Jin has been badgering about Sehun uncle ever since they left the hospital, came at their apartment to change into the suits. Jongin almost snaps every time; it’s only because Junmyeon quickly comes up with words here and there and somehow lighten up Jongin’s dark, almost dead mood. He does not understand why his boss acted the way he did; he does not understand why Sehun did what he did. He does not understand why Junmyeon’s behaving like how he’s behaving right now. The elder is still sweet, but somehow acts a little stiff and something else Jongin can’t pinpoint.

Protective, his brain provides but he’s not really sure if that’s how Junmyeon’s acting right now. If he is acting like that, then why is he acting like that?

All of this is messing up with his already muddled up brain. Jongin has never been so confused in his life before; not even when Kyungsoo was courting him and he was too oblivious to understand the elder’s advances on him.

As if those were not enough torture for his tired mind, the thought about the panic attack isn’t leaving him alone. This was probably the first time he had one, if he had before then he doesn’t know, maybe because they were not this serious: so serious that he fainted. The doctor explained something to him, everything related to Science and Jongin hated himself for not choosing Science in his High School. Never mind, Science wasn’t his forte anyway.

The doctor, however, advised him to not over think too much because that would only reflect badly on his health, especially mental health. Jongin had to nod along with the doctor; it wasn’t like he wasn’t agreeing with what the doctor was saying. That was because he knew that any guilt related to Kyungsoo wouldn’t leave him alone for the rest of his life.

When they were coming back from the hospital, Junmyeon had asked him why was he over thinking? What was he thinking about in the first place? Then he’d looked at Jongin, Jongin wasn’t facing him, and thought better of him. He had apologized for being so nosy, but he explained that he was concerned for the younger. Jongin had waved off his apology with a small timid smile. Junmyeon had smiled back, reassuring him that everything would be fine. As if he knew what Jongin was going through as if he knew how Jongin was living, as if he was in Jongin’s position to understand the situation and circumstances of his life.

Jongin appreciates Junmyeon’s concern; anything is better than having nothing at all. His family isn’t here, and Jongin isn’t brave enough to call them and tell them what he’s going through. They will get worried without reason anyway. Jongin appreciates Junmyeon’s presence more than he could even explain in a sentence.

Right now, he’s still struggling with his suit. It’s not like he doesn’t know how to wear a suit (everyone knows how to wear a suit, at the least), but the pain in his ankle that isn’t allowing him to stand up for even one straight minute. How he’s going to stand during the party is whole another concern. He sighs to himself, stares at his reflection in the mirror before sighing once again. His shirt is still untucked, the buttons are in the wrong holes, and Jongin is seconds away from ripping the clothes off his body and fall asleep on the same bed he’s sitting on.

There’s a gentle knock on his bedroom door, and it’s undoubtedly Junmyeon. He looks down at his still undressed state before looking up at the closed door. “Yes?” He asks, as timid and hesitant as ever.

“Jongin, are you done?” Junmyeon asks from the other side. “No pressure but the kid is getting pretty antsy.”

Oh, wow, what a word to describe his son’s excitement. Jongin laughs to himself with a shake of his head. He clears his throat before giving himself once over. “I am sorry, hyung,” he replies, “I am still not ready.”

Junmyeon’s answer comes a beat late; not that Jongin had expected the man to reply in a heartbeat. Anyone would get annoyed after waiting for nearly one hour, plus he isn’t even a woman, to begin with. “D-do you,” Junmyeon stops, and Jongin can understand the hesitancy in his tone. There’s a mumbling just outside of his bedroom door, but it’s still pretty much incoherent to understand. Then Junmyeon clears his throat and drums his knuckles against the door. “Do y-you need some help?”

Oh God, what’s more embarrassing than this? Jongin wonders to himself, it almost feels as if Junmyeon is asking a woman instead of a fully grown man. Jongin doesn’t have some hook on his cloth or dress that he is having trouble putting. Jongin shakes his head then realizes that Junmyeon can’t see that. “Uh, no I am almost done, hyung.” He looks at himself in the mirror, his still undressed state and then sighs. “Almost done,” he adds quietly.

