“Hey, man. I wasn’t sure you’d make it.” Chanyeol’s loud voice boomed over the music and Kyungsoo curiously looked in his direction only to immediately turn back around. His eyes darted around the living room, trying to find a place to hide. He failed to do so, however, and a pathetic whine left his lips, earning him a weird look from some of the people around him.

“Yeah, it was close. We just made it back in town an hour ago.” The boy answered, his husky voice and deep chuckle prompting Kyungsoo to dart out of the room and towards the kitchen.

He wasn’t ready, not yet. He had definitely underestimated the effect meeting the boy again would have on him if only hearing his voice could shake him up so much.

Kyungsoo went straight out of the back door of the house, finding himself on the back porch, surrounded by more people. But he didn’t really care as long as he wasn’t in the same room as him.

Kim Jongin.

It had been 4 years and a half since he had last seen him and though he had wanted to see him so many times, now when finally faced with the opportunity, Kyungsoo realized he had come unprepared. He leaned back on the wall by the door, looking at all the people scattered around the back yard. This party was just as huge as the one 4 years ago, if not even bigger, considering it was their reunion after college. But Kyungsoo wasn’t surprised. Every party the Chanbaek couple threw was grand in its own way. He smiled at the memory of them making fools of themselves at the last party they had together but the smile slipped off his face as soon as more memories of that night flashed through his mind.

Kyungsoo wasn’t ready. He didn’t even know what to expect. He needed to leave. So he pushed off the wall and went back inside, eyes set on the front door of the house, determined to make it out of the place without being noticed. He would come up with an excuse later and text the others, not that they would notice his absence anyway, too busy catching up with all of their high school friends.

“Kyungsoo?”

Ignore that. He thought, a few feet from the door. You’ll make it. He chanted in his head, not paying attention to his surroundings. He was almost out, almost. But luck wasn’t on his side tonight.

“Hyung?”

He heard the voice closer this time, just as a hand wrapped around his wrist to stop him. The action pulled him out of his trance and he spun around, only to find himself face to face with the very person he was trying to avoid.

“Hyung, I didn’t know you’d be here. When did you come back?” Jongin asked, a surprised look on his face, and despite the warm hold on his hand Kyungsoo felt himself freezing up.

He couldn’t move, he couldn’t open his mouth to speak. All he could do was stare at the other boy, eyes wide in shock as he realized that Jongin was finally there, in front of him, and unlike the many times he had imagined the boy being there, this time he was real and Kyungsoo could touch him, and he already was actually. His eyes flickered down to the fingers locked around his wrist and his heart skipped a beat.

“Wow, hyung, it’s been over 4 years. Come here.”

And with that Kyungsoo found himself pulled in a tight embrace, face squished against the taller boy’s neck. All of the air left his system and he felt his heart trying to beat out of his chest at the sudden closeness of the other. He shakily lifted his own arms and wrapped them loosely around the boy’s waist.

Jongin was so warm and his strong arms around Kyungsoo made him wish they could stay like this forever. Back in the day, hugs like this used to be an everyday routine for the two of them. They were glued to each other all day long as if joint by the hip. 4 years ago they used to be best friends. Now - not so much. Kyungsoo sighed, frowning at the memories.

“God, it’s so nice to see you again.” Jongin chuckled as they pulled away from the hug and Kyungsoo did not expect the excited smile on the other’s face. It was so wide, the corners of his eyes crinkling in happiness and Kyungsoo’s breath hitched at how beautiful Jongin looked.

“Yeah, you too.” He whispered after a while, remembering that he was supposed to speak too. Jongin’s lips stretched further, smile getting even brighter, but then it suddenly slipped off his face.

“Are you leaving already?” He asked, eyes moving from Kyungsoo’s face to the door behind him and back again. “But I just got here.” He whined childishly, a small pout forming on his lips, causing Kyungsoo to rethink his decision to leave for a few seconds but he concluded it was still the better option, considering his heart was beating like crazy, threatening to jump out of his rib cage and drop in Jongin’s hands, where it has always belonged.

“Yeah, I’m feeling kind of tired. It must be the jet lag.” His brain provided quickly, and it wasn’t entirely a lie. Jongin gave him a strange look, eyes studying his face and Kyungsoo chuckled. “I arrived a few hours ago and Baekhyun picked me up from the airport.” He defended when Jongin looked like he didn’t believe him.

“Alright then. Hold on a sec. I’ll just quickly say goodbye to some people and then I’ll walk you home.” He said, already stepping away from Kyungsoo.

“No, wait. You don’t have to do that.” He disagreed, eyes widening at the sudden offer, not sure if he could handle being around Jongin for another 20 minutes until they got to his place.

“But I wan-”

“Are you leaving already?” Baekhyun piped in, jumping out of nowhere. Kyungsoo sighed, making a mental note to thank him later.

“Yeah, I need to crash, sorry.” He smiled apologetically, letting go of Jongin’s hand, and reached for the door knob, planning to make his escape while the other was distracted.

“I’ll give you a ride. We’re running out of some things and apparently I’m the only one sober here.” Baekhyun groaned, looking around the room and glaring at his boyfriend once he spotted him laughing with some guys by the kitchen counter. “I need to fetch my keys. Wait by the car.”

“Sure.” Kyungsoo mumbled as the other made his way to Chanyeol, disappearing in the crowd of people on the way to the kitchen.

“Then I’ll at least walk you to the car.” Jongin opened the door for him and Kyungsoo hadn’t even realized the boy had moved behind him. He nodded and stepped outside. The door clicked closed after them and Jongin fell into step beside him. “So how was university in California?”

“It was great. I had fun.” The words slipped passed his lips before he could stop them. He had practiced the answers to such questions, preparing for his friends’ curiosity which he already went through when he arrived for the party. But he mentally slapped himself for giving the same answer to Jongin. He felt the need to be more honest with him at least, but he didn’t want to seem pathetic either.

