“That was really cool they just let us in like that,” Jeonghan said as they entered the apartment.

Joshua laughed and waited until Vernon came inside to shut the door. “You learn to pull strings when you’re out here in LA.”

“You got us into Staples Center!” Jeonghan exclaimed, gleefully clutching his bag of souvenirs.

“You should come back when there’s an actual game next time,” Vernon joked.

The three of them had spent the afternoon hanging out inside LA’s famous stadium, even though there was no event going on. Joshua always had people laying around who were willing to help him out for two reasons. One: his sob story. And two: they were people who loved his singing. He didn’t usually enjoy the pity or unwarranted attention, but there were perks, which included being able to take a cute boy out for a nice day.

Jeonghan smiled and looked to Joshua. “We’ll definitely do that one day.”

Smiling right back at him, Joshua felt this warmth overcome him. It started happening more frequently ever since Jeonghan came. “We could go to a concert there, too.”

“Yeah, that sounds awesome!” Jeonghan sat down on the couch before asking. “They must put on huge performances there.”

“Yeah, the last thing I went to was a Maroon 5 concert,” Joshua replied, sitting down beside him.

“We should go next time they perform.”

Vernon chuckled and added, “We don’t need to go anywhere. Josh can just perform for us.”

Rolling his eyes, Joshua answered him, “Hardly the same thing.”

But Jeonghan was just confused. He furrowed his eyebrows and looked to the boy. “You sing?”

Slightly embarrassed, Joshua couldn’t contain the rosy color flushing his cheeks. “Yeah, kind of. I sing for fun and at home.” And on the street corners, he thought to himself, but he decided to leave that part out.

Just when Jeonghan thought he couldn’t get any better. “That’s so cool!”

“He’s really good,” Vernon said before Joshua could argue. “He plays the guitar too and it’s kind of really really great.”

“You play the guitar?!” The shock was written all over Jeonghan’s excited face.

“Yeah, I do,” he gently answered.

“Wow, Jisoo!” Jeonghan laughed. “You just continue to get more and more amazing.”

His heart beating like crazy, he just smiled. He couldn’t find words with this boy. Thankfully, Vernon was there to help move things along. “Give me a second!” he announced as he jogged over to Joshua’s room.

“Wait, what’re you doing?” Joshua called after him.

Before they knew it, he was back with Joshua’s most prized possession. Handing it to his cousin, he said, “Show us what you’ve got.”

Flustered and unsure, Joshua had never felt this way about playing in front of people before. He usually never got nervous. Holding the guitar in his lap, he scoffed. “Nah, it’s okay.”

“No, please play something!” Jeonghan pleaded. Unable to hold in his excitement, he really wanted to hear Joshua sing. If the boy’s talking was already that sweet, there was no telling how his singing voice would be. “Please!”

How am I supposed to say no to that face? Clearing his throat nervously, Joshua repositioned the guitar, sitting it comfortably along his lap. “Any requests?”

“Can you do Sunday Morning?” he asked eagerly.

Joshua almost choked at the suggestion. That was one of his go-tos. Why am I so nervous? I sing all the time. Just calm down. Without any words, Joshua nodded at Jeonghan’s glowing face. His hair was in a ponytail, but part of his bangs just fell along the side of his cheek. Straightening up, Joshua began to strum the familiar song. The second he started to sing, Jeonghan melted.

“Sunday morning, rain is falling. Steal some covers, share some skin.”

He felt goosebumps wash over his skin. Jeonghan was mesmerized. Joshua’s voice was smooth like rain and warm like the sun.

“Clouds are shrouding us in moments unforgettable. You twist to fit the mold that I am in.”

Joshua could feel the other boy’s gaze, but was too anxious to look back.

“But things just get so crazy, livin’ life gets hard to do. But I would gladly hit the road, get up and go if I knew.”

From across the coffee table, Vernon could see the chemistry between the two. He knew he was right to bring out the guitar.

“That someday it would lead me back to you.”

Jeonghan’s smile wouldn’t go away, and Joshua decided it was worth a glance. Gazing into Jeonghan’s eyes, he sang.

“That someday it would lead me back to you.”

Finishing the last strum, Joshua relaxed his shoulders. Turning away, he said, “Yeah, that should be good enough.”

His jaw nearly hanging open, Jeonghan couldn’t describe it. “Jisoo, that was amazing!”

Joshua blushed and replied, “No, I’m really not—”

“That was amazing!” Jeonghan interrupted him, so excited that he grabbed the boy’s arm. Joshua froze and turned to his smiling face. Jeonghan laughed and said, softer this time, “That was amazing.”

“Thanks,” he said back with a grin. Joshua had no idea what was coming over him. He’d sung to tons of people before, all types of people who seemed to have an interest in him. He’d done it to survive and last the twelve hours over in random countries. But he’d never felt like this after performing for someone. It was different and overwhelming. He wasn’t sure what to do.

Obviously, the two of them seemed to have completely forgotten about Vernon. Again. “Well,” Vernon said, causing them to jolt and break their gaze. As he stood up, he nodded at both of them. “As someone who’s heard Josh’s amazing voice many times, I’ve got a lot of homework to do.”

“Awww, okay,” Jeonghan said, sad that he had to go. He and Joshua might’ve been hitting it off in a different way, but he and Vernon were also becoming good friends.

Vernon smiled and headed to his room. “You guys have fun,” he said, waving behind him.

“Study hard, Vernon,” Joshua reminded him.

“As hard as I possibly can,” he replied sarcastically before disappearing into his bedroom. He knew they wouldn’t miss him too much.

