~~~

4:32 PM

"Are they dead?"

"Shut up, Yeol, you ing moron-"

"No seriously, I think they are."

"Well duh, who wouldn't die after seeing your dumb embarrass itself out there for four hours straight?!"

" y-"

"Shut up, you guys, for Christ's sake."

With a jolt, Jongin's eyes fly open after he feels a hand on his shoulder. At first he worries that he's in the midst of being pushed off the bleachers by some drunk, old men who happened to stumble upon the empty, deserted bleachers but, after blinking a few times, he assures himself that that isn't the case, and in his semi awake state, he barely registers sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He doesn't know if he's imagining things or not, or hearing things he shouldn't be hearing, but somehow, Jongin thinks he can smell Sehun's perfume in a way that makes the brunet think the taller is extremely close by, and he's about to question his sanity when his eyes adjust a second later, only to come face to face with-

"Sorry for waking you," Sehun says softly, eyeing Jongin in adoration while the latter continues to rub his eyes. "I actually didn't want to wake you, since you looked so at peace, but you know, a cold aluminum bench isn't exactly the ideal napping place for most people," he adds sheepishly before bending down and Jongin is ultimately greeted with the taller's navy blue and white uniform. 

Blinking a few more times to get his eyes to adjust fully, Jongin nearly falls off the bench he's been lying and sleeping on top of for the past two hours when he realizes just how dark it is, which he finds extremely weird considering the fact that it shouldn't be more than half past four, if his calculations are correct and this isn't another break. When he sits up, rather slowly, Jongin hisses when a sense of pain shoots up his spine and he barely manages to grab onto Sehun's coat when it slides off his body in the process. A few feet away, beyond Sehun's shoulder, the brunet sees Chanyeol, who is in the midst of trying to wake up Jongdae, with little success, and Junmyeon, who is bent down next to Baekhyun, who is sound asleep and propped up against the railing, and Jongin blinks in awe because he definitely doesn't remember falling asleep all those hours ago, let alone feeling exhausted, and he runs a tired hand through his matted hair before turning to look at Sehun.

With a shiver, since it must be at least three degrees out, Jongin mumbles something under his breath before he slides Sehun's coat on. The material is warm and smells just like Sehun, which makes the brunet snap awake in a matter of seconds. "Sorry, uh, are you done?" he asks dumbly, as if the completely deserted field wasn't anything to go by, and he mentally slaps himself. He blames it on the fact that he isn't fully awake yet.

"Yup," Sehun says, fighting the urge to put the brunet in his pocket because he looks so darn cute with his hair all frizzy and eyes half open. "Kyungsoo and Yifan left early," he adds for some reason before running a hand through his damp hair and it's not until then that Jongin notices that he's taken his helmet off. "Jesus Christ, if I'd known you were this goddamn tired I would've told you to go home-"

"No, it's fine," Jongin blurts out way too loudly and stands up, only to stumble and accidentally collide with Sehun and he doesn't know if he should feel happy or downright freaked out when the right side of his face presses against the taller's chest, which is awfully solid. "I wasn't even tired- I don't even," he babbles, nearly jumping in surprise when Sehun runs a hand through his hair.

A few feet away, bent down by the bench in front of Sehun and Jongin, Chanyeol shakes Jongdae for the sixth time, only to get no response, and he stands up like a bullet. "You guys, I think he's dead," he exclaims, flailing his hands in all directions as he points to Jongdae over and over. He's about to pull out his phone, presumably to call 911, when Junmyeon walks over.

"First of all, you're a goddamn moron, but we all know that," Junmyeon starts, a cigarette (which he apparently managed to light without anybody noticing) between his middle and index finger, as he stops by the bench. He bends down and takes a long drag, ignoring Chanyeol's (and everybody else's, except Baekhyun's, for that matter) confused gaze. "And second of all, this is how you wake 'em up." Without a warning, he brings his face roughly three inches away from Jongdae's face and exhales, blowing a thick, gray cloud of smoke square in the latter's face, which results in Chanyeol nearly karate chopping his head off.

Surprisingly enough, it works, and two seconds later, Jongdae blinks before he sits up and lets out a series of coughs. Jongin watches in amusement, with his arms wrapped around Sehun's waist, as Junmyeon attempts to fight Chanyeol off as the latter practically pounces on him and comes dangerously close to tackling him to the floor (which Jongin hopes to God he doesn't do, because he seriously doesn't want neither Junmyeon nor Chanyeol to walk home with dented or possibly shattered craniums later). Jongdae, much to Jongin's surprise, doesn't seem fazed in the least, and the former only yawns before standing up and walking over to Baekhyun, who hasn't even moved an inch, and tries to wake him up.

