The minute Oh Sehun, a third year University student, moved into his new apartment, he knew things were going to be different from his previous days as a student. Aged 21 and still naïve to the world, many things would occur that never failed to baffle him. One such incident being the time this married couple decided to make out on his doorstep; being too drunk, after a night out, therefore mistaking his place as theirs. Another example was the time their apartment block’s postman got attacked by the old lady living across from him, just because he didn’t have any mail for her. Taking things a step further, quite regularly, a gaggle of motorcyclists showed up out of the blue, dressed in their usual leather outfits with their heavy boots and obscuring helmets. The strange thing was that these mostly black clothes were covered head to toe in neon pinks, yellows, greens, oranges… mixed with an array of flashy neon leg warmers and tutu skirts. That night, Sehun just opted to spend the night in; having no energy to do anything alternative.

However, of all the odd occurrences, his neighbour just happened to be the most extreme. The short man, Sehun bets his age is around 23, arrives home at 6:00pm, on the dot, every day other than Sunday, carrying a plastic bag from Walmart in one hand and a brown leather briefcase in the other. The man always makes two trips to and from his black Nissan Duke, which the student knows from being a creep and watching from his window. Being on the bottom floor allows him to see everything. The man, he had come to realise during the few months of living there, was strangely adorable; having lips that would curl at the corners in a crooked smile that would have the corners of his eyes wrinkling in happiness, whenever he was struggling to keep the phone between his ear and his shoulder, whilst juggling two bags and his keys at the same time. His neighbour’s hair had gone from a sleek looking black colour, styled with a middle parting before being gelled up to stay in place whilst framing the sides of his face, to a soft and fluffy looking dirty blonde colour. Sehun thought that the change perfected the man’s look and made him just that much more loveable than before. Not that the student was a creep or anything… Pft, of course not.

That’s not the point, though, despite how strange it was for his neighbour to be so ethereal in his looks and the way his voice fit his face oh so perfectly; laughter filtering through the gap underneath Sehun’s door six days a week like it was trying to break down his door and make his life just that much more difficult when greeted with the man’s glorious face. No. That was not what was strange. What was strange was the fact that the man’s second journey to his car always ended up revealing a bag of cat food, a bag of cat litter, or a cactus.

Yes. A cactus.

Sehun didn’t want to appear more nosy than he already had been, but the curiosity was inevitable. There is this stunning man living next to him, who looks younger than he probably is, making him completely out of Sehun’s league, who already is well-off enough to have animals, a nice car, and a new plant every day. Did he mention that they varied in size? Oh, yes. There were cacti with long spikes, short spikes, very few spikes or so many that there wasn’t a chance that you wouldn’t get pricked, long ones, short ones, ones with flowers… the list goes on. His least favourite was that time when his neighbour brought out a giant thing with curved spikes. Sehun was terrified, so much that he had to look it up, finding out its name was Cactaceae. It was a beautiful plant, but he wanted none of that. There were even stories where people got the spikes caught in their skin and couldn’t pull it out because of the curved needle. Yep, he wanted none of that.

The student had to wonder about this strange behaviour of his neighbour, even though it is very intruding to do such a thing. Sehun knew about this that people can have with plants and he wondered whether his neighbour was in that minority or whether he just really liked the plant. Both were possible. Both were strange.

Not long after this probability posed a hindrance on his mind, the student found that he was purposefully spending extra time in the University’s study area just so that he could make it home to see the man step out of his Nissan Duke, unload his items, juggle around with the bags, phone and keys like always before running back to grab the latest addition to his cacti family. Sehun found he needed answers, not just to this with cacti, but to many others that have seemed to make themselves known to his desires; the main one being, “do I have a thing for this man?”

The answer is that, yes, he probably did like his neighbour. If this is the case, then he should stop being a creep and have all his questions answered. The only way to get what he wants is to actually talk to the other, but this is Oh Sehun. The student doesn’t just talk to people, especially ones he’s crushing over. A prime example of why it wouldn’t be a good idea is when he was in his sophomore year in high school. This Chinese student had been the holder of his heart since he first laid eyes on him. When it became the time for him to confess, he had tripped over one of the chairs in the cafeteria only to land face first in said Chinese student’s crotch. Let it be said that the mortification still hasn’t worn off and the look sent in his direction from the student’s boyfriend still haunts him in his sleep. So, no. Confronting his gorgeous, probably taken, neighbour doesn’t serve well for his memories and would, most likely, result in a swift kick to the nuts.

That being said, the idea of sore nuts doesn’t quell any of his curiosity towards this mysterious man that has, with all the weird quirks, sufficiently captured the student’s full attention to the point where even his school work was falling slightly behind schedule. And, if you know him, that never happens.

Sehun swears that he had been trying to be subtle with the strange happenings around his new home but, apparently, he wasn’t good enough.

“You’ve been acting strange lately. What’s wrong?”

He loves his best friend, he really does, but now is not the time and these concerned questions are thoroughly getting on each of his nerves. Sehun can’t help but curse their close friendship. They have known each other since they were in nappies all the way through their first words, first time walking, first confrontations with that bossy kid in kindergarten that nobody likes, through the first accidental hang over in high school, through the upsets with a failure to obtain the first crush… Everything. Sehun wouldn’t be surprised if Jongin took a wild guess as to what’s wrong only to get it all correct by the end of it. Again, curse them and their friendship.

“I’m fine, dude. I don’t know why you’re so worried, all of a sudden.” The younger of the two attempts to focus his attention back to the homework at hand. It has to be handed in by the end of the day and the class was given it last week. As usual, Sehun’s thoughts have since been occupied by a certain cactus wielding man whose lips remind him of a cat. Not to mention his lingering gaze upon said lips which he has had a few wet dreams about recently; not that he would tell Jongin about it. The latter would never let it go.

