“No messes, no loud music, no leftover food, and no stepping outside!” Kyungsoo rants, counting on his fingers. Jongdae purses his lips in dismay, knowing he is guilty of doing all of these things in his previous room.

“Then what am I supposed to do all day? It’s over thirty degrees in here and you have no AC!”

“If my landlord catches you living here we’ll both be homeless! Just do as I say, Jongdae. And be grateful I let you reside here with those possible consequences.”

“Okay,” Jongdae replies timidly.

“Good. You can use my laptop while I’m gone – the password is Chanyeol is hot one two three.” Sighing, Kyungsoo fixes his hair quickly before stepping towards the door. “I really need to go to class now,” Kyungsoo announces, picking up his bag as he walks out the door. “Don’t mess this up!” is the last thing Jongdae hears before the door falls shut.

With a sigh, Jongdae plops on the ratty couch, the poor piece of furniture emitting a loud groan as he does so. Jongdae sincerely hopes he did not just end the couch’s life. After the couch seems to be okay with his weight, Jongdae gazes around the apartment, which really is a bedroom, a shower cabin, and a tiny kitchen. The awful yellow wallpaper is peeling off the walls, the floorboards are dents and full of unidentifiable stains, and each piece of furniture is close to falling apart. Jongdae doesn’t even want to begin to imagine what the kitchen and shower must look like. Not that it’s anything he isn’t used to – after all, he’s a student as well, and his previous room was way worse than this. But a dirty house is never comfortable.

It was just his luck that the demolition date for the building he lived in was moved two months earlier due to a termite infection. His housing contract changed because of it and thus he had to move out instantly. Most residents were immediately offered new places to stay, but Jongdae is a student, so he got absolutely nothing. Hence the reason why he is staying in Kyungsoo’s apartment, illegally at that.

His other friends couldn’t take him in and Jongdae refused to move back into his parents’ house. Kyungsoo was the only one with an ounce of sympathy. Well, a little less sympathy and a little more paying half of the rent. Besides, it’s only for two months – he found a new place quite quickly, but the current tenant has two months left in the room.

A few weeks prior to his room getting infested by termites, Jongdae quit college. For the time being, of course. He realized accounting wasn’t for him and chose to spend the rest of the year working instead. That was his plan, at least. But then came the termites, the termination of his contract, and the homelessness.

What an absolutely unfortunate situation. To make matters worse, Kyungsoo conveniently told him the landlord and his family live right opposite of him – the complex is divided in two single-floor rows of apartments. The landlord is awfully strict, patrolling the halls three times a day to make sure none of his tenants are breaking his rules. Kyungsoo said he’d gotten in trouble before by letting Chanyeol sleep over two nights in a row. It makes the situation a whole lot tenser for Jongdae.

With a deep sigh, Jongdae decides to ignore his inner troubles. He fishes Kyungsoo’s laptop off the coffee table and into his lap. The moment he opens the device it starts whirring in pain. Jongdae can’t stifle a chuckle as he sees the state of the poor laptop: the screen is dusty and ridden with filth, some keys are missing and the ones that aren’t are sticky. How typical of a college student. Jongdae doesn’t blame him – if he had a laptop it would probably look worse.

Once Jongdae gets past the lock screen and his own amusement, the empty password box blinks back at him. For a second he thinks he remembers what Kyungsoo told him, but his mind comes up with nothing. Groaning in frustration, Jongdae puts the laptop back on the coffee table and throws his head back, wondering if it could get any worse.

After a few minutes of feeling bad about the situation, Jongdae decides to make something to eat. The kitchen is cramped and dirty, but it’s not like Jongdae is used to anything different. The fridge, however, is overwhelmingly disappointing. While most college students live off instant ramen and coffee, Jongdae likes his food to be a little qualitive – even with very little money.

With a scowl, Jongdae grabs the eggs and the milk from the fridge, deciding to make some egg rolls. There’s a slightly moldy onion and a carrot in the vegetable drawer, which Jongdae begrudgingly fetches as well. He cuts the moldy and rotten parts out of the onion, chops the rest and puts it together with the freshly washed-and-chopped carrot.

When he wants to start working on the egg mixture, Jongdae has to rummage through several cabinets to find the miserable excuse that is Kyungsoo’s spices rack. The rack only has salt, pepper, oregano, and a measly bit of coriander. It’ll have to do, Jongdae thinks with a sigh. He wishes he brought his spices rack with him. Since Kyungsoo really couldn’t have Jongdae moving his furniture and other items into the apartment, the belongings are now temporarily residing in a storage.

While mourning for the lack of spices, Jongdae continues to prepare the egg rolls. The mixed eggs, milk, and other ingredients slide in the pan with ease, sizzling pleasantly. The alluring scent keeps Jongdae’s thoughts off his situation for a while.

When Jongdae has finished a total of eight egg rolls, he puts them on a small plate. But as he turns around to take a seat on the couch, he’s met with the awful sight of Kyungsoo’s apartment, which just fuels his depressed state. The chirps of birds resound through the thin glass of Kyungsoo’s blinded window, reminding Jongdae of the wonderful weather outside. The sky is blue and nature is in full bloom, yet Jongdae is stuck in a filthy, dusty, AC-lacking apartment. It’s too stuffy for his liking.

Jongdae bites his lip as he peeks through the tiny gaps of the dust-ridden blinds. He could really use some fresh air right now – both physically and mentally. A minute or five wouldn’t hurt, right? The landlord is probably at work anyway.

