Jongin wasn’t naïve, he knew that he was kind of a dork. He was content with that, he kind of liked it, to a certain extent. The only thing he didn’t like was that he tended to not be able to just admit aloud when he liked someone.

It wasn’t a secret that he liked Kyungsoo, but ever since they docked six months ago he’d gotten so in his head and he just couldn’t say it.

“Jongin? You’re spacing out again” Kyungsoo waved a hand in front of Jongin’s face, snapping him from his reverie.

Jongin blinked, looking at Kyungsoo as if only just realising the older man was there, “Sorry, what were we talking about?”

“I was telling you that I’d finished my last assignment before Christmas break” Kyungsoo prompted, “But apparently you have a lot on your mind?”

Jongin flushed slightly, “I… No, sorry. I was just thinking about how I’m gonna afford to get everyone Christmas gifts this year” he lied.

“Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. I’ll text the group chat later and suggest Secret Santa” Kyungsoo waved a hand vaguely. “We still have a few weeks anyways.”

Jongin hummed, “That’s true” he said, “So are your classes finished for winter break now?” he asked.

Kyungsoo shrugged, “Technically, yeah. But we’re still allowed to go in and work in the music rooms. I asked my professor if I could have one of the keys to the small studio over break, and she gave me it today, so I was thinking about just going there to record some stuff over the holidays when I’m not with my family”

“That’s cool. Maybe… Maybe I could come watch you some time?” Jongin suggested timidly, bringing his peach lemonade to his lips and sipping at it, so that he had something to do. He knew that if Kyungsoo said no it wouldn’t be anything personal, but the idea of rejection felt a little nerve-wracking at any rate.

Kyungsoo thought about it for a moment, taking a swig of his own drink – an iced mocha. He gave Jongin a contemplative look before smiling slightly, “Alright. Just let me know when you’re free and I’ll sort something out”

“Cool. Cool, cool, cool. That’s-”

“Cool?” Kyungsoo cut him off with a laugh. “What’s with you today, Nini? You’re acting weird. Or weirder than usual, I should say”

Jongin took a deep breath and braced himself. He was tired, he realised, of not saying what he wanted to. Of hiding how he felt for the sake of being afraid of what might happen if he did.

Kyungsoo was his friend, his friend that would be there no matter what Jongin said about pesky feelings. Hell, he’d been there through some of Jongin’s stupider moments and still hadn’t called off their friendship.

They’d grown ever closer over their months being back on dry land, and it was obvious that the relationship they’d built up wasn’t going to just slip through his fingers like sand. They had a solid foundation and they were building an ever more solid structure, so he had to ask himself why he was so scared.

Was it the prospect of his feelings not being returned? Or was it that he was afraid they would be, and what they had built would start to take new, uncharted routes that he didn’t know how to navigate?

He didn’t know, but he wanted to find out.

He wanted to be honest with Kyungsoo, and he realised that there would never be a perfect time, a perfect place, because it just didn’t work that way.

Either he was just going to have to take a leap of faith or remain in a uneasy limbo forever, and that was something he didn’t think he was willing to do.

And so he looked at Kyungsoo and decided – there was no time like the present.

Only, he wasn’t really sure what to say. Or how to say it. He didn’t want to be overbearing, but he wanted to get across just how he felt about Kyungsoo.

Even if Kyungsoo didn’t reciprocate, at least it would be off of his chest, and they could carry on as friends, because Jongin was determined that this one little thing would not be the end of what they already had.

“I’ve been thinking” Jongin said softly, his voice a lot more steady than he felt, “We’ve become really close lately”

Kyungsoo nodded, “We have,” he agreed, “And I’m glad for that”

“Me too, and I… I want for us to be honest and open with each other, which we are, I think. But there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while, and I’m not really sure how to say other than to just… say it. I don’t know how you’ll feel about what I have to tell you, but I hope that even if you don’t agree that nothing will change between us…” Jongin rambled, his nervousness catching up with him again.

Kyungsoo frowned, “Jongin, you’re worrying me a little, I have to say”

“It’s nothing bad!” Jongin said quickly, “I swear, it’s just hard for me to say…”

Kyungsoo nodded slowly, “Okay, shoot” he prodded delicately, his hand moving over the table to lay over Jongin’s comfortingly.