“Don’t give me that, Sehun. We’ve known each other for nearly 20 years and you want to tell me that nothing is going on? I could see through your act a mile away. You have barely been getting your work done this month and you always complete it early, you spend an extra two hours here claiming to study when all you do is watch videos with a cup of coffee before leaving. It’s as if you are waiting to see someone, although no one ever turns up.”

“That is all true. But, as I said before, I am fine. There’s nothing to be worried about.”

“You’re so full of sh – “

“Fine!”

He’s done. Officially done. He’s going to go home and commit himself to writing a whole book about how stupid he is and about how he can’t control his own mouth. Now he has to tell Jongin and his friend will never let him forget about his pathetic love life and about how he can’t even talk to his neighbour because he’s worried about the welfare of his balls.

“What do you mean fi – “

“I have this thing for my God damn neighbour who is so strange with his overly adorable kitten lips, his blonde hair that is too fluffy for his own good, his amazing laugh and his stupid cactus !”

Sehun feels like an idiot, blurting it out like that in the open where any weirdo (like him) could be listening. He thought that Jongin would have some snide comment to make about his horrid taste in men but, he can’t even be granted that favour; his friend just has to be awkward and stare at him with a blank face which screams nothing less than confusion towards every word he just said.

“Can you repeat that because I thought you just said you have a crush on someone.”

Sehun sighs at his best friend, who now has a weary smirk on his face. Whenever Jongin gets ready to exclaim his surprise towards something, he always tries to make a joke out of everything by saying something overly sarcastic before dropping the bomb.

“I did.” Sehun doesn’t want to be annoyed, but the tone easily slips in alongside his words adding to his despair.

“Are you kidding me?”

It’s as if Jongin’s limbs have given up on life, before they flop uselessly onto the table they are sat at in the University campus.

“Would I have said anything if I was?”

The younger student gets a bit worried when a few moments of silence pass between them; only the clanging from the kitchen and the chatter from other students can be heard, by this point. Just as his restless mind was growing used to the quiet, his best friend suddenly stands, with his chair dragging painfully against the floor before toppling over, with a loud cry that has Sehun frowning yet again. He thinks he will have permanent frown marks between his brows if this continues.

“Yes! Finally!” Jongin cheers, arms thrown in the air as the whole cafeteria falls silent upon the exclamation.

“For God’s sake, Kim Jongin!” The youngest whisper yells, “shut up and sit down, you’re causing a scene.”

“My bestie has finally found someone!” The other screams, failing to listen to Sehun’s words. The latter drags a straining hand through his orange hair, trying to draw his attention away from what the elder is doing. At the action, he can’t help but wonder why he even dyed his hair in the first place. The other has reminded him, numerous times, that he would be a carrot if he changed the top section to green; his response was to shove a pillow in the other’s face. If Junmyeon, Sehun’s brother, hadn’t been there visiting him for the weekend, then Jongin would be 6ft under by now.

“I actually hate you.”

Jongin was less than helpful, after his confession for his developing feelings towards the unattainable cactus man (his neighbour’s new nickname, compliments of Kim Jongin; number one knob of the year). As he had predicted beforehand, the other never let him live this discovery down. Every time they met he would be greeted with the same question. “Have confessed to him yet?”.

To say Sehun was sick of it would be pretty far from the truth. He was about ready to murder his lifelong best friend and he wouldn’t regret it for a single second.

Developments surrounding his neighbour have also grown worse. Sehun hasn’t seen the man for nearly four days and he is starting to grow worried; the only security that the other hasn’t moved away is that his car is there. So, either he is away on holiday, he is staying at a friend’s house or, what’s worse, he could be staying with his girlfriend/boyfriend. He could even be dead. Oh, yes. The student is now questioning things even more when Jongin, oh-so-kindly, introduced another hurdle into the mix of things. Was his neighbour even into men?

Sehun is on the verge of giving up, after just over a week of his neighbour being absent from the room next to his. This time, on a Friday evening, the extra two hours were actually dedicated towards an oncoming test that was to take place next Tuesday. Subconsciously, him staying behind has become a natural routine for him, despite it not being necessary at this point in time. He hasn’t had a session like this for over three months, now, and it’s finally taking toll on the student’s mind to the point where, all Sehun could think about is how comfortable his bed would be when he collapses on it the minute he returns home.

Friday night’s journey home, this time, doesn’t consist of Sehun’s usual stop at a convenience store to get his weekly necessities, instead he finds a McDonalds and orders a takeout which he can eat in front of the TV before having a shower and falling asleep. The thought of cooking a decent meal this evening doesn’t appeal to his mind at all. The order, apparently, took longer than it was supposed to; the end result being him wanting to just eat and sleep before having a nice lie-in. Yeah, that sounds good.

To his sleep deprived brain, the walk home felt longer than the regular five minutes it would take to get to the apartment complex. Almost at the front door, crossing the carpark and nearing his neighbour’s car, Sehun stops to tackle his trousers for his keys; holding the takeaway bag in his mouth to free up a hand to pick up the wallet he just dropped, whilst holding his iced Pepsi and keys in the other hand. A splash can be heard from his right hand, where he notices a bit of the liquid had dripped onto the floor. The student sighs, grabbing everything before standing up again. That was his mistake. If only he had been looking where he was going.

“Ow! , , !” He didn’t mean to curse, as something dangerously sharp made contact with the back of his hand, which he now clutches pitifully as his fizzy drink pools around his trainers, catching his keys in a puddle of the stuff.

