdae finally got a grip of himself, because hell yeah, he's finally getting laid.

                He pats the man's shoulder and it takes a while for the man to pull away from his neck. Jongdae finally takes a good look at the man who's going to spend the night with him.

                He's not quite sure why he's disappointed to find out it's not Zitao. 

                Jongdae shakes his head at the thought and extends his arms to wrap them around the man's neck so he can kiss him sloppily. This isn't the time for him to think about Zitao. Sure, the reason why he went out clubbing was because he wanted to forget about him, but it's not like he wanted to sleep with him again. He's done with Zitao, for now he wants to get satisfied. The man lifts him up easily with an arm around his waist, and Jongdae finds it hard to ignore the man's now.

                When Jongdae pulls away, the look in the man's eyes tell him everything, and he grabs hold of the man's hand before leading him out of the club. A promising smile is plastered on both of their faces, and thankfully the walk to Jongdae's apartment doesn't take that long. By the time they reach there the man presses him against the back of the door, and Jongdae's just grateful Lu Han's not in the apartment. It's going to be a long night.

                On the next day, there's a thought that lingers in Jongdae's mind: It's not easy.

                Jongdae wakes up in time to see the male sit up on the bed. His back is facing Jongdae, and Jongdae doesn’t speak up, just watches as the man reaches down to grab his pants and look for his phone. If Jongdae were to describe the events that occurred the night before, he would say that it was a blur. Everything felt as if it was happening too quickly, everything went over Jongdae's head and he couldn't comprehend the situation that he just couldn't care.

                However, one thing that Jongdae was sure of was that Zitao was on his mind the whole time.

                He remembers this because he feels upset – a bit pissed – and the only thing that he's aware of that makes him feel this way is Zitao.

                A few minutes later the male puts his phone down and scratches his head. “I should probably go now.” Jongdae hears him mumble to himself, and then he's standing up from the bed.

                “Wait,” Jongdae calls out before he can stop himself. The male turns around slowly, expression surprised as Jongdae reaches a hand out. “Don't go.”

                The male doesn't leave him hanging, instead just holds Jongdae's hand, a sincerely worried look on his face. “What's the matter?”

                Jongdae really isn't sure why he's doing this. He avoids eye contact with the taller male. “I'm upset.”

                From his peripheral vision he sees the man's expression soften visibly. He slowly intertwines his fingers with Jongdae and returns back to the bed. “Do you mind if I ask why?” He asks, using his free hand to run his fingers through Jongdae's hair.

                Jongdae furrows his brows and shuts his eyes, leaning in towards the man's touch. “It's complicated.” He says, and Zitao appears behind his eyelids. Only a few days have passed since his date with Zitao, and Jongdae admits, he really thinks It's too soon for him to be doing this. Then again, if he doesn't do this, it'll take a longer time for him to get over Zitao. He wants to get over him. It may be easy for him to find someone to sleep with, but getting over Zitao, Jongdae tells himself, won't be easy.

                Jongdae feels an arm wrap itself around his small frame, and the man doesn't question him anymore.

~

Zitao did not expect this.

                The dim light coming from his laptop shines in the darkness of his room. Zitao stares at his laptop screen with an intense look in his eyes, his chin resting on the palm of his hand as he moves the pads of his fingers across the mouse pad. It's late, the atmosphere is quiet, he can hear his own steady breathing and he bites his lower lip, deep in thought. What's so interesting that has Zitao staying up late in his room?

                His online dating profile.

                The notifications showed one new match, and Zitao is doing nothing but stare at it, wondering if this is actually happening. For some unknown reason (or maybe he's just grateful that Lu Han made him an online dating profile) he decides to call Lu Han about it, tell him about the hot lady that he matched with, the pretty lady that caught his attention. He's been ignoring all his past matches and he's just glad he didn't ignore this one.

                Needless to say, Lu Han encourages him, tells him to talk to the lady and ask her out on a date. Zitao smiles at the suggestion, not even worried about why Lu Han was awake in the middle of the night and instead he stares at her profile a bit more before considering it. He's excited about it, because at least he has a chance with her – it's not like – wait. He did have a chance with...

                With...

                He just...

                Zitao sighs. Jongdae hasn't stopped appearing in his thoughts ever since their date. It's normal, Zitao tells himself countless times, but it's been a week. It should have stopped by now, right? Zitao forces himself to push the memory to the back of his head. Just thinking about it made him lose his mood, so he finds it important that Jongdae should stop crossing his mind from time to time.

                Lu Han had set them both together, and Zitao guesses he had a legitimate reason to do that. Did he think that Jongdae and Zitao were a perfect match? Zitao rubs his eyes, feeling sleepy. Initially, he thought so too.

                Jongdae, despite being sarcastic and harsh, is kind and caring. In that moment when they were together, Zitao got to witness both sides of Jongdae, and the thought of it made him feel special in a way. Jongdae's comments got along with his choice of words, and Zitao often made him laugh, often saw him smile widely like he was content. When it came to him that Jongdae was his one night stand, Zitao couldn't see him differently from that. He was firm about not wanting to see Jongdae ever since the date, so if anything, he's definitely looking forward to seeing his new match.

                On the following day, he talks to Baekhyun about it. The shorter male whistles at the woman's profile picture when Zitao shows it to him, and he receives more encouragement. The name Zhang Liyin is displayed on his phone screen, and smiles at himself before gathering his courage to talk to the lady.