“Are you sure?” Junmyeon asks again. Then in a timid voice (which is kind of funny in a way) adds, “if you need some help, you can ask me, you know right?”

Junmyeon sounds like Kyungsoo. The same Kyungsoo who was too timid to adjust the sweater that fell off Jongin’s shoulder when they had been on a date at the latter’s apartment. “Yes, thank you!” He shouts, desperately hoping that Junmyeon doesn’t notice the waver in his voice.

Junmyeon, surprisingly, does. “Are you okay, Jongin?” He asks. Jongin replies that he is, Junmyeon doesn’t believe him. “Jongin, are you sure?” He asks again.

“I am fine, now let me get ready. You’re disturbing me.” Jongin realizes how rude he must’ve sounded just now. Before he could apologize to Junmyeon, the man had already left the place, the fading sound of footsteps a loud confirmation. He sighs to himself; he doesn’t take long to things up.

With a determined nod to himself that he will finish dressing up this time, he quickly s his shirt and this time makes sure that they are in the right holes. After buttoning the button up, he quickly shuffles into his suit pants, buttons it up too, wears his suit jacket, and with an almost broken ankle walks toward the dressing table. He realizes he has taken twenty minutes already, and here he thought he did everything at a super human’s pace.

Putting on makeup has always been a task to him. It’s not like he hates putting on makeup (after all, he believes in the power of makeup), but the point is that he doesn’t know how to apply makeup. What to use first, what to not, what to use in the last among a lot of things. It’s only a miracle that after half an hour he looks presentable enough. He sighs to himself, gives himself an imaginary pat to himself before finally mustering up the courage to walk out of his bedroom on his wobbling leg.

Fortunately, Junmyeon is there to catch him when he’s about to fall face first and end up making a fool of himself in front of the elder’s PA and his overly excited son. “Are you okay?’ Junmyeon asks and Jongin nods at him with a shy smile.

Jin squeals from where he was sitting on the couch. “Papa, uncle told me he has a chocolate fountain there, just for me!” His son hugs his leg before looking up at him with these excited puppy eyes. Jongin sighs to himself; Jin most definitely got this whole chocolate love from him. Kyungsoo didn’t even like sweet things that much, the man preferred bitter things over sweets (that was one of the things that made Kyungsoo more attractive in Jongin’s eyes).

“Did you really have to do that, hyung?” Jongin sighs, thanking the man when he helps him on the couch. “Don’t pamper him so much; he’s a brat.”

Junmyeon laughs but doesn’t reply to what Jongin said. Jongin realizes that Junmyeon hasn’t looked away from his face ever since he stepped out of the bedroom; he blushes up to his ears. Junmyeon, as if realizing what he’s doing, quickly looks away from Jongin and at his PA. “You look really beautiful, Jongin,” the man ends up complimenting him anyway. “This colour suits you.”

“Thanks, hyung,” he shyly replies, eyes fixed on his swollen ankle. He turns to his son and asks him to bring the ointment the doctor had given earlier. His son nods and runs to his bedroom before coming back with the said ointment. “I-I just have to, you know, after this we can go. Is that okay or should we—”

“That’s okay,” Junmyeon replies and he’s staring at the younger’s swollen ankle now. The man looks into Jongin’s eyes seconds later, red coating his cheeks. “M-may I help you?” There’s bile stuck in Jongin’s throat, and before he could even open his mouth to speak something, Junmyeon takes the ointment from his hands gently. “You wouldn’t be able to lean down so much anyway.” An excuse and Jongin wants to retort because he knows he’s very much flexible. He keeps that to himself though and watches with transfixed eyes as the man quickly kneels down next to his leg, hikes the leg over his knee so that the swollen ankle is close to his reach.

