Wonwoo tightened his grip on Mingyu’s arms as he finally unlocked from the boy’s lips. His body was so overwhelmed with sensation, he didn’t know if he could keep it together. But as he felt Mingyu hold him steady, he knew everything was going to be alright.

Slowly, Wonwoo moved so his chin was resting on Mingyu’s shoulder. He stayed there for a moment, not knowing what to do next. But with his voice shaky, he said, “Mingyu...I...uh…”

Feeling the exact same way, Mingyu let out a quivering breath. Pressing the boy tightly to his chest, he said, “Wonwoo…”

Wonwoo gently pulled himself back to look Mingyu in the eyes. The passion from their first kiss was still making his whole being tingle. “Ca—can we go inside?” he asked.

Mingyu nodded. “Sure.” Quickly, he pat his legs to look for his keys. “Where did I…” Then he remembered the clang. Right, I dropped them. Looking at the ground, he bent down to pick them up. Finally letting Wonwoo go, he lead the way back to the door. He could hear Wonwoo’s familiar footsteps right behind him. That made him smile. As he unlocked the door, without any words, he looked over his shoulder to see the boy he’d dearly missed.

And Wonwoo smiled back.

Mingyu let both of them in before shutting the door behind him. Wonwoo stepped into the center of the room. It had been a while. Turning to find Mingyu’s gaze, he let out a heavy sigh. He didn’t even know where to start. “Mingyu…”

But Mingyu stopped him right there. He could tell that the boy was dying inside, so he wanted to do something to help put him at ease. “Before you say anything…,” he said, standing just a few feet away. He suddenly got a flashback to the last time they were together in this apartment. It was weeks ago, when Mingyu was forced to admit that he had feelings and Wonwoo couldn’t figure out whether his own were true. So much had happened. So much time had passed. So much had changed. But one thing was for sure…

“I love you, Wonwoo,” Mingyu said, an enormous weight leaving his chest.

“You knew before I did,” he continued, “but...I just couldn’t help my own stupid feelings.” Seeing Wonwoo’s soft, concerned expression, Mingyu smiled. “But with you, it doesn’t feel stupid. It feels right. And I’m just sorry it took all this time apart for me to fully realize it. But I love you.” His shoulders relaxed as he told him, “So...whatever’s hurting your heart...please let me help you.” This was the first time he’d seen Wonwoo since the night at the park. The boy looked so drained, as if parts of him weren’t there anymore. But Mingyu wanted to try his best and help get those parts back. Spreading out his arms, Mingyu said, “Let me be your healing.”

Hearing that, Wonwoo couldn’t help but crack a tiny, thoroughly amused grin.

“Have you been listening to Seventeen?” he asked gently.

“It’s a really good song,” Mingyu said with an affirmative nod.

Wonwoo chuckled and shook his head. This was what he missed. This fluttery feeling that Mingyu gave him. This ability to make him feel better even in his worse time. This was what Mingyu did, and he loved him for it. He’d been waiting so long to hear Mingyu say that, but they both knew, at this point, Mingyu’s feelings weren’t the confused ones.

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Wonwoo nervously walked over to Mingyu. It was so timid compared to his powerful stride just outside. But he shyly presented himself before Mingyu and asked, “Would you believe me if I said I love you too?”

Mingyu smiled down at his adorable face. “You’ve been saying that basically since we met,” he teased, letting them both have a much needed laugh. Neither of them had breathed this well in ages. Mingyu reached forward and took the boy by the hands. “Of course I believe you, Wonwoo.”

But he wanted Mingyu to know everything he was feeling. And that resentment for the universe was still very much there. “Even though I still haven’t stopped?” he asked.

Mingyu blinked a few times. This was the one thing that was always on both of their minds. It was something that haunted their friendship from the start. But now that Mingyu properly confessed, he realized…

“You don’t have to stop to prove that you love me,” he said, squeezing Wonwoo’s hands a little tighter. He smiled. “I can just...look into your eyes...and know you’re telling the truth.”

Biting the inside of his cheeks, Wonwoo asked, “But then why haven’t I stopped yet?” He sighed. “I mean, I don’t want you to think that all I want is to stop—”

“I don’t think that,” Mingyu reassured him, even though he actually did before. But now he knew Wonwoo’s heart.

Wonwoo wanted to smile, but he was deeply bothered by this struggle with the universe. After everything that had happened to him, after he had lost so much, he always wanted to know why he hadn’t stopped. “If I know I love you, and you love me back...why am I still jumping? After absolutely all the crap that’s been going on, why won’t it let me stop for something good?”

Mingyu took a second. He thought back to the conversation he’d had with Joshua and Minghao a few days ago. He was reminded of the anomalies that the universe presented, the inconsistencies that Wonwoo didn’t know about. Staring into the boy’s eyes, he could tell this was eating Wonwoo from the inside. But this wasn’t the time to break such big news about the universe. This was the time to help him through the pain Mingyu could so easily see. So much so, that he just had to hug him again. Letting his arms wrap around the boy, he held him tight. He didn’t have an answer for anything, but he had a guess. He sighed. “Maybe...the universe doesn’t think you need to stop...cause it knows I’ll always wait for you.”

Wonwoo’s face was nested right in the crook of Mingyu’s neck. And it was finally his turn to feel relieved. Because even if Mingyu didn’t know that for a fact, even though neither of them had any way of ever finding out what the universe thought, that was the best answer. It made total sense. Smiling and closing his eyes, Wonwoo hugged Mingyu back. Before he even thought, the words slipped out of his mouth. “I love you, Mingyu.” He spoke with that gentle ease as if he were about to fall asleep.

And Mingyu melted. Holding the broken boy in his arms, he knew their pieces would help put each other back together. the back of Wonwoo’s head, he whispered, “I know.”

Wonwoo chuckled and pulled out of his embrace. Staring into Mingyu’s beautiful dark eyes, for the first time, he actually wanted to cry, but for a completely different emotion. “You saved me.”

Mingyu couldn’t help but let out a confused laugh. He knew they were pretty high off being together again, but he felt that that was a bit dramatic. “What?” he asked.

“You...are the reason I’ll be okay,” Wonwoo said, still smiling bigger than he had in forever.

“Like I said, I’ll always be here for you.”

Wonwoo shook his head. “That’s not what I meant.”

Mingyu furrowed his eyebrows, his mouth hanging slightly open. He was prepared to ask what he did mean, but Wonwoo beat him to it.

“Soonyoung told me everything.”

Taken aback, Mingyu’s eyes grew wide. “What?”