"You should go home and sleep," Sehun mutters into Jongin's hair as he cards his fingers through it, but his words are barely even audible over Junmyeon's panicked screeches of 'Hey, it worked, didn't it? It did! Now get the hell off me, you inbred moron!' as well as Chanyeol's occasional growls of irritation as they wrestle somewhere to the right. 

Jongin leans away slightly and runs his hands down the small of Sehun's back, which is as cold as the air surrounding them. "But I wanna wait for you," he says and mentally smacks himself when he realizes just how whiny that sounded. He lets out a low shriek when Chanyeol shoves Junmyeon into the railing after the latter (accidentally or not, Jongin doesn't know, but he's going to go out on a limb and assume that it wasn't) burns him with his cigarette. Thankfully, Jongdae managed to wake Baekhyun up ten seconds prior, because otherwise the redhead would have been sandwiched between the railing and Junmyeon. Now, Jongin isn't one for assuming things, but he's going to take a guess and say that that would most definitely hurt.

"Ignore them, they're always like that," Sehun says with no hint of empathy or concern in his voice whatsoever, which makes Jongin wonder just how often these kinds of thing happen around here on a regular basis. "And are you serious? The meeting ends at half past seven, in worst case eight, I doubt you'll be able to bring yourself to stick around that long," he adds, eyebrows knitted together as he eyes Jongin. Or, that is, the little he can see of the latter since it's so dark he can barely see his own hand in front of his face.

"Are you saying you don't want me to wait for you?" Jongin squawks half jokingly, placing a hand on his chest for dramatic effect. It works, because Sehun subsequently leans in and kisses him on the forehead, much to his embarrassment. 

Ignoring the sounds of Jongdae trying to pry Chanyeol off of Junmyeon, Sehun bites his lip. "No, I'm saying you're definitely gonna get bored after a while and I don't want you to fall asleep yet again, so you might as well go home," he says, tightening his hold on his helmet and placing a hand on Jongin's shoulder, slowly letting it run down the latter's spine until it stops at the small of his back. "Shall we go?"

Jongin nods and picks up his backpack. "But-" He gestures at Junmyeon, Chanyeol and Baekhyun and Jongdae, who are all caught up in God knows what (something Jongin doesn't want to be a part of, that's for sure). 

"They can catch up," Sehun chuckles before patting Jongin on the head and slowly guiding the latter towards the stairs (because if there's one thing he knows, it's that you should never, ever come between Junmyeon and his cigarettes). "Watch your step," he mumbles, desperately trying not to trip himself as he makes his way down the narrow set of steps with the brunet hot on his heels. His uniform is seriously starting to weigh him down and he wants nothing more than to take it all off and throw himself in one of the showers. Thankfully, it's pretty cold outside, so he figures he won't be melting into a puddle anytime soon, like he almost did last year.

As they make their way towards the sports hall, they pass a familiar, white tent and Jongin points to it. "Look!" he squeals, grabbing Sehun's hand.

Sehun blinks and looks up. "Uh. That white thingy over there?" he asks in confusion, walking a little slower.

"Yeah, guess what that is," Jongin says, resting his head on Sehun's shoulder and staring at the latter intently. Even in the darkness, he can see how exhausted Sehun is, and Jongin is actually quite thankful that he happened to (accidentally) fall asleep earlier, because there's a buzz of energy coarsing through his veins right now which he can't really help. "Guess, guess!" he pries when Sehun doesn't say anything, and gently pokes the latter's cheek.

Sehun shrugs as he keeps his eyes fixated on the tent to their right. It's an ordinary looking tent which, he just realized, he's never seen until now, and he tears his eyes away from it to focus on the path before him, just in case he happens to trip over a rock or anything similar lying in the middle of the path. When Jongin pokes his cheek again, he groans before putting up his free hand in defeat. "No clue, you tell me."

"It's where I used to train," Jongin exclaims, nearly tugging Sehun's arm clear out of its socket in excitement. "Or, well, I do now, as well, but still! Isn't it cool?" he squeezes Sehun's hand and skips along the path.

Nodding a little, Sehun takes a swig of water from his water bottle and shivers slightly. "Man, it's cold," he murmurs and looks up when Jongin doesn't say anything for a while. "What is it?"

"I think Minseok and Yixing are in there," Jongin says absentmindedly, almost as if he's talking to himself. "That is, my teammates." He presses his lips together before his eyes light up. "Hey, should I go over there and say hi real quick?" he asks and blinks when Sehun tightens his grip on his hand. "What-"

"I want you right here," Sehun says simply, caressing Jongin's hand with his thumb as they approach the building. "Jesus, I really don't wanna go to that meeting, damn it," he mumbles and shakes his head in irritation. He wonders if it would be obvious if he were to rest his head on the table during the meeting and sleep through the whole thing without his coach or anybody else noticing, and he mentally curses when he comes to the conclusion that yes, people would definitely notice. Unfortunately.

