❧

Jongin sits in his last lesson, tapping his foot impatiently against one of the legs of his desk, much to his classmate’s irritation. He checks the clock on the wall for the nth time in the past hour and lets out a sigh of relief when he realizes there’s only twenty minutes left of the lesson. He feels a buzz coming from his back pocket and his fingers itch to pick up and check his phone but doesn’t want to risk getting caught like he did yesterday. He feels Baekhyun’s gaze burning holes in his back and he fights the urge to turn around and tell him to stop gawking.

Stifling a yawn, his hands come up to rub at his tired eyes. He hasn’t gotten much sleep and he has hunhunpinkupinku94 to thank for that - the side effects of staying up until two in the morning discussing random topics for no reason whatsoever slowly beginning to creep up on him. He’s actually surprised his phone is still alive and buzzing considering the fact that he fell asleep with his phone in his hand last night while messaging. He puts his head on his desk and rethinks everything they’d talked about just a couple of hours ago. Despite feeling like a walking dead, he smiles softly at the memories while his mind slowly slips into oblivion.

The sound of the bell ringing combined with his teacher’s (and Baekhyun’s) voice jolts him out of his trance-like state and he jumps ten feet in the air and lands with a painful thud on his back. He somehow manages to drag his chair down with him and they both land inches apart on the (thankfully carpeted) floor. It takes Jongin a full minute to process what’s going on, the harsh sound of the bell still ringing in his ears and his teacher’s voice still echoing in his head. He blinks repeatedly to clear his vision and looks up at Baekhyun and his teacher from his (mangled) position on the floor.

“No sleeping in my class, mister Kim!” The teacher yells (way too loud for Jongin or Baekhyun’s liking) before walking up to the front of the room, collecting her things and walking out the door.

Baekhyun helps Jongin up and catches him when the latter stumbles and nearly falls flat on his face. “Jesus dude,” Baekhyun says. “Wake the hell up.”

Jongin looks around the room and exhales in relief when he realizes the classroom is empty save for him and Baekhyun. He thanks the lucky stars no one was around to witness him fall out of his chair like an idiot. He runs a hand through his hair in an attempt to wake himself up, mind still clouded with sleep. “How long was I out?”

“I’d say about fifteen minutes or so” Baekhyun says. “You look like , by the way. Didn’t get enough shut-eye the previous night or something?” 

“You’re right about that.”

“And I don’t think I need to guess why, right?” Baekhyun asks while putting on his jacket.

Jongin nods sleepily, bending down to grab his backpack off the floor, stumbling and nearly falling over again. He stuffs his textbook and reading book in his bag and zips it shut before slinging it over his right shoulder. Grabbing his own jacket, he faces Baekhyun. “Shall we go?”

Baekhyun nods and they both head out the room, walking down the hallway towards the entrance. “How long were you two up, even? What did you guys talk about that was so interesting it cost you both several hours of beauty sleep?”

“Uh.” Jongin shakes his head, still groggy. “All sorts of stuff. Dogs, homework, clothes, random stuff.”

Opening the door, Baekhyun hums in understanding. “I see.”

“At some point I was afraid she’d start discussing makeup and but strangely, and thankfully enough, she didn’t.”

Baekhyun rolls his eyes. “Not all girls are interested in makeup, lunkhead.”

“I know that! But like,” Jongin says while skipping down the steps leading to the school two at a time. “Come on.”

“Anyway, today’s the big day, huh? Face to face, in real life, at last.”

“It is.” The mention of the meeting suddenly makes Jongin’s mind clear up and he suddenly feels his heart pick up speed for reasons he can’t explain. He doesn’t tell Baekhyun, though. 

“You nervous?”

Jongin gulps. Yes. “No.”

“Good, you shouldn’t be. Like I said before, what’s the worst that could happen? I hope you didn’t wrinkle your blouse while you were slumped over your desk, by the way.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry.” 

Baekhyun nods and lightly pats Jongin’s back. “Seriously, don’t be nervous. You’ll be fine. As long as you don’t bring up Math you’ll make it out alright.”

Jongin grabs Baekhyun’s arm and throws it off. “Stop bringing up Math all the time, you nerd. And I’m not nervous!”

“Then how come you’re so incredibly quiet?”

“I’m just,” Jongin starts, furrowing his eyebrows. “Thinking about what she’ll be wearing.”

“Geez, you that interested?” Baekhyun says with a soft punch to Jongin’s waist. “Don’t let your imagination go too far though. She could show up in a bright orange T-shirt with lime green polka dots for all you know.”

Jongin nearly retches. He hates orange and he especially hates polka dots. A combination of the two would most likely leave him running off and never coming back again. “I was thinking…maybe she’ll be wearing a skirt with a pretty, lacy top? That sounds pretty first date-y, doesn’t it?” he says and stumbles forward and nearly trips over a rock lying in the middle of the path when Baekhyun proceeds to whack him upside the back of the head.

“Seriously Jongin, stop asking me about girls! It’s like if I were to bombard you with a bunch of Math-related questions, cut it out.”

Jongin winces, rubbing his back head. “I was talking to myself, you birdbrain.”

“Sure.” Baekhyun says in a disbelieving tone before they turn a corner and end up at a crossing. “So, I’m guessing you’ll be hopping aboard the bus that stops at that station over there?” He points.

“Yup, bus 122. It should stop right outside the shop.”

“Great,” Baekhyun says before turning to face Jongin, a serious expression in his eyes. “Okay, I hate to get all serious and , but honestly, you’ll be fine. Don’t be nervous, okay? Just be yourself and everything will go smoothly. Hell, who knows, maybe you’ll end up being more than friends.”

Jongin nods slowly, avoiding Baekhyun’s piercing stare. “I know, thanks. I guess my nerves will settle as soon as I get there. I have plenty of time to think on the bus anyway.”

