~~~

“No seriously, how’d you do it so effortlessly?” Sehun asks, kicking an empty beer can lying in the middle of the path.

Jongin nearly chuckles. “That’s the third time you’ve asked,” he mumbles, tightening his grip around the plastic bag containing his enormous candy stash, while his other hand tightens its hold on Sehun’s hand. “And like I keep saying, I’ve played for a while.”

“I know, I know,” Sehun says defensively. They’ve been walking down the same path for quite a while now after leaving the bus stop. A part of him feels excited because the blond has definitely come out of his shell since they met up in the café a couple of hours ago. Now that Sehun thinks about it, Jongin practically went from being mute to bouncing off of every wall in sight (half of him figures it’s because of the sugar rush). However, the other half of him feels a certain sadness because they’re on their way to Jongin’s house where Sehun had promised to drop the blond off (as much as Jongin blamed it on wanting to spend more time with Sehun, the latter figures it’s most certainly because Jongin is traumatized). It As corny as it sounds, it honestly feels like no time has passed at all and in Sehun’s opinion, the last few hours really flew by. He doesn’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing.

He’s so caught up with his inner thoughts that he doesn’t realize Jongin is trying to get his attention.

“Hey, uh,” Jongin says, voice significantly lower. He’s extremely glad the temperature has risen by six or so degrees since they left the theatre because, he figures, walking home in zero degree weather without a jacket would be worse than death itself. “You know, um, I’ve been thinking about something.” He looks up at the sky and watches a few birds fly by.

In the dim moonlight, Sehun can barely make out Jongin’s irises and how they glimmer as the latter keeps his gaze fixated on the starry sky above. It takes every fiber in his being not to gasp in adoration. “Thinking about what?”

Turning the corner, Jongin tears his eyes off the sky as to not walk straight into a pole. “Um.” He scratches the back of his head and winces when the bag hits him in the temple. “How do I uh, put this.” Racking his brain for the words to say, he nearly jumps five feet in the air when the sound of a trash can getting knocked over somewhere to his right fills the air.

In the commotion, Sehun also jumps at the sound (or to be more exact, Jongin’s high pitched shriek) and nearly collides with the wall to his left when he flinches. He’s so adrenaline-filled that he barely even feels the way his hand shrivels up as a result of Jongin practically crushing it to smithereens a few seconds ago. “What the f-”

“,” Jongin says under his breath and curses when he makes out the silhouette of a cat sitting on top of one of the dumpsters a few feet away. Gripping his chest, he bites his lip and feels himself blush when he hears Sehun giggle next to him.

“Just a cat,” Sehun chuckles, balling his sore hand into a fist in an attempt to ease the pain. “Not Bathsheba, if that’s what you’re thinking,” he adds with a -eating grin. He lets out a loud cackle when Jongin shoots him a look that can only be deciphered as, ‘one more word and I’m going to murder you and hide your body so well they’ll never, ever find it’.

Rolling his eyes, Jongin regains his composure before placing a hand on Sehun’s arm and trailing down the latter’s sleeve and interlocks their fingers when he, with a bit of difficulty given the darkness, successfully locates the taller’s hand. “I wasn’t scared,” he hisses and bites his lip. “Hell, for all I know, you might’ve been ting your goddamn pants!”

“Maybe I was,” Sehun says casually, giving Jongin’s hand a small squeeze. “But then again, how would you know? You know, since you fell asleep after half an hour,” he adds and moves aside in the nick of time to avoid getting smacked in the side of the head.

“Stop reminding me,” Jongin whines. As much as he doesn’t want to admit it, he sees no point in denying the fact that the mere thought of coming home, walking up the stairs to his room, opening the door and being greeted by the sight of the doll of Annabelle sitting on his bed sends a chill running down in his spine. He has to bite the inside of his cheek to rid his brain of the thought. He’s never had a real fear of dolls, however, after exiting the movie theater an hour or so ago, he’s seriously beginning to question himself.

