Yugyeom walked into the hospital waiting room with 4 cups of strong, black coffee for the group. "Thanks." Junior mumbled as he grabbed a cup without taking his eyes off the entrance from where the doctor should be coming through any moment to tell them about Jaebum's condition.

"It's not your fault you know." Yugyeom said in an attempt to comfort Junior who had been a panicked mess since they got to the hospital.Junior just bowed his head solemnly, "I should've paid more attention." It had only been a few hours but the exhaustion was clear by shows of Junior's hunched shoulders and his dark eyes. Worry and guilt had slowly been eating away at him.

Jackson had been pacing back and forth until Bambam forcefully tugged him down and in between him and Junior. Once Yugyeom returned, he placed a soothing kiss on the back of Bambam's tensed hand. Everyone ended up all huddled together on the dingy hospital couch, seeking comfort in each others presence. When the doctor eventually emerged from the hallway, everyone scrambled to their feet. Junior was holding his breath expecting the worst. But then the doctor smiled reassuringly, "He is in stable conditions. Luckily, the hit was not bad enough for any life threatening injuries. He has a broken arm and a sprained ankle. We can release him today. I suggest at least 6 weeks of bed rest for him to fully recover."

Relief flooded through Junior's body and the stone that had been pressing against his chest was lifted. They all bowed deeply in thanks to the doctor and Junior asked, still a little frantic, "Can we go see him?"

"Of course, follow me."

As soon as the group arrived at Jaebum's tiny hospital room, they rushed over to his bedside at lightning speed. The maknaes threw themselves over his legs crying out, "Hyung!" and Jackson came up on Jaebum's right to lay a hand on his nape affectionately, "You gave us a real scare, you know." Jaebum gave them all a weak smile as if to reassure them he was indeed okay.

Junior gripped Jaebum's hand tightly and eyed the numerous IV tubes and medical equipment with apprehension, "How are you feeling? I am so sorry. This is all my fault. I should be the one lying in this bed."

Jaebum interrupted his rambling with a firm voice, "No, don't say that. And you don't have to apologize. I'm glad you're okay."

"But you aren't." Junior sighed.

"The doctor said I will be perfectly fine." Jaebum squeezed his hand back.

Jackson jumped in, "Don't even think about working until you heal. Have you thought about staying over someone's house? Or getting a stay at home nurse? I can help pay-"

Jaebum interrupted him, "I can handle it on my own. It's just a broken arm."

"And a sprained ankle! How do you expect to live alone like that for 6 weeks?." Junior was incredibly worried, he knew Jaebum was stubborn and would probably not rest properly on his own. "I'll stay with you." He declared boldly.

Jaebum was taken aback, "You don't have to."

"I'm the one who put you in this hospital bed, so I'm going to take care of you." Junior insisted.

"That's a good idea." Bambam piped in. "Jaebum-hyung even has a spare bedroom you can use."

"If you'll be needing spare bedrooms." Yugyeom added with a cheeky smirk.

"Of course we will." Junior retorted with his cheeks aflame as he flicked Yugyeom in the head.

After half an hour of more protesting on Jaebum's part, Junior finally convinced him to be taken care of. Junior stopped by the coffee shop to pack what little belongings he had to bring to Jaebum's apartment. Fortunately, the apartment was not far from the coffee shop, but it was on third floor of a building with no elevator. Junior looked up at the expanse of stair cases with dread and muttered under his breath, "You've got to be kidding me."

Jaebum looked sheepish, "I'm no millionaire. The apartment was cheap and the location was convenient, so I settled."

It was tricky situation, Junior had to lug a suit case and a half crippled Jaebum up the stairs. For the first flight of stairs Jaebum insisted on not needing any help. But on the second flight Junior had a heart attack when Jaebum tripped and almost tumbled down the steps. So for the rest of the trip Junior kept a steady arm wrapped around Jaebum's waist. Once they arrived at the front door, Jaebum cleared his throat, "I should probably warn you about Nora."

Nora? Junior couldn't help the stabs of jealousy in stomach when he thought of someone living with Jaebum. He blurted, "I thought you lived alone?" A pause, "Is she your girlfriend?" There goes all my hopes and dreams, Junior thought.

Jaebum looked amused, "Nora's my cat...and I'm gay, remember."

Junior coughed awkwardly to hide his embarrassment at jumping to conclusions, "Right." He fumbled to open the door and sure enough as soon as he swung the door open a sesame cat was slinking her way around his feet. Junior gingerly picked her up and cooed when she nuzzled into his palm. "You are so adorable." He told Nora. When he looked up, his heart skipped a beat to see Jaebum watching them fondly.

