In retrospect, Jongdae had no reason to be worried, but his racing heart and sweaty palms refused to comply. He paced in front of the mirror every so often to scrutinize his reflection, finding an excuse in adjusting his buttons for the fifth time. He was so glad that his roommate was not here. She wouldn’t understand.

Jongdae only agreed to go to the planetarium with his best friend this evening. The brunet was practically vibrating as he asked the former to accompany him. He didn’t have it in his heart to say no. Now, it was only a friendly outing with a friendly friend, but why did his heart threaten to jump out of his chest?

He slapped both of his hands on his cheeks, squishing his face between his palms. “Calm down. It’s just Baekhyun,” he reassured himself, “It’s not like it’s a date.”

A date. Sweaty palms. Racing heart. Perfect appearance. Baekhyun and him. Alone.

“It’s not a date!” He slapped his cheeks again, frustrated with his trailing mind. He shifted his gaze to his reflection and glared, his gaze honing in on the flush of his cheeks. “Stop it. He’s just a guy with an innocent request to go out. Calm down.”

A knock on the door halted his train of thought.

Oh god. He’s here already.

Taking a deep breath, Jongdae walked toward the door. Upon opening it, he resisted the urge to gawk. At this point, Jongdae was convinced that Baekhyun was not human. He looked far too adorable in his partially zipped space jacket and jeans. Adorable in a typical omega fashion, of course.

“Are you ready to go?”

“Yep.”

Jongdae tried not to think too deeply when Baekhyun wordlessly laced their hands together as they walked to the train station together. He also tried to think too deeply when Baekhyun rested his head and nuzzled into Jongdae’s shoulder during the train ride. He definitely tried not to think too deeply when he recognized the all familiar heat rushing to his cheeks, thanking the heavens for the empty train car. While the more touchy development of their friendship was not exactly new, skinship never failed to flutter Jongdae’s heart, warming his chest.

The evening dragged on and Jongdae found himself in pure bliss. He didn’t know what to expect when he heard that they were going to a planetarium, but being there with Baekhyun and seeing him ramble on as they explored the exhibit, bantering together when he wasn’t, exceeded any expectations. Paying no heed to the looks other people gave them, Jongdae followed Baekhyun as he listened to each tidbit and factoid.

It was toward the end of the visit when Baekhyun led him to an open terrace outside the exhibit; which Jongdae thought was one-hundred percent not accessible for the general public. They stopped by the railing, taking a moment to stare at the night sky above.

It was then that Jongdae remembered that their hands were still laced together.

“Isn’t the sky just beautiful at night?” Baekhyun used his unoccupied hand to point to the faraway lights. “It’s amazing to think that each light we’re seeing took years upon years to travel here.”

Jongdae hummed in agreement.

“You can’t see much from the dorm windows, but sometimes I look at the sky for hours. You don't feel as alone. Just watching…” Baekhyun trailed.

“Is that why you failed the math test last week?” Jongdae gently teased. “You stared at the stars for hours instead of studying?”

The brunet lightly shoved the other omega. “I’ll have you know that the stars are far more interesting than frequency tables and plot distributions.”

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew. Cursing himself for not bringing a jacket, Jongdae shivered. Noticing the other’s discomfort, Baekhyun asked worryingly, “Are you cold? I can give you my jacket.”

“I-I’m fine, Baek,” Jongdae reassured. He let go of Baekhyun’s hand to rub his arms. “It’s just a little chilly out here.”

Dark eyes squinted in suspicion, the brunet replied, “I don’t believe you.” Ignoring Jongdae’s protests, he ped his jacket and wrapped it on the former’s shoulders. “There.”

“But-”

“No buts. Now arms through the sleeves.” Seeing the hesitation in the other’s eyes, Baekhyun soothed, “It’s fine, Dae. You need it more than me right now.”

Slowly but surely, Jongdae pushed his arms through the sleeves before zipping up. The jacket was roughly Jongdae’s size, seeing as they were basically the same height, with slightly longer sleeves than what he was used it. The most notable difference was the sheer warmth the jacket emanated, the cold air becoming non-existent.

“Happy now?” Jongdae did a little twirl.

A smile graced the brunet’s lips. “Yes.”

Halting his twirl, Jongdae asked, “Are you sure you’ll be fine?”

“I’m sure,” Baekhyun confirmed, “If I’m cold, I’ll just use you as a personal heater.” At that, the brunet chuckled and winked.

For the nth time that night, Jongdae’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

They continued to stand in silence as they admired each constellation, galaxy, and planet above. They basked in the shine of swirling colours and twinkling lights. True to his word, Baekhyun leaned against Jongdae’s side when another gust of wind blew out of nowhere. Hesitantly, he hugged the latter’s arms, tightening his grip when Jongdae leaned into his touch as well.

After a while, Baekhyun rested his head on the other omega’s shoulder. His voice slightly raspy from tiredness, he whispered, “Thank you for coming with me.”

His voice barely above a whisper, Jongdae replied, “Thank you for taking me.”

For that one moment, Jongdae paid no heed to the arguments in his head and relaxed to the omega’s touch. For once, he closed his eyes and focused on the warmth emanating from his side. For once, he’ll ignore the fact that they were both young omegas with determined futures. For once, he’ll pretend that he’s enveloped with the other’s soothing scent. For once, he’ll think he was living a normal life. He’ll deal with his problems tomorrow. For now, he’ll stay like this.

He ignored the gentle wetness on his face just as he ignored the forming damp pools of fabric on his shoulder.

That night, after parting their ways, Jongdae stayed up to look at the stars, still snuggled in the space jacket.

~/~/~

As always, constructive criticism is appreciated and I hope I'll see you in the next fic.

Tootles!