With the tip of his index finger, Jongin lightly traced the contours of Luhan’s tumid lips, before pressing it against the smooth skin as if to silence him. Luhan’s heightened pulse screamed through his veins; the hairs on the back of his neck prickled, and the incessant beating of his heart drowned out the downy sound of his shirt being lifted from his body and tossed aside onto the floor. The cool air draped around his unclad torso like a cloak of ice, swathing him until something warm and soft maneuvered down the arch of his spine and wavered at the small of his back. It was undoubtedly Jongin’s hand. The latter pulled the former closer, their lips reuniting once more. Jongin’s movements were fluid and gentle, savoring each moment as he explored every sweet spot of Luhan’s lips. The older boy began to grow restless; Deep inside, something that lay dormant began to swirl to life, and all rational thoughts fleeted from Luhan’s mind. His lips parted just enough to grant Jongin’s tongue access, who accepted the invitation imperatively and delved into uncharted territory. He lapped up every inch, every sweet spot of the older boy’s mouth. Eventually they were forced apart, desperate for air -- Luhan fell back onto the bed. Jongin watched as Luhan’s exposed chest rose and fell with each rhythmatic breath, focused on the milky skin and marvelling at how silky it felt beneath his fingertips. The former’s touch singed the latter’s skin, sweet and tantalizing, only seeming to whisper of sins so delicious that they are cruel in their design. Luhan realized, then, that his ‘needs’ finally needed to be addressed. 

Jongin stared down at him, an enchanting look in his eyes; A mixture of desire and love, and the same need screaming to be released. He leaned in and placed a single smoldering kiss on the other's forehead. Luhan’s head tilted back to reveal the lacteal flesh of his neck. Jongin left a trail of kisses from Luhan’s temple to his jawline, the sensation of his tongue against Luhan’s fevered flesh stripping the older boy of what little control that remained. Without a fractal of hesitation, without words, without cares; Within the hold of lust and the thrill of sin, Luhan’s clawing hands found the buckle of Jongin’s belt and was moments from unfastening it when --

The incessant buzz of a cellphone ripped him from his dream world and sent him crashing into reality. His eyes groggily opened; He rubbed at them with the heels of his hands and his vision finally settled after a couple of blinks. Luhan glanced around the room; It was definitely his bedroom, though there was no sign of the other boy. There was no trace that led to the moments leading up to this point being anything but a facade conjured by his subconscious mind. One part of him sighed in relief. The other part didn’t quite follow, and it made Luhan a little nauseous to ponder why. He reached for his phone. The briilliant shine of the sun tore through the blanket of darkness that once fell over the room and cast a glare on the screen. With lidded eyes he thumbed in the passcode protecting his files from the outside world, tapped into his inbox and was not surprised to find various texts from Yixing. The most recent one -- the one which had woken him up -- read, simply, ‘We left for lunch already. Couldn‘t wait. Sorry.’  Luhan opted not to reply for the time being and tossed his phone onto the weathered oak nightstand by his bedside, throwing back his comforter and clambering out of bed in his boxers.

Since their trainee days, Luhan and Jongin had hardly been apart. EXO was to be divided into two subunits, as far as they were aware, and neither were thrilled about losing each other's company. Jongin had taught Luhan to dance, and Luhan had helped him form coherent sentences in Chinese, and during months and months of grueling practices and intense training, they had grown closer than Luhan had ever intended to be and despite his better judgment, he had fallen for Kim Jongin. Those plush lips, those dark eyes, that grin that appeared whenever a puppy was present and that childish humor -- they had Luhan completely wrapped around Jongin's finger.

Luhan dragged himself towards the restroom, lightheaded and tense, and leant his weight against the sink. He peered into the mirror and was not surprised by his reflection. He ran his fingers through tangled golden locks, sweeping a few strands from his forehead and tucking them back. Just beneath his eyes were decorated with a thick navy ring, smears of charcoal and palettes of brown smudged across his eyelids and down his cheeks. His skin -- Luhan had always been particularly fair -- had been completely stripped of color, save for the lingering makeup and bags under his eyes. The boy heaved a sigh, rubbing at his eyes again and leaving the bathroom. As he stumbled down the hall towards the kitchen, the cool tiles of the floor sent a shiver edging up his spine. The air was crisp and frigid; the air conditioner must have been left on. Devoid of the energy to return to his room and dig out a fresh outfit, Luhan continued into the kitchen and paused only when he noticed the figure seated atop of the counter. 

“So you’re alive.”

Luhan had to blink, hard, more than once before his vision settled enough to determine who the voice had come from. He was not surprised to find that it was Jongin. Just his luck.

“Uhm.. Why wouldn’t I be?” Luhan replied meekly, walking past Jongin to gain access to the refrigerator. Within its contents he was able to find a couple of eggs, a pound of bacon and a small portion of orange juice lingering in the bottom of the carton. He took what he needed and sprawled them out on the countertop beside Jongin. 