Jeonghan watched as Joshua moved the guitar out of the way and rested it against the wall. “How long have you been playing?”

“Ummm, since I can remember,” he said as he leaned back into the couch. Staring up at the ceiling, he added, “My mom taught me when I was really little.”

Jeonghan joined him by slouching back as well. Readjusting his body to get more comfortable, he commented, “She must’ve been amazing too.”

Smiling, he responded, “She was even more amazing, trust me.”

“I believe you.”

Continuing to gaze forward at the empty TV, Joshua asked, “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“You and swim,” he clarified. “How long have you been doing that?”

Taking in a deep breath, Jeonghan let it out as he answered, “I guess I’m like you. Since I can remember.”

Nodding, Joshua was interested to hear more about the boy’s hobby. “You must practice really hard to get as good as you are.”

Chuckling, Jeonghan was flattered. “Yeah, it’s a lot of work. I don’t even know how many hours I’ve spent in the pool. Probably more than on land.” Joshua laughed with him as he went on. Fiddling with his fallen hair, he said, “But it’s what I’ve always wanted to do.”

“You’ve always wanted to be a swimmer?”

“Yeah,” he explained, smiling as he thought about his love for the sport. “It’s always been the dream. There’s just something about it that makes me feel...alive, I guess? Everything I’ve ever done was for swim and...I don’t know. It just feels right.”

Joshua nodded. The way Jeonghan spoke about his passion was intoxicating. “That’s awesome that you’re chasing what you really want to do.”

“Thanks,” he replied with a sigh. “But I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t consuming.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, like I said, everything I’ve ever done has been for swim. That includes my friends, my school, my home. I guess I just really miss living next door to Wonwoo sometimes,” he admitted. “I mean, if it wasn’t for swim, we’d probably be going to the same university and I wouldn’t have to try and get him to fly out here with me just so we could hang out.”

Joshua laughed, knowing Wonwoo would’ve loved to do that, but just couldn’t. “He wanted to be here, Jeonghan.”

“I know, and it was a long shot,” Jeonghan acknowledged. “But I wish it wouldn’t have to be that way. I wish I could see him more.”

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Joshua sunk deeper into the couch. “I know what you mean. Wonwoo and I don’t really get to see each other as often either.”

“It must be even harder for you guys.”

Shrugging, Joshua said, “It’s what the universe wants.”

“The universe?” Jeonghan chuckled.

Not realizing his poor word choice, he clarified, “I mean, it was just fate that we ended up on opposite sides of the planet. Did Wonwoo ever tell you how we met?”

Thinking it over, Jeonghan realized that he never asked. “No, actually.”

Joshua smiled, his eyes still closed. “I went to Korea for a summer with my mom when I was younger and we were at the market. I let go of her hand for maybe...30 seconds to go look at some fish. When I turned back around, she was gone and I was panicking. For some reason, nobody bothered to help me, except Wonwoo and his grandmother.” He laughed at the fake memory, imagining what that would’ve been like. “They helped me find her and we spent the rest of the day with them. Wonwoo and I really hit it off and decided to stay in touch, so we’ve chatted and all these things for the longest time. I remember wishing that Wonwoo could come home with us when we left, but my mom told me it was destiny that we even met in the first place.”

Jeonghan could listen to Joshua talk for hours. His voice was just as soothing as when he sang. Maybe it was the way he told stories or how he spoke with such rhythm, but Jeonghan always found himself captivated. Noticing that the boy was done talking, Jeonghan smiled and shut his eyes as well. “So do you believe in all that stuff?”

“What stuff?”

“Destiny,” Jeonghan said. “Fate. The universe. Do you think it’s all real?”

Joshua finally lifted his lids and looked over at Jeonghan’s grinning, adorable face. “Yeah,” he said, totally forgetting he was even a Jumper. Just seeing Jeonghan was enough for him to answer. “It’s real.”

— — —

“Okay, I know I’ve asked this before, but please refresh my memory,” Minghao said as he trailed behind Junhui through the airport. “How did you and Hoshi meet?”

Junhui glanced over his shoulder to see that his friend hadn’t gotten lost in the sea of people. “You seriously never listen to me, do you?”

“I’m just clarifying,” he chuckled.

Slowing his pace just a little, Junhui walked along side Minghao. “We got queued together in a League game a long time ago. He was the only person who wasn’t deathly annoying so we played some more games together and kept talking. Turned out we got along really well,” he explained, leading them to the proper terminal. “He loves Kpop and helped me improve my Korean. We became good friends.”

Minghao had been hearing about Hoshi for years in passing, but he never thought the day would come where they all actually got to meet. Junhui always spoke fondly of him, making Minghao a little jealous even though he knew nothing romantic was there. He was genuinely excited to meet his best friend’s friend. “It’s so cool you finally get to meet him in person.”

“Right?” Junhui uttered. “I’m so excited! He’s bringing his friend cause, like I said, they’re coming out for work.”

The two of them finally stopped in front of the right gate and stood beside the other anxious people waiting. Standing there, Minghao realized, “Hey, you never told me what he does.”

Surprised at himself for never mentioning it, Junhui said, “Oh, he’s a reporter. He does photography on the side so we’ve exchanged photos. He’s pretty good.”

Pleased that he would have another person to talk about his passion with, Minghao nodded. “Nice.”

“Aju nice,” Junhui replied, playfully raising his eyebrow.

“You’re such a dork,” Minghao replied, nudging him in the ribs.

Laughing with a big ol’ smile, Junhui said, “I think you and Hoshi will get along.”

