Seunghyun isn’t quite sure what he had been expecting to happen between Jiyong and himself after the surreal dinner occurrences.

He’d been scared that, even after Jiyong had opened up to him the tiniest bit; allowed him to see through the rock-hard exterior the boy chooses to wear at all times, perhaps the younger would crawl right back in to that protective shell as if nothing had ever happened.

That had seemed like the most Jiyong-like solution that Seunghyun could have foreseen.

And Seunghyun had started to believe that Jiyong was doing just that, because he hasn’t even tried to see or speak to Seunghyun at all since then, and the older has been too afraid of Jiyong’s possible reaction for him to actually initiate any kind of contact towards the younger.

Thus, with all of these precautions laid out for himself, just one day following the dinner at the Kwons’ house, nothing on this earth could have prepared Seunghyun for opening his apartment door in the early morning and seeing Jiyong standing outside.

He can only blink at the other in astonishment, after having no kind of contact for the past twenty-four hours, not sure how he’s supposed to act as the customary influx of butterflies consumes his stomach at the sight of the other.

Jiyong arches a brow, “Do you usually leave guests standing outside like this?”

Seunghyun jumps slightly, torn from his shocked daze as he mutters a quick apology and moves aside to leave the entrance clear for Jiyong to saunter in.

“Finally,” The boy sighs, “It was ing freezing out there.” He peels off his thick scarf and carelessly throws it across Seunghyun’s large leather couch.

The man can only watch Jiyong’s actions with a strange sense of familiarity.

The snark is back.

And surprisingly, Jiyong’s attitude is more comforting than Seunghyun had anticipated. He realizes that it would only serve to be more strange and awkward now if the boy completely stops acting like the person that Seunghyun has come to know.

Well, Seunghyun still does feel awkward with his own hands; unsure what to do as Jiyong casually makes himself comfortable in the apartment.

He finds it quite bizarre that Jiyong can act so nonchalantly let alone that the boy has come to see him willingly, on his own.

Is he really going to ignore what happened? Seunghyun wonders as he watches Jiyong take a seat on the sofa. Does that mean I have to as well?  

“I wanted to talk about what happened at dinner.” Jiyong says suddenly after settling down.

Seunghyun’s eyes widen in disbelief. Well, I guess not, then.

He suddenly grows more nervous than he initially had been, with a tight anxiety present in his chest as he tries to remain externally calm in front of Jiyong.

Seunghyun approaches the other in this manner, hands clenching and unclenching with uncertainty. He’s not used to Jiyong willingly bringing up things like this: things that have a depth and weight to them – and he has no clue how he’s supposed to receive it.

Once he’s sat down on the couch beside, Jiyong squares him with a serious stare that has his heart picking up its pace.

“Yeah, so did I...” He starts tensely.
 

“Okay, well maybe the opposite.” Jiyong cuts in, crossing his arms over himself and looking away, breaking the eye-contact. “I was hoping that we could- that you can-”

He’s extremely hesitant.

Seunghyun abruptly picks up on signs that tell him that Jiyong is actually quite on edge himself; the younger is constantly biting on the inside of his mouth and unable to look Seunghyun in the eye properly; and Seunghyun finds comfort in the fact that he isn’t the only one who is stressing over what happened.

Jiyong lets out a big, tired sigh, eyes moving to his own feet. “I think it’s better if we just don’t bring it up.”
 

Seunghyun should have been expecting this, but something about the words still causes disbelief to stir within him. “Jiyong-” Something happened that night – Jiyong was open with him and it is such a pivotal moment for Seunghyun that he thinks it’s ridiculous he’s being asked to shove it under the rug. “How can you expect me to do that?”

“For now!” Jiyong presses, “Like you said that night – until I’m ready – look, I know I owe you an explanation and that you’re probably confused as , but it’s not something I can just tell you. Not now, at least.”

It’s so stupid that Jiyong’s reasoning takes a jab at Seunghyun’s heart, like the older was expecting Jiyong to trust him after the dinner. Seunghyun wants to kick himself for his own useless emotions.