Jongdae gazes at the window again, but this time he steps closer, actively trying to seek out any activity from the apartment down the hall. The lights are off, understandably so as it is midday, but there is no trace of human life and Jongdae takes this as his chance. He snatches his hot plate of egg rolls and sneaks out quickly, moving to the back. It is a tiny space between the building and the neighboring fence. Jongdae sits down comfortably, only his feet in the sun. For a while he just enjoys the fresh air and small neighborhood sounds, but the smell of egg rolls gets to him and he begins his meal.

Jongdae is impressed by himself. Even with so little ingredients and spices he managed to conjure up some pretty decent egg rolls.

“That smells pretty good,” a voice suddenly says.

Jongdae jerks up from his position in shock, nearly dropping his plate. He turns to the sound of the voice and finds a lanky boy wearing a high school uniform staring down at him. The kid is tall with some sharp features, but the youth hasn’t faded out of his cheeks.

“Who are you?” Jongdae asks with a bit of authority in his tone.

“I could ask you the same thing, considering this is my father’s property and all.”

Jongdae flinches in shock. “Y-you’re the landlord’s son?”

“Yes,” the kid says with an innocent smile, “and the landlord’s son would like an egg roll.”

Jongdae immediately hands his plate over to the kid, who accepts it with a tiny smirk. The landlord’s son begins to eat like nothing’s wrong while Jongdae sweats in his spot. He’s in big trouble.

“Something tells me you’re not just a friend of one of our residents,” the kid observes, still wearing that innocent smile.

Jongdae slumps, knowing he’s screwed. He wants to hit himself over the head – he should’ve acted like he was just visiting instead of freaking out!

“P-please don’t tell you father,” Jongdae begs, keeping his head down.

The kid pokes the remaining egg roll with his chopsticks, pursing his lips. “I don’t know… this is my dad’s property. He doesn’t like freeloaders.”

This teasing tone from someone younger than him is really pissing Jongdae off, but he’s in no position to object to anything this kid says. “Please,” Jongdae repeats, “I have nowhere to go! My apartment building has termites, it had to be demolished way earlier than planned and I had no choice but to—”

“Hmm,” the kid interrupts, working the last egg roll into his mouth. His chewing is loud and obnoxious, devouring the egg roll slowly just to piss Jongdae off. “I have to say… I do like these egg rolls… How about you make me some more egg rolls and I’ll keep quiet to my dad?”

Jongdae stares dumbly at the kid. “…What?”

“You,” the landlord’s son says, pointing the chopsticks at Jongdae, “will make me,” he points at himself, “egg rolls. In exchange, I won’t tell my dad about you.”

“Are you messing with me, kid?” Jongdae then challenges, not believing a word that’s coming out of this punk’s mouth.

The kid smirks. “My dad’s about to make his rounds. Take up the offer or you’ll be caught red-handed.”

Jongdae bites his lip anxiously. “Fine,” he bites in agreement. Nothing to lose, he thinks. “Do you want me to make them now?”

The kid then smiles, rather genuinely. “No. Tomorrow, three in the afternoon. Be right here with a plate of egg rolls or I’ll tell my dad.”

The son walks away contently while Jongdae stays left behind, baffled.

This kid’s got a lot of nerve.

---

Kyungsoo is watching an episode of his favorite web-drama when Jongdae tells him about his encounter with the landlord’s son.

“And he talked to me like I was the kid! Can you believe this, Kyungsoo?”

“I told you not to go outside. Look what mess you’ve gotten yourself into. Now you have to make egg rolls for that brat.” Kyungsoo sighs heavily. “Well, at least we know you’re safe for now. You better make some good egg rolls, Jongdae.”

“How old is he anyway? I’d hate it if I ever had to explain why I let a fourteen-year-old blackmail me.”

“This is going to follow you no matter the kid’s age,” Kyungsoo murmurs. “But he’s in his last year of high school. Turned eighteen this April. I definitely remember this because his friends puked on my doormat.”

“Eighteen? I would’ve pegged him for sixteen or younger with that behavior.”

“He probably likes having control over someone older than him. I mean, when we were at that age we would’ve loved to be in control of Joonmyun.”

“I still think this kid is being way too rude.”

“Just be happy he didn’t tell his dad instead. You could’ve been sleeping on the streets by now, you know. All you have to do is pay your rent in egg rolls. Consider it a blessing.”

Kyungsoo then turns back to his drama and Jongdae curses the kid under his breath, still not happy about being played like this.

---

The kid is five minutes late, making Jongdae unbelievably nervous. What if the father showed up? Every minute he stays outside is a threat to the couch he sleeps on. College is a wild ride, Jongdae knows that, but he doesn’t want to say he’s slept on the streets when he’s older.

The kid arrives shortly after with a blank expression, smirking as he sees Jongdae’s seething form. Jongdae shoves the plate with cooled off egg rolls against his chest. “Here’s your egg rolls. Don’t make me wait next time.”

As Jongdae tries to step away, the kid blocks him with his body.

“Not so fast. Stay with me while I eat them.” Jongdae is about to protest, but the kid is too fast. “Or do you want me to call my father?”

Sighing, Jongdae leans back against the wall, crossing his arms angrily. The kid goes on to eat, which Jongdae settles on watching. His eyes catch the nameplate on his uniform. Oh Sehun, it reads. Not forgetting that name anytime soon.

“Could use more salt,” Sehun commentates.

“I can’t. We’re almost out of salt and I can’t go out to get it.”

“Then tell whoever you’re staying with to buy some, because the landlord’s son wants more salt on his egg rolls.”