“Imagine it, though,” Sehun says, the excitement returning to his voice. “Being locked in a small room, the door locking on its own in front of you, and, when you turn around, there’s this creepy old woman sitting in this squeaky- rocking chair, combing a living doll’s hair.” He stops to take a breath, not sparing the blond a glance. “And even better, when she realizes you’re staring at her, she stops rocking and that creepy doll turns her head in a 360 degree angle and stares right into your soul.” His eyes twinkle at the memory and looks at Jongin when the latter doesn’t say anything. He blinks when he sees that the blond is pale as a sheet, a distant look in his eyes.

Jongin gulps. He doesn’t remember that scene (although he’s certain he was awake during it, since he’s sure it happened at the beginning) but after hearing Sehun describe it in painstakingly grave detail, he most definitely recalls the way his heart had stopped for a split second when the (empty) rocking chair Sehun had been talking about suddenly flew through the air, only to collide with and break against the wall, the girl who had been trapped inside the room seconds earlier getting saved in the nick of time by her Father.

He shudders. And people wonder why he avoids horror movies at all costs.

“My friends were right, though,” Sehun continues, seemingly unfazed, “this movie wasn’t that creepy, but maybe that’s just because I’ve seen much, much worse.” He turns a corner, practically dragging Jongin, who seems to be glued to the pavement, along.

“I guess,” Jongin mumbles, relieved that his voice doesn’t waver and thus give him away. “I mean, uh, yeah.” He swallows and instinctively grabs Sehun’s hand tighter when the image of the possessed doll suddenly appears in his mind. .

They walk in silence for a while, the only audible sound being the sound of Jongin’s bag occasionally thumping against the latter’s leg as he and Sehun make their way down the dark and empty street. The streetlights lining the walkway are as good as burnt out, and Jongin starts feeling the same exact way when he sees his house come into view, the window to Jungah’s room the only thing illuminating the darkness.

It’s not until they’re twenty feet away from Jongin’s house that Sehun speaks.

“Nice house,” he says, gaze obviously fixated on the window on the second floor, which is emitting a soft yellow light. “Is that your room?”

Jongin shakes his head. “Uh, my sister’s,” he mumbles, looking away a little. A warm feeling settles in the pit of his stomach when Sehun’s eyes visibly soften. “Yeah.”

“Talk to her.”

Jongin blinks. “Huh?”

“You heard me,” is all Sehun says, shooting Jongin a warm smile of encouragement. “A sister needs her brother,” he adds patting the blond on the shoulder. "Especially her."

Clearing his throat, Jongin nods a little, a little distracted by the sense of electricity pooling in his shoulder. “Yeah, okay.”

If he were to be completely honest, Jongin wouldn’t even hesitate to grab Sehun’s hand, turn on his heel and run down the street in the opposite direction of his house and never return. Or to be exact, never have to face Jungah ever again (which he’s tried to do a million times before only to fail each time). But there’s something about the sincerity and hope in Sehun’s voice that makes Jongin question himself. He remembers the spark of hope and faith that had ignited in his chest when Sehun had spoken those words of encouragement to him back at the café.

And as cheesy as it sounds, Jongin would much rather, any day, walk right up to Jungah and repeatedly yell the words ‘I’m sorry’ right in her face while shaking her shoulders than possibly disappointing Sehun and seeing the latter’s disappointed expression after tucking his tail between his legs and running.

He’s so deep inside his own bubble that he doesn’t even realize Sehun is waving a hand in front of his face, and he jumps a little.

“Earth to Mr. Scaredy-cat,” Sehun chuckles, ruffling Jongin’s hair. “Is that a yes or a no?”

Jongin blinks, a blush creeping up his neck. “Uh?”

“Your phone,” Sehun says, probably for the nth time. “Does it work?”

Jongin blinks again, and he’s so distracted by Sehun’s piercing stare that he momentarily forgets what a phone even is. “Uh, um.”

“Jeez, that damn movie must’ve scarred you for life,” Sehun chuckles only half jokingly before taking a step forward and brushing an eyelash out of Jongin’s face. “I’m beginning to wonder if I should keep you company tonight,” he adds, gesturing to the building behind them. “Y’know, to fend off all them scary monsters and everything.”

Placing a hand on Sehun’s chest, Jongin gently shoves him away, while struggling to stifle a chuckle. “Yeah, right. You’d probably end up screaming like a little girl and hiding under my bed the whole night,” he says in the most serious tone he can muster. He winces a little from the weight of the bag.

