A loud thud startled a drained Jongin from his beauty sleep as his body shot up upward and a gasp escaped his thick lips. Head pounding and chest heaving, Jongin slowly blinked the sleep away as he looked around the room looking for any traces of his fiancé. Flashes of pink and red undergarments swirled in his mind, as he took in the messy sight on the carpeted floor. Lace and different shades of ribbons lay motionless on the ground across from him. Jongin gulped thickly as a tingling sensation of guilt washed over him before finally pushing his body off the bed.

He got up and carefully checked Yixing’s bathroom and walk-in closet to make sure Yixing wasn’t in his room before pushing his legs towards the window to open it and get some much needed cold air into the room. He took a deep breath in as the freezing cold air invaded every exposed part on his body. The tanned male fought a shiver as his eyes trailed over the Zhangs’ estate.

Jongin hugged himself tightly, fighting the urge to revisit the prior night’s events. It was too early to think about what took place the night before, Jongin didn’t want to think, quite frankly, he absolutely refused to allow his brain to function, let alone over-think an event he already regrets more than anything he's ever done in his entire short existence.

“.” Jongin cursed under his breath as he tried to zone out, eyes focused on a maple tree as leaves harmoniously fell from it to the muddy ground. Traces of rain from the night before exuded an earthy smell that helped calm the tanned male a bit. It didn’t take long for Jongin to be brought back to reality when another loud thud startled him from his daze.

“I wonder what he is doing downstairs…” Jongin stole a quick glance towards the clock to make sure what time it was, before finally deciding that it was time for him to get his together and head downstairs. “C’mon Jongin, you can do this.”

Jongin gave himself a short pep talk that did little to nothing to his racing heart, before pushing the door open and heading towards his own room for a much needed shower.

The shower didn’t help either, because suddenly Jongin was afraid, too afraid to face Zhang Yixing. How could he face him? How could he look him in the eye anymore? Jongin shook his head hoping to shake those thoughts away. He was Kim Jongin for god’s sake, he’s done far worse things.

The whole ordeal with Yixing was to convince him to get dressed in one of those revealing undergarments the night worker brought with her, get him a bit woozy for the camera and pretend like they were going at it while Jongin filmed the whole thing. A few kisses and touches was all what Jongin was guilty off, he didn’t do anything really. Jongin kept convincing himself as the running water failed to cool him down. The whole point was to give Chanyeol a show he’ll never be able to wipe off his memory. That was it, no ill intentions towards Zhang Yixing whatsoever.

Yes, Yixing didn’t give his consent to be touched and filmed like that, but it’s not like Jongin was going to post the video on sites online, he was only going to send it to Chanyeol using an anonymous number and then he would definitely get rid of the video for good. Yes, Jongin wasn’t an .

Well, he was, but not with Yixing in particular. The poor boy didn’t do anything to him. He had enough on his plate with his whole mother-gate debacle and Jongin truly felt sorry for him. He really did, and genuinely wanted to help.

“I can’t believe I did that…” Yixing wasn’t supposed to have any memories of last night, he was under the influence after all. So it was all good. Jongin groaned under his breath, before turning the water off and moving his body towards the bathrooms’ mirror. He stared hard at himself, took a long breath and willed himself to stop over-thinking and just head downstairs already. He was bound to come face to face with Yixing whether he liked it or not. He had a lot of explaining and lying to do, the tanned male bit hard on his lower lip as he rehearsed again and again in his head the excuses and lies he’ll be making up for the whole dress up session Yixing has done in supposed vain.

♭

Kyungsoo made his way towards Chanyeol’s house with a bouquet of flowers in hand and a bag of baked goodies. He couldn’t believe how sappy he was behaving already, but he low-key relished in the feeling. He found himself smiling a lot since that kiss he had with Chanyeol, it was truly a chaotic night that lead to an unexpected ending. From his blurry short-lived date with Kim Junmyeon to Sehun’s frantic call, to a sudden break up with Kim Junmyeon and a random make out session with none other than Park Chanyeol on that same night. It was wild, Kyungsoo had to admit, it was definitely the wildest night he’s ever experienced in his entire existence.

“Hey you, come in.” Chanyeol greeted with a toothy grin as he opened the door for an equally ecstatic Kyungsoo.

“I brought some croissants and cake in case you wanted some.” Kyungsoo pushed the bag of baked goods and flowers against Chanyeol’s chest, a faint pink blush dusting his cheeks.

“You got me flowers?”

“They were on sale.” Chanyeol eyed the bouquet with a smile, ignoring Kyungsoo’s attempt at downplaying the romantic act.

“Thank you Kyung, they’re really nice.” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes as he walked towards the kitchen. It seemed like Chanyeol has been keeping himself busy this morning, if the variation of branch delicacies on the ceramic counter were any indication. Kyungsoo eyed the delicious looking food before bringing his gaze back to Chanyeol.

“You made all of this?” Kyungsoo wondered. “For me?”

“You got me flowers Kyung, I should’ve made more.” Chanyeol shrugged with a wide grin and Kyungsoo smiled at that before the realization hit him.

“I’ve never been to your apartment before…” Chanyeol moved around the ceramic counter to pour Kyungsoo some tea, a brow rising in confusion. “This is my first time here.”

“Make yourself at home then, you’ll be coming more often from now on I do hope.” Kyungsoo glanced up at Chanyeol with a hesitant nod.

He’ll come, he’ll definitely come back here, but only as long as Yixing was gone was he allowed to do so. Kyungsoo couldn’t help but think about that doomed day, although he promised he’ll play along with this little role play while Yixing wasn’t around, it was his idea after all, it still irked him thinking about it. They had an expiration date, whatever this was, it was bound to end at some point. It was nothing but play and pretend, and it hurt. It really hurt, but Kyungsoo was desperate, and he was going to settle for whatever Chanyeol was willing to give.

“So how’s school going, Kyung?”

“Ups and downs, but I’ll manage.” Chanyeol took a bite from the cake Kyungsoo brought, a satisfied groan soon followed. Kyungsoo smiled at the sight. “What about you? How’s work?”

“I’m working from home right now, they gave me the week off after I notified them about the incident. So, it’s all good. It’s been ages since I last had a break.”

“You work too hard, Chanyeol.” Kyungsoo took a sip of tea from Chanyeol’s Iron Man mug. “The circumstances are not really the best, with your injury and all, but I’m glad you can relax for a few days.”

“Yeah, I guess.” A comfortable silence followed as the two boys enjoyed their branch in peace. Chanyeol eyed the flowers Kyungsoo got him, nicely presented in