There’s pin-drop silence around them, only Jin’s excited squeals occasionally break the silence, and it isn’t until Jongin looks to his right that he realizes Junmyeon’s PA is staring at them with this smile on his face. Jongin hides the squeak with a cough, looks away from the PA and back at Junmyeon’s broad shoulders.

“This, you know,” Junmyeon says, almost to himself. “You didn’t need to do this, look how swollen this is. You’re going to hurt yourself more.” Jongin feels a press on his ankle, he flinches and passes a whine to the elder when Junmyeon doesn’t let go. “Just a minute Jongin,” the man says, as gentle as ever.

Junmyeon looks like Kyungsoo, and Jongin wonders (with bubbling fear in his chest) why. Why do most of the things that Junmyeon (and Sehun) do look like Kyungsoo? Why they remind him of Kyungsoo? Is he missing his late husband that much or is it just because he has been alone for a really long time and now wants the safety of strong arms around him back. Is it just because he’s lonely? Or just because Junmyeon (and Sehun) are just charming and gentleman enough that they make everyone’s heart flutter, whether they realize that or not.

They do this unintentionally, no? Jongin wonders to himself. Sehun and Junmyeon don’t have any motive of doing all these chivalrous things for him; these must be a part of their upbringing. He thinks to himself. After all, they come from chivalry families.

Junmyeon passes a long sigh when he’s finished before he looks up into Jongin’s eyes, his too kind eyes almost melts Jongin on the spot. “Done, does it hurt now, Jongin?” He asks gently as if talking to a child.

Jongin shakes his head and opens his mouth to speak something when Mac, Junmyeon’s PA, speaks something that makes the air around them more awkward, if possible that is.

“You two looked like an ideal couple,” Mac says, and he’s smiling too wide for Jongin’s comfort. His eyes are sincere as if the words he just spoke were a fact and no one can deny that.

Jin stares at them too, and the curiosity that a child of his age posses lights up his face. “What does that mean?” The boy wonders aloud.

Junmyeon coughs from where he’s sitting on the floor; Jongin, for the first time in his life, wants to die from embarrassment. “Nothing,” he answers to his son. “J-just get ready, we are getting late for Junmyeon hyung’s birthday party.” Jongin doesn’t notice the expression that passes Junmyeon’s face, not that he could even look at the man at this moment. “Thanks, hyung, for uh,” He stops and points to his ankle. Junmyeon gives him a hum.

They reach the party at exactly nine in the evening. The party is as lavish as Jongin had expected it to be. After all, being one of the richest men in Korea, Junmyeon had to do at least this. He finds men in suits made from finest of materials, women wrapped up in silk clothes, and valuable jewellery wrapped around different delicate parts of them and looking as elegant as someone from a regal family would look. They are regal though, if Junmyeon had invited them to his birthday party (something as lavish as this), they have to be regal or at least of great importance who could afford Kim Junmyeon’s attention.

Jongin doesn’t know where he stands. He’s nowhere close to these people, neither in wealth nor in status and public influence. Jongin does not belong in this crowd. He fears he might faint from all the attention he’s getting.

“Relax,” Junmyeon whispers, just above his ear. The man squeezes the supple skin of his waist as if reassuring him and as if he wants to tell the younger that it’s okay and he doesn’t have to be nervous and scared of these people of power.

Jongin almost laughs; Junmyeon has been between these people for long years, he knows everything. Jongin doesn’t even know if the nervous smile tugging on his lips is acceptable between these people or not. Jin clings to his leg, uncomfortable from the attention they are receiving. Junmyeon thankfully understands the nervousness oozing from them, so he quickly apologizes to the younger, and then the young Do before looking around himself.

“Want to go somewhere where there’s less crowd?” He asks; Jongin doesn’t take even a heartbeat to nod. Junmyeon nods at him, and for a moment Jongin thinks that the man understands his worry. Then it hits him, Junmyeon has learned to live between these people. The confidence doesn’t come naturally to him; he has learned that too, among other admirable things.

