Part 2/2.

W.C: ≈24k+.

Sehun has to keep a tight grasp on Jongin's wrist to keep the latter from running off as his eyes trail over the brightly colored map in his hand. Sehun figures that he probably should have done a little more research, because he had no idea the park was so incredibly huge; in fact, Sehun wouldn't be surprised if it takes them even longer to walk around the entire area than to wait in line for every single attraction. He soon realizes that they're most likely going to be here until dawn if they so much as attempt to explore every square inch of the theme park, so Sehun has to tell Jongin that they'll solely be sticking to one third of the area, which doesn't seem to bother Jongin all that much as long as he gets to try the 'scary boat ride'. Chanyeol also doesn't mind, after coming to realize that they won't be exploring the section of the park with the scariest and most vomit inducing rides and roller coasters.

Fighting the urge to stick his tongue out due to the immense heat, Chanyeol blinks when he hears ecstatic screams coming from one of the roller coasters in the distance. They've been standing outside the entrance by the large white and blue castle for what feels like years, and if he's going to be honest, Chanyeol wouldn't be surprised if he's even more buzzed than Jongin is. Which is saying something, considering the fact that Jongin literally swung his door wide open inside the taxi after they passed the Disneyland sign, whilst they were still speeding down the road. Sehun doesn't think he can thank Chanyeol's lightning fast reflexes enough for flying across the seats and grabbing Jongin's shirt at the last possible second. Chanyeol made it clear that Jongin owed him big time, but he honestly doubts that Jongin even heard him as they pulled up to the entrance minutes later, despite nearly cracking his head open against the asphalt seconds prior.

A family exits the park with black Mickey Mouse hats on their heads and colorful stuffed animals in their hands, and Sehun is nearly knocked off his feet when Jongin grabs his hand and proceeds to dash right towards the entrance. The subsequent series of thrillful screams and loud, almost circus like music has Jongin's ears twitching with glee. Jongin takes a look at Chanyeol and he figures that if Chanyeol had feline ears like him, they would be twitching to the point of falling off. 

Sehun recalls nearly worrying himself to death about whether or not Jongin would suffer a meltdown after coming to realize just how crowded and, well, full of strangers Disneyland really is (He isn't sure what Luhan might have told Jongin beforehand, which only made Sehun that much more worried). Sehun found himself relaxing as soon as they walked up to the entrance, however, after Jongin looked up at the grand castle and subsequently found himself enthralled to the point that he didn't even realize he was practically being trampled by a hoard of people flooding towards the gates. Sehun nearly tripped over his own two feet as he rushed forward, after a teenaged girl accidentally shoved Jongin to the ground in the commotion. To say that Sehun fully expected Jongin to burst into tears whilst screaming about wanting to go home would be a vast understatement.

But, surprisingly enough, Jongin simply got up off the ground, brushed himself off and begged Sehun to take him on every single ride possible with stars in his eyes before Sehun could even ask him if he was alright. When Chanyeol subsequently questioned Jongin about the latter's ('weird ') shift in attitude when it came to strangers; how he was seemingly comfortable with strangers rushing around (and trampling) him en masse here at the park, despite the fact that he essentially bursted into tears at the airport after the little girl stared at him whilst they ate, Jongin simply grinned before solely responding with two words: 'That's different.' Chanyeol only shot Sehun a puzzled look, to which the latter responded with a meek shrug, before none of them brought it up again.

"We had to take pictures, remember??" Jongin squees as he excitedly flails his arms around in all directions. He thinks he's seen the large castle in a movie he watched with his foster sister, but he can't put his finger on it given how much he's dying to enter the park. The smell of caramel popcorn, motor oil, candy, and overall happiness hits him all at once, and it's not until Jongin spots a pink helium shaped balloon floating in the sky that he tugs on Sehun's sleeve. The theme song to 'The Jungle Book' fills the air and Jongin worries that he might actually die if they don't get inside within the next two seconds. "SehunSehunSehunSehun--"

Chanyeol eyes said balloon as it slowly floats upwards before it's reduced to a black speck among the clouds. The sun is beating down and he sure is glad that Sehun convinced him to change into something non black after they arrived at their hotel an hour ago, because Chanyeol knows for a fact that he would have died of heatstroke before even stepping out of the taxi. As he watches Sehun inspect the map, Chanyeol can't be bothered to hide the impatient huff that escapes his lips when a cool breeze passes, which gets caught in the large, blue flags a few feet away. Chanyeol watches them rustle in the wind before running a hand through his hair. He doesn't even know why he bothered styling it an hour ago, since he knows it's just going to get messed up anyway. Chanyeol squashes the thought when he looks at Jongin, who is on the verge of a childish temper tantrum as he buzzes with excitement.

"Sehun," Jongin whines, not even bothering to keep his voice down as a family of six walks past. "We'll miss the rides and everything!!" he exclaims and Chanyeol nearly laughs at the genuine desperation in his voice. 

"They're not going anywhere, , chill out," Chanyeol chuckles and blinks when he notices that Jongin's fly is undone. Chanyeol inwardly groans, because he subsequently recalls the immense feeling of awkwardness that overcame him after Jongin and Sehun emerged from the lavatory five minutes before they were set to land, which wouldn't be a problem if it wasn't for the fact that Jongin didn't even try to hide his wrinkled shirt and post hair as he gleefully plopped into his seat. Chanyeol couldn't help the joke that slipped his lips when he laid his eyes on Jongin's ring, which resulted in an unexpected lecture from Sehun, during which he was specifically told to never bring up Baekhyun's ex around Jongin. Chanyeol would be lying if he said he understood, but it's not like he got a chance to ask, given that they landed thirty seconds later. 