“Like Kyungsoo is going to remember that! He’s an airhead!”

Sehun smiles that annoying innocent smile again, letting Jongdae know he’s made a mistake again. “Do Kyungsoo, huh. Should’ve known it was him.”

“Don’t drag him into this,” Jongdae immediately interjects, not wanting to burden his friend even more.

“I won’t,” Sehun assures him. “But it’s very burdensome that Do Kyungsoo has so little salt that the egg roll isn’t even properly seasoned. I’ll come by and give you some salt tomorrow.”

Jongdae feels unsure about that, since it’s Kyungsoo’s apartment and all, but he has no time to compromise because Sehun has already left the plate in his hands and is now strutting back to his home.

---

Kyungsoo is long gone when the doorbell rings. Despite not doing his homework and being bad at studying in general, Kyungsoo will always attend class. He says it’s because he’d completely abandon his education otherwise, but Jongdae knows it’s because he’ll get to see Chanyeol in class.

Jongdae peeks through the blinds just to be sure before he opens the door. Ever since the first incident with Sehun, Jongdae has been extremely careful. Being stuck in the clammy apartment all day is a pain, but he’d rather sleep on a back-killing sofa than on the streets. Jongdae has opened the door a tiny bit in case the landlord is watching from somewhere, but Sehun won’t have it and pushes it wide open, stepping inside with a salt grinder in his hand.

“The salt,” Sehun states, handing the salt over to a stilled Jongdae before gazing around the apartment.

“Thanks,” Jongdae mutters. He is grateful. Cooking without salt is like painting without a paintbrush. Jongdae walks over to the kitchen to put the salt down. He turns to Sehun. “You can leave now. I’ll bring the plate in fifteen minutes tops.”

“I’ll eat it here.”

“Please don’t. This isn’t your or my apartment.”

Sehun his head with a smile. “Well, you know, my dad kind of owns the land and building so—”

“I get it, I get it!” Jongdae grumbles. “Just don’t make a mess.”

At first Jongdae keeps on glancing at Sehun nervously. The kid has made himself at home on the sofa and peers at various stains and messes, obviously judging the place. But when Jongdae finally gets busy with the egg rolls, his mind is completely occupied with the food. Having enough salt to make a decent meal makes cooking a lot more fun. The smell is as delicious as always, completely entrancing Jongdae, who has been hungry as well. As his mind is captured by the scent, he fails to notice Sehun standing next to him.

A sudden brush of Sehun’s arm against his has Jongdae jumping up in surprise. Jongdae turns around in offense and sees Sehun reaching out for the few finished egg rolls. Gasping, Jongdae smacks the arm away with his spatula, glaring at the boy.

“Don’t scare me like that! And you can’t eat the egg rolls unless they’re done!”

Sehun flinches back at Jongdae’s outburst, his look turning into one of a kicked puppy. For a moment Jongdae feels bad, but then the pan is sizzling and he’s back to cooking. This time, Jongdae doesn’t get lost in his thoughts. Sehun is standing behind him, so close, but not close enough to touch. The ghost of his touch is putting Jongdae on edge.

This stupid rush is causing Jongdae to lose grip on his spatula several times and nearly burn himself on the pan. Why am I this nervous, he thinks, cursing himself under his breath. Then he blames it on the fact that Sehun is handsome and it’s a welcome change from Kyungsoo’s serial killer eyes. It’s a relief when the egg rolls are done, but Sehun is still close to him, nearly causing Jongdae to drop the egg rolls on the last pan-to-plate transfer.

Sehun’s shoulder touches his all of sudden and Jongdae feels his skin flush. “Here!” he squeaks as he shoves the plate in Sehun’s hand, who stumbles back in surprise. “N-now excuse me, I have to ask Kyungsoo to buy me some more eggs.”

Sehun gives him an unreadable look before shrugging and making his way to the ragged couch. After his loud chewing resonates through the apartment, Jongdae breathes a sigh of relief and fishes his phone out of his pocket, dialing Kyungsoo.

“Kyungsoo speaking.”

“It’s Jongdae.”

“Did you get in trouble again? You know I’m not gonna cover for you,” Kyungsoo tells him, sighing.

“No, nothing like that. Just groceries. I need a big carton of eggs, more milk, more onions, more carrots, and a pepper. Don’t forget the salt this time either.”

A silence comes from the other end of the line, nothing but soft static before Kyungsoo speaks again. “…Text me the list. I’m not going to remember that.”

“Fine. But don’t forget, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Thanks,” Jongdae mutters before hanging up the phone.

Sehun has finished the rolls by now and is staring at Jongdae blank-faced. A small smirk plays on his lips as he puts the plate down and stretches his arms above his head. Jongdae pretends not to see the flash of his pale stomach. He’s in high school, goddammit.

“What a good meal,” Sehun commentates. “See you tomorrow, hyung.”

Jongdae freezes in shock at the informal form of address, not believing this kid has the balls to act like he’s that close to him. Then, Sehun gives him an ‘innocent’ smile before skipping out the door. The kid is playing with him! Jongdae seethes with anger.

“Who gave you permission to call me that!” he barks, but all he gets in return is some distant laughter. “The nerve of this kid!”

---

It’s close to eleven pm and Kyungsoo has still not returned. The text with the grocery list is left unanswered and calls are ignored. Anxiety is eating at Jongdae’s stomach. He needs those eggs! How could Kyungsoo leave him hanging like this?

