If Junmyeon’s eyes are puffy the next day, nobody bothers to mention it. Instead, Baekhyun threads his arm through Junmyeon’s and drags him down the hallway, talking a mile a minute.

“Junmyeon! Just the man I wanted to see. What are the odds you’re free this weekend?”

None, Junmyeon thinks. Junmyeon hasn’t had a real day off in three years, unless he counted the days when he lies at home in pain, unable to move. He’s not sure those count. “Uh, you mean all weekend?”

“Yes! Everybody is coming to my house for a sleepover, and I really want you to be there! Please say you have the weekend off?”

Junmyeon bites his lip. He really can’t afford the week off, and he’s bound to get in trouble with his father for not being home.

But then again, he’s not in immediate need of new clothes or anything he uses the money from his weekend job for, aside from the food that Kyungsoo has taken to making for him anyway. And no matter what he does, his father is going to find a reason to hit him, so it’s not like it really matters if he follows the rules or not.

“Well, I guess I can call in and take off this weekend.”

---

Junmyeon has only really seen two other houses that are not his own: Jongdae’s and Yixing’s. He’s been in Jongdae’s house on plenty occasions since childhood, when Jongdae’s mother would kindly invite tiny Junmyeon into her home and stuff him full of cookies and cakes and ice cream. He, of course, has not been in Jongdae’s house in quite some time, other than his late night visits for Jongdae’s first aid kit. Yixing’s house was new territory for him, when he went over for the first time in sophomore year. They had been dating at the time, a case of curiosity that ended in a mutual agreement to just stay friends, but at the time it had Junmyeon sitting, slightly uncomfortable, on Yixing’s couch as the other boy padded around to get a movie set up on the TV. Junmyeon was unfamiliar with how to act in someone else’s house, and it had taken him three years to learn how to function.

Baekhyun’s house had Junmyeon feeling nervous all over again. Jongdae and Yixing’s houses were like Junmyeon’s own, just with happier people living inside. Baekhyun’s house was a lot bigger, a lot whiter, and a lot more intimidating.

“My mom’s a lawyer and my dad’s the police chief.” Baekhyun explains as he pulls Junmyeon out of the back seat. “I know it’s a little big, but don’t feel like you have to act different or anything. I promise there is nothing bad you could possibly do that Chanyeol hasn’t already done.”

Yixing laughs over Chanyeol’s affronted noise. “What if I spilled my drink on your carpet?”

“He’s done that.”

“Broke an expensive vase?”

“Done it.”

“What if I-”

“Yixing, I’m not sure what you’re about to say, but I can tell you that Chanyeol has done it. And it wasn’t even that big a deal. Mom just brought somebody in to clean the carpet and replaced the vase.”

“What if I throw up in your foyer?” Junmyeon says, staring at the huge double doors and holding his stomach.

“We’d clean it up.” Baekhyun says easily. “Why? Are you feeling sick? You can lay down when we get inside.”

“No, I think I’m just nervous. I’m okay.”

Chanyeol throws an arm around his shoulder on the way up the stairs to the front door. “But for the record, I’ve thrown up in the foyer too.”

---

All twelve of them gathered in one house is a little bit of a disaster, Junmyeon thinks. It’s different than at school, when they have to be on their best behavior, or at Junmyeon’s work where they know they’ll get him in trouble if they act up too much. They’re all very rambunctious in a place where they know they can get away with it. Tao, Jongin, and Sehun are having the time of their lives playing video games in the floor of Baekhyun’s bedroom; Minseok and Kyungsoo are curled up on the couch reading; Luhan, Jongdae, and Baekhyun have their heads together gossiping on the bed; and Chanyeol and Yixing are in the corner bonding over Chanyeol’s guitar. At first Junmyeon thought the guitar was Baekhyun’s, because it was already in Baekhyun’s room, but apparently Chanyeol is here more than he is in his own home. Junmyeon hopes that’s just because he and Baekhyun are so close.

Junmyeon is sitting with Yifan in the corner of the room, people watching. Junmyeon watches Yifan watch the others, watches him smile as Tao rubs his victory in the other boy’s faces, and he wonders if Yifan feels as detached as Junmyeon does. Out of all of these boys that he’s come to know, he thinks he and Yifan are the most similar. After all, Yifan and his father don’t get along very well, because his father wants him to do things with his life that Yifan doesn’t want to do, and, other than Junmyeon, Yifan seems the one with the least amount of social skills. Of course, Junmyeon knows Yifan’s been trained on how to talk to important men in expensive suits, but right now, in the corner of the room with him, Junmyeon realizes Yifan must not really understand how to interact with people his age.

Luckily, if Junmyeon is good at anything it’s faking his way through conversations. “I would have thought you’d be familiar enough with Baekhyun’s house to know of more interesting things to do. Why are you sitting in the corner?”

“Because you were sitting in the corner.” Yifan replies easily. “These guys know that they’re a big group and they think that means there are more people for you to talk to. They don’t realize that when there’s more people it’s just harder to join in on a conversation without feeling like you’re interrupting.”

“Oh,” Junmyeon says quietly. “So you’re isolating yourself so I won’t feel bad.”

“I’m not isolating myself,” Yifan laughs. “I’m talking to you.”

“And I’m sure you’re having so much fun, too.”

“Of course I am. You’re a pro at stimulating conversation, didn’t you know?”

Junmyeon snorts and leans over to push at Yifan’s shoulder with his own. They settle into silence for a while, leaning against each other and watching Sehun and Jongin tackle Tao out of fake anger when he wins for what Junmyeon thinks must be the twentieth time.

“Actually,” Yifan says finally, “I don’t really get to just sit and talk like this very often. With the guys it’s always really hectic and I always end up getting dragged into some stupid debate when I just want to relax. And at home it’s just, like, my dad asking me when I’m going to grow up and realize that successful men don’t become successful by having stupid dreams like I do. He wants me to learn the family business, you know. I just wanna play ball.”

He looks over at Junmyeon and grins. “So it’s nice to sit with you and just talk about stuff casually. You’re the calmest out of the group, besides Kyungsoo. And he’s not as fun. He just talks about books and cooking.”

Kyungsoo’s nails tap against the spine of his book just loud enough to tell Yifan he’s listening. Yifan shoots Junmyeon a terrified look, and he laughs at the exaggerated way Yifan widens his eyes and hides behind him.

“Hey you lovebirds!” Baekhyun calls from the bed. “Come over here, stop being buzzkills.”

“What buzz are they killing, Baek?” Kyungsoo drawls from the couch. “None of us are drinking.”

“We’re buzzed on life, Kyungsoo.” Baekhyun says, like it’s obvious, and Junmyeon and Yifan share a laugh before pulling themselves off the floor and over towards the bed.

“Maknaes!” Baekhyun calls next. “Start finishing up, I wanna start watching movies soon!”

“Let them stay on for a little longer,” Kyungsoo says as he closes his book. “I’ll go make dinner and then we’ll start the movies after we eat.”

“You’re cooking?” Yixing asks. “Jun’s a good cook, maybe he’d like to help?”

Kyungsoo turns to look at him, and Junmyeon shrugs. “If you don’t think I’d get in the way, I don’t mind helping.”

Kyungsoo smiles at him and gestures Junmyeon over. “You could never be in the way.”