The first thing Kyungsoo thought when he walked through Kris’s door, weirdly enough, was, “I need to ask him where he bought his candles!”

It’s not like he could actually see any candles out, but it smelled absolutely delicious and for some reason Kyungsoo was gifted a Bath and Bodyworks giftcard for his last birthday and whatever is scenting the air like woodsy fresh oak leaves and McIntosh apples is no doubt coming from one of their 3-wick candles and needs to be in his possession right now.

The second thing he thought was “I should not have come.”

The party is already in full swing, and whoever opened the door for him has already disappeared somewhere into Kris’s ridiculously large house. As Kyungsoo breathed inward again, the delicious smell is slightly replaced with that of beer, smoke, and sweat, and he can feel the intensity in the air along with vibrations of pounding music. He took a tentative step inwards, searching in vain for a familiar face, and then spotted Sehun. For a brief moment he’s relieved, but as he gets closer he changes his mind. Sehun is sprawled on a luxurious loveseat, his legs looped over the armrest, his shoes kicked off, and his mouth fused with some red-headed chick’s lips, her hands in his blonde hair. Kyungsoo gave a grimace and turned away, bumping right into Chanyeol.

“Kyungsoo!” he exclaimed happily at the sight of him. He towers over him, wearing a loose tank top that seems to accentuate his giant shoulders, and Kyungsoo steps backwards, startled. “You decided to come!” His words aren’t slurred, per se, so he’s not completely smashed yet, but his smile is goofy and lopsided, eyes unfocused, so Kyungsoo can tell that he’s a bit buzzed.

“Kyungsoo!” echoed another voice, and then Baekhyun’s hand is suddenly on his shoulder, and he is definitely drunk. He’s giggling like crazy, and he has something pink tied around his forehead like a bandana. In his other hand he holds a red cup, so stereotypical, Kyungsoo thinks, and when he claps his hand roughly against his back the liquid inside sloshes violently, drenching his thumb. Chanyeol starts laughing at the sight of him, and suddenly the both of them are clinging to him in bouts of drunken laughter. “Did I ever tell you,” Baekhyun said to him, lurching a little too close to his face for comfort, “you remind me of pomegranates? Isn’t that so funny? Pomegranates!”

Chanyeol let out a loud guffaw and Baekhyun clung to his forearm, still giggling like a little schoolgirl. Kyungsoo’s about to tell him that no, that’s really not funny and also what does it even mean, but then someone grabs his waist from behind and he turns to see Jongin, his messy hair curling in front of his eyes and a dangerous smile on his face.

“Hey,” he greeted him casually. Kyungsoo smiled falteringly, and then suddenly Jongin is pulling him fiercely away, his hand gripping his wrist like a vice.

-

“You don’t let up easy, do you,” Luhan sighed, and then reached out resolutely for the next shot of tequila, downing it with only a small grimace.

“Seven!” Jongdae called out happily from where he was perched upon the ping-pong table. He refilled the shot glasses with care, placing them neatly down by Luhan and Kris respectively.

“Never have,” Kris snarled in response, and then chugged the next shot so quickly and slammed the glass down so violently that Luhan swore he could feel the granite countertop move beneath his hands.

“You guys are stopping at ten,” Junmyeon warned them worriedly. He gave them a concerned glance and then headed out of the kitchen, holding a glass of water in each hand, which he had been handing out to random partygoers the whole evening. Luhan was pretty sure he hadn’t even had a sip of beer. That was ok though, because he needed a ride home.

“You know what happens when you get too drunk,” Kris sang out as Luhan tipped down his eighth. “I think maybe you should just chill.”

“You’re the one who needs to chill,” Luhan growled, motioning at Jongdae for a refill. “Do you even remember junior year? My personal best is fifteen, this is nothing right now.”

“I do remember,” Kris said with a wicked grin. “You know what happened when you got smashed?” He leaned forward, letting out a puff of tequila-scented air when he smiled. “You became the neighbourhood hoe.”

“ off,” Luhan retorted. “It’s not like you were much better.”

Kris let out a bellow of a laugh. “Honey, you made out with Sooyoung. And you’re gayer than David Bowie during the seventies. At least I have standards.”

“Well, she’s pretty,” Luhan muttered, only slightly embarrassed. “I was figuring things out still.”

