Wonwoo closed his eyes and took a deep breath in. As he stepped onto the sidewalk, he let it out.

It had been about a week since he’d last gone outside. Well, that wasn’t completely true. As a Jumper, he was outside for almost half of each day, but this was his first time voluntarily being out. And in Korea.

A few days had passed since he saw Chan and Joshua, then Minghao the next morning. Seeing his friends let Wonwoo breathe a little better and reminded him that there were still people on the planet he cared about, even if his grandmother was gone. So maybe it was time to stop hiding away. There was no harm in going outside, right?

Zipping up his jacket, Wonwoo braced the cold and walked down the street. He didn’t really have a place in mind. His ears were refamiliarizing themselves with the sounds of the city. Early on in his jumping lifetime, Wonwoo noticed each urban place had its own unique sort of music. The ways the cars drove by. The steps the people took. The language they spoke, obviously. All were different, and no place quite sounded like Seoul.

Another reason his ears had to readjust was because he hadn’t been listening to a lot of Kpop lately. He didn’t want to mix his sadness with his favorite songs.

Wonwoo watched the city scenery play out around him. Walking aimlessly, he had gone for about fifteen minutes before his mind started to run again. Images of his grandmother flashed in his head and he tried to shake them away.

No, I cannot cry out here. Not right now.

He would cry again later. Right now, he was going for a walk. But then that brought the guilt…

How can I not think about her? My beautiful grandmother is gone…

But he shook himself when he thought…

No, she wouldn’t want me to be like this! She wouldn’t want me to be so sad all the time…

Wonwoo sighed and couldn’t control his heart. It ached no matter what he thought.

Nothing changed how he felt so he just kept walking. But with his eyes forward, he heard the bell of a door from the shop he was about to walk by. And when he saw who was coming out, he froze.

Soonyoung let the door swing shut behind him as he kept the phone pressed to his ear. Come on, Seokmin, pick up, he anxiously thought. He had to tell him something. But as his gaze went up, he looked to his left to find Wonwoo standing just a few yards away. His heart sank and his arm fell limp to his side. That feeling of guilt immediately filled his insides.

For a split second, they just stared.

Until Soonyoung realized what he needed to do. Waving his hand up, he yelled out, “Wonwoo!”

And instinctively, Wonwoo turned around and booked it the way he came, completely pissed off like he was whenever this happened.

And like it usually went, Soonyoung chased after him. But this time he didn’t have the same motive as before. Stuffing the phone in his pocket, he yelled, “Wait, Wonwoo!”

Sprinting at full speed, Wonwoo couldn’t stand to hear that voice screaming from behind him. This was all familiar, and he needed to get Soonyoung off his tail. This was not the time to deal with any of his bull.

“WONWOO!”

Wonwoo dodged past pedestrians who all quickly moved aside as the two cut through anything in their way. Soonyoung was right behind him, but Wonwoo was so fast. His legs could hardly keep up.

“WONWOO! STOP!”

Wonwoo didn’t even bother to hit the crosswalk button as he bolted across the street. Soonyoung followed, but he didn’t notice the taxi coming down the road.

HOONNKK!!!

Luckily the driver stopped just before running him over, but Soonyoung didn’t have time. “SORRY!” he quickly shouted as he pushed off the hood and continued his pursuit, having to pick up even more speed.

Wonwoo hadn’t run in so long that his body started to give out after the third turn he made. Pumping his legs like crazy, he couldn’t even think straight.

That son of a ! Where the hell—how the —why the—

But before he knew it, he could hear his name right beside him.

“WONWOO!”

Soonyoung reached out and grabbed Wonwoo by the wrist. Startled, Wonwoo jolted to a stop as Soonyoung dragged him down. “Wonwoo, wait!” he yelled one last time.

Wonwoo immediately pulled himself out of his grasp. “HEY!” he screamed, stepping away, looking ready to fight. Fists up, he was so done.

They were standing quite a few feet apart, but Soonyoung raised his hands in defense and stepped back. “Woah, woah! Wonwoo, no!” Catching his breath for a second, he met eyes with the Jumper. “Please,” he said calmly. “I’m sorry.”

Wonwoo stood still, confused by what he just heard. His chest was rising and falling rapidly as he slowly lowered his stance. For some reason, he wasn’t running off.

Seeing this, Soonyoung let out a huge breath. Hunched over, he tried to bring his breathing back to normal. “WOOO!” he shrieked through a pant. With an unexpected chuckle, he said, “Haven’t done that in a while.”

Wonwoo didn’t know what was happening. He just knew that he was standing in front of one of his worst enemies. Glaring at him, he spit out, “What the hell do you want?”

Soonyoung lifted his head to find his piercing stare. Standing up straight, he looked Wonwoo in the eyes and said, “I’m sorry for chasing you like that. I really didn’t mean to just come at you.”

Wonwoo wasn’t buying it.

And Soonyoung didn’t need to sell it any further. He was just being honest. “I just wanted to tell you that Jihoon decided not to run the article,” he said, feeling a surgence of his own relief from reminding himself of this fact. “He didn’t tell me much, but I guess whatever Mingyu or Seungcheol told him...really changed his mind. I’ve been trying to call Seokmin all morning to tell him, but you came by and...I just thought I should tell you that.”

