I SLOWLY OPEN THE DOOR. ONCE V COMES INTO VIEW I SMILE. HE TAKES A STEP FORWARD. I MOVE AWAY FROM THE DOOR SO HE CAN ENTER.

AFTER HE COMES IN WE GO SIT ON THE COUCH. IT'S JI MIN, ME, THEN TAE HYUNG. HIS EYES ARE STILL ON ME.

I CLEAR MY THROAT. "UHM...HELLO TAE HYUNG."

HE BRINGS HIS HAND UP TO MY FACE. I LET IT REST THERE. HE SMILES AND POKES MY CHEEK. WAIT WHAT?

"WHY DID YOU JUST POKE MY CHEEK?"

"YOU'RE REAL." ALSO NOT THE VOICE I EXPECTED.

"OF COURSE I'M REAL."

"THIS IS... I MEAN... LIKE YOU ARE SITTING RIGHT HERE. I DIDN'T THINK WE WOULD EVER MEET IN PERSON, BUT YOU'RE RIGHT HERE."

"YEA I DIDN'T THINK SO EITHER."

"YOU'RE CUTE."

IT'S JUST A SMALL COMPLIMENT, BUT IT MAKES ME HAPPY.

"THANK YOU. YOU ARE TOO."

"OKAY THAT'S ENOUGH GAY FOR TODAY. I'M HUNGRY KOOKIE," JI MIN WHINES. I LOOK AWAY FROM TAE HYUNG.

"OH YEA UM...I'LL GO WHIP SOMETHING UP FOR US TO EAT."

I STAND UP AND GO TO THE KITCHEN.

JI MIN SCOOTS CLOSER TO TAE HYUNG.

"STILL STRAIGHT TAE TAE?"

"YES. WHY WOULDN'T I BE?"

"THE WAY YOU STARED AT HIM DIDN'T SEEM VERY HETEROUAL TO ME."

"I STARED AT HIM THE WAY I STARE AT EVERYONE."

"NO, I'M PRETTY SURE I SAW HEARTS IN YOUR EYES."

"WHATEVER."

TAE HYUNG STANDS UP AND LEAVES JI MIN ALONE ON THE COUCH.

TAE HYUNG ENTERS THE KITCHEN. "NEED HELP?"

JUNG KOOK LOOKS UP AND SMILES. "NO IT'S OKAY. I'M ALMOST DONE."

"YOU SURE?"

"YEA."

JUNG KOOK CONTINUES COOKING WHILE TAE HYUNG SITS ON THE DINNER TABLE LOOKING AT HIM.

"STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT YOU'RE MAKING ME NERVOUS," JUNG KOOKS SAYS.

"WHY WOULD IT MAKE YOU NERVOUS?"

"BECAUSE YOU'RE... I DON'T KNOW JUST STOP STARING."

"ALL RIGHT FINE."

HE TAKES OUT HIS PHONE AND STARTS PLAYING A GAME.

ONCE DINNER IS READY WE SIT AT THE TABLE AND EAT. NO ONE SPEAKS AT FIRST.

"SO KOOKIE WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT TAE TAE?"

"WE JUST MET IN PERSON TODAY, BUT SO FAR HE'S A GREAT GUY."

"HEAR THAT TAE? HE THINKS YOU'RE A GREAT GUY~"

TAE HYUNG IGNORES JI MIN AND LOOKS AT JUNG KOOK. "WHAT MADE YOUR PARENTS CHANGE THEIR MIND ABOUT LETTING YOU MEET SOMEONE NEW?"

"THEY DON'T MIND ME MEETING NEW PEOPLE AS LONG AS THEY KNOW THAT THEY ARE GOOD. IT'S ONLY THE OUTSIDE WORLD THAT THEY ARE AFRAID OF ME SEEING."

"I STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY."

"I GUESS THEY ALLOWED ME TO MEET JI MIN BECAUSE IT'S MY EIGHTEENTH BIRTHDAY."

"IT'S WHAT?"

"MY EIGHTEENTH BIR-"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?"

"I JUST DID."

"I COULD HAVE BOUGHT YOU A CAKE BEFORE COMING OVER. DAMN IT."

"IT'S FINE. I DON'T REALLY EAT CAKE ANYWAYS."

"DO YOUR PARENTS NOT BUY YOU A CAKE FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY?"

"NO. FOR MY BIRTHDAY THEY PRAY FOR ME AND I GET TO CHOOSE WHAT WE EAT FOR DINNER."

"THAT'S ING LAME."

"LANGUAGE V."