The mere thought that Junmyeon was once like him relaxes him, and before he knows he is already genuinely smiling at the elder. If the flush on the elder’s face is anything to go by, Jongin is doing a good job at reassuring Junmyeon that he’s fine. He clasps Jin’s hand when Junmyeon brings him to a garden, this part comparatively silent than the other parts of the mansion.

“Let me go and meet my parents and a few important guests. I will come back here soon, yes?” Junmyeon says, still asking as if he would stop and stay with them if Jongin asked him so.

Jongin shakes his head and then passes a smile to the elder. “That’s fine, hyung, please go.” He nods when Junmyeon again asks. “We are fine, I have Jin with me. Don’t worry; we will be here when you’ll come back.”

“Are you sure?” Junmyeon asks again, Jongin nods at him. So Junmyeon smiles, ruffles Jin’s hair, and much to Jongin’s surprise presses a kiss on his forehead. “I will be back soon,” the man promises, flush taking over his pale skin.

Jin giggles beside him. “Papa,” he squeaks, “why are you touching your forehead?” Thank God, Junmyeon has already gone; otherwise, Jongin would’ve died in embarrassment.

“Nothing,” he says with a shake of his head. “It’s nothing,” he adds later.

Jongin looks around himself, notices the heads turning in their direction and how they none too subtly point at them, whispering and laughing to themselves. Jongin suddenly feels small, very small. Jin curls around his leg, almost as if he were a cat and Jongin hides his son behind his leg despite feeling pain in his ankle.

“Papa,” Jin says suddenly. Jongin looks down and brushes aside the fringes falling over his son’s eyes. He asks what happened, Jin at first replies with a shake of his head before finally wording his concern, “your leg. Let’s go and sit somewhere.” Oh, Jongin thinks to himself, he sure must’ve done something good in his previous life to have Jin, sweet little Jin as his son. He sure had.

“Let’s find some place then?” He asks, poking gently on his son’s cheek. Jin timidly nods before looking around himself. The boy spots a bench right away, and after pointing the bench to Jongin, he helps his father walk to the bench. “You’re such a sweet son.”

“Because you’re such a sweet father,” Jin replies with a smile. Jongin laughs and after sitting on the bench, and thanks the little one.

“You’ll be so cheesy when you grow up.” Jongin ruffles his son’s hair. Jin nods in approbation, giggling sweetly.

It’s only ten minutes later that Jongin hears a very familiar voice: Baekhyun. Jongin turns around to look at the man dressed snugly in an expensive looking suit. Armani, Jongin thinks to himself, no doubt. Kyungsoo owned two Armani suits too; it’s still in the basement of their home in the USA. “Jongin, what a pleasant surprise!” Baekhyun exclaims, a surprised look on his face.

Jongin blushes and tries to stand up, but Baekhyun stops him with a firm hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay, I heard about your little problem.” He points to Jongin’s ankle before looking at Jin. “Your son?” He asks; Jongin nods. Baekhyun coos as he kneels in front of the five-year-old. “Such a cute kid, what’s your name, kid?”

“Seokjin,” Jin answers in his sweet, cute voice. Baekhyun coos and asks a few more things to the boy, but Jongin doesn’t hear him, his attention occupied by the tall, intimidating figure walking toward them.

Sehun looks handsome, Jongin has to give that, as handsome as Junmyeon and Baekhyun are looking. Sehun is looking handsome, angry and as annoyed as a petulant kid would look when they don’t get what they want. Baekhyun is still involved with Jin and doesn’t notice Sehun’s presence, and if he does, he doesn’t show.

“Jongin,” Sehun says, and his voice is deep and dark when he stares down at Jongin’s seated form on the bench. “Such a pleasant surprise,” he says, but he isn’t looking surprised, at the least.