“I’ll turn my phone on so you can call me if you have any questions or need to talk, okay?” Baekhyun says and smiles slightly when he sees Jongin’s bus arriving in the distance. “Your bus is coming. Good luck.” He pulls Jongin in for a hug, the latter whispering a quiet ’thanks, see ya later’ before they part ways. Baekhyun watches as Jongin runs towards his bus and hops on in the nick of time, exhaling slowly when he sees the bus drive off and out of sight. My friend, you’re most likely in for a big surprise.

~~~

Jongin plops down in a seat and closes his eyes, leaning back against the seat. This is really happening. He feels his phone vibrate and he quickly fishes it out of his pocket. 

hunhunpinkupinku94: i’ve ended for today!! so happy~ 😊😊😊
hunhunpinkupinku94: tgif ✌️
hunhunpinkupinku94: have you ended nini?? it’s 2:45 ~
hunhunpinkupinku94: do you like the nickname btw?? -u-
hunhunpinkupinku94: i’m at the shop soon, traffic is really slow today ugh :c
hunhunpinkupinku94: i’m so excited to finally get to see u!! 💕💕💕💕💕💕
hunhunpinkupinku94: hopefully you’re happy too~
hunhunpinkupinku94: was just at the hair salon btw :D
hunhunpinkupinku94: when do you think you’ll be arriving?? （⌒▽⌒）

hunhunpinkupinku94 is typing…


Jongin smiles, nerves instantly settling when he reads the messages. She’s so adorable.

jonginlovesmonggu: my bus is rolling pretty fast so i think i’ll get there earlier than expected!~ maybe in like 15 min? and i’m fine w the nickname btw dw hehe 😁
jonginlovesmonggu: i’m really excited as well!!
jonginlovesmonggu: looking forward to trying the bubble tea you recommended!! （‐＾▽＾‐）

hunhunpinkupinku94 is typing…

hunhunpinkupinku94: jonginnie are you ok? (,,꒪꒫꒪,,)

Jongin furrows his eyebrows. 

jonginlovesmonggu: yes why?? :c

hunhunpinkupinku94 is typing…

hunhunpinkupinku94: bc you’re using those cute emoticons i always use :)) big improvement in just 2 weeks hehe 😂 (*^▽^*) 

Running his right hand through his tousled hair, Jongin smiles to himself. Of course.

jonginlovesmonggu: yeah well i guess you have that effect on me X) (^∇^)

He puts his phone away and places it on the seat next to him, making a mental note to remember that it’s there for when he arrives at his stop ten or so minutes later. He closes his eyes again and lets his mind drift. This really is happening. It feels like everything’s gone by so quickly - it feels like they started chatting just yesterday. They’ve talked about so much in the past two weeks that Jongin struggles to come up with his favorite subject to discuss. He hopes that she’s as talkative and bubbly as she is in real life and not the polar opposite of how she is online. He dislikes those types of people with a passion. He leans his head against the window, feeling it lightly shake against the glass until a sudden strong wave of sleep overcomes him.

Fifteen minutes later, the bus screeches to a halt and Jongin is out of his peaceful slumber for the second time that day when he is harshly lurched forward, face nearly colliding with the seat in front of him. He blinks, looking around and briefly wondering if there’s been an accident until he looks out the window and sees a sign with his stop written on it. Adjusting the straps on his backpack, he quickly stands up, grabbing his phone and making his way off the bus.

He fights the urge to pull out his phone and send a message asking for directions but soon decides against it given the fact that the bus is supposed to stop right outside the designated location. He bites his lip and looks around before shaking his head in an attempt to clear the fog in his head. He suddenly feels a shiver travel down his spine and he isn’t sure if it’s due to it being extremely cold out or because he’s so incredibly nervous. He settles for the former alternative but doesn’t believe himself. 

Making his way down the narrow street, he hears the bus drive away and looks around. A barber, a flower shop, a coffee shop but no bubble tea shop. He sighs before pulling out his phone and opening up the app.

jonginlovesmonggu: hey im here now!! and this is kinda embarrassing but i can’t find the pla

He’s doesn’t even get to finish typing out his message before something at the back of his mind tells him to look up and he does. And sure enough, he spots the colorful little shop marked ‘BUBBLE’ just a few meters ahead. Chuckling to himself, he deletes the message and puts his phone away before walking towards it. It’s painted baby pink and white, much to Jongin’s amusement. Of course she’d want to meet me here. There’s a gigantic bubble tea statue right on the doorstep and he briefly wonders how on Earth he’s going to get inside. He figures he’ll just have to squeeze past it. Approaching the shop, he’s suddenly struck with the same feeling of nervousness when he’s about ten feet away. Taking deep breaths, he recites Baekhyun’s words in his head before walking up to the shop and slowly peeking inside through the window.

It’s a small but cozy shop alright, walls painted baby pink with white furniture in the middle. Shelves with empty bubble tea cups in every color line the walls and Jongin almost laughs. He hears soft music that he doesn’t recognize playing from inside and he cranes his neck even further. He sees an ice cream dispenser in the corner to the left and a smoothie dispenser to the right. What the , he thinks. Why’s there a goddamn smoothie dispenser in a freaking bubble tea shop?

The shop is relatively empty save for the woman behind the counter who is busy counting money and simultaneously organizing a small tray of pastries. Jongin cranes his neck even more to the left and catches a brief glimpse of a young man sitting alone at one of the tables. He assumes he’s just placed his order and is waiting for his tea or whatever it is he’s ordered. Jongin momentarily wonders why there’s a lone young man sitting alone in a place like this but quickly rids himself of the thought. He furrows his eyebrows when he doesn’t see her. He sees a young man and a cashier but no one who matches the description of his…date? Jongin really isn’t sure what he’s supposed to call her. Friend, perhaps?

With a huff, he slides down the smooth white wall and lands with a painful thud on a rock and he lets out a small hiss. He decides against getting out his phone and asking her where she is in fear of coming off as irritating and pushy so he opts to sticking his hands in his jacket pockets. He assumes that her bus must’ve gotten stuck in even more traffic and momentarily feels sorry for her before the thought of why she wouldn’t inform him hits him. He dismisses it as him being oversensitive. She doesn’t have to message me every minute.

