❧

Sehun hops in the car and closes the door shut next to him before looking over at Jongin who is busy playing with his fingers. The brunet is barely visible at this point, the only visible parts of him being his cheekbones and his hair. It’s so dark that Sehun bumps both of his knees on the steering wheel when he turns to look for the gear shift and he hisses in pain. Sehun is three seconds away from grabbing the gear shift and shifting the car into motion when he suddenly feels a cold hand on top of his own.

“That took a hella long time,” Jongin says quietly, voice nearly a whisper. He quickly pulls his hand away and blushes madly. “Sorry.”

“I know, I'm sorry.” Sehun’s right hand fumbles in search of the seatbelt. He locates it a second later and successfully manages to fasten it at the first attempt despite it being so dark he can barely even see the buckle.

“What did you guys talk about?” Jongin asks before clicking his own seatbelt into place and staring at Sehun. A gust of wind passes and he wraps Sehun’s coat tighter around his body.

For a fraction of a second, Sehun tenses in his seat, much to Jongin’s confusion. “I…began talking to him about the game yesterday and he got a bit carried away,” Sehun replies before turning the key in the ignition and backing out of Baekhyun’s driveway. Jongin, still confused as ever, nods slowly before averting his gaze so he’s looking away from Sehun.

Sehun takes the ’usual’ way while driving away from Baekhyun’s house, making sure to avoid the forest at all costs in order not to scare Jongin. On the other hand, he feels a little sullen given that taking the ’scary’ way again would mean getting to hold Jongin’s hand again. He quickly dismisses the thought.

They end up on a smooth dirt road a minute later. Neither of them say anything for the next five minutes, just like Sehun predicted earlier. The latter taps his foot against the wheel while he inhales the fresh air surrounding them, and nearly slams his foot down on the brakes in surprise when Jongin suddenly speaks up.

“Did you get to know each other better? Are you friends?”

Sehun blinks, not taking his eyes off the road. “Uh, I guess.”

“What do you think of him?” Jongin asks with a curious glint in his eyes. “I mean, when he isn’t being a total hormonal douche, that is.”

“Bad-mouthing the best friend, are we,” Sehun laughs before nodding. “He seems like a chill guy. A little…hyperactive but he seems kind. I’d like to hang out with him someday.”

“Oh, he is hyperactive,” Jongin rolls his eyes, “you should see him whenever he sees an attractive guy on the streets. He practically tore my arm off last week trying to get me to turn around and look at this hot Italian skater dude a few feet away, it was awful.” He chuckles, right arm tingling at the memory.

“Jesus, I’m sure he has a boyfriend right now then? With his cheery personality and all,” Sehun chuckles dryly.

Jongin suddenly swallows. “No, he doesn’t.”

Humming in understanding, Sehun jerks the car to the left as he turns a sharp corner, nearly sending Jongin flying forward and out of his seat. “Jesus, sorry!”

“It’s fine.” Jongin smoothens out Sehun’s coat before turning his attention on the road in front of them. A thought suddenly pops into his head and a sense of nervousness washes over him. Hoping Sehun doesn’t notice, he opts to keep his hands crossed in his lap. He clears his throat. “Um, yo-”

“Right,” Sehun exclaims, “are you feeling a little better now that you talked everything out?”

Jongin blinks, both relieved and disappointed that Sehun interrupted him. “Er, yeah. A lot better.”

“That’s good. Hey, were you gonna say something just now? Sorry for cutting you off.” Sehun turns the blinker on before turning to the right.

Heart pounding, Jongin shakes his head before looking away. “Nothing, don’t worry about it.”

“Are you tired?” Sehun asks and reaches over, giving Jongin’s shoulder a gentle rub. “You can sleep if you want to. We’ve got quite a long way to go so you have plenty of time.”

“Long way to go?” Jongin raises an eyebrow in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I chose the second way since I didn’t want to drive through the forest on account of your nyctophobia.”

With an embarrassed cough, Jongin nods before attempting a smile. “Right, thank you. Uh, sorry for the inconvenience, by the way. You didn’t have to go through the extra trouble because of m-”

“Hey, it’s alright. What’s another twenty minutes, anyway? Sleep now, I’ll wake you when we arrive at your place.” Sehun shoots Jongin a warm smile.

“What’s up with you and wanting me to go to sleep?” Jongin squawks. “You planning on murdering me in my sleep and tossing me out of the car?”

Throwing his head back in laughter, Sehun shakes his head. “God, you’re adorable. And it’s because I like seeing you sleep.”

Jongin squawks again. “That’s so creepy, the !”

“What?” Sehun says innocently, “you look adorable fast asleep. Don’t blame me, it ain’t my fault.”

“Fine,” Jongin huffs before sliding down in his seat and sticking his hands in the pockets of Sehun’s coat. Leaning his head against the door, he looks up at Sehun with a sleepy expression. “Aren’t you tired?”

Turning, Sehun shrugs lazily before eventually nodding. “I am, a little. But don’t worry, I won’t doze off at the wheel and send us both crashing into a pole if that’s what you’re scared of.” When Jongin doesn’t reply, Sehun briefly takes his eyes off the road to look to the right and feels his entire body swell with a certain warmth when he sees Jongin leaning against the door, coat draped loosely around him, with his eyes closed in a deep slumber. Chuckling to himself, Sehun takes one look at the road before leaning over and proceeding to gently button the (or, to be exact, his) coat so Jongin doesn’t freeze. He almost ruffles Jongin’s hair but decides against it in fear of waking him up.