“Oh my God! I’m so sorry, are you alright?”

The voice has his body freezing up, his dumb brain seizing up at the realisation of what just transpired. Glancing up, to confirm that his isn’t going crazy, his gaze catches with his neighbour’s shocked light brown irises. The man is much smaller in person, especially with his form hunched in the attempt to keep everything in a tight grip. The usual Walmart bag, phone wedged between his shoulder and ear, and, of course, a cactus; which, Sehun now realises, is the cause of the now forgotten pain in his hand.

When the student fails to respond, the blonde man tells the person on the phone that he will call back before the device disappears into the back pocket of his skinny jeans. Sehun doesn’t mean to ogle, but the shorter has a really nice ; and those trousers are leaving nothing to the imagination. Sehun continues to stare in awe as he memorises new aspects of his neighbour. The other seems to have darker skin compared to the last time the student saw him, the other’s hair appears to be lighter and fluffier, if that is even possible, and the shorter is wearing a triangle shaped earing in his left ear. All he can imagine is taking the metal between his teeth and tugging it. Even is this lighting, the man is too ethereal to be human.

“I am so sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going and was so focused on my conversation with my friend that I had no idea you were there.”

The shorter continues to ramble on when all Sehun can think about is how relieved he is that the person on the phone wasn’t a significant other.

“N-no…” Well done Oh Sehun. Way to play it cool, “It’s fine. I can barely feel it.” He sounds like an idiot, stuttering and laughing nervously; but the look in the blonde’s eyes, so full of concern, is doing things to his feelings. The last thing he needs is to reveal how creepy he is, crushing over a complete stranger, in front of the very man he is creeping over.

“What!? How can you be okay!? You’re bleeding!”

The other’s observation has him too confused for his own good, at least until his gaze reluctantly drifts away from the man and to his hand. Large droplets of blood appear to have been smudged by his other hand, yet more welts are appearing by the second. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to draw his attention to it, since the pain intensifies tenfold to the point where he struggles to hide the grimace behind his features.

“See! I’m such an idiot. At least let me help you clean up. That’s the least I can do.”

Such an offer had the orange haired student in shock, once again, to the point where no answer can be formed and his larger, albeit heavier, body is being dragged over towards the other’s apartment. Protesting would be futile by this moment in time, both of them already beyond the entrance to the place and in the man’s sitting room. Sehun finds his shell-shocked form pushed onto the sofa; brown irises following every movement of the blonde, who has taken to rushing around like a headless chicken and muttering something about finding his “stupid medical kit”. He also has to save a moment to take in his surroundings, being almost too shocked at how little cacti that are actually inside his neighbour’s apartment. Alongside the simplistic red and cream décor, only a select few of those prickly plants are dotted around the place; him spotting three in the living room when he expected over a hundred to be littered around.

It only takes a couple of minutes for the medical kit to be recovered until his neighbour is rushing to his side and dropping to his knees on the floor beside Sehun’s leg. Proximity is the only thing on his mind, especially when a smaller hand reaches for his larger injured one; being quick yet gentle when handling the appendage.

“You would think after all the months you have been living here that we would know each other.”

A soft voice breaks the silence between the two of them, the tone sounding almost reminiscent of what could have been between them if either one had found the courage to speak up first. The other never once breaks his gaze away from the work being done on the younger’s injured hand, carefully dabbing a brown ointment onto the wounds before covering it in a large gauze and wrapping a bandage around the injured area. Sehun refuses to speak, not trusting his vocals at all, opting to gaze determinedly at the way the blonde’s delicate hands get to work. The movements are almost hypnotising. Almost.

“I would like to get to know you, though.” His crush whispers almost too quietly, shifting away to peer up through those abnormally long lashes of his. How could the student not fall even harder after that?

“That would be nice.” Sehun internally cries with gratefulness when his vocals sound more confident than he actually feels. If he was a teenage girl then the only thing exiting his mouth would be a collection of high-pitched squeals. He wants to ask the smaller man if he wanted to go out together some time, although the spotlight was on his neighbour for that one.

“Maybe we should grab a coffee. I mean, as a way for me to apologise for mauling your hand, not as a date or anything because that would be a bit too forwards and you’re probably not into men so that would make it ten times worse if I suddenly came onto you when you’re actually straight – “

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it. I would love to grab a coffee with you. I was actually just about to ask if you wanted to do that but you beat me to it.” The student feels marginally more comfortable, especially after the nervous rambling that just came out of the other. He is trying his best not to be too forwards but it’s getting more difficult by the second; particularly with that adorable blush developing on the other’s defined cheek bones.

“R-really? You’re not just saying that because you want free coffee?”

Sehun can’t help but laugh at how cute the elder is being. The other’s features have him wanting to cuddle the blonde until he can barely breathe.

“I’m not just saying that. I, honestly, would love to grab a drink with you. Maybe even more than just a drink.”

“Oh, thank God. I thought I was being too open with you.”

“If I had said anything first it, probably, would have been worse.”

The two of them laugh at how awkward they are being around each other, calming down after a few minutes until the only thing they want to do is look at each other. Sehun can’t help but wonder if he looks too ridiculous with his orange hair, black snapback, black tank top, grey sweatpants and black Nike trainers. He decided to have a casual day at University, him arriving partly in clothes he wore to bed and items he picked up off the floor. Jongin was overly judgemental on his lazy choice of attire but it was easy enough to ignore. Up until now, at least. All of a sudden, a hand is shoved in his direction. He stares at it in confusion, for a moment, until he realises the other is trying to greet him properly. Taking the soft hand in his own, an awkward handshake is exchanged.

