❧

"Why aren't they coming out?"

"Shh!"

"I'm just asking!"

"You wanna get up and check?"

Jongin blinks when the door opens but neither Sehun nor Chanyeol steps out. "I think I might," he says before getting off the couch and walking ten feet towards the door. He's seconds away from peeking his head through the doorframe when he collides with something. Stumbling backwards, Jongin rubs the sore spot on his right temple. The hell. He's about to mumble a quiet 'sorry' when he looks up and locks gazes with none other than Chanyeol, who is staring down at him with an expression Jongin can't identify.

With a yelp, Jongin instinctively takes two steps back (he's surprised he's even able to move his legs given the fact that his entire body feels stiff as cardboard, most likely as a result of Chanyeol's trademark glare). It's not until his gaze lands on Chanyeol's cane that he feels a shiver travel down his spine. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you coming, I swear; please don't kill me, I'm too young to die!" This is where it all ends. Goodbye, cruel, cruel world.

For a split second, Chanyeol's harsh expression softens before it's quickly replaced with a frown. "Don't be in such a hurry all the time."

Running a hand through his hair, Jongin nods, avoiding Chanyeol's gaze.

"Are you okay?"

Eyes widening slightly, Jongin blinks. When he looks up, Chanyeol is still staring at him but Jongin can't help but feel that there's something...friendlier? about his gaze. He quickly shoves the thought aside. "Uh."

Chanyeol raises an eyebrow before leaning on his cane, slightly to the right. "I take that as a yes, then."

Jongin stands frozen in place before he feels a blush creep up his neck. "Yes," he blabbers, flailing his hands in the air, "yes, I'm fine! I'm good, I'm perfect, no harm done!"

With a small nod, Chanyeol picks up his cane (and fighting the urge to both roll his eyes and chuckle when Jongin's eyes flash in alarm) before walking past Jongin without a word, presumably towards the couch. Jongin audibly exhales and nearly cries in relief when Sehun walks out of the kitchen, the latter nearly getting the wind knocked out of him when Jongin proceeds to envelope him in a gigantic bearhug.

Staggering backwards, Sehun blinks in confusion. "Hey, what's the meaning of this," he says in amusement, attempting to pry Jongin's arms away before the latter has a chance to accidentally choke him to death. Jesus, this kid has quite a grip.

After Jongin loosens his (death) grip around his neck, Sehun runs a hand through his (now messy) hair. He stares at Jongin with a questioning look but his lips quickly form an 'o'-shape when he averts his gaze and sees Chanyeol sitting on the couch, looking at them both. "Oh."

With an awkward shuffle of his feet, Jongin looks at the floor. "Yeah."

"It's fine, there's nothing to worry about," Sehun chuckles before reaching out and ruffling Jongin's hair. "Don't be scared."

"Did you talk to him?" Jongin whispers, leaning in closer.

Sehun simply nods before placing a hand on Jongin's chest and lightly pushing him away. "Everything's fine, it's gonna be fine," he mouths before giving Jongin a reassuring pat on the back before walking towards the couch.

Skipping after Sehun, Jongin watches as Baekhyun fidgets, hands in shoved deep in his sweater pockets. Chanyeol sits next to him only a foot or so away, gaze focused intently on his cane; more specifically, the dent on the shaft. Jongin reaches for Sehun's hand and lets out a small shriek when the latter hisses and pulls away like he's been burned.

Taking a step back, Jongin stares at Sehun like he's grown a third leg. "What's the matter with you?"

Sehun winces before massaging his right hand. He opens his mouth to speak but quickly closes it when he sees Chanyeol's not so subtle glare in the corner of his eye. "Nothing," he chuckles, running his uninjured hand through his blond hair. "Nevermind. Just...be gentle, okay?"

"Did you break it in a fistfight? Is that why it hurts?" Jongin gawks at Sehun before his eyes widen.