The apartment wasn't huge or extravagant. Rather it was small and simple, but still charming in it's own way. Instead of a dining room, there was just a kitchen with a breakfast bar that led into a quaint living room. The living room had a love seat and an arm chair crowded around a TV. The rest of the area was taken up by bookcases, each one bursting at the seams with books.

Junior walked up to them and ran his fingers over the wore down spines in awe. He breathed in the distinct musty, damp scent of used books. "I like your place." He murmured.

"It's because of the books right?" Jaebum grinned and then rubbed his hands across the back of his neck, "The place is kind of a mess, sorry. The spare bedroom is down the hall across from mine. I have a bathroom on the left. It's not much but it's home."

To Junior's amusement he discovered that the "spare bedroom" wasn't really a spare bedroom, but rather a work area for Jaebum. It was littered with all sorts of fancy camera equipment and lights. There were prints of forest scenery and Icheon's city streets hung up on the walls. In the corner there was a small computer space opened up to photographic editing software. The only thing that made it close to a bedroom was the small futon tucked in the corner.

A large covered canvas-larger than all the others in the room-caught Junior's eye. He knew that he probably shouldn't be snooping but the curiosity won out. Junior gently picked up a corner and began to drag the cloth away. He let out a small gasp when he saw the subject.

It was a picture of him lying in the sand.

The picture had been taken when they had gone to the beach. It was at angle that allowed the setting sun to cast a light glow on Junior's figure. He had a hand propped under his head, while the other was splayed on his stomach. His eyes crinkled up at the corners with laughter-probably at something Jaebum said. Junior's head reeled at the possibilities as to why Jaebum had decided to print a large picture of him.

There were footsteps outside the closed door and Junior quickly draped the cloth back over the picture. He stood awkwardly in the middle by the time Jaebum appeared in the door way with blankets clutched in his free hand. He tossed the blankets to Junior, who stumbled to catch them-his was still jittery from discovering the picture.

"It can get cold in my apartment. Sometimes the heat shuts off. I'll let you get settled." Jaebum was about to leave, but then turned abruptly-his eyes flitting to the large covered canvas for a fraction of a second. "The stuff is kind of expensive, so try not to touch anything." Junior nodded dumbly. Once Jaebum left he let out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding in.

When dinner time arrived, they came to a severe predicament. Neither of them had the ability to cook. Jaebum was an excellent chef but his arm was broken. Meanwhile, Junior had both arms working perfectly fine, but they soon discovered he couldn't cook actual meals-despite being able to bake-when he burnt Jaebum's last packet of rameon. They decided to order take out for their sake of their health and safety.

After half an hour Junior headed down stairs to receive the delivery man and ended up bumping into an elderly lady who was heading out. "Sorry!" Junior bowed deeply to the women in apology. She squinted at him, "Hmm, you're new."

"Pardon?" Junior straightened himself back up.

"I've been here for the past 40 years and I've never seen you." She seemed oddly suspicious and Junior quickly reassured her,  "I promise I'm not a burglar! I'm actually staying with Jaebum. Im Jaebum. Do you know him?"

Her eyes lit up with recognition at the name "Oh Jaebum! That sweet young man. He always helps me bring up my groceries. I'm his neighbor."

Yet another reason for me to fall in love with him, Junior thought. "That's quite nice of him to do." 

"Are you his boyfriend?" The elderly woman said bluntly. 

Junior almost dropped the take out boxes in his hand, "N-no. I'm just his friend that's, uh, visiting."

"Oh? He usually doesn't get visitors. Unless it's those crazy friends from the cafe. But they usually just come by to drag him out at ungodly hours." Junior's lips quirked into a smile at the mention of Jackson's and the maknae's crazy antics.

"Well, he was injured and someone has to stay with him."

"Injured? Is he okay?" The lady looked genuinely concerned, so Junior assured her, "Not to worry. He is doing fine now and I'll take good care of him."

"I must make sure to make him some soup. Whats your name by the way?"

"Junior."

She raised an eyebrow. "Junior! Ah Jaebum's mentioned you."

"Me?" Well this is news.

"Yes! You see sometimes we have chats over tea."

"Tea?" Junior tried to picture Jaebum drinking tea from a tiny cup with his pinky held up with the sweet, old lady. 

"He mentioned that there was a new handsome man working at the coffee shop. Someone he hoped to become close to. Looks like he got his wish." The woman smiled knowingly.

Junior squeaked out. "Handsome?" Apparently he could only form one word responses at the moment.