Jongdae tries to distract himself. First he watches one of Kyungsoo’s anime DVDs. The troubles of the main character remind Jongdae of his own and the disc is slid back into the box real fast. Then he tries fixing the fan which was broken long before Jongdae moved in. The thing gives him an electric shock after tinkering for a minute or two and Jongdae gives up. Lastly, he cooks some leftover nuts. He puts them in the pan along with some vegetable oil and salt, but the lack of food in the fridge show Jongdae’s most current fear; the ingredients he doesn’t have. The nuts are half-warm when he nibbles on them.

Somewhere around half past twelve, Jongdae’s phone rings. He’d resigned to cleaning the house a bit, but went lackluster the moment his bare feet touched an unidentified wet stain. Jongdae lurches for his phone, angrily swiping right to answer Kyungsoo’s call.

“Hey, Jongdae. Just wanted to call to say that I’m sleeping over at Chanyeol’s tonight.” Kyungsoo tells him, followed by a yawn.

“Where are my groceries!” Jongdae screeches into the phone.

“Groceries?”

“Yes, groceries! The list I sent you, remember?”

“Oh, crap. I’m sorry, Jongdae. It went over my mind completely. I’ll get them tomorrow, okay?”

“It can’t wait until tomorrow! The landlord’s son wants his egg rolls!”

“Look, I’m sorry but I’m already in bed and—”

“Okay, I get it,” Jongdae interrupts. “I’ll… I’ll try to figure something out.”

“Good luck and goodnight,” Chanyeol suddenly speaks up, his voice slightly muffled.

“Gross, but thank you. I’ll need it,” he grits.

After Jongdae hangs up, he leans back on the couch with a groan. This is a very sticky situation. Or well, it’s about to be. Because Jongdae has no other choice than to get the stuff he needs at the grocery store right now, at this hour. He could go tomorrow morning, but he wouldn’t have the advantage of the dark, which will hide his face. During the day there is also a higher chance of getting caught by the landlord, and Jongdae would really like to shrink those chances as much as possible. Thus, Jongdae decides to go right at this moment.

With a loud sigh, Jongdae pushes himself off the couch. He grabs his ratty wallet and slips into his flipflops before pausing in front of the door. Taking a deep breath, Jongdae opens the door partly, just enough to peek at the building opposite of his. The lights are off in the landlord’s home and Jongdae sighs in relief. Another deep breath and Jongdae sprints across the property. His flipflops smack the ground loudly as he tries to get away from the terrain as fast as possible.

Once he’s a few streets away, Jongdae stills and catches his breath. He takes this opportunity to properly feel the outside again. He’s been inside for far too long. The soothing breeze of a summer night caresses his hair and skin. Jongdae revels in it while he can. After half a minute of feeling, he gets back on track. The gentle lights of the street lanterns soon fade into the obscure white light of the 24/7 store, the sign blinking harshly.

As Jongdae steps inside, he’s immediately met by air conditioning, and in that moment nothing matters anymore. The breeze outside may have been cooling but the air is still humid with heat. The store, however, is a paradise of cold air and Jongdae would moan in delight if the cashier wasn’t staring at him already.

Jongdae grabs a basket and marches over to the drinks section. The cartons of milk are refreshingly cold against his skin and Jongdae seriously contemplates holding it to his face for as long as he’s in the store. But he’s already made enough of an impression on the cashier and decides against it. Moving on to the eggs, Jongdae shoves four cartons of them into the basket. A familiar song comes on the store radio and Jongdae hums along as he walks towards the canned vegetables. Normally he likes them fresh, but he doesn’t have much of a choice at nearly one in the morning. He begins to scan a label on a can of carrots, but—

“I thought you weren’t allowed to go out of the house?” A voice whispers in his ear.

Jongdae squeaks and nearly drops the can. He turns to the source of the voice and is unsurprised to find Sehun there. What is surprising, however, is how good Sehun looks. Not that he’s ugly on the regular, no, not at all, but he’s dressed up and Jongdae finds himself staring. Gone is the uniform, replaced with skinny jeans and a skimpy white tank top. His hair is slicked upwards, showcasing his forehead and sharp eyebrows.

“I’m not,” Jongdae mutters, putting the carrots in his basket. “But Kyungsoo forgot to buy the ingredients for the egg rolls and my life kind of depends on egg rolls now.”

Sehun laughs at that, not in the most charming manner, but Jongdae likes it anyway. He fights the upcoming smile and smacks Sehun on the arm.

“Don’t think I’ve forgotten about you calling me hyung! I’m still mad about that!”

Sehun grins in a way that melts Jongdae’s heart. “Oh come on, hyung. We both know you don’t mind.”

“That is not true!” Sehun gives him a pointed look and Jongdae sighs. “Fine. I’m only angry because you’re such a brat. You better not try that with other people. If I was anyone else I would’ve clocked you on the nose.”

“Does that mean I get to call you hyung now?” Sehun then asks, earning another hit from Jongdae.

“Watch it, kid,” he growls before picking up a can of peppers. “What are you doing here dressed up like that anyway?”

“I was at a friend’s birthday. Saw you on the way back and decided to tease you a little.”

“You have no respect,” Jongdae grumbles, mostly to himself.

Sehun follows Jongdae in silence as the latter fills his basket with necessities. After ignoring the cashier’s judgmental gaze and paying for the groceries, Jongdae begrudgingly steps outside. The humid air hits him in a strong wave, the heat crawling back under his skins immediately. He groans.

“I need my salt back, hyung. My mom can’t cook without it,” Sehun tells him as they walk back to the grounds.

Jongdae sighs. “What about me? I can’t make your egg rolls without salt either.”