Sehun blinks. "Do I look like the type to-"

"I've seen one of those before!" Baekhyun suddenly pipes up from his position on the couch. Legs hanging off the edge, he swings them back and forth. "Three months ago, remember, Jongin?" He shoots Jongin a look. "When two guys tried hitting on me at once? It was crazy, I genuinely thought one of them was gonna die!"

Jongin grabs Sehun's hand and carefully interlocks their fingers before shooting Baekhyun a 'shut-the--up'-look. "I remember that, it was pretty insane."

Baekhyun, inevitably not getting the hint, continues. "I know right? Like," he looks at Sehun, gaze darting between the latter and Jongin, "I think one of them broke a wrist, it was awful! I mean, it was pretty cool to see since they were fighting over me, you know? But still, I'm glad no one needed to call 911!"

Sehun and Jongin watch as Baekhyun practically bounces up and down on the couch in excitement. Jongin fights the urge to walk over and place a hand over Baekhyun's mouth when he sees Chanyeol turn his face away. Jongin's hand with his thumb, Sehun lets out a cough before exhaling slowly.

"I mean, it was crazy! It was like middle school all over again! Do you remember how one of those dudes socked the other like, right in the eye? It was awful, I wanted to turn away but I had to keep looking!" Baekhyun continues, eyes twinkling. "Oh, and you all should've seen how they reacted when they realized both of them were after me! One of them, the one with the huge muscles, was like-" he adds before getting off the couch and walking over to Sehun. Grabbing the latter's shoulders, Baekhyun (not so gently) gives Sehun a vigorous shake before letting go. "And then everything kinda just...happened."

"I can imagine," Sehun chuckles before reaching up and massaging his left shoulder, which is already beginning to go numb. "But please, no need to use me as your pretend-dude for that."

"Oh, and you know the other dude? The one with the not-so-big muscles?" Baekhyun asks Jongin, "he was like-"

"Baek, we get it," Jongin says when Baekhyun moves to do the same thing to him. "I want my shoulders intact, thank you very much. And I was like, right next to you when it all went down!"

"Have you ever seen or been in one of those before?" Baekhyun suddenly asks before turning to face Chanyeol. "You should've seen how they fought!" Both Jongin and Sehun hold their breath as Baekhyun proceeds to flail his hands and arms around, missing Chanyeol's face by a mere inch. "They were like, swinging at each other like apes, it was hilarious but kinda creepy at the same time, y'know?"

Jongin clears his throat loud enough for Baekhyun to hear. "Baek, that's enough-"

"Which one did you think was the hottest?" Baekhyun points a finger in Jongin's direction. "The tall one with the muscles or the shorter one with the-"

"Baek!" Jongin exclaims, effectively getting Baekhyun to quiet down. Jongin shoots Baekhyun an 'are-you-for-real'-look before proceeding to dramatically point at Sehun.

Mouth forming an 'o' - shape, Baekhyun slowly nods. "Ah, right, right. But still, you have to admit, the taller one was the hottest," he shrugs.

Jongin fights the urge to facepalm, again. He's about to open his mouth to speak when Sehun suddenly lets go of his hand, and he looks up at the latter with a confused look.

Mouthing something along the lines of 'hold on', Sehun excuses himself before walking back into the kitchen. Jongin watches in confusion as the latter disappears into the room before turning to look at Baekhyun, who moves to sit down in the middle of the floor.

The three of them sit (and stand) in complete and utter silence before a buzzing sound breaks the ice, making Jongin and Baekhyun flinch and Chanyeol nearly jump out of his own skin. Baekhyun and Jongin look at each other in confusion before watching as Chanyeol proceeds to reach into his pocket and pull out his phone. Jongin watches in awe as Chanyeol's eyes skim over what he assumes is a text, and feels a foreign sensation settle in the pit of his stomach when he sees Chanyeol's lips...curl upwards, a bit? The thought instantly fades when Chanyeol quickly stuffs his phone back in his pocket before turning his attention back on his cane. Despite how fixated his gaze may be on his cane, Jongin can tell Chanyeol is sneaking subtle glances in Baekhyun's direction. Jongin almost facepalms. How can two people be so, so dense.