                A few hours into texting each other, Zitao finds himself enjoying their conversation probably much more than he should. It goes without saying that they're both attracted to one another, and before he knows it he's already getting himself ready on the next day for their very first date. Lu Han and his colleagues demand him to tell them how the date goes tomorrow and he makes sure to look his very best on the date. She is a mature lady, Zitao can tell, and he deems it important that he doesn't make a fool out of himself.

                The restaurant that they decided to meet up in isn't crowded, and they are seated at a booth where the dimness of the area is just perfect for Zitao to achieve a calming feeling for the date. Liyin looks beautiful in her red dress – it accentuates the curves of her body, and the bright shade of red is doing a good job at making her lips pop out. She smiles, eyes bright and it looks like she's glowing despite the dim lighting in their area.

                Her hair (a shade lighter than Jongdae's, Zitao notes), is styled beautifully in a wave, and Zitao thinks that that must have taken hours to prepare. He smiles warmly at her and showers her with compliments that never fail to make her blush. As Zitao watches her duck her head down to hide her blush, Zitao sighs dreamily. Yeah, he can get used to this.

                “What was it that you do again?” He asks, laying his chin on his palm and leaning closer towards her just to show that he's listening carefully.

                “I'm an engineer.” She replies, picking up the glass of wine before bringing them closer to her lips.

                Oh, just like Jongdae, Zitao thinks to himself. He flinches inside as vague thoughts about Jongdae filled his mind and returns his attention back to her. “Is it tough? Are you usually tired by the time you finish work?”

                “Definitely, but it's all fine. I sometimes do yoga exercises to relieve myself from the stress.” She says, and Zitao nods his head, impressed.

                “That's interesting. I have a friend... who's also an engineer, and he usually just sleeps the moment he comes back home from work. It must be really tiring.” He is clearly referring to Lu Han about that. Well, he knows that Jongdae does the same thing so maybe he's referring to the both of them. God, why is he even thinking about Jongdae?

                “Yeah it is, but I can manage.” She says, and Zitao gives her an amused look. She stares back at him fondly, and Zitao may be enjoying the date too much. 

                Their dinner arrives and they talk over it. Their talk includes annoying colleagues and funny tales that Zitao feels as if it just clicks – they have so much in common. Everything goes well, and Zitao foolishly wishes that this pleasant talk they are having lasts for as long as he wants. By the time they finish eating, Liyin excuses herself so she could go to the restroom and Zitao pays for the date, walks out of the restaurant and waits for her until she comes out. 

                Zitao holds his arm out when she steps out and she grips it without hesitance, already feeling comfortable with him. They take their time on the way back home. Zitao knows that both of them intend to keep the talk going on, knows that both of them don't want the date to end just yet. In that night Zitao discovers that she is a really kind and understanding lady, and that's what makes him interested. The sky is dark and the street is quiet, Liying holds his arm tightly, probably hoping that he doesn't pull away while they talk their night away, while they talk until Zitao sends her home safely. 

                Zitao doesn't intend to sleep with her just yet. He respects her, and maybe just a peck on the lips is just enough to end the date. She does just that, hands cupping Zitao's face so she could lean in and press their lips together in a soft, chaste kiss. “This has been nice, Zitao.” She says when they pull away. “I enjoyed the date.”

                The taller male gives her a warm smile, obviously pleased to hear that from Liyin's mouth. “Me too.” He tells her, “See you soon, Liyin.”

~

Maybe, just maybe, Jongdae's being dramatic.

                As he stares at the busy road out his window, the oversized t-shirt envelopes him in the man's scent. He just can't help but think about Zitao at these times, when he's alone in his room, longing for some sort of comfort or company. He's had a lot of one night stands before, however none of them have ever left a big impact on Jongdae like Zitao did. Only now did Jongdae realize that Zitao left him wanting more. Even now, all he wants is to be in Zitao's arms, have him brush his lips against his ear and tell him that whatever happened in the date was nothing. He knows he wants to get over the taller male but Zitao just keeps popping up in his mind from time to time. 

                Lu Han has been going to Sehun's place for the past few days, uncaring of the new presence in the apartment and because of this he's left alone with the taller male. They talk a lot, about nothing in particular, and Jongdae does enjoy the easiness that's going on between them. That is where the other man comes to his mind, bring him down from his dream world to their reality, where he is in his arms, not Zitao's.

                He's just angry. Angry about how Zitao took their situation differently. Angry about how Zitao decided that it was best that he doesn't see Jongdae for now. 

                “There you are.” Jongdae hears a relieved voice call out. He smiles warmly at what the man said, because at least he knows that the man was concerned about him. “What are you thinking about?” The man asks, arms coming to wrap themselves around Jongdae's waist.

                “You.” Jongdae replies. He wasn't lying.

                “Did you miss me?” The man questions, resting his chin comfortably on Jongdae's shoulder.

                No. He misses Zitao. He's not forcing himself to be with this man, he wants to get over Zitao, and this is the man that could help him do just that. It's his decision to have this man stay at his side, even if nothing has clicked yet. But it's okay – he'll make this work. “Yes.”

                Behind him, the man chuckles. Jongdae gripped the phone in his hands tighter, as if he was afraid it will suddenly disappear. “See you in the kitchen later. I made lunch.”

                “Okay.” Jongdae squeaks out. The man moves away from him, and Jongdae turns around to make sure he leaves the room before turning the phone on and calling someone.

                “Baek? Can I come over tomorrow?”

A/N: ok so... . .. im like 1/4 done with the next chapter so.. .. yay?????//?/? also have you guys seen fantastic beasts and where to find them bc mr graves and credence is just... . .  ...damn