“Right,” Kris drawled in that infuriatingly flippant voice. “Does ‘figuring things out’ include having a full blown debate over whether or not Lady Gaga is the new Madonna in the middle of the cafeteria?” He swallowed the next shot and let out a satisfied whistle. “Because if you were looking for an indicator of your uality, I think that was it.”

“Don’t you bring Lady Gaga into this!” Luhan practically screeched, and he too inhaled another glass. “Somebody better hold me back!”

Minseok aroused from the couch where he had been napping, sober as sober could be, and placed his hands mundanely over Luhan’s shoulders. “Ok, Lu, chill a little bit.” He eyes were strictly bored as he led Luhan away from the counter, sighing when he remembered that this mess was in fact his boyfriend. At least he was a hot mess. “I’ll get you some water.”

“Here you are!” Junmyeon interrupted cheerfully, appearing out of nowhere. He handed Luhan one of the glasses of ice water he had been sporting, placing the other one by Kris, who was partially lying on the counter and staring at the oven in a drunken stupor, and then skipped over to the kitchen in search of the animal crackers.

-

“I just wanna ing dance!” Baekhyun shouted. “Jongdae!” he slurred, stumbling towards where his friend is perched on the ping-pong table. “Let’s go nuts!” He grabbed his arm without waiting for an answer and dragged him towards the huge, open living room, where the furniture has been moved to create a dance floor. At this point most people are too drunk or too tired to be actually dancing, but they still mill about, the music pounding as the lights go wild.

The two of them stumbled onto the floor, pushing everyone out of the way, and Baekhyun announced that this was “going to be in legendary you motheraaas!” before he promptly collapsed onto the ground in a bout of giggles. Jongdae, however, who for some reason has decided that this was probably the best idea Baekhyun has ever had, ignored his fallen friend. He goes full throttle into the centre, shouting at people to create a dance circle around him before he starts jerking his arms in what might be an attempt at the sprinkler.

-

Jongin dragged Kyungsoo urgently through the house, weaving in and out of people before settling down on a sofa in the lounge space. Yixing is on the couch opposite, limbs sprawled out in every which direction, staring blankly at the ceiling. He’s mumbling insistently, and when Kyungsoo strains his ears he can make out the words, “You’re just so pretty. You’re so beautiful. I’ve always thought you were beautiful, you know, but I just had to ask, like…what ethnicity are you?”

“Uh…who is he talking to?” Kyungsoo asked Jongin, because there is no one else around and Yixing seems to be talking at the sky.

“He’s super high,” Jongin dismissed trivially, and then suddenly wrapped an arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulders.

Kyungsoo looked up at him in surprise, about to say something, but he’s interrupted when Yixing gasped from the other couch, “Oh, you’re just white?” his eyes widen at the ceiling, and he sits up, eyes marvelling it in fascination. “But you just look so…Egyptian.”

“Let’s go somewhere else,” Jongin sighed in annoyance. “He’s ruining the mood.”

What mood? Kyungsoo wanted to ask, but he let Jongin pull him up anyway, and they leave the lounge as Yixing says, “I know this is gonna sound super cliché, but like…have you ever thought about what happens when you die?”

They speed through the house again, crossing the living room where Jongdae is in the middle of a dance circle, thrashing wildly about as Baekhyun rolls around on the floor beneath him in another fit of giggles. “Is he ok?” Kyungsoo asked in alarm, because for a moment he is seriously concerned that Jongdae might be having convulsions.

“He’s dancing,” Jongin explained to him carelessly, and he pulls him away from there too. They go through the kitchen, where Minseok has Luhan cradled in his lap on one of the bar stools and Kris is lying stomach-down across the counter, a bit too tall so his feet dangle of the edge. Zitao is standing in the corner, going through the snack cabinets, and sobbing as he talks incoherently.

“Zitao!” Kyungsoo said in surprise, and he breaks away from Jongin briefly to go comfort him, but he’s pulled fiercely back in alarm.

“This happens every time he gets drunk,” Jongin told him urgently. “You don’t want to go over there, trust me. At first it starts out innocently, he just wants to talk to you about ‘some things that have been going on’, and then before you know it he’s started crying about how he can’t get his hands on Gucci’s new line of shoes and is telling you his whole life story and there’s nothing you can do but sit there and try to nod understandingly once in a while even though you don’t understand and really just wish he would stop shedding tears into your beer.” He shuddered and gave Kyungsoo a pointed look before pulling him out of the kitchen.