As he spoke, Soonyoung expected Wonwoo to look relieved or surprised or even angry, but he just looked even more confused. Furrowing his eyebrows, Wonwoo had no idea what was going on. None of those words made any sense. “What the are you talking about?”

Now it was Soonyoung’s turn to be confused. Craning his neck out, he said, “The article. The one that Jihoon was gonna publish about you.”

“What?!” Wonwoo shouted. His nerves were pulsing as rage started to consume him. Anything that had to do with Jihoon and Soonyoung was infuriating, but what the hell was this?! “You guys have a story on me?!” he yelled with such disdain it burned his tongue.

But Soonyoung was still baffled. “Wait, are you serious? Mingyu didn’t tell you?”

His blood boiled even more at this scumbag saying Mingyu’s name. But he needed to know. “What are you ing saying?”

Stunned, Soonyoung stepped forward, letting out a heavy sigh and proceeded to explain the entire process that could have ruined Wonwoo’s life, and apparently without him knowing in advance.

“Now before you punch me or run away or just yell, please listen to everything I’m gonna tell you.”

“No promises,” Wonwoo grumbled. But for some reason, the look in Soonyoung’s eyes made him ready to listen.

With a heavy heart, Soonyoung told him everything.

Puffing out of his nose, he rubbed his head as he recounted his most regretful action. “About a week ago, I saw you and Mingyu in the park just before 6 o’clock. You were...crying...about your grandmother.” Seeing the tear stains under Wonwoo’s eyes, Soonyoung knew it was still fresh. “And I’m truly sorry for your loss,” he said with the most sincerity Wonwoo had ever heard from such a diabolical person.

“But you weren’t just talking about her. You started talking about the universe and stopping and…” Soonyoung paused. He quickly looked around them and noticed that the closest people weren’t in hearing range. He leaned over slightly and whispered, “...jumping.”

“You mentioned so many things that Jihoon and I had found about you over the years. You even confirmed your relationship with Minghao and Joshua, who we met in Shanghai. It was just...the perfect storm of information. You even...disappeared right at 6 o’clock,” he said, but it was filled with regret as he shook his head. “You were clearly distraught, but I took advantage of that,” he admitted. “I was hiding and I recorded everything you said.”

“And I felt awful immediately…” He sighed again. “But I showed the footage to Jihoon who was...less sympathetic than I was. He was ready to use everything against you, and publish the article that would launch his career.”

“Wonwoo, I’m so sorry for everything we ever put you through and I realized I was so sorry when it was almost too late. With some help from a friend in Shanghai,” Soonyoung paused a second as he realized, “actually your friend Minghao’s friend, Junhui. He helped me realize I wasn’t doing the right thing and I backed away from the project, but Jihoon was still ready and he wouldn’t listen to me.” Soonyoung tried to read Wonwoo’s face as he continued. “So I needed help, and that’s where Seokmin came in.”

Batting his hand in the air, he said, “It’s a long story but Seokmin and I got close and I went to him and told him everything that happened. And when I was there, Mingyu stopped by and, well first he nearly beat me up, but then we explained it all to him.”

“When he found out, he was so worried and he immediately demanded that I let him go see Jihoon in his apartment. I gave him the key and our address and...from there I’m kind of out of it,” he admitted. “By the time I came home, Jihoon still wasn’t talking to me but I heard later that Seungcheol came to see him and...apparently those two had this weird arrangement…”

Soonyoung could hear how strange all of this was sounding. Shaking his head, he said, “Anyway, it took a few days, but Jihoon finally told me he was giving it up. He didn’t say it, but I think what Mingyu or Seungcheol said really shook him. He’s still not talking to me. He just told me as he was leaving for work this morning.”

With a final sigh, Soonyoung dropped his shoulders. “But yeah. That’s...what happened.” He looked into Wonwoo’s eyes to see what was there.

Wonwoo’s insides were shaking. He couldn’t believe it. He just could not believe it. It was like every emotion possible ran through him as he listened to Soonyoung. There was too much as it all tried to process in his brain.

Soonyoung knows my grandma died.

Sadness.

They found out I’m a Jumper.

Fear.

They know I’m linked to the others.

Rage.

Soonyoung recorded us.

Pure hatred.

Soonyoung...changed his mind.

Confused.

But Jihoon didn’t.

More rage.

Soonyoung went to Seokmin.

Relief?

Mingyu found out and went to confront Jihoon.

Hope.

Seungcheol went later?

What?

Jihoon changed his mind. He’s not publishing the article.

It was written all over Wonwoo’s face. He didn’t know what to do.

And Soonyoung could see that. “Wonwoo.”

He flinched. “Yeah?” His voice cracked slightly.

Soonyoung stepped a little closer and said, “I’m really sorry for all of this. I don’t think I can ever make it up to you, but I just wanted you to know.” He wasn’t sure where the boundaries were, but Soonyoung stuck his hand out to shake Wonwoo's and smiled a small smile at him.

Still stunned, Wonwoo looked at his hand then back up at him. But it was too much. He couldn’t.

And Soonyoung could see that. With a nod, he dropped his arm and started to back away. “Take care of yourself, Wonwoo. You don’t have to worry about us anymore.”