~~~

"Doesn't it hurt to get the ball right in your face?" Jongin asks, swinging his legs back and forth on the bench as he watches Sehun unlock his locker and swing it open. The stuffiness of the room is enough to make him want to remove Sehun's coat but he doesn't in fear of possibly hurting the latter's feelings.

Placing his duffel bag on the bench, Sehun quickly s it before proceeding to dig through it. "Does it hurt to get a puck to the face?" he simply asks while retrieving his towel and shower supplies. 

Jongin blinks. "What's that got to do with-"

"Does it?" Sehun asks again before swiftly sliding his jersey, which is soaked to the brim, over his head and stuffing it in his duffel bag. He unclips his shoulder pads before gently folding them up and putting them in his bag, too, and definitely doesn't miss the way Jongin turns his face away when he removes his compression shirt.

Clearing his throat (and desperately trying to mentally distrast himself), it takes Jongin a few seconds to remember what Sehun is talking about and when he does, he blinks. "Yeah, of course it does," he says. "But what's that got to do with-"

"Well, there you have it," Sehun chuckles, stuffing the last piece of his uniform in his duffel bag (he's beaten his own record at how long it takes him to fully remove his entire uniform, this time by ten seconds). Picking up his towel, he wraps it around his waist after swiftly sliding his briefs down his legs (all while pretending not to notice the way the brunet is visibly squirming in his seat), and he's about to pick up the tiny bottles of shampoo and conditioner sitting on the bench when he spots his phone sticking out from between his gear inside the bag and, for some odd reason, he chooses to bend down and pick it up.

For a whole three minutes, Jongin sits glued to the bench, unable to move, as he keeps his gaze fixated on the peeling paint on the wall across from him, because Jongin already feels like he's seconds away from melting to the ground thanks to the warmth of Sehun's coat, and he'd rather not make it even worse by accidentally looking to the right. He has no idea what he'll see, but Jongin decides to be on the safe side and remain still. However, the subsequent silence soon gets the best of him and before he knows it, he's turning his head ever so slowly to look at Sehun, fully ready for the heart attack that will definitely plague him in a few moments.

Except it never comes, and Jongin finds himself staring up at Sehun in confusion as the latter hovers above him, phone in hand. "Huh? What are you do-"

"That's adorable," Sehun says lowly, eyes glued on the screen of his phone. Particularly, on the little sticker Jongin so carefully picked out to send to him. He stares at the brunet's message for a little longer before his eyes flash. "Hey, you know, this kinda looks like us!"

Jongin blinks, not knowing if he should feel relieved or disappointed when his brain finally registers the fact that Sehun is (somewhat) fully clothed next to him. "Uh, what? Who? Where?" he asks dumbly, choosing to keep his gaze on his own feet in case Sehun gets the wrong idea.

"You know," Sehun starts, beaming, as he shows Jongin their Messenger chat. "You're the little bear and I'm the rabbit!" he exclaims excitedly, practically squealing before he shakes his head in amusement. "Man, you really are adorable," he mumbles, voice suddenly turning alarmingly serious as he puts his phone away in his duffel bag, zips it and puts it in his locker. 

Not knowing what to say, Jongin simply brings his legs closer together as he scratches the back of his neck. "Uh, thanks." Hearing Sehun mention bears ultimately makes him think of what happened last week, when Sehun finally caved in and bought him the teddy bear, and the thought makes Jongin's chest swell with happiness. 

"Are you gonna wait here while I shower?" Sehun asks, picking up the bottles and adjusting the towel around his waist. "I mean, I-"

"Jonginyouforgotyourbackpack," Jongdae yells before he even swings the door open all the way. He stumbles inside the room, with Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Junmyeon hot on his heel, and dumps the brunet's bag on the bench. "Thank me later!" He sends Jongin a triumphant look and puts his hands up when he averts his gaze and looks at Sehun. "Whoa, okay, uh, did we-"

"Walk in on something?" Baekhyun finishes for him with a chuckle, moving aside when Junmyeon walks in the door and three seconds later, the entire room is filled with the smell of tobacco.

"No," Jongin blurts out, still looking at his shoes. He'd forgotten all about Baekhyun and Jongdae up until now. "Of course not, don't be stupid," he mutters, voice barely audible and he lowers his head even more when Sehun lets out a chuckle, closely followed by Chanyeol's series of unattractive guffaws. I really need better friends.

4:43 PM

"Aren't you excited for Nationals?" Jongin asks, skipping along the path towards the school building. Beside him, Sehun only mumbles something inaudible. "Come on, why wouldn't you be? It's like, the opportunity of a lifetime!" he adds for good measure, kicking a rock lying in the middle of the path. He zips his jacket, which he forced Chanyeol to run and fetch after Sehun just so happened to realize it was still out on the field, up to his chin and grabs Sehun's hand. "Well?"

Sehun shrugs. If he's going to be honest, he isn't too hot on the idea for reasons unknown but he opts to mutter a low 'I guess', simply because he doesn't want Jongin to become worried. He turns his head when the brunet doesn't say anything. "It's just...I'm quite tired, that's all," he says, which isn't exactly a lie, considering the fact that he's contemplating using the table as a bed later all throughout the meeting no matter what his coach might say, and he gives Jongin's hand a reassuring squeeze. "Okay?"

