Note: I'm back with the longest chapter because Gosh, Kaisoo deserves all my words. And there's a short side story about Hunhan at the end, it doesn't affect the storyline so yeah, read it or not is up to you. It's just a small story that I wanna share with you in the writing process :") Thank you all for your love to this fic! <3

Chapter Text

Kyungsoo did not know what was wrong with his life, with himself.

All of his youth had been spent on trying to reach back those who had slipped out of his hand, those who had left him behind. And now when there was someone potentially willing to stay by his side, he pushed them away.

Jongin had come into his life like a splash of colors that Kyungsoo at first had been scared it would affect his plain, routined, monochromatic life. He had never liked colorful anyways. He preferred those simple. And he did not fancy the idea of more worries and responsibilities. And Kyungsoo knew that caring for another person—having feelings for them—went hand in hand with responsibilities.

But what was it about Jongin that made him feel this way?

Perhaps...

Probably...

Surely, Jongin had splashed his colors in such a gentle way at all the right places on the picture that was Kyungsoo's life.

He painted those skies at half past six a blue color of peace when Kyungsoo opened the door for him. He painted those chilly evenings an orange color of warmth when they shared the couch with the distace far enough not to touch, but close enough to feel the heat radiated off the other. He painted Kyo Jin a yellow color of joy and happiness with those games he himself came up with—even after that was half an hour of tidying up the house. And he painted Kyungsoo's cheeks—and hearts—a red color of feelings and emotions that he could not put his fingers on. Yet.

Jongin even dotted on the picture with small, simple, but precious patterns.

There had been no need of something too drastic like a candlelit dinner, or gestures too intimate like a back hug or hand holding, to make Kyungsoo drawn to Jongin. It was just those daily things that they shared together. A meal at lunchtime or a box of ice cream at late night, a story about annoying friends or spitfire customers, a fit of laughters at how much Yifan wanted to be a galaxy prince by buying a flat on the top floor of a 128-floored building, or a swing on which Kyo Jin sat between them and Jongin using his long legs to push all of them higher and higher. Those small, simple things that Kyungsoo had never thought he would treasure that much.

But why had Kyungsoo pushed Jongin away that day at the park? After all of those things they had together. In the surface one could say that he had been furious and the anger had given way to him. But deeper down, Kyungsoo knew that he had been scared. Right after yelling at Jongin to leave, he had wanted to undo those words. But he had feared of the prospect that Jongin would still leave anyways, like people Kyungsoo loved in his life had always done him.

If only people could say "Come back" right after saying "Go away".

"Appa, Jinni want see super hero Kai," Kyo Jin looked at him with puppy eyes. The boy even put on that pout that he had learned from his former babysitter.

Kyungsoo halted his brick building half-movement to his son's hair. He said in small, gentle, but predominating hoarse voice, "Superman Kai has to save other countries, too, darling!"

"So he not come today? He not came yesterday, and yesterday's yesterday," Kyo Jin mumbled in his sulky voice, making Kyungsoo's heart break all over again. As if it hadn't broken already every night since that day. And holy hell, since when had Kyungsoo become this dramatic? Spending way too much time with Jongin and his dramatic self clearly got into him.

Kyungsoo had asked Yifan to take a couple of days off. He had already had a running nose back then, and standing in the rain for a good two minutes like a lovesick boy the other day obviously got things worse.

Now he had to play with his son with a face mask and an agonizing headache. Baekhyun and Chanyeol had promised to be at his home to help him take care of Kyo Jin. They were supposed to be here one hour ago. Why were they always here whenever Kyungsoo didn't need them, which meant almost all the time? And when he did, they were nowhere to be seen. Godamnit. Those two motherers must be ing right ing now.

"Kyungsoooo," there came that voice that Kyungsoo was way too fed up with but still welcomed at this very moment, along with kicking door and falling boots and bickering sounds. Kyo Jin gleefully ran toward the hallway to greet his beloved uncles.

"Don't tell me you two was busy—" Kyungsoo grumbled right after seeing his friends' faces but being cut off.

"Ducking," Chanyeol confirmed. He even repeated, unnecessarily, "We were busy ducking." At least he remembered the lesson Kyungsoo gave him the last time he had spoken inappropriate words in front of Kyo Jin, with a black eye.

"Fine," Kyungsoo sighed. He didn't have the energy for preaching them right now. "Just keep an eye on Kyo Jin. I need some sleep."