As disappointed as he feels, he understands.

Whatever is causing Jiyong to actually decline Seunghyun’s offer to break the marriage and what renders him so very broken must be something completely intimate and personal to someone as strong-willed as the younger.

Until he’s ready, Seunghyun assures himself, you said it yourself.

He attempts to school his crest-fallen sentiments and nods, “Until you’re ready.”

Jiyong’s desperate, wide eyes melt and his whole expression brightens – it immediately causes a fluttering inside of the older that has him feeling proud of himself for putting Jiyong at ease.

“Thanks.” Jiyong says, and Seunghyun tries desperately not to have a heart attack when the younger is suddenly reaching a hand towards him. And he may actually die on the spot when Jiyong’s palm lands on top of one of the hands that Seunghyun has rested on his knee.

Jiyong squeezes the hand under his, “I really appreciate it.”

And even after the warmth of the boy’s sudden touch is gone, Seunghyun is frozen to place in reaction to the warm gesture. He can’t even hide his own surprise as he stares at Jiyong blatantly.

Even Jiyong seems to be flustered by his own actions, from what Seunghyun can see – his ears seem to be going a shade redder and he’s clearing his throat in a forced manner as he shoots up from the couch.

“Um, I have to get to the studio soon,” He scratches the back of neck nervously, “So, yeah – bye.”

The sudden news of leaving snaps Seunghyun out of his flushed trance and he abruptly follows Jiyong to stand up, “Hold on-” He says as remembers a matter that’s been at the back of his head.

Jiyong’s figure, in the middle of briskly making his escape to the door, pauses and turns his head.

Seunghyun swallows thickly, “Are you sure you’re okay with moving in?”

The question seems to take the boy by surprise as his eyebrows arch, and also sets an ease in to his posture, as Seunghyun clearly sees the stiffness leave Jiyong’s shoulders.  

“To be honest, you have a nice place.” Jiyong’s eyes roam the flat before looking back at Seunghyun, “And I honestly think anything is better than living in prison at home.”

The older can’t help but to smile in good humour in response to Jiyong’s habitual smirk. The tension seems to simmer down instantly as Jiyong falls in to his usual mood of sardonic banter.

He nods, “Okay then, well, dad said it’ll have to be sometime this week.”

Seunghyun makes sure to keep quiet on the fact that his father also presented him with a pair of engagement rings, thinking that the information may alienate the boy.

Jiyong’s smirk deepens, “That’s fine; you’re going to be doing all the heavy lifting, anyway.”
 

This is how it’s going to be, Seunghyun decides, he’s just going to go back to the norm.

But as Seunghyun only chuckles in response to the boy, he realizes that he’s completely okay with that – for now. Because in all honesty, Seunghyun has come to grow fond of all of Jiyong’s aspects, including the boy’s satirical and hard edges – it’s who Jiyong is.

And if the gesture of Jiyong squeezing Seunghyun’s hand and not having their conversations dissolve in to hateful arguments are new additions to the norm – Seunghyun thinks that he is willing to ignore whatever it is that Jiyong is hiding at the moment.

He raises his hand up and revels at the fact that it still feels warm where the younger had grabbed it – proving to Seunghyun that it hadn’t just been his imagination running wild.

Jiyong isn’t going to make attempts to soil the time they spend together anymore, and that’s enough progress for Seunghyun.

He suddenly feels determined to gain Jiyong’s trust in him now.

Surely, living under the same roof as Jiyong will give him plenty of time to unravel all of the other layers that tightly encase the boy.

The thought has him filled with equal bouts of nervous and excited butterflies – and Seunghyun allows the excitement now that his stresses over what happened at dinner have been quelled for the moment.

Living with Jiyong.

Seunghyun shakes his head to himself.

This isn’t going to be easy.

+

“Why did I agree to this?” Seungri groans as he heaves Jiyong’s large, branded suitcase in to the car’s backseat.