“Hello neighbour, my name is Kim Jongdae. It is nice to finally talk to you.” The blonde has a beaming smile on his face; the same one that Sehun fell for from the very beginning.

“It’s nice to meet you too. I’m Oh Sehun.”

-

Very quickly, the two of them had no trouble in exchanging contact details that resulted in Sehun, once again, having a teenage girl moment in his mind. If Jongdae could see what went on in his head, he would be miles away by now. The student had gone out of Jongdae’s apartment, briefly, to gather his discarded items from the road before someone decided to come and take them. He had offered the blonde some of his take out which had been politely denied, followed swiftly with the promise to meet up the next day for coffee a few blocks away. Sehun had told the other that he was free all day, so his neighbour could call around whenever was best for him.

That night, his nerves were on high sensitivity, and every sound coming from his phone would have him sprinting over to the cursed device in the hopes that his crush was the one messaging him, only to be disappointed in discovering a few texts from Jongin, his Mother back in Korea, and a few Facebook and Instagram notifications. The aim of having his phone so far away from him is so that he wouldn’t be all over the device. Let’s just say that his plan failed. Big time.

To make matters worse, the student was so excited that he only managed to get three hours sleep. At four in the morning, his mind was so awake that he had to go over to his makeshift work out station, in the corner of his living room, to do weights until his arms felt as if they would actually drop off. It did the trick; however, the orange haired male woke up a couple of hours later still on the damn thing after falling asleep on it. He had trudged over to his bed and collapsed onto it, dropping off instantly. More sleep would have come to the poor student if only his stupid, invasive best friend hadn’t called him at eight in the morning, demanding a reason behind his messages being ignored the night before. Sehun hung up on the elder, opting to have a shower instead to wash away the quickly developing nerves that have refused to leave him alone since he returned from his neighbour’s. He had to be careful of his injured hand, though, keeping the thing stuck out of the way of the water spray. Jongdae had suggested that it was best to leave it for a day before changing the dressing. It wasn’t too bad, just hurt like hell, so it should heal fairly soon.

By the time his shower had ended, it was still only 8:30am, so he curses himself for being in a rush although it was completely uncalled for. To clear his mind, the student opted to go for a quick walk, bringing some money to grab a large energy drink because he would need it if he wanted to survive the wait for Jongdae. Sehun took the extra-long journey to the convenience store, enjoying the fresh air filling his lungs and the minimal traffic of a Saturday morning; everyone wanting to stay in bed just that little bit longer before they have to face another day.

Despite the slow pace taken on by the student, he somehow managed to arrive back at the apartment by 9:15am. So, to preoccupy himself, he decides to stick on the television to watch the Steve Wilkos show, whilst grazing through all notifications he couldn’t be bothered to check last night. He finds some entertainment in all the angry messages delivered by his friend, some old and some recent, and laughs his head off at the photos of a campus party that were posted by his other friends Kris and Tao, showing Jongin in all his drunken glory. He swears there was a video of his best friend poll dancing, with an unknown man grinding on his whilst putting dollar bills in his underwear, but he felt too ill to continue watching to confirm anything. He makes a mental note to inquire about it later.

Another hour passes by, without the student knowing, before a knock comes from his front door. Sehun’s heart skips a beat, out of nervous anticipation for seeing his crush again. Rushing towards his mirror, and almost colliding with it in the process, he does a once over his outfit, smoothing out his low hanging tank top which barely cover his s and adjusting his denim jeans which go accompanied with a pair of flipflops. It’s really warm outside, him still sweating with the clothes he’s wearing. No doubt it will grow warmer as the day goes on.

Wasting no more time with appearances, since they are only going to a café, the student rushes towards the door, pausing for a calming breath, before swinging it open to greet the blonde male. On the other hand, things don’t quite go his way when his eyes drift along the other, his throat closing up before going uncomfortably dry.

Jongdae stands in front of him, a pair of Harry Potter glasses balanced on his nose with his blonde hair looking like a white fluffy cloud. The shorter is also wearing a baggy tank top, doing nothing to hide the slight muscle in his arms that were hidden under a baggy jumper the previous night. Somehow, they both have managed to wear matching denim and flipflops, which does nothing to quell the explosive thoughts of how they look like a couple about to go on a date.

“Hey, Sehunnie!”

Yep, this is going to be very difficult for him.

“Hey, Jongdae. I didn’t know you wear glasses.”

Well done, Sehun. Very intelligent.

“There are lots of things you don’t know about me, Oh Sehun. Oh, look! We’re almost matching!”

He is too cute. Someone help me.

“Aha, yeah.” He always manages to be awkward and being around his neighbour is no exception. He rubs the back of his neck, nervously, whilst shuffling from foot to foot as Jongdae bounces around excitedly with that adoring smile on his face. Sehun knows he’s done for, despite not seeing the other for that long.

“Are you ready?”

“Oh, yeah. Let me just get my stuff. Hold on.”

He tries not to panic whilst searching for his keys, phone and wallet, but nothing seems to want to go his way this morning. He only drops his keys about five times but, other than that, everything is fine. Things would be perfect if only his hands would stop shaking so much.

Once securing the door to Sehun’s place, Jongdae begins to drag him along to their destination. The traffic has trebled since his walk earlier on, but it does nothing to draw his attention away from the stunning blonde next to him. Halfway there, Jongdae inquired as to what the student’s favourite coffee was; Sehun said that he liked the mocha because it was the perfect combination between chocolate and coffee. Not too sweet and not too bitter. What came as a surprise was when Jongdae agreed with him, stating that the iced mocha was best in this type of weather. Sehun curses himself for not putting on enough sun cream before they left.