Minghao was thinking when the terminal doors finally opened and people started flooding out. He watched the mostly Korean folk stream out and eagerly meet their awaiting loved ones. Junhui was craning his neck to make sure he wasn’t missing his friend. Still in his own head, Minghao realized something else. “Hey,” he said, getting Junhui’s attention. “Why’s his name Hoshi? He’s Korean isn’t he? Why does he have a Japanese name?”

Junhui chuckled and turned his head back to keep an eye out. “That’s his screen name. I guess I’ve just always called him that,” Junhui explained. “His real name’s Soonyoung. Kwon Soonyoung.”

For some reason, that name rung a bell in Minghao’s head, but not loud enough for him to think anything of it. He said, “That’s cool. What does he call you?”

“I’m lame. I’m just Jun.”

Minghao laughed, not finding that lame at all. “Cute.”

“I know right?” Junhui laughed.

“What’s his friend’s name?” he asked just out of curiosity.

“He said his name’s Lee Jihoon.”

Another bell went off in Minghao’s head and it was starting to bother him. Where do I know that name from? he thought. I’ve definitely heard that somewhere before. Soonyoung too.

But just as Minghao was about to ask him more, Junhui’s face lit up and he started waving. “There he is!” he said to Minghao before yelling, “HOSHI! OVER HERE, HOSHI!”

Minghao’s line of sight followed to where his friend was staring. He could see someone who was supposedly Soonyoung with light colored hair smiling and waving back. “JUN!!” he hollered as he rushed over.

Junhui eagerly made his way through the crowd to join his friend. But Minghao stood frozen where he was. His eyes grew wide as he saw the person behind Soonyoung. The person he knew for a fact was Jihoon. The person with the pink hair. He’d definitely heard their names before.

Minghao’s heart was racing and he had no idea what to do. Everything was lining up in his head, even if it was at a painfully slow rate.

They’re from Korea…

They’re reporters…

Soonyoung and Jihoon…

Jihoon has…

Pink hair…

Minghao couldn’t believe it. This has to be some sort of coincidence, he tried to convince himself. There is no way that these are the Soonyoung and Jihoon Wonwoo’s always talked about. No freakin way. Minghao refused to believe it…but he had to be certain.

After standing there panicking for a sold thirty seconds, he rapidly flipped around and pulled out his phone. He immediately went to his texts and shot Wonwoo a message, leaving in some typos along the way.

Minghao
DUDW DUDE WHST ARW SOONUPUNG AN D JUGOONS LAST NAMES

Looking behind him to make sure nothing was happening, Minghao saw that Junhui and Soonyoung were still hugging and greeting each other. Sweat started forming on his head as he felt his phone vibrate. Wonwoo responded right away.

Wonwoo
Whos soonupung and jugoon??

Frustrated with himself, Minghao aggressively typed back.

Minghao
SOONYOUNG AND JIHOON

He only had to wait another few seconds.

Wonwoo
Its kwon soonyoung
And lee jihoon
Most annoying people in the world
Why?

Minghao’s heart dropped. Everything shattered right in front of him. They’re the bad guys. Somehow, he and Junhui were thrown in with Wonwoo’s worst enemies. His worst nightmare. The people who were trying to expose him for what made him different...the same thing that made Minghao different. They were here.

Taking in a deep breath, Minghao tried to stay calm, even though he was losing his . Closing his eyes, he braced himself before he turned back around. Attempting to clear his mind, Minghao’s last thought was, All the crap we get from the universe…

Pulling himself together, he spun back around and put on his most convincing smile. At this point, Junhui was gesturing for him to join them. “Minghao! Get over here!” he called out in Korean. With their new guests, a switch in language was appropriate.

Jogging over, he said, “Sorry, my mom messaged me.”

Junhui smiled and clutched him around the shoulders. “Hoshi, this is Minghao, the one I’ve been telling you all about,” he laughed. Putting his hand forward at the two people in front of them, he told Minghao. “This is Hoshi and Jihoon.”

Soonyoung chuckled and eagerly put out his hand to shake Minghao’s. “You can call me Soonyoung if you want.”

That grin still plastered to his face, Minghao nodded. “It’s so nice to finally meet you. I know you and Junhui have been friends for a long time.”

“Not as long as you two,” Soonyoung joked. “Gosh, yeah it’s so great to meet you! Jun always raves about you.”

Now right in front of him, Minghao could see the signature slanty eyes Wonwoo would talk about whenever he mentioned Soonyoung. “Eyes of pure evil,” Minghao recalled him saying. But from his view, Minghao could only see how those eyes smiled back at him, filled with such happiness and anticipation. It was amazing how friendly this boy looked.

Helplessly uncomfortable by what was going through his mind, Minghao directed his attention to the shorter boy smiling at him. “Nice to meet you too, Jihoon.”

Showing off his shining teeth, Jihoon shook his hand and replied, “You too, you too. Wow, Soonyoung told me you guys both spoke Korean but I didn’t think you’d be THIS fluent.”

Jihoon’s mannerisms were also throwing him off. Wonwoo had described Jihoon’s height and his pink hair, but he also said that he was harsh and cold. Minghao wasn’t getting any of that. He seemed warm and genuine.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Minghao said, “Yeah, we both just learned really well for our own reasons.”

“That’s so awesome. Sorry we don’t know Mandarin. I’ve been learning but I’m nowhere near where you guys are with Korean,” he complimented them.