Jiyong is perched on top of the hood, examining his many rings and completely at ease as his younger friend pants and swears behind him. “Because you love me,” He says simply and snickers when he gets a curse in response.

“I don’t have to come with you, do I?”

The older turns back to frown at Seungri, “Then who’s going to take my bags all the way up to Seunghyun’s apartment?”

Seungri gapes back, “Hyung, no way. Do you even know how heavy these are!? I’ll break a bone.” His face is contorted in to an outraged expression and Jiyong fails to hold back an amused laugh.

“Calm down I’m kidding,” He lifts himself off of the car and clasps his hands together, smiling in the most wicked sense, “I promised Seunghyun some heavy lifting, anyway.”

He ruffles Seungri’s hair as the other finally squeezes the last of the bags in to the car, and then exudes a hearty sigh. The younger turns to look at him and raises one skeptical brow through his otherwise exhausted state. “Since when are you guys all chummy?”

Jiyong automatically feels the need to defend himself at the question, and is unsuccessful in masking his own affronted reaction. He frowns, “We’re not.”

“Well you certainly don’t hate Seunghyun hyung anymore.” Seungri points out, crossing his arms over his chest with an accusatory stare.

And that’s obvious because Jiyong has never outwardly hated Seunghyun, anyway and Seungri’s words are causing anxious feelings to bubble inside of him, urging him to curse out at the younger and tell him to ‘shut up’.

He’s not anywhere close to being comfortable with discussing Seunghyun – Youngbae literally had to drag it out of him before, forcefully, and Jiyong is certain he doesn’t want to go through that again anytime soon.

“It’s complicated.” Jiyong decides to leave it at that with a heavy sigh.

Seungri begins to mock the answer playfully, only to be threatened with a warning flick to the forehead from his hyung. He whines, “So this is what I get for helping out with your bags full of rocks?”

Jiyong quickly slides in to the driver’s seat of the car, glad that he was able to diverge from the conversation as he blows his friend a parting kiss and then proceeds to turn on the engine. “Thanks, Ri!” He yells over his shoulder as he begins to drive off.

The further the distance that Jiyong drives from his house, the greater his nerves begin to act up, creating a resolute tension throughout his body as reality settles in, I’m moving in with Seunghyun.

Jiyong isn’t sure what he’s doing with his life. He can’t even comprehend the fact that he’s allowing this to happen. He should be trying to distance himself from the older at all costs, as much as possible, but here he is, moving in to Seunghyun’s apartment.

“He probably thinks I’m bipolar, now.” Jiyong thinks to himself out loud.

This is so ed, Jiyong wants to kick himself. He’s being so, incredibly selfish in asking Seunghyun to do this – to not try and break the marriage.

Yet, as much as it scares Jiyong in having to live with Seunghyun whilst feeling the way he does towards the other male, it terrifies him even more at the prospect of the deal being broken off.

Mrs. Choi being so perfectly lovely and motherly towards someone like Jiyong and providing him with a sense of warmth and home that Jiyong has been living without for years, has been a physical and mental shock for the boy.

It had completely slipped from Jiyong’s memory of how it felt to be nurtured and welcomed like that – and he’d been so overwhelmed by the warmth of it all that Seunghyun’s sudden offer of closing the deal had sparked an irrational sense of panic in to the younger.

It’s true that Jiyong had been frightened of hurting Seunghyun’s mother and losing that warmth, but that isn’t everything.

Jiyong’s also very afraid that without having an excuse to interact with Seunghyun, the both of them will simply fall back in to their own little worlds once again. And Jiyong doesn’t want that – he doesn’t want Seunghyun to be torn from his life now, now that the younger is finally beginning to understand the place that the man holds in it.

This is why he is sure that he’s being selfish, because Jiyong’s even afraid of asking Seunghyun what it is that he actually wants to do from this point on, afraid that the older will want to break ties with Jiyong after everything.