“I’m glad to hear that. It would’ve if you hadn’t enjoyed it when you wanted to go there so badly.” Jongin gave him a small smile and he could feel how genuine it was. That made him feel guilty for lying, but maybe it was better if Jongin didn’t know. “What next?”

“Another year of studying I guess. I have to get that Master’s degree.” He chuckled, trying to get rid of the awkward feeling settling between them. Although Jongin didn’t seem to feel that awkward, maybe not at all. “You?”

“Same.” He nodded, leaning on the passenger seat door, looking at his feet while giving the sidewalk light kicks. Kyungsoo stared at him and found himself craving the warmth of the other’s body back around him, despite the hot mid-August weather. He wanted to feel those arms wrap around him one more time, so he can close his eyes and pretend like nothing had happened and they were back in high school, together. “So you’re leavi-”

“Okay, let’s go. We’re almost out of beer and that could turn my party into a disaster.” Baekhyun groaned, practically running towards the car, hands pulling on his hair. “Who would’ve thought so many people would show up?” He gave them a wild look before throwing himself in the driver’s seat and slamming the door shut.

“Right, because being out of beer would lead to the destruction of the world.” Jongin snorted, pushing off the car and opening the door for Kyungsoo.

“Yes, beer is that important.” Kyungsoo chuckled and slid in the passenger seat, ignoring the small stutter his heart gave at the boy’s gentlemanly actions.

“See you around, hyung.” Jongin smiled again and closed the door for him, taking a few steps back from the car and patiently waiting for them to leave. Baekhyun started the engine right away and they were almost immediately out of the parking spot.

“Do you mind if we go to the store first? I need a lot of stuff and I’ll need some help loading them in the car.”

“Yeah, sure.” Kyungsoo gave an absentminded response, his eyes trained on Jongin’s reflection in the side mirror, his frame getting smaller as they drove away, but never leaving his spot, until they were too far for him to be seen. If Kyungsoo knew he would miss the boy’s presence so much already, he would’ve let him walk him home.

~

“Thanks for helping, Soo.” Baekhyun smiled, pulling him in a quick hug. They were already in front of Kyungsoo’s place, car packed with booze and snacks. “I would stay to chat but I have to get these back to the house as soon as possible.”

“It’s alright, don’t worry about it.” Kyungsoo assured him and pushed him towards the car. “Go. You have a disaster to prevent.”

“Don’t underestimate the lack of alcohol. Things could get seriously bad, trust me.” Baekhyun looked at him sternly and Kyungsoo laughed, remembering this one time he and his boyfriend had broken into their neighbor’s house to ‘borrow’ a few bottles of whiskey. It was needless to say that they weren’t getting along since. “Here, take these.”

“What is that?” Kyungsoo looked warily at the bag Baekhyun held up for him to take.

“I just thought you might need a few.” He shrugged and Kyungsoo opened the bag to look at the contents. “Beer for now and ice cream for later.” Baekhyun gave him a knowing smile and got back in the car.

“Thanks.” Kyungsoo mumbled, grateful to his friend because he could really use those.

“Don’t be too quick to thank me. I told you Channie and I are going away on a trip next week, so we’ll be hanging out a lot before that. And now that you’ve accepted the bribe there’s no backing out.”

Kyungsoo scoffed and made a move to return the bag, but Baekhyun was already driving away with a small wave of his hand. He looked after the car as it made a turn at the end of the street and disappeared before entering his building.

Kyungsoo took the stairs to his flat on the third floor. The building didn’t have an elevator but it was a nice place to live anyway. He was staying at his brother’s old flat which he no longer used, having moved into a bigger place with his girlfriend. Lucky bastard, he thought, a small smile playing on his lips – the two looked really good together and he secretly hoped they’d get married one day.

The lock on the door clicked behind Kyungsoo and he kicked his shoes off, going straight to the living room and dropping the bag on the coffee table. He shrugged his jacket off and sank into the soft cushions of the couch, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. He still had to unpack his stuff and take a shower but suddenly didn’t feel like it. Jongin’s smiling face popped up on the back of his eyelids and he groaned, reaching for Baekhyun’s present.

“I’m such an idiot.” He laughed bitterly, angrily gulping down half of his beer. His meeting with Jongin kept replaying in his head: the feeling of the boy’s gentle fingers on his wrist; the warm hug he never wanted to end; the deep voice he wished to fall asleep and wake up to; the beautiful eyes he wished would look only at him for the rest of his life. “ you, Do Kyungsoo.”

~

“God, I’m exhausted.” Jongin groaned, dropping down on the spot beside Kyungsoo who had isolated himself from the crazy happening in the dance floor-turned living room downstairs, choosing to just observe from the top of the stairs, perched on the last step and a beer in his hand.

“Had enough dancing for the night?” He chuckled, ruffling the boy’s sweaty hair.

“For now, yeah.” Jongin nodded, lips stretching in a satisfied smile. “And are you enjoying the party? Up here, all by yourself?”

“Oh, you know me. I’d rather not get involved in that .” Kyungsoo chuckled, pointing at Chanyeol and Baekhyun jumping drunkenly in the middle of the crowd in an attempt to win a dance battle against Chen and Xiumin, the two couples equally determined to win, no matter how dumb they looked, and the people around them encouraging them with loud screams.

“That I agree with. I still laugh whenever I remember that time Chanyeol elbowed Suho in the groin while flailing his arms around on the dance floor.” Jongin snickered, leaning back on his elbows.

“, I’d forgotten about that.” Kyungsoo laughed, the memory coming back to him immediately. “That explains why he hasn’t gone anywhere near the crowd for the last hour.” They turned to look at Suho, calmly sitting on the armrest of the armchair in the corner of the living room, hands crossed over his chest while talking to Sehun.

“Yeah, good thing Sehun wasn’t feeling like dancing tonight so he can keep him company.” Jongin smiled, straightening up. “So is everything okay with you?”

“Yeah, why?” Kyungsoo asked, slightly confused by the boy’s sudden question.

“I don’t know. You’ve been kind of distant the last few days and now here you are, alone again.” Jongin sighed, placing his elbows on his knees, giving him a worried look.

