The faint smell of burnt popcorn and cheap cola welcomes Sehun as he walks into Tao's apartment on a hot Friday night. The party is not as lively as he would have thought, but then again he remembers it's just half past nine pm and most of their friends usually don't leave their houses until at least ten. It's cooler to leave late and stay out even later, they say. He's not sure too sure about that.

Tao is in front of the stereo, busy arguing with Jongdae, when he spots Sehun out of the corner of his eyes. He waves frantically in his direction, motioning him to get closer.

"Help me out here!!"

Sehun takes a mental note to teach Tao the wonders of puppy eyes, because apparently he's still lacking that certain something that wins people's hearts. Jongdae, music expert extraordinaire and always the party animal, throws an arm around Sehun's neck and yells in his ear that 'you can't rock out to anything but Bruno Mars'. The grimace on Tao's face speaks volumes about his preferences, but all is settled when Sehun produces a cd from his messenger bag and shoves it under Jongdae's nose.

"This is my favourite mix. You can play this."

He beams at Tao and ignores the curious look from Jongdae, escaping the banter to head over to the kitchen. He half expects to find Minseok assaulting the coffee maker, or Junmeyon already washing the dishes, but is surprised to see a familiar figure bent in half, eyeing the popcorn bag as it spins inside the microwave. Sehun can feel his heart speeding up and his throat growing dry, but he forces himself out of it and leans over the counter, trying to look as casual as possible. Chin on palms, he takes a deep breath before speaking.

"So you're the one who's burning the popcorn."

Luhan snaps his head around, a guilty expression blooming on his pale face as he bites his lower lip.

"Shut up. This microwave is older than me."

Luhan is Sehun's crush. He has been ever since day one, and will probably always be. They met by accident, as Luhan dropped a couple of books on Sehun's head in the school library while trying to reach for the highest shelf. They became friends by accident, as Sehun meant to be angry at Luhan but instead ended up accepting his offer to buy him a drink as an apology. They started talking and found they had so many things in common that it was only natural to become best friends. As it was only natural for Sehun to introduce him to Tao and the rest of the gang. Luhan, always bright as sunshine, fitted in right away. As time passed, the love that Sehun harboured for him only grew in intensity and force. Nobody seemed to notice though, mostly because he was really good at hiding it. He never really stopped to think about how Luhan felt about him, attributing the hugs and snuggles and the occasional sleeping in the same bed after gaming marathons to the deep friendship that had quickly developed between them. Luhan was touchy-feely by default, so even if there was ulterior motive on his part, it was never easy to tell. At a certain point Sehun just gave up and settled on enjoying all the attention he could get.

"What do you have in that huge bag? I hope it's booze."

Sehun is startled out of his thoughts as Luhan moves closer to the counter, eyes fixed on the black bag hanging from Sehun's shoulder.

"Sorry to disappoint, Lu. You know the rule."

Sehun shakes his head, cringing at the thought of a very drunk Chanyeol smashing Tao's television not too many parties ago. Luhan circles the counter and mirrors Sehun's position, leaning over the smooth surface.

"I know, but wouldn't it be nice to break it sometimes? Just the two of us."

Luhan is dangerously close now, and all Sehun can see is pink lips and dark eyes and the soft line of a jaw.

"Guys! The others arrived, we're all ready! Come on!"

Tao's high-pitched voice breaks the moment, and Sehun tears his eyes away from the gorgeous face in front of him. He straightens his back and opens his bag to reveal an impressive selection of snacks. Luhan breathes out a little laugh and reaches inside, grabbing a packet of crisps.

"Wow, my favourite."

After having emptied the contents of the bag on the table, Sehun waits for Luhan to put the freshly made popcorn in a big bowl, then together they make their way to the living room.

"This is high school all over again. Ridiculous."

A very flustered Kyungsoo sits on the couch, arms crossed defensively on his chest. Someone must have switched cds, because Sehun doesn't recall putting a love song in his mix. A few of his friends are sitting on the floor in a circle, and his eyes dart down to the empty bottle in the middle. An ominous feeling starts to set in his stomach.

"We're not drunk enough for this. Actually, we're not even drunk."

Yixing mumbles sleepily, resting his head on Jongdae's shoulder. Tao claps his hands in excitement and Baekhyun grins like an idiot, while the other participants look more uncertain than anything. Sehun makes a face and turns to Luhan, who glances back while shoving a handful of popcorn in his mouth.

"I love thpin the botthle."

Sehun removes a piece of chewed popcorn from his cheek and lets out a sigh, taking position in the circle that has opened up to let in the two new players.