"Yes his exact words were. 'Ahjumma, he is so handsome that it hurts to look at him.'" She said with a wink and Junior's jaw almost hit the floor.

"Honey, you must be going now. The food in your hands is probably cold." The woman ushered a dumbfounded Junior up the stairs.

Junior remembered what Jaebum had said back at the beach during his round of Truth of Dare, but he was still surprised. When he came back to the apartment, the first thing he said was about the elderly woman, "So I met your neighbor. She's really nice."

Jaebum looked up from his phone and visibly gulped, "Oh, what did you guys talk about?"

"Why hyung, I didn't know you thought I was so handsome, it hurt to look at me." Junior felt giddy at the way Jaebum gasped after his statement.

"She must of misheard me. I said you were so ugly, it hurt to look at you." Jaebum retorted and Junior chucked a plastic fork at his head, even though he knew Jaebum was only saying that to act cool.

"I'm going to lock myself in the spare bedroom with the all the food." Junior said in defiance.

"This is my apartment!" Jaebum protested.

"Does it look like I care," Junior began to march towards the spare bedroom.

"Wait! I lied, you're not ugly!" Jaebum called after him.

"Say I'm handsome." Junior yelled back.

"Why?" Jaebum whined.

"Mmm, I'm so hungry I could easily eat two portions."

"Okay, okay! You're very handsome." Jaebum finally relented.

Junior popped back into the kitchen "Aw hyung, you are so sweet." He pinched a grumbling Jaebum's cheek.

They sat on Jaebum's bar stools to eat when Junior suddenly thought of a cute idea. He twirled some noodles with his fork and lifted it to Jaebum's lips, "Say aaaaah."

Jaebum leveled him with a glare, "You do realize, I have one working arm left."

"But hyung I want to feed you." Junior's mouth developed into a little pout.

"Why??" 

"Because I want to? Let me be nice..." Junior gave his best puppy eyes and even batted his eye lashes a little. It seemed to have an effect on Jaebum, because his expression immediately softened and he said, "Fine."

Junior squealed with glee and fed Jaebum for the rest of the meal. He tried to look annoyed, but ultimately failed and ended up giggling along with Junior at one point. He still tried to save some of his dignity by teasing Junior back, "So I heard you were incredibly worried at the hospital. I didn't know you cared so much."

Junior flushed, "O-of course, I care...hey, don't look so smug!" Junior tried to swat at Jaebum's head but he just ducked away chuckling.

With satisfied stomachs the pair headed off to their separate beds. The futon wasn't the most comfortable, but it was still better than a couch. After a long day, Junior fell fast asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Junior is back at the same play ground except this time he is sitting under a jungle gym. It must be late because the sky is shrouded with darkness and the stars are out. There's some shuffling to his right and Junior whips around in a fright. He breathes a sigh of relief when he sees a familiar mop of pink hair peek under the jungle gym. The boy is back and this time he has a brown paper bag with him. 

"People must think we are losers coming to a playground, even when we are almost 18."

"Then, I guess it'll just have to be our secret." Junior remarks.

The boy sits down next to him and opens the bag to pull out a large bottle of soju. 

"Hyung..."

"Relax. I only brought one bottle. And it's cherry flavored. You love cherry."

Junior rolls his eyes, "If we get arrested it's on you."

"It's 2 am. No one will see us." The boy cracks open the bottle and a sharp, tangy smell fills the area around them. The liquid was as pink as the boy's hair. Junior must have said this out loud because not a second later the boy lets out a high pitched laugh, his canine teeth showing.

He takes a long swing before bringing it up to Junior's lips, murmuring, "Live a little." Junior still seems reluctant so the boy parts open Junior's bottom lip with his thumb and gently tips the alcohol into his mouth. It leaves a burning trail down Junior's throat that makes him squirm, yet it's still strangely addictive.

The bottle is passed back and forth until half of it is gone. They end up lying on their backs, side by side, under the jungle gym with their heads peaking out into the open so they could see the stars. Junior is thankful to be lying down. The soju was causing his head to spin in circles. Junior shivers in his light shirt after a gust of wind rolls by. The boy takes Junior's cold hands between his and rubs them, "You always forget to dress properly."

Even if he is cold, Junior knows the boy is always there to warm him up. He turns on his side to face the boy, "I have news...The divorce went through. The lawyer is also looking into a possible restraining order. But what matters is...we are finally leaving him."

The boy reaches out to throw his limbs over Junior's slim body and nuzzles his face in his shoulder, "That's great news."