And hearing that, Wonwoo felt just a little bit better. “Thank you,” he said, scraggly and unnaturally.

But Soonyoung knew that was the best he could do. This was someone he had studied for years. It was oddly nice to see him as a human for once. Soonyoung was just about to turn around completely when he remembered something. “Oh, and uhh, one last thing.”

Wonwoo stood frozen.

“Mingyu. He’s a real stand-up guy,” he said. “He might not have told you all of this, but he definitely did everything he could to protect you. All of this ending okay...it was cause of him.” With one last grin, Soonyoung turned around and left.

Slowly picking up his feet, Wonwoo started to walk off the other way. He held his head as his brain pounded against his skull. His world was once again spinning out of control.

What just happened?

But as none of that continued to make sense, Wonwoo began to focus on the one thing Soonyoung said that did seem right:

“Mingyu. He’s a real stand-up guy.”

Wonwoo’s heart began to beat faster. And he knew: because of Mingyu, everything would make sense.

— — —

“So what do you have to do?” Seokmin asked.

Mingyu shoved his hands into his pockets as they walked through campus. Seokmin was on his way to the library and Mingyu was about to head home. “I might give the cats a bath. They seemed a lot happier inside.”

Seokmin chuckled. “Are you gonna be able to do that all yourself?”

Mingyu shrugged. “I’m patient enough.”

“Yeah, if anyone is,” Seokmin said, “it’s you.”

“Thanks.”

Seokmin glanced up slightly at his friend. He wasn’t as glum these days. Seokmin let out a deep breath. Something was weighing down his heart and he just had to tell Mingyu. He couldn’t hide it anymore.

“Mingyu.”

“Hmm.”

“I’m so sorry...I didn’t tell you about him.”

Mingyu was a little off put by the sudden apology. He turned to find Seokmin gently looking back at him. For a split second, he was brought back to the moment he walked into the bakery to find Seokmin and Soonyoung. It was the same feeling he had when he found out about Seungcheol and Jihoon. He was reminded of the confusion and that feeling of betrayal. But as quickly as that came to mind, it faded away. He sighed and looked straight ahead. “I just didn’t expect it.”

Seokmin stared at the ground as they walked up the stairs leading to the library. “Trust me. I didn’t either.”

Mingyu could tell he was being honest.

“Remember a long time ago…,” Seokmin said with a grunt, as he plopped himself down on a bench. He wasn’t ready for him and Mingyu to part ways yet. “...when I told you about that cute guy I couldn’t stop thinking about? The one I ran into at 10/10 and he caught the drinks I almost dropped.”

Mingyu sat down next to him. Ruffling through his memories, he realized a lot of things happened recently. “Uhh, I think so.”

“Well, that was Soonyoung.”

Involuntarily, Mingyu scoffed. “That makes sense now.”

Seokmin nodded. “Yep. He was stalking you.”

Mingyu scoffed again.

There was a pause before Seokmin went on. “And the rest...just happened. He came by the bakery once and just kept coming back. We would talk and…” Fiddling with his hands, Seokmin could feel his guilt seep through his skin. “I’m sorry I never told you Mingyu.”

Sitting beside him, Mingyu waited to hear if there was anything else. But honestly, from his side, he didn’t need to hear more. Mingyu sighed. “It was just weird...for me. But, I know you Seokmin.” He turned and smiled at his friend. “It takes a lot for someone to gain your trust. And in the end, Soonyoung changed...and it was thanks to you that happened.”

Seokmin looked at him anxiously.

“And even if it took a while for me to find out,” Mingyu said, “I can tell...you guys must mean a lot to each other.”

Seokmin felt the ties on his heart release. He smiled back at Mingyu. “Thanks, Mingyu. I’m sorry it happened like this...but thanks.”

Mingyu nodded at him. For a moment, the two of them just sat next to each other. It wasn’t until an annoying question loomed over him did Mingyu uneasily ask, “So are you two, like, dating?”

Hearing that familiar disgust, Seokmin gently replied, “Yeah.”

“Are you two happy?”

Seokmin smiled into his chest. “Yeah, we really are.” But as fluttery as that sounded, Seokmin snapped out of it and turned his concern back to Mingyu. “But Mingyu if you’re not okay with it, then I’ll end it.”

Surprised, Mingyu turned to him, eyebrows creasing deep towards the bridge of his nose. “What?”

“Mingyu, this happened behind your back,” he said. “If you’re not okay with me and Soonyoung together, I understand. I’ll end things if—”

“Wait, what, no!” Mingyu interrupted him. “I—I would never ask you to do that.”

Seokmin looked at him closely. “Are you sure? Because Mingyu, you’re my best friend. I...I don’t want to do anything to upset you anymore. I owe you at least that.”

Mingyu was so shocked. He’d always known how much his friends cared for him, and vice versa, but he never realized how much of a hold he had on their emotions. Looking into Seokmin’s eyes, he could see his worry, his guilt. He could see how much he must have struggled with this. Seokmin was so distraught over Mingyu’s feelings. And Mingyu didn’t want that. For a second, he wondered if Seungcheol felt this way too.