In so much distress, Minghao was almost bothered by how nice these two were considering all the stories Wonwoo told him. Obviously it made sense that they weren’t always terrible, nosey people, but it bugged him how normal they could be. It was like any hero story. You don’t want to know how kind the bad guy can be to their pets or their family. It makes it so much harder to hate them. Do not humanize the enemy.

“Thanks,” Minghao choked out.

Junhui was pleased to see that everyone was getting acquainted. Already dragging Soonyoung’s luggage, he asked, “So how far is your hotel from here?”

“Ummm, like thirty minutes, I think,” Soonyoung answered, trying to recall what he read from his itinerary. “It’s close to the panda,” he chuckled.

“That panda’s gonna be so excited to know you guys flew all the way out here for her,” Junhui laughed.

“Oh definitely,” Soonyoung joked with him. “But yeah, the company booked the room so…”

“So we expect it to be small and dank,” Jihoon finished for him.

With a slight chuckle, Junhui began to lead the way out of the airport. “That’s okay. We’ll be out a lot anyway. You’ll barely see your hotel room.”

“We’ll just see a lot of you guys,” Soonyoung excitedly added.

Swallowing and keeping his smile, Minghao thought to himself, Not after 6pm you won’t. And with that thought, every fiber of his being hoped that they wouldn’t notice.

— — —

“32 to 24.”

Wonwoo loosened his muscles and caught the ball as Seungcheol bounced it back to him. “Don’t get too comfortable,” he declared. “I’m just warming up.”

Smirking, Seungcheol went back to defending him. “Better get hot fast then. 8 points is a lot to come back from.”

The trash talk was keeping Mingyu and Milkshake entertained along the sidelines. He and his feline friend watched as the two played one v. one. Dribbling and keeping the smack alive, Wonwoo replied, “8 points my .” With that, he swiftly stepped past Seungcheol to go up for a jumpshot. With a swish, the ball fell beautifully through the hoop and down to the ground. Raising his eyebrow, he added, “6 points is nothing.”

Laughing, Seungcheol went to get the ball. Bouncing it a few times, he looked over to Mingyu. “Are you sure you don’t want to get your whipped, Mingyu?”

Rolling his eyes, Mingyu replied, “I think I’m okay over here.”

With a smile, Seungcheol was about to get back in the game when he got a phone call. “One sec,” he said, tossing the rock to Wonwoo and picking up the phone.

Wonwoo cried out, “Yeah, make your excuses old man!”

Seungcheol laughed and stepped away to talk. Wonwoo looked over at Mingyu and smiled at Milkshake. “You might want to cover her eyes. It’s about to get ugly up in here.”

“You and Seungcheol should not be allowed to play together,” Mingyu remarked with a chuckle. “The trash talk is just so unbelievably bad.”

Wonwoo laughed and dribbled a few times before taking some practice shots. He was missing an awful lot today. “You should really play with us.”

“Then the teams would be uneven,” he pointed out.

“Yeah, you’d be on Seungcheol’s team,” Wonwoo said. “Help out the guy.”

“You do know you’re losing, right?” Mingyu teased.

Wonwoo took another shot and watched as the ball bounced off the rim. “I’m just off my game today.”

Mingyu laughed and was about to make fun of his friend some more when Seungcheol came jogging back to them. “Hey guys, I’m really sorry but I have to go,” he told them.

“Aww, what?” Wonwoo complained. “I was just ready to kick some serious .”

Seungcheol patted him on the shoulder and said, “Be honest, Wonwoo. You’d never kick my .”

“Well, now you’ll never know.”

Seungcheol chuckled and gathered his things. “I’ll see you guys later, okay?”

“Yeah, for a rematch!”

“You’re on!” he said, pointing at him as he back pedalled off. “Bye guys!”

“Bye, hyung!” Mingyu called out after him. Within moments, he was out of sight.

Wonwoo sighed and said, “Looks like it’s just you and me.”

“How did I ever get so lucky,” Mingyu replied, sarcasm just oozing from his voice. Milkshake was clearly amused.

Wonwoo smiled and, without warning, chucked the ball at him. With an umph, Mingyu caught it between his hands. “Hey!”

“Play with me!” Wonwoo shouted.

Mingyu put the ball aside and shook his head. “I don’t like sports, Wonwoo.”

“You don’t like anything active. You were just using that two v. one as an excuse, weren’t you?”

With a scoff, Mingyu said, “Kim Mingyu does not like sports because Kim Mingyu was always a benchwarmer in high school.”

Wonwoo laughed and went over to him. Grabbing his wrists, he started pulling the boy up. “Kim Mingyu is no longer in high school and needs to play with Jeon Wonwoo, otherwise Jeon Wonwoo is gonna be lonely.” With the boy standing straight up in front of him, Wonwoo had to look up to meet his gaze. “Kim Mingyu also needs to stop talking in the third person.”

Mingyu watched as Wonwoo bent over to get the ball. “I said I don’t like sports.”

“Just try,” Wonwoo said, putting the ball into his hands. “We’re here. Might as well get some shots in.”

“Unlike you, right?” Mingyu teased.

“Wow, see,” Wonwoo laughed. “You know the smack talk. Now just show me the moves.”

Dribbling the ball a few times, Mingyu walked onto the court. With some hesitation, he tossed it into the air and watched as it fell through the hoop.

In shock, Wonwoo couldn’t contain his smile. Sending the ball back to Mingyu, he teased, “Someone’s quite the hustler, aren’t they?”

Mingyu laughed and threw up another shot. Straight in the hole. He smirked over at Wonwoo. “I have no idea what you mean.”

“It’s cause you’re so tall, isn’t it?” Wonwoo joked, passing him the ball again. “The height is an automatic advantage with this sport.”

