a/n: over 100 subs ;;;;; you guys are too kind to me ;;;;; thank you so much!!!!

They end up deciding where to go on the morning of their trip.

On the way back from the amusement park, Seungcheol had stopped to borrow Mingyu and Wonwoo’s tent and extra sleeping bag, since there’s only one sleeping bag in their cupboard. He had tried to wake Jihoon to go up to Mingyu and Wonwoo’s apartment with him, but the boy had just swatted at him and rolled over, going back to sleep.

Once they got home, the two of them just prepared for bed, said quick goodnights - half asleep ones on Jihoon’s part - and then slept. Neither of them got enough sleep when they were working, after all.

So the next morning, they choose a random place with a campsite and buy tickets for the first train out of Seoul that morning. They get hopelessly lost in the station and sprint to make the train. Seungcheol grabs Jihoon’s hand to tug him along the platform, making sure they don’t lose each other.

They make it on the train, breathing hard in the entrance as the train begins to move and Jihoon collapses to sit on the floor. It’s only then that Seungcheol realises he’s still gripping Jihoon’s hand tightly, and he tugs the other up to his feet before letting go and trying to find their seats.

He doesn’t let his mind linger about how Jihoon’s hand fit so nicely in his, how it always has.

Jihoon settles down in the seat and hands Seungcheol his bag to put in the overhead compartment, exchanging it for the tickets and Seungcheol’s phone that he had been holding in his hands.

Jihoon settles down in his seat, waiting for Seungcheol to do the same, before he hands the older his ticket and phone back.

“I’ll keep the tickets. You’ll lose them,” Seungcheol says with a soft laugh. Jihoon makes a face. He used to be themore organised one of the two of them. When had that changed? He hands Seungcheol his ticket anyway. 

“How long is the ride?” Seungcheol asks and Jihoon pulls out his notebook where he had noted down everything.

“About an hour,” Jihoon says, “and then there’s a bus for about twenty minutes.”

Seungcheol just nods and rummages through his bag. Jihoon sees him pull out work documents and sighs a little. Seungcheol might not have to go to work, but that doesn’t mean he would stop working.

Jihoon just grabs his earphones and scrolls to find the last demo he was working on before he went on leave. He’s thinking of staring out the window for an hour and think about how their marriage has broken down to the point they can’t spend two minutes on a train together before Seungcheol pulls out work documents.

But then he glances at Seungcheol before wordlessly offering one of his earphones. Seungcheol takes a moment to notice, and he doesn’t take it instantly, looking at Jihoon, a little bewildered. For a few excruciating seconds, nothing happens, but Jihoon expects Seungcheol to say no, to say he can’t listen to music while he reads - it’s always been like that. But then Seungcheol takes the offered earphone and Jihoon almost flushes with happiness at the slightest brush of their fingers. He settles down in his seat again, cheeks warm and a smile he can’t hide on his lips. He fumbles with his phone for a moment before pressing play.

Jihoon has always been more at home with music - whether it’s making it or listening to it - it was always like that reassuring hand at his back. As soon as the opening melody washes over him, Jihoon feels like the nervousness just bleeds out. He lets out a long breath, smiles as the beats come in and lets his fingers tap out the rhythm.

He only taps out a couple of beats before stopping, scared it was disturbing Seungcheol’s reading. But when he glances up to look, he finds Seungcheol watching him with a fond smile on his face that Jihoon hasn’t seen directed at him for years. Quickly, Seungcheol looks away, like he was caught doing something wrong.

He should find it worrying, that Seungcheol looked away immediately, but Jihoon just finds himself smiling.

Seungcheol finishes his work readings halfway through the train ride, around the time the food cart comes past. Jihoon is scribbling away in another notebook, not noticing. It’s only when his earphone is tugged out of his ear does he realise that Seungcheol is accepting drinks and some chip packets from the pretty girl wheeling the cart.

Jihoon dumbly takes the two drinks that Seungcheol hands him while Seungcheol pulls out his wallet to pay. But he snaps out of his daze when Seungcheol smiles to thank the girl and she flushes and stammers out her reply.

When Seungcheol turns to get his drink from Jihoon, he’s met with a piercing gaze.

“What?” he asks, confused.

Jihoon just wordlessly gives him his drink and settles back in his seat, stubbornly facing forward, a frown carved into his face.

Seungcheol sighs, picks up the earphone that had fallen out and sticks it back into his ear. “If you’re mad at me, then you need to tell me what’s going on.”

“I’m not mad at you,” Jihoon huffs out, but before he can add that he’s mad at the girl for flirting with Seungcheol, who is married, he freezes. Soon, Seungcheol won’t be married. Seungcheol will be single, and free to flirt with whoever he wants. Soon, Seungcheol can start another relationship with someone else. Someone who is not Jihoon.

“Then?” Seungcheol prompts but Jihoon isn’t listening, just puts his drink down and stumbles over Seungcheol’s legs to get out. Seungcheol calls after him but Jihoon is running down the aisle, crashing into the bathroom door and collapsing on the ground as he empties the meagre contents of his stomach into the toilet.

“Jihoon?! Oh, Jihoon…” and then there’s a warm hand rubbing at his back and Jihoon has never felt more mortified.

“I’m… fine, go,” Jihoon waves him away. He wants to go drown himself in the sink or something.

A soft chuckle. “You looked after me through so many of these during college, I think it’s pretty fair for me to stay with you right now,” Seungcheol’s soft voice says.

Jihoon remembers