“I… Since a while ago now, I’ve been thinking about this. And I know you may not have the same kind of thoughts, but I need to just get this off my chest and tell you… Kyungsoo I-”

“WASSUP, ES!! GUESS WHO JUST SUBMITTED THEIR LAST ESSAY BEFORE BREAK! THREE WEEKS OF FREEDOM! BOOM!”

Jongin groaned as Baekhyun practically threw himself into Kyungsoo’s lap and wrapped himself around the wide-eyed lad, effectively making Kyungsoo pull his hand back from Jongin’s.

Kyungsoo laughed jovially, “You know that we still have an assignment over break, right?” he pointed out.

“Man, I don’t even care. I could write that in my sleep. All we have to do is an analysis on a piece of music we like, and I already know what I’m doing, so I’m not worried” Baekhyun scoffed, stealing Kyungsoo’s drink as he did.

Kyungsoo chuckled softly, “Alright, and what are you planning on writing about?” he asked.

“Astor Piazzolla’s Oblivion” Baekhyun beamed, “That piece is what my wet dreams are made off”

Kyungsoo hummed in agreement, “I like that piece, it’s what we used to dance to at our pretend wedding” he laughed. “Hey Jonginnie, did you know that Baekhyunnie and I got married when we were seven in my back garden”

“Oh my god” Baekhyun laughed, “I remember that! Your mum made us brownies to celebrate and made us take wedding pictures! Ha!”

Jongin forced a laugh, “Cute” he got out without it sounding too strained, but the two best friends were too caught up in their memories to even notice that he was a little put out.

Which was stupid, he knew, they were only kids playing pretend, but sometimes Jongin was a little jealous of Baekhyun and his closeness to Kyungsoo, even if he knew it was ludicrous.

He honestly loved the friendship between Baekhyun and Kyungsoo, he did. It was really nice to see how much they loved one another, and how much they genuinely cared about one another, but there was a small part of him that craved that too, that wanted to have a part of Kyungsoo that was only his, just as Baekhyun did.

He wanted to be as important to Kyungsoo as Baekhyun was, hold as much as Kyungsoo’s heart as Baekhyun did, and even though he knew it would never be the same, could never hold that same value, he wanted it badly, so very badly.

By the time he managed to pull himself out of his own head and look up, Baekhyun had the slow tango playing on his phone and had hauled Kyungsoo up onto his feet to lead him in the sensual dance.

Kyungsoo threw his head back in relaxed laughter as he and Baekhyun moved badly to the music. It was the look of pure and undiluted joy on Kyungsoo’s face that had Jongin watching him in awe. He’d usually snap into his dance mentality when he watched others move, calculating their moves and mentally correcting their footwork, but here and now, he was just caught up in the emotion of the two boys spinning and attempting to match the leg movements that they had clearly seen people do in terrible dance movies.

It was something special to watch, if only for the way he would witness them laughing together and just enjoying themselves.

And by god, he was jealous, but he could also appreciate the love that these two boys held for one another.

It wasn’t until the music came to a complete end that they broke apart, giggling as they did before they fumbled back to the bench.

“Oh, Jonginnie! You wanted to tell me something” Kyungsoo’s mouth made a little ‘o’ of remembrance, “Sorry! What was it?”

Jongin shook his head as he felt both Kyungsoo’s and Baekhyun’s eyes on him, “Nothing important” he brushed it off.

He would try again another time, it seemed that some spirit in the sky just didn’t want him to bear all today, and who was he to go against that?

He’d used up his daily dose of courage trying to get it out the first time, so there was no chance he’d keep calm enough to lay his cards out on the table now. Especially not when he had an audience. Even if it was only Baekhyun.

“Ah, sorry for interrupting you, kid” Baekhyun smiled apologetically. “I just assumed you guys would be doing what you always do”

Kyungsoo frowned, “What do we always do?” he asked.

“You know,” Baekhyun shrugged, “Talk about Jongin’s dogs or try and outdo each other by eating the most jellybeans. That kind of thing”

Jongin snorted, “That isn’t all we do, hyung” he said.