Oh…So Jongin had noticed…

“Everything’s fine.” He shrugged, taking another sip from his beer. It’s not fine, his brain screamed at him but he tried to ignore it. Now wasn’t the time for that, they were at a party, not the typical place to have a heart-to-heart with your best friend slash long time crush.

“Alright, if you say so.” Jongin nodded, turning around and Kyungsoo followed his gaze, eyes running over the crowd of people enjoying the night as if it was their last. And it was, in a sense, probably. “God, I still can’t believe we’re graduating high school in less than two weeks.” He groaned, running his hand through his hair.

“Yeah, me neither.”Kyungsoo sighed, biting on his lower lip. “All of us separating and going our own ways. Some of us probably won’t be able to see each other for a while, maybe never…” He trailed off, giving Jongin a short glance before the boy turned to him.

“You’re not allowed to do that to me, you got it?” He raised an eyebrow, pointing a threatening finger at Kyungsoo’s face. Kyungsoo gulped down the lump forming in his throat and nodded hesitantly.

Kyungsoo hated keeping things from Jongin and always told him first when something happened. This time around, however, he somehow wished he didn’t have to tell him at all. But he had no choice. He had to tell him and he would, just not now. He would wait for a more appropriate moment, when they are preferably alone in his room back home, so he could freely cry as much as he wanted.

They stayed quiet for a while, Jongin swaying his body with the music and Kyungsoo stealing glances at him. He wanted to memorize the happy expression the boy wore on his face as he enjoyed one of his favorite things – music. Kyungsoo had been genuinely happy for Jongin the moment he had told him he got accepted in the university in their city and was going to finally pursue his passion for dancing. He wished to get the same reaction from Jongin, but he wasn’t sure if he himself was happy with his ‘achievement’ as his mom and dad called it.

“Oh My God! What the hell is Chanyeol doing?” Jongin exclaimed suddenly, laughing and clapping like a seal. Kyungsoo turned to look at said boy and burst out laughing as well, spitting his beer in the process. Chanyeol was jumping around, throwing himself on his knees on the floor before getting back up and repeating the same ‘dance’ and everyone, including his boyfriend, were doubling over in laughter.

Jongin and Kyungsoo were no different, the two hunched over each other as they laughed their heads off. Kyungsoo dropped his beer, the bottle rolling down the stairs to finally come to a stop on the floor by one of the big flower pots Chanyeol’s mom had placed in the corner of the room. The boy whined at the loss and Jongin laughed even harder, slapping Kyungsoo’s thigh continuously. The crowd screamed louder and the two looked back down to see Chanyeol losing his balance, tumbling over the couch and face planting on the floor at Suho and Sehun’s feet.

Everyone lost it and the whole house rumbled with even louder laughter. Jongin fell back in his own fit of laughter, bringing Kyungsoo down with himself, as the boy’s arms were wrapped around his shoulders. They rolled around on the floor, hitting and clutching onto each other, and when their laughter died down Kyungsoo found himself under Jongin, the boy lying on top of him, his head nestled in the juncture of Kyungsoo’s neck. His heartbeat quickened and he felt his face growing hotter, the unmistakable sign of a blush forming on his cheeks. He felt Jongin’s body tense up, the boy probably just now realizing the position they were in.

This wasn’t anything unusual for them, they were completely used to being rather touchy-feely with each other, but something had changed recently. There was some kind of tension between them. Kyungsoo had accepted his feelings for the other a long time ago but they had never made him feel this tense around the boy, so he attributed it to their impending graduation and what would come after it.

Jongin’s movements brought him out of his thoughts. The boy lifted himself off him, propping his body on his hands, palms planted on the floor on both sides of Kyungsoo’s shoulders. Their eyes met and the way Jongin stared into his eyes made his stomach flip, a feeling similar to fluttering butterfly wings spreading through it. Kyungsoo wasn’t sure who leaned in first but they met in the middle, lips pressing softly in an experimental kiss. It was short and when Jongin pulled away Kyungsoo instantly missed the touch.

He opened his eyes but Jongin had his closed. The boy was still close to him and Kyungsoo wanted to feel his lips on his own again so he pushed up a little more connecting them for another kiss. Jongin responded immediately and their lips moved in sync, more confidently this time. They kissed for a while, Kyungsoo’s hands on the boy’s waist, until Jongin pulled away again.

“Hyung, wait. I need to tell you something.” He whispered, looking into Kyungsoo’s confused eyes. “I’ve been meaning to for a while now. Hyung, I li-”

“Don’t.” Kyungsoo blurted out, body tensing as his brain assimilated the situation. He knew exactly what Jongin was about to say because he himself had wanted to say that same thing for some time now but he never got the courage. And now was definitely not the time for it. “Don’t say it.” He gently pushed Jongin off of his body and sat up. What was he thinking? What was he doing? How could he lose control so easily after all this time?

“But I-”

“I’m leaving.” Kyungsoo whispered shakily. He should’ve told Jongin earlier. He should’ve told him as soon as he found out.

“W-what do you mean you’re leaving?” Jongin mumbled, confusion obvious in his voice, and when he sat up beside Kyungsoo his eyes were wide in shock.

“I got accepted, Jongin.”

“Hyung, that’s great. Congratulations.” Jongin smiled, squeezing his shoulder. Kyungsoo, however, couldn’t smile. Why was it that he was the one who got accepted in the university he’s wanted to go to his whole life, yet he wasn’t happy in the slightest?

“So don’t say it.” He muttered and the smile fell from Jongin’s face.

“Why not?” He frowned, hand slipping off Kyungsoo’s shoulder.

“Jongin, I’m leaving for California.” Kyungsoo gave him an ‘are you kidding me’ look and the boy sighed.

“Hyung, I don’t understand. You being away doesn’t change much for me and we still have three month-”

“After graduation.” Kyungsoo groaned, running his hands over his face and through his hair. Jongin froze beside him, words dying in his throat. “My family and I are leaving after graduation.” He turned to look at the boy whose eyes widened in realization.