He wouldn’t do that, Seunghyun cares about you. Jiyong chews on his lower lip, wondering whether or not he should trust in his conscience.

Jiyong knows that Seunghyun does show care towards him – but he doesn’t think he’s ever going to be ready for anything other than acknowledging the fact. Sure, he can stop being a complete and utter around the man, but Jiyong can feel himself tremble simply at the thought of doing anything more than that.

So you’re not going to let him go, but you’re not going to do anything about how you feel, either. Jiyong wants to laugh at his own egotistical behaviour.

This is why I should have stopped all of this before it got so ing complicated.

He is well aware that Seunghyun is not some kind of pet that he has ownership over; the man isn’t going to sit around and do as Jiyong wishes forever; yet, Jiyong is willing to make use of the fact that Seunghyun is allowing him to do this right now. 

The older is obviously going to get frustrated with him, absolutely sick of him after some time, Jiyong is sure that he will and he hasn’t a clue as to how he’s going to prepare himself for that time – but for now, he tries to dispel the unpleasant thought, focusing on the fact that the man’s flat is just two minutes away.

+

Seunghyun can feel Daesung’s eyes glued to his figure as he bustles around the living room.

He snatches up a vase sitting on the coffee table and begins to dust the area beneath it. “You’ve already done that.” Daesung remarks offhandedly before looking at the television screen in front of him.

Seunghyun pauses in his cleaning and glares at the younger, who’s begun to flick through the channels. “If I remember correctly, you’re meant to be helping me.”

Daesung rolls his eyes, snuggling further back in to the cushions, “I helped you clean the first time. I didn’t sign up for the second or the third time. And plus I’m here for emotional support.” He glances at Seunghyun who’s still searching for things to tidy up, “Don’t you think you’re over doing it, hyung? He’s already been to your apartment.”

“He’s never lived in it.” Seunghyun presses, eyes scanning thoroughly over the kitchen area once more.

“Please stop being crazy. The brat will be here soon, anyway.”

“Don’t remind me.” Seunghyun says, moving at a frantic pace.

The younger can only sigh and shake his head at his hyung’s extremely tense behaviour, muttering, “I’m never getting married,” under his breath only to receive a threatening look from his friend.

Seunghyun does not appreciate any more negativity right at this moment, when he’s already dangerously close to experiencing a panicked melt down, and so he’s about to request that Daesung should get his useless out of there – only to be cut short by the sound of the doorbell ringing.

His heart absolutely stops, along with his stomach dropping a good few feet as he widens his eyes at Daesung. “Jiyong’s here.” Seunghyun says in a kind of awe.

The brunette rolls his eyes, “Hyung, I’m pretty sure you knew he was coming here soon. Now un-freeze and answer the door before he gets pissed.” 

Envisioning an angered Jiyong on the other side of the door seems to snap Seunghyun out of his surprised state and he turns to stumble towards the entrance. “Wait,” he curses lightly and throws aside the duster in his hand. “Okay, I’m ready.”

Seunghyun stops in front of the door and inhales two deep, calming breaths before he’s opening it, and then marveling at the view of Jiyong standing on the other side, as expected, looking slightly displeased.

“You just adore keeping me waiting, don’t you?” Jiyong a mocking brow and Seunghyun can only let out a bashful laugh before he notices – Jiyong has come empty handed.

He frowns, “Your bags?”

A playful glint passes through Jiyong’s eyes and he nods, “Oh, right. You better get to it. It’s all shoved in the backseat.” He gives Seunghyun a smug smile before pushing past the older and in through the door.

And so it begins, Seunghyun thinks, trying his best to calm down the way his insides are somersaulting at the feeling of Jiyong’s figure brushing against his chest.

By the time Seunghyun is able to slide Jiyong’s ridiculously heavy suitcase through the door, he is dumbfounded by the sight of the raven-haired boy sitting seemingly comfortably on one of the stools that line his kitchen counter – next to Daesung.