They reached the doors that open out into the backyard, but as they did Kyungsoo spied Sehun again, wrapped up in the corner and furiously making out with whomever he has pinned to the wall. Kyungsoo squinted, expecting to see the redheaded girl from earlier, but instead when Sehun moves he reveals an attractive sophomore boy that Kyungsoo recognizes from the football team. Kyungsoo can’t help but let out a little shocked, confused squeak, and Jongin glanced at him, concerned.

“He…he was with someone else earlier,” Kyungsoo tried to explain, waving at Sehun. “A girl.”

“Oh,” Jongin said indifferently before grinning devoutly and letting out a loud wolf-whistle in Sehun’s direction. “Yeah, he’s kind of a .”

“But,” Kyungsoo protested, still confused as he glances back at Sehun, who now has his legs wrapped around the football sophomore. “A girl?”

Jongin shrugged. “He’s not very picky.” With that, as if he could wait no longer, Jongin pulled him out the backyard doors and they stumbled out into the cool night air. Kyungsoo took in the first fresh breath he’d had all evening, and leaned back against the house, sighing.

“I’m glad you decided to come,” Jongin said from beside him, and Kyungsoo turned to look him in the eyes. They’re glinting dangerously, and Kyungsoo remembers with a jolt that Jongin has no doubt been drinking as well. Before he can really answer, Jongin has pulled him in and his mouth is covering his and suddenly they are kissing and Kyungsoo can feel himself go into a panic.

He placed his hands on Jongin’s chest and pushed back firmly, breaking them apart, and Jongin stumbled backward, confused. Kyungsoo opened his mouth, about to spill out a speech about how this was too fast and he’s not ready and they just met last week, but it’s too slow and in the time he’s preparing to talk he also takes note of the perfect angle of Jongin’s jawline, the flawless curve of his lip, and he decides  it, and then they are kissing again, all tongue with the slightest taste of gin.

-

“Why hello there,” Luhan smiled genially from the coffee shop cashier. Kyungsoo blinked up in confusion, his wide eyes widening even further as he recognized Luhan’s angelic face.

“Oh,” he faltered, wispy red bangs falling across his forehead. “Hey.”

“Here to cure the hangover?” Luhan promptly guessed, and whipped out a large cup, writing espresso in neat, curling scripture. “On the house for you, my friend.”

“Thank you,” Kyungsoo smiled blearily. “How are you working?” he added, convinced that he’d seen Luhan down an exorbitant amount of Kris’s best tequila not more than five hours ago. Of course, he couldn't be completely sure of what had happened last night, for after he and Jongin came inside from the backyard, somebody had handed him a red cup, he’d accepted, and it all kind of went down from there. 

“I hold my liquor well,” Luhan answered vaguely, and Kyungsoo could only nod in response, feeling too miserable to think up a better response.

“He means he knows how to party,” Junmyeon corrected, and stepped out from the swinging back room doors. He sported the same apron Luhan had looped around his slim waist, but it was decidedly cleaner. It also had the proud, shiny nametag that read manager pinned to his left . As he started up the espresso machine he added, “He was quite the animal in his sophomore and junior years. Practically legend,” his voice slightly disapproving.

“Past that now,” Luhan told him impatiently, who had no real desire to go into his reasons for that at the moment. “Thankfully Junmyeon can’t say the same for himself.” He gave Kyungsoo a look as if to say can you imagine this loser drunk, to which Kyungsoo realized the answer was no, no he could not. With that his coffee was placed upon the counter, and he accepted it with a thankful smile. “This was what I used to drink after the worst nights,” Luhan told him airily. “The best java you can get, I promise. You’ll be alert and bouncing within the hour.”

Kyungsoo was finding it hard to stay on his feet, much less bounce, but he thanked Luhan again anyway before shambling his way over to the exit.

“And Kyungsoo,” Luhan added, his voice sort of sing-songy in this devious sort of way, “Tell Jongin hi for me.”

Kyungsoo felt his insides twist funnily and then he ducked his head out the door, pretending he hadn’t seen Junmyeon’s mouth twist up at the corners in a laugh.

A/N: So, I lied last time. This didn't get uploaded within five hours. But I'm still doing pretty good, three updates in three days, eh? Anyway, thanks again for reading because I feel like I have to say that all the time because I never really expect people to actually like my stuff lol. So thank you, it means a lot to me. <3