“Why?” Jongin managed after a while, head hung low, fingers clutching at the hem of his shirt, nervously playing with it.

“A position opened up in the Berkeley branch of the company my dad works for. When his boss heard about my acceptance he suggested my dad take the position. He’s already found a house and he’ll be back for Graduation day. Then we leave together with my mom a couple of days later.” Kyungsoo explained, eyes on Jongin, waiting for his reaction. The boy nodded slowly. “I was going to tell you-”

“After graduation?” Jongin snorted, finally lifting his head to look at him. “And how long have you known? Days? Weeks? How…how could you keep this from me, Soo?” He whispered and Kyungsoo felt a sharp sting in his heart at how sad and broken the boy sounded.

“Jongin, I-”

“You’re right. You’ll be leaving in two weeks. You don’t need me spewing nonsense at you. It’s getting late, I should go.” Jongin muttered, standing up and making his way down the stairs.

“Jongin…” Kyungsoo whispered but the boy was already gone, the front door of the house left open.

~

“Where’s Jongin?” Kyungsoo whisper-yelled as their Biology teacher checked the attendance.

“Ditching. He texted me, saying he wasn’t feeling well.” Chanyeol shrugged, scribbling Baekhyun’s name and hearts in his notebook.

“Again?” Kyungsoo and Baekhyun asked simultaneously. Kyungsoo sighed, burying his head in his hands, while Baekhyun groaned, slapping him on the back. And when Kyungsoo lifted his head to glare at him he was met with a just as annoyed glare from the other. Baekhyun knew, he was the only one Kyungsoo had told about what had happened at the party 3 days ago. And no, he wasn’t taking sides, with both Kyungsoo and Jongin being his friends. No, he was just silently judging Kyungsoo from the side, because it was the third day Jongin was ditching them, two of which school days.

~

“Is he there?” Kyungsoo bit his lip.

“Yes. He’s chatting with my boyfriend, which is what I’d much rather be doing too, by the way.” Baekhyun groaned, rolling his eyes.

They were on the way to school together when Baekhyun got a message from Chanyeol informing him that Jongin had showed up to school. Thus they were currently hiding - well Kyungsoo was - by the door of the classroom, trying to gather the courage to walk in.

“Oh, will you grow up? You’ve been whining for days that he wasn’t here and now that he is you’re hiding from him. Seriously?” Baekhyun slapped him on the head and went inside the classroom, leaving him outside alone.

“Baekhyun, wait!” He hissed threateningly but the other ignored him. Kyungsoo took a deep breath, preparing himself for the worst, but when he finally went in and saw Jongin smiling at him he was totally lost.

“Hey, Soo.” The boy greeted him, pulling the chair beside him for Kyungsoo to sit as per usual. He looked happy and Kyungsoo was confused. This was not the boy that left the party 4 days ago. “I was just telling Chanyeol how happy I am to be back at school. I was dying of boredom at home. You should’ve visited me. What kind of a best friend are you?” Jongin punched his shoulder playfully, pouting a little. Kyungsoo’s eyes widened and he looked to Baekhyun for answers but the other was just as confused.

Jongin continued to act like nothing had happened throughout the whole day, and Kyungsoo and Baekhyun agreed that maybe it was better that way. So he played along, pretending to remember nothing from the night of the party, although the memories cut through him every time Jongin looked at him or touched him, even involuntarily.

~

“And don’t forget to call and text, you . If you’re leaving us behind you should at least keep in touch.” Baekhyun reminded him once again, arms wrapped tight around him on one side while Chanyeol squeezed him on the other.

“Kyungsoo, honey, we have to go.” His mom called out. She and his dad were already making their way towards the gate.

“I’m coming, mom.” He yelled back, turning to wave at his friends. They were all there to see him off. He had to go through a few more hugs, similar to the one from the Chanbaek couple, though they had gotten two hugs. They had thrown themselves at him the moment his dad went to check their suitcases in. Next were Xiumin and Chen also opting to hug him together and it kind of stuck as Suho and Sehun used the same method, followed by Baekhyun and Chanyeol again.

He turned his head again to look around for the one missing person but he didn’t find him. So he gave his friends one last smile and a wave, and sprinted after his parents, his smile falling as soon as he was far enough form the noisy group of boys.

“Honey, don’t forget to turn your phone off.” His mom reminded him and he fished it out of his pocket to do it before he forgot again. It vibrated just before he tapped the off option. A message.

From: Jonginnie

Hyung…
I’m sorry
I can’t make it to the airport
Have a safe flight
And don’t forget about me…

“Oh, honey. Why are you crying? You’ll keep in touch, don’t worry.” His mom’s arms wrapped around him, and though he hadn’t even realized he’d started crying as he stared at Jongin’s message, he completely broke down in her embrace.

~

Kyungsoo groaned, trying to roll around so he can reach his phone. The damn thing had been ringing for a while now, interrupting the peaceful silence in his flat.

“.” He cursed, hitting the floor with a thud. He hissed in pain, angrily grabbing the offensive object and squinting at the screen to see an incoming call. “What?” He asked groggily, flopping down on the floor, between the couch and coffee table, surrounded by empty beer cans. He might have gone out for more beer last night.

“Rise and shine, squishy~” Baekhyun chirped happily.

“What do you want?” Kyungsoo groaned, head starting to throb in pain. Baekhyun just laughed.

“What? Did you already forget our deal? We’re hanging out, remember?”

“Right, so what do you want?” He sighed, running his hand through his hair tiredly. The only thing he was feeling like doing right now was nothing but he didn’t really have a choice because he had no idea when he’d get to see his friends again after this small visit and he had honestly missed the bunch of idiots.

“How about an afternoon movie?” Baekhyun asked after thinking for a while and Kyungsoo could hear Chanyeol whining beside him. Some shuffling followed, then a painful groan, and Chanyeol was agreeing, Baekhyun shooing him away to get ready.

“What time?” Kyungsoo chuckled, internally feeling bad for his giant friend who had probably gotten wasted last night, unlike Baekhyun who had been assigned the sober mom of the party.