Eyes flashing a bit, Sehun crosses his arms over his chest as he his head to the side. “Wanna bet?” he asks, raising an eyebrow for emphasis.

Jongin swallows. Even though he’s painfully aware that Sehun is joking, the latter looks so serious and Jongin almost hates Sehun and his ability to look intimidating no matter the circumstances. On the other hand, he won’t deny that it adds to his charm. Somehow. “Nevermind,” he mumbles, looking away.

“Thought so,” Sehun chuckles, his signature smile returning to his face.  “Anyway, does your phone still work or is it beyond saving?”

“Beyond saving,” Jongin blurts out and mentally smacks himself in the face. “Uh, yeah, I’ll need to take it to the repair shop tomorrow,” he adds, pressing his lips together. “Why?”

“Nothing, I just thought you and I could talk on the phone while I make my way home,” Sehun says sheepishly, shrugging dramatically for emphasis. “I didn’t mean for that to sound quite as cheesy as it did, give me a break,” he blurts out before Jongin gets a chance to.

Shaking his head in disbelief, Jongin feels his entire chest fill with warmth because is this Sehun seriously the same Sehun who spends his free time running into and tackling people like it’s the end of the world????? The feeling only grows stronger and spreads across his whole body when he finally processes Sehun’s words and he promptly curses himself for simply not hanging up the call like a civilized human being all those hours ago instead of letting it fall to the ground and shatter.

Jongin is about to open his mouth to reply when he nearly jumps out of his skin at a sudden loud noise, and he promptly feels every single hair on the back of his neck stand upright, a shot of adrenaline exploding in his head when he registers a grip on each of his shoulders.

What the .

Gripping his chest in fear, Jongin genuinely wonders if the ghost of Bathsheba the witch has caught up with him and he’s seconds away from saying his final prayers when he hears another noise, and he growls in frustration when he sees Sehun doubled over in laughter before him, the latter practically lying on the ground as he emits a string of shamelessly loud guffaws.

Head still spinning, Jongin rushes over and nearly smacks Sehun’s mouth off of his face. “You goddamn fu-”

“Your face,” Sehun chokes out between cackles, making Jongin wonder if he should bring him a bag to breath in before he collapses. Not that he’d mind. “Your ing fa-”

“Have some common sense!” Jongin squawks, fighting the blush that’s creeping up his neck. Flailing his arms around, he half-assedly gestures to the handful of houses surrounding them. “Idiot, it’s midnight, you probably woke up the entire street,” he hisses and whacks Sehun in the temple when the latter doesn’t put in any effort to calm down whatsoever.

Standing up, Sehun wipes his eyes before placing a hand on the blond’s shoulder. “Jesus, I was right,” he chuckles, still trying to calm down. “God, you should’ve seen your eyes, they were as wide as dinner plates!” he sniggers and ducks when Jongin attempts to whack him in the head again. “You thought Annabelle was coming to get you, weren’t you?”

Gritting his teeth in irritation, Jongin swats Sehun’s hand away. “No, as a matter of fact, I wasn’t,” he grumbles, face still burning. “Anyone would’ve jumped, ,” he adds, although one thought quickly leads to another and the next thing he knows, he’s moving closer to Sehun at the thought of either Annabelle or the witch possibly finding and kidnapping him, much to Sehun’s amusement (and Jongin’s embarrassment).

They stand in the middle of the street (Jongin is thankful that there aren’t any cars out at this hour), Jongin with his face buried in the crook of Sehun’s neck as the latter rubs the small of his back. Despite it being ten minutes past midnight, Jongin knows they’re both doing whatever they can to hold onto the moment. Like doing your best to keep a flame from burning out and burning ‘til there’s absolutely nothing left, he thinks to himself as the fingers on his left hand subconsciously toys with Sehun’s collar.

After a while, though, Sehun, inevitably, says the words Jongin had been dreading to hear.

“It’s getting late.”