Baekhyun raised a brow at the youngest of the trio and smirked, “Oh? Pray tell, Jongin, what have you and my little Kyungsoo-yah been doing? Playing doctor when nobody’s home?”

“Do you have to be so crude?” Jongin deadpanned, catching Kyungsoo’s gaze and rolling his eyes, which made Kyungsoo smile.

Baekhyun hummed, “I do” he said easily, “But lucky for you, my boyfriend just turned up to take me on a date”

“Hey guys” Chanyeol grinned as he made it to the table and leant down to kiss Baekhyun hello.

“Hey, Yeol” Jongin nodded.

Kyungsoo smiled, “Hi Chanyeol. Have him home by eleven, okay?”

“Yessir, I’ll take good care of him” Chanyeol chuckled, playing along nonetheless.

Baekhyun stood up and gave the pair a small wave, “Later Jongin. See you at home, ‘Soo”

“Bye” Jongin and Kyungsoo chorused.

Well, Jongin thought, tomorrow was another day. Perhaps he would have better luck then.

--

Yixing pulled up at the side of the hospital, he turned to Junmyeon and paced a hand on the librarian’s shoulder, “Hey. He’s going to be fine. The doctor said it was a minor accident. Go on in and text me where you are, yeah? I’m gonna park up”

Junmyeon nodded, reaching up to give Yixing’s hand a soft squeeze. “Thanks for coming with me. And sorry for cutting our date short…” he sighed.

“Stop apologising and go make sure your dad’s alright” Yixing smiled. “Go on, I’ll be in soon”

Junmyeon nodded, climbing out of the car and taking off into the hospital. Yixing watched him go before pulling around into the car park and looking for a space.

They had been in the middle of their walk in the park when Junmyeon’s phone had started ringing. It had been the hospital letting him know that his dad had gotten into a car accident and had to be taken in. They had explained that a drunk driver had been on the wrong side of the road and hit his dad from the side, leaving him with a broken arm and a few cuts and scrapes.

Junmyeon had been beside himself, but thankfully Yixing had managed to calm him down enough to get them back to the car and set off to the hospital.

He wasn’t really sure if he should be there, since it was a family matter, but he wanted to make sure Junmyeon knew he had someone there for him that he could lean on when he didn’t have to appear strong for his family.

He let out a soft sigh as he parked his car, a little further away than he would have liked, but it was the best he could do. He took a moment before finally getting out and locking up.

He checked his phone to see that Junmyeon was on the third floor, ward three, bay two and started to make his way up.

He knew his way around the hospital pretty well, since his cousin was in and out quite a lot when they were kids with all kinds of medical issues.

It didn’t take him long to find the other man, sat in a chair by an empty bed.

“Hey,” Yixing said softly, moving to stand by Junmyeon, “Is he alright?”

Junmyeon nodded, “He’s a little dazed, but he’ll be okay. They’ve taken him down to get a scan so that they can check for any internal damaged. They said they’re hopeful though. I don’t know… I’m just scared that there will be something wrong”

Yixing wrapped Junmyeon up in his arms comfortingly, “I’m sure it will be okay. And even if there is something wrong, then he’s in the best place for it. They’ll have him as fit as a fiddle in no time. It’ll be alright, baby. Don’t worry”

“Thank you for being here with me. It means a lot” Junmyeon said quietly, burying his face in Yixing’s stomach, allowing the Chinese man to his hair soothingly.

Yixing hummed, “Anything you need, I’m here”

Junmyeon pulled himself together a while later and sat on the bed, allowing Yixing to have the chair. They chatted about anything to keep Junmyeon’s mind occupied, until eventually a familiar voice caused Junmyeon’s head to snap up in surprise.

“Where’s my husband? His last name is Kim, I was told he was on this ward. He was in a car accident”

“Mum?”

The woman paused, turning away from the harassed looking nurse she was talking to in favour to looking at Junmyeon. “Honey? What are you doing here?!” she asked, thanking the nurse before walking over to her son.