“Well there’s some romantic comedy playing at 1:30 and an action movie at 3.” Baekhyun mumbled distractedly and Kyungsoo could hear him typing on his laptop.

“What time is it now?” He sat up, starting to clean up the mess he had made in his living room, stuffing the empty cans in the bag on the coffee table, whining regrettably at the half full box of now melted ice cream.

“12:45.” Baekhyun informed him and he groaned, realizing he had slept through half the day.

“Let’s watch the one at 3.” He muttered, calculating the time he’d need to shower, eat and get ready.

“Okay, I told the others and they’re up for it.” Baekhyun clapped excitedly, making Kyungsoo chuckle since he knew how much the boy loved watching movies. But then his words registered in Kyungsoo’s brain and he froze, realizing that the word ‘others’ most probably included Jongin. “Alright, Soo. I have to go get ready, see you at the cinema.”

“Sure.” Kyungsoo sighed, ending the call and throwing his phone on the couch on his way to the trashcan in the kitchen. Dumping the bag and box of melted ice cream in it, he headed to the bathroom, stripping on the way.

He took a long shower, the muscles of his aching back, courtesy of him sleeping on the couch, relaxing under the warm water. He let the water wash his nervousness away. What was the big deal anyway? They were just going to watch a movie. And, yes, Jongin was going to be there but he should be happy he got a chance to see the boy again instead of trying to think of excuses to avoid him. You should enjoy the attention while you’re getting it, you idiot, he scolded himself mentally, sighing at his stupidity.

After showering he jumped into a pair of blue jeans and a white t-shirt, stuffing the hem into his jeans and throwing on a dark blue short sleeved shirt over it instead of a jacket. He made himself something to eat and settled on the couch, surfing through the channels until he was done. By the time he was finished cleaning up the kitchen it was already nearing 2:30 and he grabbed his phone, wallet and keys, and left his flat.

The weather was hot, but bearable. The streets were pretty crowded with people, mostly kids and students, trying to have as much fun as possible with the end of summer break nearing, maybe even already over for some of them. Kyungsoo stuffed his hands in his pockets and made his way towards the cinema on a good 20-minute walk from his place.

~

From: Baek

Where are you? We’re already in…
Second floor, left wing
Got the seats on the last row
Hurry up!

To: Baek

Almost there
I’m already in the building

Kyungsoo switched his phone to silent mode and pushed it back inside his pocket. He got off the escalator and headed to the ticket counter. A familiar face popped up behind it and his eyes widened in surprise.

“Yo, Kyungsoo-hyung. It’s been a while, nice to see you again.” Mark exclaimed, holding out a hand for a fist bump.

“Same.” Kyungsoo chuckled, returning the greeting. “Fancy seeing you here.” He mused, looking around the place with a raised brow. The last time he had seen Mark was the day before leaving for California when they had hung out at Xiumin’s house. The two were neighbors and even though Mark was younger than them he would occasionally join them.

“Well, you know how much I love watching movies and this is movie world, so... Plus, the pay is good.” Mark shrugged, turning the screen to show Kyungsoo the free seats. “The others took 8 out of the 10 last row seats in the middle so you don’t have much of a choice.”

“This one.” Kyungsoo sighed, pointing to the first free seat he saw after realizing the only choices he was left with were the first and last seat on the row, groaning internally because he hated sitting at those two particular seats. “Wait, 8?” He raised a brow, suddenly registering Mark’s words.

“Yeah - Xiumin, Chen, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Suho, Sehun, Jongin and Lay. That’s 8.” Mark listed and handed him the ticket after it was out. “Do you want anything to eat or drink?”

“No, thanks.” Kyungsoo shook his head with a small smile, already walking to the door. “Lay?” He mumbled to himself, brows furrowed in confusion, the name not ringing a bell.

He walked in just as the lights went out, signaling the beginning of the movie. He quickened his pace, taking the steps two at a time to reach the top of the room faster. He had chosen the seat on the left side and when he neared it he saw the person in the seat next to his get up and step out, motioning for Kyungsoo to walk in first and take his seat instead. Surprised, Kyungsoo trailed his eyes up the boy’s body, outfit similar to his, except the long sleeved shirt, tucked into his jeans, until his eyes locked with Jongin’s. They stood still, staring at each other, and it was only when the first sounds of the movie were heard that Kyungsoo looked away and sat in the seat next to Baekhyun, Jongin settling on his other side.

“Took you long enough.” Baekhyun slapped his thigh, sending him a smile before turning to the screen. Kyungsoo leaned back, getting comfortable in his seat so he can focus on the movie. But when he looked up all he could see was Jongin’s face right in front of his and his breath hitched, heartbeat skyrocketing and eyes widening.

“Sorry.” Jongin whispered, waving a big box of popcorn in front of his face as he settled back in his seat. “Help yourself. I won’t be able to finish it alone.” He muttered, placing the box on the armrest between them, his deep voice not helping Kyungsoo’s state but he somehow managed a nod, relaxing a little when Jongin turned away to look at the big screen.

Kyungsoo tried to watch the movie, he really did. He tried paying attention to the details so it would be easier to follow the storyline and empathize with the characters, occasionally grabbing some popcorn to munch on. But his mind failed him, constantly traveling back in time to the many times they had gone to the movies, the familiar setting bringing back memories.

“Give me that.” He whisper-yelled, pulling the box of popcorn out of Jongin’s hands. “You’re eating it all alone. Not fair, I want some, too.” He whined, looking at the small amount left at the bottom of the box.

“Well, get a bigger one next time.” Jongin laughed, sticking his tongue out at him and reaching for the box again.

“No, go get your own. This is for me.” Kyungsoo glared, hugging the box to himself and backing away from Jongin. Next thing he knew, someone ran past him down the aisle between the seats, knocking the box out of his hands and straight to the floor, contents spilling on the carpeted steps. He stared down at the popcorn covered floor, eyes wide in shock.

“Oh, God, I’m so sorry.” He looked up to see a woman bow apologetically a few times, a little girl peeking from behind her thighs, a guilty expression on her face. “I’ll go get you a new one.”