He sits there for God knows how long, smiling down at Jongin and Sehun almost forces himself to take his eyes off Jongin’s (adorable, Sehun thinks) sleeping form and turn his attention back on the road in front of him. They ran into each other thanks to a miracle just a few hours ago - the last thing Sehun wants to do right now is cut everything short by (unintentionally) ramming them both into an upcoming tree.

~~~

Jongin wakes up a little less than half an hour later to the feeling of the car coming to a stop and the sound of the engine turning off. Blinking the sleep out of his eyes, he groggily sits up in his seat before his hands come up to rub at his eyes. The fog clouding his mind only thickens when he blinks and realizes the driver’s seat in front of him is empty. He looks down and notices Sehun’s coat has somehow buttoned itself while he slept and Jongin feels a a blush creep up his neck when realization hits him. He sits glued to his seat for a minute or so until he suddenly sees something flutter in front of his face and he promptly lets out a loud shriek.

“Jesus, sorry,” Sehun chuckles, hovering above Jongin with his right arm outstretched. “You were so out of it, I didn’t know how to get your attention. I figured waving my hand in front of your face would work, and it did.”

Looking up, Jongin feels his cheeks heat up when he comes face to face with (an upside-down) Sehun. “H-how long have you been standing here?”

Sehun shrugs. “Not very long. Anyway, Sleeping Beauty,” he says with a chuckle, “we’re here.”

“Don’t call me that!” Jongin squeaks in terror. Ignoring Sehun’s amused chuckle, Jongin opens the door, stumbling and nearly tripping and falling flat on his face on the pavement when he realizes both of his legs have fallen asleep. Cursing under his breath when Sehun immediately catches and sturdies him, Jongin looks up and realizes Sehun has parked right outside his house. Upon seeing his own apartment, Jongin suddenly feels a certain weight weighing down on his heart, the same feeling he had felt right after their first meeting.

Sehun, inevitably, takes notice of Jongin’s anxious expression and his eyebrows furrow in concern. “Is there a problem?”

Jongin shakes his head before playing with his fingers. They stop outside Jongin’s door and the latter suddenly doesn’t have the courage to look at Sehun or even in his direction. The night is so quiet, the only audible noise being the frantic beating of Jongin’s heart and he desperately hopes that Sehun doesn’t hear it. Jongin wouldn’t be surprised if Sehun does, though, given the fact that the latter reaches forward and grabs Jongin’s hand in his own. Jongin tries to ignore the electric shock that travels down his spine at the contact.

“What are you thinking of?” Sehun asks in a soothing tone, giving Jongin’s hand a small squeeze.

“Nothing, really.”

“You know, I don’t believe you.”

Jongin swallows before looking up at Sehun and his heart nearly explodes out of his chest when he sees the look on Sehun’s face. Jongin can’t describe it, considering the fact that it’s nearly pitch black out, but he can tell Sehun is staring at him and only him. “Huh?”

“That thing you asked me about earlier,” Sehun starts, taking a step closer to Jongin, “what was that all about?”

“Oh, that.” Jongin clears his throat before looking away. “Um. It’s nothing special, don’t worry about it.”

“But I want to know. C'mon, tell me, please.” Jongin can practically feel the pout radiating off Sehun’s face and he internally curses.

Realizing there’s no point in stalling, Jongin takes a deep breath. “You…know when Baek asked you who you were? You know, right after he was about to close the door on me?”

“I remember that.”

“Right, well, you know the thing you said about…being, you know,” Jongin feels himself blush for the nth time that day, “my boyfriend and all.” He shoves his free hand in his pocket before continuing. “Did you mean it? Or did you only say it to make it easier for me and Baek to talk to each other?” It suddenly feels as if someone has turned up the temperature outside by a hundred degrees and Jongin fights the urge to remove Sehun’s coat before it can get covered in sweat stains.

Sehun is silent for a painfully long while and Jongin feels himself panic when the thought of whether or not what he said was a little too soon given that they’ve only met twice. He’s about to babble his usual string of incoherent apologizes when Sehun squeezes his hand even tighter.

“What do you think?”

Jongin stares, wide-eyed at Sehun. He’s never felt so small in his life; as a matter of fact, he feels rather tiny at the moment despite the fact that he’s only an inch or so shorter than Sehun. “Um, what?”

“What do you think?”

“I,” Jongin starts before attempting to cough away the lump that’s beginning to form in his throat. “I…I don’t know.” He nearly collapses when he sees Sehun’s piercing (and nearly…expectant?) gaze and he nods his head frantically. “I think so, yeah.”

Sehun grins before taking another step closer to Jongin and the latter worries his legs might buckle underneath him. “You know what I think?” he asks and smirks when he sees Jongin shake his head. “I think you’re right.”

Confusion clouding his mind, Jongin blinks before raising an eyebrow. “So you mea-”

His sentence is abruptly cut off when he feels a burning hot sensation engulf his entire body closely followed by a certain, unfamiliar pressure settle on his lips.

It takes him a full minute to realize what’s happening. And when he finally does, he’s at least a hundred percent certain his knees might give in from the shock he’s currently feeling because Sehun is kissing him. Sehun is standing in front of him, right here, right now, and kissing him. Jongin’s head is spinning a million miles a second and he’s worried he might pass out from the emotions that are beginning to overcrowd his brain. Anxiety soon begins to pool in the pit of Jongin’s stomach and his hands scramble to grab Sehun’s arm in case this is all a big dream and he’s actually still fast asleep in the latter’s car, about to be woken up and taken home. It isn’t until Sehun takes a step forward and Jongin feels his back come in contact with the brick wall behind him that it dawns on him that he’s not dreaming, much to his relief.