Jongin sits and waits for ten or so minutes but to him it feels more like an eternity. He clenches his hands into fists in order to conserve energy and presses his knees closer to his chest. A bystander nearly steps on his feet trying to get past him into the narrow walkway and he moves them in the last second to save his toes from a bone-crushing demise. Literally. Sighing, he curses the screwed up bus time tables, tapping his feet against the pavement out of boredom. He suddenly thinks of his date - what will she be wearing? A skirt? Something see-through? Something lacey? Flowery? Dotted? Does she look exactly the way she described? Is her hair extremely blonde or platinum blonde? Is she the type to wear a lot of makeup or none at all? Is she cute? y? Serious? Shy? Jongin thinks all at once before the thought of what she’ll think of him suddenly hits him and a certain feeling of worry washes over him. What if she thinks I’m lame? A douche? Weird? He quickly clenches his eyes shut to rid his brain of the thoughts and tells himself that she mostcertainly wouldn’t have worked so hard to maintain their friendship if she truly did think that way of him. He swallows anyway and takes a few deep breaths to calm his nerves. He mentally recites Baekhyun’s words again, suddenly feeling a little more confident. A little.

It’s not until he’s waited outside the shop for twenty minutes that he realizes staying out here any longer will eventually lead to him dying of hypothermia and he stands up and brushes the dirt off his pants. Ignoring the head rush that hits him like a fright trein, he takes a deep breath and begins walking towards the door. He suddenly stops cold in his tracks when it hits him that he hasn’t bought anything to give her. He isn’t sure if it’s an obligation or not to buy gifts on the first date and he hopes to God it isn’t and that she doesn’t mind because he most certainly doesn’t have anything prepared. Damn it. He curses (himself) under his breath, mentally slapping himself across the face for being such a forgetful fool before walking towards the door. 

Squeezing past the giant cup of bubble tea partially blocking the doorway, Jongin stumbles into the shop and blinks when a huge wave of heat suddenly hits him in the face. The shop is extremely bright, the walls being white and all, and he prays he doesn’t go blind. He awkwardly stands in the doorway, not knowing what to do, and he spends the next five minutes pretending to check out the cups of bubble tea neatly aligned on the shelves by the walls. He subconsciously fixes his hair, perfecting his middle parting and smoothing out his split ends while tapping his foot against the marble floor in both eagerness and nervousness. It’s quiet, the only audible noises being the sound of money being picked up and dropped into a cash register and Jongin briefly wonders if he’s arrived at the right place when he waits for another minute and there’s still no sign of her anywhere. He suddenly feels extremely nervous. Is there another bubble tea shop nearby? 

He pulls out his phone and opens up the conversation and proceeds to type out a message (which proves to be extremely difficult given the fact that his hands and fingers are numb).

jonginheartsmonggu: hey i’m here now!!~ it’s ten to two and i’ve waited a while so i was wondering if i’ve somehow ended up in the wrong pla

“Oh, so it is you! Hi! Jongin!”

Jongin feels an electric shock surge through his entire body at the mention of his name. His confusion only triples when it suddenly dawns on him that the voice that just spoke his name definitely did not belong to a girl. He stands by a shelf, not having it in him to turn around and locate the source of the sound, phone in hand and index finger hovering above the 'c’ key on his phone. He quickly dismisses what he heard as a result of him being all too nervous and hearing things. Cursing himself for getting too nervous, he’s about to resume typing out his message when he hears the same voice, again.

“Come on, don’t be shy! I know it’s you, I recognize that adorable poodle phone case!”

Jongin stills. Whoever is talking right now is definitely talking to him. But it still sounds like a man’s voice? He does some quick thinking; there are currently two people inside the shop. He quickly rules out the lady behind the cashier due to her being a woman and his eyebrows furrow in confusion. They quickly shoot up when he realizes the only person left is -

“It’s me, Sehun! Oh, I just realized I never told you my name but I’m Sehun! Come sit!”

It takes Jongin a full minute to process his current situation and once his brain finally manages to put two and two together, he suddenly feels light-headed. He slowly turns around and his eyes widen in shock when he finds himself staring the young man he’d seen earlier square in the eye. He blinks in confusion and shock, head spinning as he stares at the stranger. Mind clouded with confusion, his eyes quickly trail over the man - he’s tall, or at least Jongin thinks so, he’s got blonde hair and surprisingly well groomed eyebrows. Realization hits Jongin like a ton of bricks and before he knows it, his legs are moving a hundred miles an hour and rushing him towards the door. He nearly crashes into it and his hand desperately fumbles for the handle, refusing to look over his shoulder. He feels sweat trickle down his temples and he blames it on the sudden rise in temperature as he blabbers something incoherent while trying to locate the handle in his current panicked state. 

After a brief struggle, his hand eventually comes in contact with the door handle and he’s about to open the door and run out onto the streets and message his date and tell her there’s been a misunderstanding and that he’s ended up in the wrong shop and that a strange man is trying to kidnap himwhen said strange man speaks up a third time.

“What are you doing? Where are you going? Did you change your mind, do you wanna go somewhere else? I thought you’d at least want to taste the strawberry flavored tea first before we go anywhere else.”