"Fine," Jongin hums. He scans their surroundings and, in the darkness, he can barely even make out anything. Normally, he finds the area they're currently in pretty inviting, but right now, all he's worrying about is if some crazed, demented serial killer might emerge out of one of the bushes up ahead and murder both him and (possible, given that the taller is probably a much faster runner than he is) Sehun on the spot, and the idea makes the brunet tighten his grip on Sehun's hand even more.

They walk in silence for a little while, the only audible sounds being their footsteps as their shoes rub against the gravel beneath their feet, and Jongin soon becomes so accustomed to hearing said noises that it doesn't take him long to register the fact that there's another sound, right behind them - irregular scraping noises, and Jongin's mind quickly descends into the worst (and probably unrealistic) possible outcome scenarios, one of them including him being dragged away into one of the bushes before subsequently getting stabbed to death, and Jongin nearly rips Sehun's sleeve off trying to get his attention.

Sehun, who seems rather oblivious (which totally doesn't make Jongin's anxiety skyrocket), only sends Jongin a funny look. "What's the matter?"

Nearly choking on his words when the noises grow louder, Jongin emits a barely coherent 'Don't you hear that?' as he feels himself tense up, not having the guts to turn around for obvious reasons. When Sehun only shakes his head, Jongin is about to ask the latter if he's gone crazy when he suddenly feels a heavy weight on his back, closely followed by what feels like a pair of arms snaking around his neck and he barely even registers the fact that he's hit the ground (not head or face first, thankfully) until a sharp piece of gravel pierces his leg.

Honestly, Jongin doesn't even know what to think, all he knows is that he hopes Sehun doesn't have to stick around and watch him getting dismembered, and Jongin squeezes his eyes shut, mentally bracing himself for the excruciating pain of having his arms and legs cut off (it's not like he can run away, given the fact that his arm is caught under his back and his entire body is frozen in terror) as he feels the heavy weight on top of his chest shift slightly, and it takes Jongin a while to realize that said weight, which felt a lot like an elephant sitting on his chest, has disappeared without a trace (almost as if it was ripped from on top of him) and the next thing Jongin registers is an awfully familiar voice repeatedly crying out the words 'I know him', and he blinks.

From his position on the ground, Jongin musters the courage to open his eyes and, when he slightly turns his head to the right, he barely makes out what he thinks is Sehun (unharmed, thankfully), who is holding somebody up by the collar, and, in his dazed state, Jongin tries his best to stand up, only for his head to spin, and he mentally curses before he suddenly hears another voice.

"Damn it, Yixing, don't just dump your stuff on me and run off without a wo-" Minseok's words quickly die in his throat when he stumbles upon the scene before him; Jongin, who is withering on the ground, and Yixing, who is being held up by the collar by somebody who's pretty much hidden in the darkness and squirming and kicking for dear life. "Jesus Christ, what the ing fu-"

"Help me, Seok, this guy's ing crazy," Yixing screeches as he tries kneeing Sehun in the crotch, which only makes the latter tighten his grip on his shirt. "Call 911, call 911!" he exclaims when the taller raises his fist, presumably to strike him in the face. Thankfully, Minseok manages to get between them at the last possible second, and Yixing nearly trips over his own two feet trying to scramble as far away from Sehun as possible when the latter finally lets go. 

Confusion and terror written all over his features, Minseok rushes over to Jongin, who is still squirming on the ground, only to quickly puts his hands up in innocence when Sehun sends him a look so deadly that the shorter briefly feels his heart stop. 

"Don't ing touch him," Sehun growls, eyeing both Minseok and Yixing intensely before bending down and gently placing a hand on Jongin's shoulder. "Jongin, babe, are you-"

"OhmyGodJonginareyouokay," Yixing croak-garbles, rushing over to Jongin, only to emit a startled noise when Sehun stands up and attempts to strike him in the jaw. He misses, thankfully, probably due to how dark it is, and Yixing nearly collides with Minseok when he stumbles backwards.

After a bit of difficulty, Jongin slowly gets back on his feet, and he is extremely relieved upon realizing that his arm isn't, in fact, broken. He stumbles a bit, but he assumes (and hopes) that it's mainly due to how much his head is spinning, and he nearly trips over his shoelace trying to get between Yixing and Sehun. "Cut it out, what the hell-

Growing at Yixing to keep his distance, much to the latter's distance, Sehun rushes over to the brunet and places a protective arm in front of him. "Step away from him, or else-"

"No, hey, look, you got it all wrong," Minseok exclaims, putting his hands up as he tries to look into Sehun's eyes, which is pretty difficult given the darkness. "Look, Jongin's our friend, we're on his team, I swear to God-" He gestures towards Jongin, who nods, even though he still looks dazed.