Swallowing, Jongin can do nothing besides nod in agreement, even though he most certainly doesn’t agree, at all (he figures the words ‘no, stay here with me forever and ever’ would weird Sehun out), and he slowly lifts his head, ignoring the feeling of emptiness that washes over him when he can no longer smell Sehun’s scent. “Yeah.”

“A shame you decided to break your phone,” Sehun chuckles, carding his fingers through Jongin’s matted hair. “Listening to your voice as I make my way home in the dark sounds awfully pleasant; and please, that wasn’t cheesy in the slightest, so don’t punch me,” he adds and snickers when Jongin visibly blushes. However, his voice suddenly turns serious. “Anyway, since we can’t do that, you’ll have to dream about me tonight, okay?”

Jongin blinks. As if I haven’t been doing that for the past frigging week. “Yeah, uh, sure,” he says dumbly. Smooth, Kim Jongin. “Uh, you too.”

“Trust me,” Sehun says, a hint of smugness in his voice. “I have.”

Blushing furiously, Jongin emits an unattractive squawk before whacking Sehun’s waist. “Come on.”

“What?” Sehun retorts, throwing his hands in the air in exasperation. “I didn’t mean it that way, I didn’t say what I meant, did I?” He shakes his head in amusement before he shoots Jongin a -eating grin. “Nice to know you think of me that way-”

“Shut it or I’ll-”

“Strike me in the groin and you’ll know what it’s like to be put in an hour-long headlock, just saying.”

“That’s not what I meant!”

“Then what did you mean?”

“Nevermind, gosh,” Jongin murmurs, turning his face away. Damn it, Sehun.

“Exactly,” Sehun sniggers, pinching Jongin’s cheek, much to the latter’s distaste (and pain). “Anyway, dream about me, promise me that, okay?” he asks again, making sure to lock eyes with the blond.

“Fine, fine, I will, I will,” Jongin squabbles, feeling his face grow hot under Sehun’s gaze. “Jeez, you’re so freaking cheesy I could cry, you know that?” he adds, turning to look at Jungah’s window, which is still shining bright. Jesus, how has Dad not scolded her for being up so frigging late?

“It’s a little hard not to know when you keep reminding me every three seconds, but yeah,” Sehun says sarcastically. “Anyway, I think you should get in there and keep her company.” He gestures to the window without breaking eye contact. “Not to mention your first lesson starts at what time?”

Jongin blinks. “8:30, I think.”

“Jesus Christ, now I feel bad for suggesting the whole movie thing,” Sehun mutters under his breath while running a hand through his hair. He waves a hand in front of Jongin’s face when the latter stares at him with a confused and crestfallen look. “Wait no, don’t misunderstand, I meant that I don’t want you to fall asleep behind your desk tomorrow morning, that’s all,” he babbles. “Y’know? Cause that’d be awful and I wouldn’t want your grade to falter because of me, since I know what a neat freak you are when it comes to your grades and all.”

So cheesy, Jongin thinks before shrugging. “It was nice, though, so I don’t mind,” he says before he feels himself blush for the nth time today. If he could, he’d blurt out exactly how he feels but he settles for a simple ‘Thanks, I had a great time’, hoping Sehun won’t laugh at him for sounding over the top.

When Sehun doesn’t say anything, Jongin internally panics before looking up and smiling shyly, and he has to stop himself from letting out a small gasp when he sees how beautiful Sehun looks. It’s probably because of the bluish moonlight, Jongin figures, but even so, he has to take a few seconds to take in the way said light illuminates and thus accentuates Sehun’s facial features perfectly, casting the latter’s face and hair in a pale glow that almost makes him look like an angel. Jongin would never tell Sehun that he looks like an angel, though, because Sehun’s the cheesy one out of the two of them, not him.

“You okay?”

Come to think of it, Jongin thinks, Sehun would probably to hell and back if he did. However, Jongin thinks the thought of calling Sehun an angel wouldn’t be nearly as cheesy as calling him 'ethereal'. Or would it?

“Hey, did you die?”

Upon closer inspection, Jongin notices Sehun’s eyes, despite being the darkest shade of brown, have turned a gorgeous shade of ice blue because of the moonlight. He vagule remembers Jongdae referring to Sehun (or was it him?) as something along the lines of ‘ice prince’ and he nearly laughs out loud. He could stare at them all day if he could.