Junior relaxes right into the hug and automatically tucks his face into the boy's hair, breathing in the familiar scent of coconut shampoo."I still wish he had never been in our lives in the first place." His voice cracks in the end and he blinks rapidly to prevent any tears.

The arms around Junior's torso grow tighter, "He's gone now. He can't touch you anymore...and I know that the battle isn't completely over. He hurt you badly. But remember that you aren't alone. Your mother and I are both here for you every step of the way. We both love you dearly."

Junior's heart stutters in his chest at the mention of love, "You love me?"

It's the boy's turn to look a little flustered, "O-of course, I do. You are my best friend and the most important person in my life."

His palms sweat a little as he responds, "Aww, hyung." The boy sticks out his tongue, "We are too cheesy."

Junior presses their foreheads together, "Promise me something." His voice sounds a little desperate at the end.

"Anything." The boy doesn't seem disturbed at all by how close their faces are.

"No matter what, we will stick together. Through the rest of high school, and college, and even life after that."

The boy links their pinkies and touches their thumbs, "I promise. Best friends until the end of time. You have to promise me too, you won't leave me behind. Even when you go off to a prestigious university, cuz your super smart, and become really rich." Junior rolls his eyes at that. "Hey it's true! Don't forget me...I know I won't forget you." The boy finishes.

"Of course. Even when we are old and crinkly, I'll be there like gum stuck under your shoes."

The boy lets out beautiful peals of laughter, "Yes, and when we marry off into different families, our houses will be next to each other. I bet our children will be best friends too."

Junior can't help but to think, what if we got married and lived in the same house instead? what if we had children together? But he stays quiet because those are dreams reserved for the deepest corners of his mind when he is alone in his room. Those are dreams that will never come true.

"Together forever. That sounds nice." Junior gazes into the boy's eyes, which reflect all the stars above them. He finds himself getting lost in the little universe they create. He thinks, he wouldn't mind spending an eternity looking into those brown eyes. There's a feeling nestling into his chest then, something that seems to spread roots into every crevice of his heart, trying to make itself a permanent home. And for the first time Junior has been in the boy's presence, he is terrified.

Junior lurched awake. He realized his hands were clenched around the blankets and clammy with sweat. He ran a hand through his hair mindlessly and tried to calm his erratic heart beat. When he thought back to the pink haired boy an unmistakable warmth spread through his chest.

The dreams (or memories) had been getting more vivid each night, along with its accompany feelings. They felt so real, he could recall the touch, the smell, and even the taste of the air on his tongue. It always made him shaky when he woke up, traveling from one reality to another. Somewhere in all the hazy memories, Junior had grown fond of the boy's puppy like smile and optimism.

He assumed the boy was just an old childhood best friend. Until the latest dreams had begun to reveal intense emotions correlated with the boy, emotions that Junior wasn't sure matched up with just innocent friendship. It scared him to think he could care so much about someone that might not even exist in his life anymore, someone he might never see again. As far as he was concerned the only person he liked right now was Jaebum, and he wanted to keep it like that. It would be less confusing, but he knew things in life were never that easy

The dreams were only giving him snippets of his life back, not enough to form the bigger picture. When he couldn't remember anything more, or the dreams became repetitive, Junior was filled with an empty longing for more of his past life.

It made him sick to think that he might never recover some parts of his life. That he might have had a library of wonderful memories that were now burned to ashes. All he could do was weep over the incomplete remains. He mourned those lost parts, like they were a person who had died. In a way they were-his old self had died.

He jumped up from the futon. Desperate to get out of the enclosed space he stepped out of the room. He shivered a little, and realized the heat must have shut off during the night. He saw a soft light coming from Jaebum's bedroom. Junior found his feet moving of their own accord towards the older man.

Jaebum jumped and looked up from his phone when Junior opened the door. "You're still awake?"

"My memories." Was all Junior had to say for Jaebum to understand. Jaebum patted the empty spot next to him and Junior shyly climbed onto the bed beside Jaebum.

Jaebum spoke right next to his ear, "Junior-ah...you're shivering like a madman."

Junior looked down to his hands resting in his lap and almost laughed because Jaebum was right. Not only were his hands shaking, but his legs were bouncing back and forth. He didn't think it was from the cold, but nonetheless Jaebum draped the covers over Junior. Jaebum studied him carefully before saying, "Tell me what's wrong."

Junior inhaled deeply to steady himself, the air had the slight scent of laundry detergent, probably from Jaebum sitting so close. "Sometimes I think I'm just a shell of a person."

Jaebum's hands found his under the blankets, "Why do you think that?"