Jongin feels like he’s been kicked in the stomach and he chokes out something incoherent while slowly sliding down the door and backing up against it. His heart is pounding so hard and fast he’s worried it might break through his ribcage and fall to the floor in a messy splatter. He hopes it doesn’t though, since the floor looks newly polished. He figures the cleanliness of the floor is the least of his problems at the moment and he gulps when the man suddenly smiles at him. Jongin exhales shakily before his hands scramble for his phone. He finally fishes it out of his jacket pocket after a brief moment of struggle and quickly opens up the app and the conversation. His hands are shaking so much he’s worried he’ll drop his phone and shatter it against the floor and he holds onto it for dear life as he attempts to type out a quick message with equally shaky fingers. 

jonginheartsmonggu: sldkfjdgkflsdj

Jongin feels like he’s gotten the wind knocked out of him when he hears the familiar ’ding’ notification sound belonging to the app shatter the silence. He feels all color drain from his face when the man proceeds to reach into his coat pocket and pull out his phone.   , , , , no, no, no, God no, this can’t be real, this can’t be real, this isn’t real, this can’t be real, this can’t be -

“’Sldkfjdgkflsdj’?” Sehun reads out loud, a neatly groomed eyebrow raised in amusement. “Are you that excited to see me?”

For a solid minute Jongin doesn’t speak a word and he ignores the cashier who’s staring at him with a curious expression on her face and he looks at Sehun from his position on the floor, eyes still wide in shock. 

“You can speak, can’t you?” Sehun puts his phone back in his pocket and continues to stare at Jongin with the same amused look. He puts his hands on the table in front of him and clasps them together.

Something seems to snap in Jongin’s mind and he nearly chokes on his own spit when he speaks, right index finger pointing accusingly at Sehun. “Y-y-you’re…a…you’re…you’re a man!”

Sehun blinks before bursting into laughter, right hand coming up to cover his mouth. Jongin doesn’t know whether he likes the sound or not, but what hedoes know is that it’s doing wonders for his nerves; he’s suddenly feeling a lot less tense.

“Well, it's nice to finally meet you too” Sehun says sarcastically, but there’s no rudeness in his voice. In fact, Jongin thinks he sounds rather charmed. “I didn’t think that’d be the very first thing you’d say to me when we finally met face to face, but that works as well, I guess.”

Jongin feels a blush creep up his neck and he runs a hand through his hair, mind still trying to process the current situation. He racks his brain for something witty and rational to say but it comes out in the form of a choked splutter as well as a barely audible 'you’re a guy.’ He mentally punches himself in the face.

Sehun laughs again before nodding slowly and looking down at himself. He looks up at Jongin a few seconds later. “Yup, you’re very right about that. I am indeed.”

“I-I-I…I thought…Ithoughtyouwereainggirlwhattheisgoingon!” Jongin croak-garbles as he attempts to stand up, only for his legs to give in and he falls back onto the floor again with a painful thud. He doesn’t miss the way Sehun lets out a confused noise before standing up. Jongin inwardly prays that Sehun doesn’t walk towards him and sits back down again because he’scertain his heart and head will both definitely explode if he does. 

“You thought…you thought I was a girl?” Sehun asks and Jongin hates how amused he sounds and how it looks like he’s seconds away from erupting into a gigantic grin.

“Y-Yeah, I thought you were a ing girl!” Jongin squabbles and he feels his entire face grow hot when Sehun’s face actually does erupt into a gigantic grin. “I-It’s not my fault! How the hell was I supposed to know? You acted like a girl, you talked like one, you made yourself seem like one and - , I need some air.” He reaches up and grabs ahold of the door handle above his head, pulling down and literally spilling out onto the pavement as soon as the door flies open. He takes a much needed breath of fresh air, instantly feeling his cheeks cool down. Breathing in slowly, he attempts to collect his thoughts to no avail since it feels like his brain activity has come to a complete halt and his entire head has frozen over. He squeezes his eyes shut when he feels his head start to spin again, taking deep breaths to calm himself down and trying to process everything that’s just happened. So there is no girl, hunhunpinkupinku94 is a dude, this is really happening, oh God, is this really happening. His hands come up to grab at the sides of his head as he tries to regain control of his thoughts. 

Jongin’s suddenly struck with the thought of what the hell he’s supposed to do now. Do I stay? What on Earth do I do? Do I tell him to off and yell at him for lying to me? Do I just stand up and run off and get on the bus and tell Baekhyun it just didn’t work out? He takes one shaky breath as he contemplates what to do. He's seconds away from getting up and running to the bus when he suddenly thinks of Baekhyun’s words and how disappointed the latter would be when Jongin tells him he chose to bail out - Jongin figures Baekhyun would hit the roof if he told the latter the reason he bailed out was solely because his date didn’t turn out to be a girl after all. He lets out a loud sigh of desperation.

The image of Baekhyun’s crestfallen face when he finds out Jongin didn’t give it a shot pops into his head and is enough for him to slowly crawl back into the shop, half-assedly closing the door behind him. He doesn’t have the courage to look behind him, choosing to keep his back turned to everyone in the shop and keep his gaze fixated on the dead spider laying right by the doorsill. Breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe, br -

“Is everything okay?” Jongin nearly jumps out of his skin when he suddenly feels a hand on his shoulder, left arm flying out and nearly whacking Sehun right in the face. They stare at each other for a split second before Jongin feels himself blush and he grabs Sehun’s hand and quickly throws it off him before quickly turning his face away, avoiding Sehun’s gaze. “Don’t touch me.”

Sehun just chuckles and puts his hands up in defense, taking a step back from Jongin. “Okay, sorry. It’s just that for a second there you looked like you were having a panic attack.” 

