Awkward would have been an understatement as Kyungsoo and Kai sat side by side in the cosy little restaurant. Across from them, looking just as awkward, if not more so, was Kyungsoo’s father.

They’d been sat there a good ten minutes or so, barely exchanging words and avoiding eye contact.

Kyungsoo’s father had called up the day before, asking to meet his son for lunch, telling him that he ought to bring his boyfriend since he wanted to talk about something concerning the two. Kyungsoo had no doubt in his mind that this meant his mother would not be in attendance, but it didn’t stop him from going. He wanted to see his dad again, too, even if he did resent the man a little for not sticking up for him in the first place, but he was making an effort, by the looks of it, and that was something that Kyungsoo couldn’t help but be happy about.

Kyungsoo’s father sighed, “Kyungsoo” he said, “I’m sorry. I am so sorry for not being here for you when you needed me most. I can’t make any excuses for my behaviour, and I can only hope that you’ll forgive me for not being the father I should be.

 “This must be hard for you, and for things to have gone how they have... I’ll never forgive myself for how much I’ve hurt you” he said, tears welling up in his eyes, his face looking old and tired. More tired than Kyungsoo had seen his father look before.

Kyungsoo smiled softly, “Dad... I’m not mad at you... I mean, I was hurt, I still am. And I was disappointed too, but the fact that you’ve come here today and tried to make up for it... It means more to me than you could know” he too was biting back tears.

He didn’t want to cry, not today, not when he was talking to his father for the first time in weeks.

“I’m sorry, son” Mr Do said, his voice thick with emotion, “But I want you to know that I will never stop loving you. You’re my son. My only son, and you mean everything to me. You do to your mother too, she just needs some time. She’s coming around. I’ve been talking to her, trying to get her to see that nothing is different because of who you like... I can see it, she’s starting to crack”

Kyungsoo nodded a little sadly, “I just... I knew she’d take it badly, I just didn’t think she’d hate me for something so...”

“Nonsensical” Kai supplied.

Kyungsoo nodded again, “Yeah”

Mr Do looked sad at that.

Kai frowned slightly as he looked between his boyfriend and his boyfriend’s father. Although it was obvious they were over the moon about seeing each other again, the tired, woeful looks that both of them were sporting almost broke his heart.

Mr Do had always been a lively person, although he was a little more subdued in the presence of his wife, he was always the kind of person to make you feel welcome, to go out of his way to help you, should you need help. He always had a happy demeanour and had always looked rather youthful, despite being married, having a rather demanding job at the auto-shop and having a teenage son. But now, when Kai looked at him, he looked aged. He looked exhausted, and drained. He was paler than usual, and he’d let his facial hair grow out, seemingly haven stopped grooming it. His hair was messier than usual, and his t-shirt was wrinkled. Kai was a little surprised his wife had let him out looking so dishevelled.

Kyungsoo too, looked rather bushed. Although he’d been coping rather well, it seemed that his father wanting to meet him again had taken its toll. It had only reminded him all the more of his mother’s, for lack of a better term, betrayal. But then, Kai thought, she had betrayed him. She’d betrayed his trust, her duty as a mother, his love. She’d betrayed him in the worst way she could have, and that was a truly tragic thing.

“I’ve missed you, you know” Mr Do said, his voice gentle, almost hesitant.

Kyungsoo nodded thoughtfully, “Why did it take you so long to contact me?” he asked, taking in his father’s words, but not wanting to comment on them, out of fear that it would only lead him to more pain in the long run.

“I was hoping that by the time I called you, I would have gotten your mum to come around...” Mr Do said, running a hand through his scruffy hair, “I would have tried to have seen you sooner, but I wanted her to be here too. In the end I called though, because I didn’t want to leave it any longer than I had to. I didn’t want... I didn’t want you thinking you’d been abandoned, that I – we – didn’t love you anymore, because that isn’t the case. I promise you that much” he bit his shaking lower lip.

Kyungsoo looked a little lost for words, before he finally spoke in a voice barely more than a whisper, “Dad,” he said, “She hates me...”

“No, Kyungsoo, no! She doesn’t hate you! She couldn’t ever hate you” Mr Do gasped, “She’s just in shock... She just needs some time to adjust, neither of us were expecting... we didn’t know...”