Seunghyun pauses at the door in complete puzzlement before Jiyong spots him, “Oh, thank ing god. Your friend is talking about business I’m getting sick.” 

Still completely confused by the sight in front of him, Seunghyun narrows his eyes at Daesung questioningly, “So you two...are acquainted now?”

Daesung shakes his head slightly, shrugging before sliding out of his seat, “I think he was a second away from cussing me out before you came back, so if that’s what you call it.” Seunghyun feels a little more at ease with this and can’t help but to smile a little, fond of the sneer that Jiyong sends silently to Daesung’s turned back. That’s what I expected.

“I’m going to head out now, hyung. You two have fun – or whatever it is that you two do.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Jiyong huffs out in clear annoyance, shooting Seunghyun a dangerous look.

The older swallows thickly and hastens to lead his friend towards the exit. Jiyong would kill him if he found out about the things that he has told Daesung about them.

He can tell that Daesung isn’t exactly impressed by the boy either – Daesung is usually always so warm and welcoming and all smiles all the time to new people, but in this moment he simply looks mildly displeased by Jiyong’s mannerisms.

It only pushes Seunghyun to want to separate them further.

“Bye, Dae. I’ll see you in the office.” Seunghyun rushes to get the sentence out and is even quicker in dragging Daesung’s figure out of the apartment. Once the door is tightly closed, Seunghyun breathes out his sigh of relief.

Jiyong is still eyeing him from the kitchen stool, “Work colleague?”

Seunghyun shakes his head, “Somewhat best friend?” He doesn’t really want to discuss Daesung in this moment, and so he pushes his weight off the door and sends a timid smile in Jiyong’s direction. “So...all of your bags are in,”

“Did you talk about me to him?” Jiyong questions suddenly, a strange expression on his face of which Seunghyun can’t exactly clarify.

He furrows his brows, “Um, well – yes, but –”

“You told him I was an didn’t you? He was totally judging the out of me before I even opened my mouth.” Jiyong crosses his arms over his chest, averting his sudden, furious gaze from Seunghyun’s own lost eyes.

Seunghyun can only splutter out in his astonishment at Jiyong’s revelations, “What? No! No – I would never,”

And the older is expecting Jiyong to lash out and accuse him once again, even prepares himself for the harshness – but instead, some of the fire miraculously melts from Jiyong’s eyes and he looks down at the wooden floors with a little sigh. “Yeah, I know.”

Jiyong’s quiet words catch Seunghyun off guard and he unconsciously steps forward after viewing the younger’s expression, “I think being around you has made me forget how all of these business s act around people like me.”

Seunghyun winces at the bitterness, immediately wanting to defend his friend because Daesung is different from the rest of them, yet he’s still worlds apart from Jiyong as well. “Th-that’s not necessarily true,”

“It’s how things are. Whatever.” Jiyong says in a conclusive manner, effectively causing the older to clamp his lips tightly shut in response. “I just got lucky.” He shrugs to himself.

And a little late, Seunghyun realizes with a gradually expanding smile that Jiyong is saying that he is different, that the boy is openly stating how he has warmed up to Seunghyun despite the corporate background that Jiyong despises.

The man feels a strong sense of accomplishment and can’t attempt to school his smugness in asking, “Oh, really?”

Jiyong visibly jolts, as if realizing his own miniscule slip up and Seunghyun’s smile only stretches bigger as he observes the rare sight of the younger being flustered. Jiyong clears his throat, “I meant that I’m lucky you let me order you around and , you know.”

“Uh huh, sure,” Seunghyun hums, wheeling Jiyong’s bag further in to the living room as the self-satisfied warmth grows inside of him.

“Oh my god, stop that’s not what I meant.”

Seunghyun pauses, a strange tightening inside his chest at the sound of Jiyong’s blatantly whiny tone. Is Kwon Jiyong acting cute, right now? Kwon Jiyong!?