"Because a person is made up of their experiences, their personality, and their little quirks. Who was I really? All I can recall are little moments here and there, but the whole picture of who I was. God, I don't even remember simple things like what my favorite color was or what music I use to listen to. Everything that made me, uniquely me, is gone. S-some times I can't help but feel that I'm broken."

"I'll tell you what I know. Your name is Junior. You are caring and sometimes really sassy but it's funny. And you always put a lot of sugar in your coffee. And you cover your mouth when you laugh. And you always sing under your breath when we play Michael Jackson in the cafe. Even if you can't remember everything about your past self. There are still so many things that make you, you." Jaebum tightened his hands around Junior's, "I know it hurts that you can't remember everything but you've also made so many nice memories with the staff. Like when the milk overflowed in one of the machines. We all had to stay up late to clean up the mess. Bambam and Jackson broke out into a duet to keep us entertained. Yugyeom used the mop as a pole to dance around. Remember, you were laughing so hard you slipped and fell on the mess we still hadn't clean up. I promise you we are going to make so many more wonderful memories like that to fill up the holes."

Junior didn't realize he was crying until Jaebum was away tears with his free hand. Jaebum tucked Junior's head under his chin. "H-hyung." He managed to choke out as he clung to Jaebum desperately, sobs racking through his body. Jaebum was kind, always so, so kind-he wondered what he had done in his past to deserve someone like Jaebum by his side.

"Sssh, it will be alright. I'm here." Jaebum blushed fiercely, when Junior raised his head to plant a tender kiss on his cheek and whispered, "Thank you." He let Junior stay the night in his bed, buried into his chest and soaking his shirt with tears.

The next morning, Junior was pretty embarrassed for breaking down like that in front of Jaebum. But Jaebum reassured him, that's what friends were for and to always rely on him to talk these feelings out. Junior felt such an overwhelming rush of affection and love for the man that he almost burst into tears again.

He really liked Jaebum, like a lot. Enough to probably look over some of his flaws, but not enough to ignore the fact the Jaebum was beginning to stink after a week since they left the hospital.

"Why don't you take a shower?" Junior said as he gingerly pick up the clothes strewn across the floor of Jaebum's bedroom and placed them in the laundry basket balanced on his hip. Since, Junior had settled in Jaebum's apartment he had become some sort of house keeper. Doing laundry, feeding Nora, taking out the trash, washing dishes (the list went on and on) and even dusting the bookshelves.

Jaebum was lying on his bed, book propped cautiously on his thigh as he tried to turn the page with his uninjured hand. "Because it's going to be a struggle."

"Well, I have to live here for 6 weeks and I don't want to spend it around someone smelly." Junior marched right over to Jaebum's side and plucked the book from his hands.

"Hey, give that back! I was getting to the good part."

"You can have this back...after you take a shower."

"You sound like my mother." Jaebum muttered as he awkwardly clambered off the bed.

"I mean, I feel like it considering I do all your chores." Junior straightened out the bed sheets that Jaebum had been sitting on.

"What?" Junior quipped when he felt eyes on his back.

"Actually you look more like a housewife." Jaebum said, eyes glinting with amusement.

"Did you just call me a housewife??" Junior cried indignantly. Jaebum immediately put up his hands in surrender and scurried off into the bathroom. 

It had only been 5 minutes, when Junior heard a loud thud coming from the bathroom. He sprinted to the bathroom in panic and flung the door open. All types of scenarios were running through his mind. Did Jaebum faint? Did fall and hurt his arm more? What if he hit his head on somewhere sharp and was now bleeding to death?

Instead, Junior was greeted with a disgruntled looking Jaebum laying on his bum on the floor beside the toilet-his arm cast slung across the sink. Jaebum gaped up at him like a deer caught in headlights, "Why didn't you knock?? What if I was ?"

Fortunately (or unfortunately the -ier part of Junior's mind would argue) Jaebum was still fully clothed-only his socks were off. Junior sheepishly said, "I was worried. What happened anyways?"

"I fell." Jaebum answered curtly.

"I see that." Junior bent over to haul Jaebum up by the armpits, "How did you fall?"

"Taking off my socks." Jaebum determinedly looked at the towel rack instead of making eye contact.

Junior stifled a giggle, "Oh my God, you are a danger to yourself."

"Technically this is your fault. I told you it would be a struggle to shower." What looked like the beginnings of a pout-an actual pout-were creeping onto Jaebum's mouth. Hmmm, maybe he was picking up on Junior's habits.

"Do you want me to help you?" Junior joked.

"N-n-no." Jaebum spluttered as he hastily turned away from Junior. He tried to wobble away, but almost fell again when he put weight on his sprained ankle. Junior had to grab his arm to keep him from toppling over. 