The café is a quaint little building, a large steaming cup as the logo outside, accompanied with the name “Baek’s Tearoom”. Sehun has wondered past this building before, finding no time to indulge one of their drinks but always curious as to what the place is like. The inside is similar to any other café, the only difference being the large bookcases on one of the back walls. A sign is placed on the counter saying that all of the books are free to read within the store but not outside of it. They are, however, available for purchase if someone is interested in one. The café is fairly busy, with mindless chatter breaking the silent atmosphere; the front of the store being more noisy than the back of the store, where everyone reading is sat.

After a brief disagreement, Sehun allows for Jongdae to order and pay for their drinks, both of them having a medium iced mocha and sandwich melt, to share, as their breakfast. Sehun only relented to the other paying after the latter agreed to let Sehun pay for the next one. The student had been momentarily startled by the suggestion of another outing with his crush, but quickly recovered when he was pushed towards one of the tables by the window; giving a clear view of Arizona’s desert like terrain. Sehun had quickly discovered, after moving out to Phoenix, in America, that this state is actually a desert, with vast amounts of dead-looking land and large open roads that had, once, intimidated the life out of him. He’s used to it now, though. One would expect so after living out here for over five years.

“Here you go.” Jongdae calls out placing down both drinks, and the plate with the sandwich on it, in the middle of the table before taking his seat opposite the orange haired male.

“Thank you.” Sehun beams at the other, shining his best smile which is now only reserved for Jongdae’s eyes alone, before taking a huge gulp of his favoured drink; sighing in content as the iced liquid runs down his throat, cooling the burning pit in his stomach, washing away some of his nervousness and making him relax just that little bit more. The moment is gone, though, when Sehun witnesses the blonde drink from his own plastic cup before watching the bod of the other’s prominent Adams apple.

“It’s my pleasure.” Jongdae returns the student’s smile with one of his own. The look does things to the younger’s heart, to the point where the latter thinks he’s about to die. Call him a drama queen and you’d be correct.

“And next time, I am paying for it.” Sehun manages to smirk, despite the fluttering of his heart, after the man opposite him rolls his eyes at the demand.

“Okay, okay. I only offered to pay because my friend owns the place so I get a discount. I’ll tell him to do the same for you whenever you come here.”

“Don’t worry about it. I would feel bad if he did that.”

“When I was ordering he asked who you were. I said that you were my friend, who also happens to be my neighbour, and he said that I should bring you along more often. He also said that he is happy to give you a discount because any friend of mine is a friend of his.”

“Is he always that nice to people you buy drinks for?” Sehun asks, not meaning to have a bite to his words at the thought of Jongdae bringing someone else out on a date, but it somehow came out like that. Wanting to silence his words, before he makes himself look like any more of an idiot, he takes a large gulp of his drink before grabbing one half of the sandwich to take a bite out of it.

“Aha, I wouldn’t know because you’re the first one I’ve ever brought here. Or anywhere, for that matter.” Jongdae’s gaze is curious yet he still somehow manages to have a shine to his eyes; one that reminds Sehun of a star, which does nothing to hinder how Jongdae seems to shine whenever the student sees him.

“Really?”

“Yeah. I haven’t dated someone since I was about… “The makes a thinking face, counting with his fingers before speaking out again, “15.”

“What!?” Sehun can’t help the surprise in his voice. He wonders how someone as beautiful as Jongdae could have stayed single for such a long time. If Sehun didn’t know any better, he would have assumed that the other had people flinging themselves at him almost every day.

“Why do you sound so surprised?”

“W-well, I just thought, you know, with how… good you look that, you know, you would be dating someone.” The orange haired male looks down when he can feel the blush starting to form on his face. He just had to go and make himself appear more awkward than before. God knows what Jongdae must think of him, right now.

“You’re so cute, Sehun.” What surprises the younger so much is the melodic laugh that emits from the other; the sound has his gaze being lifted only to be greeted by the other’s crinkled eyes and upturned lips that hold their famous kitten-like appearance.

“Not as cute as you.” He thinks that the words were only spoken in his head, but he would be wrong to assume such a thing when Jongdae looks away with a gentle pink dusting his cheeks before the blonde sips from his straw in a manner that shouldn’t have been cute but was.

“Any way, tell me a little bit about yourself. I didn’t just come here to drink coffee, I came to make up for all of that lost time between us.”

The student has to mentally prepare himself, clearing his throat to make sure that his vocal cords won’t fail him the moment he opens his mouth to speak.

“There’s not much to tell, really. I moved out here about five years ago to do an apprenticeship with a publishing company. That lasted about two years before I got fed up with how they treated their employees. So, I decided to go to University to study journalism and I am hoping to finish this year. My best friend, Jongin, moved out here a year after but waited for a year before joining the same Uni as me. He only did that because I started complaining about the company and because he’s known me since we were in nappies, he assumed it wouldn’t be too long before I actually quit. He was right, of course. I have a part time job as an intern at a different editing company. They aren’t as well known, but that means they are more focused on their employees and their customers rather than the amount of money they make and spend each week. As you well know, I moved in next to you because I finally had enough money, on top of my allowance given by my parents, to move into a better apartment. It just so happened that the flat I was in had to be knocked down anyway, otherwise I wouldn’t be moving in until next month.”

“That’s so cool. What made you want to come to America?” Jongdae asks, curiously, after having been listening intently throughout the entire time Sehun had been speaking.