Even though Jongin had to sit through a mandatory twenty minute lecture from Sehun, during which the latter went over a few basic rules; what Jongin should do if he ends up getting lost (and who to talk to in that case), how he needed to be on his best behavior and control himself the entire time, especially around the rides, that he should under no circumstances leave Chanyeol or Sehun's side, since they've successfully established that the park is alarmingly huge, and that he should under no circumstance ever talk to strangers (even if they offered him candy), Jongin still finds himself bouncing up and down as Sehun continues to inspect the map. Jongin is by no means an expert, but he really doesn't understand why Sehun would feel the need to try and ruin their exciting experience like that, because Jongin knows that the chances of getting kidnapped in a place dedicated to having fun and eating candy are minimal, if not non existent. A part of Jongin actually worries that Sehun might be having second thoughts after the latter's eyebrows suddenly furrow, and the next thing Jongin knows, he's pulling Sehun towards the gate with Chanyeol hot on his heels.

--

"I wanna go on the scary ride!!" Jongin squees after literally dumping Sehun down onto the ground, before looking around so wildly that he nearly feels dizzy. He sort of wants to find the giant ferris wheel that Luhan had in the background of his photo, with the Mickey Mouse face on it, and it doesn't take long for Jongin to spot it. The sun is practically melting his eyeballs, but he keeps his gaze glued on the mile high rides and roller coasters, which not only seem to be touching the sky, but moving faster than he can think as he follows them with his eyes. "I wanna go on that one, too--" Jongin tugs on Sehun's sleeve as he points to a ride with giant, spinning teacups. It gives Sehun vertigo just looking at it. "Pleasepleaseplease--"

"Wait, hang on, wait--" Sehun turns the map upside down about a hundred times, seriously wondering why whoever designed it chose to scatter a bunch of colorful cartoons everywhere, since they're literally blocking half of the map. A little girl nearly collides with him and avoids spilling her slushie all over him by a hair, and he can barely hear himself think over the cheerful music, but Sehun quickly manages to find their location on the map. They seem to be in the area with the most popular rides, which he soon realizes when he looks up and sees the long lines to the attractions. Not being one to enjoy standing in line, Sehun almost huffs, but he doesn't get a chance to when he suddenly feels a hand on his shoulder.

It doesn't take Sehun long to realize that Jongin and Chanyeol are standing in front of him, and Sehun regrets his subsequent shriek of surprise the second it leaves his lips. He sort of wishes that he hadn't stepped out of the way of the little girl just now, because Sehun figures that getting your white shirt stained with red fruit juice would be far less embarrassing than having a tall woman dressed as a Disney princess hug you half to death whilst your friend and partner cackle their faces off. Sehun isn't sure which movie she's from, but it's not like he can tell, either, given that she's holding him so tight that he can barely even move his arms. Sehun does manage to make out a puffy, yellow dress, though, before she proceeds to tell him that he looks just like her next prince, which has Jongin and Chanyeol literally rolling around on the ground and nearly laughing themselves to death.

Jongin has to stop laughing when he worries he might actually die, so he scrambles to his feet before wiping his tear filled eyes. It doesn't take him long to recognize the woman before him, and he can't help the excited noise that leaves his lips as he repeatedly points. "Belle!" he squees, nearly tackling the woman to the ground as she envelopes him in a giant hug (and turns her attention away from Sehun, which the latter is awfully thankful for, since he can breathe again). It suddenly hits Jongin that he's meeting Luhan's favorite character from 'Beauty and the Beast', and Jongin doesn't know how many times he subsequently begs Chanyeol and Sehun to take a picture.

They do, after a minute of fumbling for their phones, and Jongin makes a mental note to show them all to Luhan as he sends her a bright smile. Honestly, he didn't think that one of his favorite princesses would be nearly as tall as him, but Jongin brushes it off, eyes twinkling when he spots her shiny, golden earrings. She only chuckles whilst playfully tugging on his ear, and Jongin doesn't even need to look to know that there's at least a hundred people staring at them, but he dismisses it before he blinks at just how big her dress is (It kind of reminds Sehun of the gigantic, dresses worn during the Victorian era). In fact, Jongin wonders how much of her body is actually taking up the yellow fabric, and the next few minutes consist of Chanyeol and Sehun frantically dragging Jongin in the opposite direction after he curiously lifts up and peeks underneath her dress.

They don't stop walking until they're absolutely positive that she's out of sight, and Chanyeol has to sigh when they come to a stop right next to one of the game booths. There's so many people rushing about that he briefly loses Jongin and Sehun in the crowd, but he manages to stay close to them as a swarm of people push past him to get to the haunted mansion. "Okay, I really hope you learned a little something there," Chanyeol says in exasperation, but the noise of a passing roller coaster quickly drowns out his voice. "No doing...that, to any of the princesses you meet today, okay??" Chanyeol doesn't know if he should laugh or cry when Jongin only his head aside in puzzlement. "Do you wanna get kicked out, or what???"