“No, don’t. It’s okay, don’t worry about it.” Kyungsoo sighed, shaking his head. He had to reassure the woman a few more times because she kept insisting but she finally agreed and continued down the aisle, pulling the child along. The girl turned around and smiled at him. He raised a brow, tilting his head in confusion, and the girl got all shy, hiding her face behind the woman’s hand.

“She likes you.” Jongin cooed beside him and he turned to glare at the boy.

“Shut up.” He hissed, pinching his thigh before turning to see the girl still glancing back at him until she disappeared between the rows of seats in the front.

“You’re a dangerous man, hyung. You’ve got all the girls and boys swooning.” Jongin teased, poking his side, obviously not caring if it would earn him a beating.

“Even you?” Kyungsoo raised a challenging brow, unconsciously holding his breath while waiting for an answer.

“You wish.” Jongin snorted, withdrawing his hands and settling back, eyes returning to the movie playing on the screen. You have no idea how much, Kyungsoo thought, biting his lip.

~

“Why do I always end up in this seat?” Kyungsoo groaned, looking warily at the aisle on his right, expecting someone to push past him again any minute now.

“Because you’re always late. Now shut it, I want to watch the movie. And make some space.” Baekhyun hissed, pushing his arm off the armrest.

“Be careful, damn it. Are you trying to spill it over me too?” Kyungsoo glared, slapping Baekhyun’s shoulder angrily, making the boy whine. Jongin snickered on the other side of Baekhyun and if Kyungsoo wasn’t a seat away he would’ve slapped him as well, feeling too lazy to reach over. Following the popcorn accident from a few weeks back Kyungsoo had been kicked, stepped on, and just 10 minutes ago he got pushed while drinking causing him to spill almost half of his drink on the front of his shirt, and all happened in that particular seat. “Can’t we switch seats?”

“No.”

“Why not?” Kyungsoo whined, grabbing onto Baekhyun’s sleeve, trying out his puppy eyes but the other just shook his head. “Oh, come on. I’m getting traumatized here, quite literally. I mean, I’m hungry as hell and I couldn’t even buy popcorn because I was too worried someone would spill them again. Next time I probably won’t be buying a drink either.”

“Well, maybe next time you can actually come on time and pick your own seat. Now shut up and watch the movie.” Baekhyun pushed him off himself, giving him an annoyed glare. Kyungsoo pouted, sinking in his seat, gulping down the last of his cola.

“I need to get this.” Jongin mumbled, waving his phone in front of their faces, making them both squint at the sudden light in the dark room. He stood up, pushing by their legs on his way out. “Hyung, you can take my seat.” He whispered to Kyungsoo, reaching down to take the now empty bottle out of his hand, and speed walking out the door. Kyungsoo smiled brightly immediately jumping out of his seat to relocate on the other side of Baekhyun.

“Are you that happy?” Baekhyun rolled his eyes and Kyungsoo nodded happily, wiggling in the seat to get comfortable. He kept glancing at the door, wondering what was taking Jongin so long, he was missing on the movie, but he brushed it off, maybe it was an important call. He got distracted by the movie and didn’t notice Jongin’s return until his eyes caught some movement and he looked down just in time to see the boy’s hand retreating after placing a box of popcorn on his lap, Kyungsoo’s own hands instantly wrapping around it so it wouldn’t fall.

“Sorry I took this long. The line was huge.” Jongin smiled apologetically, handing him a bottle of cola as well. “I got you a new drink, too, since most of the other got spilled.” He chuckled, sitting down. Kyungsoo leaned forward to look at him past Baekhyun’s face and smiled gratefully, mouthing a ‘thank you’ before stuffing a handful of popcorn in his mouth.

“You want some?” He whispered, pushing the box towards Jongin, and the boy nodded, immediately grabbing some.

“Oh, for ’s sake, just sit together.” Baekhyun scoffed, abruptly standing up, pulling Jongin off his seat and pushing him down in the seat next to Kyungsoo. “And shut up!” He hissed, pointing a warning finger in their faces. Jongin and Kyungsoo looked at each other and giggled, satisfied smiles stretching on their lips.

A touch on his fingers brought him out of memory land and he looked down to see Jongin’s hand over his, their fingers tangled together. He looked up at the other, wide eyed, and Jongin pulled his hand away.

“Sorry, you’re hand’s been in there for a while now and I wanted some too but it’s too dark and…yeah…” Jongin whispered, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

“Oh…sorry.” Kyungsoo bit his lip, pulling his hand out of the box of popcorn, feeling a blush creep up on his cheeks. The chuckle that left Jongin’s lips only made him feel more embarrassed and he shrank back in his seat, wishing the earth would open up and swallow him.

~

That was fun.” Jongin mumbled, stretching his arms over his head as soon as they stepped out of the cinema. Kyungsoo couldn’t stop his eyes from following the movement, taking a moment to admire the boy’s gorgeous body, lean with muscles at all the rights places. When his eyes reached his fingers he saw them clutching onto an object he hadn’t noticed earlier in the dark room – a camera.

“Let’s go for ice cream!” Baekhyun exclaimed, jumping around excitedly, throwing an arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulders and pulling him to walk together in the front.

“I’m seriously too hung over for you to be this excited around me.” Sehun groaned, massaging his temples.

“Yeah, I’ll be damned if I let you be the sober mom again.” Suho muttered, hands wrapped around Sehun’s arm, the boy practically dragging him along.

“Calm your boyfriend down, will you?” Chen hissed, nudging Chanyeol in the stomach while squinting at the brightness of the sun, Xiumin snickering beside him.

“Shut up.” Chanyeol retorted, pulling a pair of sun glasses out of his shirt pocket to put them on, releasing a pleased sigh afterwards.

“So everyone, except Baekhyun, got wasted last night?” An unfamiliar voice piped in and Kyungsoo turned his head towards the sound. That must be the Lay guy Mark mentioned, he thought, studying the boy’s face. There was something very familiar about him and Kyungsoo felt like he had seen him before, but he couldn’t remember where.