Jongin bites his lower lip and avoids the elder’s eyes, eyes resolutely fixed on Sehun’s shiny black shoes. “I had to come, Junmyeon hyung—”

“Acting gentleman and ,” Sehun provides. Jongin flinches and almost opens his mouth to tell Sehun that his son is still there and he shouldn’t use these words but doesn’t. Sehun looks he doesn’t want to hear anything else from Jongin’s mouth.

“Can I sit here?” Not may but can. “Thanks,” Sehun says before Jongin could reply. He sits next to Jongin, aura dark and dangerous. Sehun nudges Baekhyun on the elder’s back with his shoe to grab his attention. Baekhyun hisses at them but doesn’t do more than that. Jin squeaks at the sight of Sehun; Sehun greets the child, kisses his cheek and then asks him to follow Baekhyun. “He will show you something really good,” he promises.

“But Papa...” Jin points to his father.

Sehun smiles and then in a promising tone says, “I will look after him, I am here aren’t I?” Jin nods so the man leans down to ruffle the boy’s soft hair. “You trust me?”

“I do,” Jin answers, now shy that he has the attention of the three adults on him. “Let’s go, Uncle.” Baekhyun nods at him, takes his smaller hand in his bigger one then looks at Sehun. They share a look, Sehun’s lips move in an almost imperceptible smile at the elder before Baekhyun leaves them alone with Jin.

Jongin watches as the two figures disappear behind the door, the air around him suddenly feeling cold. Sehun hums beside him, still in his chilling deep voice. Suddenly Jongin is reminded of the day when Sehun and he were in the forest, and Sehun was humming to some tune. Except, at that time, Sehun’s presence was very comforting and now; it’s anything but comforting.

Sehun sighs beside him, and for some reason, Jongin thinks it’s a sad sigh; the one where a person wants to speak a lot but couldn’t because they don’t have any words; no coherent words to describe their feelings or thoughts. “I thought you wouldn’t come,” says Sehun, almost in a whisper. “Your ankle and all,” he adds when Jongin doesn’t reply.

Jongin gulps the sudden bile in his throat when Sehun turns around to look at him. “People are talking, you know,” says Sehun. “About Junmyeon and you; means they never saw you with him. What’s going on between the two of you and all those curious questions. My poor friend,” the man sighs. Jongin can’t decipher the tone of the elder, doesn’t understand what Sehun actually means by this.

Not that he had any doubts, people are looking at him with these curious gazes, but Sehun has only fuelled up the worry inside of him. “W-what,” he begins in a soft voice, purposely avoiding Sehun’s gaze. “What is he saying?”

Sehun shrugs. “I don’t know, haven’t met Junmyeon yet.”

“Oh,” says Jongin.

“What did you bring him?” Sehun asks; Jongin passes him a confused look. “Gift,” Sehun adds, “attending such a lavish party, I suppose you must’ve—”

“His presence,” a very familiar deep voice provides. Jongin looks up in time to see Junmyeon standing in front of him, his eyes hard and expression annoyed when he looks at a now smug Sehun. “Jongin and his son’s presence, Sehun, are enough.”

Sehun stands up when Junmyeon helps Jongin stand up. “Didn’t know you were this selfless, Junmyeon.”

“Well then,” says Junmyeon, an arm naturally curving around Jongin’s waist. “Well then, you don’t know me well.”

Sehun laughs humourlessly and stops Junmyeon with a firm hold on the elder’s arm just before he could walk away with Jongin. “I want to talk to Jongin,” he says. “For some time,” he adds an afterthought.

Jongin looks dumbfounded, Junmyeon annoyed before he looks down at Jongin in question. “I don’t think—”

“That’s okay,” says Jongin passing a smile to Junmyeon before completely detaching himself from the man’s embrace. “I will talk to him, and then we can go inside?”

“Are you sure?” Junmyeon asks instead. “You don’t have to,” he adds; Sehun scoffs.