During the time they’ve been chatting and talking, not once has Jongin thought about kissing Sehun or Sehun kissing him and he wonders why on Earth he hasn’t since he’s never felt happier in his entire life.

Sighing in satisfcation, Jongin feels a warm feeling spread across his chest when Sehun’s scent tingles his senses, making the hair on the back of his neck rise. His grip on Sehun’s right arm tightens and his eyes automatically slip shut, mind slowly drifting into a dreamy oblivion where he can feel, hear, taste and see nothing but Sehun.

Everything he has ever wanted and thought of, is right here in front of him.

Sehun pulls away twenty seconds or so later for air, much to Jongin’s disappointment. There must be something about Sehun and his aura because Jongin can’t help but feel a certain sense of safety whenever he’s standing close or next to him. The butterflies in Jongin’s stomach are all dead and have been replaced with ten thousand hummingbirds, all frantically fluttering their wings against the wall of his stomach. Looking down, Jongin can’t help but smile when he sees Sehun is still holding onto his hand. So he never let go.

They stand in comfortable silence before Sehun speaks up. “Sorry, was that alright with you?”

Jongin blinks, mind still in a foggy daze. He can still feel Sehun’s lips ghosting over his own and he shudders. “Yeah, it was fine. It was perfect, actually.”

“Good, I was worried,” Sehun chuckles before running his free hand through his newly dyed hair. He suddenly clears his throat. “I’ve wanted to do that for a long time, actually.”

“What?”

“That.” Sehun reaches out and gently runs his thumb along Jongin’s (wet) bottom lip. “Ever since our first meeting.”

“What, really?” Jongin asks in astonishment.

Sehun nods. “Again, sorry if everything’s moving too quickly. I just couldn’t resist.”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Jongin reassures him before shuddering. Either Sehun’s kisses have the power to make him feel a hundred times warmer on the inside or the temperature has dropped by ten degrees in the span of two minutes.

Sehun notices and chuckles. “You cold?”

Nodding, Jongin breathes into the palms of his hands. “A little.”

“I’d offer my coat but that’s a little difficult seeing as you’re already wearing it,” Sehun says with a small laugh. “I’m getting a tad bit chilly as well, I’ll admit.”

Jongin nods before his eyes widen and he flails his arms around, nearly hitting Sehun in the face. “Jesus, I’m so sorry,” he squabbles before attempting to take off the coat. “I should’ve given this back ages ago, I’m so sorry, , here you go.” He does his best to smoothen said coat out before holding it up in front of Sehun.

Sehun accepts the garment with a thankful nod before putting it on. “I like my coats pre-warmed, so it’s fine.”

“Sorry for spilling tea all over it, by the way. I didn’t mean to, it was an accident,” Jongin says, looking down at his shoes in shame.

“It’s fine, don’t worry. I have one at home that looks just like it so you’re good.” Sehun gives Jongin a thumbs up and the latter mentally facepalms. Of course.

The euphoria has left Jongin’s body almost completely at this point and he suddenly feels his heart drop. He averts his gaze so he’s staring to left instead, at Sehun’s car. “So…is this goodbye then?”

Sehun’s eyebrows furrow in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Are,” Jongin swallows the lump in his throat, “do you wanna keep messaging?” Please say yes, please say yes, please say ye-

“Of course,” Sehun beams and Jongin nearly collapses from relief. “Why not? Did you really think I’d kiss you only to tell you I never wanted to see you again a minute later? I’m not that evil, you know.”

“I know, I know, but like,” Jongin starts and quickly shakes his head. “Nevermind.”

“Oh, we can’t chat on the app, by the way.”

Jongin looks up. “Can’t? Why not?”

“Deleted it,” Sehun says as a matter-of-factly.

Jongin feels something snap at the back of his head. So that’s why he never replied. “Wait, really? When’d you do that?”

“Today, when you and Baekhyun were talking in his kitchen,” Sehun says nonchalantly. “Figured I don’t need it any longer.”

“Why wouldn’t you need it anymore?” Jongin feels his head spin.

“Duh,” Sehun says in a bold voice before looking at Jongin. “I have you.”

Jongin instantly feels himself flush again and he quickly looks down at his shoes. Oh. Of course. “Ah.” He suddenly raises an eyebrow. “Wait, how are we supposed to continue talking then?”

“Well,” Sehun starts, taking a step back. “I was hoping I could get your number.”

What is this, a ty teenage romance movie? “Oh,” Jongin squeaks before his hands scramble for his back pocket. Fishing his phone out, he bites his lip when he realizes he hasn’t turned it on in nearly a week. He starts it up and nearly drops his phone in surprise when a ton of message and calling notifications proceed to flood his screen all at once. So people have missed me, he thinks and feels something tug at his heart when he realizes eighty percent of the messages and calls are from Baekhyun, all sent at one in the morning with only a minute or two between each one. Jongin proceeds to read through the ones he can and tries to ignore the tears that begin to pool in the corners of his eyes while doing so.

(12:54 AM) From: Baek :3

jongin are you okay

(12:54 AM) From: Baek :3

dude jongin why weren’t you at school this entire week

(12:54 AM) From: Baek :3

if i come over will u answer the door?

(12:54 AM) From: Baek :3

look im so ing sorry can i we talk it out somehow?? i cant live like this i can’t

(12:55 AM) From: Baek :3

i know you probably don’t want to reply to me rn but just give me a sign that you’re alive please

(12:55 AM) From: Baek :3

is your face okay??

(12:56 AM) From: Baek :3

hey jongin answer me im worried as hell at least text me something

(12:57 AM) Missed Call from Baek :3

(12:57 AM) From: Baek :3