"Alright, so what about seven minutes in heaven?? We can even make it ten! Or twenty!"

Tao's eagerness elicits a loud murmur of approval. Baekhyun nods furiously and immediately tries to haul Jongdae off the floor, only to be slapped on the by Chanyeol because 'you have to spin the bottle first, you moron'. Laughter and loud whistling fill the living room, the whole spectacle leaving Sehun to wonder what might have happened if there had been alcohol involved.

"Aren't we a bit too old for this game?"

Yixing still tries to politely wiggle his way out of the circle, but is quickly shushed by a jittery Chanyeol. He is the first to spin the bottle, and when it stops in front of Baekhyun they both stand up and stagger over to Tao's minuscule storage room. Someone shouts 'stay in there for at least ten minutes', to which Baekhyun responds that 'two minutes will be more than enough'. Sehun facepalms and prepares for a long night.

Two spins later, just as he's about to excuse himself and venture into the kitchen to grab a snack, it's magically his turn. He looks at the bottle with weary eyes, palms suddenly growing sweaty and air leaving his lungs seemingly for good, breath after breath. He spins the evil thing without much enthusiasm, trying to block out the mental image of being cramped inside the tiny space with Luhan's body pressing close against his own.

Fate toys with Sehun, because the bottle stops and points at none other than a wide-eyed Luhan. It doesn't even register in Sehun's mind, at least not until he's being shoved inside the closet by a giggling Tao.

When the door is slammed shut everything becomes dark as and Sehun wishes he was drunk. Like, really drunk. So drunk that he could blame his actions on the alcohol in his system, instead of on his erratic heartbeat. Luhan was pushed inside immediately after him and there was practically no time to adjust, so Sehun ends up giving him his back. He means to turn around and maybe crack a joke or two, just to relieve the tension, but then he feels Luhan's lithe arms wrap around his waist and time just stops.

"A moment of peace at last."

It's a whisper that sends shivers down Sehun's spine. He's used to being back-hugged by Luhan, but something feels different this time. It might be the gentle breath that lingers on his shoulder for a long moment, or the warm hands that ghost over his stomach, or… Oh.

Sehun is not prepared. Like, at all. The entirety of his thoughts and doubts and second guesses is abruptly washed away by soft, wet kisses being pressed to his nape. And something else being pressed much, much lower.

“Luhan…”

He doesn’t mean for it to come out as a moan, but it’s not like he has any control on anything anymore. Luhan just hums under his breath, his touch becoming more needy as he slips his hands underneath Sehun’s t-shirt to trace the planes of his stomach. After what seems like an eternity, he stops kissing the overly sensitive skin of Sehun’s nape and tugs at his arm to make him turn around. Moving means bodies brushing together, each stretch of muscle sending a jolt of pleasure through Sehun. They finally face each other, and the feral glint in Luhan’s eyes is clear even in the dark.

“Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting for you to do something? Anything?”

By this point of their closet escapade, Sehun’s brain is in overdrive. He has been waiting? What does that even mean? He finds it extra hard, if not impossible, to realize what is really happening. The object of his longing, his last thought before closing his eyes at night and the first one to pop up in his mind when he wakes up, the person he thought only wanted him as a friend, that very person is now holding his trembling body close to him. Every piece, every tiny speck of Luhan’s entire being screams want, from his hands that claw at Sehun’s waist to his glossy gaze that keeps on wandering down to Sehun’s mouth.

“Do you?”

“Err… What? I… Just-”

A bright light suddenly fills the closet as Tao swings the door open. He babbles something about their time being up and grabs Luhan by an elbow, but the latter is quicker. With a swift movement of his arm, he breaks free from Tao’s grasp and pushes him back outside, closing the door in his face with a bang. Sehun has no time to process anything, once again, because in a matter of milliseconds Luhan’s lips finds his, and it’s like a wave that crashes onto the dry shore, bringing along a salty sea breeze that sticks to Sehun’s throbbing heart and makes him think of scorching sand and palm trees. He kisses back, desperately and with an urgency that has Luhan giggling softly in his mouth.

“That’s what I’m talking about. That’s my boy.”

When a soft tongue gently prods at his lips, Sehun squeezes his eyes even tighter and lets it in, allowing the kiss to deepen by angling his head a bit. Luhan really tastes like summer. And popcorn.

The sound of hooting and applause from the living room reaches Sehun’s ears, but he can’t find it in him to care. He currently doesn’t give a damn about anything but the stuttering rhythm of Luhan’s heartbeat underneath his fingertips, and how it magically matches his own. When they will deem it time to emerge from heaven and go back to real life, maybe then Sehun will care. Just maybe.