With another perfect basket, Mingyu laughed. “I guess it has to be.”

The two of them bantered back and forth as Mingyu continued to make every shot. Wonwoo couldn’t lie. It was pretty attractive how good Mingyu was.

As they continued, when the teasing and conversation slowed down, Wonwoo decided to bring something up that had been on his mind. “Mingyu.”

“Yeah?” he said from half court.

“You asked me why I love you.”

Looking over at him, Mingyu raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?” Setting up for another shot, he wasn’t sure where this was going.

“Then can I ask you,” Wonwoo started, “why you’re even friends with me, especially after all this?”

Having already released the ball, Mingyu watched as he missed. He stood there just looking at Wonwoo, not really sure what to say. Trying to brush it off, he replied, “I guess you can ask. Doesn’t mean I’ll answer.”

Wonwoo rolled his eyes. “Come on, how is that fair?”

“I never said it was.” Getting the ball himself, Mingyu was trying to distract from the subject at hand.

But Wonwoo was focused. He walked over to the boy who was ignoring his gaze. “Just...give me something to go off of,” he insisted. This idea had been wracking Wonwoo’s mind. “I must be doing something right for you to stick around.”

Mingyu paused and glanced over at his friend. Thinking it over, Mingyu had so many things come up in his mind, but nothing he could pull into words. Turning his attention again, he threw up another shot. With a swoosh, it fell the the floor. “I don’t know, Wonwoo.”

A little defeated, Wonwoo tried to keep face. “You seriously can’t think of one thing you like about me?”

“No, I can think of a ton of those.” Mingyu immediately responded. He blushed once he realized what he said.

But Wonwoo was satisfied. “Then tell me!” he eagerly exclaimed.

“No!” Mingyu fired back.

“Come on,” Wonwoo laughed. “Tell me! Everything I think of is already out there!”

“No, I’m not letting you in my head!” Mingyu went under the net to retrieve the ball.

“But you’re already in mine!” Wonwoo called after him.

“No!”

“Tell me!”

“Fine!” Mingyu uttered as he twisted around to face the boy who was ruining everything. Staring at Wonwoo’s anticipating eyes, Mingyu scoffed. “I like how you and the cats get along. I like how easily we can talk about really anything. I like how you’ve always managed to make me...feel safe, even when I’m helplessly annoyed. I like how you’ve shared who you are with me,” he bluntly listed out. With a sigh, Mingyu looked away. “I don’t know. You have a nice smile. You’re not ugly,” he had to admit, a little embarrassed.

But Wonwoo was thrilled. His heart was soaring and he thought his legs might give out. But he knew not to do anything too crazy. He smiled. “How generous of you to say that.”

“I’m just spitting stuff out here,” Mingyu grumbled, tossing the basketball into the grass as he went to go sit with Milkshake again.

Wonwoo followed him and sat in front of them. “I’m just messing with you. All of that really means a lot to me.” He flashed a soft grin. “Thanks.”

“Yeah,” Mingyu said under his breath, refusing to look at the boy.

Seeing that Mingyu wasn’t going to say more, Wonwoo pursed his lips and got lost in his own mind for a moment. As he thought of all things that Mingyu just said, he made some connections. Smiling, he said, “I hope you realize those reasons are pretty similar to why I love you.”

Mingyu paused and glared up at him. “I just complimented you. Do you want me to take it back?”

“I’m just pointing it out,” Wonwoo said, putting his arms up in defense.

“Something you never fail to do,” Mingyu said in his annoyed voice.

As annoyed as Mingyu was, Wonwoo was determined. All of a sudden, Wonwoo felt this wave of desire. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to have Mingyu share his feelings. “Mingyu, you feel the same way about me as I do about you,” Wonwoo told him, not holding anything back this time around. He took every shot he could get. Wonwoo could just tell that Mingyu was feeling something more than he was putting out. He had to be.

But Mingyu still wasn’t having it. “No, I don’t.”

“You just said—”

“Yeah, but I’m not in love with you, Wonwoo,” Mingyu interrupted him. “I’m just...not.”

Wonwoo sighed in yet another defeat. He knew what he said before. He knew that he told himself he could handle waiting for Mingyu to return his feelings, but it just felt like he was so close sometimes. It hurt how close he thought they were. “Can I at least ask what’s holding you back?”

“What?”

Wonwoo knew that was pushing it. He was letting his emotions get the better of him. “Never mind,” he said weakly, dropping his head.

But for the first time, Mingyu could truly see the disappointment in Wonwoo’s face. Mingyu could sense the sorrow in his friend’s voice. Wonwoo had always been so good at staying confident and keeping his face. It was the first time that Mingyu truly felt bad for his lack of feelings. He could see now that it was really affecting him. “Wonwoo,” Mingyu said softly,

But as if a switch was just flipped, Wonwoo’s head popped back up and he smiled. “It’s getting late, Mingyu.”

“Wonwoo, I’m sorry—”

“You can stop apologizing,” Wonwoo insisted as he stood up. Holding in his pain, Wonwoo knew that that was the only way to keep Mingyu by his side. He allowed himself to show his love, but he forced himself to conceal his sadness. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

Mingyu checked the time. It was 5:40. Even if Wonwoo wanted to stay, he couldn’t. With a gentle nod, Mingyu nodded. “I’ll see you later.”