“I am,” Jongin affirms with a small smile. Junmyeon shrugs and then points to the fountain in the middle of the garden. Junmyeon says he will be waiting there for him, Jongin promises that he will meet him there soon. Sehun watches the whole exchange between the two with an unreadable expression on his face, and something akin to jealousy and annoyance swirls in his black orbs.

“I am sorry,” Sehun says as soon as Junmyeon is out of sight. He doesn’t look down into Jongin’s eyes or the younger’s face, avoids as if apologizing is nothing but a humiliating thing for him. “I am sorry for what I did earlier,” he adds in a small voice, now looking unsure of himself and very much apologetic.

It was unintentional; he was played by the sudden onslaught of heavy emotions at that time and didn’t really understand what he did was rude and unacceptable. Especially when the other didn’t even know anything; didn’t understand anything. Most importantly couldn’t even think of what was going in Sehun’s head at that time; never mind, even Sehun didn’t know what he exactly was feeling.

“I am sorry,” he repeats when Jongin only replies with a choked gasp. He’s just apologizing; his PA doesn’t need to make such a huge deal out of it. Sehun is struggling with enough embarrassment; he doesn’t know if he could take more. “I-I shouldn’t have pushed you like that; I shouldn’t have done this—” he stops and points to the bench they were sitting on earlier, referring to the conversation they had just a few minutes ago. More like awkward, forced conversation from Sehun’s side.

“That’s okay,” Jongin says, blushing slightly before looking down at his shoes. His ankle is still hurting and Jongin wishes he could sit somewhere because this sudden emotion is very heavy on his shoulders. “I-I just don’t understand why,” he stops and shakes his head. “I don’t understand what suddenly happened to you. I mean, yes.”

Sehun sighs and finally looks at the younger to pass him a nervous unsure smile. “I don’t know why I did what I did. It just happened. I am sorry, I wasn’t considerate enough and despite knowing about your condition.” He sighs and then points to Jongin’s ankle. “Does it still hurt?”

“It does,” Jongin answers and passes an unconscious pout to Sehun. “The doctor gave some ointment to apply on the swollen part, but this will still take some time.”

Sehun chuckles, the air around them finally feels less tense and awkward. “Do you want to sit or something?”

“No,” Jongin looks in the direction of the fountain; fortunately Junmyeon is already watching at them. “Junmyeon’s hyung party,” he stops, and watches as the businessman start walking to them at a leisurely pace. “I should go; Junmyeon hyung is delaying this party because of me.”

Sehun scoffs much to Jongin’s confusion. His boss doesn’t explain so he doesn’t ask. He passes a smile to Junmyeon when the man stands beside him. Sehun’s eyes harden, exactly as Jongin had expected them to. Junmyeon asks if they have done talking, Jongin answers that they did. This time the smile lighting up Jongin’s face isn’t unsure, which clearly means that the problem between the two has been resolved (if it was a problem in the first place, that is).

Junmyeon brings Jongin inside the mansion and introduces him to everyone important with a bright smile adorning his lips. All the people Jongin meets compliment him for his beauty, some ask him about his child with curiosity lacing their tones, and then they tell him that he has a beautiful boy as his child. Jongin couldn’t be more proud of himself. No one asks about his past, about his late husband and that relaxes Jongin between them; it doesn’t make him feel any less despite the huge difference between them in more than one thing.

They are friendly; Jongin is glad Junmyeon only introduced him to friendly people until now. He doesn’t know what he would do if he ended up meeting some jealous girl who hates Jongin because he has stolen Junmyeon’s attention from her. Jongin meets Junmyeon’s best friend too, Zhang Yixing, a native of China who came to Korea just to attend his best friend’s birthday party. The man is a choreographer and was currently choreographing for one Korean band currently performing in China.

Yixing is handsome, handsome in a charming kind of way. He is that kind of gentleman who would sweep you off your feet with just a simple dimpled smile. Jongin wonders if every friend of Junmyeon (and Sehun) is always this beautiful. He guesses they are, without having a second thought.