Sehun returns into the living room a minute later with a smile on his face. Rubbing his palms together, he looks at Chanyeol, Baekhyun and Jongin who are all staring at him in curiosity. "It's getting quite late."

Jongin blinks and turns to the left to face the window, and nearly jumps a bit when he sees that it is indeed, quite late. In fact, it's pitch black outside; he can't see a thing beyond the gigantic terrace outside the window. He shudders.

Quickly standing up, Baekhyun brushes the back of his pants before looking out the (gigantic) window as well. "Jesus, it's dark out."

"Wasn't it like, sorta bright out when we came here?" Jongin asks and zips his sweater, watching as Chanyeol proceeds to stand up and retreive a small brush out of his pocket, along with what Jongin assumes is a...tissue and a...pen? Man, just when I thought this guy couldn't get any weirder. 

Baekhyun nods before walking over and placing a hand on Jongin's shoulder. "Hey, it's winter, it's inevitable!"

Nodding, Jongin averts his gaze just in time to see Chanyeol quickly putting one of the objects back in his pocket in his peripheral vision. "Yeah, I know," Jongin mumbles. He opens his mouth to speak again but doesn't get a chance to when Sehun beats him to it.

"Hey," Sehun says softly, running his uninjured hand down the small of Jongin's back, "would you like to stay the night? Seeing as it's so dark out and all."

Jongin bites his lip before looking at Baekhyun, who looks away. "I, uh," Jongin says, "I have nowhere to sleep."

"There's over thirty bedrooms in this house," Sehun chuckles before playing with Jongin's hair. "You can choose whichever one you'd like."

"I can't stay, I'm sorry," Baekhyun says, "my brother landed half an hour ago, I promised I'd go and pick him up at the airport."

Sehun nods in understanding. "Your brother studies abroad, then, I persume? And are you late? You can borrow one of my cars, if you want."

Baekhyun nods with a smile. "Yeah, he doesn't visit very often. And no, I'm okay, thanks for the offer though; I haven't got a license."

"I understand," Sehun says. "Say hi to him for me, by the way." Turning to Jongin, he places a hand on the latter's shoulder. "What do you say? I'll take care of breakfast and everything tomorrow morning, and I can give you a ride to school; I'll drop you off, if you'd like."

Ignoring Chanyeol's subtle scoff, Jongin stands frozen in place before slowly shaking his head. "I can't."

Sehun presses his lips together before furrowing his eyebrows. "How come? Are you sure?"

Jongin nods before subtly looking at Baekhyun. "I don't want Baek to have to go home in the dark," he says. "Really."

"I can give you both a ride," Sehun suggests before leaning against the nearest wall.

"No, that's very kind of you," Jongin says before putting his hands up. He misses the way Chanyeol's eyes widen in surprise. "But I think I'd like some...how do I put this; alone time. You know, with Baek, just for tonight, if that's alright. No seriously, I hope you understand; I'd love to stay the night, but-"

Sehun nods in understanding before walking over and wrapping his arms around Jongin's waist. "No need to explain yourself," he says softly before planting a small kiss on Jongin's forehead, "I understand completely. Call me as soon as you get home, though, alright?"

"Get a room," Baekhyun sniggers before he clears his throat. Neither Jongin nor Sehun miss the way Baekhyun's gaze darts over to Chanyeol, who turns his face away before fixing his hair. "Just kidding. Sorry."

"Shut it, Baek," Jongin says with a roll of his eyes before turning to Sehun and pressing their lips together. Pulling away, he pats Sehun's shoulder. "I'll call you and you know it, you don't even need to ask."

"I didn't ask," Sehun chuckles and puts his hands up in defense when Jongin proceeds to glare at him with a less-than-amused look. "Sorry, sorry."

"I hate you sometimes," Jongin says with a light slap to Sehun's chest, but there's no bite in his voice. In fact, Sehun thinks he sounds rather...smug. Jongin gives Sehun's hand a loving squeeze before proceeding to look; no, glare, at Baekhyun with an expectant gaze.