When he assures himself that his head has stopped spinning, Jongin clears his throat. "It's true, they're my friends," he says quietly, placing a hand on Sehun's arm. At least I'm not being killed, he thinks before realization quickly dawns on him and he furrows his eyebrows in both irritation and confusion. "What the -" He sloppily points to Yixing. "Why did you- How- What-"

"I just wanted to say hi," Yixing blurts out, still cowering behind Minseok to avoid Sehun's evil eye. "It was stupid, I know, I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting you to fall over and...yeah." He quickly picks up his duffel bag and slings it over his shoulder, still avoiding Sehun's gaze. "Sorry," he says for good measure, reaching up and fixing his collar.

Minseok is silent for a while, presumably contemplating his entire existence, before he takes a deep breath. "Sorry," he says, facing Jongin, who is busy running his hand through his hair to rid it of gravel. "He just dumped his stuff in my arms and took off, I didn't think-" He sighs in exasperation. "Just...sorry. Are you okay?"

Jongin nods as he cards his fingers through his hair, little pieces of gravel falling out and onto the ground below. He isn't feeling too angry, presumably because he's too busy being relieved over the fact that it turned out to be Yixing who tackled him from behind and not some crazy, ruthless murderer. "It's uh, it's fine. Just a little...yeah." He shakes his head in disbelief before gently lowering Sehun's arm. "It's fine, I'm fine, Yixing isn't gonna kill me, don't worry," he chuckles.

Sehun sends Yixing a wary look before he finally complies and takes a step back with a nod. He opens his mouth to say something but closes it. "Uh. So." He scratches the back of his ear, suddenly feeling extremely awkward. "These are your..."

Muttering a quiet 'God damn', Minseok nods a little in Sehun's direction, but Jongin can tell that he's avoiding the taller's eyes. "Minseok, hello," he says lowly, and it's not until he actually looks up that his eyes widen a little. "Oh my God, is it-"

"It is," Yixing blurts out from his spot behind Minseok, and he slowly emerges while keeping his gaze locked on Sehun. "Wait, seriously? It is!" He seems to ogle Sehun like a zoo animal and the latter blinks. "What, uh- What are you-"

Jongin seriously hopes Sehun hasn't scared Yixing to the point of insanity and he scratches the back of his ear when they both continue to ogle Sehun like a creature from outer space. "Um-"

"Jongin, the hell are you doing out here with Oh frickin' Sehun?" Yixing asks, flabbergasted. "I mean, I can't really see, but come on, that is Oh Sehun, isn't it?" he adds, squinting. 

When it becomes painfully clear that he should probably say something, Sehun clears his throat and kicks a pebble lying by his foot. He doesn't mind people gawking at him, since he's overly used to it at this point, but there's something about the wild glint in Yixing's eyes that's really off putting. "Uh. Yeah, that would be...uh, that's me," he says dumbly, brushing some dirt out of Jongin's hair. When Yixing continues to stare, he clears his throat in hopes of the latter getting the hint, which he, inevitably, doesn't.

"Oh God, this is awesome, Jesus, it's like meeting the president," Yixing babbles, ignoring Minseok's pleas for him to be quiet, as he practically jumps up and down in glee. "Hey, by the way, I saw like, a ton of colorful papers in the trash can on my way to class earlier today, were those yours?" he asks, any signs of fear gone without a trace as his eyes twinkle in curiosity, even though he definitely knows the answer.

Sehun bites his lip. If he remembers correctly, he made sure to bury the hundreds of prom invites he recieved this morning at the very bottom of the trash can, and he doesn't even want to know how they ended up being visible. "Yes."

"Jesus Christ, Oh Sehun nearly punched me in the face, I feel like I'm obligated to say thank you," Yixing says ecstatically as he flails his hands in all directions and Sehun doesn't know if he should feel flattered or run away in pure terror. "We missed you during practice, by the way," he adds, pointing to Jongin.

"Oh," Jongin blurts out, scratching the back of his ear. "Like I told Seok, I was...busy," he says lamely and he's about to say something else when Yixing speaks up again.

"Excited for prom? I bet you are," Yixing continues, apparently ignoring Jongin's reply to the fullest, as he turns to face Sehun again. "I mean, it must be freaking difficult for you to choose somebody, since, yeah, you know," he adds sheepishly before his eyes light up. "Oh well, whoever she is, she's a lucky lady." He sends Sehun a bright grin and it takes every fiber in Jongin's being not to slap it off his face.

Sehun is silent for a minute and, for some reason, Jongin finds himself shifting a little. "Actually-"

"Tell me, you got your eyes set on anyone? Prom's tomorrow, just reminding you," Yixing laughs as if Sehun wasn't highly aware of that already. "I'm Yixing, by the way," he says, marching over and grabbing Sehun's hand before proceeding to shake it vigorously. "Jongin's other half and the ultimate prom-date-arranger! Sorry for calling you crazy, by the way." He shrugs apologetically and the brunet nearly bursts out laughing.

