His lips were soft and clinging to her own, the taste and texture of his chap stick more familiar than the air in her lungs. Her eyes were closed, but she didn’t need them. She could feel the smile on his lips against hers, his hands tucked into the back pockets of her jeans.

“You won’t stay out too late, right?” she sighed as he parted from her, his breath still warm against her cheek.

He hummed dazedly, those mesmerizing amber eyes flickering over her features and she imagined it was exactly the way she liked it.

“Promise me.” She mumbled, feeling his arms loosening from around her.

“I promise.” He breathed, stepping back. The headlights of the corvette gleamed from the driveway, switching into high beam and back rapidly.

He stepped down from the front door, waving goodbye before turning on his heel towards the car. He didn’t hear her yell “I love you” as he slid into the car, the bass of some dance track thumping against the back seat, encompassing him in the atmosphere he longed for that night.

Her bronzed, shimmering skin was unfamiliar to his lips as they trailed down the curve of her neck, her moans slightly louder, slightly lewder than what he’d grown accustomed to. Long, acrylic nails ran through his hair as he buried himself in the crook of her neck, the music of the club shattering his eardrums with its incessant rhythm.

“Let’s go somewhere else,” the woman suggested. Her voice was slimy and didn’t mix well with the melody of the music. “Hm, Sehun?”

“No,” he sighed, suddenly pulling back. Her nails retracted from his hair and he ran a hand through the mess of tangles. “I think that’s enough for tonight, sweetie.”

“What?”

“I’m gonna have a cigarette.”

He pretended to not hear the string of curses that fell from as he maneuvered around the mob of gyrating bodies suffocating the dance floor. The door creaked beneath his force, swinging open and welcoming him to the chill night air.

Sehun took a deep breath, removing the cigarettes from his pocket, slipping one between his teeth and lighting it without a thought. The neon lights of the numerous bars and clubs lining the block shined in a rainbow of cyan and magenta. Sehun smiled to himself, releasing a long puff of smoke into the indigo sky overhead.

“Getting tired?”

He turned to the side, only just noticing the young man leaning against the wall of the club, cigarette half burned plucked between his fingers. Sehun glanced at his watch, mildly surprised to see the short hand pointing nearly directly at the thin “2”.

“Not a chance, Jongin.”

“You look a little drunk.” .

“That’s because I am.” He chuckled.

“How many drinks did you have? I thought you were driving.”

Sehun glanced at the boy, observing at the blue neon lights reflected off his cheeks, appearing greenish against his olive skin. He felt slightly dizzy.“Too many to do that now, probably.”

“What happened to the girl you were with?” the boy asked between puffs, “The one with the glitter all over her face?”

“I wasn’t feeling it.”

“I thought she was your type.”

“I don’t have a type, you know that.” Sehun frowned, inhaling the smoke.

“Not even your fiancé?” The words came out sly, but his features remained humorless.

“That’s different.” He sneered. Jongin chuckled, glancing at the floor.

“It’s pretty late.” He stated quietly.

“Not really.”

“Maybe not to you,” Jongin scoffed, “But in most people’s books, it is.”

“What’s your point?”

“Nothing. Just that it’s late.”

“Well, Minseok’s hardly ready to go home right now.”

“Are you?”

“Didn’t I already say?” Sehun sighed, his lips curving as he blew out a gust of smoke.

“Are you gonna find someone else for tonight then?”

“I don’t know.” The boy shrugged, “Not a lot of options tonight, really.”

Jongin smiled, staring at him, bent down, crouched against the wall, cigarette resting between his fingers. “What do you do with them every night?”

“Hm?” Sehun glanced up at the boy, ”What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean.” The smile disappeared, “Every night. What do you do with those girls, Sehun?”

“It’s not every night, for one.”

“Whatever. Might as well be.”

“What do you do with girls, Jongin?”

“I don’t know. I asked you first.”

A bitter smile stretched across Sehun’s pinkish lips. “Nothing.”

The boy didn’t respond for a moment, pursing his lips as he watched the younger one tap the ashes off his cigarette. “Nothing?”

“Yeah.” Sehun arched a brow, staring up at him. “Nothing.”

“What exactly is ‘nothing’ to you, Sehun?”

“What do you care for, Jongin?”

“Just curious.” He replied half heartedly. The cigarette in his hands was now little more than the . Jongin tossed it to the floor, rubbing it into the cement with his shoe.

“Nothing is nothing.” Sehun replied, “Maybe a little fondling. Maybe a little kissing. That’s all, Jongin. Just nothing.”

“Kissing is nothing to you?”

“Never on the lips, at least.”

“You’re pretty ed up, Sehun.”