ok you didnt answer when i called just now and its understandable since it’s midnight and all but please come to school next week okay??

(12:58 AM) From: Baek :3

i promise to start tutoring you again jongin please i havent slept in so ing long

(1:02 AM) From: Baek :3

im going to sleep now, im sorry for everything once again


“Is something the matter?”

Jongin jumps and quickly closes out of the messanging app before shooting Sehun a wide smile. “Everything’s fine.” He opens up his contact list and taps the ‘New Contact’ button. “Here.”

Accepting the phone, Sehun’s fingers quickly move as he types out a string of numbers on the screen. “All done. Sorry that you can’t do this on my phone, it’s only at one percent. Hey, I need a picture!”

“What?”

“A contact picture, duh!”

“Take one now then, of yourself,” Jongin chuckles, mind still feeling woozy. 

“I want you to be in it,” Sehun says before reaching out and grabbing Jongin’s arm and pulling the latter in so he’s standing next to him. “Smile,” he exclaims before draping an arm around Jongin’s shoulders (or, to be more exact, his neck) and pulling him in so their bodies are flush against each other. Lifting up the phone, Sehun smiles, snapping a photo before Jongin has the chance to slip away and hide in embarrassment.

“Delete it, take another one,” Jongin squawks when Sehun proceeds to show him the photo. “I look awful; it looks like you’re taking me hostage - re-take it!”

Sehun shakes his head and quickly puts his arm in the air when Jongin attempts to snatch the phone out of his hand, the latter losing his balance and colliding with Sehun, or to be more specific, Sehun’s chest. Jongin blinks before recoiling like he’s been burned but he doesn’t get very far when Sehun suddenly wraps both arms around him and holds him as close as he can.

“What are you doing?” Jongin stammers and for once he’s thankful that Sehun chose to do what he did because Jongin is seriously fighting the urge to bury his entire face in Sehun’s chest to avoid the latter seeing his reddening face. He doesn’t do it, though. However, he does rest the side of his face against Sehun’s chest since the latter is so incredibly warm. Jongin can hear the faint sound of Sehun’s heartbeat and he sighs when the same warmth washes over him when Sehun proceeds to squeeze him even tighter.

“Protecting you from the cold, of course.” Sehun pays no attention to the fact that Jongin is standing with both of his legs bent at an awkward angle as a result of him nearly falling to the ground, and instead dips down to plant a soft kiss on the top of Jongin’s head. Sehun can both taste and inhale Jongin’s shampoo and he’s surprised at how much he likes it. “You like strawberries?”

Jongin blinks before pulling away and looking up at Sehun with doe-like eyes. Sehun thinks he looks absolutely adorable. “Hm?”

“Your hair didn’t smell like this last time we met,” Sehun runs a hand through Jongin’s hair. “Just asking, you smell like a strawberry took a dump all over you. In a good way, in a good way!” He shrieks when Jongin squawks and hits him in the chest.

“I started washing my hair with strawberry scented shampoo after our first meeting,” Jongin blurts out without thinking, “because I wanted to remember you.” He suddenly gasps and buries his face in Sehun’s chest. Damn it. Damn it. Me and my big- mouth.

Snickering, Sehun nods. “I see, I see. Well, I’m flattered, so you can stop hiding.” He helps Jongin stand upright before looking into his eyes. God, his eyes are gorgeous. “It’s getting late.”

Jongin suddenly feels his stomach drop. He looks around and examines his surroundings - a lonely, dimly lit street lamp a few feet away, Sehun’s car that’s shining in the moonlight and a single tree as far as his eye goes. “It is.” He nearly jumps out of his skin when he feels Sehun grab his hand. 

“I’ll text you, alright? The minute you get through that door, pull out your phone and text me and I’ll respond as soon as I possibly can. Promise me, alright?” Sehun asks with a hopeful glint in his eyes.

“I will, don’t worry. I’ll spam you with selfies and cute- emoticons, you’ll see,” Jongin sniggers before squeezing Sehun’s hand and pulling the latter towards him so that they’re standing closer together. Sehun hasn’t even driven off yet and Jongin already misses him. 

“I’ll be looking forward to that,” Sehun says in a genuine voice before his expression turns serious. Jongin instinctively swallows. 

“Hey, this is kinda random but,” Sehun starts before coughing and looking away, “sorry if you felt like this day was wasted on Baekhyun.”

Jongin blinks. He had no expected that. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I hope you’re not upset or disappointed about the fact that we spent majority of the evening at Baekhyun’s house.” Sehun suddenly looks extremely nervous and Jongin furrows his eyebrows. He doesn’t like that look on Sehun’s face. At all.

“No!” Jongin blabbers, flailing his arms in around and missing Sehun’s face by an inch, again. “No, God no! What matters is that we spent the evening together despite the fact that I had to talk to Baek! I’m just glad I got to spend it with you! The fact that I even got to see you today is a miracle on its own!” Jongin is deathly aware of how corny he sounds but he doesn’t care - he despises the mere thought of Sehun ever doubting himself for whatever reason. “If anything I’m happy!”

Sehun takes a minute to process Jongin’s words before he nods slowly and ruffles Jongin’s hair. “You’re cute,” he chuckles, “I like you.”

“Hey,” Jongin exclaims in offense, “I don’t appreciate being called cute! Can’t you call me anything else besides that?!”

Shrugging, Sehun shakes his head. “Nope. I can’t.”

Jongin nearly cries. “Why not?”

“Because,” Sehun takes a step forward and pinches Jongin’s cheeks. “It’s just the truth.” 

“God, you’re so annoying,” Jongin moans in irritation but he doesn’t even try to prevent the gigantic grin that’s beginning to spread across his entire face. What he does try to prevent, however, is the maddening blush that quickly spreads across his body and threatens to burn him alive when Sehun leans in and plants another kiss on his lips. Jongin figures he should get used to the feeling already but he can’t. He just can’t. And probably never will.