“I got a call from the hospital. What are you doing here? I thought you were in Daegu on business?” Junmyeon asked, not really sure what was going on as his mum swept him up in her arms.

His mum laughed without humour, “I was, but I came back a day earlier than I expected. And a good thing too! I leave my boys for less than two weeks and look what happens!” She shook her head as she pulled back, tears glistening in her eyes. “How is he?”

“Dad’s okay” Junmyeon reassured her, “He’s just in for some routine tests at the moment. He has a broken arm. A few cuts and scrapes on his head and side. So long as the tests come back clear, he should be allowed home in a couple of days. They want to keep him for observation just in case” he explained what he had been told a couple of hours before by the doctor.

Junmyeon’s mum nodded, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand before her eyes came to rest on Yixing, as though noticing him for the first time. “Oh, who’s this?” she asked.

Junmyeon froze slightly, “Oh, um. This… This is my, uh, friend” he choked out.

He didn’t have to look to know that he had said something wrong when he heard Yixing stand.

“Hello. I’m Yixing. I’m sorry for what happened to your husband, Mrs Kim” Yixing managed out politely, though his voice was oddly strangled, “I wish we could have met under more pleasant circumstances. I have to go now, though.”

Mrs Kim frowned, “Oh, thank you, you’re very kind, Yixing. Are you sure you can’t stay? You don’t have to leave on my account” he said, not completely understanding the situation at hand.

Yixing gave her a tight smile, trying his best not to let his hurt project outwards, “Oh, it’s not because of you, Mrs Kim. I promise” he said before looking at Junmyeon, “I can just tell when I’ve outstayed my welcome” he said before turning back to the kind woman that was Junmyeon’s mother, “I hope your husband has a speedy recovery. Goodbye, Mrs Kim. Goodbye, friend”  he finished before grabbing his jacket from the back of the chair and walking away without so much as a look back.

“Yixing!” he heard Junmyeon from behind him, along with quickening footsteps, “Wait! I’m… Just, wait! Please!”

“Go back to your family, Junmyeon” Yixing snapped without looking back, focused on simply getting away, “I’m not in the mood to talk to you, right now”

Junmyeon managed to catch up with him just as he got to the entrance of the car park, grabbing him by his arm and forcing him to a stop, “Wait, please. I didn’t –”

“Didn’t what, Junmyeon?!” Yixing demanded hotly, pulling his arm from Junmyeon hold as he turned to face him. “Didn’t mean to make out like six months of being with me doesn’t count? Didn’t mean to inadvertently deny that I was your boyfriend?! I get that you’re worried about your father, but friend, really? Really?!”

Junmyeon opened his mouth as though he wanted to say something, but didn’t know what he could in order to make it better. “I’m sorry”

“Sorry doesn’t make it okay” Yixing said simply before turning around and beginning to walk again.

Junmyeon let out a soft cry, “Yixing!” he tried again, “Yixing, please!"

“Leave me alone, Junmyeon”

“Please, I… I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it like that, you know I didn’t! You know that I lo-”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence!” Yixing growled as he whirled around to face Junmyeon again, looking livid. “You do not get to say that to me for the first time to make yourself feel better about being a complete and utter wanker!”

Junmyeon swallowed, “I’m sorry, Yixing. You have to know that I didn’t mean it like that. I just panicked. I haven’t exactly introduced a boyfriend to my parents before…”

Yixing scoffed, “You haven’t now either, apparently. Just… Go back to your family and leave me alone”

“Yixing…”

“Please, just leave me alone right now, Junmyeon” Yixing sighed, “I just need you to leave me alone. Please”

Junmyeon nodded, “For what it’s worth, I really am sorry that I’ve upset you…”

“Okay” Yixing said before walking away and getting into his car.

He would have taken a moment to compose himself, but he knew that Junmyeon was still watching him, and he just couldn’t. After everything that Junmyeon had said to him over the last six and a half months, he had never said something that would make Yixing not want to be near him.

Though, he supposed, there was a first time for everything. He let out a sigh of frustration as he tapped the touch screen in his dash board and clicked Luhan’s number.

Not a moment later, his friend’s voice was filling up his car.

“What do you want, ?”

