Kyungsoo awoke feeling uncomfortably warm. He squirmed and fought at what he assumed to be his comforter, trying to throw it off with little results. He pried his eyes open with much reluctance, as he wanted nothing more but to sink back into his pleasantly dreamless sleep, but the mysterious heat was becoming unbearable. Maybe he'd fallen asleep in the sun? After all, he was wrapped in a heavy comforter in the middle of July.

Blinking away the bleariness in his eyes, Kyungsoo's vision came to focus on the source of the heat, or more specifically, a sleeping Jongin. Kyungsoo's eyes widened in shock, all traces of his grogginess now lost as he gaped at the bronze boy. 

'Why is he here?' He hissed mentally as he suddenly became hyper-aware of his unkempt state. His hands shot up in a feeble attempt to flatten his mussy hair and he ran them down his face, settling them on his cheeks as he remembers his attire- his baby blue pajamas. These pajamas, that he was almost too big to fit into, were his absolute favorite, and it showed by the amount of faded food stains that had collected on them from years of wear. His grandmother had given the set to him, but Kyungsoo wasn't embarrassed by any of that, oh no. He was more concerned with the fact that they were Pororo pajamas, a freaking children's cartoon about a penguin that he most certainly did not know the theme song to.

Kyungsoo stiffened as Jongin shifted in his sleep and tightened the hold he had on Kyungsoo, which he had failed to notice earlier, to a degree where it was almost possessive. 

"Okay..." He exhaled, a bead of sweat trickling down his spine and pooling uncomfortably in the small of his back. "How do I get out of this?"

"Um... Let's see..." He murmured and casually attempted to pry one of Jongin's arms off his waist. Kyungsoo released a small, victorious "yes" when Jongin's grip slackened slightly, but, to his dismay, it only became more restricting within a matter of seconds.

"Uh..." Kyungsoo trilled, suddenly feeling very flustered. He squirmed and fought at Jongin's hold for what seemed like an eternity until, finally, he was able to slip out. 

Kyungsoo stumbled as he made contact with the floor, almost planting face first onto the red rug that protected the hard wood underneath. He balanced himself with his fingertips, pushing away from the ground and padding down the hallway that led to his room, knocking an empty glass off the hallway's table in the process. Kyungsoo quietly cursed his tendency to get thirsty at the oddest hours of the morning and quickly glanced at Jongin, who shifted into a position where he was cuddling the comforter in the same way he did Kyungsoo earlier, but otherwise, appeared to still be sleeping peacefully. Treading softly, Kyungsoo entered his bedroom.

"Okay." Kyungsoo said to himself, nodding slightly. He gathered up a change of coordinated clothes as swiftly as he could and headed for the bathroom across the hall. Kyungsoo peeled his treasured pajamas off his clammy skin, preparing for a shower. He rose after tugging off his boxer briefs and paused when he met his own gaze in the mirror above the sink. Kyungsoo drank in his form, from his too pale complexion to the hint of a pimple creeping up on his fleshy cheek to the excess skin that clung unattractively to his stomach and thighs. There was nothing special about him. He had eyes far too large for his face, and lips so plush that they resembled the "photoshop fails" strewn about the internet. He was unprepossessing- hideous beyond words. Kyungsoo's body shuddered and he sighed before tearing his gaze away from his reflection and shielding himself temporarily behind a striped shower curtain.

-

Jongin woke up cold and alone to an unfamiliar ceiling balanced atop an unfamiliar room. All was silent except for the low buzz in his ear left over from sleep and the hum of a shower running in the background. Where was he? Had he fallen asleep at some arbitrary girl's house again?

Jongin sat up on the firm cushions, using an arm to aid his effort and releasing a breathy noise in the process. The blu-ray player's logo flashed across the otherwise blank television screen, dragging his vision to it and then to the electronic clock displayed on the set top box just below. He rubbed at his coffee colored eyes, trying to remember why he was there and forget that it was already passed six. He let his palms fall off his face, immediately regretting not shaving in his haste to escape from his house. 

Jongin groaned audibly and rolled off the couch, allowing his sluggish limbs to hit the ground like a sack of potatoes, before half-heartedly dragging himself over to the blu-ray player. He smacked a hand against the device, successfully turning it off, but nearly falling asleep on the carpet in the process. 

It was at that moment that Jongin realized: he really needed to pee. 

"Bathroom...bathroom..." He whimpered as he leapt to his feet, suddenly very alert, and surveyed the living room. He quickly scampered down the first hallway he came across, risking his life as he nearly concussed over a fallen drinking glass, and found himself surrounded by identical white doors. 

", which one?" He whispered to himself and, ignoring the jeans in the middle of the hallway, approached the only door that was open. It was a bedroom, average in size, that appeared to belong to a teenage boy, based off the collection of posters belonging to some popular girl group called "f(x)" meticulously plastered to the grey walls. A couple of Star Wars trinkets sat clustered in the corners of sleek, dark wood bookcase, and hats were arranged neatly on a rack. Overall, the room was very tidy, even the bed which lay in the center of the room, although it was missing a comforter and- was that a Pororo plush? Jongin figured he'd spent more than enough time snooping around and made his way back into the hall.