“But you did” Kyungsoo whispered, “I may not have told you, but you knew. Both of you did. I’m not an idiot, I know why she was pushing me to get a girlfriend, I know why she was always weary of me having boys over, even since I was younger. You can’t... You can’t keep making excuses for her, dad”

Mr Do looked down at the table, his eyes dampening. He composed himself before looking back up at his son, “Okay. We had our suspicions. But she was raised to believe that being... being gay... was wrong. It was drilled into her, and I’m not saying that it’s an excuse, I’m really not, but when people are so set in their ways, it’s hard to make them see that how they think, what they’re doing and saying, is hurting people. It’s not right, I know that, but I can see that she’s starting to realise. She’s only saying what she’s been taught to say by homophobic people, and soon she’ll realise what an idiot she’s been...

 “It’ll all be okay, Kyungsoo”

Kyungsoo shrugged slightly, not really knowing what else to do, “Maybe.” He said, “But it’ll never be the same between me and her again. Not after all this. I still love her, I mean, she’s my mum... But you can’t just undo things like this. Maybe I’ll talk to her again, if she comes around, but it’ll take me a long time to be able to trust her again...”

Kai wrapped an arm around Kyungsoo as the boy spoke, the movement catching Mr Do’s eye, who smiled a little sadly at Kai. Kai gave him a small nod in return, but said nothing.

“I am sorry, you know, about all of this...” Mr Do said honestly, “I never wanted things to go this way”

Kyungsoo pursed his lips slightly, “We don’t always get what we want” he said, “Life’s a at the best of times”

He hadn’t ever really sworn in front of either his mother or father before, but given the situation, he felt that his father was in no position to object.

Mr Do nodded, “I know” he said, “I know, I just wanted you to know”

“I know that” Kyungsoo replied, “and I’m thankful that you’ve made an effort today. I am. Really. It’s just hard, you know?”

Mr Do nodded again, “We shouldn’t let this be the last time” he said, “We’ll make an effort, meet in the middle, me and you, until your mum stops being a prat” he smiled slightly, as did Kyungsoo, “What do you say?”

“I think I’d like that” Kyungsoo said, “I’ve missed you too...”

They had a small lunch after that, and caught up on things they’d missed. Mr Do gave the ‘If you hurt my boy’ speech to Kai, which eased any tension that had been left, and it all seemed easier after that. Kyungsoo was still upset about his mum, of course, but with his dad there and making an effort, he knew it would all be worth it.

Kai joined in the conversation easily, falling back into old habits and talking sports with Mr Do whilst Kyungsoo ate and rolled his eyes at the pair. They really were one big, dysfunctional, family, but was all working out.

Once they’d finished, Kai and Mr Do shook hands, before Mr Do pulled Kyungsoo into a tight hug that lasted a long time, each of them just thrilled to have the other back in their lives. They’d agreed that they would meet up at least once a week until Kyungsoo’s mum stopped with her ridiculous behaviour, and Kyungsoo’s dad said that he would call every couple of days to see how Kyungsoo was doing, and let him know about any progress with his mum.

Mr Do drove them back to Kai’s house, where they said their goodbyes and parted ways, each of them with a lighter heart, and a smile on their face.

Kai and Kyunsoo made their way into the house, to the living room, where they both sat on the sofa.

“So,” Kai asked, “How did you find that?”

Kyungsoo smiled, flashing Kai his pearly whites, “Good” he said, “I’m really happy that he’s accepted me, and I’m grateful that he’s working on getting my mum to come around. I’m still upset about it all, but the fact that my dad’s making an effort with me, I just... I couldn’t be happier right now”

“Yeah, I was surprised he did that. It was good of him. See, I told you it would all work out in the end” Kai smiled, wrapping an arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulders.

Kyungsoo let out a musical laugh, “That you did” he said, “So, how about we watch Desolation of Smaug and finish those cookies that your mum and I baked yesterday” he said with a mischievous grin.

“Let’s” Kai laughed in return, “Dibs on the last white chocolate and raspberry one” he said, but Kyungsoo just gave him a pointed look.

“We both know that’s not gonna happen” he said before getting up and darting off into the kitchen, followed by Kai, who was determined to get the cookie – although by the time he got there, Kyungsoo had already eaten three-quarters of it.

Kai let out a chuckle despite himself, “You’re a right git, you know that” he said teasingly as he grabbed the plate of cookies and he and Kyungsoo made their way back into the living room.

“And yet you still love me” Kyungsoo grinned, moving over to the DVD rack and pulling out the aforementioned film, before moving over to the TV to set it all up.