Baekhyun blinks and raises an eyebrow in confusion (and amusement). "What is it?" He asks but quickly goes silent when Jongin wordlessly averts his gaze so he's looking to the left.

Following Jongin's eyes, Baekhyun unconsciously bites his lip before looking in the opposite direction. The bobbing of his adam's apple when he swallows doesn't go unnoticed by Jongin, who places a hand on his shoulder. 

"I'm not saying you have to, but it's probably best if you do."

Swallowing a second time, Baekhyun shoves his hands in his sweater pockets before shrugging Jongin off of him. Neither of them get a chance to speak further when a shadow looms over them and they both turn around.

Jongin feels his nose tingle when he inhales the sharp scent of Chanyeol's perfume. Turning around, he tries his best not to shiver when his eyes meet Chanyeol's. Jongin figures he should have grown used to Chanyeol's glare by now, but for some odd reason, he hasn't - Jongin figures Chanyeol's piercing gaze will forever continue to throw him off guard no matter how many times he sees it.

All three of them stand in silence for a couple of seconds, and Jongin fights the urge to rub the back of his neck when he feels his face grow uncomfortably hot under Chanyeol's stare. Assuming he's standing too close to Baekhyun for Chanyeol's liking, Jongin is seconds away from moving aside when Chanyeol suddenly extends his right hand.

Jongin stares at Chanyeol's outstretched hand like it's a bomb that's about to go off. Something seems to snap at the back of his head a second later, though, and he quickly moves to extend his own right hand, doing his best to squash the blush that's beginning to creep up his neck.

Chanyeol's hand is firm in his own, and Jongin nearly winces when one of Chanyeol's rings pinches one of his fingers. Chanyeol shakes hands the way you would expect him to - firmly and without a trace of friendliness or humor - only pure seriousness. Jongin swallows. So this is the rich-people-handshake.

Letting go, Chanyeol places his right hand on the handle of his cane before his gaze softens. It's still cold, but Jongin can't help but feel that there's something less harsh about it. "Sorry about what happened this morning."

Jongin blinks as Chanyeol's deep voice echoes in his head. Looking up, his eyes widen a little. "What? Oh, uh, it's fine, don't worry about it."

"I hope your heart's okay," Chanyeol says. His tone is flat and serious, the way it always is. Jongin nearly shudders.

It takes Jongin a moment to realize what Chanyeol is talking about and when he does, he clears his throat before shaking his head. "It's fine, or at least it should be, no worries," he says with the brightest smile he can muster (which is extremely difficult considering the fact that Jongin has never seen Chanyeol smile, ever) before shoving both hands in his sweater pockets.

With a small nod, Chanyeol reaches into his pocket before taking a step to the left and Jongin swears that Chanyeol's gaze softens the moment he lays his eyes on Baekhyun. The latter quickly looks away and rubs the back of his neck when Chanyeol proceeds to stare at him with a certain glint in his eyes. The moment doesn't last long, though, and three seconds later, Chanyeol extends his right hand towards Baekhyun, like he did to Jongin a minute ago.

Baekhyun clears his throat before slowly extending his own hand and softly, almost cautiously, grabbing Chanyeol's hand. Jongin watches as Chanyeol keeps a sturdy grip on Baekhyun's hand and blinks when he sees what he assumes is Chanyeol subtly caressing Baekhyun's hand with his thumb. Jongin isn't sure, though. What he is sure of, however, is that Baekhyun is a nervous wreck; Jongin doesn't think he's ever seen his best friend so squirmy or downright anxious in his life. Baekhyun isn't blushing, much to Jongin's surprise, but he blames it on the darkness outside. He's at least ninety nine percent sure Baekhyun is indeed blushing, and he's blushing like mad.