But what he needed to do now was clear it up with Seokmin. “Seokmin,” he said, trying to lighten it all with a smile. “Don’t worry about me. If you’re happy, I’m happy.” He tilted his head down. “And I really mean that.”

Relief flushed his system. Seokmin smiled. “Are you sure?”

Mingyu grinned back at him. Standing up, he pat his friend on the shoulder. “Trust me. You two be happy. You belong together. It all makes sense now.”

Seokmin chuckled as his friend walked away. Mingyu had come such a long way from hating relationships. Not only was he happy for his friend, but he was happy for his friend with someone he didn’t even like. And now, Seokmin could finally breathe easy. “You’re the best, Mingyu!” he called after him.

Mingyu laughed. Seeing him so happy made him briefly forget about his own love struggles. He was glad they were back. “Remember that when I let a million cats inside!”

Seokmin smiled until he was alone. Before he stood up to go into the library, he pulled out his phone and saw that he had a bunch of missed calls. Dang, I guess I left it on silence. Unlocking it, he beamed when he saw who it was.

With a giddy grin, he called him back and pressed the phone to his ear. When the other line clicked to connect, he gleefully said, “Hey baby.” For the first time, he didn’t feel guilty calling him that. “Sorry I missed you. What’s up?”

— — —

As Mingyu walked up the stairs to their apartment, he thought of his friend and Soonyoung. Damn. How crazy is it that they found each other...through this? But as accepting as he was of Seokmin’s news, he was still pretty devastated by what “this” was. This...was him and Wonwoo. But here he was, in a time where others were finding love out of their mess and he and Wonwoo were still apart. He sighed. How ing crazy.

Staring at the ground, he searched through his pocket to find his keys. They rattled between his fingers as he took them out. He tossed them slightly in his palm as he approached his front door, but he looked up and missed the catch.

Clang!

They clattered to the ground as he stared.

Wonwoo flinched. He’d been knocking on the door for ten minutes, just waiting for someone to answer it. He knew, from experience, that just because no one opens the door doesn’t mean no one’s home. He was starting to give up hope, when he heard the clang.

Wonwoo turned to his left and found Mingyu.

Mingyu couldn’t even move to bend down and pick up the keys. This was the first time he saw Wonwoo since that night that could’ve ruined everything. The last time he saw Wonwoo was just before he closed his eyes, just before they were about to kiss. It felt like forever ago.

“Wonwoo,” he said weakly.

But as frail as Mingyu seemed in that moment, Wonwoo felt strong, stronger than he’d felt in so long.

Without a word, Wonwoo locked his eyes on the boy he knew he loved. Quickly and with absolute certainty, he went to him. Not another thought went through his mind as his hands reached up and held Mingyu’s cheeks. And immediately, he closed his eyes and kissed him.

Mingyu took a shocked second to completely freak out inside. But the second his lips met Wonwoo’s, everything faded away. His eyes closed shut and he pulled him in by his waist.

As they stood there and held each other, Wonwoo took a breath and parted their lips for just a fraction a moment. He just had to tell Mingyu, with his quivering voice, “I don’t wanna cry anymore.”

And with that, Mingyu kissed him again, smooshing their two broken souls together.

— — —

“These all look great,” Minghao said, flipping through the canvases Junhui brought over. This time around, they were all local photos. All taken when he was with the boy he could never stop thinking about.

Junhui chuckled. “Of course they look great. They’re all your pictures. I just printed them.”

Minghao smiled back at him as he got up from his living room floor. “I’m gonna get some poster tape. Then you can help me decide which of these other pictures to take out.”

As Minghao left the room, Junhui called after him, “You know that’s gonna be impossible, right?!” Scanning around, he couldn’t help but beam with pride at his best friend’s work. “They’re all perfect.” As he looked at all the familiar photographs, Junhui’s eyes fell to the one above the couch. The photo of the market with the back of the infamous boy’s head.

Curious, Junhui asked, “Hey, how’s your cousin doing?”

Coming back into the room with the tape, Minghao looked at him confused. “What?”

“Your cousin, Wonwoo,” Junhui clarified, tilting his head to the picture. “Is he doing alright?”

Oh yes, how could I forget...my cousin Wonwoo. Minghao seriously couldn’t believe how far that little lie had gone. “Ya know, things are rough,” he said honestly, plopping himself down on the couch. He reached his hand out for Junhui to pass him a canvas. “But he’s managing.”

Junhui scoffed as he gave Minghao the piece of art. “Aren’t we all.”

Minghao chuckled. He obviously knew what that meant for himself but…

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“We’re all just managing,” Junhui clarified with a shrug. “Each day goes by like the last and you just end up feeling like you’re...waiting for something, I guess.” He looked at his friend. “Doesn’t it feel that way sometimes?”

Suddenly, Minghao’s heart started beating faster. That look Junhui was giving him, leaning back on his arms, his head tilted slightly. A look like that was lethal to Minghao. “Uhh,” he said as he looked away, fiddling with the tape. “Yeah. Yeah, it does.”

And that flustered little expression Minghao had was one of Junhui’s favorite sights. He sat up straight and leaned forward to be in his line of sight. “You know what I mean right?” he asked. “That feeling of waiting? We’re all just managing cause we’re...waiting?”