He his son's hair one last time before staggering upstairs. He fell on his beloved bed with a sigh. At least Baekhyun and Chanyeol could be helpful in this kind of situation.

If only Jongin had a phone, Kyungsoo might have sent him a message. To tell him to get back to his job—if he still wanted to. To apologize for what he had done wrong. And to say "I miss you".

What? No. Not that. Or at least not the last part.

Kyungsoo decided, that after getting better, he would just come and knock on Sehun's door, asking to meet Jongin, and then tell him to get back to his job in the most nonchalant and bossy tone that he could muster. But again, he was the one who had fired him. Kyungsoo could be that stupid, you can see!

If only Jongin would forgive him, Kyungsoo thought while oblivion slowly claimed him.

Kyungsoo was woken up by a horrendous train of clanking sounds. He looked from where he lay like a dead fish at the clock and groaned. He had just had a 12-minute sleep. He crawled downstairs to find Baekhyun and Chanyeol playing music with kitchen utensils in the living room.

As much as Kyungsoo wanted to strangle his friends, he only had enough energy to require, "Could you two take Jinni to your place? I'll get him tomorrow?"

His voice was soft, but apparently the stern look in his eyes made his friends jolt their act and swallow. They nodded without any further protests before hastily packing up Kyo Jin's essential things. Two minutes later the three of them left the house, with Kyo Jin still being too excited from the show earlier to realize he had just been sent away by his father.

Kyungsoo plopped down onto the couch, his legs totally giving in. He looked around his living room. There was no corner left without toys and kitchen tools. On the wooden floor there was even a puddle of water that had spilled from those glasses those two ers had used as instruments.

He would clean this mess after getting some needed sleep, Kyungsoo decided.

Kyungsoo drifted in and out of sleep for the next couples of hours. At some points he sensed someone entering his house, not just one person, because his blurry vision saw a lot of legs wandering around the living room. After that was a feeling of warm, soft blanket—his favorite feather blanket he got on his fifteenth birthday from his grandma—covering his own trembling body. At other points he heard some sounds from the kitchen, some brief conversations about rice and onion, and after that was the sounds of knife and chopping-board.

When Kyungsoo fully awoke, the night had fallen. The living room was dimly lit by the moonlight shining through the window behinds the couch Kyungsoo was lying. He moved his gaze around before his eyes settled on a familiar set of broad shoulders. The figure was sitting on the floor, leaning his back onto the couch where Kyungsoo's knee almost touched his back. The light of the phone's screen that he was watching created dark and light silhouettes, striking his facial features with all the sharp and soft angles.

He looked beautiful like this. He always looked beautiful. But everything that beautiful in this contorted world was only in dreams. There was no way Kim Jongin was here with him after Kyungsoo had insulted him for something that was not his fault, at least about the thing relating to his parents, the thing that Kyungsoo had no rights to speak.

And the fact that he was holding a phone proved Kyungsoo that that was actually a dream. There was no way Sehun would buy Jongin a phone. Or would he?

Then again, just to make sure that Jongin was actually there, Kyungsoo moved his knee a bit. And it touched the solid that was Jongin's back. Kyungsoo felt a bit light-headed at that point, not because of the fever, but of the fact that Jongin was materialized right here.

Jongin stirred from his seat at the contact, and for some reason, Kyungsoo had his eyes shut closed. He held his breath.

Through his closed lids, Kyungsoo sensed some movements of Jongin. And then there was a cool hand pressing on his forehead. The art of checking someone's temperature should not be this lingering, but not unwelcome to Kyungsoo. After that was a warm feeling of breath fanning on his face, then down to his lips. If Kyungsoo had not had a stuffy nose, he would probably be able to figure out what Jongin's scent was like right now, with this proximity. He anticipated what would come next, with Jongin's lips being this close to his, and his own heart beating in his ribcages like a drum.

Jongin blew a puff of air onto his mouth.

"What the ?" Kyungsoo shot his eyes open and jerked away from the face in front of him. Up this close, Jongin was more attractive, even the panic and embarrassment in his features could not obliterate his good looks. If it were someone else, taking Zitao as an example, the panic would definitely ruin all the beauty in one's face and make them look of unmanliness.

"I just—" Jongin pulled away hastily. "There's a feather from the blanket stuck on your lips."

Well, the said blanket must be worn out at this point, it had been six years.