Yixing didn’t even respond to the name calling, “Are you at home?” he asked instead.

It was obvious from the brief moment of silence that Luhan had gauged something was wrong. “No. I’m just about to leave work. Pick me up on the corner near the cinema in five minutes?”

“I’ll be there” Yixing said before hanging up.

Sure enough, Luhan was waiting for him when he pulled up by the corner, clad in his work clothes and looking a little dishevelled.

“What happened?” Luhan asked as they began to pull away from the curb.

Yixing shrugged, “Had my first fight with Junmyeon. Well, first proper fight”

“What? Why?” Luhan demanded in confusion, “You guys never fight?!”

Yixing laughed self-deprecatingly. “Yeah well, that was before he introduced me to his mum as his friend” he said.

Luhan’s eyes widened, “He didn’t?!” he gasped, “What the ?!”

Yixing sighed, running a hand over his face, “Yeah. I just… I don’t know how to feel. I… Half of me gets that it was kind sprung on him in the moment, and he was thinking about his dad and stuff – his dad just got in a car accident, and I feel awful for not being there for him right now, but how hard is it just to tack the word boy onto the front of friend, you know?”

“His dad was in an accident?” Luhan frowned, “This is more than you let on… I mean, Xing… You have every right to be pissed off. His dad’s accident is a whole separate issue – not to sound like a . But you’ve been there for him and he plays you off with the friend card? Not cool”

Yixing grunted, “Yeah, Tell me about it” he sighed. “I just… I don’t know what to do, Lu. You know? I’ve never had to deal with this before. I’ve never ing liked someone this much before. And I’m so ing scared that maybe I’m getting in way too over my head with this.”

“I really don’t know what to tell you, man. Other than, people make mistakes. You know Junmyeon, he isn’t a bad person and he would never intentionally hurt you. Perhaps you just need to take some time and think about if you really want this. If you’re doubting him this much, then maybe… maybe you need to think about whether you’re ready to actually be in a relationship like this with him” Luhan shrugged as Yixing pulled into their driveway and cut the engine.

Luhan watched as Yixing slammed his hands against the steering wheel in frustration, “I just don’t know what the I’m doing anymore”

“I don’t think any of us do. What I do know though, is that I’ve never seen you happier than when you’re with Junmyeon. I’ve never seen you smile more, or laugh more and even when you’ve been stressed from working on your dance pieces and work and all of that , Junmyeon has always been there to calm you down and make sure that you don’t over-do it.

 “I just… Don’t make any rash decisions, alright? Because one fight isn’t what should end something special. I know you might need a bit of time right now, but don’t give up something you love just for the sake of a slip of the tongue. He was under a lot of pressure, and he probably has an explanation for what he said – or didn’t say, I suppose. We can’t always know the ins and outs of everyone’s life, man. And until you hear his side of the story – and I mean really hear it, not argue with him over this, that and the other, you’ll never really know for sure.

 “Take some time to get your head on straight, because you’re obviously not in a great place mentally, at the moment. But once you’ve done that, talk to him, Xing. Don’t throw away a good thing because you’re scared.” Luhan pressed gently.

Yixing closed his eyes, “I don’t know, Lu. I just don’t know” he sighed.

Luhan paused thoughtfully because asking, “Think of it this way; When Willow went dark – what would have happened if Xander had just given up on her?”

Yixing let out a strangled noise, “That was a ing show, Luhan. This isn’t Buffy and Myeon isn’t trying to end the world. This is real life!”

“And real life inspirations are used for fiction a lot! What do you think fiction is for? It’s a reflection of real emotion but portrayed in this fantastical way that makes people feel better about their own situations!” Luhan snapped slightly, “Do you want to be with Junmyeon or not? It’s a simple question, but it isn’t fair on either of you to play it out if you don’t. So sit down and have a good talk with yourself about what you want and make a choice” he added before getting out of the car and closing the door a little harder than necessary.

He didn’t mean to get snappy with Yixing, but he was really making this into a lot bigger of a deal that it should be. He understood that what Junmyeon had done wasn’t cool, but the man was dealing with a lot and sometimes people made stupid mistakes when their emotions were running wild.