Wonwoo stepped away from the boy as he made his way to the couch. He explained, “I just ran into him.”

“What?” Mingyu uttered again, following to the living room. He stood in front of Wonwoo, across the coffee table. “You ran into Soonyoung?”

Sitting down, Wonwoo nodded up at the taller boy. “Yep.”

Suddenly, Mingyu’s arms got stiff and his palms started to sweat. “So...you know about the story?”

He nodded again. “Yeah, and I know Jihoon’s not running it.”

“What?!”

Seeing the boy’s shock reminded him of his own. He was just happy he was the one who got to deliver the good news. “Cause of you.”

Mingyu’s head was spinning. “I—,” he started, but couldn’t get any other words out. He walked around to sit with Wonwoo. Scratching his head, he tried to catch up with everything. He looked over at him, still worried that Jihoon had the power to ruin everything he loved. “So you know about everything?”

“Soonyoung caught me up,” he said.

“And he told you Jihoon’s not gonna publish the article?”

“He’s not gonna do it,” Wonwoo said again.

Mingyu was brought back to when he confronted Jihoon about this whole mess. Jihoon was so cold and closed off. It seemed that his words had no effect on him. Mingyu knew it couldn’t possibly have been him. But then an image from that same day came to mind: Seungcheol running off.

Realizing this, Mingyu said, “No, it wasn’t me.” He turned to look Wonwoo in the eyes. “It was Seungcheol. Jihoon wouldn’t listen to me.”

But Wonwoo just smiled back at him. “But it was you, Mingyu. If it wasn’t for you, I’d be screwed.”

As sweet as Wonwoo was being, Mingyu couldn’t accept credit for something he knew he failed at. “No, Wonwoo, I didn’t—”

“It’s because of who you are,” Wonwoo interjected. Instead of trying to talk again, Mingyu just listened. “You...and I met, and you got caught up in this whole thing. And you have friends who are so loyal to you and love you so much that they were able to change the hearts of the people trying to ruin my life.” Wonwoo let out a small scoff, in disbelief of just how beautifully this bit of his life worked out thanks to Mingyu. “If I didn’t meet you Mingyu, they would have got their story without any opposition. Nothing would’ve stopped them. I didn’t have anyone on my side who could do anything like you and your friends. And without me even knowing, you guys somehow got them to leave me alone after so many years of being chased.” He reached over and took Mingyu’s hand. “You...saved me.”

Mingyu held tight and felt Wonwoo’s warmth surge through his body. He couldn’t believe Jihoon wasn’t going to run the story. Somehow, all of that worked out. He smiled gently at Wonwoo. “I...I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that they knew.”

Wonwoo shook his head. “You were protecting me. Thank you.” Leaning over, he left Mingyu a kiss on his cheek.

The boy blushed. “I just...wanna be there for you.”

“I think that’s what I need,” Wonwoo admitted.

And Mingyu knew what that meant. the back of Wonwoo’s hand with his thumb, Mingyu whispered, “Yeah.”

There was a pause. Taking one last second to gaze into Mingyu’s eyes, Wonwoo turned away and rested his back against the couch. Still holding the boy’s hand, he was brought back to the real world.

“It’s been rough, Mingyu,” he said, closing his eyes.

Scooting over, Mingyu laid back with him, their shoulders rubbed up against each other. Looking at the side of Wonwoo’s face, he said, “I know.”

“It’s still too soon to do anything but miss her,” he admitted. As he thought of his grandmother, no tears came but he could feel the constant sadness. “Hell, it’s only been a week or so, but…”

“It feels like so much longer,” Mingyu finished for him.

Wonwoo opened his eyes and turned to find Mingyu’s. “Yeah,” he said weakly.

Mingyu squeezed his hand and said, “That’s grief, Wonwoo. It’s gonna feel like that for a while. But I promise you won’t be going through that alone anymore.”

Wonwoo lightly smiled, listening as Mingyu so reassuringly spoke.

“For everything that so unnecessarily hurt you, Wonwoo,” Mingyu began, “Jihoon and Soonyoung, the universe…, and even me. For all those things that wrongfully gave you pain, this is the one thing that’s supposed to hurt.” He reached up and swept some of Wonwoo’s hair to the side, softly grazing his forehead. “She meant so much, it wouldn’t be right if you didn’t feel like crying for her. But you can do that now without mixing all the other things.”

Wonwoo’s heart was welling up.

“You’ll get through this, and I’ll be there with you the whole time,” Mingyu said. “There’s not much I can do, but I’ll hug you and hold you every time a wave of sadness comes. I’ll be there to listen to you anytime you wanna talk about her. I’ll always be up to answer the phone if you need company on the other side of the world. I’ll do my best to help you get through this.”

With a sigh, Mingyu wasn’t sure if he was saying the right things, but he was saying everything that he knew helped him everytime he grieved.

And just hearing those things, Wonwoo felt a little better. Not less sad, but supported. It was better than how he was doing before. But there was something about how well Mingyu knew how to deal with grief. He seemed so specific. Wonwoo now realized that in all their conversations, there was one thing he never asked.

“Who did you lose, Mingyu?” Wonwoo asked.

Mingyu smiled softly. He lightly shook Wonwoo’s hand. “It’s definitely not the same level as your grandma,” he said, “but most of my best friends are cats, Wonwoo. Cats, not kittens.” He sighed. He always got saddened when he remembered. “All of them are strays...out there eating anything, sometimes something they really shouldn’t eat. They run around on the streets, never looking both ways. Sometimes, they just disappear completely and I can only guess what must’ve happened. Other times, I come to visit and...I know if I didn’t come, no one would have found them.” Mingyu could tell from Wonwoo’s somber stare that he knew what he meant. “Cats don’t have nine lives, Wonwoo.”

Wonwoo had never thought about that before. To Mingyu, cats really meant the world. As a kid, they were his only companions. They meant more to him than most humans meant to him. He would make a new friend every time he saw one. Wonwoo never realized that meant he could lose friends just as often. He had no idea how many could have died. “Mingyu…”

“Basically, I’ve had to say goodbye a lot,” Mingyu said with a weak grin. “Seungcheol and Seokmin have done their fair share of consoling me. So...I kinda know what it looks like to grieve.”

Suddenly, Wonwoo saw a tear stream down Mingyu’s cheek. He immediately reached up to wipe it. “Aww, Mingyu!”

Mingyu chuckled and let the boy clean up his face. “Sorry, I just haven’t thought about a lot of them in a while.”