-

Inside the room Jongin was trying so desperately to find, was a frantic Kyungsoo who'd only just realized he was missing a change of pants. 

"Oh my god. Oh my god!" He shrilled softly, rifling through the clothes he'd dumped on the azure shower rug. Normally, he'd have no problems running half through the house, but there was just something about having your neighbor sleeping in your living room that made you, you know, not want to dash into the hall without pants.

"Okay." Kyungsoo encouraged himself shakily and slipped on his shirt and boxers. He took a second to mentally prepare himself before opening the bathroom door slightly and poking his head out. He gazed into the living room where nothing seemed to be unchanged, and, once he'd assured himself that Jongin most certainly had not left the couch, ran out, only to hit a new wall:

Jongin's back.

Jongin screamed- in a manly way befitting of his bad boy exterior, of course- and turned to face Kyungsoo. The two of them stood there, screaming into each other's faces until-

"Don't look at my thighs!" Kyungsoo squawked and tugged the hem of his t-shirt down in a feeble attempt to cover his appendages.

"Wha- why? What's wrong with your thighs?" Jongin craned his neck a bit to inspect Kyungsoo's thighs further. The skin was fair, with sparse freckles scattered like dark splotches of paint, and boy were they thick. Jongin couldn't help but wonder if they were as soft and plushy as they appeared.

"Just-just don't look at them!" Kyungsoo screeched and tightened his grip on his t-shirt, a strawberry flush creeping up his neck and staining his ears.

"Okay, okay! I'm not looking at them." Jongin promised, making an 'I surrender' pose with his hands despite the fact that he'd already gotten an eyeful. Jongin stepped to the side to get out of Kyungsoo's way at the same time that Kyungsoo moved to get passed.

"Ah." Jongin laughed airily, stepping in the opposite direction, again in sync with Kyungsoo. Jongin reached out and placed his hands on Kyungsoo's shoulders, stilling him and simultaneously moving out of the way so that the shorter could pass and he could reach the bathroom. 

-

"Thanks for staying." Kyungsoo mumbled sheepishly as he rejoined Jongin in the living room. Kyungsoo stared at the floor, which was suddenly much more interesting than it had been before. Was there always a scratch there? Who knows; he'd only lived here for a little over two weeks.

"It's no problem, really." Jongin assured, allowing the room to fill with silence after the awkward, pantless run-in. He cleared his throat, preparing to say something, just to start a conversation, when his message tone pinged. Jongin dug through his pockets, smacking the front of his jeans, and then the back, until he finally fished out his smartphone. 

Mom:

Come home quickly. It's serious. 

Jongin bristled at the message, heart heavy and mind boggled. This couldn't be good.

"Sorry, Kyungsoo, my mom needs help with dinner. I should go." He lied, clicking his phone off and stuffing it back into his pants.

"Ah, okay. No problem." Kyungsoo dismissed as he walked Jongin to the door.

"Bye, Soo." Jongin stepped onto the porch, giving a little wave as he ventured farther into the yard.

"Bye." Kyungsoo waved feebly in return, following Jongin's form as he crossed into his own yard and disappeared up his porch steps.

Kyungsoo rubbed at his arms, suddenly remembering the secure grip Jongin had around him earlier. The more he thought about it, the more he found there was something comforting in Jongin's presence, something about being around him that made him feel at ease. It was strange and foreign experience to feel so relaxed with someone. Kyungsoo's cheeks suddenly grew warm and he shook his head furiously before escaping to the confines of his own, much smaller, home.

-

"Looks like our target has a friend, boss." A man with chiseled features and a snake-like grin informed, bringing his eyes away from his polished binoculars. 

"Is he a threat?" Another man, the boss, asked from his place in a leather armchair. Gazing passed his subordinate and out the window behind him, he simultaneously adjusted the cuff of his crisp, black suit jacket, an aura authority rolling off him in waves.

"He has the potential to become one. If we let him." The subordinate said, turning to face his superior.

"Well then, you know what to do." The older one dismissed with a wave of a bony, diaphanous hand.

"Of course, sir." The younger agreed unctuously, resuming his earlier activities. "When should we move?"

"Soon-"

A knock resonated from the ornate French doors, bouncing off the walls of the study the pair was currently situated in.

"Come in." The boss answered. A teenage boy, who'd obviously just been dressed up for the occasion, entered the room. He was a familiar figure, someone who'd been in this same situation countless times before. He crossed the room with several, long-legged strides and stood in between the handprint stained window and a certain, usually vacant, leather armchair.

"You called, Uncle?" The newcomer asked, displeasure apparent in his expression. 

"Glad you could make it," the man in charge replied, lips tugging in a strained smile to reveal yellowed teeth, "Kai."