"NO I'M SORRY BUT I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR CRAZY PARENTS. THEY KEEP YOU LOCKED IN HERE, THEY DON'T LET YOU EAT CERTAIN FOODS, DRESS THE WAY YOU WANT, TALK THE WAY YOU WANT, THEY DON'T EVEN LET YOU ING WATCH T.V. I'M SURPISED THEY DON'T BEAT YOU TO A PULP." 

"THEY STOPPED HITTING ME BECAUSE THEY GOT SCOLDED BY THE DOCTOR."

"ARE YOU ING KIDDING ME?! SO THEY WOULD HIT YOU?"

I LOOK DOWN AT THE FLOOR.

"I'M GOING TO GO BUY YOU A CAKE."

"RIGHT NOW?"

"YEA. WHAT KIND OF CAKE DO YO- NEVERMIND. I'LL BE BACK SOON. JI MIN TAKE CARE OF HIM."

"BE CAREFUL TAE HYUNG."

SAID MALE TURNS BACK AND SMILES. "I ALWAYS AM."

 JI MIN FOLLOWS BEHIND HIM SO THAT HE CAN OPEN THE DOOR.

JI MIN AND I SIT IN SILENCE FOR THE FIRST FEW MINUTES.

"HE'S NOT MAD AT ME IS HE?"

"NO, NOT AT ALL. HE JUST GETS REALLY PROTECTIVE OF PEOPLE HE CARES ABOUT."

"HE CARES ABOUT ME?"

"MORE THAN YOU REALIZE."

"HOW DO YOU KNOW?"

"SOMETIMES AT HOME HE SAYS THINGS LIKE: 'I WONDER WHAT KOOKIE IS DOING RIGHT NOW' , 'DO YOU THINK KOOKIE LIKES CHINESE FOOD?' OR 'I HOPE HE'S DOING OKAY.' I THINK THE ONE THAT SURPRISED ME THE MOST WAS WHEN HE SAID: 'I MISS KOOKIE. I CAN'T WAIT FOR TONIGHT.'"

"WHY DID THAT SURPRISE YOU?"

"THE ONLY PEOPLE HE MISSES ARE HIS PARENTS AND HIS GRANDMA. AND NOW YOU."

I FEEL HEAT SUDDENLY RISE TO MY FACE. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?

"AWW~ YOUR BLUSHING."

"BLUSHING WOULD MEAN THAT I AM EITHER EMBARRASSED OR ASHAMED. I AM NEITHER OF THOSE."

"WHATEVER YOU SAY."

"SO I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE THAT THINKS OF THOSE THINGS," I MUMBLE.

"WHAT WAS THAT?"

"NOTHING."

A MAN OF HIS WORD TAE HYUNG COMES BACK TWO MINUTES LATER WITH A CAKE IN HAND.

HE SETS IT DOWN ON THE COFFEE TABLE IN FRONT OF US AND LIGHTS THE CANDLES.

"OKAY ALL SET. JI MIN YOU READY?"

"LET'S DO THIS!"

"SAENG IL CHUKHA HAMNIDA

SAENG IL CHUKHA HAMNIDA

SARANG HANEUN JUNG KOOK AH 

SAENG IL CHUKHA HAMNIDA~"

JUNG KOOK SMILES AND BLOWS OUT THE CANDLES.

TAE HYUNG SCOOPS SOME ICING WITH HIS LEFT INDEX FINGER AND PUTS IT ON THE BIRTHDAY BOYS CHEEK. JI MIN TAKES PICTURES OF THEM.

JUNG KOOK CUTS THE CAKE AND GIVES JI MIN AND TAE HYUNG THEIR PIECE. HE GETS HIS OWN PIECE AND SITS THERE FOR A MINUTE.

"SINCE YOU ALWAYS TALK ABOUT HEALTHY FOODS I GOT TRIPLE BERRY SHORTCAKE. IT HAS FRUIT SO IT'S HEALTHY. TRY IT."

JI MIN LOOKS AT ME. "ARE YOU A HEALTH FREAK OR SOMETHING?"

"NO. I JUST TEND TO TALK ABOUT CERTAIN FOODS BEING UNHEALTHY AND V NOW THINKS I AM."

I SLOWLY TAKE MY FIRST BITE. OH LORD THIS IS AMAZING!

"GOOD RIGHT?"

"IT'S AMAZING! THIS IS WHAT YOU EAT ON YOUR BIRTHDAY?"

"THERE'S DIFFERENT TYPES OF CAKE. I THOUGHT YOU'D LIKE THIS ONE."

"I DON'T LIKE IT. I LOVE IT! THANK YOU SO MUCH."

"NO PROBLEM."

I CONTINUE TO EAT PIECE AFTER PIECE. BEFORE I KNOW IT THERE ISN'T ANY MORE LEFT.