For some reason, seeing Mingyu’s ability to feel what he felt made him feel less alone. As if he weren’t the only person to be so emotionally wrecked after losing someone. It was a bit cruel to find comfort from someone else’s sorrow, but in this case it was alright. Wonwoo smiled back at him. “It’s okay. I’m sorry you had to go through that so many times, Mingyu.”

“It’s okay,” he replied as well. Staring into Wonwoo’s eyes, he knew he was looking at someone he very much loved. “I’m just glad I can be here for you.”

Wonwoo smiled, something he could do so easily with Mingyu. Raising an eyebrow, he jokingly asked, “So you can be my healing?”

Mingyu laughed. “I would love to be your healing.”

Wonwoo laughed with him. For a moment, he couldn’t help but remember when they first met. Little did he know that that guy he shoved into an alley and stole the clothes off of would end up being someone so special. Mingyu was amazing, and Wonwoo loved him so much.

Biting his lower lip, Wonwoo couldn’t contain himself anymore. “I’ve missed you.”

And Mingyu felt the same. A surge of energy shot through his body and he couldn’t hold back. Reaching forward, he took Wonwoo by the chin and dove in for a kiss.

Both of them were overwhelmed with warmth and love from the person they’d been longing. Too long had it been since either of them felt alright. But now they were back, and more appreciative than ever. They had each other. And that’s what mattered. The only thing that could break their second kiss was Mingyu taking a second to part from Wonwoo’s lips and whisper, “I’ve missed you, too.”

— — —

“Okay, but since when was it alright for people to be so rude?!” Seungkwan complained as he rubbed his nose.

Chan, who was already laughing uncontrollably, said, “You weren’t looking where you were going!”

“Well, I didn’t expect someone to just let the door shut on my face!” Looking at his hand to see if there was blood, he was relieved there wasn’t. But still. “Aish!”

“The door barely even touched you,” Chan teased as they came up to the cafe.

“God, I should’ve given that lady a piece of my mind!”

Rolling his eyes, Chan pushed the door of 10/10 open. “You shouldn’t expect people to hold doors open for you.”

Still distracted by rubbing his face to feel for bruises, Seungkwan didn’t look up as he followed. “I just don’t understand how someone can be so rude and—”

SLAM!

Startled, Seungkwan looked up and fell backwards after bouncing off the store door. On the other side, Chan was laughing and pointing hysterically. Clutching his stomach, he waited until his friend got up and properly stormed inside. “Was that necessary?!” Seungkwan shouted.

But Chan could hardly breathe, he was laughing too much. He managed to say, “I told you not to expect anything!”

Dusting himself off, Seungkwan exclaimed, “Aish! Why are we even friends?!”

And as the two of them bantered, a few people in the shop took notice. Two in particular realized they knew the rather loud high schoolers.

“Seungkwan! Chan!”

Seungkwan’s head immediately turned to where their names were being called from. His eyes lit up as he waved back to them. “Seokmin! Soonyoung! Hi!”

Still trying to control his laughter, Chan didn’t fully register that second name. Wiping under his eyes, he looked up and followed Seungkwan’s gaze. Suddenly, he stopped laughing.

Seokmin and Soonyoung were out doing nothing in particular. It was just a nice day for them to be together. They had met up after Seokmin’s conversation with Mingyu and Soonyoung’s with Wonwoo. They talked through it all with each other and it was finally starting to feel real. Both of them were feeling so much better about their situation. It seemed like they could finally just be themselves and truly enjoy each other’s company without anything holding them back. They were happy.

Seokmin smiled and waved the two boys over. He looked over at his boyfriend and said, “That is so Seungkwan to make a scene that you just have to look at.”

Soonyoung chuckled as he looked from over his shoulder, but he was paying more attention to Chan. He realized what must’ve been going through his brain.

“Should’ve expected to run into them here,” Seungkwan said as he was about to make his way over. But before he could go anywhere, Chan grabbed him by the arm. Startled, Seungkwan looked back at him. “What?”

“How do you guys know Soonyoung?” he asked, trying to keep it casual.

“He’s a friend of Seokmin’s,” Seungkwan pointed out. He thought about it for a second then corrected himself, “Actually, he’s Seokmin’s boyfriend. They really got to know each other from Soonyoung coming to the bakery so often.”

Chan’s heart was racing. The last time he’d been this close to Soonyoung, at least to his knowledge, was when he and Joshua were trying to stay hidden in Minghao’s apartment. That was the most terrifying experience he’d ever had. And now, he was finding out all the connections Soonyoung had to not only his best friend but Mingyu’s roommate? What was going on?

Seungkwan pulled his friend as he headed towards them. “Come on, they’re great guys! We should at least say hi.”

Playing along, Chan nodded. Unlike some of the others, he was pretty good at staying calm in situations like these. He could act normal. He could put on a face.

Seungkwan greeted them again as they made it to Seokmin and Soonyoung’s table. “Hey guys! Hyung, you’re really taking advantage of your day off, aren’t you?” he teased Seokmin.

Seokmin laughed and replied, “I guess you aren’t since you’re too busy running into doors like that.”

He and Soonyoung chuckled as Seungkwan rolled his eyes and nudged Chan. “Yeah, that’s how you can tell we’re not dating.”

Chan scoffed, “It would take a lot for me to date you.”

The others laughed as Seokmin looked over at his boyfriend, who was already paying close attention to Chan. “Chan, have you met Soonyoung?”

But it was Soonyoung who replied, “Yeah we’ve met before.” When he and Chan met eyes, Chan could feel his heart rate pick up. Taking a second to glance back at his boyfriend, Soonyoung smiled and said, “Actually, there’s something I need to talk to Chan about.” He turned to him and asked, “Can I pull you aside real quick?”

Chan wasn’t sure how to feel as Soonyoung stood up. Seungkwan smiled and said, “Yeah, you guys talk. Seokmin and I got business to take care of.”

Seokmin watched his boyfriend for a second, wondering what this was about, but decided to let him handle it. He scoffed at Seungkwan and asked, “What are you talking about?”

“You left all those eggs out the other day and I got blamed for it!” Seungkwan complained as he took Soonyoung’s seat.

“That wasn’t me!” Seokmin laughed.

“Well it definitely wasn’t me!”

As those two talked about work, Soonyoung walked over with Chan to somewhere no one could hear them. He had to talk about his own work.

But Chan was the first one to talk. “What the hell are you doing?” he asked in an aggressive whisper.

Soonyoung sighed. He realized that since Wonwoo didn’t know what happened, Chan probably didn’t either. “I can explain.”