Letting go of Baekhyun's hand, Chanyeol slowly grabs hold of his cane before proceeding to lean on it, staring at Baekhyun with the same glint in his eyes as before. The tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife, and Jongin momentarily lets out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. Jongin can tell Baekhyun is fidgeting like crazy and he makes a mental note to buy his best friend a fidget toy for Christmas.

"Remember this morning, when I said it was a pleasure to meet you?" Chanyeol suddenly asks, making Baekhyun, and Jongin, jump a little. (Jongin isn't sure what caught him off guard - the fact that Chanyeol is initiating a conversation of his own accord or the fact that his voice has dropped so low it's almost a whisper. Jongin figures it's both.) "In that awfully sarcastic tone?"

Baekhyun visibly swallows before averting his gaze. Feeling something swell in his chest, he clears his throat before speaking. His throat and mouth are so dry his words come out sounding like garbled choking, so he opts to solely nod his head up and down.

"I meant it."

Both Jongin and Baekhyun's eyes dart up to look at Chanyeol who looks to be...smiling? Jongin can't really see, and he curses the blackness of the night for eternity. Baekhyun lets out a what sounds like a mixture of a cough and a chuckle before rubbing the back of his neck again, not saying a word. They stand like that for a couple of seconds, the living room falling into dead silence yet again. Jongin half expects Chanyeol to turn around and walk out the door, and his jaw nearly hits the floor when he watches as Chanyeol suddenly leans in and proceeds to plant a small kiss of affection on Baekhyun's left cheek, before pulling away two seconds later.

At first, nobody does or says anything, the only audible noises being the quiet rhythmic ticking of Chanyeol's (or Sehun's, Jongin isn't quite sure) many watches. Jongin watches in awe when Baekhyun slowly reaches up to lightly touch the left side of his face. His mouth is half open but he's not uttering a single word. Jongin is lowkey glad Baekhyun isn't making any noise, though, since Jongin figures he'd most certainly go deaf.

Neither of them get a chance to say anything (not that they were planning to, either) when Chanyeol sends Baekhyun a pearly white grin. Something explodes in Jongin's (and Baekhyun's, presumably) stomach because holy , does Chanyeol have a beautiful smile. If only he'd smile more often, Jongin thinks to himself.

Glancing at them both, Chanyeol mumbles a low 'good night' before giving each of them a nod. Turning on his heel, he grabs ahold of his cane. "I gotta go," he says, turning to Sehun. "Finals are coming up."

Sehun chuckles before nodding. "I feel you. Will you be taking my car?"

"You mean one of your cars," Chanyeol says flatly before brushing a piece of dust off his shoulder. "If that's alright with you."

"I don't exactly expect you to walk home at this hour," Sehun laughs. "And yeah sure, no problem. As long as I see it parked in its usual place first thing tomorrow morning."

"Demands, demands," Chanyeol tuts with a roll of his eyes before chuckling softly, "that's all you're made up of, Oh Sehun," he calls over his shoulder while walking off towards the hallway. Ignoring Sehun's squawk of protest, Chanyeol waves a hand in the air before opening the front door and closing it behind him.

Upon the door closing, Jongin runs over to Sehun and envelopes the latter in a hug. "Why were you just standing there?" he chuckles.

"What? I didn't wanna ruin the moment," Sehun replies with a shrug.

"The moment?" Jongin repeats, furrowing his eyebrows. "What moment?" he whines and turns around when Sehun points.

Jongin face falls when he sees Baekhyun standing frozen in the same place, still touching his face. He hasn't moved an inch. Running over, Jongin blinks when he sees the distant look in Baekhyun's eyes. Is he paralyzed or something?

After waving his hands in front of Baekhyun's face only to get no reponse, Jongin is halfway through contemplating whether to call 911 when Baekhyun suddenly emits a not-so-manly shriek, nearly scaring both Jongin and Sehun half to death.

"What," Baekhyun croaks, "what just; what the , what just happened."

Elbowing Baekhyun in the waist, Jongin chuckles into his fist. "Chanyeol happened, that's what."