"How did you get in here?" Kyungsoo asked, a bit out of breath, and raised his hand to his chest to calm his heart. Why was he behaving like this? It was not like he had expected Jongin to kiss him... Right?

"Baekhyun came to my place. I mean Sehun's place," Jongin scratched his neck and got up to get the light switch.

"He gave you the spare key?" Kyungsoo peeled the blanket off his body. Why suddenly it felt so ing hot?

"Yes," Jongin nodded then helped himself onto the bean chair. "Uh, Baekhyun said you refused to eat anything or took the medicines unless I was here."

Kyungsoo gave him that judgemental look. Because, really, who would believe that?

"I know it was a lie," Jongin huffed. "But, I have another reason to come here, too" Jongin played with his sleeves now. "I don't know. I just guessed that it was my fault too that you got a cold. I brought an umbrella that day and just left with it like a selfish jerk."

"There were, like, seven of us at that time," Kyungsoo pointed out frankly. "You just couldn't cover all of us under one umbrella."

"Well, at that time, I only planned to protect you and Kyo Jin from the rain," Jongin looked at him in the eyes.

"Only the two of us?" Kyungsoo asked, face warming from the fever. Or was it?

"Yes, it was the plan, right? You and Kyo Jin, and me. The three of us to the fair. And have fun." Jongin was flailing his arms around to make his point now, Kyungsoo found it adorable. The cold definitely played some tricks on his mind, but he didn't mind it this time.

And they could have had fun, if it not for Kyungsoo just overreacting everything. He had the rights to be freaked out and upset when his son got lost, that was for sure. But he had no reasons to hurt other person for it. Kyungsoo found the urge to apologize.

"Jongin, listen—" Kyungsoo spoke up after a stiff silence, but being cut off.

"Aren't you hungry?" Jongin asked a bit too fast, shooting up to his feet. "I cooked rice soup for you."

Before Kyungsoo could say another word about how Jongin was able to cook, the tanned boy beat him to it. "Do you know that Jongdae your coworker is actually very good at cooking? He helped me cook the soup."

Kyungsoo opened his mouth, but being shut off again. "Okay, actually he did all the cook, I just chopped the onion." And after a beat, he amended, "Okay, so he helped me with the onion too. I just helped him stir the soup. Kyungsoo-ssi, don't give me that look. I know how to stir."

"No," Kyungsoo shook his head. "I just wanted to know why Jongdae was here?"

"Oh, you didn't notice?" Jongin's eyes widened in surprise. "The rest of your coworkers were here to clean up the living room while Jongdae and I were in the kitchen. Joonmyun suggested we call for cleaning service and he agreed to pay the bill, but Yixing said No, so that's it."

Kyungsoo nodded silently and after that ate the soup in silence. He didn't need to worry about Jongdae's cooking, but Jongin's open stares at him somehow made him nervous. And every time he started the conversation with "Jongin, listen," or "About the other day," or even just a word "I", Jongin would do or say something diversionary.

Until Kyungsoo had had enough. He felt guilty and he was not good at living with it. And even though Jongin was showing his charming, graceful dancing movements with a themed song that sang something about Blow it like a flute, he could not help but feel the need to apologize right now. He shouted, "Jongin, could you ing stop?"

Jongin abruptly halted his movement, and with one long stride, he was now right in front of Kyungsoo. The taller bended down to watch Kyungsoo's face closedly.

"Your face's really red," said Jongin, pressing his palm onto Kyungsoo's forehead again, and leaned in a bit too much to the older's comfort. "I'll get you some fever reducers."

And maybe, just maybe, with just a very small, very tiny part of him, Kyungsoo couldn't help his body getting flushed seeing Jongin's hip s earlier.

Jongin turned around, about to leave. Kyungsoo hated this avoidance. He leaned forward and grabbed Jongin's wrist to pull him back. But maybe he pulled a little bit too hard, because before Kyungsoo could register what was going, he found himself tangled in a bunch of Jongin's limbs and his grandma's blanket.

Say Kyungsoo was such a little , mind you that he was just a bit over his teenage. His body had all the rights to react to the hot dude above him. So if Jongin said Yes now, things would get a bit fun.

In this position, they could just reduce their little remaining distance and fumble with each other a bit. A kiss or two, or a bit more that Kyungsoo wouldn't mind because Baekhyun had been actually right about that he hadn't got laid for longer than he could remember. Then there would be hands roaming and groping around, because Kyungsoo's body now was aching and if given some massage, he would welcome it. And a little of grinding and reaching to the release still clothed with someone else—someone this y and innocent at the same time—besides himself was a nice thing to have.