Jongin grabs Sehun's hand when a teenaged male mocks Jongin's ears as they walk past each other, whilst Sehun repeatedly assures Jongin that Belle doesn't, in fact, hate him after she proceeded to scold him (in an abnormally kind tone, Sehun thinks, since he knows that there wouldn't be anything along the lines of a smile on his face if somebody walked up to him and pulled his pants down in public). Jongin's eyes light up when he picks up on the scent of caramel popcorn lingering in the air. He figures that the candies he "borrowed" from the gift shop back at the hotel weren't enough to fill him up, because he soon finds himself tugging Sehun in the direction of the popcorn booth.

There's about a hundred people standing in line to the popcorn machine, so Sehun has to remind Jongin to keep his tail close as they wait at the back. It's not until they've waited for twenty seconds that Sehun realizes that Chanyeol is nowhere to be seen. Considering Chanyeol's hatred towards popcorn, Sehun simply figures that the former is out and about before squeezing Jongin's hand. Loud screams coming from one of the rides in the distance has Jongin's ears perking up, but Sehun has to hold him close since the line is moving at a quick pace and he would rather not lose their spot. It's not until something tickles Sehun's cheek that he blinks and touches his shoulder, only to blink again when he picks up a few strands of brown hair, presumably belonging to the woman in the yellow dress. Sehun quickly tosses them on the ground, not even realizing that they're at the front of the line until he looks up and sees Jongin with his hands pressed up against the popcorn machine.

Sehun eventually ends up buying Jongin a popcorn filled cone, which is nearly bigger than the latter's face, after Jongin assured Sehun nearly a hundred times that he wouldn't spoil his appetite. Even though he's constantly telling Jongin to look where he's going, Sehun has to place a hand on Jongin's back as they make their way through the crowd in search of Chanyeol, since Jongin seems to be far more preoccupied with stuffing his face than watching where he's putting his feet (which only results in Jongin subsequently stepping in gum, but he doesn't even seem to notice). Sehun narrowly avoids stepping on a discarded Mickey Mouse hat as they make their way back to the booth where they last saw Chanyeol.

"Can you toss it to me?" Jongin asks with a grin as he hands Sehun a piece of popcorn, only to squawk when the latter proceeds to put it in his mouth, instead. "Hey--!!"

Chewing, Sehun only chuckles before he sends Jongin an apologetic shrug. "You might choke to death," he says and figures that dying on the grounds of Disneyland would he highly tragic, if not somewhat ironic. He looks around and comes close to straight up giving up on trying to locate Chanyeol, since Sehun doesn't think Chanyeol will be able to hear his phone over all the noise, and there's no way he's setting out on a search mission whilst simultaneously keeping an eye on Jongin. Hoping he won't sweat to death, Sehun swipes a handful of popcorn from Jongin's cone before he huffs. "Seriously, where on Earth is-"

"There you are," Chanyeol says as he seemingly appears out of nowhere, and Sehun finds himself staring perhaps a little too long at the bright blue slushie in his hand as well as the green, star shaped glasses resting on top of his head. "You guys're at the wrong booth, by the way, we were supposed to meet at the next one, remember?" Chanyeol adds after wrapping his lips around the red and white straw and taking a sip (Sehun fights the urge to tell him that there was no way he could possibly have heard him over all this noise). It's not until one a little girl moves ever so slightly that Jongin notices the gigantic stuffed Winnie the Pooh plushie tucked under Chanyeol arm, which as Jongin nearly dropping his popcorn in awe. Sehun is seriously torn between teasing Chanyeol for his obvious love for Disney and wondering how on Earth he managed to win everything in such little time.

"I want that!!" Jongin exclaims and Sehun has to yank him back by the shirt after he rushes towards Chanyeol and tries grabbing his plushie. "I also want one, I also want one," Jongin squeals, nearly dying of cuteness when Chanyeol simply takes another sip (which only reminds Jongin of how thirsty he is) and adjusts the glasses on his head with his cup, which is an equally startling blue shade. Jongin sort of thinks Chanyeol resembles a walking rainbow, with his green glasses, blue cup, yellow plushie, silver hair and baby pink shirt. All it does is make Jongin want his own colorful things, but Chanyeol quickly steps aside before Jongin can swipe his slushie.

"Excuse you, if you want it, you're gonna have to win it," Chanyeol says and he's about to take another sip when he notices the nearly empty cone of popcorn in Jongin's hands, which the latter handed over to Sehun before attempting to swipe Chanyeol's glasses with no success. "Okay, seriously, dude, don't you dare barf on me, I swear to God." Chanyeol sends Jongin a warning glare before nodding at Sehun. "You should try winning one yourself, they had this giant Eeyore which reminded me a whole lot of you," he snickers, words muffled as he takes a sip of his slushie.

Sehun blinks. "In your dreams," he chuckles with an eye roll, even though he would much rather not admit that owning a giant plushie of his favorite cartoon character wouldn't be all that bad. He's about to pull out the map again when Jongin asks Chanyeol where he won his plushie, and Sehun doesn't even hear Chanyeol's reply over the 'Frozen' song that subsequently fills the entire park. What Sehun does hear, however, is Jongin's excited squee before he suddenly dashes off in the direction Chanyeol is pointing at.