"I was joking. But it looks like you actually might need help." Jaebum stared at him with wide eyes and Junior's stomach twisted into nervous knots when he realized exactly what he was suggesting. Several emotions flitted across Jaebum's face: embarrassment, astonishment, and doubt. "I'll be fine." Jaebum said but there was no assertiveness in his voice, instead it wavered with uncertainty.

"What if you fall again, and actually hurt yourself badly?" Junior spoke without thinking. He prayed he didn't sound creepy for suggesting showering together. The rational part of his brain told him to take his words back, but Jaebum looked like he was actually contemplating the idea and Junior's stomach flipped with excitement.

While the mood had been light-hearted just seconds before, a switch had been flipped, and the atmosphere crackled with tension as they held each others gaze. Junior became suddenly aware of how close Jaebum was standing.

"I don't know." Jaebum trailed off at the end.

"Well, I'm deciding for you." Junior had no idea where the burst of bravery came from inside him. Before he could think twice, he was pulling his own shirt over his head. He resisted the urge to cross his arms over his chest. "I don't want you to get hurt by yourself." Junior added, as if that was a reasonably excuse for why he was suddenly stripping.

Jaebum audibly gulped. Unlike the first time he saw Junior shirtless, he kept his eyes respectfully on Junior's face. For that Junior was grateful, because he felt suddenly exposed. Before he lost any of his newly found courage, Junior chucked off his sweatpants. Jaebum pointedly look up at ceiling as if he were praying, and there was slight pink dusting his cheeks.

Junior's heart leaped to his throat as he helped Jaebum take off his shirt. Before today, Junior had seen Jaebum's muscles several times in tank tops at work...that was nothing compared to being able to see all of Jaebum at once. Junior tried-he really did-not to look. But he couldn't help letting his eyes run over Jaebum's broad shoulders and a toned chest, down to...were those abs?. Junior felt faint. This was either the best, or the worst idea Junior had ever had. Oh god, he was an idiot. How on Earth was he suppose to survive this?

Meanwhile, Jaebum was still struggling to get his jeans off with only one functioning hand (why exactly was he wearing jeans at home Junior will never know). "Here, let me." Junior said in a small voice as he dragged Jaebum's hands away.

"You don't have to-" Jaebum abruptly stopped talking in exchange for a sharp intake of breath when Junior popped open the button of his jeans and slid the zipper down. Junior hoped that Jaebum couldn't tell how his hands were shaking as he hooked his thumbs inside the waistline to pull the jeans downs.

Junior knelt as he pulled the jeans down to Jaebum's ankles so he could pull them off at his feet. Jaebum reached out to place a hand on Junior's shoulder, near the base of his neck, to steady himself. The touch felt feverish against Junior's cold skin. After the jeans were properly disposed, Junior face grew warm at their compromising position. Junior was practically on his knees, right in front of Jaebum's crotch, with Jaebum's hand near the nape of his neck.

"Um, are you, uh, going to-" Junior stumbled over his words and gestured to Jaebum's black, tight (yup, he really was feeling faint) boxers.

"I'll keep it on." Jaebum said, the pink from his cheeks had traveled down to his neck. To be fair, Junior was pretty sure he looked like a tomato at this point.

Junior gave Jaebum a weak nod before turning on the water. When Junior pulled back the shower curtain, he realized his hands were still shaking. His mind screamed, Abort! Abort now before you pop a hard on!

Jaebum climbed into the shower with an arm draped around Junior's shoulder for balance. They stood there awkwardly for a minute, before Jaebum realized he was there to actually shower. For the most part, Jaebum was fine shampooing his own hair and scrubbing his torso with one hand, the other arm hanging limp and useless. Junior would occasionally reach out to steady him whenever he wobbled.

But when it came to washing his back, Jaebum awkwardly reached back at different angles and almost slipped with how hard he was straining. Junior finally took the body wash from Jaebum's hands and said, "I'll do it."

"You don't have to-"

"I'm not here to stand like a statue while you shower. I'm here to help." Junior squirted some lemon scented body wash into his hand, and gently placed a hand between Jaebum's shoulder blades. His other hand went to Jaebum's hip to keep him still.

The strong scent of Jaebum's body wash and the heat coming from Jaebum's skin underneath his finger tips was overwhelming. When he tried to swallow, he found his throat incredibly dry. Junior let his hands roam across the broad planes of Jaebum's back, down his spine, to the small of his back-rubbing gentle circles here and there. He savored the feeling because who knew when the next chance to touch Jaebum like this would be.

