Junhui is bold.
Minghao is italics.
Ya'll know this by now.

[Still July 31, Sunday]

“Two weeks? Are you kidding me?”

“I panicked,” Minghao groaned out as he busied himself with properly stretching his legs. Next to him, Hansol had stopped his own stretches in favour of giving the brunette an incredulous stare. Any other day and Minghao would have felt slighted to receive such a stare, but this time he really had no right to complain. He didn’t blame Hansol one bit because if the other boy went up to him saying he was only going to take two weeks before deciding to get into a relationship, Minghao would have done the same.

The younger boy scoffed, “panicked is an understatement.”

There was nothing Minghao could do but sigh deeply and agree. 

He had always considered the whole thing with Junhui (whatever the thing even was, his mind would add) to be something he still didn’t quite understand. They were strangers turned text-mates turned friends; Minghao couldn’t exactly pinpoint exactly when in the timeframe their friendship became a weird blurry line of sorts, but that was certainly what it looked like it would be for the next two weeks.

 There were a few things he was sure of, at least. 

Minghao liked Junhui. There was no denying that. From the way the blonde was playfully narcissistic to the way he would giggle at Soonyoung’s lame jokes, Minghao was quick to find the whole thing endearing at best.  It was a weird feeling; he knew that the facts stated they’ve literally just met, but the way things have been felt both really slow and really fast. Slow in the aspect of time, where a few days felt like forever. Fast in the aspect of his feelings. Now he was stuck in the middle.

“You don’t feel like you’re that bothered,” Hansol noted after a few seconds, still staring at the brunette, but with more curious eyes this time. “You’re not, huh?”

“Honestly, not really.”

Before Minghao could explain himself further, Soonyoung’s loud voice echoed in the practice room, announcing that practice with the full crew would be starting soon. He welcomed the pause in conversation, but knew that his friend wasn’t going to drop the topic so quickly. Eventually, he was going to have to tell everybody else, too. It did help to have more people on board helping him with matters like these.

(12:09PM) Are you awake?

(12:11PM) Barely, but yes.

(12:11PM) Good morning, Minghao!

(12:11PM) Good afternoon, Junhui.

(12:12PM) This scene feels familiar.

(12:12PM) You mean since I’m usually awake before you?
(12:13PM) And because you constantly say good morning pass 12PM?

(12:13PM) Maybe.

(12:13PM) I don’t always wake up late.

(12:13PM) Right.

(12:14PM) I can’t help it, you keep me awake at night.

(12:14PM) Guess I should stop texting you earlier then.

(12:14PM) You know I didn’t mean it like that!

(12:15PM) When will you stop being so cruel, Minghao?

(12:15PM) I’m caring for your health, that’s all.

(12:15PM) I get more than enough sleep.

(12:17PM) Did you know sleeping too much can cause the same problems as sleeping too little?

(12:17PM) I’ve heard from Jisoo, actually. 

(12:17PM) More than once.

(12:18PM) And?

(12:18PM) Clearly nothing has happened.

(12:18PM) Okay, for you, I’ll take better care of my health.

(12:20PM) You should really be doing these things for yourself.

(12:20PM) I’m doing it for you, who is doing it for me, so technically…

(12:20PM) I’m going to pretend that makes sense.

(12:21PM) You love me for my intelligence, Minghao, I know.

(12:21PM) I was going to argue until I remembered your major.

(12:22PM) I haven’t even told you my GPA yet.

(12:22PM) I really don’t want to know.

(12:22PM) Fine, fine.

(12:23PM) How’s practice?

(12:23PM) We’re on lunch break.

(12:23PM) I think I’ve sweated my body weight’s amount of fluids.

(12:24PM) Sounds intense.

(12:24PM) Meanwhile, I haven’t gotten out of my bed.

(12:24PM) You really should.

(12:25PM) But it’s so comfortable!

(12:25PM) It could be better though.

(12:25PM) (Ask me how)

(12:26PM) (No)

(12:26PM) (Please)

(12:26PM) How?

(12:26PM) If you were here with me ;)

(12:27PM) Woops, time to go back to practice.

(12:27PM) There’s no way it took you that quickly to eat.

(12:27PM) Let me escape in peace.

(12:28PM) But I want to keep you forever.

(12:28PM) Are you blushing?

(12:28PM) I hope you’re blushing.

(12:28PM) Ever since we’ve met I can actually imagine how you look like when we text now!

(12:28PM) If you must know, I have a grin on my face.

(12:29PM) I’d kiss it off you, if I had the chance.

(12:31PM) skdjhfaljsdhdsSHJKDHFJKSDH

(12:31PM) Who’s grinning now, Junhui?

(12:32PM) NOT ! ! !

(12:32PM) FAIR ! ! !

(12:32PM) We haven’t even kissed yet.

(12:33PM) Yet?

(12:33PM) You sound so sure of yourself.

(12:33PM) Always, babe. Always.

(12:34PM) Babe sounds so sleazy.

(12:34PM) Right, I forgot, you’re Darling Minghao.

(12:36PM) Is that still my name on your phone?

(12:36PM) Yup!

(12:36PM) What’s my name on yours?

(12:37PM) Uh…

(12:37PM) Junhui.

(12:37PM) You’re so sweet.

(12:37PM) I’m in tears.

(12:38PM) Don’t get used to it.

(12:38PM) Anyway, I really do have to get back to practice.

(12:40PM) I’m going to leave suggestions for you.

During lunch, Minghao had managed to eat away from his group of friends, joining some of the younger crew members instead. All of them didn’t mind him sitting there, with only one or two making small talk, but for the most part he was left alone to text in peace. He could feel the way Hansol and Chan stared at him from across the room, with the former no doubt telling Chan and Soonyoung all about what happened, but he chose to ignore that. 

Next thing he knew, Chan was walking over to him.

“How did you go from being the group prude to getting a boyfriend in ten days?” 

“First of all,” Minghao started. “Rude. Second of all, still rude, I’m older than you. Third, I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“That wasn’t how Hansol said it.”

Behind the younger boy, Soonyoung showed up, all smiles. He planted both hands on his hips as he regarded Minghao with a look that the Chinese boy definitely didn’t want to see, but here he was, sitting on the floor of the practice room. He could tell