“I don’t know how you got both of them fooled but you’re not getting anything from me,” he said.

“Look, I know what you must think—”

“I think you’re trying to ruin Wonwoo’s life more than you already have,” Chan said. He usually wasn’t this confrontational, but his friend had been through way too much. “I think you’ve somehow managed to worm your way into all of our business to the point where it’s pretty inappropriate. I mean, you’re dating Mingyu’s roommate? Don’t you think that’s crossing a line? Like, a very DEFINED line? I think that you and Jihoon are scum of the earth and really need to cut the crap before I cut it out for you!” Chan didn’t even realize he had all of this in himself. By the end of his rant, he was panting and glaring at Soonyoung like he’d never glared before.

But Soonyoung just calmly waited. He listened to everything Chan had to say, and took most of it to be true for the version of himself that Chan was familiar with. But there were some things he needed to clear up. Raising an eyebrow at him, he asked, “Are you done?”

Chan let out a strong puff of air as he quickly straightened his shirt. “Yes.”

Soonyoung nodded. He sighed again before he looked into Chan’s glaring eyes and said, “I’m sorry.”

Chan furrowed his eyebrows. That is not how I thought he would respond, he thought to himself.

“Everything you just said...yeah, it all makes sense for how you know me,” he explained, “But...you have nothing to worry about. Jihoon and I are done harassing Wonwoo.”

Now Chan really couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Excuse me?” he asked.

“It’s a long story, but I’m sure Wonwoo will explain it all to you,” Soonyoung said. “He just found out this morning so he probably hasn’t gotten a chance to tell you what’s going on yet.”

Chan’s mind was racing. He had so many questions and so little trust in this person he realized he never really had a conversation with before. He was done? It was over? That was it? Chan opened his mouth to ask more but…

“Hey guys!” Seungkwan shouted from the booth. Both of them turned to find him waving them back over. “Come on! We should order some dessert or something!”

Chan shot him a thumbs up, but rolled his eyes when he turned his back. “You’d think he’s had enough sweets working at a bakery.”

Soonyoung couldn’t help but chuckle. “Look Chan, I know this is all a lot right now. But trust me when I say that it’s over. Everything I do now, it’s not for an agenda. A lot of stuff happened to get us here, but...you and Wonwoo are safe from us. It’s over.”

Chan hesitated as he stared questioningly at the reporter. Something about the way he spoke made Chan...believe him. But it was too quick of a shift from the norm. “Do you think I’m just a stupid kid?”

Now it was Soonyoung’s turn to be taken aback. “What?”

“I’m not some small bean you can just manipulate,” Chan pointed out, stabbing his finger to his chest. “You’re a bad guy and there’s no way you would just give that up.”

Soonyoung raised an eyebrow at him and chuckled. “Okay first off, calling me a ‘bad guy’ makes you sound like a kid or a ‘small bean.’”

Chan scowled. “Wonwoo taught me that phrase. He uses it to refer to some Kpop people.”

“Yeah I know what he’s talking about,” Soonyoung smiled.

But Chan continued to squint at him suspiciously. “Okay,” Chan said, “So you guys are just done?”

He nodded. “No more chasing. No more sneaking around. We’re never gonna do that to you guys again.”

“Why should I believe you?”

Soonyoung quickly glanced over Chan’s shoulder and caught a glimpse of his laughing boyfriend. That boy shone brighter than the sun. He smiled and looked back at Chan. “I’m a changed man,” he said, spreading out his arms. “I’ve...seen the light. I’ve found my own small bean. And maybe there’s no reason for you to believe me, but you should talk to Wonwoo. He knows it all. So does Mingyu.”

“Mingyu knows you’re dating his best friend?” Chan asked, totally blown away.

“He just gave us his blessing actually,” Soonyoung said with a chuckle.

Chan was so uneasy with all of this. “Why aren’t you after Wonwoo anymore?”

“It wasn’t right,” he admitted. “We were chasing the wrong story…and it would’ve hurt too many people.” Gesturing to Chan, he said, “Including you.”

Chan’s jaw dropped. “Wait, what do you mean—”

“Trust me, Chan,” he said, reaching out and gripping the boy by the shoulder. “It’s a long story, but you don’t need to hear it from me. All you need to know is that you’re safe.”

Looking back and forth from the hand on his shoulder to the boy that really shouldn’t be touching him, Chan didn’t say anything.

Soonyoung got the hint. He threw his hands up and said, “Don’t worry about us anymore, Chan. From now on, we just know each other through those two.”

Chan looked back at Seungkwan and Seokmin chatting it up. Suddenly he was reminded that Soonyoung was also friends with Junhui. He took a second to look at the guy he’d only known for being bad. For someone Chan thought was so awful, Soonyoung had a lot of friends he was weirdly connected to.

Still not ready to fully submit, Chan had to admit that Soonyoung definitely seemed genuine. “Fine,” he finally said.

Soonyoung smiled. “I know it’s crazy, but maybe we could even be friends one day.”

Now that was a bit much. “Are you serious?” Chan asked through a scoff.

“You’ll know soon I’m not trying to pull anything anymore,” Soonyoung said. “And from what I know about you Chan, we might get along pretty well.” With a final smile, Soonyong walked past Chan and gave him a pat on the back before going back to join the others.

Chan stood there in disbelief as he watched Soonyoung scoot in next to Seokmin. He jumped into the conversation with such ease, getting all of them to laugh together.

This is so weird, Chan thought. But somehow, it wasn’t impossible for him to believe. Chan had always been one to make the best of what he had. He loved jumping because he saw it for more than just an obstacle. He had a special way of approaching life that let him enjoy it a little more than the average person.

Even though he didn’t know the whole story, Chan got the feeling that Soonyoung wasn’t lying. He wouldn’t get anything out of Chan. And if Wonwoo wasn’t around to get hurt, there was no harm in trying to get to know this guy a little more. And if Soonyoung wasn’t lying, if everything awful with them was really over, maybe this was the universe giving them all a chance to move on.

Chan didn’t know, but he let himself believe that for the time being. He imagined a world where his friend didn’t have to worry about being discovered anymore. He thought of how happy Wonwoo would be knowing that being a Jumper wasn’t holding him back as much. That no one was after him. That was the world Soonyoung was painting for him, and Chan couldn’t help but smile. He just wanted to look out for his friends. He wanted to live in that world where they would all be okay. So he was willing to give it a chance and believe that world was real.

Chan didn’t realize how long he was standing there alone until he heard Seungkwan’s voice. “Chan!”