Wonwoo gave him one last smile before leaving the same way Seungcheol did. When he was out of sight, he hunched over and let out a huge breath. I don’t know how much longer I can do this, he thought to himself. Loving Mingyu was so consuming, but it was so painful at the same time. Hearing Mingyu say such wonderful things was amazing, but realizing that even those things weren’t enough for the boy to love him back was like a punch to the face. He couldn’t be his confident, playful self for much longer. And Wonwoo really didn’t know what to do.

Still sitting next to Milkshake on the grass, Mingyu was also uncomfortable. He’d never witnessed Wonwoo with that expression before. In all the rejection and bluntness from him, Mingyu was shocked that what he liked about Wonwoo got him this way. “That wasn’t good, Milkshake,” he said as he her head. Things were just fine and then the tone completely shifted once they started talking about what usually made Mingyu get uneasy. Wonwoo was never the one to walk away or get down like that.

“I don’t know how much longer we can do this,” Mingyu said, realizing they were nearing Wonwoo’s threshold and it made him feel awful. He definitely didn’t want to lose his best friend, but what could he do? Admit he was in love? But he wasn’t, at least not in his head. He never wanted a relationship. Still...maybe Wonwoo was right? Mingyu felt the same way and just didn’t recognize it as love?

But that wasn’t the biggest point of interest at the moment. Mingyu was just thinking about how sad Wonwoo sounded when he said ‘never mind.’ Weirdly enough though, Mingyu knew the answer to the boy’s retracted question.

“Can I at least ask you what’s holding you back?”

What if he’s forcing all of this? Mingyu couldn’t help but think. This was a thought that Mingyu always had when it came to Wonwoo’s feelings. He couldn’t fully trust them. He just wants to stop jumping. I can’t love him back...cause what if he doesn’t even love me?

Knowing the cat couldn’t read his mind, he still told Milkshake, “That’s what’s holding me back.”

— — —

“Seriously, guys. You didn’t all have to come up here with me,” Minghao said as he uneasily unlocked his apartment.

“It’s okay,” Jihoon replied from behind. “We’re all going to lunch together. We don’t mind waiting.”

Minghao smiled and nodded as he opened the door to his home. “Umm, just give me a second to grab my stuff and I’ll be right out.”

“No problem,” Junhui insisted.

Minghao quickly scampered off to his room to get his photography things. He needed to be fast. Having Jihoon and Soonyoung in his house was already making him uncomfortable.

As Soonyoung stepped into the living room, he glanced all around him in awe. “Wow, Jun! You weren’t kidding when you said Minghao’s pictures were fantastic!” he exclaimed.

Chuckling, Junhui was proud his friend’s talent was being recognized. “Right? He’s kind of really good.”

Jihoon smiled and walked along the walls like at an art exhibit. “And he took all of these?”

“Most of them,” he explained. “Some of them are his dad’s.”

“Wow,” Soonyoung uttered. “Talent runs in the family.”

Junhui smiled and pointed out some of his favorites to Soonyoung. At the same time, Jihoon was impressed with all of the breathtaking photos. He was making his way across the room when he stopped abruptly at the couch. There was a canvas hanging just above it of a Chinese market. But it wasn’t the market that grabbed Jihoon’s attention.

“Soonyoung,” he said, trying to stay calm, but his eyes were wide and his heart was racing. Keeping his hand from shaking, he gestured his partner over. “Come look at this one.”

Soonyoung walked over to see it, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw who was in it. “Oh my god.”

Pleased with their reactions, Junhui said, “Yeah, I’ve always liked that photo. Minghao took it in Tianzifang.”

But that wasn’t what they were curious about. Both of them stared at the profile of the person in the picture. It was blurry, but they recognized him immediately. “It can’t be,” Soonyoung said under his breath.

Flashes of all of the information they gathered went through Jihoon’s head.

He’s nowhere to be seen after 6pm…

He only has a few friends…

Mingyu says he travels a lot…

Everything was adding up with this picture. But it was a long shot.

Jihoon turned back to Junhui and pointed at the boy in the photo. “Do you know who that is there?”

Taken aback, Junhui had no idea why they wanted to know. “That? That’s Minghao’s cousin, Wonwoo.”

Lost in his own head, Soonyoung immediately flipped around. “Wonwoo?!” he uttered involuntarily.

Both of them staring at him now, Junhui was even more confused. “Uhhh, yeah. Why?”

As reporters, Jihoon and Soonyoung knew better than to jump to conclusions. They always needed to double check their sources. “What’s his last name?”

“Ummm,” Junhui tried to recall. “I actually don’t know. Why? Do you know him?”

“Quite possibly,” Jihoon replied, the rush of discovery taking him over.

“Really? Woah,” Junhui laughed, in shock at how small the world could be, “I’ll ask. Minghao!” he called out.

Finishing up stuffing everything into his bag, Minghao ran out of his bedroom. “Yeah?”

“What’s your cousin’s last name?”

Minghao furrowed his eyebrows as he came into view. “What?”

“Your cousin, Wonwoo,” Junhui clarified.

Minghao stopped dead in his tracks. His arms got cold and he didn’t know what was happening. “What, why?” he stammered.

Junhui nodded and pointed up at the picture in front of them. Minghao rounded the corner and could now see Jihoon and Soonyoung staring at it above the couch. Jihoon turned to him and explained, “We’re just wondering if we know him.”

Unable to breathe, Minghao couldn’t think. Panicking more than he had in a while, Minghao knew he couldn’t tell them Wonwoo’s real last name. For some reason, Joshua was the only person coming to mind. “Hong,” he spit out. “His name’s Hong Wonwoo.”

Slightly disappointed, Soonyoung relaxed his shoulders. “Ahh, so it’s a different guy.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Minghao said through his breath. Trying to be nonchalant, he said, “Come on. We can head out now.”