Jongin grits his teeth. , I was. He soon comes to the realization that it’s probably better to get up and sit down at a table instead of looking like a fool while laying in a heap in the doorway, not to mention that if someone was to open the door and come inside he’d have a shoe print mark permanently imprinted on his face for the rest of his life. The mere thought of someone stepping down on his face is enough for Jongin to stand up on shaking legs, wobbling and nearly toppling over. He leans onto the wall for support and slowly makes it down the single step. Jongin’s eternally grateful for the fact that Sehun didn’t help him down or hold onto him while he was making his way down since he’s a hundred percent sure he’d end up suffering from a heart attack right there on the spot.

He takes a deep breath before mustering up the courage to look up at Sehun who’s staring at him with a curious (and semi-weirded out, Jongin thinks) expression all over his sharp features. They stand there for what feels like ten years until Jongin realizes he should probably say something since he hasn’t exactly made a fleeting impression thus far. “Uh. Should we sit down?” Smooth as always, Kim Jongin.

“Sure we can,” Sehun chirps, a glint of happiness flashing in his eyes. He walks over to the table he’d been sitting at earlier and proceeds to take off his long brown coat, sliding it off his shoulders and neatly hanging it over his chair. Jongin follows suit, doing the same thing with his own jacket before reluctantly sitting down on the chair across from Sehun. He places his backpack on the floor next to his chair.

Sehun easily slides into his seat and Jongin nearly jumps out of his skin when Sehun’s long limbs bump into his own, knees colliding under the table and Jongin feels his face heat up for reasons he can’t and would rather not explain. 

“Sorry,” Sehun apologizes sheepishly, choosing to sit with his legs spread apart instead in order to give them both some room. He definitely doesn’t miss the way Jongin averts his gaze when he moves to do so.

Jongin keeps his gaze fixated on his own lap, playing with his fingers until Sehun breaks the silence. “You look just as handsome as you do in your pictures. I didn’t recognize you when you first came in since your hair looked a shade lighter. Did you get it dyed before coming here? Is that why you arrived half an hour late?” He chuckles when Jongin shoots him an offended look. “I’m kidding, I kid! It’s alright, I had plenty of time to mentally prepare so it’s fine.”

Nodding awkwardly, Jongin sits up in his chair before averting his gaze so he’s looking at Sehun. He’s wearing a fuzzy gray shirt that looks more like a sweater as well as black pants. At least Jongin thinks they’re black, he isn’t sure though - and he’s definitely not looking under the table to see if he’s correct. Sehun’s face is extremely proportional, much to Jongin’s surprise, and Sehun was right about his eyebrows because damn, are they nice. Jongin momentarily wonders if he takes frequent visits to a beauty salon to get them trimmed and groomed but he’s not going to ask Sehun and find out. He figures that he does. Sehun’s hair is fluffy and a shade of white-ish blonde and it looks newly dyed. Despite it looking fluffy, it’s extremely nicely styled and Jongin can almost smell the hairspray and hair gel that Sehun most likely uses to style his hair. Jongin fights the urge to reach out and touch it to see if he really does use a ton of styling products but he figures that Sehun is a neat freak and will break his hand if he so much as lays a finger on one of the strands. He flinches when Sehun suddenly speaks.

“Is my hair really that interesting?,” Sehun chuckles, right hand reaching up to softly pat the top of his head. Jongin doesn’t hear a crinkling noise so he figures Sehun’s hair is just naturally flawless. "I got it re-dyed just before coming here. My roots were beginning to show."

When Jongin doesn’t say anything Sehun makes a move to get up and for a second Jongin wonders if he’s screwed something up but his wonder soon subsides when he sees Sehun get out of his chair and walk over to the cashier. He can hear the lady behind the counter striking up a conversation with Sehun and Jongin, in an attempt to pass the time, chooses to trail his gaze down Sehun’s backside. His eyes widen the tiniest bit when he sees just how wide Sehun is - his shoulders are so broad Jongin’s certain a plane could make a safe landing on his back and despite his torso looking a little bit slimmer than Jongin’s, it’s still extremely toned and Jongin feels envy pool in the pit of his stomach. He wonders how Sehun would look if he was a girl, like Jongin had initially thought. 

He doesn’t get the chance to think about how Sehun’s waist would look like when Sehun suddenly turns around, much to Jongin’s disappointment, holding a cup of ice cream in each hand. He says something to the cashier before walking towards the table and gently placing both cups on the surface. He walks back to the counter to do God knows what and Jongin just stares at the objects in front of him like they’re grenades ready to explode. In front of him is a cup with what he assumes is strawberry ice cream and one with what must be chocolate flavored ice cream and his stomach suddenly rumbles when he realizes just how hungry he is, which is inevitable given that he refused to eat the fish that was being served in the cafeteria earlier. 

Sehun returns a second later with a cup of bubble tea in each hand, one with pink stripes and one with brown stripes. He places them on the table before sitting down and smiling widely at Jongin who blinks because this is what he came here to do in the first place. Technically. Well, now that he thinks about it, it’s all he wants to do right now. 

He must’ve been sitting there silent for a long time because when Sehun speaks up he sounds a little bit hurt, or at least so Jongin thinks. “Which one do you want? Wait, you said in the chat that you were eager to try the chocolate one, so here you go!,” He slides the cup with the brown stripes towards Jongin. “I really hope you’ll like it, I order it almost every time I come here and it never fails to disappoint!”

