Planning what to say to his landlord, a man named Yixing, wasn't easy.

He really wanted to help Kyungsoo out in some way, but had no clue how, and he felt maybe Yixing would know how to deal with something like this. He must come across it often, considering this kind of violence isn't exactly uncommon.

So Jongin sheepishly knocked on Yixing's office door and politely waited for the soft ‘come in’. When he entered, he wasn't too surprised to see Yixing looking like he'd just woken up.

“Hey! What can I help you with?”

Jongin was really glad Yixing seemed to be in a good mood because he wasn't sure he was in the mind set to be talking to anyone about something like this if they seemed like talking to him would be the last thing they'd rather be doing.

“Um, it's kind of a sensitive topic.”

“Oh, well I'm here for anything you need.”

“My neighbours… um, I think there might be something wrong going on.”

Yixing frowned. “You're in 410 right?”

Jongin nodded.

“Let's see… neighbours, neighbours…” Yixing seemed to be scanning a list. “Oh… well, uh… sorry, you think there's something wrong?”

“Well, from what I've been hearing. You know, the walls aren't the thickest and I'm just a little worried. I don't exactly support this… kind of thing. Do you know what I'm referring to?” Jongin hoped he did. Saying it out loud would make it too real for him.

Yixing looked down at the list again. He seemed very uncomfortable. “Yes, I do. But, Jongin, do you really think this is your business?”

“It's not but, this is more about what's right and wrong, isn't it?”

Yixing sighed, suddenly looking very frustrated. Jongin felt bad that he had ruined the man's perky mood from earlier. But he felt he had to at least attempt to help Kyungsoo.

“I'll, uh, see what I can— I mean I'll talk to—” Yixing hung his head slightly and shook it. “I'll do something, I guess. Just don’t expect much.”

Jongin was a little confused at the response but nevertheless nodded and politely bid goodbye to Yixing.

He had work this evening. Today, Yifan wasn't in. Saturday evenings usually just had him, Yifan and a high school student, Tao—apparently Yifan's nephew or something—working, as they weren't too busy, with mostly regulars and a little bit of foot traffic. But today, the one day that Yifan had decided to be sick but not close up shop, seemed to be the busiest Saturday evening they had ever had. A thunderstorm seemed to be on the verge of breaking out and people were escaping the rain that had already started.

The icing on top of the cake was that, with Yifan being gone, no one in the morning and afternoon shifts had followed proper equipment cleaning instructions and everything was way messier than it should have been. On top of that they hadn't restocked anything on front nor had they put in any trays in the oven for fresh baked items for the evening. But if they didn't have everything spotless and restocked for when Yifan arrived in the morning, of course, he and Tao would be blamed, having been the ones closing that night.

Tao had told him to do front, claiming that because he was ‘such a cutie’ people would be nice to him, while Tao himself went in the back to do the baking and sandwiches.

"You're younger than me, shouldn't you be the cute one?"

"No Jongin," Tao had scoffed at him. "I'm y. People find that intimidating."

Jongin hated doing front, because it meant having to pretend he was confident,  having an unnatural smile stretched across his face at all times, and worst of all, dealing with rude people, who acted like they were obligated to something just because they were paying customers. Jongin had a thing or two he'd like to say to them.

After closing time, he and Tao spent and extra hour scrubbing everything spotless so they wouldn't be blamed for the day shifts mistakes. The rain outside only seemed to get worse.

When they left, Tao called a cab, since he lived further away, waving goodbye as he got in. Jongin made a run for it. He was soaked to his bones by the time he made it inside, shivering almost violently, regretting not bringing a rain jacket, even though he had known about the storm. At least he was indoors now, and didn't plan to leave until morning when the storm had already wreaked all its havoc.

He towel dried himself and changed into warm sweats and a hoodie before curling up in bed. Things were quiet next door. Or maybe it seemed that way because of the steady noise from outside.

----

He was woken up by a loud sound. Startled, he shot up in bed. With the rumbling outside he quickly realized it must have been thunder. He shook his head out of the daze he was in when another loud boom of thunder shook everything around him. Suddenly he couldn't breath. He didn't know was wrong with him but he just couldn't catch a breath. He'd never been afraid of thunder before but he was very very afraid right then. Just when he thought he was going to run out of oxygen, it came back to him, as if all he had to to was remember to take a breath—disregarding the fact that he had been gasping for breaths just a second before.

He jumped out of bed and almost fell over, his legs feeling shaky and his head woozy. Ten minutes and glass of water later he felt as good as new, but the feeling of fear lingered slightly in his thoughts. He used to have panic attacks when he was younger but this wasn't like any panic attack he had ever had before, but he boiled it down to him being tired. What else could it be?