“Ask your roommate to get it,” Sehun suggests.

Jongdae holds up his grocery bag pointedly, “Because that never failed before.”

“But he needs salt too, doesn’t he? Salt is not just for egg rolls.”

“I’ll try to get him to buy it,” Jongdae grumbles. His eyes shift over to Sehun’s relaxed face and he feels a sudden burst of irritation. “Why don’t you just buy it? You’re the one who wants the egg rolls.”

“I guess I could… but it’s more fun to tease you,” Sehun retorts, smirking down at Jongdae.

“You little…!” Jongdae shakes his fist in a threatening manner but never lays his hand on the boy. Then he sighs. “Living on Kyungsoo’s couch, stressing out over egg rolls, getting blackmailed by a high-schooler… what has my life come to?”

“You sound miserable,” Sehun commentates as they inch on the property.

“I am miserable. How am I supposed to feel happy if I’m locked in Kyungsoo’s apartment all day?”

“You get to go out to give me egg rolls,” Sehun injects, earning a glare from Jongdae.

“You think that makes me happy? Having to feed a kid who—”

“Oh Sehun! It’s fifteen minutes past your curfew!” A voice interrupts. Jongdae jerks in shock to see a tiny woman in front of them, her expression sharp. She looks exactly like Sehun, except a lot older and more feminine.

“Sorry mom,” Sehun mumbles, his head hung low. So he does know how to respect his elders, Jongdae observes, temporarily letting go of his fear.

“And who is this?”

The fear is back again. Sehun’s mother is glaring at him, her arms crossed in dismay. “U-um,” Jongdae stutters, looking down in shame. What is he supposed to say? Jongdae wants to make an excuse, lie, do anything but tell the truth, but the words are just not coming out. Breathing gets difficult all of sudden. “I’m—”

Sehun’s arm suddenly wraps around his shoulders and Jongdae feels his breath shortening.

“This is Jongdae, mom. We met at Jongin’s birthday. He studies at a nearby university and offered to help me out with applications and stuff, but we lost track of time. He felt responsible and insisted on walking me home,” Sehun explains smoothly, not breaking a sweat throughout the lie.

Sehun’s mother brightens at that – and Jongdae knows he’s safe.

“That is very responsible of you,” the lady says with a smile. “Thank you for walking my son home. I suppose I’ll be seeing you around?”

“Of course, ma’am,” Jongdae answer politely, still shaken from this entire situation. “I-I should go now. Goodnight ma’am, Sehun.” He bows to both of them, walking out of Sehun’s gentle grip. Just seconds after escaping Sehun’s hold, Jongdae is pulled back.

“Hyung, we still have to exchange numbers.”

Sehun is smiling innocently. This kid, Jongdae thinks. Taking advantage of the situation, how predictable.

“But of course,” Jongdae retorts, his smile rather fake.

During the exchange of numbers, Sehun has a smirk on his lips. It irritates Jongdae to no end, but he ignores it under the gaze of Sehun’s mother. The moment Sehun has his number, Jongdae receives a text. I’ll text you when it’s safe to go inside, it reads. Jongdae looks up at Sehun in shock, surprised the kid would help him, but Sehun has his gaze averted.

“I guess I’ll go now,” Jongdae announces. “Goodnight ma’am, and see you tomorrow, Sehun.”

“Bye bye!” Sehun’s mother bids happily.

“See you tomorrow, hyung,” Sehun mutters, his cheeks a little red.

Jongdae waits on a bench three streets away. It’s nice to be outside, even if it could spoil his much-needed milk. Jongdae sends Sehun thank you for covering for me via text, but gets no reply. For a while he plays with one the egg cartons – inspecting every egg for potential flaws followed by sorting them by scale tone. Then he settles for gazing at the starry sky, endlessly tracing constellations he doesn’t know.

His phone buzzes after a good twenty minutes. It’s safe, hyung. And no problem. Jongdae feels a little touched at the message, but remembers Sehun’s childish actions from earlier and curses him instead. His phone buzzes again. Jongdae peers at the screen with a frown until he sees Sehun has sent an image. Holding his breath, Jongdae taps on the image and feels himself melt as he’s met with a cute selfie. The lighting is dark in the image, but Jongdae can clearly see Sehun is lying under baby blue sheets. His head peeks out from the blanket, his lips turned into that innocent smile he always wears when he teases Jongdae. He’s holding up a peace sign to his eyes, which peer into the camera. Jongdae feels his throat dry up before he texts a go to sleep.

Blushing, Jongdae begins to trail back to Kyungsoo’s apartment, definitely not thinking of Sehun’s sleepy face.

“Stupid kid…” he mutters to himself, unable to stop a smile from pulling at his lips.

---

“Why are there so many eggs?” Kyungsoo asks one afternoon. He hasn’t been around these days, either in class or at Chanyeol’s, so it’s strange to have him here.

Jongdae jumps up from the couch and sprints towards the kitchen. “Don’t touch those! I need them to make egg rolls for Sehun!”

Kyungsoo stares at him dumbly. “He’s still blackmailing you?”

“…Yes?”

“You’re telling me that he’s been eating egg rolls every day for the past month and still wants to eat them?” Kyungsoo asks in disbelief, crossing his arms.

Now that Jongdae thinks about it, it is kind of strange. Jongdae shrugs nonetheless. “I guess he just really likes egg rolls.”

“What a weird kid,” Kyungsoo mumbles, retrieving the orange juice.

“Tell me about it. He insists on calling me hyung like we’re not in a blackmailing situation and always watches when I make the egg rolls.”