Kyungsoo knew that his thoughts now were inappropriate, for Jongin was his son's babysitter—or at least former. One way or another, he was someone Kyungsoo had hired to do his job of looking after his son—not someone who would have a casual with him. And he even insulted him before. Kyungsoo could not help but notice a stinging tug at his heart when he also realized that Jongin was not the one who was here to have a date with him, or in a relationship for that matter.

But again, Kyungsoo had always been of a reckless side—at least when he had been younger with less responsibilities. His parents knew about his ual orientation after that fateful day, they had been mad, so mad. But they had never and would never know that their son had lost his ity in his junior year at high school at some party with way too much alcohol and way too little distance between swaying, dancing bodies. And those little touches in some places had never done any harm back then.

Probably the most harm all of those littles would do now was of Kyungsoo washing his soiled pants and the blanket with a thought that his lated grandma would've disapproved if she had been still alive, but Kyungsoo thought it would be alright to just let his body take charge in stead of his mind this time.

Though his heart said otherwise.

"Sorryforthosewordsisaidtheotherdayatthepark," Kyungsoo let his words flood out, a little bit too fast.

"What?" Jongin looked confused, and when he talked, his body vibrated against Kyungsoo's.

"Listen," he said, trying to calm himself. And when Jongin began to open his mouth, he snapped, "and don't cut me off this time."

Jongin shut his mouth obediently and turned his head away, denying Kyungsoo his face. He didn't want the older to see the affliction that come into his eyes again. What came next surprised Jongin, because Kyungsoo didn't yell at him like the other day like he had expected. Kyungsoo still had his hold on Jongin's wrist, and with other hand he grabbed at his chin to force him to face him. Jongin felt blood in his cheeks.

Kyungsoo said in his low, warm, quiet voice. "I'm sorry, Jongin. I said the wrong thing at the park."

Jongin's eyes widened for moment before he blinked. "Why?" Jongin couldn't help but ask stupidly. "You seemed to truly mean it back then."

"It's not that we use our brain before speaking all the time, is it? I was just so angry," Kyungsoo mumbled. "And if I really meant it, then I wouldn't be better than you. I would be another irresponsible, stupid boy that couldn't keep his parents by his side."

Jongin was surprised, for he had not thought Kyungsoo would open up to talk about his personal things like this.

Given a chance, Jongin asked, "What happened?"

He shifted a bit so now he was lying just half on Kyungsoo with one elbow propped on the couch to support his head. Kyungsoo seemed not to mind, for he just pulled the blanket up a bit so it could cover his chest from the cold that was there after Jongin's heat left him. And Jongin already missed the warm of Kyungsoo's hand on his chin. Despite the narrow space, they both found it comfortable.

"My grades at Math were like in hell when I was at high school," Kyungsoo recalled, a grimace on his face.

"That low? That why your parents left?"

Kyungsoo glared at him and ignored the question as he continued. "So I had to come to my math teacher's place to be tutored and my sister was to pick me up after those classes. About one month in, they dated. My parents didn't like it because she was younger than him too much, they even more hated it when they found out she was pregnant. But we had no choice. Two months before my sister's wedding, that ing bastard of a teacher—"

"Whoa, whoa, calm down," Jongin cooed when Kyungsoo looked as though he was going to explode.

Kyungsoo huffed, but continued with refrained voice. "One time he caught me making out with a guy in a janitor room."

"Really, Kyungsoo-ssi? I didn't know you had been that naughty."

Kyungsoo was so pissed off at Jongin's interruption by this point. He snapped, "Yes, I was. So do you want to know about me or not?"

Jongin blinked, then nodded, because he wanted to, getting to know more about Kyungsoo that is. That was his motive after all: know him, understand him, and love him properly. So it wouldn't be a stupid crush anymore.

With a sigh, Kyungsoo kept on with his story. "He asked me for that evening when I was studying at his place. He promised to curve my marks to better and wouldn't tell on me to my parents about my uality."

"So you agreed?"

"Kim Jongin," Kyungsoo screeched despite his sore throat. "I will slap you in the face like I did that motherer teacher at that time if you keep asking stupid questions."

For a brief moment, Jongin almost considered he should leave this house of Do Kyungsoo, whom he had been swearing to love, for good, just so he could save his life from this Satan.