"AND YOU SAY I EAT A LOT," TAE HYUNG COMMENTS.

I SMILE AND LIGHTLY PUNCH HIM.

THEY ARE NOT AWARE OF JI MIN WHO HAS BEEN TAKING PICTURES OF THEM THE ENTIRE TIME.

AFTER TALKING FOR A BIT MORE I NOTICE THAT IT IS PAST MY BED TIME. ALREADY?

"WHAT'S WRONG? ARE YOU TIRED?"

"A LITTLE BIT YEA."

"I SHOULD HEAD HOME THEN."

"NO!"

TAE HYUNG FLINCHES.

"SORRY. UHM... STAY PLEASE. IT'S LATE AND... YEA."

"WHERE AM I GOING TO SLEEP THOUGH? JI MIN IS TAKING THE COUCH."

"SLEEP WITH ME."

" JUNG KOOK I THOUGHT YOU WERE A SON OF GOD OR WHATEVER. YOU'RE ALREADY MAKING THE NEXT MOVE," JI MIN SAYS.

"SHUT UP," TAE HYUNG TELLS HIM.

"HOW ABOUT WE ALL SLEEP TOGETHER?" JI MIN RAISES HIS EYEBROWS IN A SUGGESTIVE MANNER.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT."

"SHARING IS CARING TAE TAE."

" YOU."

"MAYBE SOME OTHER TIME."

TAE HYUNG GLARES AT HIM.

"FINE YOU CAN HAVE HIM."

JUNG KOOK AND TAE HYUNG GET UP AND MAKE THEIR WAY UPSTAIRS. 

"HAVE FUN~"

TAE HYUNG FLIPS HIM OFF.

WHEN THEY ARE INSIDE JUNG KOOKS BEDROOM TAE HYUNG TAKES A LOOK AROUND.

"SO THIS IS YOUR ROOM HUH?"

"YEA."

"IT'S NICE."

"THANK YOU."

"I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM GOING HOME YA KNOW."

"NO IT'S ALREADY LATE."

"IT'S BARELY 11:41."

"EXACTLY. IT'S MUCH TOO LATE."

"SO LIKE I'M ACTUALLY GOING TO SLEEP ON THE SAME BED AS YOU?"

"YES. WHY DO YOU NOT WANT TO?"

"I JUST... NOTHING NEVERMIND."

"I COULD GO SLEEP IN MY PARENTS BEDROOM IF YOU'D LIKE."

"NO IT'S OKAY."

JUNG KOOK GOES TO HIS CLOSET AND TAKES OUT THREE SETS OF PYJAMAS. HE HANDS ONE TO TAE HYUNG.

"I'LL GO TAKE THIS TO JI MIN. THE BATHROOM IS RIGHT THERE SO YOU CAN WASH UP." HE POINTS TO THE DOOR ON THEIR LEFT.

"I DIDN'T BRING ANOTHER PAIR OF BOXERS."

"WOULD YOU LIKE ONE OF MINE?"

"NO NO NO. I'LL JUST WEAR IT LIKE THAT."

"OKAY."

JUNG KOOK EXITS THE ROOM AND LEAVES DOWNSTAIRS.

MINUTES LATER TAE HYUNG EXITS THE BATHROOM ALREADY WEARING THE PYJAMAS.

"THEY FIT PERFECTLY."

"YEA. HOW IS JI MIN GOING TO SHOWER?"

"HE'S IN THE ONE DOWNSTAIRS."

JUNG KOOK TAKES HIS AND LEAVES TO THE BATHROOM.

AFTER WASHING UP HE GOES LAY NEXT TO TAE HYUNG ON THE BED. TAE HYUNG STIFFENS. THEY LAY WITH THEIR BACKS FACING EACH OTHER.

"GOOD NIGHT V." 

"SWEET DREAMS KOOKIE."

A/N: HELLO EVERYONE :) I AM BACK WITH ANOTHER CHAPTER.

I WOULD'VE UPDATED SOONER BUT I WAS BUSY WITH WORK. I DON'T KNOW IF ANY OF YOU ARE EXO-L'S BUT I WENT TO THE CONCERT ON SUNDAY AND IT WAS FUN. I AM DISAPPOINTED THAT IT WAS A BIT UNORGANIZED IN LINE BUT MY FRIENDS AND I HAD AN AMAZING TIME NONETHELESS. (I HOPE NONE OF YOU GET OFFENDED THAT I MENTIONED EXO)

AS ALWAYS PLEASE COMMENT, SUBSCRIBE, AND UPVOTE IF YOU WANT :) UNTIL NEXT TIME MY DARLINGS~