Warning: mentions of bullying

          Jongin presses the lock button on his phone, sighing as he crosses his left leg over the other. He leans back on the stool before he crosses his arms across his chest. Jongin stares into the distance, eyes blank and emotionless as he takes a sip from his cup of clear water.

He’s waiting for Moonkyu to text him. Two nights before, his mother had slept over because Jongin insisted he would call a friend to give her a ride home. He wasn’t aware of Moonkyu’s busy schedule since his friend was always free so his mother happened two stay over for two days instead since he really didn’t want her taking a cab and insisted on having her being sent home by his friend. Moonkyu just picked her up this morning so Jongin’s waiting for any news about her. His phone vibrates, lighting up for a second as a result of a message coming in. He snatches it off of the table almost too impatiently, unlocking his phone so he could read the message.

Moonkyu: Hey, we just arrived

Moonkyu: She’s home

Jongin: alright thanks man

Jongin: i owe you one

Moonkyu: It’s alright

Moonkyu: I said i could help

Moonkyu: You dont owe me anything

Jongin: nah i’ll feel bad

Jongin: i’ll pay you gas money

Moonkyu: If u rlly wanna then fine

Jongin looks up from his phone, a cough coming from Chanyeol disconcerting him. He watches Chanyeol pull out a chair across from him before heavily plopping down on it. Chanyeol looks up and sends Jongin a wide, cheeky lipped smile. Without looking away, he sniffles, still smiling. Jongin grins looking at him.

“Why are you smiling at me like that?” Jongin finally asks. “Is it the fever?”

Chanyeol shakes his head. “Can you do me a favour?”

Jongin laughs. “Of course you want me to do you a favour. Why else would you be smiling like that, right?”

“Nah, I’d smile at you all day because you’re so handsome.” Chanyeol cutely scrunches his nose, laying his head in his palms.

“Cut the crap. What do you want?” Jongin replies with an ugly snort as he drums his fingers rhythmically on the table.

“Can you cook for me?”

Jongin squints his eyes suspiciously, telling Chanyeol he was not amused. “Do you even have anything in your fridge for me to cook?”

“I don’t know. I went grocery shopping the other day but I cooked a few times for myself so…” Chanyeol trails off. Jongin shakes his head, refusing to cook. “Please! I would cook but my head hurts and I can barely sit like this in peace without feeling like someone’s trying to compress my head in with their bare hands and—”

“Fine, okay, okay.” Jongin springs up to stand, the chair he was sitting on noisily scraping against the floor as it was pushed out. “Man, you really do talk a lot.”

Chanyeol laughs in response. Jongin makes his way to Chanyeol’s kitchen, reaching out to the fridge before opening it. Jongin scans the inside of the fridge for a minute or so before opening drawers and shifting stuff to see what’s behind them.

“Since you’re sick…” Jongin mumbles, “I’ll just make you some nice porridge.”

“That’s fine too.” Chanyeol sniffles. “Thanks, Jongin. I know I’m a nuisance.”

“It’s fine.” Jongin titters. “I came here to take care of you in the first place.”

Jongin spends the next half an hour or so cooking, chopping spring onions, chicken and other necessary ingredients to add into the porridge. Halfway through cooking, Jongdae and Baekhyun barges into Chanyeol’s house, acting like its theirs. One drops himself on the couch and the other stands next to Jongin in the kitchen.

“Smells good,” Jongdae comments.

“Whatcha cooking?” Baekhyun asks in a really loud voice, the sound echoing from the living room.

“Porridge,” Jongin lamely responds.

“Ew,” Jongin could imagine the grimace Baekhyun’s wearing.

“Ah, you hate mushy food, right?” Jongin smirks, his eyes and hands focused on stirring the bubbling porridge so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot and burn. Baekhyun hums, shuffling into the kitchen. He leans onto the counter next to Jongin and watches the porridge with great concentration very much like what Jongin’s doing. Still with that smirk, Jongin teases, “I cooked this because I know you won’t eat it.”

“That’s so mean.” Baekhyun pouts. “I should’ve bought takeout.”

Jongin sticks his tongue out and Baekhyun smacks him in the arm but when it’s time to dine, Jongin serves Baekhyun a bowl of soup that originally came with the porridge along with a bowl of rice. Baekhyun looks genuinely surprised, and when a second passes, he finally grins up at Jongin. Chanyeol snorts with a mouthful of porridge because Baekhyun looks like a little kid, and Jongdae laughs because Baekhyun looks like he just fell in love.

“Why? You found your soulmate, Baek?” Jongdae teases.

“Jongin,” Baekhyun calls out.

“What?” Jongin breathes out a sigh as he heavily sits across from Baekhyun with his own bowl of food right before him.

“Marry me.”

Jongin bursts out laughing because Baekhyun just said that with the most impassive face he’s ever seen. And that’s coming from someone who’s seen a lot of his friends play poker. Baekhyun stares at Jongin without a word and without any expression that could indicate whether or not he was joking.

“No, seriously,” Baekhyun mumbles, “I want you to marry me.”

Jongin goes quiet, staring back at Baekhyun for a second before darting his eyes to his other two friends. “I-Is he for real?”

“Yeah, but don’t take his proposal too seriously.” Chanyeol coughs.

“So i-is that a yes or a no?” Jongin stares at Jongdae with a small smile of disbelief up on his lips, his brows furrowing quite comically. Jongin straightens his back and crosses his arms in front of him on the table.

“Hey, hey, no need to be so serious.” Jongdae notices the way he’s physically closing in on himself. “Baekhyun has this weird thing for men who are good-looking, and men who cook for him. He was head-over-heels for Chanyeol a few years ago because of this but he got over it after a few days.”

