Closer            “I’m sorry I’m late! My clothes were still in the dryer and then the bus took forever and then I had to find you guys and let’s just say time management is still not my strongest point.”              Jaemi giggled at Jongin’s flustered explanation as he leaned on his knees to catch his breath. He straightened up and ruffled his already tousled hair that fell perfectly into place when he ran his fingers through it. That was when she noticed what he was actually wearing. This was the first time she had seen him in something other than his navy school uniform and boy, did she approve of that. His broad shoulders were set in a striped sweater with the colors red, white and blue. She never knew how long his legs were because of his dark uniform pants but now he was wearing blue faded jeans that showed off their true length and to top it all off, some simple All Star sneakers under it.              Simple yet perfect for this handsome boy.              “Oh don’t worry, we weren’t waiting that long,” Mina’s voice snapped the girl out of her session of admiration. She nodded when she caught Jongin’s eyes on her.              “You look cute,” he suddenly commented, once again surprising Jaemi with that and made her cheeks redden by the second. She chose to wear a fairly simple outfit—jeans with a Bordeaux jumper and some random sneakers. She let her hair flow freely so it had a casual touch to it but already knew it had been a stupid idea because she would only hide behind it when she got the chance.              Nervously, Jaemi curled a lock behind her ear and muttered a small thank you. Mina elbowed Yixing and showed him a knowing look, as if she was right all along. Yixing just rolled his eyes and grabbed the maps out of her hands.              “Alright, enough with the googly eyes, here are the maps,” he interrupted as he handed Jongin one. “For some reason we only have two,” he commented and threw Mina a slightly irritated glance, “so I’ll share with Mina and you can share with Jaemi.”              After hearing this, Jaemi’s heart began pounding behind her ribcage, surprised that her ribs were able to keep it inside. She’ll have to walk with him and share a piece of paper with him and just be with him. And to top off all of her excitement, Jongin showed her a wide smile and nodded at Yixing. “Sounds like a plan!”              “Great! Now come on!” Mina hooked her arm through Yixing’s and pulled him with her to the first animal exhibition. Jongin chuckled at the sight of Mina’s enthusiasm and looked at Jaemi with a gentle smile. “Ready?” he asked her in a voice that could make her melt on the spot but instead of once again embarrassing herself, she nodded shyly and followed him closely.              “Oh my god! Look at that cute little thing!” she heard Mina squeal when she approached the exhibit. Jaemi leaned her arms on the railing when she looked at the red panda sitting on a rock, grooming itself. Mina immediately grabbed her camera and started clicking away, making Jaemi laugh and shake her head. She had always been this enthusiastic and it started to rub off on Jaemi because when the four of them began walking again and arrived at the next exhibition, a huge smile spread on her face as she ran towards the railing, surprising her friends.              The cute little animals were standing around and stared at the crowd in front of them.              “I never knew you liked meerkats that much,” Jongin chuckled as he appeared next to Jaemi and also leaned on the railings. “Oh I don’t like meerkats, I love them!” she answered enthusiastically. “I mean, look at them and their small eyes and little paws and cute compact bodies! What’s not to like!”              “The fact that they look like rats?” Mina casually spoke up when she dragged Yixing with her next to them. Ignoring Mina’s earlier comment, Jaemi continued to watch the meerkats interact. “You like Chihuahua’s, those resemble rats more than these cute little animals.”              “Because they’re cute!”              “They’re not.”              “They a—”              “—and now it’s time to continue on to the next exhibit, don’t you think?” Yixing interrupted as he threw a hand over Mina’s mouth and pulled her with him. Jaemi laughed at them and leaned back from the railing.              “They’re pretty cute, I’ll give you that but nothing beats the next animal,” Jongin said as he looked at the map in his hand and tapped a certain area. Jaemi stretched her neck to take a look at the map but Jongin quickly pulled it away with a playful grin on his face. Jaemi pouted and reached out for it. “Hey! Yixing said we should share!”              “And Yixing isn’t here~” Jongin cooed and tauntingly shook the map in front of the shorter girl. She huffed and folded her arms in front of her chest. “Immature.”              Jongin chuckled and threw an arm around her shoulders. “If that’s what you call me when I’m teasing you, then that’s fine by me.”              Laughing, Jaemi elbowed Jongin’s side with a grin, only making him laugh more.                    “How could a sloth be cuter than a meerkat!” Jaemi exclaimed when the four left the terrarium area of the zoo. Jongin laughed heartily as he held the door open for her. “Have you seen how they hang from those trees? And their heads! It’s like they are always happy or high or something, cutest thing ever really.”              Jaemi just shook her head. “I can’t believe you.”              Jongin chuckled and wrapped an arm around her, “N’aw, is someone jealous?”              At his comment, her body reacted in only one way possible, which was stiffening at his words. The reason why Jaemi loved meerkats so much was that when they sensed danger or were on the lookout, they would stiffen and stand still until the danger had left. Jaemi could’ve been a meerkat in a former life.              “W-what are you saying! Why w-would I!” she bellowed flustered as she escaped his grip and walked towards a bench. Somehow, his words gave her this intense feeling, something warm that had erupted in her chest. She looked past the small amount of people strolling around and found Jongin reading something on a bulletin board with information.              It’s beautiful, isn’t it?              Pain.              Her hands came to her head as she moved to cover her eyes, screwed tight to relieve herself of the sharp pain. The headache hit her like a tsunami and disoriented her in a flash. A voice echoed through her mind and it hurt with every word that it said. Jaemi opened her eyes but when she caught sight of Jongin’s back, it seemed to fade and the man from her nightmare a few nights ago took his place, but only for a second before Jongin was visible again. The rays of the sun brightened and Jaemi was blinded by the white light that shone in her eyes; she buried her face into her hands as the voice got louder and louder, dying out every other hint of her surroundings.              Suddenly, something heavy settled on the top of her head and together with the pain inside of Jaemi’s head, it all disappeared and familiar voices filled her ears.              “Jae, what’s wrong!”              Jaemi lifted her head and saw a blurry Mina crouching down in front of her, holding her hands, and Yixing lifting his hand from her head and stuff them in his pockets. She searched for Jongin but he was no longer standing at the board. She jerked when she felt another hand on her back.              “Are you okay?” Jongin was seated next to her now and was looking at her with eyes filled with worry. The pain had been fully washed away and allowed Jaemi to think straight again. She showed her friends a small smile and shook her head. “I’m fine, I was just resting.”              She attempted to stand up with Jongin holding her elbow, supporting her. “Are you sure? We can rest here some more if you want.”              Jaemi shook her head again and told him it was all fine. Mina looked at her suspiciously but Jaemi rubbed her arm as if signaling that everything was fine. Yixing had been quiet the whole time but he was worried for Jaemi in his own way. She definitely just had another headache. Mina noticed Yixing’s silence and walked over to him without Jaemi or Jongin noticing and held onto his hand, giving it a light squeeze. Yixing looked down at Mina and let out a deep sigh.              “She’s okay Xing. Don’t worry.”                    The mood had lightened after Jaemi had assured everyone she was really okay and continued on with strolling around the zoo, discovering new animal