"Before I could register the offer, he kissed me. I tried to push him away but—" Kyungsoo trailed off. And Jongin could see the tremor in his glassy eyes. "He pinned me down, Jongin. He pinned me down, and kissed me, and it was gross and I had never felt that dirty of myself and I—" His voice was cracking all over the edges.

"You felt dirty because you soul was pure, Kyungsoo-sii." As an awkward person, Jongin was somehow a smooth talker at some rare points in his life. But he wasn't saying it just to have something to say, he meant it. "Don't hate yourself for having that feeling."

Their gaze locked. And there was a trail of tear that began to run down his cheek. Kyungsoo seemed not to notice, until Jongin reached up to wipe it away with his fingertips. The pad of his fingers lingered on Kyungsoo's skin, soft like feather. It was an action so tender that Kyungsoo had to fight the urge to nuzzle into the other's chest and hide there forever, so that he could just forget there had been one time he was almost being . Kyungsoo had tried to be tough for way too long, and he wanted to be weak, even just for a fleeting moment.

But instead he looked away at some distant point again, not wanting to expose himself more, and continued. "My sister walked in at that moment. I felt so relieved that she was there, but she viewed it as we made out with the consensus from both of us. Jongin, I'm not defending her, but it's human nature. Instead of seeing the faults of the one we love, we blame on other people. We're failed to see the truth."

"But were you failed to show the truth? Did you tell anyone?"

Kyungsoo shook his head. "No, it just—I had never been the type who would explain myself. I actually never believed in confiding in others. I never believed they would understand."

"So do you believe it now?" Jongin's voice was soft. He didn't elaborate, but Kyungsoo got it just as well.

"I think I do. Now. That's why I'm telling you this." He smiled, at Jongin, and mostly at himself.

"I'm glad you do," Jongin responded with a snort of laugh. And maybe Kyungsoo was imagining things, because he felt Jongin nudge his nose onto his hair and breathe in deeply. Before Kyungsoo could ask him what he was doing, Jongin got back to the main story. "Then what happened?"

It was a pain in the to recall the past, Kyungsoo realized. But the fact that he was doing it with no one else but Jongin made it less hurtful. He cleared his throat, getting rid of the lump stuck there, and continued.

"After that was a chaos. She insisted on abortion, but the baby, it's not his fault. I begged her not to, but after giving birth she left with only a letter saying not to ever contact her. The teacher left the country for good as well, after throwing at us some money as a financial aid for the baby and to shut our mouth up. He never saw Kyo Jin as his son. I would not let him take the child either, I couldn't trust him to raise Kyo Jin.

"My parents decided to take Kyo Jin into the orphanage after that because they were just too old and weak to take care of a baby, but I took him back because—because he was just a child. My parents left eventually after being an object of general derision about having a daughter that abandoned her own child, and a son who slept with the baby's father."

There was a bile taste rising in his throat. Jongin had known that the way Kyungsoo acted all bitter and grumpy was because of something dark in his past, he just hadn't known it had been this dark and even hopeless to some extent. How could an eighteen boy dealt with all of this?

"Rumors are a ty thing, Kyungsoo-ssi. And people believe what they want to believe. It must have been so tough for you," Jongin said, voice tight. 

Kyungsoo just nodded and drew in a shuddering breath. That was when his tears escaped his eyes without control.

"Is this okay if I do this?" asked Jongin, and wasn't sure if it was a right thing to do, but he couldn't help but wound his arms around Kyungsoo trembling body and draw him close. He had never seen Kyungsoo this fragile and vulnerable. And the older just hummed without showing any sign of disapproval. Jongin took his silence as a cue to hold him in his arms more tightly.

"I've worked at the bakery shop ever since," Kyungsoo heaved a breath out after calming himself down. He said when Jongin finally released him from his embrace. "My coworkers are all weird and , Baekyun and Chanyeol deserve to be punched in the face once in a while, but they are all I have. They are my family, the family that doesn't abandon me when things get hardest. They have helped me out a lot."

"They're the weirdest group of people that I've ever had chance to meet," Jongin contemplated. "But the fact that they closed the shop for a whole evening to come here made me see them differently. They're good people, good weird people. But what is that with the name of the bakery? EXO? Weird."

"They think they're some kind of aliens. Handsome aliens." Kyungsoo chuckled at this. "And says the one who is weird as ," he addressed Jongin with a smirk despite his puffy, red eyes.