Minghao tilted his eyes up to meet Junhui’s warm gaze. Those eyes. Minghao couldn’t take it.

Swallowing back his nerves, he smiled. “Yeah, I know exactly what you mean.”

Minghao’s heart was racing. But he didn’t have time to think. It felt like there was no time to think. Minghao felt like if he thought then this moment would be gone. This moment...just staring into Junhui’s perfect eyes would be lost. And he couldn’t lose it. No, not anymore. Not with all the everyone had endured from the universe. He was going to take in as many precious moments as he could, and create even more.

Minghao pushed his photograph aside. Standing up, he bent down and reached for Junhui’s hands. “Come on,” he said.

Junhui looked at him funny, but complied. Minghao helped pull him to his feet, but didn’t let go of his hands. “What?” Junhui asked.

Minghao continued to stare into Junhui’s gorgeous eyes as he let his body feel everything he ever felt for this boy in front of him. For years, he knew how he felt. Minghao knew he loved him, and he continued to fall. But for so long, he used an excuse to...wait. To go every day exactly like the last, and just wait for the universe to do the work for him. He was so caught up in wanting the universe’s approval. But after talking to his friends, Minghao was reminded that the universe was never going to give him what he wanted. No, if he was going to love Junhui, he was going to do it with his own heart, whether the universe liked it or not.

Nerves racing, Minghao thought of everything he was keeping from his best friend. He hid so much. He hid his love for him. He hid his Jumper life. He hid Wonwoo’s real identity. He hid how he already knew of Soonyoung and Jihoon. He hid what really happened to his dad. He hid so much. Yet, he felt like he knew everything about Junhui, at least he knew all he needed to know to fall in love. If Junhui was ever going to do the same, Minghao knew he had to be honest. He knew, he had to tell him the truth...but which truth first?

Minghao held Junhui’s hands a little tighter as the two of them just stood there, waiting. Junhui couldn’t help but smile, even in this weird atmosphere. “What?” he asked one more time.

Searching for somewhere to start, Minghao finally decided that if he was going to be honest, Junhui needed to know the truth about who he was. What happened to him from 6 to 6. He needed to know. Minghao wanted him to know. If Minghao was going to confess his love, he first needed to let Junhui know what happened to him.

Feeling more anxious than he ever had, Minghao only felt at ease when he looked at Junhui. He managed to smile a little. A weak chuckle left his lips as he gently swung their arms. He took a deep breath and nervously looked at his best friend. His best friend who would soon know his deepest secret.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” Minghao finally said.

Minghao was expecting more of Junhui’s confusion, but all of a sudden the boy had this smirk on his face. “Oh really?” he asked, a slight flux to his tone.

Minghao chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, I have...something important to tell you.” He let out a heavy breath. He could feel the huge weight of his words eating his stomach. “I—I’ve been meaning to tell you for a long time.” He took in a new puff of air. “But I guess I’ve been waiting and...I just can’t wait anymore.”

For a moment, Junhui didn’t say anything.

Minghao’s heart was beating out of his chest. He felt like his legs were going to give out. He didn’t know if he had the words. “Jun, I have to tell you…” He hesitated. “I have to tell you…” The air was leaving his lungs. “Jun, I…”

But Junhui just smiled at him. With a knowing raise of an eyebrow, he leaned in a little closer to Minghao’s nervous face and said something Minghao never would’ve expected.

“You have to tell me...that you’re a Jumper, right?”

— — —

Jihoon readjusted his backpack as he walked out of Pledis News. He groaned as he left another day of unfulfilling work and stupid pieces. He had no idea for how much longer he was going to do this. Working professionals walked by him, as if mocking his intern status. He groaned again. But just as Jihoon was about to pull out his headphones and ignore the world, he was ambushed.

Appearing from seemingly nowhere, Seungcheol started walking along side him. “A woman in my building—”

But Jihoon was too startled. “Seungcheol, what the ?!”

But Seungcheol continued to stay by his side, even as he quickened his pace. “Wait!” he said as he read off his phone. “A woman in my building always talks to her dogs really loudly, but I’m pretty sure they died last year so I think she can talk to ghosts!” he said quickly.

With everything, this was too much for Jihoon. Especially with how his heart was racing at the sight of Seungcheol. Jihoon could not deal with that. “What the are you doing here?!”

Ignoring him, Seungcheol kept going. “A kid in my math class always sleeps during class but sets the curve for every test.” Lowering the phone, he pointed at Jihoon and said, “He might be the next Einstein!”

Jihoon furrowed his eyebrows. “Seungcheol, what the—”

But Seungcheol stopped him. “Oh, this is the best one!” he exclaimed, getting back to his phone. “A fruit vender in my mom’s neighborhood only sells blood oranges at night and refuses to go near garlic!” Spreading his arms out, he said, “I’m 100% sure he’s a vampire!”

Unable to take it anymore, Jihoon finally stopped. Pivoting on his heels, he turned to glare up at the boy continuing to bother him. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Seungcheol smiled at him, way too fondly for Jihoon’s comfort based on their dynamic. Little did he know how much guilt Seungcheol held behind that grin. And even though he would never admit it to his face, Seungcheol was pretty happy to the see little nuisance. He held up his phone. “I’m giving you new leads,” he explained, “so you can get your big story.”