Worried that his arm might break in half soon, Sehun gingerly, yet politely, lets go of Yixing's hand, and he desperately wants to throw in a remark about how he highly doubts Yixing is Jongin's other half, but decides against it in the last minute. "Thanks, I'll uh, keep that in mind," he says sheepishly and Yixing is staring at him so intently (he probably has good intentions, but even so) that he has to take a step back, just in case. "And it's alright, no harm done," he adds before his gaze drifts over to Minseok, who still looks like he's contemplating his entire existence. "And you are?"

For a second, Minseok looks taken aback, almost like he can't believe Oh Sehun just asked him a question and, being the level headed being he is (at least more so than Yixing, for sure), he clears his throat and stands up a little straighter. "Kim Minseok, good to meet you," he says before extracting his right hand. "Yixing and Jongin's teammate. Man, it just feels kinda, well...I dunno, cool? To meet the most popular guy in school face to face," he adds after he accidentally stares at Sehun a little too intensely, since the latter subconsciously backs away even more. "Sorry."

"Charmed," Sehun chuckles as he grips Minseok's hand firmly, and Jongin feels his chest buzz a little at just how easily the taller can make friends (and enemies, but still, he figures it's a Sehun thing). "Jongin's told me quite a lot about his team, so it's nice finally meeting you."

"So yeah, just hit me up if you need help finding someone, I'm pretty frickin' good at that," Yixing proudly interjects. 

Sehun is quiet for a moment before his lips curl into a smirk. "I appreciate your offer, but-" He promptly moves to stand even closer to Jongin and wraps his arm around the latter's waist possessively. "I already have," he says and Jongin has to pray to the high heavens that his knees don't give in.

It takes Yixing a while to comprehend what's going on before him and, when he does, he only furrows his eyebrows. "What."

Minseok, who seems to have a better grip on the entire thing, also looks a tad bit confused but his eyes soon flash when realization seems to hit him, and he suddenly snaps his fingers together. "Oh, I remember now!" he exclaims before chuckling a little. "Jeez, it's all coming back to me!"

Jongin blinks as he tries to fight back the blush that's threatening to spread across his entire face, only to fail when Sehun leans in and kisses his temple. "Uh, what-"

"You should have seen how much Jongin pined over you back when we were younger," Minseok chuckles, gesturing at Jongin. "Like, he'd get so distracted, to the point that he'd end up scoring his own goal on a few occasions," he adds, which does nothing to help calm the brunet's burning face. "You remember, right?" he asks, nudging Yixing, who nods ecstastically, and the latter is about to reply when Jongin hurriedly speaks up.

"Don't you two have a bus to catch?" Jongin blurts out, desperately wanting to change the subject. Sehun's hand rubs the small of his back and he tries not to shiver.

Yixing shrugs before he pulls out his phone and opens up his Facebook. "I wanna become friends with the president fries," he mumbles before typing something on the screen, Sehun's pocket subsequently beeping. "And holy , 1,238 friends?!" he exclaims in surprise, his jaw nearly hitting the ground. Minseok nearly facepalms.

Clicking 'Accept' when Yixing's friend request shows up on his screen, Sehun puts his phone away. He's been called loads of (weird) things, but being compared to the president definitely takes the cake, and the mere idea makes his skin crawl. He watches as Yixing and Minseok collect their duffel bags and pulls Jongin closer. "Don't wanna miss your bus," he mumbles, partially because he knows just how painful it is to miss the last bus and thus have to walk half a mile to the train station, but mainly because he isn't in the mood for any more conversing. "And well, I barely even know anybody on there, so." 

Thankfully getting the hint, Minseok slings his bag over his shoulder before checking his watch. "The game's in two days, be there or be square," he says, turning to face Jongin. "Not that I'm worried, of course, since you're like, the best, but yeah, still, have Yixing borrow your shin pads for a change," he grumbles and ignores Yixing's squawk of 'I heard that!'.

"T'was nice meeting you, Mr. President," Yixing says cheerfully before rushing off to catch up with Minseok. "And I'll see you tomorrow, Jongin!" he calls over his shoulder and the brunet barely registers him say something along the lines of 'Man, wait 'til I tell everyone I added Oh Sehun on frigging Facebook' before he's out of sight. 

8:54 PM

"You really need to learn to make your own dinner," Jungah scoffs as she removes the plastic to the box of microwave lasagna in her hands. "Seriously, I'm gone for two days and you still can't be bothered to learn to cook anything else besides ramen and toast?" she tuts before placing it in the microwave, slamming it shut and setting the timer to two minutes. When Jongin doesn't reply, she turns around. "What's with your face? You've looked so...weird ever since you walked in the door earlier, what's wrong with you?"