“True, true” Kai smiled, setting the plate of cookies down on the coffee table, then sat himself down on the sofa.

Kyungsoo soon joined him, cuddling up to his side before pressing play and letting the movie start.

The older boy was happy. Not wholly, but still he was happy. Things were coming together again, one step at a time.

--

“Where are we going?” Lay asked for the nth time since he and Suho had gotten into the older boy’s car and started driving. They were most certainly out of the city, and clearly wouldn’t be back for a couple of days, since Suho told Lay to tell his parents he was spending the weekend at a friend’s. Since it was a long weekend – they had both today, which was Friday, and Monday off of school since it was a bank holiday weekend – Suho said they he had a surprise, but refused to tell Lay what it was.

“For the final time, I’m not telling you” Suho laughed, glancing over at Lay as they drove down the motorway. It was early. Specifically three in the morning, so traffic was scarce, meaning that Lay didn’t have to hide or anything along those lines.

He was tired, that was for sure, but he was excited too.

“But we’re going to be gone for like... four days, surely I should know! I mean, you could be kidnapping me, or anything!” Lay said pointedly, looking at Suho with a raised brow, which only succeeded in making the older boy laugh.

Suho glanced in the rear view mirror before flicking on his indicator and switching to the outside lane, “You really think, after telling you to tell your parents you’d be gone for the weekend, I’d be kidnapping you?” he asked, his voice thick with amusement.

Lay stared at him for a long time before giving in and looking back out the front window, “Okay, no” he admitted, “But I still want to know where we’re going”

“I’m taking you somewhere special” Suho said, his eyes teasing as he looked out onto the road, which was barely littered with cars.

Lay rolled his eyes, but smiled nonetheless, “I don’t have any clothes or toiletries, or anything” he pointed out, but Suho only grinned.

“Au contraire” Suho said, a teasing edge to his voice still, “I packed for you yesterday without you knowing, so it’s all covered”

Lay gaped, “How did you even do that? I was with you the whole time!”

“When you went to nap” Suho laughed, “Besides, I couldn’t have you seeing what I’d packed for you, it would have been a dead giveaway”

They chatted whilst Suho drove for a little while, until Lay eventually fell asleep. Suho pulled over for a moment to place a pillow under Lay’s head and place a blanket over him, before he started up again and carried on driving. He had the radio on quietly, so not to wake Lay, and hummed along under his breath, casting a side glance at the sleeping boy every now and again until they reached their destination, at seven o’clock.

Suho smiled as he pulled into the car park of the cosy little bed and breakfast. He’d been there before, and got on pretty well with the old couple that ran the place. The old man had passed away the year before, so it was just the old lady running it now, with the help of her granddaughter. She sometimes wrote him letters, which he’d write back too when he was able. She was a nice woman, and gave him discounts when he visited.

The bed and breakfast was a small cottage type place, with four bedrooms – it had been renovated – a living room for the guests as well as a dining room. The room that Suho had booked was on the first floor and opened up onto a cute little balcony, which was perfect for eating breakfast on. It was brilliant too, because the place was right next to the beach.

The beach was like no other Suho had been to. The sand was almost white, and the water was so clear that you could go in up to your neck and still be able to see your feet on the sand below. Around it, too, were grassy fields and rock cliffs that were great for climbing. It really was a picturesque place.

Suho parked the car, then stepped out of it. Lay was still sleeping, so he left the boy for a moment whilst he checked in. It didn’t take him too long to sign in and get their room key. He then made his way back out to the car and opened the boot. He grabbed their things – which consisted of two suitcases – before closing the boot again and taking them up to their room. Once they were in the room, he made his way back down to the car and carefully opened the passenger side door.

He unbuckled Lay’s belt after taking the blanket off of him, making the sleeping boy whine slightly as a breeze ghosted over him, and threw it in the back along with the pillow. He scooped Lay up into his arms and kicked the door shut with his foot, then managed to click the button in his keys to lock the door.

He carried Lay up to their room, and managed to open the door with some difficulty, before walking in and settling Lay down on the soft, king-sized bed.

He placed the room key on the bedside table, walked over to their cases and set about unpacking them.

It was an hour later when Lay finally woke up, a little disorientated. He sat up on the bed and rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. He stifled a yawn as he looked around the room, until his eyes came to rest on Suho, who was sat in a comfortable looking arm chair by the dresser, reading a book.