Jihoon felt the sweat start to build on his neck as he just stared at Seungcheol. He was so confused. He blinked a few times before reminding himself who the hell this was. “Are you an idiot?” But without an answer, he continued to walk off.

And Seungcheol continued next to him. Like always, he was persistent. Even though Jihoon refused to look at him, Seungcheol watched the side of his face and told him, “Look, Jihoon, I’m sorry, okay!”

“How did you even find me?” Jihoon snarled in disdain.

“It wasn’t easy, let me tell you that,” Seungcheol said, exaggerating his breath. “First I had to go to every news station on this street. Did you know there are like twelve of them? Anyway, what I did was I had to ask each receptionist if there was a ‘Lee Jihoon’ in the building. Turns out there are like 50 people with your name. So after that—”

“You asked Seokmin to ask Soonyoung, didn’t you?”

Seungcheol smiled. “Okay, I guess you can smell a fake source from a mile away. Yeah, that’s what I did. But I did wait out here for like an hour, so there was effort.”

Jihoon rolled his eyes. He was not up for this. “Leave me alone, Seungcheol.”

He could hear the bitterness in his voice. And Seungcheol had a hunch about why. There was still an unknown variable on the table that freaked Seungcheol out. He sighed. “Jihoon, I’m sorry. Please, I know you must still be thinking about running—”

“I’m not gonna run it.”

Seungcheol jolted. “What?”

Jihoon groaned as he was forced to stop, waiting for the crosswalk. Still looking straight ahead, he said, “I’m not running the story.” It took days, but he just couldn’t pull himself to do it anymore. “You have nothing to worry about.”

A wave of relief overcame Seungcheol as he let out a sigh. Mingyu and Wonwoo were safe. And a few weeks ago, that would’ve been all he needed. But here he was, still by Jihoon’s side, feeling so terribly guilty. He could see it on Jihoon’s face. It must’ve killed him to come to this conclusion.

Taking in a deep breath, Seungcheol redirected his cheerfulness to Jihoon. “Great!” The light turned and they walked across the street. “Let me help you with the next one!” He chuckled as he said, “I gotta say someone who stands out as much as you is gonna need a lot of help.”

But Jihoon was not amused. “Just leave me alone, Seungcheol.”

Seungcheol felt his heart sink a little at how unengaged Jihoon was being. There was no banter. He was just pushing him away. “Jihoon, I’m your stalker,” he said. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.” But really that was Seungcheol’s only excuse to be around the boy. He didn’t want to leave him.

But Jihoon wasn’t taking this anymore. Things were different. He didn’t have to take this. “Go away, Seungcheol.”

As they reached the other side of the road, Seungcheol tried to look into Jihoon’s eyes. Reaching out and holding his shoulder, Seungcheol slowed him down, “Jihoon, I’m—”

But Jihoon was done. Twisting around, he immediately stopped and shoved Seungcheol’s hand away. “No, Seungcheol! Leave!” he shouted. His chest was puffing as his rage-filled eyes stared straight into Seungcheol’s. There he could see the soul of the person who got to him. “You got what you wanted! You don’t have any reason to stalk me anymore! I’m just another to you now! So just LEAVE ME ALONE!”

He took one last second to glare into Seungcheol’s sorry gaze. He couldn’t take it. Wincing, he spun around and left. He was so thoroughly annoyed. Seeing Seungcheol was like an extra smack in the face. Another reminder of how he failed. He had failed at getting the story. But it wasn’t a failure because he couldn’t pull himself to publish. It was a failure because he wasted so much time chasing a story that he now truly believed shouldn’t be told. And that ate at him.

But the other thing eating at him...was Seungcheol. How he was able to make him see what he was so blind to...was infuriating. He hated it. But what he loathed even more...was how he wanted more of him. Jihoon could feel his insides burn at the realization that part of him wanted Seungcheol to chase after him. He would never admit it, but Jihoon wanted Seungcheol to fight him. If they fought, they could talk. And if they could talk, they could learn. Jihoon always learned when Seungcheol was around.

But he hated himself for thinking that. Shaking his head vigorously, Jihoon tried to ignore everything. He reached into his pockets and pulled out his headphones. Shoving them in his ears, he proceeded to ignore the rest of the world.

Seungcheol watched Jihoon walk away. So much of him wanted to chase after him, tell him he was wrong and he didn’t think he was an . But Seungcheol’s feet were glued to the floor. Because Jihoon was right about one thing: he didn’t have a reason to follow him anymore. Seungcheol knew he wanted to talk to Jihoon and make sure he was okay and continue to fight with him...but he didn’t know why. He didn’t have a reason. He really didn’t know how he felt.

And Seungcheol knew part of himself was holding back on feeling anything more, and that part was worried about Mingyu. The only reason Seungcheol even met Jihoon was because of how awful the boy was to Wonwoo. He went behind Mingyu’s back. How could he continue to do that?

So with a heavy heart, Seungcheol watched until Jihoon turned the corner and was completely gone. With that, he turned the other way and left, wondering if that would be the last time he ever saw him.