“This honestly makes it sounds like he’s got a crush on you,” Kyungsoo jokes, letting out a laugh. Noticing Jongdae isn’t laughing along, Kyungsoo gazes over at his friend, surprised to find him shell-shocked.

“What are you talking about! He’s—he’s just a stupid kid,” Jongdae mumbles in objection, his cheeks pink.

Kyungsoo peers at him expressionlessly before pouring orange juice in his glass. “If you say so.”

---

Make the egg rolls at my place, Sehun’s text reads.

For the past weeks, Sehun either ate in Kyungsoo’s apartment or in their spot behind the building. He’s been a little devil, but that’s nothing new. The only thing that’s new is that he insists on staying close to Jongdae while he’s cooking, watching over his shoulder. Jongdae hates to admit it’s doing things to him. Light brushes against his skin are enough to leave his cheeks aflame, his pulse rushing.

What about your parents? Jongdae texts back.

Out. Besides, even if they weren’t they’d probably think you were helping me with college, comes Sehun’s reply.

Fine. I’ll be there in a minute.

After putting the necessary ingredients in a plastic bag, Jongdae slips into his flipflops and sneaks outside. Despite Sehun’s reassurance he still has to be cautious. Jongdae straightens his tank top when he arrives at Sehun’s door. As he’s about to press the doorbell, the door is opened, and Jongdae is face to face with Sehun.

“Come in,” Sehun greets, stepping back.

Jongdae enters with a respectful bow and takes off his flipflops. After exiting the hallway, they enter the living room. This apartment is a lot bigger and a lot cleaner—something Jongdae hasn’t seen in a long time. There’s no strange stains, no ragged furniture, and no dirty clothes strewn everywhere. The walls are filled with photographs and the lights are a cozy yellow. A student’s room has its charms, but nothing beats a place that feels like home.

“Nice place,” Jongdae commentates offhandedly. “Where’s the kitchen?”

Sehun points out the door and they’re on their merry way. The sliding door reveals a rich kitchen: it’s clean, the cabinets are filled with more than enough tableware, and the food is in overflow. Jongdae hasn’t seen this sight in a while. In Kyungsoo’s apartment most of the tableware is pororo-themed and plastic. It’s not that Jongdae minds, but there’s something nice about eating from porcelain.

The moment Jongdae begins to prepare the egg rolls, Sehun stills behind him, chest hovering inches away from Jongdae’s shoulders. Jongdae feels his focus falter immediately. He tries to ignore it when a small patch of skin brushes against his shoulder, when Sehun leans down and Jongdae feels his breath puff against his neck. His hands are shaky when he chops the onions and stirs the egg-milk mixture. A deep breath. Jongdae is way too conscious of Sehun’s presence.

Jongdae moves to the furnace to cook the first egg roll, and Sehun follows him like a puppy. It’s making Jongdae overly self-conscious to have Sehun’s eyes watching so closely, and as a result the mixture bowl nearly slips out of grip. He catches it in time, but not without spilling some over his hand. When he goes to wash his hands, Sehun follows him again, and this time Jongdae’s had enough.

“Do you have to follow every step I take?” Jongdae asks fiercely. Sehun is mere inches away from him as he turns around, his head nearly bumping into the kid’s chest.

“I just don’t want my food poisoned,” Sehun teases.

Jongdae gives him an unamused look before returning to the furnace, heating up the pan. It doesn’t take long before he can feel Sehun’s presence behind him, watching closely. This time Jongdae completely ignores it. Or at least tries to. Ignoring heated skin and a raging pulse is hard.

Jongdae adds onion rings on the third egg roll, causing a wonderful aroma to rise from the food. Sehun appears to have smelled it too, because he moves closer. His chest bumps Jongdae’s back, sending the latter squeaking. Jongdae turns around and smacks Sehun on the chest.

“What did I just say? Don’t stand so close! You scared—”

Jongdae’s words die off as Sehun is staring straight at him, his eyes half-lidded. A small smile pulls on the kid’s lips. “You’re so cute, hyung,” he whispers. Jongdae feels blood surging through every part of his body as Sehun pushes him against the furnace. Sehun’s free hand plants itself on Jongdae’s hip, sending his skin aflame.

“Wh-what are you doing?” Jongdae squeaks as Sehun inches closer, leaning down. His heart beats irrationally. Everything is suddenly going so slow. Sehun’s eyes close in a flutter, causing Jongdae to lose all sense of reason and close his eyes as well. Soft breath ghosts over Jongdae’s bottom lip and chin. Jongdae’s mind is in disarray, the only fathomable thought being lipslipslips.

Just as their noses bump together, the sound of the keyhole turning echoes through the house. Jongdae pushes Sehun off of him, his face beet red. While Jongdae is already having an inner turmoil over his desire to kiss Sehun, the kid himself is still staring at him.

“Sehun, did you clean— oh, hello Jongdae! What a surprise,” Sehun’s mother says, observing the state of the kitchen.

Jongdae bows respectfully. “Good afternoon, ma’am. I was just making lunch for your son.”

“How thoughtful of you! Say, would you like to stay for dinner tonight? A college student like you must not get homecooked meals often.” Sehun’s mother has a warm and welcoming smile on her lips, one that Jongdae could never say no to.

“I’d love to,” he replies.

She immediately starts gushing about his politeness. Meanwhile, Jongdae’s mind is with Sehun’s lips, the captivating gaze, the way he hypnotized Jongdae with nothing more than a fleeting touch. He wants to smack himself over the head for nearly kissing a brat like Sehun. He’s a high-schooler who blackmails him for egg rolls for god’s sake! How could he possibly want to kiss someone like that?