Jongin pouted, and shook his head. "Anyways, you have me now, too, Kyungsoo-ssi. I can help you out too." Jongin grinned, the shorter's messy hair affectionately. Then he added, awkwardly, when Kyungsoo just blinked at him. "I know you don't see me as family, but maybe friends."

Kyungsoo was indeed considering letting Jongin in his weird family circle. But granted him another role. His partner? God, not that Jongin was his boyfriend or anything. Kyungsoo shook his head at his own thought. He said, finally, with his feigned serious tone. "Friends don't take charge when they help babysitting other friends' children."

Jongin laughed at that, and he saw Kyungsoo lips curve up as well. He framed Kyungsoo's face with one palm, rubbing his thumb in small circles on the plump cheek. He then slipped his hand further until it held Kyungsoo nape. Jongin pulled the other's head onto his chest again with a sigh.

"You, me, and Kyo Jin—Our parents left us, it's not our fault," whispered Jongin against Kyungsoo's hair, rocking him to and fro as soothing a baby. "It's just that we were unfortunate. And they were unfortunate, too, for leaving us behind."

Kyungsoo lifted his head to look up at him. His gaze moved from Jongin's soft eyes, to his adorable nose, and finally fixed on his slightly parted lips. He shifted in his position, and with the pressure of Jongin's hand on his nape, he leaned in. Jongin's lips would be moisture and soft when they brushed against his. Jongin's tongue would be graceful like his body earlier when it danced with Kyungsoo's own. And the taste of Jongin would linger on his lips, his tongue, his throat, and deeper down, in his heart. Kyungsoo thought it would be like that, their first kiss, with no much of a commitment, but with an unsaid promise for much more later.

But of course Kyungsoo must have done something bad in his previous lives, or even earlier in his current life, because karma was being y to him now.

"Kyungsoo, Kyo Jin insited to come home to his Appa and his Jongin," there came that high-pitched voice in his hallway. Again.

Kyungsoo, without much thought, pushed Jongin away from him in a mere panic moment. He did regret his action when there was a loud thud of Jongin's body hid the floor and his familiar unmanly yelp. With quite a struggle, Jongin scrambled to his feet.

When Chanyeol and Baekhyun showed up on the living doorframe with Kyo Jin holding their hands, both of Jongin and Kyungsoo had managed to appear casual and nonchalant as if they hadn't just cuddled next to each other just five seconds ago. Cuddle? Was that the right word, Kyungsoo contemplated.

But there were things that must have given them away. A dishevelment of their hair, a deep rosy blush on their faces, and a stutter in their voice.

And there was one thing that Kyungsoo felt had changed where they were standing now. Not just an acquaintance between a father and his son's babysitter. Not just a platonic friendship. It was a leap in their hearts that were uncontrollably beating too loudly in their ears, their pulses, and their chests.

Later that night, when Jongin finished cleaning up Kyo Jin and laying him onto his crib, he made his way to where Kyungsoo was sleeping tiredly on his bed.

Jongin did not know how much time he had spent standing next to the bed and looking at Kyungsoo's profile—the tumbles of his black hair, the smoothness of his light skin, the soft and round of his features—and wondering how much more he would want to reach out to Kyungsoo in the future than he was now.

And he did not know what to make of the moment earlier. The moment where Kyungsoo's and his lips were just a hair's breadth apart. Jongin could finish what was left undone back then right now. He could just lean down and give a chaste, sweet, kiss onto Kyungsoo's full lips. But no, he would not do that. Because despite how much he wanted it, he wanted Kyungsoo's heart more, and he respected what it wanted when its owner was conscious.

Jongin was pulled out of his haze as Kyungsoo fluttered his eyes open. Jongin started for being caught. He hastily spoke up "I'm leaving now," and turned.

Kyungsoo's voice was raspy and almost inaudible.

"Stay."

Jongin swirled back too fast, and looked at Kyungsoo, who was slowly sitting up. The older reached out from under his blanket. Jongin's breath got stuck in his throat when Kyungsoo took a hold of his hand.

"Stay the night," Kyungsoo eyes were droopy with sleepyness, and he seemed to be elsewhere.

"O—Okay," Jongin stammered, feeling Kyungsoo's heat transferring into him through their connected hands and the tingle between their fingers. "I'll take the couch."

Kyungsoo mustered up all his strength to pull Jongin onto the bed. With some stumbles here and there, they were now lying side by side, facing each other.