He flinched and let his eyes come back into focus. “Yeah!”

“Come back! These guys didn’t believe me when I told them I beat you in an egg tart eating contest!”

Chan took a moment to gather himself. Finally, with a smile, he came over and sat next to Seungkwan. “That’s because you cheated!”

Seokmin screamed and pointed at Seungkwan. “I bet you did!”

“NO I DIDN’T!” Seungkwan screamed back, slamming his hands on the table.

All of them laughed together as Soonyoung asked, “Okay, okay, but who brought the egg tarts?”

“I did,” Seungkwan said firmly.

“Sorry, Seungkwan. But you might’ve cheated,” Soonyoung said with a shrug.

Everyone burst into laughter as Seungkwan continued to try and defend himself. But Chan was paying the most attention to Soonyoung. This is so weird, he kept thinking.

But Soonyoung was fine. He’d done his fair share of observing Chan, he didn’t mind that the roles were reversed. As the conversation kept going with such ease, Soonyoung smiled at Chan with a reassuring nod.

And Chan could sense that it was really just him being friendly. He smiled back, but all he could think was, Yeah, this is really weird.

— — —

Knock. Knock.

When there was no response, Jeonghan slowly creaked the door open. It was 7am, but he knew Joshua would be back from the hospital by now.

“Jisoo?” he called as he tiptoed into the room, carefully with a tray in both hands. He gently kicked the door closed. “Jisoo-ah.”

Face first in his pillow, Joshua laid in his bed drifting in and out of sleep. He was still so restless. So many things were on his mind. But the sound of Jeonghan’s voice got his attention. “Mmm?” he groggily muttered, flipping around. The curtains were drawn and the room was dim.

Jeonghan smiled at his sleepy boyfriend. “Hey babe,” he whispered as he sat down at the foot of the bed. He placed the tray on the mattress, careful not to spill anything.

Joshua rubbed his eyes and sat up. “Hey,” he replied. He reached for his dark-rimmed glasses on the nightstand and put them on.

Jeonghan tilted his head. “I didn’t know you wore glasses.”

For some reason, that made Joshua chuckle. There’s a lot you don’t know about me, he thought. “I have disposable contacts. I wear those as much as I can.”

“Huh,” Jeonghan said, still pleasantly surprised. If it was possible, his boyfriend looked even more adorable. “I like them. You should wear them more often.”

“Thanks,” he said with a small smile. Finally seeing the world in focus, he could see the tray of food Jeonghan brought in. There were waffles and a glass of orange juice. “What’s this?” he asked.

“It’s breakfast,” Jeonghan said cheerfully. Surprised, Joshua looked up to find the boy’s dazzling gaze. “You’ve been skipping it the past few days. Don’t Americans say it’s the most important meal of the day?”

Now thinking about it, Joshua had been skipping breakfast. It was so unlike him. But ever since his dad came back into his life, he’d just forgotten. But as he looked at Jeonghan, he was touched. He reached out and softly rubbed the boy’s cheek. “Apparently that’s all just propaganda,” Joshua said with a big smile.

Jeonghan laughed and took Joshua’s hand down from his face, clutching it in his own. “Doesn’t mean it’s not the most important meal to you.”

“Thanks baby,” Joshua said dreamily, leaning over to peck Jeonghan on the lips.

As they parted, the boy with the long hair beamed. “Eat,” he insisted.

Joshua nodded and went to cutting his waffle. “Did you get Vernon to help you?”

“He shared his special recipe with me,” Jeonghan said, watching his boyfriend. “I guess he finally decided I was trustworthy.”

Joshua nodded as he stuffed his face. Pointing the fork at Jeonghan, he said, “That’s a big deal coming from him.”

Jeonghan laughed. For a bit, he just watched Joshua eat, happy to see something a little more normal again. He’d only been in LA for a month, but having Joshua fall out of routine for even just a few days made him really worried. As he watched, Jeonghan could only imagine everything that was going through his boyfriend’s mind. Everything he was hiding. He just wanted him to be okay.

After sitting in comfortable silence, Jeonghan finally asked, “Are you okay, Jisoo?”

Joshua looked up from his plate to find Jeonghan’s concerned stare. He wasn’t too surprised by the question. Of course it was showing that he wasn’t doing well. Clearing his throat a bit, Joshua looked back down. “Umm, no. Not really.”

Hearing that made it all worse. “Is it your dad?” Jeonghan asked.

Joshua winced. He took a sip of the orange juice before smacking his lips and saying, “Yeah, uhh...He’s...not good.” Joshua always felt awful about lying to Jeonghan, but at least that part was true.

“Is there anything I could do, babe?”

Looking at Jeonghan, Joshua knew he meant that as genuinely as a person could. But when it came down to it…

Joshua sighed. “No, I’m sorry. There’s not.”

Jeonghan in his lips and nodded. Again, they just let silence take over. The only sound was Joshua chewing.

When he was done eating, Jeonghan took the tray and put it on his lap, ready to take it out to the sink. Turning to his boyfriend, he gently said, “Jisoo-ah.”

“Yeah,” he said weakly.

Gripping the tray tightly, Jeonghan hesitated a second before saying, “I’m here if you need me, for anything. Please...just let me know.”

With a weak smile and heavy heart, he stood up and headed for the door. Joshua watched his boyfriend prepare to leave. There were so many things he wish he could say to this wonderful boy before him. Joshua knew he was someone so special, but he had to keep so much away from him. Of course he wanted to pour out his feelings, but was that the best option? Of course it wasn’t. Dragging more people into this stupid Jumper stuff was never a good idea.

But just as Jeonghan was readjusting and about to turn the knob, Joshua realized there was one concern he could express with him.

“We’re running out of time.”

Jeonghan stopped. He turned around to find Joshua sitting up, staring at him. They don’t exchange words, but from that gaze, Jeonghan could see his pain. Coming back over, Jeonghan placed the tray on Joshua’s night stand. Sitting next to him on the bed, Jeonghan asked, “Is that something bothering you?”

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about it,” he admitted. “You’ve only got another month here. And...I’ve been dealing with all this crap with my dad.”

Jeonghan went to hold Joshua’s hand. “Yeah, I’m sorry you have to deal with that. I know how you feel about him.”

With a heavy sigh, Joshua fell forward, letting his forehead rest on Jeonghan’s shoulder. He closed his eyes as he thought of how alone he used to be in LA. Of course he had Vernon, but he’d never felt as whole as he did with Jeonghan around. Ever since he lost his mother, Joshua never felt love the same way again. But then he met Jeonghan, and he learned a completely new form of love. And for someone who had been left behind plenty of times, Joshua didn’t want it to happen again.