They end up at the Winnie the Pooh prize booth less than a minute later, and Sehun has to check to make sure that he hasn't left a trail of popcorn behind him after Jongin quite literally dragged him just now, before eyeing the hundreds upon hundreds of plushies before him. They're all so colorful that Sehun nearly has to turn his face away so he doesn't get blinded, but he dismisses the thought after yanking Jongin (who apparently never learned that 'winning' doesn't solely consist of pointing and receiving), back down to the ground after he tries climbing over the counter and swiping an identical Winnie the Pooh plushie.

After Sehun apologizes to the young girl behind the counter, who looks absolutely terrified out of her mind before she wordlessly hands Jongin three plastic balls, Jongin eyes the orange objects in his hands for a minute before looking up at the metal cans, which are neatly stacked atop of each other on the shelves. He seems to put two and two together, and Sehun only rubs Jongin's back when he misses the first two by a hair. It's not until Jongin is about to toss the third ball that a little girl runs into him, which in turn causes him to throw it out of surprise. He nearly tackles Chanyeol and Sehun to the ground with a joyful squee when he ends up striking the stack of cans, all of which topple off the shelf with loud clinking noises.

Over the sound of Chanyeol murmuring something along the lines of 'If I dropped it, you'd have to buy me a new one', after he nearly spills his slushie, Jongin eagerly points to the biggest Winnie the Pooh plushie whilst bouncing up and down. "I want that one," he says over and over, only for his ears to droop when the girl behind the counter simply shakes her head. It's not until she proceeds to tell Jongin that he isn't deserving of winning that Sehun proceeds to ask her why, to which she simply replies by muttering something about 'not being able to hand out prizes if all the tosses don't count'. Despite Chanyeol telling her to just 'hand the goddamn thing over' with a huff, she continues to refuse, and it's not until Jongin looks like he's on the verge of both bursting into tears and scratching her eyes out that Sehun suggests a second round, which he ends up getting for free (courtesy of Chanyeol's death glare, Sehun figures). Thankfully, Sehun knocks every single can off the shelf on the first try, and this time, Jongin does tackle him to the ground after emitting an ecstatic squeal.

Thanks to another one of Chanyeol's well timed glares, she ends up giving them not one, but two giant plushies of Jongin's choice, and Jongin gives Sehun the liberty of choosing his own stuffed toy after helping him win. Sehun ends up settling for the baby blue Eeyore plushie (after a major inner battle between it and the Rabbit plushie, but there's no way Sehun is telling Chanyeol about it), which she wordlessly hands over, but not before complimenting Sehun on his handsome face (which nearly has Jongin slashing her eyes out, much to Chanyeol's amusement). Jongin is nearly knocked right off his feet when she dumps the Winnie the Pooh plushie in his arms, and Sehun has to pull out his phone and take a quick photo when Jongin proceeds to nuzzle his face in its soft, yellow belly.

"I wanna go on those now!!" Jongin squees, pointing to the teacups as he holds the plushie close to his chest in fear of somebody stealing it. The people sitting inside the giant, multicolored colored cups are spinning quickly that he can barely even see their faces. It's not until he sees Sehun and Chanyeol's reluctant expressions that his ears flatten. "But-"

"Okay, first of all, you'll definitely barf, so count me the out," Chanyeol chuckles before tucking his plushie under his arm and taking a sip of his slushie. "And secondly, we can't drag these around forever," he adds and gestures to their gigantic stuffed toys. "Besides, I'd rather do something...you know, less barf inducing." He doesn't even bother hiding the reluctance in his voice when a string of screams is heard from one of the roller coasters.

A giant Donald Duck mascot walks past and waves at Jongin, which makes the latter shyly look away. Sehun doesn't want to admit it, but he can sort of get behind Chanyeol's suggestion of not stepping foot near anything that spins or goes all too fast, mainly because the teacups are giving him vertigo just looking at them. Sehun isn't sure if it's due to the loud screaming coming from all directions or the fact that he really doesn't want to drop their stuff halfway through any of the rides, but either way, he finds himself shaking his head.

"How about we go on that boat ride Luhan liked so much?" Sehun asks, needing to raise his voice when a group of people rush by. Even though Sehun doesn't know how he feels about being stuck inside a water filled cave on a tiny boat, he figures that it's a whole lot better than nearly dying on a roller coaster. Not to mention he could use his plushie as a shield to fend off anything that might jump out of the water and scare him. "How does that sound?"

Jongin's ears perk up and he nearly rips his plushie to shreds in excitement. All he can think about is how proud he'll be making Luhan after he tells the latter about his adventure towards becoming a "real" cat instead of a kitten. Jongin tugs on Sehun's hand, despite the fact that he has no idea where he's supposed to go, and Sehun has to pull them all aside so he can take a look at the map.

As Jongin and Chanyeol argue over whose plushie is better, Sehun manages to trace their steps back to the scary ride Luhan wanted Jongin to try, which they just so happened to pass on their way here. It's so hot that Sehun briefly contemplates removing his shirt, but he keeps it on in case the woman from earlier were to come up to him again. Well, that, and because Sehun really doesn't want Jongin erupting into the same string of loud whines and pleads as he did after Sehun proceeded to get shirtless inside the plane lavatory earlier.