Jongdae’s gaze drifts over to Sehun, who is still staring at him. It feels as if he’s been struck by thunder and quickly averts his gaze. His cheeks burn.

---

They don’t speak of the almost-kiss again, but Jongdae thinks about it. He still continues to make egg rolls for the brat and nags him on every given occasion. Sehun stays the same as well, teasing Jongdae while being as disrespectful as ever.

“I’ve only got two weeks left in this apartment,” Jongdae tells Sehun one day. Sehun’s chomping down on an egg roll, this one having a cheese base per his request.

Sehun looks up in surprise. “Wha?” He slurs through his filled mouth.

“In two weeks I get to move into my new room. Which means you no longer get to blackmail me or call me hyung.”

“Will you make me egg rolls willingly then?” Sehun teases with that innocent smile of his.

“Watch it, kid,” Jongdae growls, even though he doesn’t mean it.

“I’m not a kid, you know. I’m eighteen.”

“And I’m turning twenty-one this summer. That means you’re a kid.”

Sehun doesn’t seem to like that. He purses his lips sadly, wearing the kicked puppy look. It makes Jongdae feel a little bad, but if Sehun didn’t act like a kid all the time he wouldn’t be called that. Sehun scoots a little closer on the couch, gazing into Jongdae’s eyes. “Can I at least keep texting you, hyung?” He asks softly.

“We’ll see about that,” Jongdae mumbles, averting his eyes. A cute Sehun tends to melt him.

---

For the next week and six days, nothing of interest happens. Kyungsoo is barely home and Jongdae watches cheesy dramas all day. Around three o’clock Sehun will knock on the apartment door and watch him cook egg rolls. In the last couple of days, Jongdae starts so feel strangely bad about having to let go of baking egg rolls for Sehun. He’s gotten so used to the brat’s disrespect and teasing that he can’t imagine going about his day without it.

In all honesty, Jongdae no longer feels the blackmailing part of their relationship. He doubts Sehun would rat him out after all the time they’ve spent together. Not that the threat was strong to begin with. The situation no longer feels serious despite Jongdae’s lasting imprisonment in Kyungsoo’s room.

Tonight is the last night in Kyungsoo’s apartment and Kyungsoo is not even here. To be fair, he was a burden to Kyungsoo and the latter did promise to help him move tomorrow, but it’s still lonely. Jongdae won’t be making egg rolls for Sehun tomorrow and it just doesn’t feel right. Their relationship needs a bit of closure, even if Sehun proposed the idea of texting when Jongdae left.

I’m going on one last run to the store. Come with me? Jongdae texts Sehun.

A positive response comes not seconds later and in five minutes Sehun is at his door. The latter is dressed in navy swimming trunks and a white tank top. His pale, bare skin looks good in the porchlight and Jongdae has to stop himself from ogling.

“Let’s go,” Jongdae says.

The walk to the supermarket is relatively quiet. Only when they’re inside the supermarket more words are spoken. Jongdae scolds Sehun for buying soda this close to his bedtime, telling him the sugar rush will keep him up for hours. Sehun laughs it off before commenting on Jongdae’s poor taste in fruit-flavored milk.

They fall into easy chatter on the way back, but a silence is inevitable.

Sehun sighs deeply, catching Jongdae’s attention. The next thing he knows, Sehun’s hand slides down his arm and slips into his hand, lacing their fingers together. Jongdae thinks it comes way too naturally and this goes against his morals, but he keeps quiet. The touch is too nice.

“I don’t like it that you’re leaving,” Sehun mumbles, looking down at his feet. Even in the pale streetlights his cheeks are red.

“Can’t do anything about it,” Jongdae mutters back, not feeling too happy about the situation either.

Sehun squeezes his hand tighter, his lips pursed as if he wants to say something. “I… Do you want to sleep at my place tonight?”

Jongdae’s chuckles. “You sound like a kid,” he commentates.

“Hyuuung,” Sehun whines. “I’ll blackmail you if you don’t come.”

Jongdae shoots him an offended look. “You’re back to that again? I thought you were above that now.”

“If it gets me one last moment with you, why not?” Sehun proposes with a grin.

Jongdae shakes his head. “And you were so good these past days too,” He mumbles. Squeezing Sehun’s hand tighter, Jongdae makes a decision. “Fine. I’ll come with you. But only because we should have a proper goodbye.”

A wide smile stretches Sehun’s lips. His step suddenly becomes a skip and he begins swinging their hands back and forth. Not a kid, huh, Jongdae thinks, but he can’t suppress a smile either. The touch of their hands is immensely pleasant.

Despite Sehun’s mother laying out an extra mattress, Jongdae ends up lying in Sehun’s bed. Sehun whines to him the moment his mother is out of the room. Jongdae doesn’t even get to touch the mattress. Sehun pulls him into his single bed, the two of them pressed up together instantly. At first Jongdae protests, but Sehun’s chest is warm against his back and in the end he lets it be, enjoying the moment while it lasts.

After a while, Jongdae’s eyes start to droop, close to falling asleep. His body has already transcended into that sleepy state where every limb is tired and comfortable in the way it lies. His mind drifts off, no longer registering anything but sleepiness.

Just as he is about to fall into unconsciousness, Sehun speaks.

“Hyung,” he whispers.