“I should get going, I’m afraid,” Sehun says with a hint of sadness in his voice. “My dog’s waiting at home. She’s the type that can’t be left unsupervised for long periods of time. Last year she nearly chewed up the entire sofa while I was out getting groceries.” He chuckles softly at the memory before looking at Jongin with a loving expression. “But I’ll talk to you later, right?”

Jongin nods. “Wait, you never mentioned owning a dog,” he suddenly remembers. “What’s its name?”

“Ah, I never told you? I figured I did at some point,” Sehun shakes his head in disbelief. “Anyway, his name’s Vivi and he’s extremely fluffy, hey, since you love dogs so much you should come over to my place someday and meet him!”

A certain rush travels down Jongin’s spine at Sehun’s words. Just like kissing, Jongin has never thought about visiting Sehun’s place, but he really, reallywants to. Especially upon learning that the latter is a dog person. Or so Jongin assumes. “Yeah, maybe, someday. I’d love that a lot.”

“Great, I’ll be looking forward to that then.” Sehun leans in and lightly pecks Jongin’s on the cheek and it takes everything in the latter not to pass out on the ground. That wouldn’t leave a very good impression on Sehun, he’s certain. “Good night.” Giving Jongin’s hand a small rub Sehun slowly lets go before turning around. 

“Good night, drive safely.” Jongin watches as Sehun buttons up his long brown coat before taking big steps towards his car. He watches as Sehun slides into the car and adjusts his long legs until he’s comfortable. Seriously,Jongin thinks, you’d think a long-legged giant like him would consider getting a more spacious car. Or at least one in which he can fit properly. He shakes his head in disbelief before smiling at Sehun when he hears the engine rumble. Clutching his phone in his hand, Jongin waves as he watches Sehun turn the wheel and the car shifts into motion. His stomach fills with a million butterflies when Sehun proceeds to turn around, waving behind him his shoulder before driving off and down the road. Jongin doesn’t think he’ll get over how handsome Sehun looks while he’s driving. Ever.

Mind still clouded a certain fogginess, Jongin stays glued to the patio steps before he realizes everything has gone silent. Whirling around, he quickly turns to face the doors and nearly breaks his fingers trying to find his house keys. He finally locates them at the bottom of his back pocket a minute later and practically breaks the door down before running inside and nearly slipping on the carpet in the process. He doesn’t even bother shutting the door properly before sliding down the wall in his hallway, heart pounding. 

Jongin opens his messages at lightning speed and proceeds to type. He prays to God his phone’s battery will last given that it’s currently at fifteen percent.

To: Baek :3
 

baek im so sorry i  didn’t see any of this bc i shut my phone off last week and didn’t turn it on until today im sorry T_T and how are you??  i hope you’re doing okay btw~

He barely even makes it off of the floor when his phone buzzes. Jongin blinks. That was fast.

From: Baek :3

hi jongin!!!! i’m doing kinda good, dw about me :3 anyway…HOW WAS EVERYTHING?? CALL ME AND TELL ME THE ENTIRE THING AND DON’T LEAVE OUT A SINGLE DETAIL : 3

Jongin chuckles. Typical Byun Baekhyun.

To: Baek :3

i will!!! just let me close the door since my apartment’s gonna freeze over if i don’t

Closing and locking the door, Jongin chucks both of his shoes off before running down the hallway and up the stairs. He feels his stomach drop when he stops outside his bedroom door (that hasn’t been stepped into in a week) but he quickly dismisses the feeling before proceeding to forcefully shove the door open and plopping down onto his bed. Feels both good and weird to be back in here, he thinks before pulling out his phone and calling Baekhyun. 

Baekhyun, inevitably, picks up after the first ring. Jongin figures he has been sitting and waiting by his phone for him to call. He shakes his head in both amusement and disbelief. Typical Byun Baekhyun.

“Jongin!” Baekhyun squeals. “Quick, tell me everything before I die of excitement!”

“Okay, well,” Jongin starts, “where do I begin. After we left your place, he-”

“Did he kiss you? Tell me he did! Oh what am I saying, of course he kissed you!” Jongin can practically feel Baekhyun bouncing up and down in anticipation. “Because he did, didn’t he?”

“Yeah, he did,” Jongin says and nearly moves his phone away from his ear when Baekhyun suddenly emits a high-pitched shriek. “Jesus, Baek, I nearly went deaf!”

“Did it feel good? What did he say before he kissed you? Did he like, you know,” Baekhyun stops for a second, “do anything exciting?”

Jongin groans but smiles anyway. “It felt really good, I was actually surprised that I didn’t pass out, I was pretty ing overwhelmed to say the least,” he chuckles. “Like one second we were standing next to each other and talking and th-”

“Close,” Baekhyun interrupts him, “you were standing really close to each other.”

“Yeah. Anyway, and then the next second he just kind of kissed me,” Jongin feels his heart race at the memory. “I was surprised, but I didn’t pull away, you know?”

“Wait, he kissed you on the lips, right?”

“Twice, actually. On the cheek and top of the head as well.” Jongin feels his heart pick up speed. “Jesus Baek,” he practically groans, “I like him so much.”

Baekhyun is silent for a long time before he speaks. “You’re wrong.”

Jongin blinks and furrows his eyebrows. Did he just - “What do you mean, I’m wrong?”

“You don’t like him so much,” Baekhyun says as a matter-of-factly. “You love him so much.”

Oh. Of course. Damn you, Byun Baekhyun. Jongin heaves a sigh of defeat before nodding and mentally slaps himself when he realizes Baekhyun can’t see it. “Yes.”

“So you admit it, finally?” Baekhyun asks in a semi-excited but also knowing voice. “You love him?”

“Well,” Jongin says sheepishly, “I wouldn’t say I love him considering the fact that we haven’t met up very often and w-”