Jongin blinks. She; or, he - sounds so much different than he usually does online. The only thing that’s missing is the excessive amounts of emoticons. Shaking his head to rid himself of the thoughts, he clasps his fingers around the cup. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome!,” Sehun exclaims before grabbing his own cup and taking a long sip out of the striped straw. He pulls back, practically about how good it tastes before holding it out in front of Jongin so the straw is pointing towards him. “Care for a taste?”

“Uh, no thanks,” Jongin declines as politely as he can, subconsciously leaning away from the straw that’s a little too close to his face for his liking. He doesn’t miss the way Sehun’s face falls when he does and Jongin lets out a cough before taking a sip out of his own drink. His eyes widen a little when the liquid hits the back of his mouth and travels down his throat because holy , it tastes like Heaven. He makes a mental note to come here more often before looking at Sehun who’s poking at the bottom of his cup with his straw. “This tastes really good.”

Sehun’s head whips up and stares at Jongin in what the latter thinks is surprise before his face erupts into a huge grin. “I know right? I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve had that chocolate one, it’s just that good. I prefer the strawberry one, though. I love strawberries a lot. What’s your favorite flavor?”

Jongin blinks, lips locked around the straw. “Uh, I’d say either chocolate or vanilla.”

“Vanilla?,” Sehun echoes, “you should’ve told me you liked vanilla since they have vanilla flavored bubble tea. Silly goose!” He reaches out and lightly slaps Jongin’s arm. “I really like vanilla as well, especially vanilla ice cream! Hey, speaking of ice cream, you better eat yours before it melts into glop.”

“Huh? Oh, right.” Jongin picks up the small blue spoon laying next to one of the ice cream cups. “Which one should I have?”

“Up to you! There’s chocolate and raspberry, so take your pick!”

Jongin reaches out and slides the cup with the brown ice cream towards him, digging his spoon into the scoop. Realizing it’s probably his turn to speak up, inspects the ice cream. “Do…do you come here often?”

“Yeah, I told you I come here every chance I get! There’s usually a lot of people here though, which , but when there isn’t, I basically have the whole place to myself. Seriously, I think the people working here are starting to recognize me and memorize my orders at this point,” Sehun says with a friendly laugh before shovelling a spoonful of pink ice cream into his mouth. “Jesus, this good. I think they use real fruit.”

“This is really good,” Jongin nods in agreement, stuffing his face with ice cream and chewing on chunks of chocolate. He looks up and his mind goes blank when he sees Sehun looking at him with an expectant look in his eyes, almost as if he’s waiting for Jongin to continue the conversation. But Jongin opts to keeping his gaze fixated on the nearly empty cup of ice cream beneath him instead for reasons he can’t explain, occasionally taking a sip of his tea. He flinches when he hears the sound of a camera shutter clicking shut and he whips his head up and looks at Sehun, who’s sitting with his phone in his hand, smiling at him. 

“You looked adorable,” Sehun reassures him while putting his phone away. “Don’t worry.”

Jongin nods slowly and quickly looks down in order to prevent the blush that’s blooming across his face from spreading any further. He looks up a minute later and nearly recoils like he’s been burned when he sees Sehun holding out a spoonful of ice cream in front of him. He stares at the spoon like it’s some kind of unidentified creature before Sehun chuckles.

“Open wide,” Sehun says with an amused smile. Jongin inwardly sighs. This is not what he had signed up for. Realizing Sehun isn’t taking no for an answer, he slowly opens his mouth while avoiding Sehun’s gaze, instantly closing his mouth as soon as he feels spoon enter his mouth. Sehun slowly pulls the spoon out from between Jongin’s lips and chuckles in delight when the latter wordlessly swallows. “So cute.”

They sit like that, quietly eating their ice cream and drinking their tea for about ten minutes before Jongin puts his spoon aside and sits back in his chair. “I’m done, it was super tasty.”

“With the tea as well? No way,” Sehun asks in a surprised tone. He reaches out and shakes Jongin’s tea cup and his eyes widen in astonishment when he realizes it is in fact, very empty. “Wow, that was fast. Were you hungry?”

“I was practically starving to death,” Jongin says as a matter-of-factly. Realizing that’s his cue to keep the conversation going, he speaks again. “I refused to eat the gross- fish they were serving at school.”

“You don’t like fish?”

Jongin shakes his head. “Hate it.”

“My brother hates fish as well, whenever we’d have fish at home he’d simply refuse to eat it and told us he’d rather starve,” Sehun says with a small giggle before polishing off the rest of his ice cream. “I’m not a huge fan of fish either. I mean, I’d eat it if I was stranded on an island in the middle of nowhere, but otherwise nah.”

Jongin nods, not knowing what to say. “You have a brother?”

“I told you last week, don’t you remember?," Sehun says with a chuckle but Jongin swears he can sense a hint of hurt in his voice but he chooses to ignore it. “Anyway, yeah, I do. He moved to a different country to study in some fancy university last year so I haven’t heard much from him. Who knows, maybe he’s taken a liking to fish now.” He lets out a small chuckle before taking a sip of his tea. “How’re your sisters doing, by the way?”

“My sisters?,” Jongin asks dumbly. “They’re fine, the oldest one is currently studying abroad, I haven’t heard from her in a while. I think she recently got a boyfriend which is cool for her. The youngest one recently got accepted into college somewhere in Europe, so that’s awesome.”

Sehun nods. “Europe? That’s fascinating. I went to Italy last year, it was really cool. I think I gained ten pounds from all the pizza I ate,” he laughs. “What about you? Ever been to Europe before?”

Jongin shakes his head. “Haven’t been out of the country, unfortunately.”

“Really? We should travel together someday!,” Sehun exclaims as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Jongin’s stomach churns uncomfortably but he attempts his best smile anyway. “Yeah, maybe someday.”