— — —

Jeonghan sat at the counter and anxiously drank his coffee. He kept looking back and forth from the oven clock to Joshua’s closed bedroom door. It was around 11pm, but Jeonghan had no intentions of sleeping any time soon. Taking another sip, he kept checking his phone for new messages. There were none.

After a few more minutes of that, Vernon came out of his bedroom to find their glum house guest. None of the lights were on. The only brightness came from outside the window. Perks of living in LA. In his boxers and a t-shirt, he gently made his way into the kitchen as to not startle Jeonghan. “Hey,” he said softly.

Jeonghan looked up and gave him a weak smile. “Hey.”

Standing on the other side of the counter, Vernon looked across at him and his coffee. “You okay, Jeonghan?”

With a sigh, he didn’t even bother to hide it. “I’m just worried about Jisoo,”

Vernon had a feeling it had something to do with that, but hearing Jeonghan admit it stung just a bit more. He glanced over at his cousin’s locked bedroom door. Obviously he knew it to be locked for other reasons than Jeonghan. “Yeah.”

“He said his dad’s condition got worse in the last few days,” Jeonghan explained, more to himself than Vernon, “and that’s why he has to go back to nights there.” Picturing Joshua’s broken hearted face made Jeonghan want to hug the sadness out of him. “But he won’t let me go with him...and it seriously seems worse than what he’s saying.”

Vernon nodded. He was in no place to tell Jeonghan what was actually going on, and that the pain Joshua was suffering through was much deeper than this fake story about his dad in the hospital. But again, that wasn’t his call. “Josh’s going through a really hard time.”

Jeonghan stirred his coffee as he stared down his black phone screen. “He’s been more distant.”

Vernon just listened.

“I know...things with us were fast...but he feels so far away all of a sudden,” Jeonghan admitted.

You have no idea, Vernon thought, imagining where on Earth Joshua must’ve been. “It’s been really bad, Jeonghan.”

“He stopped having breakfast,” Jeonghan said, disturbed by his own words.

And Vernon could see all of that. He sighed and could relate, knowing that there wasn’t much he could even do for Joshua. But Jeonghan was someone really special to his cousin. He had something more to offer than anyone else. “Hey.”

Jeonghan flicked his head up.

Vernon smiled at him in the slight darkness. “Josh is a survivor. He can do anything, but he’s used to doing it alone. But now that you’re here, he can survive with you,” he said. “When he comes back tomorrow, just go up and talk to him. No matter how down he is, he’ll be happy you did.”

That little reassurance was enough to get Jeonghan to nod and smile back at him.

Vernon chuckled as he left the room, patting Jeonghan’s back on the way back to his room. “Don’t stay up too late. Josh’s gonna be home bright and early.”

With a small chuckle, Jeonghan hopped down from the counter chair. “Right,” he said, as he went and dumped his coffee out in the sink.

— — —

Minghao froze. He just stood there blinking a million times. It felt like thousands of years went by and millions of seasons changed before he finally choked out, “What?”

Junhui smiled even bigger. With that tiny response, he knew he was right. “I know you’re a Jumper, Minghao.”

Minghao was too stunned. He was so confused his hands fell limp and he let go of Junhui.

Which just made the boy laugh. “Oh, come on, Minghao! Was that seriously the big thing you were going tell me?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at him. “I was hoping for something a little more exciting.”

Minghao’s head was spinning. “Wait, what?” he said, his hands flying up to his face eyes his eyes shut. When he opened them, he was still terribly confused. “You—you knew?!”

Junhui smiled a huge smile, throwing up his arms. “Of course I knew! Minghao, seriously, I’m not stupid!”

“But how?!” Minghao shouted. This was not at all how he imagined this going. This was...what?! “Jun, how do you know that?! How—how do you know what a Jumper is?!”

“Hey, Minghao,” Junhui said, jokingly. “Keep your voice down. It’s supposed to be a secret.”

But Minghao was freaking out. “JUN!”

Seeing this, Junhui tried to calm him down. Putting his hands on Minghao’s shaking shoulders, he steadied him. “Okay, okay! Minghao, don’t freak out! Don’t worry! I’m not some government spy sent here to take you away!” he said playfully. Smiling at his friend, he tried his best to remind him that they were still the same people. “I know you’re a Jumper, Minghao.”

Minghao let that register one more time. He did his best not to freak out. Instead, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Having Junhui hold him was helpful. Slowly opening his eyes, he found Junhui’s beautiful gaze. It always put him at ease. Finally, he calmed down. His shoulders relaxed. Quietly, he said aloud what he was still having trouble getting over, “You knew.”

Junhui nodded. Letting go of his grip, he turned to sit on the couch, leaving room for Minghao next to him. “I knew,” he chuckled as Minghao sat too. “Come on, Minghao. You’re the most important person in the world to me. You’re my lucky number,” he said, nudging his shoulder. “I know everything about you. How could I not know this?”

Minghao’s jaw fell open. Junhui’s words were so sweet, but he was still so shocked. Baffled, he just…

“But how?”

Junhui smiled. “My grandpa was a Jumper,” he explained.

Minghao’s eyes grew wider the second he heard that. “What?”