"The poor guy's probably in shock," Sehun says before walking over to Jongin and pulling him a couple feet away from Baekhyun, "give him some space, will you?"

Wrapping his arms around Sehun's waist, Jongin turns to look at Baekhyun, who is blinking vigorously. "See? I told you you didn't have to worry!"

"But," Baekhyun stammers, still tapping his cheek, "this doesn't necessarily mean that he likes me-"

"May I just point out that I've never, ever seen Chanyeol kiss anyone in my entire life, and I've known the guy since we were only a few feet tall," Sehun interjects, running a hand through Jongin's hair. "He likes you, there's no doubt about that."

"Isn't it great?" Jongin asks, whacking Baekhyun in the arm in an attempt to snap the latter out of his current trance-like state. "Wake the hell up, for God's sake!"

Rubbing his arm, Baekhyun shoots Jongin a surly look before breaking out into a grin. His entire face falls and he furrows his eyebrows together when he moves his fingers on his right hand. Upon looking down, his eyes widen when he moves his fingers a bit more and notices something that closely resembles a piece of paper in his hand. Using his other hand, he slowly pries the torn up piece of paper out of his stiff hand before carefully inspecting it in confusion. It isn't until he turns it over that he nearly drops it in shock and his mouth falls open.

Jongin raises an eyebrow. "What? What's that?"

Baekhyun doesn't say anything. Instead, he shoves the piece of paper right in Jongin's face. The latter blinks before his eyes skim over a string of numbers neatly scribbled on said paper, and a warm feeling spreads across his entire body. Looking up at Baekhyun, he blinks. "ing hell, that's great."

"May I see?" Sehun asks and smirks when he sees what's written out in front of him. "Man, that's so..."

"Cheesy," Jongin concludes before breaking out into a grin, "but at the same time, so incredibly ing cute." He looks at Baekhyun again. "Did he give it to you, just like that?"

Baekhyun shakes his head. "I, uh, he must've placed it in my hand at some point, I never noticed or felt it."

"He must have done it while you were too busy freaking the out on the inside after he kissed you," Jongin sniggers before looking at Sehun, who's got an equally smug look on his face. "ing hell though, talk about smooth."

Sehun nods. "For someone who has never dated in his life, he sure is smooth, I'll give him that."

Giggling nervously, Baekhyun runs a hand through his tangled hair. "Yeah."

"Hey," Jongin says, "the weirdest thing happened earlier; Chanyeol like, smiled at his phone after you entered the kitchen." he points to Sehun.

"I may or not have sent him a little text," Sehun says sheepishly. "And I'm assuming you wanna see?"

Jongin nods. "Do I!"

Sehun opens up his and Chanyeol's conversation before showing it to Jongin.

To: Yeol~

don't mind him, he's always like this (´；д；`) don't take any of his boy-talks to heart!! (T⌓T) you'll have to get used to it for a little while ⊛ठ⊛

Jongin chuckles. "So that's what he was giggling to himself about? Interesting."

"Sorry to change the subject completely," Sehun says after nodding, while putting his phone away, "but you know what you said about choosing not to stay here?"

Jongin blinks before nodding.

"Have you changed your mind or not?" Sehun asks before planting a small kiss on top of Jongin's head, chuckling when the latter lightly shoves him away with a blush.

"I'm spending the night with Baek," Jongin says, gesturing towards Baekhyun, who blushes. Jongin blinks before flailing his arms around. "Okay, that sounded wrong, sorry, Jesus, I meant-"

"I get it, don't worry." Sehun pokes Jongin's cheek. "And that's alright; how will you get home, though? When does the last bus leave?"

"Uh," Jongin mumbles before checking phone. His eyes suddenly widen to the size of dinner plates. ", it leaves in ten minutes." He turns to Sehun. "How far is the nearest bus stop?"

Sehun stares at Jongin with an amused look. "Babe, I could just drive you, you know."