“Oh.” Jongin slouches, reaching out for the spoon to continue eating. “Good, because I am not looking forward to marrying anyone just yet.”

All of them, save for Baekhyun, started laughing, Jongin a bit hesitant as he didn’t know whether or not Baekhyun clinging onto him was going to be a problem, but he let go of the matter pretty quickly. Once they finish up with their meal, Chanyeol skips to the living room to watch TV after dropping his bowl into the sink. Baekhyun does the same. When it’s left with just Jongin and Jongdae, Jongin kindly asks the other to wash the dishes since he needed to get home.

“I’ll do it!” Baekhyun happily volunteers, merrily skipping to where Jongdae and Jongin are.

Jongin pats him on the head, telling him to sit down. “You’ll break a plate.”

“I can do it,” Chanyeol gruffly squeezes the words out of his sore throat and grins at the end of it.

“It’s okay, I’m going to do it.” Jongdae smiles. He pats Jongin on the shoulder before passing by to get to the kitchen. “You cook, I clean. Give and take. Am I right, Yeol?”

“Ye-ah!” Chanyeol’s voice breaks due to his sore throat and he helplessly groans in frustration.

“Yeah, alright.” Jongin glances at the wall clock right behind the dining table and dramatically gasps. “I really have to go.”

“Alright, you go.” Chanyeol smacks his shoulder when he reaches out to the other end of the couch for his bag, obscuring Chanyeol’s view of the television.

“You guys sure you don’t want to come?” Jongin asks Jongdae and Baekhyun. He makes the mistake of looking at a deadbeat Chanyeol, sniffling and coughing the out of his soul, before grimacing. “God, Yeol, you look horrible.”

“Thanks,” Chanyeol croaks out.

“I’m sorry, Jongin, I can’t come. I have a lot of stuff to read about today.” Baekhyun pouts, like a little kid, and he’s looking at Jongin like he just realised when he’s going to die.

“It’s okay, Baekhyun. There’s always next time.” Jongin smiles down at him, bright and radiant and Baekhyun grins right back.

Jongin waves to Jongdae as he slips his last foot into a pair of beat up sneakers from 2 years ago. He really can’t let it go. His father bought it for him and he thinks it’s too much of a waste to throw it away. Jongin looks up and gives Baekhyun another smile when he sees the latter waving him goodbye in the corner of his eye.

“Be safe. Love you!” Baekhyun blows him a kiss and Jongin visibly grimaces, standing frozen in the doorway as he contemplates whether he should just leave, throw Baekhyun an insincere smile before running, or blow a kiss back.

Jongin opts to display a cheeky smile before winking, laughing as he leaves with the unpleasant yet amusing noise of Baekhyun screeching fading out as the door shuts close with a snick. Jongin jogs to the bus stop, breathing out in relief when he sees the bus he needs to take just arriving right as he reaches. When he takes a seat in the bus, his phone dings in his hand startlingly loud. Jongin almost drops his phone but he catches it with his thighs.

Johnny: you coming right?

Jongin: ye ofc

Jongin: none of the guys can come, sorry

Johnny: oh its okay! jaehyun just wants you there

Jongin: interesting…

Jongin: does this mean i cant run away now?

Johnny: dont u dare!

Johnny: i alrdy told the guys a hotshots coming

Jongin: sTOPJSJS i wont come if youre like this

Johnny: okokok i’ll stop

Jongin: good. well then i’ll be there in a minute

Jongin:  see u

Johnny: yep sure see u

         Taemin pats Jongin on the back, hustling him into the venue when he notices how Jongin’s standing frozen by the entryway, hesitating to go in. Jongin’s never been to a party before. The kids at school have because Jongin’s heard them talking about it and he has this little fear of bumping into any one of them in big parties like this one. The chances of seeing them were low, but it’s been ingrained into his mind that they’d find him somehow.

Taemin stares for a few long seconds before he sighs throughs his nose, slowly linking his right arm with Jongin’s left arm. The latter darts his eyes up from the ground, his head ducked down in slight fear and discomfort. Jongin gives Taemin a look full of meaning, full of pleading.

“We’re not going home now.” Taemin tugs on Jongin’s arm. “I already told everyone I was bringing a friend.”

“But—”

“You have to see for yourself.” Taemin cuts him off. “You can’t assume that they’re always there to make your life miserable. See for yourself that they’re not there. And even if they are, they’re not here to bring you down.”

“But what if they are?” Jongin practically whimpers. He has tears welling up in his eye sockets and he could only pray he wouldn’t cry. It would be so embarrassing.

“I’m here for you, aren’t I?” Taemin presses circular patterns against the back of Jongin’s neck with the tip of his fingers, making Jongin relax without him even being aware of it.

“Alright.” Jongin’s still frowning but he suddenly feels safe, he trusts Taemin. The muffled music coming from inside the party suddenly becomes too loud for them as they stand outside in silence. Taemin smiles and ruffles Jongin’s hair before they start walking into the place. He’ll be there for Jongin.

Jongin stares up at the building from outside. He hasn’t been to a party for quite a while but everything is so familiar. The slightly muffled music, the people lingering outside the venue and the cars parked in a disorderly manner by the side of the building. It reminds him so much of the first time he’s gone to a party. Well, the feeling is pretty much the same. He’s going to meet new people, and that’s one thing he’ll never be fully prepared for. When Johnny first sent him a message, inviting him to a party on a Friday night, Jongin didn’t expect the party to be a full on waste house. By the