“What,” Jongdae groans in irritation. He was so close to falling asleep! “I’m trying to—”

Sehun suddenly turns Jongdae on his back by his shoulders and lays his head on Jongdae’s chest. Their eyes lock and his intense gaze makes Jongdae lose his breath. “I have something to confess,” Sehun whispers.

It sounds serious. His look is serious. Jongdae feels his throat close up, still gazing into Sehun’s eyes. “What?” he asks breathily.

Sehun takes a deep breath and Jongdae feels it on his lips as he exhales. His heart begins to speed up.

“I don’t like egg rolls,” Sehun finally confesses. It doesn’t process properly in Jongdae’s mind.

“What?” He asks again. “What do you mean you don’t like egg rolls? It’s all you’ve been eating these past two months!” The look on Jongdae’s face could only be described as deeply offended. “Are you telling me you blackmailed me for a food you don’t even like?”

Sehun scratches his head. “I liked them at first,” he reasons, “but after the sixth day or so I got really tired of them.”

“Then why did you let me make them all this time?”

“I don’t know. I guess I just…” Sehun trails off and rakes a hand through his hair, looking away. It’s a really attractive gesture and Jongdae forces himself to ignore the squeeze of his heart. “For a while I tried to see if you’d notice that I didn’t like them as much anymore. But then I… I started to like you, and to me the egg rolls started to feel like our thing.”

Jongdae’s entire skin heats up. His heart jumps in his chest and his mouth dries up. “Y-you like me?”

A shy smile plays upon Sehun’s lips. “I thought it was obvious by now.”

“I thought you were just teasing me…” Jongdae mumbles, averting his eyes. His heart is still hammering against his ribcage and he sincerely hopes Sehun can’t hear it.

“I wasn’t,” Sehun says firmly. A hand suddenly cups Jongdae’s cheek and lifts his head up, forcing him to look Sehun in the eyes again. Nearly all senses shut down, the only thing he registers being Sehun – his touch, gaze, and words. “Can I kiss you now?” he asks in a whisper, slowly drawing closer.

“Y-yes,” Jongdae gasps softly, no longer denying his feelings.

For a split second, Jongdae thinks he shouldn’t be doing this. Sehun is in high school and Jongdae moves tomorrow. But then Sehun’s lips touch his and he loses all sense of morality. The moment their lips press together Jongdae feels like he’s floating. His chest is tight with pleasure, his brain a big pile of mush. It’s such an innocent and soft kiss, but the feeling is immense – his whole body is in a rush of pulsing energy, one that is both awakened and satiated by the kiss.

Once they part, Jongdae shudders. Only now he notices how hot his cheeks feel. Sehun is red in his face too, but Jongdae think it’s cute. He can’t resist reaching out to pinch his cheek while harboring a tiny smile. Sehun pushes him away with a pout and buries his head on his shoulder, making a gurgled noise.

“I want to kiss you again, hyung.” His voice vibrates against Jongdae’s skin. Jongdae ignores the informality just this once and lifts Sehun’s head up while closing his own eyes.

“Go ahead,” Jongdae tells him, pursing his lips a little bit. It makes Sehun laugh, but before Jongdae can scold him, lips are planted upon his and Jongdae loses himself again.

---

The following morning Jongdae gets out bed early. Thankfully Sehun’s parents are long gone, and he can make breakfast in peace. With the newfound information of Sehun not liking egg rolls anymore, Jongdae decides on making something else instead. He figures starting out with rice can’t go wrong. Rummaging through the cabinets, Jongdae quickly retrieves the rice and moves to the fridge. After peering into the fridge for a few seconds, arms wrap around his waist and a chin leans on his shoulder. The touch is more than welcome, but it still leaves Jongdae feeling a little shy.

“Are you not making egg rolls?” Sehun asks.

Jongdae turns around, wriggling out of Sehun’s grip. “I thought you didn’t like them anymore?”

“Well, that’s true. But it’s our last day together… and it’s our thing.” Sehun has a massive pout going on, which Jongdae can’t resist.

“I’ll go make egg rolls then,” Jongdae decides, putting the rice back in the cabinet. Sehun cheers up at that and begins his usual routine of watching Jongdae closely while he prepares the food. This time, however, he has Jongdae in his grip, completely limiting his arm movements. Jongdae thinks it’s a little cute and a whole lot better than those near-touches from before, but he needs his arm space and pushes Sehun away.

After Sehun impatiently waits at the dinner table for fifteen minutes, Jongdae walks in with chopsticks and a steaming plate of egg rolls.

“Here you go.” Jongdae places the objects in front of Sehun, but as he’s about to move away, Sehun pulls him into his lap. Before Jongdae can protest Sehun prods the chopstick-held egg roll at his lips. Jongdae eats it with a confused frown. “These are for you. Why do I have to eat them?”

“This is the first time you made them while I wasn’t blackmailing you, so it’s special,” Sehun declares, smiling softly.

Jongdae feels blush creep on his cheeks, but ignores it. Instead, he brings an egg roll to Sehun’s mouth with his fingers. After making sure Sehun has his mouth full, Jongdae mumbles: “Idiot... I stopped seeing it as an obligation long ago.”

 

 

---

 

A/N: happy valentines day my dear readers!!
idk if yall know but i always write a valentines oneshot for the readers who are also alone on valentines day lol!!
usually im late with this but i actually finished way early this time!!

this is loosely based on smth that happened with my sister, but without the blackmailing, summer and romance lol

i also tried to play around with koreas "respect ur elders" thing lol i hope i did well

Hope you liked it!! please leave a comment if you did :D i would really appreciate it!!! :D

kisses and happy valentines day!! <3