Junhui and Soonyoung nodded as they followed Minghao towards the door, but Jihoon lingered behind to just stare at this ‘Hong Wonwoo’ for another moment. He wasn’t buying it.

He’s nowhere to be seen after 6pm…

He only has a few friends…

Mingyu says he travels a lot…

He has someone in Shanghai…?

Who’s willing to lie for him…?

“Jihoon,” Minghao called after him. “You coming?”

Jihoon nodded and finally turned away. “Yeah!” He rushed out as Minghao shut and locked the door behind him. And as the four of them walked down the hall and stepped into the elevator, Jihoon could sense that this trip was going to be about a lot more than just a panda.

— — —

“And that…,” Seokmin said as he put on the finishing touches. With a sigh of relief, he straightened his back and loosened out his shoulders, “...is how you perfectly ice a cake.”

Mingyu slowly applauded as his friend wiped off the tip of the icing piper. “That was breathtaking,” he said blankly.

With a slight bow, Seokmin smiled. “All in a day’s work.”

Mingyu glanced around at the empty bakery. He was sitting at one of the small tables at the front of the store. “Yeah, it really looks like a working day for you.”

“Hey, I’ve prepared like five cakes since you’ve gotten here. That’s pretty impressive.”

“I’m not saying it wasn’t,” Mingyu laughed. “It’s just, ya know, not terribly awful.”

Seokmin scoffed, “I would really like to see you try and do this. Maybe then you’ll appreciate my craft.”

“Pick a day,” Mingyu replied, remembering his smack talk lesson from Wonwoo. “My icing will wipe the floor with yours.”

Laughing at his friend, Seokmin wiped his hands on his apron. “You better watch that mouth, boy. One day it’s gonna get you into trouble.”

Mingyu chuckled and was prepared to say more when the front door opened and the bell chimed above it. He turned his head and was surprised by who walked in, but they didn’t notice him yet.

“Hi, welcome to Carat Bakery,” Seokmin greeted them.

“Hi,” Seungkwan replied with a grin before anxiously turning back to his friend. “I’ve put my resume out at like four different places, Chan. I’m seriously never gonna get a job around here.”

Chan pushed him through the shop up towards Seokmin at the counter. “It doesn’t hurt to keep applying to more places. Plus, you’re a great baker. And it smells amazing in here.”

Furrowing his eyebrows, Mingyu let himself be noticed. “Chan? Seungkwan?”

The two of them quickly turned to the person calling their names. Seeing Mingyu for the first time since...well, the first time, their eyes lit up. “Hey, Mingyu!” Chan and Seungkwan exclaimed.

Genuinely shocked, Seokmin asked his friend, “Wait Mingyu, you actually know people?”

Rolling his eyes, Mingyu stood up to properly introduce the two youngsters. “This is Chan and Seungkwan. I met them cause they’re friends of Wonwoo.”

“Oh!” Seokmin uttered. “That makes a lot more sense.” Smiling brightly at both of them, he stuck out his hand. “Hi, nice to meet you. I’m Seokmin, Mingyu’s roommate.”

“Nice to meet you too,” Seungkwan said as he shook his hand.

Chan followed suit. “Yeah, we met Mingyu a few weeks ago.” He turned to look at Wonwoo’s special friend. He would probably never get used to how tall the boy was. “It’s so great bumping into you here.”

“You guys looking for jobs?” Mingyu asked, recalling what they said when they first walked in.

Seungkwan raised his hand. “Actually, just me.” He looked to Seokmin and handed him one of his resumes. “I saw that you guys had a help wanted sign out front and was hoping I could maybe get an interview.”

Seokmin glanced over the paper before saying, “Yeah, definitely. None of the managers are in right now, but I can let them know you stopped by.” Leaning over the counter, Seokmin put his hand up and pretended to whisper, “But to be honest, you’ll for sure get the job. That sign’s been up for months and no one’s come in.”

Seungkwan laughed and punched his fist in the air. “Yes! That’s exactly what I needed to hear!”

The other three laughed at his antics. Seokmin could already tell that he liked this kid. “If you want, I can actually show you around the place a little.”

“Really?” Seungkwan stared at him with eager eyes. “Can you do that?”

“As long as you don’t try to kill me or something,” Seokmin half joked and half said as a test to see Seungkwan’s response.

Drawing an X over his heart, he replied perfectly, “I’d never dream of it.”

“That’s what I wanted to hear.” Nodding, Seokmin lifted the counter piece to let him through. “It’s a slow day. If you start working when it’s really crowded, you’ll never get a chance to see everything. I can give you a quick tour.”

“Yes, that’d be awesome! Thanks so much!” Seungkwan exclaimed as he made his way to the other side.

Seokmin looked over to Mingyu. “Call me out if any customers come in.”

“You got it,” he replied.

With a smile, Seokmin opened the door to the back and asked Seungkwan, “So you like baking, huh?”

But Chan and Mingyu didn’t get to hear that answer as the door swung behind them. Chan chuckled and turned to the taller boy. “I think the two of them will get along.”

“As long as Seungkwan’s not hiding some deep dark secret, they should be fine,” Mingyu joked as he sat back down.

Chan joined him across the table. “Well, it’s a good thing I’m not working here then.”

Mingyu smiled. Chan was just as bright as he remembered. Something about his presence was already relaxing. “Yeah.”

Grinning back at him, Chan asked, “So how’ve you been?”

“Pretty good,” he responded. “You?”