Getting back into bed, he pushed his earphones in and tried to drown out the sounds of the storm. It helped—soon he was being lulled back to sleep by soft familiar sounds, the thunder only muffled in the background.

----

It was a little busier for a Sunday, which Jongin was fairly happy about, because the work kept him distracted. His mind didn't have the chance to wander to Sehun or to Kyungsoo or his studies or really anything. The only thing he wasn't too happy about was that he was on front again.

Yifan, however had been really happy that Tao and Jongin had cleaned up so well the night before that he gave them both an extra break that afternoon, and they were both happy to be able to stretch their legs and rest their feet for an extra fifteen minutes.

An hour before his shift ended—when it had slowed down considerably and he was the only one up front on coffees—a familiar face entered the shop. Jongin was a little taken aback, not knowing whether the person recognized him as well—Jongin had never really talked to him but he had sat fairly near the front in his first year class. He greeted Professor Kim, however, as he would any customer.

“What can I get for you?”

His professor relayed a fairly large order for coffees, reading off from his phone. He frowned slightly every time he came across a particularly strange one.

“Anything else?”

“Yeah, another large. Black.”

Jongin finished entering the order onto the monitor and after payment, he got to making the coffees, Yifan came out from the back to help out, as he usually did during big orders or if people were lining up. Professor Kim watched from over the counter.

“I can't believe some of the crazy stuff people drink,” he said, eyeing Jongin putting a flavour shot in one of the cups. Jongin looked up at him but it was Yifan that responded.

“Oh these are pretty common. In my opinion, coffee should be taken black.”

Professor Kim smiled at him. “I agree wholeheartedly.”

Once the coffee was made and Yifan had disappeared, Jongin was arranging the coffees in large cardboard take away trays.

“You were in my class last year,” Professor Kim said. Jongin paused and looked up at being addressed.

“Uh, yes. I was.”

“I remember you. Jongin, right?” Jongin nodded, continuing to put the coffees in the tray. “Your TA showed me your final paper. She was really impressed by it, so was I.”

Jongin blinked in surprise. “Really?”

Professor Kim laughed. “Yes, really. Wouldn't have said it otherwise.”

Jongin couldn't reply. He didn't really talk to his professors, mostly because he knew that the TA’s were the ones grading everything.

“You should come by the department office one day. There are plenty of opportunities for people with opinions as strong as yours. That is, if you chose criminology as your major.”

Jongin nodded enthusiastically. He knew that Professor Kim was the head of the criminology department. That was why he conducted the first year course and some of the fourth year courses but none in the middle years. He couldn't believe that he'd just been offered an opportunity like this.

“Great. Hope to see you there then.” Professor Kim gave him a polite smile before grabbing the coffees and leaving. Jongin was left standing in awe and confusion. He jumped out of his reverie when Yifan yelled that there was a customer up front.

He went to help them and was met with two more familiar faces.

“Jonginnie~”

Jongin wanted to melt into the floor. He'd done everything in his power to make sure that Chanyeol and Baekhyun would never find out where he worked, but there they were.

There was no reason for Jongin to even be embarrassed, there was no one around that would care, but he knew he was turning red.

“I can't believe you hid this cute little place from us for so long,” Baekhyun said, pouting.

“When are you done?” Chanyeol asked.

“Yeah, we're bored. We wanna hang out.”

Jongin sighed. “Are you going to order or…?”

“Nah we just wanted to see you.”

“Order or leave.”

Baekhyun pouted again and Chanyeol grinned.

“Gimme a muffin, blueberry,” Chanyeol said.

“Order more than that or leave.”

“Do you think I’m made out of money?!” Chanyeol asked him, only half joking. Then he repeated his earlier question. “When are you done?”

“Half an hour or so.” Jongin got his muffin and Chanyeol paid.

“We’ll wait here.”

Jongin finished up his shift, only slightly conscious of the two boys giggling in the corner of the cafe. He came out after changing out of his work uniform, approaching them and sitting down.

“How'd you find me?”

“It was just by chance to be honest,” Chanyeol said.

“Yeah, Jongin fate doesn't want us to be apart.” Baekhyun teased.

“We were planning on knocking on every door in your building until you answered since you won't tell us your exact address either. But then we saw you through the window before crossing the street.”

Jongin groaned, digging the heels of his palm into his cheeks and resting his elbows on the table.

“You'll get me kicked out, that's why.”