“Do you want me to come right over to your goddamn place and knock you silly a second time?” Baekhyun exclaims in frustration but Jongin can sense a certain hint of amusement in his voice. “You love him, Kim Jong - goddamn ing - In, you’re head over heels for him and don’t try to tell yourself otherwise. It. Won’t. Work. You hear me or do I need to come and spell it out for you face to face? You. Love. Him.”

“I get it, moron,” Jongin chuckles before grabbing at the loose threads in his blanket. “I get it.” He suddenly lets out an agonized groan and rolls over so he’s lying on his stomach.

“What happened? Did you get diarrhea?” Baekhyun asks in a weirded-out tone. “The hell?”

“God damn it Baek,” Jongin groans, burying his face in one of his many pillows. “Ilvhmsch.”

“…I’m sorry, what? The hell are you doing; I can’t hear .”

“Ivhmschh!”

“Whaaat?”

“I love him so much,” Jongin practically yells into the reciever before grabbing the pillow and pressing it against his chest. 

“Oh, you lovesick mofo,” Baekhyun coos. “The hell were you doing, by the way, did you drop your goddamn phone in the toilet or what? Why did you sound all muffled and ? Oh, and thanks for the permanent ear damage, by the way.”

“No, idiot, I had my face buried in a pillow. Anyway, wh-”

“You are such a sap,” Baekhyun tuts. “Let me guess, you’re hugging that pillow for dear life right now, aren’t you?”

Jongin blinks. “Yeah…how’d you know? Jesus.”

“I’ve known you for eighteen goddamn years, I know you and how gross and sappy you get when you’re madly in love,” Baekhyun laughs. “Though, I personally wouldn’t use one of my pillows as my 'pretend Sehun’ but you do you, I guess.”

“That’s real funny coming from the guy who cried for three days straight because an attractive celebrity didn’t reply to his comment on Instagram.”

“Shut up, that was years ago!”

“Point is, you’re still as gross as I am,” Jongin shrugs, pressing the phone closer to his ear. “Anyway, back to the subject at hand.”

“Right, Sehun. Oh wait, no,” Baekhyun’s voice suddenly turns smug, “the boyfriend.”

Jongin squawks. If he could slap Baekhyun through his phone he would do so in a heartbeat. “He’s not my boyfriend!”

“I’m not having this discussion again, Jongin, there’s no point in arguing.”

“No, seriously, , he never asked me to be his boyfriend!” Jongin exclaims, gesturing everywhere with his hands even though he’s aware of the fact that Baekhyun can’t see him doing so.

“Look, he kissed you, didn’t he? On the lips, didn’t he? Twice, didn’t he? ing , Jongin, he loves you. Who the hell knows, maybe he was waiting for you to ask him to be your boyfriend, ever considered that? What’s with you and this weird- idea of yours that he should initiate every little thing 24/7 anyway?”

Jongin blinks. He hasn’t considered that, actually. Not one bit. “No, but.” He smacks his forehead. “And I have no idea where you got that from since I don’t.”

“I can tell that he likes you and that you mean a ton to him - okay, look, I promised him I wouldn’t tell you any of this but I will anyway since I’m an idiot,” he stops and Jongin furrows his eyebrows in confusion. “When you were sitting in the car, you know, when we were talking, he actually; well, basicallytold me that he’s really interested in you, it’s just that he doesn’t know how to express it since he thinks you’re shy and everything and he doesn’t know how to act since he doesn’t want to make you uncomfortable. In other words, you think he’s cautious and callous because he doesn’t care as much as you do or think he does when in reality,” Baekhyun stops to take a breath. “It’s because he’s afraid he’ll eventually screw up end up doing something that will scare you away. , don’t tell him I told you all this, alright? Or he’ll kill me for goddamn sure.”

Jongin hugs the pillow closer to his chest. “He said that?”

“I mean, I may have twisted his words a little bit, but-”

“Baek, for ’s sa-”

“But I swear that’s what he meant,” Baekhyun exclaims. “Feel free to ask him! No seriously, he’s just as scared as you are, maybe even more, who knows. Point is, he-”

Jongin bursts into laughter. “Scared? Why would he be scared? He’s the most confident person I’ve ever met in my life!”

“I didn’t mean that in terms of self-confidence in general, you moron,” Baekhyun says in frustration. “I meant your relationship. Point is, he cares about you more than you think; seriously Jongin, I’ve only met Sehun once in my entire life; once, and I can already tell he ing loves you so stop being so critical and show the scary dude some love already!”

“He’s not scary, I already told you,” Jongin groans, running a hand down his face. “I know he was seconds away from strangling you and all, but come on, he was ing angry and you pissed him off. I would’ve strangled you too. No offense or anything.”

“Right, see? He was willing to ing murder me in order to make you feel better about what I said to you,” Baekhyun says, voice shaking, “isn’t that a telltale sign that he gives a about you?”

“I wouldn’t say murder, more like be-”

“Jongin!”

“Okay, fine! I admit, I felt pretty…proud when he did that. Okay, not proud, but-”

“Proud? You’re mean.”

“Happy,” Jongin exclaims, “I felt happy! I mean, when he did that, for me, I felt like he genuinely cared about me, y'know? That’s if his reaction was genuine and not just a way to make us talk, like I said before.”

“…that’s literally what I’ve been trying to say all this time. And of course he goddamn ing meant it, you idiot, you should’ve seen the murderous look in his ing eyes when he grabbed me, Jesus - even thinking about it now sends a freaking chill down my spine. He meant it, my friend, he meant it. Not saying he’d literally kill for you, but yeah.”

“, Baek,” Jongin sighs dreamily before rolling over onto his back. “I lo-”

“You love him, we’ve alreay established that, thanks,” Baekhyun says in an expasterated tone. “You want to go to the cinema with him and watch movies and go to his house and cuddle and for him to you on every single surface of his house, I get it, Jongin, I understand.”