“Junmyeon?” Lay yawned cutely.

Suho looked up from his book and smiled; he placed the book down on the side and got to his feet. He walked over to Lay and sat down on the bed beside him, “Morning, sleepy head” he said with a soft chuckle, “Did you sleep well?”

Lay nodded, “Why didn’t you wake me up?” he asked, moving slightly to lean against Suho, who brought him into a warm hug.

“You looked like you could use the sleep” Suho said, “And we’re here, by the way”

“Where’s ‘here’?” Lay asked, snuggling up against Suho.

Suho smiled, bringing his hand up to run it deftly through Lay’s mussed hair, “The sea-side” he said, “I forgot the name of it, but it’s this little place I found when I was about seventeen. I stole my dad’s car and ran away from home, and I just drove and drove until I found this place – and ran out of petrol – and I’ve been coming here ever since”

“Why did you run away from home?” Lay asked, peaking up at the elder through his lashes.

Suho chuckled, “I got in a stupid argument with my mum about me liking boys” he said, “I got mad at her for calling it ‘a phase’ so I just took off... It was a bit daft of me, but it got me here, so I can’t say I regret it”

“Mm, my boyfriend – the rebel” Lay grinned teasingly, “Who would have thought?”

“Oh shut up” Suho rolled his eyes, “And breakfast is ready on the balcony if you’re hungry? I was going to wake you up in a minute actually, but looks like I didn’t have to”

Lay nodded, “Breakfast sounds brilliant!”

The two of them made their way onto the balcony, which overlooked the beach and the water. They sat opposite one another and ate, whilst Suho filled Lay in on what they could do whilst they were there.

“So what sprung this on?” Lay asked as they changed into their shorts and vest tops and walked down to the beach.

Suho took Lay’s hand in his own, “I wanted to be able to just go out with you, properly, you know? Not have to hide. And here, we’re so far out of the way, it can be like it doesn’t matter. I can show you off to the world and nobody will bat an eyelid” he said, “And I wanted to show you my favourite place”

Lay bit his lip as his face broke into a grin, “I can’t even tell you how much I love you, Kim Junmyeon”

“Almost as much as I love you, Zhang Yixing” Suho laughed as they laid out their towels and sat down on the beach, “Oh and I’m taking you on a proper date tonight. I made reservations at this nice little Italian restaurant”

Lay beamed, “How very romantic” he waggled his brows at the elder as they both laid down, side by side, their hands linked again.

The two of them spent most of the day at the beach, doing the usual beach things, building sandcastles, burying one another, playing in the ocean, and of course taking some time out every so often to kiss, and/or sunbathe.

Lay was in high spirits. He didn’t know what he expected when Suho had decided to take him away for the weekend, but it certainly wasn’t this. It was one of those kind of surprises that filled your heart to the brim, and just when you thought you couldn’t be happier, there was a new surprise around the corner to wow you all over again.

He liked it too, because he could be with Suho and not have to hide. They were able to frolic about, hold hands, kiss, hold one another, just be intimate and like a couple without worrying about being found out, or hurt because of it. They were in their own little heaven. And whilst they were there, they were free.

As the evening came around, the two of them made their way back to the bed and breakfast. They both showered before dressing nicely and making their way back out again.

Suho took Lay’s hand in his own as the led the way down the pier and to a rather beautiful looking restaurant at the end. The sun was setting by the time they got seated by a window.

The decor was stunning, all deep blues and whites, lines with silver patterns to enhance the royal colours. The table was a deep mahogany colour, and though small, still managed to look spacious as the two sat across from each other.

The waiter handed them each a leather bound menu and told them to take as much time as they needed before waving him over to take their order.

“What are you thinking?” Suho asked, looking over his own menu.

Lay hummed, “I’m not sure,” he said, looking over the dishes that were available.

“Well, take your time. It’s a three course meal, by the way, so you’ll get to try more than one thing anyways” the older male said, his eyes flicking up to look at Lay fondly.

Lay’s eyes found Suho’s across the table before he smiled and looked back down at the menu, “You spoil me too much” he said.

“I can’t help it if you’re worth spoiling” Suho chuckled. “I think I’m going to get the Bruschetta”

Lay smiled, “Mm, that does look nice, but I’m going to go for... The... Calamari Fritti”

“How about for the main?” Suho asked.