Once he finished Jaebum stood right under the stream of water with his head tilted back and eyes closed. With Jaebum's eyes closed, Junior felt himself relax just a little. He still gulped at the sight of Jaebum's Adam's apple protruding out, open for the taking. The water slid over Jaebum's smooth skin, thoroughly soaking his boxers, causing them to cling around his crotch. Junior felt arousal stir in his gut when he saw the faint outline of Jaebum's . . Look up. Look up. Okay maybe one glance won't hurt. No, no don't be a .

When Jaebum finally opened his eyes he asked, "I need to wash," he gestured vaguely between his legs, "down there. Do you mind turning around?" Junior just gave him a dumb nod and mechanically turned around. The bathroom was silent besides their breathing so it was easy to hear the rustle of fabric as Jaebum took off his boxers.

Blood roared in Junior's ears and he squeezed his eyes shut. He tried to conjure up innocent and un-y thoughts. Puppies. Flowers. Pineapples. Yugyeom and Bambam making out. Now that shook Junior, because thinking of Yugyeom and Bambam kissing was like thinking of your own kid having .

"Done." Came Jaebum's small voice. Junior turned around and wondered how Jaebum's managed to pull his boxers back on. He was grateful nonetheless. He doesn't think he could handle pulling up Jaebum's boxers. They eventually got out of the shower and Junior helped Jaebum dry himself. Junior wondered if he would ever be able to erase the image of Jaebum in wet boxers from his mind.

It took Junior and Jaebum a few days after the shower incident to be able to meet each others gaze. Soon enough they are back to their casual banter. They eventually settled into a routine. Junior headed off to work early in the morning and returned around mid afternoon to find Jaebum reading, watching cheesy k-dramas, or petting Nora. When dinner time rolled around Jaebum complained about Junior's inability to cook anything other than slightly burnt rameon, to which Junior hit him with a spatula for being ungrateful.The six weeks flew by and Jaebum's arm came out of the sling.

Junior got the weekend off and Jaebum declared that they would use up his precious free time for a Harry Potter Marathon. With Soju.

"Have you ever seen the movies?" Jaebum questioned as he turned the TV on and kicked his feet up on the coffee table. He regretted asking when he saw Junior's face twist in discomfort, "I don't remember if I ever did."

Jaebum cleared his throat, "No matter. We'll watch all the movies anyway."

Junior sunk into the soft cushions beside Jaebum. The ridiculously small loveseat caused them to sit close together, knees knocking into each other. Junior could smell the usual lemon scented body wash and feel the heat from Jaebum's thigh against his own. It's made his head spin, even if he hasn't sipped from his drink.

When Junior did reach for the bottle, he realized it was cherry flavored and his throat went dry. As he tipped his head back to let the alcohol slide down his throat, the taste brought him back to his dreams with the pink haired boy. It makes him think of the promise they made each other-to never leave-and suddenly there was a sinking feeling in his stomach.

Jaebum knocked the popcorn bag in his hands against Junior's knuckles, "Everything alright? You look a little sick. Do you not like cherry?"

"Oh yea, I'm fine. I actually love cherry." He tipped the bottle back against his lips as if to prove a point. Jaebum seemed to buy it and resumed the movie.

It was quite nice to spend time like this with Jaebum. Inside the coffee shop there was the looming stress of having a lot of work to get done, but here in Jaebum's apartment it's like they have all the time in the world.

Junior also got to see a different side of Jaebum in the apartment. He was so use to seeing Jaebum all polished up at the cafe-with his hair styled, his eyes sharp and alert, and his shoulders usually tense with stress. At home, he got to see Jaebum loafing around in large rimmed glasses and pajamas coupled with intense bed hair. He got to see Jaebum's blank face right before his first cup of coffee in the morning and Jaebum with his mouth agape as he napped on the couch. It was in those moments-where his guards were let down-that Jaebum looked the most vulnerable and Junior would feel a rush of protectiveness.  

Being in the apartment also made Jaebum more playful and Junior never missed the opportunity to banter. It was cozy environment and he knows he will miss it when he has to leave. Jaebum was pretty much healed but hadn't said anything about Junior moving back to the tiny room in the cafe. Junior hoped Jaebum wouldn't make him leave-even though he felt like that was just wishful thinking.

He wanted to stay with Jaebum in this messy, cramped apartment he had grown so fond of. The tiny back room back at the cafe seems desolate and cold compared to Jaebum's apartment, where Junior could enjoy Jaebum's sleepy morning smiles and bursts of laughter over dinner.