He flinches like he’s been burned when he snaps out of his trance and sees what he thinks is a hand dangerously close to his face.

“Earth to Jongin,” Sehun says, waving a hand in front of Jongin’s face and chuckling when the latter blinks rapidly. “Thought Bathsheba had got you for a second there, no kidding,” he adds and ruffles Jongin’s hair.

The blond blinks. “Uh-”

“No but same here, I had a lovely time. I’m happy you suggested we do this,” Sehun says, tucking a strand of hair behind Jongin’s ear. “Don’t you dare call this cheesy, I’m warning you,” he adds, but there’s no bite in his voice.

“You’re uh, welcome,” Jongin stammers and actually does shake his head in disbelief. At himself, that is. He doesn’t even get a chance to say neither ‘I agree’ or ‘It’s not cheesy’ (even though he most certainly thinks it is) before Sehun leans in and presses their lips together. Jongin seriously worries his knees might give in and send him tumbling down to the ground and he has to grab onto Sehun’s sleeve in order to keep himself upright. As much as it sends his mind reeling, in a good way, he can’t help but think the whole thing is so comical he can’t help but giggle a little.

“What’s so funny?” Sehun asks, eyeing Jongin with both adoration and curiosity. “Hold on, if it’s got anything to do with-”

“You’re so cheesy, Sehun,” Jongin snickers before he wraps his arms around the taller’s waist and exhaling slowly. As much as he doesn’t and would never call himself a cheesy person, he’d be lying if he said this isn’t what he’s always wanted - to be with Sehun; alone with Sehun, just them, together like this. He briefly worries that he hasn’t done enough to show Sehun exactly how he feels, but the thought is quickly dismissed when the latter, apparently having read the blond’s mind, presses a kiss on his cheek and all is forgotten.

“What can I say,” Sehun says unapologetically before pulling away, his eyes suddenly flashing. “Oh right! What did you wanna tell me earlier?” he asks, cocking his head to the right, clearly intrigued.

Blinking at the sudden subject change, Jongin emits a series of confused ‘um’s before reality seems to hit him. “Oh, uh.” He racks his brain at lightning speed for what he could’ve possibly asked Sehun, with great difficult considering the fact that the touch of Sehun’s kiss, as corny as it sounds, is still making his lips and cheek tingle uncontrollably. “Um.”

“You know, you wanted to tell me something a while ago, but I don’t think we ever got to it,” Sehun says, trying his best to help Jongin, whose expression closely resembles that of a question mark, out. "You were wondering about something."

Jongin stands nailed the ground for a few solid seconds before it dawns on him and he clears his throat, trying hard to control his blush. “Oh, that,” he mumbles, voice faltering. He looks away, down the street and keeps his gaze fixated on the few dead trees in somebody’s back yard. “Nothing, it was nothing.”

“Now you’re just making me more curious,” Sehun says, voice almost a whine. “C’mon, tell me!”

Scratching the back of his neck, Jongin clears his throat. “It’s nothing,” he mutters, doing his best to change the subject. “It’s kinda-”

“Babe, tell me,” Sehun pries, eyes wide in curiosity as he shakes Jongin ever so slightly. He blinks when the blond’s eyes flash a little. “What?”

“Nothing, gosh,” Jongin babbles. He’s nearly a hundred percent sure his whole face is a shade of beetroot and he curses Sehun for being the cheesiest person alive as well as himself for blushing so easily. Damn it. Freaking pet names. “It’s nothing,” he says in a second attempt to steer the conversation well away from whatever it is they’re discussing right now. Well that, and because Sehun’s stare is honestly beginning to reduce him to a pile of fleshy goop.

When it becomes painfully clear that Sehun isn’t taking no for an answer, Jongin sighs before biting his lip.

“It’s nothing special, it’s just,” Jongin starts before clearing his throat. “You know uh, while you were uh- Okay, I’m just gonna start off by saying that I didn’t read any of these, or this, of my own accord, it just popped up on the screen and I kinda had to read it, I promise I dismissed it like, a second after it came up, don’t get mad at me, please, I swear I didn’t-”

Sehun puts his hands up. “Calm down and take it one word at a time,” he chuckles ever so patiently.