“I just can’t imagine life without you anymore,” he said weakly. “I don’t know what I’m gonna do when you’re gone.”

Hearing this, Jeonghan didn’t initially know how to react. Him going home was always something on his mind, but he didn’t realize it was weighing on Joshua like this. Letting his arms wrap around him, Jeonghan squeezed tight. “Aww, Jisoo-ah…”

“I know it all happened really fast, but I don’t ever want you to go,” Joshua said, not holding anything back. He didn’t care if it sounded needy and clingy. He meant it. “I don’t want you to leave me.”

Jeonghan hugged even tighter, letting their chests smoosh together. “Jisoo, I’m not going anywhere.”

“But you are,” Joshua said, pulling away to look Jeonghan in the eyes. Overwhelmed by so many things, he was already starting to well up. “And I’m just scared of when that day comes and you’re gone.”

Jeonghan knew from Joshua’s history that he had abandonment issues. He was terrified because of all he had lost. Jeonghan just needed to reassure him that that wasn’t happening with them.

With a soft smile, Jeonghan softly said, “Hey.” He leaned over and left a tiny kiss on Joshua’s nose. He smiled a little bigger as he pulled back and said, “I don’t want to leave either. If it were up to me, I’d stay here forever.”

He held Joshua as he sighed. “But we know we can’t do that. At least...not now.”

Joshua could feel his insides turn as he listened to Jeonghan agree with his fears. But he wasn’t done.

“But that doesn’t matter,” Jeonghan said. “That...doesn’t matter in the slightest.” He tilted his head, letting his hair fall with his movements. Even in his sadness Joshua was mesmerized. “It’s not our time apart, Jisoo-ah, but our time together. No ocean could distance me from my love for you. And even though we have our own separate lives in two completely separate parts of the world, I know the greatest times in my life will be with you. Whether they’re within this next month, or during some other time we’re together in the future, they’ll always make my heart beat like crazy and my love for you…grow even more.”

Jeonghan stopped for a second and blushed as he realized how cheesy his words were sounding. “Uhh, sorry, that was weird. I mean—”

“No, that wasn’t weird,” Joshua interjected. The whole time he listened, he could imagine so many beautiful moments with Jeonghan. And something about just hearing that Jeonghan believed that so many of those were ahead was enough to bring him some ease. “It wasn’t weird at all.”

Jeonghan smiled. “Just know that I’ll never leave you, okay?”

Jeonghan’s reassurance was enough to get Joshua to smile back. But he couldn’t help but think about how his dad did.

And as he was reminded of his dad, Joshua remembered something else: his request to move to Korea. For a moment, Joshua let himself imagine a life on the other side of the world. He would get to be with Jeonghan and never have to fear losing him from distance for more than 12 hours a day. There was also the plus of being with Chan and Wonwoo. Moving to Korea...would be amazing.

But as nice as it would all be, Joshua had to remember who was actually in charge of that decision: the universe. Not only did he not want to move in with his dad, but Joshua didn’t trust the universe enough to let him be happy.

Noticing his boyfriend fall into a daze, Jeonghan chuckled and waved his hand in front of his face. “Babe?”

Snapping into focus, Joshua stared back at him. “Yeah?”

Smiling, Jeonghan teasingly tapped the side of Joshua’s glasses. “Ya know, I’m really glad I got to see you with these on. I wouldn’t have known what I was missing.”

Joshua laughed. “No one ever sees me with glasses.”

“I guess I’m just special then,” he said with a satisfied smirk.

Staring at Jeonghan, Joshua knew he was looking at someone he loved. Who else could help him feel so much better even when they didn’t really know what was going on? In moments like these, he didn’t care about his dad. He wasn’t even that mad at the stupid universe. At least it put the two of them together, right?

Joshua smiled. “You have no idea.”

— — —

“So you did take all those photos right?” Junhui asked, swinging his and Minghao’s arms as they held hands. “They weren’t actually your dad’s?”

Minghao nodded as they strolled through the park by the water. It was a nice afternoon and no one else was outside. It was pleasantly freeing. “Some of them were, but the new ones I had you develop were all mine.”

“Damn, you got to see all those places,” Junhui said staring out at the river. “I’m so jealous.”

Minghao scoffed. “Spoken like a true idiot.”

“What?!” Junhui laughed, looking at Minghao like he was crazy. “What’s so wrong with me wanting to see the world too?”

“It’s not that,” Minghao said, rolling his eyes. “It’s that we’re forced to see the world. You can’t always enjoy it. It’s about...survival. Trust me, it’s really not what you want in life.”

Junhui pursed his lips in understanding. “I guess you’re right. The grass is always greener on the other side.”

With a smile, Minghao held the boy’s hand just a little tighter. “Any side where I’m with you is the greenest.”

So stunned by that adorable little comment, Junhui had to stop walking. He took a second to look Minghao up and down before laughing, “Did we switch roles or something? Because that sounds like something I would say and then you would yell at me for.”

Minghao laughed and blushed. “I hate you for making me so disgusting.”

Pulling out his phone from his pocket, Junhui smiled. “That sounds more like you.” Unlocking it and putting it up in front of him, Junhui pulled Minghao and repositioned them so they were standing in front of the river. “Come on, take a picture with me.”

Minghao gave Junhui a look of disbelief. “Oh my god.”

“What?”

He scoffed again. “You know how I feel about selfies.”

Junhu rolled his eyes and put his arm around his boyfriend as he held up the self-phone. “Shut up and take a picture with me.”

“We’re photographers! This hardly qualifies as a picture,” Minghao complained.

But Junhui didn’t care. “It’s okay. We can be trash together.”

And that made Minghao smile, giving Junhui enough time to snap the shot. Satisfied, he locked his phone so they could keep walking. “Those pictures are just for us. No need to put them all over your apartment.”

Minghao laughed. “Yeah, the only picture I have up with someone I know is the one of Wonwoo.”

As they walked along, Junhui asked, “How is Wonwoo by the way? You still never gave me his contact information. It’s like you’re hiding your cousin from me.”

Remembering exactly why that was, Minghao had to admit, “Actually…, he’s not my cousin.”

Junhui looked over at him and furrowed his eyebrows. “Wait, he’s not?”

Shaking his head, Minghao explained, “He’s a really good friend.”

“Then why didn’t you guys just say that?”