“I didn’t.” Jongin stated, laughing at Chen who was trying to convince Xiumin to piggyback him, but the other kept pushing him off.

“Why not?” Kyungsoo and Lay asked simultaneously and Jongin chuckled, glancing between the two.

“Because I got there late, they were all pretty drunk already and I was tired anyways, so after you left I headed home too.” Jongin explained, staring at Kyungsoo. I should’ve agreed when he offered to take me home, Kyungsoo groaned internally, looking away from the boy and biting his lip, thoughts filling with regret.

“Well, aren’t you one selfish idiot? If you’d stayed I could’ve gotten wasted too.” Baekhyun rolled his eyes, reaching behind Kyungsoo to slap Jongin’s shoulder and all except Kyungsoo and Lay mimicked the action, showering Jongin with complaints.

“I could’ve been the sober mom. You know I don’t drink.” Lay piped in, earning a wave of protests from everyone. Kyungsoo frowned, raking his brain for memories of the boy because his presence at the reunion party last night meant he had graduated with them or at least had gone to school with them.

“Once was enough, thank you very much.” Baekhyun groaned, leaving Kyungsoo’s side to go and wrap his arms around his boyfriend’s waist, Chanyeol instantly pulling him closer and nuzzling his hair lovingly. Unable to join the conversation since he wasn’t part of that certain memory, Kyungsoo just kept walking ahead, the others bickering behind him.

“We made that mistake once.” Jongin said close to his ear and Kyungsoo turned his head to see him fall into step beside him, nodding in Lay’s direction. “It was the summer before we started college and before Chanyeol’s parents moved away to let him and Baekhyun have the house to themselves. They went on a trip and typical Chanyeol decided to throw a party. We all wanted to drink and Lay was so excited to be the sober mom, so he easily got the position.”

“Of course.” Kyungsoo snorted, making Jongin chuckle as he lifted his camera to snap a few pictures of a little girl, running around the small park they were passing by, a colorful kite floating up in the air behind her.

“But apparently Lay had no idea what his responsibilities were and things got messy. He got distracted dancing and chatting with his friends, later even retreating to the second floor and falling asleep. As a result the party ran out of booze and some idiots found and trashed Mr. Park’s secret stash of alcohol, all expensive brands; someone broke Chanyeol’s mom’s favorite and again expensive flower vase; a few family photos were knocked off the wall in the living room, the glass covers and wooden frames broken.”

“Damn.” Kyungsoo whispered, wide eyed, trying to imagine the mess. Jongin paused to take a few more pictures and Kyungsoo turned to look at the others only to realize that he and Jongin had walked quite ahead of them, the rest of the boys leisurely strolling down the street far behind them.

“It gets worse. His parents got home before noon the next day to find not only us but also half the people knocked out around the house, a few boys passed out in the backyard garden, completely destroying the flowers Chanyeol’s mom loved so much. To say they were furious would be an understatement.” Jongin continued the story, visibly shuddering at the memory. “Parties in the house were forbidden for a few months and we had to clean the whole house, pay for fixing everything that could be saved and replace the things that couldn’t.” Kyungsoo’s jaw dropped, giving Jongin a disbelieving look. “It was no joke.” He laughed, eyes gluing to the screen of his camera as he went through the pictures he had just taken.

“I’m so glad I wasn’t there.” Kyungsoo immediately clamped his mouth shut, internally berating himself for failing to stop the words from coming out. Jongin’s movements faltered for a few seconds but he quickly resumed his doings, giving a small nod.

They continued walking in silence and Kyungsoo sighed regretfully, wishing to hear more of the boy’s voice, recalling random stories or whatever, but Jongin seemed to no longer be in the mood for chatting, sticking to his cycle of taking pictures and checking on them until they neared an ice cream truck, parked by the river side, an enormous park on the opposite side of it.

“I’m pretty sure that did not exist last time I was here. What happened?” Kyungsoo mumbled, eyes running over the park crowded with people, enjoying the nice weather by walking around or resting on the grass.

“They redeveloped. I don’t even remember what used to be here before.” Sehun’s voice reached Kyungsoo’s ears and he looked up in surprise, expecting Jongin to be the one to answer his question. He found said boy a few feet away on the line in front of the truck, instead, with Baekhyun and Suho by his side.

“Incoming.” Chanyeol muttered and Kyungsoo turned his eyes away from Jongin to see a group of bikers heading their way, so they got up on the sidewalk and leaned against the low fence surrounding the whole park, listening to Chanyeol talk about the trip he and Baekhyun would be going on.

“Alright, chocolate ice cream for everyone.” Baekhyun screamed, making his way towards them, holding 4 ice cream cones, 2 in each hand. Suho was right behind him, scrolling through his phone with one hand, 2 ice cream cones in the other and one more in his mouth, teethed clamped on the edge of it.

“I don’t wa-”

“Jongin’s got you covered.” Baekhyun interrupted him and Kyungsoo glanced in Jongin’s direction, the boy patiently waiting for his order. “You two and your strange tastes. Who doesn’t like chocolate flavored ice cream?” He rolled his eyes after handing everyone a cone.

“And what’s so strange about liking vanilla flavored ice cream?” Kyungsoo scoffed, frowning at the other’s statement.

“Or strawberry flavored?” Jongin piped in, having silently returned to the group. He handed Kyungsoo his vanilla ice cream cone and Kyungsoo mumbled a small ‘thank you’, corners of his lips curling up at the thought of Jongin still remembering his favorite ice cream flavor.

“Please don’t start arguing over ice cream? Let’s just go in.” Chen groaned, already walking in the park with Xiumin. Baekhyun shrugged and skipped after them, pulling his boyfriend along, and everyone followed.

Kyungsoo dug in his ice cream, curiously looking around the park. It looked so peaceful, safe for the screaming of kids running and playing around. It was a nice day and he was at a beautiful place with his friends. He looked up at the sky, lips stretching in a contented smile. He heard the clicking sound of Jongin’s camera and instinctively turned to look. Another click and Kyungsoo gasped, realizing the camera was pointed at him and more specifically his face because Jongin was right beside him.