Lay let his eyes skim up and down the menu before giving himself an affirmative nod, “I’m thinking the Branzino E Basilco” he said after a moment or two.

“Oh, sounds yummy. I’m gonna get the Pollo alla Cacciatora” Suho smiled, “How about dessert?”

Lay grinned, a little mischievously, “I actually picked that out before the rest” he admitted with a chuckle, “I’m going for the Cioccolato Fondente”

Suho rolled his eyes, though there was an amused smile on his face, “Why am I not surprised” he said, a statement more than a question before he added, “I’m going to go for the Meringa con panna al frutto della passione”

Lay let out a tinkling laugh as Suho put his hand up to call over the waiter.

The older male told the waiter their order, exchanging a few polite words with him as he did, as well as ordering a bottle of champagne for the two of them.

Lay smiled and tilted his head slightly at Suho as the waiter walked away to get their champagne and place their order.

“What?” Suho asked, raising an eyebrow at the younger.

Lay shook his head, “Nothing,” he said, “I’m just... I like this. Here, where we don’t have to stay hidden”

“This is our first date” Suho said, as though the realisation had finally kicked in.

Lay laughed softly, “Yes” he said, “Yes it is”

It was a short while after that, that the waiter bought over the Champagne and poured them both a flute.

The night progressed well, and they enjoyed what was their first real date in the long time that they had been together. It was nice, to just relax and share the moment like any normal couple would. Once dinner – which consisted of sharing one another’s dishes – was over, the two of them left the restaurant and walked hand in hand back to the bed and breakfast, though they took the long way back and walked along the beach, carrying their shoes and socks in the hands that were not linked together.

By the time they got back to the bed and breakfast, it was pretty late. They had to be quiet as they walked back up to their room, where they giggled quietly as they changed into their bed clothes, trying not to make too much noise as they did, as they didn’t want to wake any of the other residents.

They got into bed, both of them completely filled with happiness, but also tired beyond belief since they’d been out and about all day.

“Thank you for today” Lay said softly, as they both sat, leaning back against the headboard.

Suho smiled, leaning over to press a kiss to Lay’s cheek, “You’re more than welcome” he said, “I’m just glad we could finally do something properly”

“I love you, Junmyeon. Really. And not because of this,” he gestured around the room, “Or because of how you treat me. I love you because you really are one of the most wonderful people I know”

Suho couldn’t keep the large smile off of his face, “I love you, too, Xing. I honestly have no idea what I’d do without you”

They shared a soft, love-filled kiss, before they both moved to lie down.

And as soon as their heads hit the soft, cool pillows, they were sound asleep.

--

Luhan walked over to Sehun’s bed and flopped. He was so done with everything. And by everything, he meant his Mum and his Gran.

They were insufferable. Really.

“Oh come on” Sehun laughed, “They can’t be that bad”

Luhan groan, a long, drawn out groan, “You don’t even know the half of it! Did you know they’ve started referring to us as ‘HunHan’! They’ve given us a freaking couple name!”

Sehun laughed a little harder at that, “Oh my god!” He let out, “You’re kidding?!”

“I wish I were” Luhan said, looking over at the younger boy, who was at his desk tapping away at his keyboard – of the laptop variety. “And what are you doing?”

Sehun looked over his shoulder to see Luhan watching him with a look of confusion, “I’ve got this essay for English Literature” he said, “It’s in for Tuesday, and it needs to be like, fourteen pages long... And I’ve had like three weeks to do it... But I only started it like, last night”

“I’m going out with an idiot” Luhan groaned.

Sehun rolled his eyes before turning back to his work and starting to type again, “You try writing fourteen pages about Wilfred Owen” he said, “It’s a hard thing to do...”

“What poem is it about?” Luhan asked, staring up at the ceiling.

Sehun stopped typing for a moment before continuing again, “Dulce et Decorm est” he said flippantly.

“Well, for one, you should talk about the title” Luhan said, sitting up on the bed, “I mean, talk about how the translation for ‘dulce et decorum est pro patria mori’ is ‘It is sweet and decorous to die for your country’ and talk about how in context with the poem it is a complete lie. And then talk about how it says ‘My friend you would not tell with such high zest, to children ardent for some desperate glory, the old lie; dulce et decorum est pro patria mori’ and elaborate thusly. If you know what I mean?” he said, “Oh and then talk about how he talks about the reality of war, unlike how at the time, the war was glorified to make young men want to go and fight, which again, links in with the lie of the title”

Sehun had long since stopped typing and was now looking at Luhan as though he’d grown an extra head.