From his position at the table, fork in hand and ready to eat, Jongin shrugs. He didn't even know he'd been looking 'Weird' lately, but he doesn't get a chance to think about it any further when his phone buzzes for the nth time since he got home. Fishing it out of his pocket, he unlocks it under the table and instinctively smiles when he reads the few words on the screen.

(8:00 PM) Oh Sehun

Babe save meee I'm dying save meee 

(8:02 PM) Kim Jongin

You'll make it!!! I believe in you!! <3

(8:03 PM) Kim Jongin

Put your phone away btw!!! Won't you get caught?? :x

(8:07 PM) Oh Sehun

I thought you wanted me to text you

(8:08 PM) Oh Sehun

Hey this is probably you right now isn't it??? Hehe

(8:09 PM) Oh Sehun

No you dont understand, it's been more than 2 hours and im this freaking close to dying

(8:09 PM) Oh Sehun

Hope you're okay by the way ❤ Glad you didn't land on your face hehe

(8:11 PM) Kim Jongin

I'm on the bus rn, I nearly missed the darn thing by like 3 seconds, go me TT

(8:13 PM) Kim Jongin

And YEAH!!! ofc i do i just don't want you to get in trouble by your coach, he seems kinda harsh, no offense

(8:14 PM) Kim Jongin

Yeah, well this is probably you rn

(8:20 PM) Oh Sehun

Coach has practically given up on lecturing us about using our phones during our meetings at this point  hehe

(8: 22 PM) Oh Sehun

Not to mention Yeol's taking selfies across the table rn and Myeon's busy texting Baekhyun, so

(8:26 PM) Oh Sehun

And how can that be me rn if I haven't got a framed photo of you??? Silly goose

(8:27 PM) Oh Sehun

Although feel free to make and send me one if you feel like it ;3 Hehe

(8:32 PM) Kim Jongin

SEHUN YOU

(8:35 PM) Kim Jongin

So Junmyeon made it out alive then huh? ￣▽￣

(8:36 PM) Kim Jongin

Sehun?????

(8:37 PM) Kim Jongin

Hellooooo

(8:38 PM) Kim Jongin

Sehun don't be mad pls

(8:39 PM) Kim Jongin

SEHUN I WAS JUST KIDDING

(8:40 PM) Kim Jongin

YOU DONT  

(8:40 PM) Kim Jongin

I PROMISE

(8:38 PM) Kim Jongin

(8:41 PM) Kim Jongin

Where'd you gooooo

(8:43 PM) Kim Jongin

I TAKE IT BACK SEHUN T T

(8:45 PM) Oh Sehun

Coach scolded us like hell just now, so I'm gonna have to put my phone away until this ends :c talk to you later!!!

(8:45 PM) Kim Jongin

(8:55 PM) Oh Sehun

It's FINALLY over!!

Jongin barely even registers the sound of the microwave beeping whilst he types out a quick reply before shoving his phone in his pocket. The smell of lasagna fills the air and he feels his stomach gurgling as Jungah takes it out and walks towards him.

(8:56 PM) Kim Jongin

Better go home and get some rest, you deserve it

(8:56 PM) Kim Jongin

That'll be you in an hour btw

"At least look at me while I serve you your food, you ungrateful slob," Jungah says, clearly annoyed, as she places the box on the table and slides it towards the brunet, who accepts it with a distracted 'Thanks' before digging in. "What are you doing? What are you typing?" ske asks after a while, craning her neck to get a better view of Jongin's screen.

Picking up his fork, Jongin scoops up some of the cheesy runniness (which can barely be classified as pasta) before shovelling it into his mouth, which he regrets immensely when his tongue subsequently feels like it’s been lit on fire (he’s apparently forgotten that food tends to be hot after emerging from an oven or a microwave, but he blames it on how hungry he is). He’s about to reply when his phone buzzes again, which effectively makes him lose his train of thought.

(9:00 PM) Oh Sehun

Probably, but Im assuming that it won’t be you anytime soon?? Since you slept through 2/4 of the entire session

(9:01 PM) Oh Sehun

Damn it, Jongin thinks, not knowing if he should laugh or virtually slap Sehun silly. He’s not letting this go. With one hand, the other one holding the utensil, he hurries to type out a quick reply.

(9:01 PM) Kim Jongin

Stop bringing that up all the time srsly -.-’

“Okay, seriously, now I’m curious,” Jungah deadpans from across the table as she drums her fingertips on the table top impatiently. “Who are you texting?”

Muttering something incoherent under his breath, Jongin shakes his head, mainly to distract himself, before placing his phone under his leg so it won’t disturb him while he eats. “Nobody,” he says simply, primarily because he prefers consuming his meals in peace no matter the circumstance, and he blows on his food for a minute before carefully shoving it in his mouth.

“You may be an adult,” Jungah says in a disbelieving tone before resting her head on her hand, “but you sure are one lousy liar.” She shakes her head in disappointment as she eyes Jongin curiously. “You had the privilege of not having to make yourself dinner, so I think you owe me one.”