He truly did have Yixing’s best interests at heart, but hearing Yixing contemplate ending his relationship over this, especially given the circumstances, it was painful. And maybe Luhan was pushing his own insecurities onto them, but he couldn’t help it.

After everything he had been through with Sehun over the last six or so months, it seemed like such a waste for Yixing to potentially give up so easily.

Yixing watched him from the car, wondering when he became this person. The person that had to make everything in his life seem like a poorly played out drama.

He knew that he wouldn’t give up on Junmyeon, he knew that he loved him and he couldn’t just let that go. But he also knew that being passed off as simply a friend had hurt, it had hurt a lot after everything, all the sweet words and silent promises of moving forward together, and he didn’t think he had overreacted.

Junmyeon had promised him a lot of things, he’d never really lied to him, even though there were somethings that maybe they hadn’t told each other yet, but they were working up to that, slowing delving deeper into the other, and so yeah, Yixing was hurt and he was going to need some time before he wasn’t hurt anymore. He would need some time before he could listen to Junmyeon’s apologies and tell him that it was fine, because right then it wasn’t fine.

He understood the pressure that had fallen upon Junmyeon when he had heard about his father’s accident, and not knowing if there was any internal damage until the results came back, but surely even then you could still be lucid enough to remember to actually introduce your boyfriend as such.

He knew that he just needed some time to cool off, and honestly, he had hoped that Luhan would have realised that too. Would have realised that he just needed to rant. But apparently not.

And Luhan was the only person that he could really talk to it about.

He couldn’t talk to Kris, because as good a friend as Kris was, he would have just taken it too seriously and Junmyeon probably never would have even spoken to him again if Kris had done anything.

He couldn’t talk to Tao, because Tao would have just relayed everything back to Kris.

Minseok was first and foremost Junmyeon’s friend, so that would have just been awkward.

The others from the boat, too, would have probably been awkward to talk to, given that Kyungsoo, Baekhyun, Jongdae and Sehun were all closer than close to Junmyeon, and by extension, that meant so were Chanyeol and Jongin. Chanyeol, who would do anything for Baekhyun because he was so enamoured by his boyfriend. And Jongin, because the kid was clearly in too deep with his crush on Kyungsoo to see anyone but the man in question.

Yixing had never felt so truly alone, and when he thought about it, he figured it was that more than anything that hurt the most.

--

Minseok was pretty content with his job, it was decent hours, paid him enough to live on, even if that only meant living in a little apartment next to Junmyeon and having only a little money left over each month for the odd treat.

He liked his job, he liked his life, and he liked most of the people the paid visits to the library, especially the respectful ones.

“Hey” a sweet voice spoke from in front of the counter, which he was sat behind scanning returned books onto the system.

Minseok looked up with a smile, “Hi, are you alright? Did you need some help or anything?” he asked the girl that stood before him. She was about his own age, most likely a little younger, with a pretty smile and eyes that sparkled happily. He recognised her as one of their regulars, but had never really learnt her name.

She shook her head, “Oh, no. I know my way around. I just see you here a lot, so wanted to come and say hi” she shrugged, leaning on the counter top with her elbows.

Minseok chuckled, “Well that’s awfully kind of you” he said.

The girl hummed, “I’m Amy, by the way” she said easily, “And you’re…” she peaked over the counter at Minseok’s name tag, “Minseok. Nice name, it suits you”

“Thanks, I got it for my birthday” Minseok joked lamely, but the girl laughed along anyways.

“Have you worked here long?” she asked.

Minseok thought about it, “I did work experience here when I was at school, then got a job here after. So… A good five years or so”

“I guess you must like it, then, huh?” Amy smiled.

“Oh yeah, it’s great. You meet lots of interesting people, and one of my good friends works here too. He’s actually re-stocking books in the back at the minute” he smiled.

Amy nodded interestedly, “How about out of here? You have a girlfriend?” she raised a brow, clearly asking with purpose.