"No, that's far too much hassle for you, especially so late at night, I don't wanna put you through that troub - wait, what did you just call me?" Jongin croak-garbles. For once, he's thankful since the darkness successfully manages to conceal at least 95% of the bright red blush creeping up his neck and spreading across his face.

"I called you 'babe'," Sehun says with a chuckle. "Is that a crime?"

Jongin shakes his head before clearing his throat. "No, God, I just...nevermind. Damn it. God, I hate you sometimes," he groans before burying his face in the crook of Sehun's neck.

"Like I keep saying," Baekhyun says as he bends down to pick up the piece of paper after dropping it on the floor, "you're such a sap. But that's okay, though, since so is Sehun," he adds with a sly grin.

Sehun shakes his head in amusement before grabbing Jongin's wrist when the latter attempts to whack Baekhyun in the arm. "Can't argue with that, I suppose."

"What about you?" Jongin exclaims, gazing at Baekhyun. "You're the biggest sap I've ever met!"

Baekhyun squawks before placing a hand on his chest. "Me? How am I-"

"Take when Chanyeol suddenly kissed you, for example! Hell, you wouldn't even move your for a solid minute! You were like, all glossy-eyed and staring off into nothingness," Jongin says. "Yet you call me the biggest sap you've ever met? Think again!"

"At least I don't blush like a little schoolgirl when my boyfriend calls me 'babe'," Baekhyun retorts, crossing his arms over his chest and cocking his head to the right.

Jongin opens his mouth but his witty comeback dies halfway in his throat, and he looks at Baekhyun with a smug grin. The latter raises an eyebrow. "So, is that how it is, then?"

Baekhyun blinks. "What do you mean?"

"The thing you just said, you know, the babe-thing," Jongin says, trying his best not to giggle.

"What about it? Stop being so secretive 24/7, I hate-"

"So that's what he is - Chanyeol - your boyfriend?" Jongin sniggers and suddenly erupts into a series of guffaws when Baekhyun's mouth falls open in shock. "Your face! Look at your face! It's dark as hell out yet I can still see that you're as red as your goddamn hair!"

"Shut up, it's not like that," Baekhyun groans in agony. "We're not a-"

"Come on," Sehun chuckles, also trying his hardest not to erupt into a grin himself, "he gave you his number; something he'd never do if he wasn't head over heels."

"He's head over heels?" Baekhyun asks, mouth still hanging open.

"We've seen the way he looks at you, lunkhead." Jongin rolls his eyes. "He's been staring at you non-stop since we left the café and got into Sehun's car."

"To put it simply, he likes you. And like I said, I've known him the longest out of all of you, so you can trust me when I say that he is indeed interested," Sehun says as a matter-of-factly before turning his attention back to Jongin. "Hey, you should get going now if you don't want to miss your bus."

Jongin curses under his breath before giving Sehun one last embrace. "I'll call you first thing when I get home," he says before walking over to Baekhyun and inwardly groans when he sees the lovestruck expression on Baekhyun's face. "Hey, Baek, c'mon, if we end up missing the goddamn bus because of your Cupid-stricken , I'll die of frustration and come back and haunt your lovesick forever and ever and ever."

"It's not like missing the bus would be a bad thing anyway," Sehun says with a sly grin. "I mean-"

"I know," Jongin says before poking Baekhyun's waist, only to get no response. "But I feel like it's too...soon, y'know?" he adds, running a hand through his hair. "I really do hope you understand."

"Nah, I understand; it's fine. I mean, I'd love to have you here tonight, but yeah." Sehun suddenly smirks. "Make sure to dream of me tonight, then. I mean, you will, anyway, but still."

Squawking, Jongin mumbles a barely coherent 'yeah, right' as he turns to Baekhyun. When the latter still doesn't budge and instead lets out a dreamy sigh, Jongin throws his hands in the air before grabbing Baekhyun's arm and proceeding to drag him towards the hallway. Giving Sehun's hand a quick squeeze when they walk (or to be exact, brush) past each other, Jongin mutters a low 'see you on the phone' before opening the door and literally shoving Baekhyun outside.

❧