“The High School I went to offered me a scholarship to a University of my choice, as long as it was one of the options on a list that they gave me. I looked at all the Universities and decided that this one had the best course for what I wanted to do. After choosing, I searched around for different job opportunities so that I wouldn’t be fully reliant on my parents the entire time. I will admit, it was hard leaving home, and I missed my family and Jongin so much. The first couple of months was the hardest time. I had to work, live on my own, work on money and time management. My independence increased so much in the beginning that I actually forgot what it was like to be dependent on others. The biggest problem was the language barrier, and I had to go to English classes three days a week for three hours on top of work. The University wouldn’t let me in until I knew at least enough English to get me through my lessons.”

“It gets so much easier, doesn’t it?” Jongdae agrees, taking his first bite out of his half of the sandwich.

“It really does. Things got so much easier when I found out Jongin was moving out here. His family is practically made of money, so he has no problem paying for things.”

“Yeah. My family is the same as your friend’s family. Although, they wanted me to stay behind in Korea and study business management at Seoul University. They would say that I was smart enough to do so and that I should make the most of my intelligence. So, I went to Seoul University and studied there for about five months. I saved up the entire time, only using money for tuition fees, books, food and accommodation. I would con my parents into giving me just a little more every week, which they were happy to do as long as I studied there. They knew how much I hated it so they did anything and everything to keep me happy. Then, one day, when I thought I had enough, I left. I moved out here, moved in to where I live now, started to volunteer at nature reserve. I have enough experience with nature, and a few months of business experience, alongside living with a family who specialise in that field of work, to know how to run a nature reserve. So, I handle the management of a cactus farm/museum and handle the growth and plantation of certain types of plant. I love cacti, I don’t know why, I just do. When they offered me a management position, I requested something in that area. It’s very rare for me to venture out of that comfort zone.”

Jongdae’s explanation somehow answers a bunch of questions that the student has had in his mind for the past few months.

“Oh, so that’s why you’re always bringing home different cacti plants?” The second the words leave him he realises how big of a mistake he made in doing so. The bad news, Jongdae now knows he’s been creeping on him. The good news, Jongdae isn’t running away or calling the police. Rather, the blonde has a sly smirk on his face. Sehun is unsure as to whether he prefers the smirk or whether he would prefer to have the police called on him.

“So, you noticed that, did you?”

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to be a creep, but you make it difficult not for me to look at you.” Sehun thinks that, since he’s already dug a very deep hole for himself, why not make it deeper? Jongdae certainly doesn’t seem to mind.

“I’m not angry at you, Sehunnie. If anything, I’m just as bad. You should really get some more sleep, you know. University can take a lot of energy out of you, and you will need as much of that as you can get with your finals coming up.”

“You figured it out, huh?” Sehun has never been one to be subtle. Apparently, he still lives up to that fact.

“Kinda hard not to when I stop seeing you looking out of your window whenever I get home and you end up getting home exactly one minute after I do.”

“Alright, rub it in why don’t you.”

The elder’s laugh is like music to his ears, the sound calming down his worries that Jongdae will think he is a complete freak. If anything, their confessions give a huge relief to the atmosphere between them to the point where Sehun is no longer nervous around the blonde, and his mind is slightly more at ease with himself now that his secret is off his chest. Jongdae, thank the heavens, also appears more relaxed. The new realisation brings them closer than before, making bonding easier now that both are more at ease. Sehun feels a developing connection between him and Jongdae. He feels so comfortable with the other that he asks if can call him “Hyung”, despite them conversing in English and only having known each other for less than 12 hours.

The two of them get so caught up in each other’s presence that, when Jongdae goes to the toilet, Sehun orders two more drinks, this time the smaller option. Whilst ordering, he gets into a conversation with Baekhyun, the owner and Jongdae’s best friend, who couldn’t stop himself from voicing his approval of the student, at least, every few minutes. He should have felt uncomfortable, but an immense sense of accomplishment filled his body, deeming himself more worthy of his strange neighbour.

“Feel free to pop over whenever you feel like it.” Baekhyun said, handing both drinks over to the orange haired boy with a unique rectangular smile that placed emphasis on how welcome he was in Jongdae’s world.

If there was one thing to complain about, with their outing, it’s that it was too short; the moment didn’t last long enough for Sehun’s liking. He had wanted to entertain how creepy he had been with the blonde, since the latter showed no clear disliking towards it, or any hesitance as to whether or not Sehun was actually worth spending the day with.

Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly depending on which point of view you share, Sehun and Jongdae spend their weekend with each other. Saturday evening Sehun dragged the other, who was hardly kicking and screaming, to watch Dunkirk. The student had been eager to watch it and had no regrets afterwards when Jongdae had grabbed his hand and covered his own mouth to prevent a sob from emerging. The contact sent an electric shock through the younger, and couldn’t find it in himself to let go of the elder until the very end; even then his mind and body were filled with reluctance. Somehow, he had grown more confident through the day, exercising this by demanding that the blonde stay over at his for the night. Sehun ordered takeaway for them, again with no regrets when Jongdae pushed some food to his lips. His mind was in turmoil for the rest of the night.

We held hands and he fed me.

The reality of his own decisions led to the student having to pry the smaller male’s body away from his own before sneaking to the bathroom to to thoughts of the other beneath him. Yes, Sehun would top. Jongdae was too cute within his eyes; so small and fragile looking that the younger feels the need to dominate him and take care of him.

It’s official. Oh Sehun is done for.

Sunday is no better and Sehun makes it official that he needs to see a doctor soon because his heart is misbehaving and it’s making him worried. They only spent the day in bed, watching TV and eating pizza until they are sick, but it was so domestic that he could view this occurring every day. That’s what he wants, at least.