His mind flew to the time that Chanyeol and Baekhyun, who both lived off campus, forced him to let them host a party in his dorm and his roommates had a fit and the RA had almost gotten fired because of how many people had ended up in the hospital from alcohol poisoning and fights. The amount of drugs that people had brought and stashed away hadn't helped either. They both had owned up to it however, and been put on probation for the rest of the year. He had to promise to never let them come in again in order to be allowed to stay. Which was another reason he hadn't bothered trying to reapply for a dorm room, he probably wouldn't have gotten it because of that particular incident anyways.

As for not telling them where he worked, well, Yifan had just made a comment about them loitering without paying for much before he clocked out. He loved them, but he'd rather keep them in the dark about a few things if it meant keeping a job and roof over his head.

“Don't worry,” Baekhyun said. “We’re all grown up this year. Responsible adults.”

Jongin laughed at the determined look on Baekhyun's face. It was almost six in the evening and neither of them had any plans per say, so they head to the nearest convenience store and picked up snacks and coolers—like the amateurs they were—receiving some suspicious looks from the cashier, but no questions. The evening didn't have much of an exciting feeling, it was more chill than anything else.

On their way back to Jongin's apartment Jongin got a phone call. He passed the plastic bags he was holding to Chanyeol so he could dig his phone out of his pocket. He tried not to smile at the caller ID.

“What's up?”

“Jongin…” Sehun replied softly from the other end. “Where are you?”

“On my way to my flat, why?”

“Come quick, Jongin.” Sehun was almost whining.

“Sehun… are you outside my apartment?”

Chanyeol and Baekhyun shared a look.

“I can't get up.”

“Are you drunk?”

Sehun snorted. “Not nearly enough. Just… tired.”

Jongin heard his friends laughing as they walked behind him.

“I'm almost there,” he said, hanging up and shoving his phone back into his pocket.

Jongin snatched his bags from Chanyeol as the tall boy and his shorter counterpart giggled obnoxiously.

“I expected you to hook up, not for you to become his babysitter,” Baekhyun commented.

“I'm not his babysitter and I'm not hooking up with him.”

“Not yet you mean.”

Jongin shot an annoyed glare over his shoulder. As much as he liked his friends, they took too much liberty when teasing him. “What is with you and assuming that everyone is gay until proven straight. Or rather, gay even when proven straight.”

“It worked when I met you, didn't it?” Baekhyun said, poking the side of his torso. “Besides, what's with you and assuming everyone is straight even when proven gay.”

“Nothing's been proven.” He caught Chanyeol rolling his eyes and wondered if he'd missed something that they hadn't. Why wouldn't they just tell him?

They were in the elevator now and Jongin was a little nervous, not knowing what Sehun's state would be when he found him. He didn't seem messed up when they'd talked but he had said that he wasn't able to get up.

The elevator doors slid open and they rounded the corner to get to Jongin's apartment. The laughing started again when the three of them took in Sehun, sitting on the floor his head against the wall, seemingly asleep—if the light snores were anything to go by—with his bag and a six pack sitting next to him.

Jongin bent down and nudged his shoulder gently, waking him with a start.

“What took you so long?” He said with a grunt, rubbing his eyes like a child.

“It's only been five minutes,” Chanyeol said quietly to Baekhyun. That's when Sehun noticed them standing behind Jongin. He pushed himself off the floor, swaying slightly before catching Jongin's door frame to steady himself.

“Sorry, didn't realize you were busy.”

“I'm not busy,” Jongin replied, a little too fast.

Chanyeol and Baekhyun's laughter started up again. “It seems we’re not wanted, Baek.”

“We’ll let you two… do whatever it is you two do when you two are alone.”

Jongin was sure he was blushing. But Sehun didn't look fazed.

Baekhyun and Chanyeol left them in the hallway, their laughter being cut off by the closing of the elevator doors.

“Is it—” Sehun started, before bending down to pick up his bag and the beer. “Is it okay that I'm here?”

“Of course.”

Jongin unlocked his door and Sehun followed him inside.

“Can I ask why you're like this before seven pm.”

“Um, kind of had an argument with my uncle. So I downed some of his wife’s booze before leaving the house. Or, you know, those wine cocktails? Like half of one those party size bottles. They taste so good.”

“, Sehun.”

Sehun looked at him amused. “You don't usually swear.”

“That's a lot of alcohol to take all at once.”

“Oh Jongin, you must be lightweight, but it's not fair for you to underestimate me like this.”

Jongin frowned.

“Besides, I had just eaten. And it was a while ago. I'm good now. Ready for another round.” He raised the six pack up with a hopeful look on his face. Then he nodded his chin towards Jongin's purchases. “Seems like you were planning on it anyways.”

“Only if you drink at least two glasses of water first.”

Sehun grinned. “Deal.”

goes down next chapter.

Two more characters introduced and something some of you may love and some of you may hate :D