“Or at least that’s what he told me as a kid. Everyone in the family kinda knew him as a nut job so no one took him seriously, but I loved hearing his stories.”

“He told you stories?”

He beamed at Minghao and said, “He told me about all the different cities he went to and how crazy it was to travel the world all those days. He told me all about the universe and what the life of a Jumper was like from 6pm to 6am. I never knew if he was making all this stuff up, but it sounded so awesome.” He chuckled and looked Minghao in the eyes. “But when I met you, Minghao, I knew he was right. And I knew you were a Jumper too.”

Minghao couldn’t believe it. “So this whole time...you knew? You knew what happened when I locked myself away for 12 hours? You knew why?”

“Well, I never doubted something happened to your dad,” Junhui said softly. “But I knew you had a greater reason.”

“So you know about the cities?”

He nodded. “Explains where all the pictures came from too,” Junhui said, glancing all around them. “Ya know, if you wanted to be more discreet, you probably shouldn’t have picked a hobby that literally involves showing off where you’ve been.”

Minghao couldn’t believe it. Even now, Junhui could make him laugh. “You know about the universe?”

He nodded. “I know that the only way for you to stop is for the universe to give you a reason to. I also know it’s a real at times. My grandpa had a ton of stories about that too.”

Minghao chuckled, imaging an old man telling little Junhui all the tales that he was currently living out. It was unbelievable. “But...you never let on.”

“Like I said,” he explained. “I trusted you to have your reasons. And, to be honest, it was kind of fun knowing more about you than you thought. So every time I ever complained about you not being able to hang out with me after dark…”

“You knew,” Minghao finished for him. “You knew and you were just...joking?”

Junhui timidly reached over and put his hand on his Jumper friend’s knee. “I was waiting.”

That was even more surprising to him. “What?”

Junhui sighed. “I was waiting for you to tell me. I mean, it was a long time ago, but my grandpa told me all about how dangerous your lives are and how insane the universe can be.” Junhui lightly tightened his grip. “I didn’t want you to have to hide from me, but I knew why you were.”

Minghao couldn’t believe it. All those years, Minghao was afraid to let anyone know about him for his own selfish reasons...when Junhui knew all along. He didn’t tell Junhui himself because he wanted the universe to see his love as something worthwhile. Maybe that’s why the universe never let him stop, because it already knew Junhui accepted him for who he was. That wasn’t a reason to stop. It was just a fact of life.

But Minghao still was in shock at the realization that there was one thing Junhui didn’t know. He didn’t know why Minghao didn’t tell him. The one thing Junhui didn’t know already...was the thing Minghao wanted him to know the most.

All of a sudden, he got nervous again. But this time when he looked into Junhui’s beautiful eyes, he knew he wasn’t just looking at someone he loved. He was looking at someone he loved who knew all along exactly who he was. He didn’t need the universe to tell him anything. Junhui already knew.

“I love you, Junhui,” Minghao finally said, a giant smile coming to his face. “The reason...for everything...is because I love you.”

And that was the only thing Junhui didn’t know for sure about Minghao, if his love was reciprocated by the boy he could never stop thinking about. Even knowing who Minghao was for all those years, Junui never doubted his own feelings. But hearing it come from the amazing Jumper boy himself…made it worth the wait.

He smiled just as big and took him by the hands. Wrapping their fingers together, he said, “Now that’s something a little more exciting.”

ahhhh!! ok i know its been so long and im so sorry but theres so much i wanna say to you guys!! hope you all are well and im so sorry these chapters are so far apart OTL but oh my god this comeback had me SO SHOOK I HAD TO FINISH THIS CHAPTER AS FAST AS I COULD XD im literally in class right now lol anyway! THIS COMEBACKKKKKKKKK WOW IM DEAD I LOVE IT SO MUCH!! The entire album is perfection and the title song is to die for T_T agh! but yeah as you can tell thats the title of this chapter ;) this chapter was supposed to be "Didn't Tell You" but I really wanted it to be called don't wanna cry and it worked out with the story XD but yeah and oh my god it was so funny to me but there was a part in the mv that reminded me of this fic where wonwoo's sitting on a bench and i tweeted about it so you guys can see it here if you want XD https://twitter.com/shinusual/status/866739558573944832

anyway! so much is happening AHHH IVE BEEN WAITING TO TALK ABOUT HOW JUNHUI KNOWS HES A JUMPER FOR SO LONG AGHHH AND JUST CHINA LINE THEM AND THEIR SONG ON THIS ALBUM AGHHHKAWHER ok gotta calm down XD but yeah!! meanie's also reunited in this chapter and just SO MANY FEELS and ugh ok i have to say tho my favorite couple to write for is jicheol and this scene here just tugs at my heart strings 3

but yeah i always talk too much here XD hope you guys are well!! again im so sorry it takes me so long to update with school OTL i seriously really love this story and the characters in it so i wanna put so much into it but i just havent had the time lately. hopefully things lighten up more and i can do more than just one chapter a month. i hope it helps that the chapters are really long XD BUT YEAH THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING AND COMMENTING AND JUST BEING WONDERFUL I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS AND SVTS COMEBACK CAUSE IVE BEEN LISTENING TO IT ON REPEAT OTL Talk to you soon!