Jongdae had requested, two months into their strange friendship, that the two of them go swimming together. He answered a bit too quickly, bringing an ethereal laugh to the blonde’s lips, when the image of a half-, wet Jongdae filled his mind. Call him a creep but Jongdae already knows so it doesn’t matter. Jongin had called as his neighbour was driving the two of them to the fitness centre (apparently with an inside and outside pool, a gym, a restaurant and a spa). His best friend yelled down the phone, the moment Sehun pressed the ‘receive’ icon, exclaiming “how could you abandon me”, “how could you do this to your best friend” and “you are the worst and I never want to see you again”, which left the orange haired student very confused. Before a word could be uttered on his behalf, the other hung up on him.

Prick.

At least it dragged a laugh from his crush, who could hear the entire exchange.

You know that you are too wound up, from stress, when the second you see a swimming pool has your shoulders sagging. The water was the perfect temperature to stay relaxed, being not too cold and not too warm. Sehun never expected the place to be so busy, but then he remembered that it was a Sunday and that it is too hot not to go outdoor swimming. Things had been going swimmingly (no pun intended) until Sehun managed to pop a in the middle of swimming one length of the pool. His reasoning behind his hardon… Jongdae. The other clearly wanted to torment the younger, emerging from the pool with droplets of water running down his body, his hands pushing back his soaking hair causing his developing muscles to bulge with the action. All accompanied with his swimming shorts that had taken to sticking to his body; leaving zero parts of the blonde’s anatomy to anyone’s imagination. The student had to think about old women and dead puppies whilst swimming more lengths in order to will away his southern problems. The other managed to find a couple of spare sunbeds, which he saved with their towels, before ordering a couple of drinks from passing employees who had been serving to people outside.

Things went downhill from there. Being out of the water meant that they were visible to prying eyes. Sehun had lost count of the amount of grown muscular men who wolf whistled at Jongdae or who had sent erted, desperate looks towards the smaller. He swears it was in the heat of the moment, but the youngers arms weaved their way around Jongdae’s waist as his lips connected with the blonde’s dainty nose. He had expected to be pushed away and yelled at, instead hearing and witnessing the cutest little giggle, that had his heart swelling until it was fit to burst, before those kitten lips that had his attention from day one were on his own. Sehun loved everything, and more, about their first kiss; from the sweet taste that resembled Jongdae on every level to the fact that the shorter had to stand on his tiptoes to get close enough to the student’s lips. Even then, the younger had to crane his neck enough to deepen the contact between them. Their touch was over before he knew it, being interrupted by the waiter with their drinks. The taller made sure to keep a confident arm around the blonde’s waist, however, just in case the other men didn’t catch on to the reality that Jongdae was his. Whether or not the kiss gave Sehun the elder’s consent to that was a whole other matter, entirely.

“Margaritas? In the morning?” The orange haired student threw a pointed look towards the man of his dreams, who sat quietly on his sunbed sipping said cocktail with no inhibitions.

“It’s not morning, we have been here for hours. Plus, it’s my treat to you, Jagiya ~ “The elder drawls, dragging out the final word as if to emphasise its importance.

Sehun gulped at the look sent in his direction, wondering how Jongdae could be cute and y at the same time. Also, it seems that the other felt the same way, as himself, about what just transpired between them.

“Jagiya?” The student shoves away all nervousness and decides to throw caution to the wind; smirking with devious intent before leaning forwards in his own sunbed, closing their distance at a tantalising pace. His plan seems to work when Jongdae’s over prominent Adams apple bobs up and down as he makes to lean forwards as well. Being the he is, he leans back just before they make contact before he laughs at the pout now visible on the other’s face.

“Clearly I was wrong about your intentions.” His neighbour turns away with a dejected look on his usually happy features; placing his drink down to fiddle with his hands, awkwardly.

Sighing to himself, for upsetting his crush, the younger reaches out and pries open the shorter’s fingers, grabbing one hand with his own in a tight grip.

“You’re not wrong, Jagiya. I was just unsure as to whether or not this is what you want.”

Their gazes meet and Jongdae’s kitten-like smile returns. In one abrupt movement, the latter crawls onto Sehun’s sunbed and snuggles into the younger’s side; placing a quick kiss to his defined chest before settling down again.

“By the way…” Jongdae breaks the silence, after a few moments in each other’s arms, “if you get hard you could just ask me for help, instead of dealing with it yourself.”

He has no clue what to say, in the end choosing the safer option of keeping his mouth shut and running a large hand through the other’s already dry, blonde locks.

-

It wouldn’t surprise anyone that Jongdae and Sehun’s relationship developed within a matter of months, almost to the point where they are considering moving in together. The only thought between the couple are that they live next door so there is no rush in cohabiting with each other.

After three months of keeping their relationship between the two of them, leaving their friends and family out of it, Jongin makes an abrupt entrance in Sehun’s apartment whilst the latter and his neighbour were making out on the couch.

“So this is what you have been doing?” Jongin had not been impressed; not because the youngest was dating someone, but because his best friend had failed to tell him about it.

There had been no need to worry, however, since the Jong duo ended up getting on like a house on fire. Frequent dates, meant only for the two of them, turned into a Sunday outing with Jongin tagging along like the lost puppy his is. Sehun was optimistic with his best friend’s intentions during the first scenarios presented to him, for example when Jongin would get a bit too handsy with the eldest and Jongdae not thinking to push him away when said hands drifted too close to the blonde’s perfect round , until it was made clear to the youngest student that it was all part of his best friend’s plan to get him ual frustrated and jealous. The end result… is no one’s business.