Jongin only chuckled, reaching down to grab and egg and haphazardly toss it into the air. Luhan’s groggy form could not care less of Jongin’s antics and dug out a frying pan, setting it on the stovetop. As he prepared the pan and heated the burner, he turned to Jongin whom had turned strangely quiet and much less annoying.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” He repeated. Jongin’s response came in the form of him hopping off of the counter -- egg in hand -- and simply cracking it over the pan. He took the second egg from Luhan’s grasp, cracked that one as well and then moved onto the bacon. Luhan’s brow furrowed in confusion. “I can make my own food.” “Really? After last night?” Jongin said, with a wicked grin. Luhan flushed in confusion, a blush of scarlett lighting up his cheeks and ears. ‘Last night? What the Hell happened last night?’ Luhan thought before digging into the depths of his mind. His memories of the previous day -- and night -- were blurred and gap-filled, some parts standing out more than others, and some things he wasn’t sure actually happened. The only thing Luhan knew for certain was that their debut was approaching faster than he had ever imagined, and that to celebrate, himself and the other members had gone out for a drink. He vaguely recalled promising Junmyeon, “I’ll only have one, that’s all. Just one to celebrate.” He perhaps remembered surpassing that limit, after minimum coaxing from Chanyeol, and he remembered loud music and blazing lights and three, four, five bottles being greedily accepted from the bartender. 

His recollections stopped there, and Luhan gasped, to which Jongin’s grin never dimmed. Upon request, Luhan relayed what fragments of the night he remembered and asked Jongin to fill in the blanks. The younger clicked his tongue, drumming his fingers against the white marble of the countertop while the eggs and bacon sizzled and fried in their pan. “I remember the whole night, so I could fill you in,” he mumbled, “But I really don’t think you want to know, hyung. The less people that know, the better..” Jongin’s words trailed off momentarily as he flipped the eggs. “But if I did tell you, what would I get in return?”

Luhan was petrified. What if he’d done something incredibly stupid? What if he’d done something incredibly stupid that could ruin their debut and tarnish his reputation forever? The possibilities were endless in Luhan’s mind and he bit his tongue, making a deal with the devil himself.

“What is it you want, Jongin?”

“I’d like to know more about that dream you were having this morning.”

Luhan's mind was quick to recall exactly what the younger boy was referring to. His throat was parched but nonetheless he proceeded to swallow, hard. He knew that playing stupid would prove fruitless and decided his best mode of action was to be honest and blunt. Honesty is a virtue, after all.

"It was just.. You know. Hormones. That's all."

Jongin snorted. "Hormones," he repeated, taking a moment for the silence to envelop the room before mumbling, "It's good that I skipped lunch today, or I wouldn't have heard you calling my name."

Luhan's heart plummeted into the depths of his chest, each nerve pulsating and sending rushes of adrenaline coursing through his veins. More or less, he had been caught. He cast his gaze down to the floor, noticed the blurred reflection of his body upon the cool marble tiles and fixated his eyes on it. He felt the heat rising to his cheeks, he felt his clammy hands as he curled them into fists, and he felt his knees begin to wobble. Should he deny it? Should he admit it? Should he run? Before Luhan could wrap his mind around a decision, something warm and firm wrapped around his hips and drew him near. As he glanced up, he made direct contact with those tantalizing ochre eyes. He knew them too well, but had never been this close to them. His heart was practically bursting from his chest, a peculiar muddle of nerves, infatuation and a slight hangover pooling inside of his chest and causing his head to ache from the adrenaline. 

Luhan’s slender fingers curled around the nape of Jongin’s neck, cradling him close. Jongin took the opportunity to close the gap between them, planting a single, hesitant kiss against the Luhan's neck. The younger boy's breath was warm and balmy, his lips gentle and mild against the pale skin of Luhan’s exposed neck. Luhan chanced a glance down and noted the slight swole to Jongin’s lips; they looked so soft, so deliciously tempting. The warmth nursing their bodies flitted up Luhan’s spine, lingered against his skin and left him numb in sort of a tranquil bliss. He lifted a tentative hand and cupped the younger boy’s cheek, bringing their gazes together once more. The looming space between their faces was slowly and tantalizingly closed, Jongin's lips edging nearer -- and nearer still -- until they were merely a hair’s width apart. Luhan leant forward. 

The kiss was slow and saccharine, Jongin's candied lips caressing Luhan's in passionate movements. With Luhan's back pressed gently against the counter, their lips locked in a long-awaited embrace, lunch continued to sizzle and crackle in the pan until the ring of a timer broke the two boys apart, gasping for air and struggling to fill their lungs. It was only then that realized that Jongin's flushed cheeks surpassed his own, to which he let a small chuckle slip from his lips, Jongin flashed a small grin while Luhan untangled their bodies, moving to turn off the alarm and turn the stovetop to low heat. He glanced at Jongin over his shoulder, smiling contentedly.

"So.. Do you want to tell me what I did last night?"

"You didn't do anything," Jongin said, "We just drank and went home."