Minseok snorted out a laugh, “Not really my area” he admitted, “I do have a lovely boyfriend though”

Amy looked a little taken aback for a moment, and Minseok was worried she might kick off, but then a cute smile took over her face, “He must be nice if the way you light up when you said that is anything to go by” she chuckled, “Tell me about him”

Minseok let out an sigh of relief, he had met his fair share of crazy girls and guys, so it was nice to meet someone down to earth, who silently accepted that their advances were not being received.

“Well, he decided to take the educational route in life, so he’s a history major at uni” he said, “His name is Jongdae, and honestly he’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me”

Amy grinned, “How long have you guys been together?” she asked.

“Officially, coming up to seven months” he answered easily, “Unofficially, about three years” he let out a somewhat wistful sound, “I was a little bit afraid to commit to anything, because of bad relationships in the past, but Jongdae… He made me realise that it wasn’t like that with me and him, because before anything else, we were friends and nothing could ever change that, you know?”

Amy’s eyes were shining with glee, “That’s so adorable. It sounds like a cheesy drama” she laughed sweetly, “Does he visit you here at all?”

“He sure does” a voice laughed, causing both Amy and Minseok to look up and see Jongdae walking over with a grin on his face a bag in his hand, “And he brought lunch” he walked around the counter so that he was stood by Minseok and handed him the bag before leaning down to kiss him hello.

“You must be Jongdae” Amy grinned, “I’ve been hearing about you”

Jongdae raised a playful eyebrow, “All good things, I hope?”

Amy giggled, “Terrible things, of course. They’re the only things worth knowing” she gave them a cheeky wink, “But anyway, I better be going. I have a lecture to get to soon. I’ll see you around, Minseok. Bye Minseok’s Jongdae!” she gave them both a little wave before heading out.

Jongdae watched her go for a moment before turning to Minseok, “I leave you alone for five minutes and you already get a girlfriend” he joked.

Minseok shrugged, “A guy has needs. And she is pretty cute” he said seriously, only to laugh when he noted the pout on Jongdae’s lips, “Aw, come on. She doesn’t hold a candle to you, Dae. You know you’re always the cutest to me”

“I like it when you’re sappy” Jongdae grinned, “You should try it more often”

Minseok shuddered in faux disgust, “Sorry, I can only be disgustingly nice once every five years. Come back to me in half a decade and I’ll see what I can do”

Jongdae’s laugh twinkled out through the library, “You’re dumb” he grinned, “Anyways, I can’t stay long, I promised Baekhyun I’d grab coffee with him once he gets out of his seminar with Kyungsoo. Something about this composer or that… I don’t know, it was a lot to listen to and Baek talks pretty damn fast”

“Yeah, but he gets away with it because he’s cute” Minseok nodded in agreement with himself, “What about Soo? He not joining you?” he asked.

Jongdae shook his head, “Nah, I think he has plans with Jongin, Sehun and Luhan. Something about going to see a movie and grab dinner”

“So, like a double date?” Minseok raised a brow.

Jongdae hummed, “Well I think that’s the idea, only neither Jongin, nor Kyungsoo will be the first to admit that they have the hots for each other, so it will be an awkward semi-date whereby Luhan and Sehun try and play match-maker, only they’ll fail and Kyungsoo will complain about it for the next two weeks until something else happens and he complains about that instead” he rolled his eyes, “our friends are so dramatic, man”

Minseok laughed, “You can say that again” he watched as Jongdae smiled at him.

“Do you want me to stop by and bring you an iced-Americano on my way back?” Jongdae offered, reaching over to rest his hand on the back of Minseok’s neck, massaging it lightly.

Minseok hummed in content at the feeling, “That would be nice, but if you’re not close then don’t come out of your way just to bring it to me, okay?”

“Ah, I don’t mind. It just means I get to see you” Jongdae smiled softly, “Besides, Baekhyunnie probably wants to see you too. He keeps complaining that you’re always working and that you’re only free when he’s at work. I think he misses you”

“Tell him I miss him too” Minseok said, “Bring him by then, but tell him there’s a fee of one cookie per entry” he beamed up at Jongdae.

“You’ve got it, Min” he leaned down to press his lips to Minseok’s in a soft, loving kiss before pulling back, “I’ll see you later. Text me if you get bored, okay?”