“Don’t mind him. He’s been like that ever since he took up photography.” Xiumin chuckled, noticing Kyungsoo’s shock. Jongin lowered the camera and gave him a sheepish smile.

“It’s been what? 3 years? We’re already used to it. He probably has tons of pictures of us.” Chen joined in on the conversation, the four of them the only ones left behind as the others had run off to look for an empty spot in the park they could settle on.

“I do actually. And I have some hung on my walls which is where these are going as well.” Jongin smiled, proudly showing his love for his friends, as he turned his camera around to show them the pictures he had just taken. The thought of Jongin hanging a photo of him on his wall made Kyungsoo’s heart flutter.

“Aww, so cute.” The two boys squealed, bringing Kyungsoo out of his thoughts. His eyes focused on the two pictures – one of his side profile as he smiled, looking up, and the other of him facing the camera, eyes slightly widened, and lips parted, just before he gasped.

“I’m not so sure I like them. Can you maybe take another?” He frowned, feeling a little self-conscious, and swatted Chen and Xiumin’s hands when they tried to pinch his cheeks.

“Gladly. But I’m still keeping these.” Jongin chuckled, turning the camera back around and looking at the pictures with a happy smile. That caught Kyungsoo off guard and he felt his cheeks heat up.

“So, photography, huh? How come?” He cleared his throat, trying to will his blush away.

“I don’t know. I woke up one day and realized I had no pictures or videos of us. Memories are good, but I thought it would be nice to have a more physical trace of the things we do together. ” Jongin shrugged, snapping yet another picture without warning and Kyungsoo sent him a glare, but the boy ignored it. “At first it was just normal photos with friends and family I would take with my phone but then I got hooked. And since Suho likes taking pictures he helped me pick a camera and I started getting more into it. Now it’s gotten to the point where I see something beautiful and I capture it.” He smiled shyly and took a few steps away from Kyungsoo before taking another photo, making his heart skip a beat at that action following his statement. But he shook his head, convincing himself he was imagining things.

“Well, you’re good. I don’t remember ever looking this good in pictures.” Kyungsoo commented, staring at the new picture on the camera screen, genuinely surprised by how well Jongin had made him look.

“Thanks.” Jongin chuckled, pushing his head through the neck strap of the camera and letting go of it so he could check his phone, the camera hanging just above the waistband of his jeans. “Hey guys.” He called out suddenly and Kyungsoo hadn’t even noticed that Xiumin and Chen weren’t walking with them anymore, instead playing around like kids a few meters away, or more like Chen making fun of Xiumin who was running away from a grey pigeon interested in his ice cream. “The others found a spot by the fountain.” Jongin informed them when the two boys returned to their side.

“Let’s go! Right now! And please let it be a pigeon-free zone.” Xiumin whined, running past them as the pigeon approached him again, Chen cackling behind him. The whole commotion made Kyungsoo and Jongin laugh, the latter doing his best to capture the hilarious scene in a series of photos while his whole body shook with laughter. Kyungsoo was laughing so hard he was losing his balance, barely keeping himself on his feet as he followed Jongin and the two idiots towards their destination.

“Yixing, get a hold of yourself! You’re 23 years old, not a 2-year-old baby seeing a pigeon for the first time. Act like a man!” Suho yelled in annoyance, being squished by Lay, who had his arms wrapped around his waist, looking like he was trying to merge their bodies in his attempt to push further away from the few pigeons looking for food on the grass behind them.

“There comes another idiot.” Chanyeol snickered, motioning towards Xiumin who was still jumping around, yelling random profanities at the pigeon to scare it away but failing miserably as the little creature kept approaching him.

“Shut up!” He screamed at Chanyeol, running to his friends, only to notice Lay’s state, and freeze after following his scared gaze to catch sight of the group of pigeons behind them. “They are vicious predators!” Xiumin argued back when Lay let go of Suho to latch onto him, the two standing awkwardly, too afraid to sit down, faces contorted into expressions of pure horror.

“What the hell? Just sit down.” Baekhyun rolled his eyes, an exasperated sigh leaving his lips. “Don’t mind them and they won’t bother you. You don’t see them crowding me, do you?”

“That’s because they can smell fear.” Lay yelled, jumping away when one of the pigeons got a little too close to his feet.

“You tow are perfect for each other. You should start dating.” Chen suggested sarcastically, obviously annoyed by the scene of the two boys hugging in front of him.

“Babe!” Xiumin whined, looking close to tears as the rest of the pigeons started towards them.

“Come sit.” Chen ordered, glaring at his boyfriend’s hands around Lay and Xiumin immediately let go, pulling away and slowly crouching down between Baekhyun and Chen, who rolled his eyes and pushed him down to a sitting position. “You go all the way to the other side. Move along.” Chen shooed Lay away when he was about to squeeze himself in between Xiumin and Baekhyun. The boy gave him a pitiful look, resembling a kicked puppy, but Chen just glared at him until he started moving.

“Wait…Yixing? As in Zhang Yixing, the Chinese student who moved here last year of high school?” Kyungsoo whispered to Jongin, eyes widening as his brain finally registered the name Suho had thrown at the boy.

“Did you just realize that now?” Jongin snorted, plopping down beside Suho but leaving an empty spot between them. He waved Lay over and the boy made his way to them, smiling gratefully, but still frightened by the birds surrounding them.

“He’s changed!” Kyungsoo hissed defensively, lowering himself on the grass next to Jongin and smiling at Lay as he reached them and sat down, instantly gluing himself to Suho, as if the other was some kind of a pigeon-shield. Kyungsoo stared for a while, wondering how the shy boy with curly hair and nerdy glasses, who barely spoke Korean when he first met him, had changed so much. His other friends were pretty much the same, except for the hair color changes and different relationship statuses of the best-friends-turned-lovers couples. He internally slapped himself for not recognizing Yixing, considering they had gotten pretty close despite