"Wait, hang on--" Sehun twists and turns the map (with one hand, which is awfully difficult if you're trying to hold onto a fifteen pound plushie) one last time for good measure, before looking in the direction of said attraction and pointing. "Okay, so I think it might be this way, if I'm not mis--" He only blinks when Jongin scampers off towards said direction with an excited squee, before Chanyeol proceeds to chase after him before he can get lost forever. Not wanting to stand all alone in the middle of the busy crowd, Sehun only balls up the map before stuffing it in his pocket and jogging after them.

--

After Sehun and Chanyeol catch up with him, Jongin tunes Sehun out as the latter scolds him for running off on his own, as he stares up at the blue door. Jongin's eyes trail over the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' logo before he jumps up and down in anticipation. Jongin can hear what he assumes is drunken, old guys singing, which is closely followed by the muffled sound of a cannon going off. Sehun has to place a hand on Jongin's shoulder before he can zoom past the threshold and thus trip and fall into the water. "Hurryhurryhurry--"

"Yeah, yeah, hold your horses," Chanyeol hums as he finishes his slushie and tosses the empty cup in a nearby trash can. The smell of what he can only describe as gunpowder and smoke hits him and he blinks. "So like, it's just in here??" He peeks his head in the door and blinks again when he realizes that there isn't a single person in line, which sort of makes him (and Sehun) suspicious. "Okay, so like, has anybody actually seen any of the movies, or???"

Sehun shakes his head. "Not on my part," he replies and he's at least 100% sure that neither Jongin nor Luhan have, either. The sounds of rushing water and excited buzzing fill the air and Sehun sort of hates how tightly he subconsciously grasps his plushie when he hears a cannon being fired in the distance (which Chanyeol definitely doesn't miss). Sehun doesn't even get a chance to suggest that they should probably leave their things somewhere (where they're not at risk of getting stolen) when Jongin literally drags him in the door. "Wait, hold on, wait--"

"Look!! Look!!" Jongin squees as he points to one of the brown boats, which is painted to look like wood, as it slowly glides towards them. He's much too excited to even feel an ounce of shyness when the couple sitting in said boat sends him a smile. Jongin doesn't know if he should stick out his tongue at or love the strange, almost sweet smell emitting from the water, which is tinted purple. A few more boats come rushing down the stream, some of which are empty, and Sehun finds himself biting his lip when he sees that there's two seats up front and two at the back.

Watching the man and woman exit their boat, Sehun wonders if Jongin is buzzing with excitement to cover up the fact that he's actually terrified, which wouldn't faze Sehun if it wasn't for the fact that the water most likely gets alarmingly deep at some point during the ride. The mere thought of Jongin freaking out and scrambling out of the boat, and thus plummeting beneath the surface (which is probably filled to the brim with things Sehun doesn't even want to think about), is enough to make Sehun suggest that they try the teacups instead (because nearly dying from vertigo is at least better than dragging Jongin out of the water after the latter falls in and electrocutes himself). However, Jongin only shakes his head, and it's not until he proceeds to ask if he can sit up front all by himself that Chanyeol notices Sehun swallow.

"Let him sit up front of he wants to," Chanyeol chuckles and pats Sehun's shoulder. An impatient huff leaves his lips when a few people push past them and end up boarding what Chanyeol figures was their boat. He can hear at least ten different songs playing at once, which only makes him tug on Sehun's sleeve in anticipation. "Come on, what's the worst that could happen--"

"Why can't I???" Jongin exclaims, his entire world seemingly crumbling when Sehun only sighs. "I promise I won't do anything," he says even though he knows that searching the water for potential fish might not be entirely out of the equation just yet. "And I wanna show Luhan how brave I am!!" He sends Sehun a puppy eyed look that has the latter biting the inside of his cheek. "Pleasepleaseplease--"

Sehun exhales slowly. Not knowing what to say, he simply shrugs in defeat, figuring he'll blame Chanyeol if they end up unable to save Jongin if the latter (and thus all three of them) were to fall overboard. "It...it could be dangerous," Sehun mumbles and rubs the back of his head. He only swats Chanyeol's arm when the latter proceeds to whisper something to Jongin. "First of all, I heard that, and second of all, I'm not scared, you--" The loud sound of five cannons going off at once nearly shakes the entire building, and Sehun fights the urge to hide his face in his plushie after emitting a not so manly whine. A staff member has to scold Chanyeol when the latter nearly sends himself over the railing from laughing so hard.

"Do you stand corrected?" Chanyeol snickers, and he watches Jongin embrace Sehun in a bone crushing hug whilst repeatedly muttering something about not wanting Sehun to be scared. "Okay, fine. Since you seem to be the ballsiest one out of all of us, why don't you sit up front?" Chanyeol his head aside and dramatically crosses his arms, his gaze not faltering until Sehun audibly curses. Chanyeol pats Jongin's shoulder. "Tell me I'm your favorite babysitter. Do it."

"But I don't want him to be scared," Jongin exclaims with a pout as he looks at Sehun, who only kisses his cheek. His entire tail straightens in glee when he hears the sound of singing, and it's not until Sehun goes on to reassure him that he isn't, in fact, scared, that Jongin eyes the purple water. It's so saturated and so fairytale like that he fights the urge to climb over the railing and take a sip, just to see if something magical happens to his body. As Chanyeol repeatedly teases Sehun about the latter's (supposed) fear of pirates, Jongin finds himself perplexed by the brown boats before them, which are now all lined up in a perfectly straight line.