Attempting to pull himself together, Jongin mentally smacks himself before taking a breath. “Okay so, you know your friend, Junmyeon, right?” he asks, feeling his heart speed up a little bit. He hopes it doesn’t show on the outside.

Sehun stares at Jongin, eyebrows furrowing a little. “Yes...?”

“Um, when you were over there by the, uh, the things, taking a leak,” Jongin says, running a hand through his hair and avoiding Sehun’s eyes. “I uh, I mean you, got a text from him, Junmyeon, saying you’d uh, you’d won some match.” He musters the courage to look at Sehun just in time to see the latter’s eyes flash.

“Jeez, really? We won?” Sehun asks, excitement seeping into his voice. “Sheesh, I guess those two really can fend for themselves, who would've known,” he adds, shaking his head in amusement before raising an eyebrow. “...Is that it?”

Jongin clears his throat. “No, uh.” . “How do I put this- Don’t judge me for this, please, I-”

“If you don’t get to the point, I just might,” Sehun says in amusement although Jongin can sense a bit of impatience in his voice.

“Okay, anyway- Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, by the way- Uh, that match wasn’t a...practice match, was it? I mean, since, uh, you got another text from him saying you’d won a trophy, and you only win those when...yeah.” Jongin looks at the ground and fidgets a little. “Basically, I was wondering if you uh-”

“Skipped an important match to be with you,” Sehun concludes for Jongin, apparently having read his mind. “Yes, that’s correct,” he adds, shooting the blond a bright smile.

Jongin blinks. How on Earth can he be so casual about this??? he thinks. As much as the thought of Sehun skipping matches for his sake flatters him to the very core and makes him feel extremely giddy with joy, he can’t help but feel a wave of guilt and worry wash over him. “You, uh. Why, uh-”

“If you’re worried about me leaving Myeon and Yeol out on the field, don’t be,” Sehun chuckles. “As much as they’d remind anybody of Dumb and Dumber, take my word for it when I say they’re pretty freaking good when it comes to what they do in their uniforms” he adds, shooting Jongin a thumbs up. “I trust ‘em both with my life, believe it or not.” His smile slowly falters, however. “What’s the matter?”

The do I say? Jongin bites the inside of his cheek. “It’s just...I mean, that’s great,” he mumbles, swallowing. He prays Sehun doesn’t get the wrong idea. “I mean...you love football and...that seemed like an important match for all of you and…” He turns his face away and shakes his head a little. “Nevermind, forget it.”

Sehun is silent for a while. “It’s true, I do love football,” he says slowly, shoving his hands in his pockets. Jongin doesn’t know if it’s because of the decreasing temperature or something else. “It’s my life, actually,” he adds without any hint of sarcasm whatsoever.

“But then…” Jongin scratches the back of his head. “Why-”

“You know what else I love, though?”

Jongin almost cries. “Sehun-”

“What? Come on, that wasn’t meant to be cheesy!”

“I know, but it sounded hella cheesy anyway,” Jongin groans, dragging a hand down his face.

“Sorry not sorry,” Sehun chuckles, gently lifting Jongin’s head with his middle and index finger so their eyes lock. “Listen, though. It’s true; I mean, it you had to find out this way, I’d much rather prefer telling you myself, but yeah, it’s true.” He Jongin’s cheek with his thumb. "Hell, I'd even skip Nationals to be with you."

“Sehun-”

“I’m serious!”

“Jeez, now I feel bad as hell-”

“Why-”

“You’re their captain!”

“And you’re my boyfriend!” Sehun retorts in expasteration. “What’s the difference?”

Jongin opens his mouth to speak but quickly closes it again. Visibly stilling, he clears his throat, ignoring the strange, yet pleasant, feeling that explodes in his spine. Well then.

Sehun is also silent for a few seconds. For the first time in a long, long while, his usual smug and confident expression slowly melts into one of pure nervousness. He scratches his neck and clears his throat when the silence grows a little awkward. “I mean...eh.”