Sehun leans back in his seat and wipes at the corners of his mouth with a tissue. Right when it looks like they’re going to fall into the same silence again Sehun’s eyes suddenly light up and he nearly jumps out of his chair. “Oh! I almost forgot!” He turns around and digs through the pocket of his coat, turning around a second later with his hands behind his back and a secretive smile on his face. “Remember how I said I went to that store two days ago? Well,” he says before revealing his right arm and sticking it out in front of Jongin. Jongin’s eyes widen a bit and a certain feeling washes over him when he sees a small Doraemon plushie in Sehun’s hand. At first he doesn’t know what to do and he opts to awkwardly reach out and take it, placing it on the table and smiling. “It’s so cute, thanks.”

“It’s the one I named Nini,” Sehun giggles, staring at Jongin with a loving expression in his eyes. “I hope it didn’t get too squished in my pocket, I tried protecting it from getting squashed when I was sitting on the bus. At one point one of those annoying kids threw themselves down onto the seat next to me and nearly crushed it but thankfully I moved aside in the last second.”

Jongin nods before stuffing it in the inside pocket of his jacket. “Thanks again.”

“Take care of him for me, will you?”

“I will.” He focuses his gaze on the lacey white apron the cashier is wearing. "This is kinda random, but what' the meaning behind your username?"

"My username?"

"Yeah, I've always been curious."

"Ah, well I was born in 1994 and," Sehun suddenly giggles. "Well, ever since I was three I had this cat plushie named Pinku Pinku that I kept until I was fifteen. I got it from my mother, I still have it somewhere I think."

"Sounds cute," Jongin says and  his head to the side when he sees Sehun's expentant gaze. "What?"

"If I remember correctly, you had a dog named Monggu that you loved very much, right?"

"Yeah."

"I remember the photo you sent of him, he sure was adorable. I love dogs."

"M-hmm."

“Jesus, I feel so full all of a sudden. We should’ve shared an ice cream,” Sehun says, cracking his knuckles. He suddenly leans forward, much too close to Jongin’s face and the latter fights the urge to lean away. “Hey, what made you sign up for that app anyway?”

Jongin blinks before letting out a cough as he briefly chokes on his tea. “Well, uh, my girlfriend dumped me.”

“Girlfriend?,” Sehun asks. “What was she like, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“She was extremely funny and so bubbly all the time, and also extremely beautiful,” Jongin says and subconsciously smiles at the thought of his ex. 

“Do you miss her?”

Jongin gulps. What on Earth do I say? “I’m trying to get over her.”

"Why'd you break up? If you don't mind me asking, of course."

Jongin blinks. "I actually don't know."

Sehun nods in understanding. “I signed up for it since I was also dumped. My boyfriend was a real .”

“How so?” Jongin asks, poking at his empty ice cream cup.

“Caught him with another man on the day of our one-year anniversary. I was walking up the stairs with a gift I'd bought and opened the door to our bedroom and...yeah. Let’s just say his was out and onto the streets in a matter of minutes,” Sehun chuckles, closing his fingers around a tissue and balling it up. 

“I see. Jesus, that sounds awful.”

“How did your exam go today, by the way?,” Sehun asks, seemingly desperate to change the subject. “It went well, I hope.”

Jongin groans. “Nope. I’m at least a hundred percent sure I failed it.”

“How come? Is Math that difficult for you?,” Sehun asks in concern but he soon smirks. “Or are you just lazy?”

“Both, I guess,” Jongin chuckles, biting down and chewing on the straw in his cup. “I have a tutor at the moment so I’m bound to improve.”

“A tutor? Ah, your best friend, if I remember correctly, right?”

Jongin nods. “Yup, his name’s Baekhyun.”

“He a nice guy?”

“Majority of the time, yeah. Sometimes he’s a real load to have around but most of the time he’s really cool.”

Sehun hums in understanding. “Cool. Hey, not to be weird or anything but if you want help with your Math homework, you can ask me since I’m pretty good at it.”

“Really?”

“Yup! Algebra and statistics are my main strengths when it comes to Math.”

“Oh yeah right, you’re a Biology major, I forgot” Jongin suddenly remembers. “And I’ll keep that in mind, thanks.” Jesus, is this really the same guy who constantly sends me cute- emoticon after emoticon?

“Is something bothering you?”

Jongin's head whips up so fast he nearly sprains his neck. He turns around to look at his chair. No head rest!, he thinks. I should sue for whiplash. “Huh?”

“You just seem a little…bothered” Sehun says, worry lacing his voice as he looks at Jongin.

“Oh, no, it’s just that,” Jongin starts, racking his brain for an excuse. Realizing he doesn’t have one, he opts to come clean. “It’s just that…you…nevermind.”

“No, tell me.”

“I thought you were a girl, that’s all.”

“I see. I guess you were pretty shocked then, huh?” Sehun chuckles, leaning in even closer.

“Kinda. I mean, it’s not a big deal or anything but I genuinely thought you were one so I…nevermind. It’s nothing.”

“I thought you knew though,” Sehun says, attempting to scoop out the remainder of his the cream in his cup and sticking the spoon in his mouth, “I mean, the picture I sent you of me holding the tea cup when I was here two days ago for instance. I thought you’d figure out pretty quickly that I was a guy.”

“Yeah, I; well, it was Baekhyun who figured that out actually,” Jongin says and makes another mental note to listen to Baekhyun in the future. “He noted the size of your hand.”

“Well, that, and my nails aren’t painted either,” Sehun chuckles, holding up his right hand. “It’s pretty big, isn’t it? Bigger than a female’s, so I thought you’d know. Not to mention I’m pretty sure I was wearing my Rolex that day? Not positive though, can’t remember. I mean, hopefully you weren’t too freaked out or anything.”

“No, it’s fine. It was just…unexpected, that’s all. Listen, when does the last bus leave?,” Jongin asks, suddenly feeling a certain feeling pool in the pit of his stomach. He feels something tug at his heart when he sees Sehun frown in what he assumes is disappointment and he speaks up again. “I, uh, I’m in a rush tonight, I don’t think I told you, but I have, uh, tutoring tonight at 4:30.”

Sehun raises an eyebrow. “I thought Baekhyun only tutored you every second day?”