Swallowing his food, Jongin opens his mouth to speak and nearly falls off his chair in surprise when the underside of his thigh suddenly vibrates. He’s about to reach for his phone when he sees Jungah’s stern glare, and he quickly changes his mind. “They say talking while eating can result in choking,” he mumbles, not knowing if it’s a fact or not (it probably isn’t, given his luck 99% of the time). “So I’ll tell you later,” he adds for good measure before grimacing. He’s had awful tasting lasagnas in his lifetime, but this one definitely takes the cake, because his stomach is already starting to feel full and he blames it on the cheese (seriously, he wouldn’t be surprised if said “lasagna” turned out to be 99% cheese and 1% pasta). “You want it?” he asks, nodding at Jungah, who wrinkles her nose in distaste.

“I’m good, I can’t eat too much before my ballet recital, anyway,” Jungah says, apparently equally as grossed out by the yellow and brown pile of goop on the table. “Leave it for Dad, he’ll probably appreciate it,” she adds half jokingly before tightening one of her pigtails.

Jongin blinks. “That’s murder,” he mutters under his breath, flinching a little when his leg vibrates a second time. Honestly, he figures he would much rather starve himself for a year than put it in his mouth. “When’s he coming home, by the way?”

“Ten,” Jungah replies before she blinks. “What’s that smell, by the way? Is it you?”

Raising an eyebrow, Jongin also blinks. “What do you-”

“Like, it smells like deodorant in here, but like, not the gross kind, like, you know, the kind that almost smells like perfume? You know, the strong, gross kind Dad always wears, but less strong,” Jungah says, confusion prominent on her face as she takes another whiff. “Now that I think about it, it’s smelt like this in here ever since you came home, did you stop by a perfume shop on your way home, or what? Is that why you’re so late?” She waves a hand in front of her face to get rid of the odor.

Jongin clears his throat. “No clue,” he says in a meek attempt to dodge the question, because said question makes him think of Sehun, which in turn makes him miss the latter even more. He would rather Jungah talked for hours on end about makeup or the weird guy at her ballet classes any day. His leg vibrates again and he stretches in his seat, promptly cursing himself for falling asleep earlier because if he’s going to be honest, he feels as if he’s got ants in his pants and, surprisingly enough, he feels like doing something productive, like studying (which only reminds him of the fact that he’s got a Biology exam coming up next week, much to his distaste). “Thanks for the food.”

“I can’t help but think I’ve smelt that frigging smell on another occasion,” Jungah mutters to herself before shrugging nonchalantly. “I literally only microwaved it for your lazy , no need to thank me,” she chuckles as she watches Jongin stand up, and she’s about to get up herself when the sudden sound of the doorbell ringing nearly makes them both jump five feet in the air. “Holy crap-”

Assuring himself that he isn’t dying of a heart attack, Jongin pats his chest. “,” he swears, grabbing his phone from the chair and shoving it in his pocket. He figures he can check whatever he’s missed upstairs, because he knows he’ll have to endure Jungah trying to swipe his phone if he chooses to do so now. Legs itching to run upstairs and crack open his Biology textbook (or rather, spend unnecessary hours on Messenger), he presses his lips together before sending Jungah a look.

Jungah stares back at him before she rolls her eyes. “You’re lazy, lazy, lazy, Kim Jongin,” she sing-songs. “Jesus, is Dad early,” she mumbles before walking over to the door, only to stop dead in her tracks when the first few bars to Katy Perry’s ‘I Kissed A Girl’ fills the air and she whirls around before rushing towards the counter, on which her phone is. “Amy’s calling, you get the door!” she exclaims and Jongin doesn’t even get a chance to protest before she quickly raises her phone to her ear.

Legs itching to run upstairs and ignore the doorbell, Jongin bites the inside of his cheek in irritation. On any normal day, he would ignore the doorbell at all costs before going back to his business, except there’s something about the idea of not answering the door, with his Father on the other side, that scares him to the point of staying where he is. He listens to Jungah talk to her friend and inwardly huffs when the doorbell rings a second time, causing Jungah to turn around and mouth the words ‘What are you waiting for?’ to him, and, after figuring his Father must have left his keys at home, Jongin curses his Father under his breath for being so forgetful before trudging towards the door when the doorbell rings a third time. His back pocket buzzes subsequently but then again, Jongin would rather wait to check it than keep his Father waiting on the other side of the door, presumably in the cold.

A few moments later, Jongin stops outside the door and he briefly wonders if he should open it, say hi and go upstairs but he doesn’t get a chance to come up with an answer when he turns the lock and pushes the door handle down, all whilst keeping his head lowered. “Hope you had a good day at work, your dinner’s on the table-”

“Jeez, what a formal greeting, I can’t say it suits you, but I like it.”

Jongin blinks, his head snapping up at the few words, the rest of his words immediately dying in his throat as a warm feeling spreads across his entire body.

~~~