"Heeeey, want to hear a joke?" Jaebum slurred in an uneven voice and gripped Junior's arm, breaking through his thoughts. Junior raised an eyebrow, Jaebum must have really had too much to drink. He decided to humor him anyway, "Sure. What is it?"

"Why did Snape stand in the middle of the road?"

Junior resisted the urge to roll his eyes, "Why?"

"So, you'll never know what side he's on!" Jaebum crowed gleefully.

Junior almost face palmed at Jaebum's joked. He wasn't even surprised. Junior already knew Jaebum was secretly a huge dork after discovering his secret stash of anime posters in his bedroom. He even caught Jaebum humming the Harry Potter theme song around the living room on a daily basis. It just made Junior fall for Jaebum even more.

Junior leaned his head onto the back of the couch and smiled up at Jaebum, not bothering to hide the fondness in his eyes, "You're ridiculous, Im Jaebum."

Maybe it was because of the soju traveling too quickly through his veins, but he slid a hand into Jaebum's hair and let it drag down. Jaebum's eyes widened at the sudden contact. Junior began to hastily pull his hand away but then Jaebum's hand to shot out to keep Junior's hand pressed against the side of his cheek. Jaebum's eyes slid close.

"Jaebummie," Junior breathed out quite shakily. He let his fingers slide over the plane of Jaebum's cheek. The skin was so smooth that Junior wanted to keep his hand moving, all over Jaebum's body to see where else was as smooth. When Jaebum's eyes flickered open, they were slightly wet. At first Junior thought he did something wrong, and then he saw that Jaebum's eyes held only adoration.

Despite, the alcohol Jaebum's eyes seemed so alert and piercing that Junior swore he could see right through him-read all of his hidden desires. Unconsciously, their heads drew together like magnets. Jaebum was so close that Junior can smell the cherry soju on his breath and he felt suddenly hungry for that taste. Jaebum's eye keep flickering to Junior's mouth as if he was contemplating his life biggest decision.

It seemed like forever before one of them spoke, "D-do you think I could...can I...would you mind...if I kissed you?" Jaebum stumbled over his words. There was such open longing on Jaebum's face-just pure raw emotion as he drank in Junior's features. Seeing Jaebum like this-so vulnerable-Junior doesn't think he could ever deny Jaebum anything.

A thrill ran up Junior spine as he said, "Please..." voice barely above a whisper. Then finally, finally, Jaebum leaned in to press their lips together.

The slide of their lips together was so smooth and wet with soju that Junior's toes curled against the floor. A burning desire-deep and heavy-for Jaebum was ignited within in Junior. The first second of the kiss was chaste. But then Junior was slipping his hand from Jaebum's cheek down to his nape to pull him in closer as he opened his mouth to make the kiss deeper. Jaebum shuddered underneath his touch. Junior placed his other hand on Jaebum's chest and felt Jaebum's heart beating rapidly underneath his finger tips, in tune with his own racing pulse.

Junior realized that all those cheesy romance novels that claimed time stopped when you kissed the love of your life were true. Because when Jaebum kissed him, everything halted. The humming of the TV, the noisy cars outside, Junior's insecurities and doubts-it was all drowned out by the warmth of Jaebum's lips and his hands running up Junior's thighs.

Junior's fisted a hand into the material of Jaebum's shirt when Jaebum on his bottom lip so hard, Junior knew it would be swollen the next morning. When Jaebum's clumsy hands began to slip underneath Junior's thin shirt, he knew he had to stop somewhere.

Junior didn't want to do anything hasty while they were drunk. They needed to talk to things out first. Junior wanted to do things the right way, so he reluctantly detached himself from Jaebum's wandering hands. His lips tingled as he spoke, "We should stop here, for tonight. And talk about this when we are sober."

Jaebum still seemed dazed and took a minute to process what he said before nodding. They stumbled their way into the hallway and Junior was about to head to the spare bedroom when Jaebum stopped him with a hand on his elbow, "Stay with me tonight." Jaebum eyes were so warm that again Junior was too weak to say no. He gave Jaebum a small smile and let himself be tugged into Jaebum's room.

They fell exhausted onto the bed. Jaebum's arm hovered above Junior's waist as if asking for permission. Junior responded by pressing his back flush with Jaebum's chest, so they were spooning like two small commas. Jaebum's arms wrapped themselves around Junior and he hummed with content. Jaebum's embrace felt safe and held the promise of many happy nights. Junior was lulled to sleep by Jaebum's rhythmic breathing in his ear and that night he didn't have any nightmares.

The feedback I'm getting for this fic is amazing, I love you all so much <3 Thank you for the support!