Jongin promptly lets out a horrified squawk and practically throws his phone across the bed. “Did you have to put it that way!”

“What?” Baekhyun asks innocently (and way too casually for Jongin’s liking). “Don’t act like you haven’t thought about it. I mean, you have, haven’t you? I refuse to believe you haven’t.”

Running a hand down his face for the second time, Jongin sighs. “I don’t know, honestly.”

“Jongin.”

“I’m telling the truth!” Jongin exclaims in agony. If only he could disappear off the face of the planet. “I haven’t thought about it!”

Baekhyun’s voice suddenly turns genuine and serious. “Okay, you don’t have to answer what I’m about to ask you if you don’t want to, but,” he stops. “Do you want to?”

“…want to what?”

“You’re so dense sometimes, you know that?”

“You mean,” Jongin feels his entire face grow hot. “The thing?”

“What are you, five?” Baekhyun exclaims in frustration. “Just say ''! You’re twenty, for God’s sake! And yes, I meant that. Do you want to?”

“What are you-”

“Do you want to have with Sehun?”

“Like I said before, we’ve only met twice,” Jongin babbles, eternally grateful for the fact that Baekhyun can’t see how beetroot his face is through the phone screen. “Don’t you think it’s a little too early to be asking that?”

“Meh, I ed a dude whom I’d only known for a week or two last year,” Baekhyun says in a casual tone and Jongin nearly explodes because how can he talk so openly about this??? 

Jongin suddenly thinks back to his dream. And he feels himself blush even harder.

“Jongin?”

He’s never ever thought about doing it with Sehun but he isn’t disgusted or grossed out by the thought either? Jongin nearly cries in frustration. I hate this.

“Jongin? Did you die?”

“Huh?” 

“Good gracious, for a second I thought you fainted or something,” Baekhyun breathes in relief. “Anyway, what did you think of just now?”

Damn you, Byun Baekhyun, Jongin thinks before taking a deep breath. There’s no use in hiding anything anymore. “You know when I called you over and…well…confessed?”

“You’re making it sound like your marriage proposal to me,” Baekhyun snorts. “But yes, I remember - the day you finally admitted to loving . So? What about it?”

“Stop being so lewd!” Jongin squeaks before continuing. “Before I called you I kinda…dreamt something.”

“Oh. Oh.” Baekhyun whistles under his breath. “I see, I see.”

Jongin rubs the back of his neck. “Yeah.”

“So you have thought about it then? Sehun ing you and you enjoying it.”

Jongin instantly regrets calling Baekhyun in the first place. “I…guess.”

“Great,” Baekhyun chirps. “Just talk to him about it and we’ll see what happens.”

“Are you seriously implying I should ask him!” Jongin squabbles. He reallyregrets calling Baekhyun. He could’ve just called Sehun instead. “God, what’s wrong with you,” he adds before rolling over to the other side of the bed, grabbing his charger and sticking it in his phone. His phone is at one percent. Good save.

“I’m not implying anything!” Baekhyun says defensively. “Just saying, if you feel for it then say so!”

“All I wanna do right now is take things nice and slow and see how the events unfold, is that too much to ask for?” 

“Fine, but how do you know Sehun hasn’t thought of it?”

“…he did tell me he couldn’t resist kissing me,” Jongin suddenly remembers. “That was like right after he apologized for rushing things along too quickly.”

“He said that? Well, dude,” Baekhyun says confidently. “It’s safe to say that he wants both you and your .”

“ off, you nitwit!”

“Are you gonna keep messaging on that godforsaken app?” Baekhyun changes the subject, much to Jongin’s relief.

“Oh, um. No. He deleted it, actually.”

“Let me guess,” Baekhyun says in a smug tone, “he deleted it because you and him are a thing now, am I right?”

“Well, yeah, that’s basically what he said.”

“Awh,” Baekhyun coos, “I need to find myself a man like that someday. So anyway, what are you gonna do now?”

“We’re gonna text and call,” Jongin says and his lips curl upwards into a small smile.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Baekhyun says, “hold up. You’re on that level now?”

“Huh?”

“You know, the calling and texting level. Wow, talk about progress. Was it he who asked for your number or was it you?”

“He asked but I-”

“There you have it!” Baekhyun exclaims. “He asked you for your goddamn number, he loves you, for crying out loud! Jesus, this keeps getting more and more romantic by the minute.”

“He said he’d call me after I texted him since his phone was dead,” Jongin says dreamily. “I wonder if he will.”

“Of course he will!” Baekhyun sighs in expasteration. “Wait, did you just say he’d call you?”

Jongin blinks. “Yeah.”

“How long ago?”

“Like,” Jongin checks his watch, “twenty five minutes ago? How so?”

“, we should hang up right now,” Baekhyun says in a hurried tone, “he’s most likely arrived home by now and wondering why on Earth you haven’t called him yet!”

“Chill, it’s fine, I think he’s still on the road. He should be home soon, though.”

“Right, okay. I should hang up soon anyway since I have a Physics exam tomorrow morning,” Baekhyun says with a yawn.

“I don’t,” Jongin chuckles.

“No, because your dumb can’t comprehend Physics,” Baekhyun snorts before yawning again. “Hey listen, I’m gonna go now, I’ll see you tomorrow at school, alright? And again, don’t overthink so much. He likes you and that’s that.”

Jongin sighs. “I won’t, I won’t. And yeah, I’ll see you at what, ten?”

“Yup. No - ten thirty. Oh, and by the way,” Baekhyun says lowly, “sorry for everything yet again.”

It takes Jongin a minute to figure out what Baekhyun is talking about. “Oh, no, it’s fine, it’s all fine. Really, Baek, it’s fine.”

“You forgive me, right?”

“Of ing course I forgive you. Stop being so serious, you sound weird. Now go the hell to sleep, I don’t want you failing the exam because you chose to stay up all night and talk with me on the phone. I don’t want to be responsible for Byun Baekhyun’s first ever 'F’,” Jongin chuckles.

“Har har. As hilarious as always, Kim Jongin. I won’t fail and you know it,” Baekhyun chuckles before yawning a third time. “I’m hanging up now, before I fall asleep with my phone in hand. Hurry the hell up and call Sehun and let him know you love him, so he knows. Don’t get too awkward and gross, though. Good luck.”