Sehun kisses Jongin's forehead before slapping Chanyeol's wrist when the latter continues to pester him. He eyes the boat up front, which is moving along with the stream, before sighing internally. Sehun realizes that if anything, he'll be doing Chanyeol and Jongin a favor by blocking majority of the view, since he figures that both of them are probably terrified out of their minds. Not to mention the mere thought of Jongin sitting up front all by himself is enough to make Sehun's nerves shrivel up, so he slowly steps inside the boat and nearly topples over when he realizes just how unstable it is beneath his feet. After he tells Chanyeol to off when the latter snickers, Sehun has to lean against the wall for support before gradually lowering himself until he finds himself in a half-assed sitting position.

It barely qualifies as sitting, though, given that his long legs are bent at an extremely awkward angle (which makes Sehun feel awfully old) as Sehun attempts to finagle himself into a somewhat comfortable position. It doesn't work. Sehun figures that he'll sacrifice his legs if it means making Jongin feel more secure, because, given the black void of utter darkness staring back at him, and the loud noises up ahead, Sehun knows for a fact that agreeing to let Chanyeol comfort Jongin at the back was definitely a good idea. Well, that, and saving himself a heart attack as a result of Jongin falling overboard and or tipping the entire boat over.

Sehun blindly scrambles to grab onto the edges, briefly worrying that the boat might actually tip over when Chanyeol and Jongin proceed to take (or rather, jump into) their seats behind him. At first, Sehun is sort of jealous, because it doesn't take long for him to realize that there's significantly more legroom at the back, but then again, the thought of something (or someone) sneaking up on them from behind is enough for him to remain exactly where he is. Strangely enough, the young woman managing the ride seems to allow loose objects on board, which Sehun realizes after turning his head and seeing Jongin and Chanyeol sharing a Winnie the Pooh plushie. Sehun doesn't even need to ask why. 

After reassuring Jongin for the twelfth time that he's alright, Sehun flinches at the loud sound of a gunshot before a loud, pre recorded voice blares from the speakers and nearly scares him silly. Chanyeol proceeds to imitate it, which has Jongin nearly giggling his ears off, before the entire boat is  forward. Sehun immediately regrets not bringing his own plushie along on the ride, because he finds himself cowering in his seat when they subsequently glide into the darkness.

The still water and lack of noise may or not be putting Sehun on edge as they mindlessly drift through what he assumes is a cave of some sort. Suddenly, Jongin whines after the 'weird' smell of gunpowder and wet wood fills the air, and Sehun feels Jongin grab the back of his shirt (which only makes him glad that he didn't let Jongin sit up front) whilst Chanyeol goes on to comment on how 'awesome' everything looks. It's so quiet that Sehun worries he might set something off if he so much as breathes, and it's not until he notices how silent Jongin is that Sehun contemplates cutting the ride short (whilst making a mental note to scold Chanyeol for being the worst babysitter in history). However, Sehun doesn't get a chance to open his mouth to speak when he notices blue lights approaching in the distance.

Jongin keeps a tight grip on Sehun's shirt as he kneads the soft plushie with his other hand. His ears perk up in fascination at the dark room, which is dimly lit with a faint blue color. He hears Chanyeol commenting on the palm trees lining the walls whilst Jongin shivers at the sudden drop in temperature. Chanyeol only sniggers when Sehun visibly flinches at the sound of crickets chirping, but Chanyeol's laughter soon disappears when he grabs Jongin's arm after the latter proceeds to dip his hand in the water. The sudden, hasty movement shakes the entire boat, which momentarily has Sehun's life flashing before his eyes, but he sighs in relief when Jongin gleefully comments on how warm the water is (because that means that he hasn't, in fact, been electrocuted).

"We could swim in this!!" Jongin squees and subconsciously kneads the plushie draped across his and Chanyeol's lap as he looks around the room (all whilst Chanyeol keeps an extra eye on him to make sure that he doesn't actually put his plans into action). They're moving at an astoundingly slow pace and Jongin sort of wants to put his hands back in the water and push the boat along so they can get moving, but he doesn't in fear of possibly frightening Sehun. A large, white house suddenly comes into view, which is closely followed by a series of lights turning on. Jongin frantically bounces up and down in glee, only to sit completely still after Chanyeol sends him a death glare.

Sehun has to cover his eyes, because the lights are so bright he worries he might go blind, but he soon forgets all about it when he notices the water changing colors. Ignoring the pain shooting up his legs, Sehun carefully turns around until he's facing Jongin, who is busy inspecting the room, stars in his eyes as he seemingly attempts to soak in every single detail. For a brief moment, Sehun wishes that Jongin had sat up front, because all Sehun wants to do is squeeze him and never let go. In fact, Sehun has to restrain himself from climbing to the back and peppering Jongin's entire face with kisses when he sees the latter's cheeks sporting a rosy shade, after the water gradually turns a shade of pink. 

Much to his disappointment, the water, which is now tinted bright purple and illuminating the sides to the boat, isn't changing Jongin's body in magical ways. Jongin's pout soon disappears, however, when he notices that Sehun's blond hair is tinted a gorgeous shade of violet. It's not until Sehun proceeds to turn his head to the side as he inspects the palm trees and bright lights, that Jongin nearly screams in adoration (he figures that he would have, if it wasn't for the fact that Chanyeol would definitely drown him in that case). Jongin scrambles for his phone and nearly drops it in the water before he hurriedly takes a (blurry) picture. 