It’s Jongin’s turn to clear his throat and he keeps his gaze fixated on Sehun’s spotless shoes. , it’s hot out here. “I, uh-”

“Sorry,” Sehun says abruptly, avoiding Jongin’s eyes, “Was that too soon-”

“I, uh, no-”

“I wasn’t really thinking, Jesus, sorry-”

“Sehun, damn it, it’s fine,” Jongin interrupts, still avoiding Sehun’s eyes. As much as he’d like to envelope the latter in a bearhug and never let go, he can’t bring himself to do so considering the fact that his legs feel like they’re permanently nailed to the pavement.

Mustering the courage to look up, Jongin does look up, while keeping his head still, and sees Sehun looking into the distance, probably at some house behind them. The latter’s eyes are buzzing with something Jongin can’t quite identify. Is it confusion? Is it nervousness?

When the silence almost becomes suffocating, Jongin moves in and grabs Sehun’s hand, dismissing the way the latter’s eyes flash in surprise, before giving it a loving squeeze. The light in Jungah’s room is still on and he wonders how and why she hasn’t gone to bed yet.

“Don’t worry, it’s okay,” Jongin says and he’s instantly surprised at how confident he sounds despite feeling the exact opposite. In fact, there’s so many emotions clouding his brain that the fact that he hasn’t collapsed from exhaustion yet absolutely stuns him.

“So are you- I mean, I don’t even- if you feel- I mean, if you feel the- damn it,” Sehun stammers, staring at Jongin’s hand on top of his own like it’s some sort of unidentified creature from outer space. “I mean, damn it, if you’re okay with-”

“Dude, I literally cried for you less than four flipping hours ago,” Jongin exclaims. “I spilled my goddamn heart out to you while sobbing my frigging eyes out and you’re asking me if I feel the same way- God damn it, come here-” Before he knows it, he’s taken a step forward and enveloping Sehun in a bone crushing hug, his hands and arms moving and acting of their own accord as he pulls the latter as close as he possibly can.

Sehun’s hands come to rest on the small of his back and Jongin tries to tame his pulse when he inhales Sehun’s scent, because he seriously doesn’t want Sehun to feel (or hear, for that matter) how fast his heart is beating.

Sehun is warm, so warm, an enormous contrast to the ice cold air surrounding them, and for the first time, Jongin reaches up and runs a hand through Sehun’s hair and nearly jumps when he feels just how soft it is, despite it looking like it’s been infused with at least five hundred different hair products. He cards his fingers through the locks and prays his finger somehow doesn’t get tangled in one of them because dear God, that’d be humiliating.

After a minute, although to Jongin it feels like five centuries, Sehun slowly pulls away.

“Don’t take it personally,” Sehun chuckles, fanning himself a little. “It just...well, it got really hot. And that wasn’t a pun,” he adds when Jongin drags a hand down his face.

“Talk about buzzkill,” Jongin mumbles, still grabbing onto Sehun’s right hand.

Sehun scoffs but his eyes remain warm and loving. “So, you’re okay with it?” he asks, giving Jongin’s hand a squeeze as he watches the latter struggle with his bag of candy.

“I cried a river for you and told you I’ve loved you since forever, Oh Sehun,” Jongin says flatly. “I think you calling me your boyfriend is at the way bottom of my list of the most humiliating things to ever happen to me.”

“Jeez, look who’s the cheesy one now,” Sehun mumbles under his breath, although loud enough for Jongin to hear, before pressing a kiss on the latter’s cheek. “You need to do something about your hair, it’s already beginning to fade,” he adds, evening out Jongin’s white locks.

Jongin rolls his eyes. “Baek bought it for less than three bucks, what do you expect,” he grumbles, cursing his best friend for the twelve quadrillionth time since their friendship started. “Wouldn’t be surprised if it’s turned black by tomorrow morning.”

“That’s your natural color?”

“Yup. Hate it though, I think brown looks best on me,” Jongin says with a shrug, pressing his lips together.

Sehun chuckles. “Well, I think you’d look amazing in any hair color, so it’s fine with me,” he says before giving Jongin’s hand one last squeeze. “I really should get going now, I promised I’d talk to Yeol and Myeon about the match, sorry.” He shoots Jongin a regretful look.