“... What?” Luhan asked, a little self-consciously.

Sehun shook his head slightly, “I just, uh, wasn’t expecting that” he said, “How do you even know that anyway?”

“My dad likes his poems. He basically taught me all this crap about them, and it’s just... drilled into my head” Luhan shrugged, “So, if you need any help or anything, let me know”

Sehun let out an incredulous laugh, “Are you kidding me? Of course I bloody well need help!”

Luhan rolled his eyes, but got up and walked over to Sehun nonetheless. He stood behind the younger boy and wrapped his arms around him, letting his chin rest on Sehun’s shoulder as he did.

“Why are they making your write fourteen pages anyway?” Luhan asked, as Sehun tilted his head slightly to let his cheek rest against Luhan’s.

Sehun shrugged a small shrug, “I think it’s because the class was pissing about the lesson she assigned it, so it was kind of like her way of getting back at us”

“Were you pissing about?” Luhan asked with an arched brow.

“No” Sehun replied as he continued typing, “I just laughed along, really.”

 Luhan rolled his eyes, but didn’t comment further on the matter.

They two of them spent a good while finishing up Sehun’s essay. They would each make suggestions, and Sehun would write accordingly. Sometimes, Luhan would make him write for a while then look it over and edit bits to make it the best it could, which Sehun was grateful for.

“Finally” Sehun let out as he wrote his concluding sentence.

Luhan yawned, “Mm, that took longer than I thought it would,” he admitted, “But at least it’s done now”

“Yeah, so what do you wanna do now?” Sehun asked. He saved his work onto a memory stick then logged off of his laptop before getting up and stretching.

Luhan walked over to the bed and sat down, leaning back against the head bored. He pulled his bag up from beside the bed and pulled out a copy of ‘Allegiant’, “I was gonna read” he said, dropping his bag back on the floor and opening the book up to where his bookmark sat.

Sehun rolled his eyes as he crawled onto the bed and laid down, resting his head in Luhan’s lap, “You could play with me, and you choose to read?” he asked, though he wasn’t really too bothered. He just liked to spend time with the other boy.

“Yep” Luhan laughed, holding the book with one hand so that he could Sehun’s hair as he read, with the other.

“Which part are you on?” Sehun asked.

Luhan didn’t stop reading as he answered, “They just met Amar”

“Cool” Sehun said. He’d already read the book, but didn’t want to spoil it for Luhan. Mainly because he knew the other boy would kick the crap out of him if he did.

They stayed like that for a long time, with Sehun lying comfortably, as Luhan idly his hair and read. Sehun liked days like this one. Where Luhan didn’t have to work and they could just spend time together. Not having to worry about keeping the other entertained every second, since they were content with just having the other be there at all.

It was nice. It was comfortable.

It seemed like night time came around all too soon, and Luhan picked up his bag again, shoving his book back in it after bookmarking his page.

“No,” Sehun whined, “Don’t go”

Luhan chuckled. He let his bag rest on the bed beside him as he bent over and kissed Sehun. As he pulled back, Sehun’s lips followed him for a moment before his head dropped dejectedly back onto Luhan’s lap.

“I have to” Luhan said, “My mum’s expecting me”

Sehun pouted as he looked up at his boyfriend, “Can’t you just stay”

“I’ve been here for the past two nights” Luhan chuckled, playing with Sehun’s earlobe to sooth the other boy, something his mother used to do to him when he was little and couldn’t sleep, or got scared, or anxious, “I need to spend some time at my own house”

Sehun let out a soft sigh, “I’ll miss you”

“Baby” Luhan smiled.

“I am not” Sehun narrowed his eyes at the older boy, though without malice, “I’m trying to be cute, here”

Luhan shook his head in amusement, “You don’t have to try” he said, “You’re always cute”

“Don’t I know it” Sehun grinned, then laughed as Luhan pushed him away and stood up.

“Are you going to walk me to the door, or what?” he asked with a raised brow and a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Sehun stood, too, “I suppose I could do that” he said.

The two of them walked down stairs, stopping in the hallway so that Luhan could pull on his shoes and coat.

Once they were stood at the open door, Sehun pulled Luhan in for a warm hug.

“Stay safe, okay” he whispered, nuzzling into Luhan’s neck.