The older had been expecting some kind of outburst soon, but Jiyong seems completely at ease and as much as Seunghyun wants to revel in the younger’s warmer mood, he’s slightly thrown off by it, unsure of how long it will last.

Stop complaining and just enjoy it while it does actually last, Seunghyun scolds himself for over-thinking and bringing a headache upon himself. Jiyong is here now, don’t waste that. He turns around, “I’m not saying anything.”

Jiyong’s carding his fingers through his hair, pulling it so it falls slightly over his eyes – he’s still feeling shy, Seunghyun notes whilst biting back a proud grin. The younger rolls his eyes, huffing in frustration, “, you’re being annoying.”

Seunghyun decides to pity the boy, and chuckles. “Don’t worry, I’m just joking. I’ll put these bags in to the room and then,” He glances down at his wrist watch and then back at Jiyong, “Have you eaten breakfast?”

Jiyong shakes his head – but just as Seunghyun is about to get hopeful, the boy is shifting off of the stool and standing up, “But I have plans with Youngbae. You know him, from YG.”

“Oh.” Seunghyun’s shoulders deflate and the unusual burst of confidence that had just previously overcome him slips as he does his best to mask the disappointment in his voice.

What, did you think that Jiyong was suddenly going to be spending all of his time with you?  

“Okay, yeah, um I think I was going to see Bom as well, actually, so that works out.” Seunghyun abruptly spews out and then wants to slap himself for being this pathetic.

He doesn’t want Jiyong to think that he’s just waiting around for him, when in all honestly, that’s everything that Seunghyun has been thinking about recently – the fact that he’s going to be around Jiyong like this.

When he catches the way Jiyong’s expression blatantly falls in response it makes him feel even worse for lying. Of all of the people, he simply had to elect to be seeing Bom, knowing the way that Jiyong has reacted to her in the past.

Seunghyun awkwardly stands in the living room, wringing his fingers together as he watches Jiyong gather his stuff in a much more annoyed huff than the good humour he had witnessed previously.

At a loss, the older sighs and is about to take Jiyong’s bags to his room when the boy’s voice suddenly pulls him back – “A-actually! Um, I think Youngbae has something on today.”

The man whirls, his heart squeezing with a rush of hope at Jiyong’s words.

The younger scratches the back of his neck, “So, um, we could just have breakfast here? I don’t really feel like going out, so...”

Yes, yes, yes! Seunghyun manages to compose his urge to immediately burst out in agreement, swallowing down a relieved grin as he smiles at Jiyong. “To be honest, neither do I, weekends are the only time I do get to spend at home.”

And Jiyong finally locks eyes with him at that, appearing much more content as he nods in response. “Okay. Okay, good.”

It's going to be different this time, Seunghyun realizes. Jiyong is different. He's getting more and more clear about where exactly his feelings for Seunghyun lay, and the older is completely positive that right now, Jiyong is the furthest away from feeling any kind of hate towards him than he has ever been.

Apparently, Jiyong wants him around too - or at least, he obviously doesn't favour the idea of the older being around his ex-girlfriend, and Seunghyun feels absolutely giddy with the news. He knows that the chance of winning Jiyong over is only growing stronger. 

His cheeks ache from the smile that is spread across his features as he gestures towards the kitchen. “So, did you want me to -” 

“Unless you want black toast again, I think that’s a good idea.” Jiyong quips, settling back on to his previously claimed seat. “And remember, no avocado.”

Seunghyun laughs at the boy’s repulsed expression, “How could I forget.”

And after finally placing Jiyong’s suitcases away, Seunghyun begins to create a warm, homely welcoming breakfast for the younger and himself, seeing this as something much more symbolic than just a meal together– something that feels pleasantly close to a fresh start – with Jiyong. 

a/n: late update sorry!!!!!! been kind of stuck with this but here it is...so i don't really like this chapter at all because nothing really happens but i think it's necessary to show where seunghyun and jiyong's heads are at rn before i actually progress from this point so,

thank you for all of the feedback and i'll try my best to update as regularly possible <3<3<3