"Stay the night with me," Kyungsoo said as he pulled the blanket up to cover both of their bodies.

"Kyungsoo-sii, I know you will regret it when you're in your right mind," Jongin pushed the words out. He wanted to be close to Kyungsoo like this more than anything in the world, but this was just Kyungsoo's cloudy head that drove him into this.

"You don't know," Kyungsoo heaved out a content sigh as he snuggled up against Jongin's warm body. He murmured against Jongin's chest, "Jongin, you can call me hyung. That would be nice."

"Hyung," Jongin called, tasting the word sweetly on his tongue. It was like a whole development in their relationship, whatever it was.

"Hm?" Kyungsoo hummed and rubbed his nose onto Jongin's chest. And for a moment, Jongin could feel something wet trailing through the fabric, as though Kyungsoo had just wiped his snot with it. Clearly Kyungsoo in his wrong mind wasn't obsessed with hygiene like he had thought.

"Are you not afraid that I would do something to you?" Jongin asked, thinking back how down Kyungsoo looked while recalling his past.

"You had had plenty of chances to do something to me, but you didn't. And I've learned how to headlock, so be aware." Kyungsoo lifted his face from Jongin's shirt to look at him blankly—threateningly.

'Do you know how to liplock, too, hyung?'Jongin wanted to ask, but didn't. Because of course Kyungsoo knew. And just thinking about it made Jongin's body flushed all over again.

Still, now or never. "Hyung, how about li—"

"Ask one more question and you will take the couch." Kyungsoo could feel Jongin's uneasiness when being this close to him. Jongin must be afraid of being infected by his flu. He turned around and moved his body away from Jongin until he was near the edge of the bed. "Or just leave the house," he mumbled to himself, suddenly feeling sulky as ever.

A minute or two later, Kyungsoo felt the mattress dip near where he was lying on his side, and after that was Jongin's warm embrace around him, one hand across his torso naturally. As though it were meant to be like that. Perhaps it was.

"Goodnight, hyung," was a murmur against his scalp, with a tone that was warm, soft, and tender. Kyungsoo had never realized how much lonely he had been on his bed until now.

*Side story: How much Sehun hated fairs?

"I won't go," Sehun shook his head. He tried but failed to focus on the job of brushing Vivi's hair while his boyfriend kept running his index finger around his belly button. "I hated fairs, or crowds for that matter."

"Come on," Luhan blinked up at him, all glistening eyes and rosy lips. Despite his evilness to other people, Luhan was an adorable, kittenish, boyfriend. "I will let you eat sushi on my stomach when we get back."

Sehun hastily climbed off the bed.

"Where're you going?" Luhan shouted after him as Sehun disappeared into the bathroom, Vivi crawling his paws onto the door with plaintive woofs at the sudden lack of affection from his owner.

Not a minute later, Sehun emerged, dressed up in his most gorgeous outfit. Luhan raised an eyebrow.

"What?" Sehun asked, looking down at his own body to check if he had zipped his jeans.

Luhan raised his other eyebrow, along with a smirk.

"Don't just lie there," Sehun urged, pulling his boyfriend off the bed. "Let's go to the fair."

Sehun almost regretted his decision to come when the crowd kept pushing at the two of them at the entrance, but Luhan clinging to his arm made up for it.

Sehun almost regretted buying the cotton candy which was overpriced at the fair, but Luhan using his fingers to feed him with it, then on them to off the remain, made up for it.

Sehun almost regretted getting into the Ferrish wheel because he disliked the height, but Luhan kissing him passionately in the sunset like the most romantic thing in those cheesy movies that Jongin watched every night made up for it.

But then, at the end, Sehun did regret going to this fair, or more specifically, regret meeting his friend at the fair. He had to witness the break-up of an unestablished couple, watch Jongin walk away with Sehun's denim soaked with rain, and then trail after his boyfriend who was trying to comfort the miserably lovesick boy.

And Sehun knew that tonight there would be no sushi on Luhan's stomach. Because his boyfriend was actually a softhearted person. His deer would spend the whole night watching puppy films and eating ice cream with Jongin on their—Luhan's and Sehun's—cuddle couch, and Sehun was left alone in his bedroom with Vivi as his only companion. Not that Vivi was not enough, but having Luhan there with them would be much nicer.

After all, Sehun still hated fairs. But not as much as how he did Jongin. For his idea of going on a date at the fair. Stupid fairs, stupid Jongin!