---

After Zitao and Kris tell the others a lie about what happened, the rest of the 'party' ends on a relatively good note. No one but Sehun and Kyungsoo see right through their lies and Jongdae seems to be left none the wiser.

When they're all going their separate ways almost two hours later (with Chanyeol laughing about some random thing with a drunk-off-his- Baekhyun), Sehun and Kyungsoo chastise a tipsy Zitao and a surprisingly sober Kris for their obvious lies once they're standing away from the others. Amber and Soo-jung watch them with amusement and soon say their Bye's--Amber's arm resting around Soo-jung's shoulders as they walk towards the latter's car.

"That was a such jerk thing to do, ya know that?" Kyungsoo hisses at them, glancing at Jongdae who's chatting with Minseok and Luhan. "You made me think he in' insulted you or something but no...it was just a stupid- prank..."

"Ah but it--it wasn't a prank--it was--" Kris starts to say but then Zitao cuts him off.

They both try staying steadfast with their lie until Zitao finally breaks down after their glares and says that it was all Kris' idea. Kyungsoo just lets out a sigh and crosses his arms over his chest while Jongin, who's been awkwardly standing by Baekhyun and Chanyeol, notices the quartet's expressions and breaks away from the other two to head over to them.

"...You had us all worried, and for what? Just to be a ?" he hears as he gets closer and stands near Kyungsoo and Sehun.

Kris stands with his head lowered, looking smaller than everyone as he apologizes like a little kid, and Sehun is just frowning and shaking his head dramatically at Zitao who keeps repeating Come on~ Eventually, Zitao caves in again and admits that the idea was actually his idea in the first place after he seemingly can't take the guilt anymore.

Kyungsoo, who was starting to feel sorry for berating a meek-looking Kris, immediately turns wide, serious eyes to Zitao--causing him to flinch. But instead of saying anything, Kyungsoo just lifts his eyes skywards for a moment before shaking his head and turning to grab onto Jongin's hand.

Jongin almost jumps, not knowing that Kyungsoo even noticed that he was there, and blushes. Then, Jongdae calls out to Kyungsoo and the rest of them as Minseok begrudgingly carries a hollering Baekhyun by his armpits towards his car.

"Party of the year, es!" Baekhyun cheers.

"Later!" Jongdae calls out while laughing and waving, and Kyungsoo waves back before turning to glare at Kris and Zitao.

Jongin's never seen him look so mad, and yet he's never felt so happy at the same time. He's seeing his boyfriend more for who he is, and he couldn't be readier to learn even more. Then, Kyungsoo turns to look up at him and asks if he's ready to go. Jongin blinks in surprise, because they never talked about leaving together but...hell yeah, he's ready!

Instead of showing his eagerness though, he simply nods his head with a smile and smiles even more when Kyungsoo mirrors his expression--that heart-shaped smile of his making a cute appearance. Kyungsoo then turns to say a curt Bye to the other three and Jongin can't help but grin at the confused yet amused expression on Sehun's face as he and Kyungsoo walk towards the latter's car.

-------

After buckling up and trying to calm down his sudden nerves, Kyungsoo runs his hands up and down his own thighs as he asks Jongin where he lives.

"Hm?" Jongin replies, eyebrows raised.

Kyungsoo had told him about what happened back there just some seconds ago so Jongin was making a mental note to ask Sehun for the details that Zitao will most likely spill to him once he gets home.

After Kyungsoo repeats the question, he lets out an Oh while smiling shyly and names the specific street. And Kyungsoo stops rubbing his own thighs and is just about to input the address into his phone's GPS when he gets a sudden realization.

That street that Jongin just named is kinda around where he lives with his uncle. Heck, he's pretty sure that he's driven on that street to dodge bad traffic more than a handful of times. So, that explains how they met again at the Korean food store, but...if they live in the same general area, why'd it take his phone falling at a mall not even close to where they live for them to finally meet?

Is it...is it fate? Is it--

A honk from Kris' car as it passes by them gets him out of his daze, and after informing a concerned Jongin that he's alright, he drives them out of the space.

---

Once he reaches Jongin's house and parks in front of the driveway, he immediately knows that he's driven past this house numerous times. Too many possibilities of them meeting earlier in life than they actually did flit through his mind as he glances at the house's architecture and garden.

"Nice place," he thinks aloud.

"Huh? Oh thanks," Jongin says, giving a soft chuckle. "And, uh--" He starts rubbing behind his own left ear. "--thanks...for driving me."

Then, as he unbuckles his seat-belt and Kyungsoo says No prob--Jongin leans in to give him a quick peck on his lips before leaning back and smiling softly at his surprised expression. He then opens the passenger door to get out before turning his head to look back at him with a smirk of a smile on his face.

"See you Saturday?" he asks, and Kyungsoo gives a nod while his ears burn red.

That y image Kyungsoo has of him then breaks a little at the giggly laugh that Jongin lets out at his confirmation, but he doesn't mind in anyway.

After both saying their goodbyes and Kyungsoo getting a surge of confidence and placing his hand on Jongin's arm, the two end up kissing again for far longer than the first time before breaking away with blushing faces.

"Um," Jongin says, slightly panting. "S-so good night?"

"G'night," Kyungsoo responds, eyes flitting to Jongin's lips.

Jongin echoes the same farewell again with another giggly laugh escaping those plump lips of his before he gets out and gently closes the passenger door. Kyungsoo then watches his fine- go, barely any thoughts running through his mind for once as Jongin reaches his home's front door.

A few seconds later after ringing the doorbell, a woman answers the door with three dogs yipping at Jongin's feet. Then, after a wave from a grinning Jongin, the door closes and Kyungsoo leans back into his seat and lets out a sigh.

After getting resituated and buckled up again, he lets out another breath from puffed-up cheeks before driving off towards his own home. He tries not to get too distracted as he drives, but his mind soon replays what just happened while also conjuring up a stupid feeling of guilt for not telling Jongin that he actually lives close-by too.

Leave it to his own mind to ruin his good mood.

-------

The next evening, Yixing sits at a table at a local hot-pot place--waiting for Minseok and Luhan to arrive. Even though going out to eat hot-pot is usually their little thing, Minseok's invited him to join, seeing as how he and Minseok are both going back to their birth-countries for the upcoming Lunar New Year.

It's been too long since he's been to Changsha, so Yixing's kinda nervous to see how things might've changed and how his relatives will be like.

As he waits, he bobs his head along to the music playing through his earphones and texts Tia. Earlier they