"Cute," Chanyeol chuckles as he watches Jongin stare at the photo he just took, before telling the latter to put his phone away. Chanyeol looks up and chuckles when he sees Sehun inspecting the water, almost warily. "There aren't any sharks, man, chill out-"

"Would you give it up," Sehun huffs and shivers when the temperature suddenly drops by ten degrees. It doesn't take him long to realize that they've entered a dark cave filled with bright blue lights. Sehun makes a mental note not to stand up for whatever reason, because he'd only end up suffering a concussion after bumping his head on the rocky ceiling. Jongin's subsequent squee has Sehun realizing that this was one of the locations that Luhan described on the phone, and Sehun prays that Jongin won't freak out when a loud, drunken laugh suddenly blares from the speakers. 

Thankfully, Jongin doesn't freak out; in fact, the latter only hums in awe as he takes in the blue lights surrounding them. It almost makes him feel like he's living in his own Disney film, with him and Sehun as the main characters who end up falling in love and living in a castle for the rest of their days. The thought only has Jongin wishing that Sehun was sitting next to him instead of Chanyeol, especially since the latter is hogging the entire plushie (even though it's technically his own, but still). They soon drift into a village full of strangely moving animatronic pirates, but Jongin barely pays them any attention as he reaches across and pokes Sehun's neck. "Sehun."

Sehun nearly jumps out of his own skin, the entire boat threatening to tip over as he whirls around in his seat. He briefly worries that Jongin might be having a nervous breakdown, and all the water surrounding them only makes Sehun worry he might suffer one himself. "What is it? What's the matter?" He grabs Jongin's hand before kissing it lightly. Chanyeol only grimaces.

"I want you to sit with me," Jongin says, not even trying to hide his whine as he tugs on Sehun's collar. "I don't wanna sit with Chanyeol, he's boring," he mutters and ignores Chanyeol's loud squawk. The smell of gunpowder is so overwhelming that Jongin briefly contemplates dunking his head in the now blue water. "Please???"

"Remember what Luhan said, no standing up, remember?" Sehun says and shrieks embarrassingly loud when a cannon goes off less than six feet away from the boat. The (smell of) smoke that follows has Sehun waving a hand in front of his face, and he opens his mouth to tell Jongin to wait until the ride is over, since falling overboard isn't at the top of his to-do list for today.

However, Sehun sort of wishes that he'd just kept his mouth shut instead, because the next thing he knows, he's coughing and sputtering after a spurt of water emerges from one of the many cannons and hits him square in the face. After Chanyeol and Jongin's loud laughter fills the entire cave and bounces off every surface there is, Sehun sighs as he feels the (thankfully lukewarm) water trickle down his neck and back. Sehun figures that they should have handed out towels (and shields) at the beginning of the ride, because he soon finds himself being pelted by water from every single possible direction (to the loud sounds of drunken men laughing, which really isn't helping matters).

"I like that look, it suits you," Chanyeol chuckles whilst admiring the animatronics as they glide through the small village. "Man, I am so watching these films as soon as we get back to Manhattan," he hums, mainly to himself, before inhaling thick smoke after another cannon goes off. Chanyeol figures that he and Jongin are lucky, because Sehun ends up serving as a human shield, since the latter effectively prevents them both from getting wet (with his face, Jongin thinks). Chanyeol only emits an unattractive guffaw at Jongin squawk after he, too, gets struck by a spurt of water shortly after. "Boy, am I glad I chose this seat."

Shaking his head back and forth, Jongin simply giggles and looks at Sehun, who has pretty much given up on trying to defend his face at this point, before he pokes the latter's neck. It's absolutely soaking wet and Jongin doesn't know if he should laugh or feel worried as he blinks. Eventually, Jongin ends up wiping Sehun's neck and hair with the soft plushie, which has Chanyeol squawking in horror. "But I want you to sit with me!!"

"In a few minutes, okay?" Sehun chuckles and pats Jongin's head. The latter's subsequent squee masks the sensation of heat that spreads across Sehun's entire body, given the fact that his shirt is sticking to his torso and threatening to send him into cold shock. It's not until a sharp pain shoots up his legs that Sehun winces and attempts to shift into a better position, but he gives up when he realizes that he won't be able to do so without tipping the boat over.

"Would you two focus on the ride, this stuff's actually pretty neat," Chanyeol says, eyes glittering when he sees an animatronic dog sitting and staring at him from a few feet away. Chanyeol figures that he would have reached (or swam) across and picked it up, if it wasn't for his subsequent remark about how 'weird and gross' Jongin is after the latter leans forward and kisses Sehun square on the lips. Chanyeol has to keep a tight grasp on Jongin's shirt in fear of Jongin possibly climbing across to sit beside Sehun and therefore sending them all beneath the surface.

Jongin only hums to himself, ears twitching in all directions as he tries finding a proper balance between staring at Sehun and his surroundings. He ends up settling for the former, and before Jongin knows it, he's leaning across and resting his arms on the backrest of Sehun's seat. "Can you make love to me when we get back to the hotel?" he asks whilst tracing invisible patterns into Sehun's shoulder. A cannon goes off and Jongin figures Sehun didn't hear him, and he's about to ask again when he hears a groan.