“Fine, fine. I will. Now sleep, good night,” Jongin chuckles. And with that, Baekhyun hangs up.

Jongin exhales. Baekhyun can be pretty draining to talk to, even on the phone. Exiting out of the call, Jongin quickly opens his messages app and prepares a new text. After renaming Sehun, Jongin quickly types in Sehun’s number before starting to type.

(10:54 PM) To: Sehunnie <3

heyyy it’s me jongin~ 

It’s a crappy first text and he knows it but at this point he couldn’t care less. He just wants to talk to Sehun.

The reply is almost instant.

(10:54 PM) From: Sehunnie <3

hiya! how’s everything? ~ im glad you chose to text haha i got a lil worried ( ﾟдﾟ)

Jongin chuckles. This kid.

To: Sehunnie <3

what do you mean?? :S and hopefully you got home safely and didn’t crash into the nearest ditch :)) and im fine, just got off the phone w baek so im a little tired to be honest lol

From: Sehunnie <3

i thought you ditched me hehe :3 but it’s good that you didn’t! and no i didn’t crash :xxx it’s kinda weird that i didn’t since it was so bloody dark out :P and it that you’re feeling tired :( if i was there i’d give u a big hug ~ <3

God damn it, Jongin thinks before burying his face in his pillow. Is this really the same person who looks like he’d chop your head off if you so much as pissed him off? 

To: Sehunnie <3

aw ~ i love your hugs so i’d love that!!! 

Jongin thinks back to Sehun’s bone-crushing hug earlier and feels a certain warmth wash over him. What he’d give to get Sehun to hug him like that again.

From: Sehunnie <3

really?? :o that makes me feel happy ~ oh and don’t you have school tomorrow btw??

To: Sehunnie <3

i do :( i start at 8 which

From: Sehunnie <3

that’s a shame :( hey, when do you end? ~

Jongin blinks before blushing. Is he hinting at another date?

To: Sehunnie <3 

my lit class is cancelled tomorrow bc my teacher’s sick so i end at 1:30 :3 how so?

From: Sehunnie <3

nothing in particular, just wondering ;)

Jongin swallows in disappointment but takes a deep breath. Remember what Baek said, he thinks, don’t overthink.

To: Sehunnie <3

i need to go to bed now sorry :( im pretty tired…

From: Sehunnie <3

that soon???? i was just about to call you :( but i understand, i have uni early tomorrow morning anyway :’( i also start at 8~

To: Sehunnie <3

i’ll call you tomorrow i promise!! <3 what lesson??~

From: Sehunnie <3

biology~ we’re dissecting sheep hearts atm so i need to write a lab about that :3

Jongin nearly gags. He detests that kind of stuff. 

To: Sehunnie <3 

yuck :c but good luck with your lab report ~ fighting!! ❤

From: Sehunnie <3

it’s not that gross!! trust me, it’s way less than gross than when you spilled your tea all over me js :333

God damn you Oh Sehun, Jongin thinks while running a hand down his face. He’s not letting this go.

To: Sehunnie <3

i said sorry!!! and yeah it is wtf it’s disgusting x.x  (╥_╥)

From: Sehunnie

ik ik darling ;3 meh, i’ve had more experience so i guess that’s why i’m not as freaked out about it as you are hehe :3 oh, maybe you could come by and visit my uni sometime?? i think you’ll like it ~

Jongin gulps. He isn’t sure how he feels about that.

To: Sehunnie <3

only if you promise not to show me a ton of disgusting stuff :)) only then will i allow you to take me there :))

From: Sehunnie <3

can’t promise anything but in that case we’ll make sure to stay away from the labs :3 but the doors are usually always closed so we’ll be fine i think <3

To: Sehunnie <3

i look forward to that~ you’ll be able to show off as much as you like hehe

From: Sehunnie <3

are you calling me a show-off? (╥_╥)

To: Sehunnie <3

maybe ;))))

From: Sehunnie <3

forget it then :'c (｡•́︿•̀｡)

Jongin blinks before his face erupts into an ear-to-ear grin. This can’t be the same person who nearly strangled Baekhyun to death earlier, it can’t be.

To: Sehunnie <3 

im kidding and you know it :3 honestly it feels really awesome to have an aspiring scientist as a boyfriend ヽ(^o^)丿 (⌒▽⌒)☆

Jongin waits for five minutes but doesn’t get a reply. Where’d he go? He’s honestly starting to regret using the word 'boyfriend’ (honestly, why did he even do that???) and he internally panics when he realizes Sehun might not be comfortable with the idea of calling each other…that. At least not at this stage.

He waits for another ten minutes and feels a dreadful sensation overcome his entire body and he seriously contemplates calling Baekhyun but decides against it since Jongin figures that a mental breakdown at 11:30 at night most definitely would not sit well with Baekhyun.

Feeling a headache coming on, Jongin gets off his bed before proceeding to pace back and forth in his room. Does he think I’m desperate? Was that too soon? Is it too early for me to call him my boyfriend? I mean, he did call himself my boyfriend earlier today, didn't he? Or was he simply just caught up in the moment and didn't mean? , Jongin thinks while nervously biting down on his lower lip. .

It’s not until a major spinning sensation settles in his head that he stops walking back and forth, choosing to stand in the middle of his room while tapping his foot anxiously. Did I ruin everything? , I’m a moron. Jongin buries his face in his hands. Breathe, remember what Baek told you, idiot.

Turning his phone off, Jongin places it on his bedside table before pulling his shirt over his head and replacing it with his light blue pyjama one. He crawls into bed, figuring Sehun must have fallen asleep or made the sudden decision to study whatever Biology thing it is that he’s currently studying, and pulls the covers over his head. His heart races in nervousness but he quickly tells himself to calm down. He thinks of Sehun and his warm bearhugs and his gorgeous face and just Sehun in general. Breathe, relax, ing breathe. 

The thought of Sehun cheers Jongin up a tad bit but his anxiety is still sky high. However, it quickly fades when a strong wave of sleep suddenly overcomes him and before he knows it, he’s fallen into a deep slumber.

❧