At the five-month mark, as a celebration to Sehun passing his finals and getting his much-needed degree, Jongdae offered a night out as a celebration for making it through Uni. Little had he known, Baekhyun was there with a couple of other friend’s that Jongdae felt the need to introduce him to; claiming it was “time to meet the gang”, the statement followed by nervous gulps and awkward laughter, on the student’s part.

There had been little reason to worry, especially with how dopy and welcoming the others were. Chanyeol was the lankiest man in existence, but had the sense of humour of a goldfish and rarely attempted to say anything intelligent unless his boyfriend, who turned out to be Baekhyun, ordered him to. Sehun had a feeling that their relationship was awkward for on-lookers, if not slightly dysfunctional, but sweet in a way that will give people diabetes. The kindest of Jongdae’s friends turned out to be this Chinese man named Zhang Yixing (Sehun was told to call him Lay because of how difficult it is to pronounce) whose dimpled smile accompanied the kind words that initiated Sehun into their friendship group. The third man had been very small, cute looking, but intentionally cold. Not just towards the student but to all people around the table, minus Jongdae because he’s adorable, especially Baekhyun who appears to go out of his way to annoy everyone. By the end of the introductions, Sehun had narrowed down their personalities to “strange and stranger with kind and cold”.

Seeing Baekhyun and Chanyeol drunk had been worth more than gold, that evening. He had thanked Jongdae more than a hundred times, and continued to do so when he had been presented with a stunning brown leather bracelet with silver decorations dotted around. His boyfriend had panicked when the younger hadn’t said anything when he opened the box, saying it was too simple and that he shouldn’t have bought something so stupid. He wasn’t having any of the nonsense being spewed out of that glorious mouth, immediately taking to silencing the other with a kiss and another thank you muttered between their connection. That night, they did it slowly on Jongdae’s bed; the latter letting Sehun take him over and over again until they couldn’t go anymore.

The student, no longer being a student, managed to snag a high position at his work, once having finally passed University, after apparently having been reserved a spot as an Editorial Supervisor. He honestly had no clue and when he returned from the two weeks off, he had been given as a holiday, the office had been filled with balloons and confetti with a large banner saying “congratulations” on it; him being handed a form for him to fill out to agree to an immediate promotion. He had been so happy that he called Jongdae, despite them both working, to scream down the phone with a voice of amazement. The other had been so proud and had promised “a lot of fun” for when they both got home.

It was fun.

Before they both knew it, they were celebrating their one-year anniversary in the Bahamas, which Sehun had managed to save up for with the amount of money he had started to earn. The holiday wasn’t long enough, for the both of them, after working their socks off without any time to themselves, having to go in during the weekends, and having little time with each other as a result. When they arrived back to America, Jongin and Baekhyun were waiting at the airport with very unimpressed looks on their faces. Sehun had then realised that they left without saying anything to their friends, although that hadn’t been the reason for their annoyance. Jongin had said “you never saved up enough to take me away on holiday” and Baekhyun had said “you promised we would have a couple of days together and then you never answer my phone calls making me think that you are dead”. It was funny actually; their best friends never even waited for them to gather their items before they swirled around, linked arms in the gayest way before strutting off with their chins held high. Well, as high as Baekhyun could since he is so short.

It wasn’t until two years into their relationship that Sehun had, had enough of living separately from his partner. All of their friends had complained about how “normal” couples would have moved in together after mere months into the relationship. So, what does Sehun do? He saves up and puts a deposit on this few bedroom apartment ten minutes away from their current homes, putting his current apartment up for sale, all for Jongdae’s birthday. As part of the act, and to make up for lost money, he begins to drift away from Jongdae; spending the extra hours, with all of their friends, decorating the place and getting it ready for them to live in. As part of the hilarity of the situation, when Jongdae is out with Baekhyun one time (of course it’s all part of the plan) he steals the blonde’s cacti and takes them to the new apartment. He would have waited a couple more days to reveal his lover’s present if it wasn’t for the latter storming into his apartment, whilst the younger was showering, to yell and cuss at him and demand for his plants back and to ask why the younger is so distant. He even got slapped in the face when he started laughing. In all fairness, he deserved it, despite the action leading to rough shower .

Jongdae’s reaction was the best, with his mouth open wide and his eyes ten times larger than they ever have been. The elder’s body had been frozen in place for a good ten minutes, to the point where Sehun believed he was a statue, until the other turned around to kiss him silly. A tour of the place followed after, with Jongdae laughing at the sight of his “missing” cacti littered around numerous rooms in the house.

“I didn’t realise that it was that difficult to look after them.” Sehun sighed, glaring at the one which he brushed he leg against, resulting in a few sore scratches on his skin.

“The only need watering, silly. They retain water.” Those words spoken by the blonde reminded him of the reason why he never had plants after the one he had when he was 14 ended up dying.

Sehun had been hoping that Jongdae had spotted one specific detail that the younger ended up thinking about when he was putting their main room together. The very cactus that brought them together is sat on the windowsill, providing an anchor for their relationship and a reminder of the strange way they met along with the even stranger days that followed their path together. Lost in his own thoughts, the younger is broken out of them at the abrupt laughter that fills the room. It’s then that he knows Jongdae found it.

“That’s where my favourite one is.” The blonde grins inanely, sauntering up to said plant, only to smirk up at him, “Who knew you were the sentimental type?”

“I love how I still surprise you.” He smiles back, in that lopsided way that only surfaces around his boyfriend, wrapping his arms around that small waist that he loves to hold and mark until his skin is marred with the signs of their relationship.

“Only sometimes.”

He loves how Jongdae has to reach up, on his tiptoes, when wrapping his arms around the taller’s shoulders.

“Do you like your present?”

“I love my present.”

“More than you love me?”

“Oh, I’ll have to think about that.”