Ignoring the feeling of deflation that settles in his chest, Jongin nods in understanding. Now that he thinks about it, he has no idea how long they’ve been standing out here. Even though it’s probably been well over an hour, it feels like ten minutes to him.

“Don’t be sorry, you need to know how it went, after all,” Jongin says. “If anything, I’m sorry for holding you back,” he adds under his breath, although he doubt Sehun heard. He sighs and stares down the street, the same one they came from earlier and feels a shiver travel down his spine.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, it’s just-” Jongin blinks, wondering how on Earth Sehun managed to sense his weariness. He figures it’s simply a Sehun thing. “Uh, it’s just...it’s so dark.”

Sehun raises an eyebrow. “You scared?”

“No. I mean, yeah, kinda, but, I meant,” Jongin squabbles, mentally smacking himself. “Worried. Well, about you.”

Sehun blinks in surprise. “You’re worried about me?”

“Yeah,” Jongin mumbles, nuzzling his face in the crook of Sehun’s neck. Normally, he’d find the combination of hairspray, deodorant and perfume revolting but there’s something about the way Sehun pulls it off that makes him love it.

“You’re so cute,” Sehun coos, gently poking Jongin’s waist, making the latter yelp. “I’ll survive, don’t worry.” He ruffles Jongin’s hair lovingly. “Trust me.”

Jongin nods. The thought of Sehun walking home alone in the dark, probably through some creepy forest, as well, is enough to make him hold onto the latter even tighter, even though he knows he’s being silly. He blames it on the overflow of emotions crowding every crevice of his brain. “Be careful anyway,” he says as Sehun slowly lets go. 

“I will, don’t worry. I mean, I could take a different way home and avoid that old-, creepy forest if it makes you feel any better,” Sehun says reassuringly (and confidently) before checking his watch. “Jesus, we’ve been standing here for over an hour,” he chuckles. “Anyway, they’re probably wondering where on Earth I am so it’s probably best I get going.” Taking a few steps backwards, he shoots Jongin a small nod. “See you tomorrow. Good night.”

Blushing a little, Jongin nods. “Sounds good. Oh, and thanks for uh,” he says, gesturing to the bag of candy sitting by his feet. “That. Good night.”

“No problem,” Sehun chuckles before turning around and walking down the street. However, he only takes three steps before quickly whirling around and shooting Jongin a smug look. “Hey, one last thing.”

Looking up from his bag, Jongin raises an eyebrow. “Hm?”

“There’s something I forgot to tell you, that I’ve been wanting to tell you ever since this afternoon.”

Jongin blinks, mind suddenly reeling. Well then. “Uh.” He stands up straight, scratching his neck. “What’s that?” Damn it, did I something u-

“ing hell, you’re so gorgeous.”

And with that, Sehun shoots Jongin one last (smug as ever) look before turning on his heel and making his way down the darkening street, his loud footsteps echoing down the street as he confidently strides down the path, his ped jacket blowing in the wind. Strangely enough, his hair remains perfectly intact despite the breeze and Jongin wonders why that is.

It’s not until Sehun is completely out of sight that Jongin feels like he’s been hit by a freight train, although in the best way possible, and he stares at his hand for what feels like an hour as it tingles from Sehun’s touch. At first, he’d worried that Sehun walking away would lead to him feeling cold and lonely, something that has quickly proven to be untrue since his insides still, after all this time, feel like they’re on fire; Sehun’s warmth and aura engulfing him in the form of an invisible, protective shield, protecting him against the cold and, well, scary monsters luring in the dark.

He nearly shakes his head in disbelief. Sehun’s still the cheesy one, not me.

Jongin briefly smacks himself for ever worrying about something possibly happening to Sehun, the most self confident person he's ever met in his life. He figures that, if anything, monsters and murderers should be afraid of Sehun. He'd take them down in a heartbeat, anyway.

It takes Jongin a whole ten minutes to realize he’s been standing in the same spot for God knows how long and he slowly picks up his candy bag before trudging towards his house and opening the gate, heart still beating abnormally fast.

Jungah’s light is still on.

~~~