Luhan nodded, “I will” he said, “I’ll text you when I get home”

“Good, don’t forget”

“I won’t forget, stupid” Luhan said fondly, pulling back slightly to look at Sehun’s face.

Sehun smiled, “You’re the stupid one” he said softly, as though he were saying ‘I love you’ and not insulting the older boy.

Luhan rolled his eyes, but couldn’t keep the smile from his face, “Are you going to kiss me goodbye, or am I going to have to wait forever?” he asked in an amused tone.

“Who knows” he said, but still, he moved in and pressed his lips to Luhan’s.

The two of them shared a fairly long kiss before Luhan pulled away, his hands lingering on Sehun’s arms before he turned to walk down the path to leave.

“Bye, Lu! Get home safe!” Sehun called after him.

Luhan turned back for a moment to shoot Sehun a wave, “Bye Sehunnie! I’ll text you when I’m home” and then he turned and walked down the street.

Sehun watched him walk until he was out of sight, then walked back into his house with a soft smile on his face.

--

Xiumin and Kris walked side by side down the street, both of them with an ice-cream in hand. Kris had cookie dough, whilst Xiumin had blue raspberry.

“We hang out a lot, now” Xiumin mentioned as they walked.

Kris nodded thoughtfully, “Yeah,” he said, “We do... I like it” he grinned.

“Same” Xiumin said, “It’s like... I kinda feel like I’ve been negletic Luhan though, even though he’s the one off with Sehunnie all the time”

Kris nodded, “I get what you mean. Although, now that you and Chen are all cosy again, it’s like you can’t keep your hands off of each other” he winked.

Xiumin’s cheeks flushed pink, “Oh, shut up” he said, “It’s not even... We’re just... I like being with him”

“I know” Kris chuckled, “I was just teasing”

“Besides” Xiumin said, “Can I just say, that I told you so, about you and Tao”

Kris groaned, “No. No you cannot”

“I’m pretty sure I just did though”

“You actually ”

“Only if he asks nicely”

Kris choked in his ice-cream, “Oh my god!” he let out in shock, “Dude! T.M.I”

“Aha!” Xiumin laughed wholeheartedly, “You set yourself up for that one” he pointed out, still laughing.

“I don’t even have words for you right now” Kris shook his head, “ert”

Xiumin laughed again, “I have my moments” he grinned, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

“You’re worse that Baek...” Kris said.

“Oh please” The slightly older boy shot back, “As if. Nobody is worse than Baekhyun when it comes to being a ert”

“Alright” Kris allowed, “Fair point”

They two of them just continued to walk around after that, chatting and teasing one another as they did. They played stupid games as they finished their ice-creams and spend time making up back stories for people they saw walking by them.

At one point, they were sat on a bench, people-watching, and taking it upon themselves to make up what people were saying when they were talking to one another. So far a man had left his girlfriend to fulfil his dream of joining the circus. An old lady was an expert in talking to ghosts. And a little boy was secretly an old alien from another planet – it’s best to mention that Xiumin had been watching ‘Third Rock from the Sun’ the night before.

“We really need lives” Kris said as the two laughed at their last making-of-a-conversation-for-other-people.

Xiumin wiped his eyes on the back of his sleeve, he’d been laughing so much he’d started to cry, “Oh come on, we have lives” he said, “We just don’t use them as best we could”

Kris grinned, “That’s true” he said, leaning back against the bench, “Hey, are you busy tonight?”

“No, why?”

“You wanna stay at mine? We can order out and stuff. And I just got ‘That Awkward Moment’ on DVD, so we can watch that” Kris said with an easy going grin.

Xiumin grinned back, “Awesome! I’d love to” he said, “I just need to nip to mine and grab some stuff then”

“Cool, we’ll go to your place then head over to mine and stuff” Kris nodded, “Sound good?”

Xiumin stood up and smirked at Kris, “Mmhmm” he hummed.

“What?” Kris asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because...”

“Because, what?”

“Because~” Xiumin repeated teasingly.

“Min!” Kris whined, “Because, what?”

Xiumin grinned, rather mischievously, “Because,” he drawled out, “LAST ONE TO MY PLACE HAS TO PAY FOR THE FOOD!” he yelled before taking off running at top speed.

Kris blinked and stared after the shorter boy for a moment before he realised what had happened, then he got to his feet and took off running, trying to catch up with Xiumin, who was surprisingly fast.