“I know I am.” He pursed his lips, “But what gives you the right to say that, hyung?”

“What about her?” Jongin nudged his chin towards the gleaming band on his friend’s finger.

“What about her?”

“You think it’s nothing to her?”

Sehun didn’t respond, staring at the ring as it caught the distorted lights of the street. His cigarette began to burn the tips of his fingers as it reached its end.

“We’re not married just yet.”

He crushed the remains of the stick in the palm of his hand, watching as the embers fell from his grasp onto the dewy cement of the sidewalk. Without thinking, Sehun pulled out another cigarette.

“Does that make it ok?” Jongin’s voice was low, “What are you so scared of?”

“Who says I’m scared, huh?”

The tanned boy let out a scoff, stuffing his hands in his jean pockets. “What other excuse could there possibly be?”

“I’m not scared, Jongin.” Sehun glared, “And its none of your business what happens between me and her.”

“You don’t deserve her.”

“What the was that?”

Sehun’s fingers clutched at the boy’s collar, pressing his against the brick wall of the club. A chuckle fell from Jongin’s lips.

“What are you getting so defensive for?” He grinned, “I thought it didn’t matter?”

“ you.” Sehun spat, ripping himself away from the older boy.

“I could’ve treated her so much better.” Jongin declared, leaning his head back against the wall, “And you know it.”

“Shut the up.” The young boy grit his teeth.

“I wouldn’t have left her for a second. Not like you,” he sneered, “Wasting your time with a different woman every night.”

“I never-“

“You can’t even get over yourself long enough to think how she might be feeling right now, Sehun.” He raised his voice, losing control of the tremble in his tone, “Do you even know how many times I’ve had to watch her cry over you? Can you even imagine how frustrating that is? How-“

Sehun’s fist cracked as it came into contact with Jongin’s jaw, a sickening sensation tingling up his spine as he felt the boy’s bones shift between his knuckles. Jongin clutched at his face, fallen upon the cigarette ashes strewn across the sidewalk.

“You think I don’t know that?!” Sehun yelled, tugging at the strands of his hair as he ran his bloody fingers through the tresses. “You think it doesn’t bother me enough?! I don’t need you to lecture me! I already know it all!”

The thumping of the bass within the club pulsed through the stark silence of the night air, separated only by the panting breaths of both the boys. Sehun waited, watching as his friend remained on the floor, jaw clutched in his hand. When he didn’t respond, Sehun pulled out another cigarette, fingers trembling as he flicked the lighter to life. The smoke swam into his lungs, doing little to ease the jittering in his limbs, and he wished he’d had another drink.

“We’ve gotta stop coming out to these places all the time.”

The words seemed jumbled and slurred as Jongin groaned, sitting up, back against the wall, hand still pressed against his jaw. He tilted his head, just enough to make eye contact with the boy standing before him.

“Especially you.”

Sehun nodded feverishly, lips trembling. “Yeah.”

Another bout of silence encompassed the two before Sehun spoke up, “I’ll call us a cab. It’s getting late.”

“Yeah. Your fiancé will be worrying.”

“Yeah, probably.”

Jongin bit his lip, gazing at the small strands of grass growing between the cracks of the cement. “But maybe she shouldn’t.”

Sehun furrowed his brow, glancing down at his friend, rubbing his cheek tenderly. His olive skin smeared with blood, catching the lights of the street signs in an entirely different way now. His glanced up, catching the boy’s gaze, his lips twitching as he sighed.

“I really never did stand a chance, huh?”

“I’m sorry, hyung.”

“No,” he shook his head, despite the pain, “Just tell me honestly.”

Sehun didn’t respond, biting his lip before reaching a hand out to help the boy up. Jongin groaned as he leaned one arm against the wall, head hung down, gaze fixated on the floor.

“There wasn’t a chance was there?” his voice came out hardly more than a whisper, but this time, Sehun heard it clearly. “She could’ve never been mine, could she?”

“I don’t think I could let you, hyung.” He replied just as quietly, glancing blankly at his phone. A list of missed calls streamed down the screen and Sehun smiled.

“If you ever give me even the slightest opening,” Jongin mumbled, “I won’t hesistate, Sehun.”

The street hummed as the bright yellow of the cab zoomed into view, parking just beside the curb. Sehun helped his friend into the vehicle, sliding in himself as he slammed the door back into place. The cab accelerated past the string of neon lights and open bars, exiting the lively streets of the city and cruising into the dark, sleeping avenues of the suburban neighborhoods.

“Don’t worry, Jongin.” Sehun spoke lowly, “I won’t.”

The older boy rested his head against the cold frosty glass of the window, closing his eyes as he replied, “Good.”