Jongin bites his lip. He really needs to think through his excuses more properly. He makes another mental note of that. “Yeah, he does, but, since I most likely failed my Algebra exam he’s really set on making sure I improve my grade so he wants me home as early as possible so he can go through all the material with me since I’m at learning. And my phone's dying and he usually loses his when I don't answer his calls.” 

“I understand” Sehun says slowly. “But I…nothing.” He moves to stand up.

Jongin stares at him, a lump starting to form in his throat and he swallows. I need to get out of here. “What?” he asks, feeling a headache coming on.

“Nothing, it’s just that…I was thinking we could go see a movie at a cinema that’s not far from where I live. But if you have to leave then I respect that.” He stands up and turns around to say something to the cashier who smiles back at him before grabbing his coat and putting it on. Jongin nods, gaze fixated on the scraps on the table as he slips his jacket over his shoulders. Slinging his backpack over his shoulder, he hears Sehun thanking the cashier before the latter walks over and stands next to him. “What bus do you take?”

“Uh," Jongin murmurs, "bus 122.”

Sehun nods before swinging the door open and stepping outside. Jongin follows him, still attempting to get rid of the lump that’s formed in his throat and threatening to block his airway. He swallows for the nth time before jogging to catch up with Sehun who is walking way too fast for Jongin’s liking. The cool evening air seems to clear the thick fog that’s been clouding Jongin’s mind since he arrived a little less than an hour ago and he looks at Sehun and how his hair gently flows in the breeze. He stares, almost mesmerized and nearly walks into a pole, much to Sehun’s amusement. Jongin cracks a small smile but keeps his gaze averted on the pavement below his feet, footsteps nearly synchronised with Sehun’s as they walk down the narrow lane towards the bus stop. The familiar silence slowly returns, though, and Jongin decides to break the ice. “What bus do you take? Or do you take the train?”

“I drive,” Sehun says, his voice having seemingly dropped an octave, much to Jongin’s surprise. The latter’s eyes widen in astonishment at Sehun’s words because he really was not expecting that. “Really?”

“Yeah, got my license two months ago.” Jongin notices Sehun is speaking in a much quieter tone than he did when they were in the shop and the lump in his throat only expands. 

“That sounds cool, I have yet to start driving.”

“You should start now,” Sehun remarks as they turn a corner. “Since you’re young and all.”

“You’re only like, two months older than me!”

“Still.” Sehun turns to look at him when Jongin’s bus stop comes into view. He’s staring at him with an unreadable expression on his face and Jongin gulps, stuffing his hands in his pockets. The air suddenly feels extremely hot despite it being two or so degrees outside and the latter fights the urge to reach up and tug at his collar. He isn’t sure what to do or say and he avoids Sehun’s gaze, choosing to keep his gaze fixated on the graffiti on the wall behind him. He exhales a cloud of steam and watches as it fades and disappears. His stomach is churning uncomfortably and his head is starting to spin again, and for a minute he’s worried he might pass out. He doesn’t, though, and for that he’s extremely thankful.

They stand like that for a minute or two until Sehun speaks up. “Thanks for today, it was so nice to finally meet you.”

Jongin clenches his hands into fists in his pockets. “Yeah, same here. It was fun to get to know you a bit better.”

Sehun nods before biting his lip. “Do you uh…do you still want to continue messaging?”

“Yeah, I do. Sure.”

“Alright then” Sehun says and before Jongin knows it, a warm sensation floods through his body; it feels as if someone has increased the temperature outside by a hundred degrees and he feels a spark of electricity shoot up his spine. It takes him a few seconds before he realizes that Sehun is hugging him - he’s got both arms securely wrapped around Jongin’s waist and holds him close to his chest. Jongin nearly lets out a sigh when Sehun’s body heat mixes with his own and it suddenly feels like a fire has been ignited inside of him. A voice at the back of his head tells Jongin to wrap his arms around Sehun’s waist as well or at least pat him on the back but he doesn’t, for some odd reason, his hands awkwardly remaining in his pockets. Even though Sehun is holding him so close he can practically hear the latter’s heartbeat, Jongin still can’t rid himself of the thought that Sehun is forcing himself to hug him. He feels the lump in his throat grow even bigger and he curses himself under his breath.

Sehun pulls away less than two seconds later and gives Jongin a small smile when the sound of a bus pulling up not far away from where they’re standing fills the air. “Good luck with your Math, Jongin. Remember, you can ask me for help if you need to. Hurry now, don’t miss your bus!” 

Jongin stands glued to the pavement and snaps out of his trance when the sound of the bus screeching to a stop behind him nearly scares the daylights out of both of them. Mind numb with confusion, he turns on his heel and proceeds to run towards the bus at full speed without as much as a word.

He turns around so quickly that he misses the way Sehun reaches out to him for a second hug.

Jongin nearly stumbles over his own two feet trying to get on the bus and practically collapses onto the nearest empty seat. He lazily hurls his backpack onto the second seat and groans when it misses and falls onto the dirty floor with an empty thud. He’s lucky no one’s sitting next to him since he falls on top of both chairs, stretching himself out and breathing heavily despite feeling like he's been punched square in the chest. He sits in silence and attempts to re-collect his thoughts and process everything but the bus soon jolts to a start and he loses his train of thought. His hands come up to cradle his head since it feels like his brain is going to explode any minute. Looking up a minute later, he looks around the empty bus, trying his best to ignore the pressure that’s weighing down on his heart. He attempts to sit up properly but soon lays back down again when the pressure and pain in his head becomes unbearable, the consistent rumbling of the bus engine doing absolutely nothing to still the throbbing in his temples. 

He lets out the shakiest sigh he’s ever let out in his life before squeezing his eyes shut.

God damn it.  

❧