“Cause he’s like me,” Minghao said with a smirk. “The night you met him, he just ended up here in Shanghai. You were probably never supposed to meet him.”

“Oh my god,” Junhui muttered, realizing that made perfect sense. Of course he was a Jumper like Minghao. “Damn, I should’ve known!” he exclaimed, annoyed with himself for not seeing something so obvious. “He was only there for a night! How could I not see that?!” Smacking himself on the forehead, he yelled, “Come on, Junhui, think! Think!”

Always amused by Junhui’s incredibly amusing personality, Minghao laughed and grabbed the hand banging against Junhui’s head. Staring into his eyes, he said, “Please don’t hurt my boyfriend.”

Junhui smiled. “Sorry,” he said with incredible sass. “I’m just bothered that I missed that.”

“Hey, you can’t catch everything,” Minghao told him reassuringly.

“So you have a friend like yourself?” Junhui asked.

“That I do.”

Nodding his head, Junhui teased, “Ahhh, so you’re not a complete loner.”

“I guess I’m not,” Minghao laughed.

“Are there others?”

“Yeah, there’s four of us.” Thinking about his friends, Minghao remembered, “Actually, you met another one of them.”

Surprised, Junhui uttered, “What? When?”

“Joshua,” Minghao said, imagining his friend standing in his living room pretending to only speak English. “That American guy who was at my apartment when you came with Soonyoung. Remember him?”

Junhui searched his memory and matched a face to the name. “Oh my god. What?! Him too?!”

“Him too,” Minghao said with a nod. “He was the reason I couldn’t hang out with you guys the rest of the day.” Picturing the horrible Soonyoung and Jihoon made Minghao scowl. “Him among other things.”

Wrapping his brain around all of this, Junhui furrowed his eyebrows at that last comment. “What else?”

Minghao sighed. There were so many things that Junhui was learning about. Minghao wasn’t sure if he wanted to burst his bubble about his friends. “It’s a long story.”

“We’ve got time,” Junhui insisted.

Looking at him hesitantly, Minghao could tell that Junhui was ready to listen.

So he told him everything about Soonyoung and Jihoon. He told him about how they’d been after Wonwoo for ages, trying to find out his secret. He told him about how they made Wonwoo and all of them fear being exposed. He told him about how terrified he was when he realized that they were Junhui’s friends. He told him about Joshua and Chan, and then about how they both showed up at the worst time possible. He told him about Soonyoung and Jihoon breaking into his apartment, and how Joshua and Chan were hiding there the entire time. He told him about just how much they were in because of these guys, and how no one knew what was gonna happen next.

“...and that’s pretty much it,” Minghao finished, feeling like he’d just read Junhui a novel.

And Junhui was in awe. His insides were flipping all over the place as he heard about everything that was playing out without him even knowing. He couldn’t believe it. His jaw hanging half-open, he finally managed to ask, “So...they were after you guys the whole time?”

“Basically,” Minghao said. All of this insanity was pretty normal to him at this point so he could speak rather matter-of-factly.

Junhui let that sit in his mind. Then, his eyes grew wide when he realized, “Oh my god...and I lead them to you?!”

“What?” Minghao said, looking over at his concerned expression.

Junhui felt terrible. He clutched his stomach as he looked Minghao in the eyes and exclaimed, “I lead them straight to you! The only reason they got to you guys was because of me!”

Seeing just how worried his boyfriend was, Minghao tried to reassure him, “No, Jun! It wasn’t your fault! You didn’t know!”

“But I knew about you!” He gripped his head. “Oh my god, I even told them that you didn’t leave the house after six! Oh my god!” He couldn’t believe how stupid he had been. He knew all these things about Minghao and he was so careless that he told that to reporters. How could he have been so dumb?

But Minghao didn’t see it that way. Reaching up, he pulled Junhui’s arms down and tried to calm him. “Hey!” he said, trying to get the boy to look him in the eyes. Once their gazes finally met, Minghao told him, “Jun, you didn’t do anything wrong. There was nothing you could have done.”

His boyfriend’s voice was so calm, Junhui had to listen to what they were saying. He let out a sigh. “I’m so sorry.”

Minghao shook his head as he lead them back on their walk. “You didn’t know. It’s okay. You didn’t do anything.”

For a little bit, they just walked side by side as Junhui still wracked his brain. He just couldn’t believe that his good friend Soonyoung, freakin Hoshi, was that type of guy. He couldn’t believe that he would be one to stoop to such low levels for a story. But as he tried to make sense of that, he suddenly remembered a conversation the two of them had. A conversation...about the story he was chasing.

Junhui stopped and pulled out his phone. “Wait,” he said as he proceeded to look through their messages.

Minghao looked back and watched him. “What?”

Scrolling through, Junhui finally stopped when he found what he was looking for. Reading it over real quick, he made sure it was what he thought. Turning it over to show Minghao, he said, “Maybe I did do something.”

Confused, Minghao took the phone. “What is this?”

“Just read it.”

And Minghao did. The second he read the words “really big story,” he knew what Soonyoung was talking about.

“He’s talking about Wonwoo, isn’t he?” Junhui asked.

Minghao nodded. Eyebrows furrowed, he continued to read the conversation. It was a rollercoaster of messages. Minghao’s heart sank when he read that Soonyoung and Jihoon had gotten their story.

OH MY WHAT?! He screamed in his head, THEY ING KNOW?! WHAT?! THEY HAVE THEIR STORY?! WHAT THE DOES THIS MEAN?!

Anxious, he continued to read. But slowly, he began to see Soonyoung second guess the work that was causing all the Jumpers such distress. He read about Seokmin and how impactful this guy was on him. And in the midst of that, he could see Junhui telling Soonyoung what the right thing to do was. By the end of it, Minghao’s heart was racing and he couldn’t believe what happened.

Junhui could read that disbelief. “What? Is it bad? He knows?”

Minghao slowly turned up his gaze to look at Junhui. Pointing the phone at him, he asked, “You...you got him to change his mind?”

“What?” he said as he took it back. Reading that last message, he said, “No, I don’t think so. The guy he’s in love with did that. I guess I just talked him through it.”

All of a sudden, Minghao was smiling from ear to ear. “You are so good, you don’t even know it.”

Junhui nervously smiled. “So what does this mean? They’re not gonna run it?”

A huge wave of relief flooded through Minghao. For whatever reason, he was perfectly capable of believing that. With that goofy grin, he started to walk away, a slight skip in his step. “I guess not,” he said, completely satisfied.