Yixing then asks Jongin if he would dance with him; Junmyeon explains to a blushing Jongin that Yixing is like this to everyone he considers pretty (he is very big flirt too, Junmyeon adds). Yixing shakes his head and then tells Jongin that how he hadn’t come across someone as pretty as Jongin, and if only Jongin would give him the pleasure of dancing with him he would feel blessed. Oh, too much for attending Kim Junmyeon’s birthday party. Jongin accepts the hand that Yixing offers him and after a small wave to Junmyeon follows Yixing to the dance floor.

“Looks like someone is introducing someone special to some important people,” Sehun says, suddenly standing next to his close friend.

Junmyeon looks surprised for a second, but he doesn’t reply to Sehun’s teasing (it’s mocking, Junmyeon knows, he has been Sehun’s friend for a long time to understand what means what).

“You asked him out before I could,” Sehun says after minutes of silence between them.

Junmyeon chuckles, “Is that a problem? Is that bothering you so much?” Even Junmyeon’s words irritate him; the elder sounds as if he’s teasing him.

“Nah, I was just wondering since when you became a sneaky bastard.”

Junmyeon laughs, but it’s humourless. “I was wondering since when you got interested in bringing out people as a date who you know wouldn’t even sleep with you.”

Sehun stares ahead, irritation bubbling in the pit of his stomach. “I am not interested in anyone who isn’t interested in sleeping with me. You know me better than that, Junmyeon; I love to sleep with people. I don’t like giving them false hope.”

“I am not giving anyone false hope either,” Junmyeon says and straightens the lapels of his suit jacket. “I just need a chance to prove myself worthy enough of someone very desirable.”

“Hope you succeed.”Sehun passes a fake smile to Junmyeon; Junmyeon understands the meaning behind it without even being explained.

Junmyeon hums, the silence between the two close friends awkward and tensed. “Watching Jongin dance with Yixing is one of the things that I do not wish to see again.” It has been more than ten minutes already, Junmyeon hates how he’s keeping track of time as someone possessed.

“Jealous?” Sehun laughs, though it sounds bitter in own mouth. To be honest, Sehun is not far from where Junmyeon is.

Junmyeon hums. “I am feeling jealous, irritated, annoyed, feeling possessive because Jongin came as my date, and not Yixing’s.”

“That’s for stealing date of someone else.”

“I did not steal,” Junmyeon shouts behind Sehun. Sehun ignores him and walks to the dance floor where Jongin and Yixing are still engaged in a couple dance. He passes a tight-lipped smile to Yixing and then asks if he could steal Jongin for some time. Yixing shrugs and with a smile passed to Jongin, walks away from there.

“You looked like you were enjoying yourself with him.” Sehun guides Jongin’s hand on his shoulder, and places his own on Jongin’s waist. “Interesting, I don’t remember you meeting Yixing before.”

Jongin blushes. “Yixing is a great dancer, hyung,” he answers shyly. “He even knows about ballet!”

“What ballet has to do with Yixing and you?”

“I love ballet,” Jongin says with a smile. His smile turns dreamy. “I used to do ballet before; I left some years ago.”

“Why?” Sehun asks. Jongin, he thinks, would definitely make a beautiful danseur (or ballerino for that matter).

“Just got busy with life,” the younger answers. Sehun hears the melancholy in his words.

Sehun rubs his thumb over Jongin’s shirt just above his waist, Jongin sighs in response. They dance in silence for a few more minutes until Junmyeon comes to them and asks for Jongin’s hand from Sehun. Don’t get Sehun wrong, but he feels like punching his friend. He doesn’t though, that would only reflect badly on his image. He passes a smile to Junmyeon and with a quite, insincere he’s all yours, please, walks away from there.

I will be missing for the next whole week, maybe a few more days than that too. i am very busy these days. miss me. lol.