“Same thing,” Chan said with a nod. Trying not to bring up the topic too abruptly, he gently added, “But I heard there are definitely some different things going on for you.”

“You mean with Wonwoo and his annoying heart?” Mingyu questioned, raising an eyebrow at him.

Chan laughed and nodded. “Yes, exactly that.”

“Yeah, that’s definitely been...fun,” was the only way he could describe it.

“I know this stuff’s really not your thing,” Chan said, trying to make sure he wasn’t making Mingyu uncomfortable. “I hope you don’t mind me talking about it.”

Batting the air beside him, Mingyu shook his head. “No, it’s fine. I’ve gotten used to it.” Which was true. Before, Mingyu would’ve been bothered out of his wits by this topic, but he was getting more and more immune to his own disgust.

“So can I ask?”

“What?”

Chan chuckled before asking, “On a scale of 0 to Wonwoo, how in love are you?”

Mingyu let out a weak laugh as he cringed internally. He was getting used to it, but the love still caused a reaction. “Is that even an accurate scale?”

“According to Wonwoo it is,” he shrugged. “I assume you know that already.”

“Yeah, I know,” he said. Thinking about what that meant, he sighed. “Sometimes I seriously question that though.”

Chan was taken aback. He heard it, but he wasn’t sure if Mingyu was implying what he was already thinking. “What?”

Mingyu sighed again and just looked away. For some reason, he felt like he could open up to Chan, someone who would for sure know what he was going through. “I mean, doesn’t this feel a little...unreal?” he asked, seriously curious about the answer. “Like, his feelings...developed so fast.” He wasn’t used to sharing these internal thoughts with people, so it was hard for him to describe. “I don’t know. It’s just weird, I guess.”

“No, I get what you’re saying,” Chan reassured him.

He looked over at him. “He’s talked to you about this?”

Chan nodded. “We’ve spoken extensively. Actually, I’ve been the one who’s been having your concerns.”

Not really sure what that meant, Mingyu wanted to clarify. “What do you mean?”

Chan let out his own sigh and leaned over the table. “I know it’s really none of my business, but I really want what’s best for Wonwoo, which includes protecting him from himself. I’ve been asking him about his feelings for you and how they developed. Don’t get me wrong, I have no doubt he really cares for you and does love you…” He paused to collect his thoughts. “But you’re right. It’s been fast. And I worry...that he’s doing this for the wrong reasons.”

Mingyu listened and felt a mixture of emotions. Part of him was glad to know somebody else was noticing these things about Wonwoo’s feelings. He wasn’t just imagining them but they were actual, legitimate concerns. But at the same time, he was upset that he wasn’t wrong. He was upset that his concerns seemed to be real, at least enough that one of Wonwoo’s close friends noticed.

“So it’s not just me who sees it,” Mingyu said weakly under his breath.

“I’m afraid not,” Chan replied. “I mean, obviously, I’m not Wonwoo and I can’t speak for him, Mingyu. Don’t take anything that I tell you to heart because I could be totally off base.”

“No,” Mingyu told him. “No, don’t worry. This is just something I think about too. I just worry that he’s rushing his emotions...to stop.”

“Yeah. That’s exactly what I asked him about.”

Mingyu was surprised to hear that Chan had approached Wonwoo about it. “And?” he asked, extremely curious to know how the boy responded.

“He just said that that wasn’t true. That he’s truly in love with you.”

Mingyu let that soak in. It sounded like something Wonwoo would say. But still. “I don’t know, Chan,” he sighed.

“I get it,” he replied, sympathy all there for the person his friend cared so much about. It was weird though, because he seemed to be more on Mingyu’s side rather than his friend’s in this situation. “But hey, Wonwoo says his feelings aren’t for any other reason. I think we should at least honor him for that until…”

“Until he proves otherwise?” Mingyu said, uneasy at the idea that Wonwoo was actually using him. He was even more uncomfortable at that notion after noticing how his own emotions were developing.

That’s what’s holding me back.

Chan smiled back at him. “I don’t think he’ll prove otherwise, Mingyu.”

“Right,” he said with a nod.

Chan lightly smacked him on the arm. “Hey, look at it this way. He’s either in love with you or he isn’t, which means you get to continue to deal with him or you never have to deal with this lovey dovey crap again. That looks like a win-win situation for you, Mingyu.”

With a gentle grin, Mingyu said, “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right. It’s a win-win.” But Mingyu was lying. His heart was pounding in his ears. In his head, this was not a win-win. In one of those situations, he would definitely be the one to lose.

hope you guys liked that chapter :D thank you for being so patient as always XD seriously these chapters are just getting super duper long but yeah hope you enjoyed XD yes soonyoung and jihoon are causing trouble in china already and wonwoo is dealing with his feelings and so is mingyu and everythings just all over the place lol we're getting somewhere guys dont worry ;) but yeah! oh and sidebar: i dont know if you noticed but this is actually the very first chapter where all 13 members make an appearance XD yeah actually i dont think theres even been a chapter where all of them were mentioned like in passing or something but yeah XD the gangs all here <3 anyway thanks again for reading and subscribing and upvoting and commenting! seriously whnever i feel down or something i look back at all the comments and it means a lot to me so thank you all OH AND THANK YOU TO ANYBODY WHO HELPED ME GET TO KNOW MONSTA X AND ASTRO they were phenomenal at kcon!!! AS WELL AS ALL THE OTHER ARTISTS BUT IM GONNA STOP TALKING CAUSE I TALK TOO MUCH XD see you guys in 2 weeks! august 27th! hopefully sooner tho <3 i love you and again thank you!