a/n: i made a playlist! [here] 

also, someone said something about angst?

........../runs

“Ah!”

Jihoon jumps from where he’s getting jam from the fridge to turn to Seungcheol. They had been lazing on the couch in front of the television, watching news over breakfast, before they put on a movie - their routine the last few days.

“What?” Jihoon asks, coming back to the couch with the jam, putting it on the table as he settles back onto the couch. But instead of smothering his pastries in jam, Seungcheol points to the screen.

“It’s the seventeenth! Our electricity bill is due today,” he says and he stumbles away from the coffee table to rummage through their mail on the kitchen table.

Jihoon, meanwhile, is frozen in place as he stares at the date in the corner of the television screen, as the news presenter talks about the latest on a criminal trial. It’s the seventeenth. They have three days left of their thirty days together, and then it’s all over.

“Okay, I’ve transferred the amount over,” Seungcheol says, with a sigh of relief as he flops back onto the couch, throwing Jihoon a playful grin.

Jihoon barely manages a smile back, and Seungcheol notices.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, sitting up and reaching for him. Jihoon turns away, avoiding his touch as he grabs another pastry.

“No, just thinking. Why don’t we go out today? There’s somewhere I want to go,” Jihoon says.

Seungcheol pouts. “Where? I really wanted to watch the Star Wars series today,” he says.

Jihoon laughs softly. “We watched it yesterday,” he says.

“Not really,” Seungcheol grins, winking, and Jihoon’s face heats up, remembering desperate kisses and big, warm hands in his hair.

“W-Well, we can watch it later,” Jihoon says, “let’s go out after breakfast, okay?”

And when Seungcheol hesitates, puffing out his cheeks, Jihoon just has to press a kiss to the corner of his mouth before Seungcheol is agreeing to anything, so long as he gets more kisses. Jihoon obliges with a smile.

Jihoon taps out the beat against the steering wheel as he drives. Seungcheol is listening to the radio intently, because it’s playing Jihoon’s latest track, by one of the top girl groups in the industry, recently releasing their third full album. The song Jihoon was working on two weeks ago has been bought by an agency, but isn’t released yet.

“You ever thought of doing more freelance, rather than working under this company?” Seungcheol asks suddenly. Jihoon looks over at him in surprise.

“It’s more stable with a company. They’re more likely to take my tracks if I keep the contract with them,” Jihoon says.

“You’ve already made a name for yourself though,” Seungcheol says. “You’d be able to go on your own. A lot of the artists you work with would probably follow you too.”

Jihoon hums. “Maybe,”

“When does your contract finish?” Seungcheol asks.

“In a month,” Jihoon answers.

“You should consider it,” Seungcheol says, “you’d be able to organize your hours the way you wanted; be home more.”

For what? Jihoon thinks, smiling sadly out the window. We’ll be divorced by then. It’s not like you’ll notice if I’m home more.

He knows Seungcheol is watching him, but he doesn’t say more. Seungcheol squeezes his hand resting over the gear stick, and Jihoon feels his chest tighten in response.

“Uhhhh, Jihoon?” Seungcheol looks at the other, like they’ve made a mistake.

Jihoon just grins at Seungcheol as he pushes the door open. “Ready to regain your rapping skills?” he asks, tugging them both inside the karaoke place.

It’s the middle of the day on a Thursday, so it’s relatively easy to get a room. Jihoon is still beaming as he pulls them inside the small space with dancing lights.

“Jihoon… I’m not sure….” Seungcheol hesitates and Jihoon sighs and hands him the remote.

“It’s karaoke. We did it almost every birthday all through high school and college, which, in our group, was basically every month. Now relax, will you?”

Seungcheol purses his lips, clearly put out. Jihoon knows it’s because he’d much rather be home and making out on the couch, like they’ve been doing the past few days; but they’re running out of time. As enticing as making out on the couch sounds, Jihoon plans to use each and every moment of their last days fully.

Seungcheol is still pouting, but once the all too familiar melodies of their favourite tracks start, the hesitation is gone, and Seungcheol is singing into his microphone like it’s sing or die. Jihoon is laughing because of the funny faces he makes to reach the high notes, but he’s hitting them, and Jihoon tries not to show how proud he is that Seungcheol still remembers the vocal techniques he taught him, long ago.

Seungcheol also remembers his rapping flow, getting really into the Dynamic Duo and Verbal Jint songs while Jihoon harmonizes. He stumbles over some of the lyrics and loses the rhythm a couple of times, but he picks it up again quickly and becomes more and more focused as time goes on.

After an intense song, Seungcheol flops onto the couch at the back, limbs splayed apart. Jihoon just laughs.

“Done already? It’s only been like ten songs,” he says and Seungcheol looks at him blearily.

“Only ten songs,” he echoes, voice hollow.

“Alright, I’ll sing then,” Jihoon says, humming as he chooses the next s