But Junhui definitely wasn’t there. “You guess?!” he shouted, chasing after him. “Should I message Hoshi and ask?! Do we need to know anything?!”

Minghao laughed and reached out his hand for Junhui to take it. Somehow Junhui panicking made him even more calm. As if it reminded him that he wasn’t dealing with this all by himself in this part of the world anymore. And for the first time, with Junhui by his side, Minghao decided to trust the universe with what would happen next. “I’ll talk to Wonwoo about it soon. But I think we’ll be okay.”

Completely blown away by how cool Minghao was being, Junhui took his hand and let out a huge sigh. “Wah! How can you be so calm?!”

Minghao smiled. Swinging their arms, he said, “Trust me, I’ve had my fair share of crazy.”

Shaking his head in disbelief, Junhui replied, “Man, I guess you’re right. I shouldn’t be jealous of you.”

“You definitely shouldn’t,” he laughed.

“I wonder if my grandpa had to go through stuff this insane,” Junhui pondered.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he did.”

“He only ever told me about how he had to pick pocket around the world and stupid stuff like that.”

Minghao laughed. “My dad told me stories like that too.”

Grinning over at him, Junhui held his boyfriend’s hand just a little tighter. “He talked about it so nostalgically. Ya know, he said that even though it was insane, he was kind of sad when he stopped.”

“Dang,” Minghao said, looking out at the river. “He must have stopped for a while if he missed it.”

“Yeah, he stopped after my first cousin was born and never jumped again,” Junhui said, “I guess you would miss something you did for your whole life if it just went away one day.”

Minghao listened so easily, but his ears perked up at that last bit. His forehead scrunched and he couldn’t help but run those words through his head again.

...never jumped again…

He stopped dead in his tracks.

Junhui’s momentum kept him going, but he noticed once he wasn’t holding onto his boyfriend anymore. He paused and looked back. “What?” he asked.

Minghao squinted at him. “What do you mean he never jumped again?”

“Oh, he stopped when he was like 55 or something like that,” Junhui clarified. “Yeah, he lived the next like 15 plus years without jumping. He said he ended up missing the adventure after a while.”

But Minghao still couldn’t believe his ears. All he knew was…

That’s not supposed to happen.

Suddenly, he was reminded of Joshua’s mom and how something out of the norm happened to her as well. Minghao felt like his world was spinning. And he couldn’t help but ask himself…

How often does the universe break its own rules?

— — —

Wonwoo
GUYS GUYS GUYS!!
I HAVE REALLY IMPORTANT STUFF TO TELL YOU GUYS

Chan
OH MY GOD HYUNG ME TOO ME TOO
BUT WAIT I MIGHT KNOW WHAT YOU NEED TO SAY

Wonwoo
WHAT?! HOW WOULD YOU KNOW?!
CHAN I JUST FOUND THIS OUT THIS MORNING

Chan
OH MY GOD THEN YES IK WHAT IT IS

Minghao
CHRIST THERES SO MUCH YELLING
BUT IVE GOT STUFF TOO

Wonwoo
CHAN YOU KNOW ABOUT SOONYOUNG AND JIHOON??
YOU KNOW ABOUT THE STORY?

Chan
YES
WELL IK PART OF WHATS GOING ON

Minghao
OH THEN I KNOW WHAT YUORE TALKING ABOUT TOO

Chan
WAIT MINGHAO HOW DO YOU KNOW?????

Wonwoo
WTF HOW WOULD YOU KNOW??

Joshua
WHY DOES EVERYONE KNOW SOMETHING I DONT
AND WHY ARE WE ALL SCREAMING

Chan
YOURE SCREAMING TOO HYUNG

Joshua
WELL I CANT BE THE ONLY ONE NOT SCREAMING
Heres me not screaming
SEE HOW WEIRD THAT LOOKS
WHEN EVERYTHING ELSE IS IN CAPS

Wonwoo
OK THEN LETS ALL AGREE
TO STOP USING CAPS
Starting now

Minghao
For a second it felt like I was talking to jun about his bias

Wonwoo
WHICH GROUP????

Joshua
NO MORE CAPS FOCUS MAN!
What did you have to tell us???

Wonwoo
Right! Well theres a lot

Chan
I got stuff too
Weird stuff guys idk whats goign on

Minghao
Ok well you guys got stuff about Soonyong and Jihoon
I got that too
But i got aobut the universe

Joshua
Oh I got a lot to say about the universe

Minghao
Hell yeah you do!

Joshua
Damn theres a lot of catching up to do around here

Wonwoo
I guess so XD
Sorry i havent really been around guys

Joshua
Dont wrory man we get it
*worry

Chan
Hyung how many times do we have to tell you you dont have to fix your typos
We know what you’re saying

Joshua
I CANT LOOK AT IT IF ITS NOT SPELLED RIGHT

Wonwoo
No caps!

Joshua
Sorry XD
For some reason im ok with grammar and punctuation
But spelling i must fix

Chan
Lol this group chat hasnt been this alive in a while

Minghao
A lot’s been going on

Wonwoo
I have so much to tell you guys

Minghao
Same!

Joshua
^^

Chan
Agh can you guys skype right now?
Maybe itll be easier if we just talk

Joshua
Yeah i got good wifi and plenty of battery here

Minghao
Yeah lets skype
I miss your ugly faces

Joshua
Lol

Chan
I definitely dont miss you

Wonwoo
I can skype too XD
Lol how I’ve missed you all

ahhh! ok so its 4:30am where i am right now and idk if youve noticed the pattern of me staying up really late to upload XD i really hope you guys liked this chapter!! i really wanted this one to focus on each of the jumpers and where they are right now so i hope you enjoyed! so much is happening and it feels like things are winding down but theres still more to be resolved dont worry XD you have no idea how happy i was to write meanie back together like freakin 10 chapters of them being apart was too much even for me and i freakin know what happens XD so im sorry about that!

but oh my god yeah so i just finished my first year of college on thursday (so like 5 days ago) and ive been trying to get this chapter out ever since i got home so im really happy right now XD agh so im on summer break now which is like 3 months so i really hope i can get more than one chapter a month out to you guys! i just have this huge urge to write this fic now that im free from school work <3

BUT YES AS ALWAYS THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING AND COMMENTING AND UPVOTING AND SUPPORTING IT MEANS SO MUCH T_T agh the last time i posted was right when they cameback and i feel like im still riding that high cause this era is just freakin amazing dear god

again thank you guys i love you very much and hope to talk to you soon! oh and heres a picture of joshua with glasses to bless all of us ;)