"Dude," Chanyeol huffs as they softly glide into another dimly lit room with treasure chests everywhere. "Ever heard of discretion???" He rolls his eyes sarcastically, figuring he knows the answer when Jongin only his head aside. "Yeah, whatever, forget it."

"Can we???" Jongin asks and yelps when he's struck in the head with a spurt of water. A pile of gold coins grabs his attention and Chanyeol has to stop him before he can reach out and swipe all of them at once. "I didn't say the s-word, right??? I didn't!! Why can't we--"

"This is like, the worst place to talk about , anyways," Chanyeol mutters and scrambles to cover his face with his plushie in the nick of time, after a spurt of water comes flying towards him. "Jeez, talk about unromantic," he adds and flicks Jongin in the back of the head. 

Sehun only pats Jongin's head and tries to ignore the fact that he's pretty much drowning in his seat right now, whilst praying that they aren't being recorded. He can only attempt a smile when Jongin holds up his phone and takes a picture without as much as a warning. With the flash briefly blinding him and wiping out his vision, Sehun can barely make out Jongin giggling to himself as he sends the photo to Luhan. The boat continues to move forward, but Sehun can barely even see or hear anything (at least not anything that's part of the attraction) as he tries ridding his hair of water, all whilst Jongin and Chanyeol loudly sing along to one of the songs being played. The melodic sound of Jongin's laughter has Sehun wanting to dunk his head in the water, since he sort of hates how much his face is heating up.

Except Sehun sort of wishes he'd kept his eyes focused on what's going on in front of him instead, because Sehun figures that he might be the first one to fall overboard when he turns back around and comes face to face with an animatronic pirate. Chanyeol only laughs his head off at Sehun's not so discreet shriek before a cannon goes off and blows smoke right in Sehun's eyes (which again, has Chanyeol feeling grateful for being at the back). Jongin finds himself enthralled by the shiny, silver necklace dangling between its bony fingers, but Chanyeol thankfully manages to yank Jongin backwards before he can swipe it and send them all into cold shock. Sehun sort of wants to scream, because he's pretty sure that he just heard a camera click, but he doesn't get a chance to think about it any further when he sees light approaching in the distance, which is closely followed by people talking.

It takes Sehun a whole minute to even consider moving his legs, since he's 100% certain that they've gone permanently numb from the awkward angle he's been sitting in all this time, and he ends up stumbling twice after Jongin, Chanyeol and the young woman managing the ride pull him up onto the platform. Sehun has to make sure that he's actually capable of walking before he slowly stands up. A cold breeze passes, which only reminds Sehun of the fact that he's literally soaking wet from head to toe (save for his shoes, but just barely). Jongin doesn't seem to mind, though, as he quite literally tackles Sehun to the floor whilst repeatedly squealing about how fun the ride was (and how disappointed he was after finding out that purple water wasn't, in fact, magical). Chanyeol calls their names from a few feet away and Sehun doesn't even get a chance to react when Jongin tugs on his sleeve and drags him towards Chanyeol.

"Our pictures are done!" Chanyeol exclaims, barely able to hide the excitement in his voice as he points to the three monitors on the wall. Even though he knows that Sehun will hate him for it, Chanyeol can't stifle the laugh that escapes his lips after the first picture pops up. He figures that all three cameras went off whilst they were in the midst of being bombarded with water as he eyes the photo. He doesn't recall hearing a camera going off at the time (inside the blue cave, that is), but Chanyeol still finds himself snickering at the first water spurt striking Sehun square in the face, with him and Jongin nearly dying of laughter in their seats at the back.

Jongin squawks when the second photo pops up on the screen, and he blinks at his own startled expression as a result of being struck in the ear, all whilst Chanyeol continues to laugh at Sehun's drenched shirt up front. Jongin actually feels his ear, which is still damp, twitch in discomfort as he clings onto Sehun's wet torso like a baby koala. All three of them subsequently groan in unison, but soon find themselves giggling, after the third and final photo appears on the screen.

The camera must have been hidden somewhere inside the animatronic, and Chanyeol can't help but chuckle after he hears people snicker at the fact that Sehun is entirely soaked to the bone  at this point (whilst simultaneously being struck by another spurt of water), how Jongin is pretty much halfway out of his own seat as he reaches out and attempts to grab the silver object hanging from the pirate's fingers with an ecstatic expression on his face, and Chanyeol's own look of exasperation as he grabs onto Jongin's shirt and tries yanking him back into the boat, which is, as they all realize, dangerously close to tipping over. Jongin sort of hates that his hearing is so good, because he finds himself hissing after hearing a teenaged girl whisper something to her friend about how attractive Sehun looks with his shirt soaked. It's not until her friend giggles in agreement that Jongin tightly wraps his arms around Sehun's waist. He glares at them both, ears flattening with hostility after Sehun proceeds to kiss his cheek.

"Y'know what, it, I'm buying all three," Chanyeol says after nearly dying of laughter, ignoring Sehun's groan of protest as he pulls out his wallet. He turns around and is about to ask Sehun if the latter is planning on purchasing any of the photos, only to blink when he sees two blonde girls repeatedly telling Sehun all about how handsome the latter is. Sehun politely thanks them, and Chanyeol can't help but snicker when he sees Jongin's tail swaying in agitation, which none of them seem to notice. Chanyeol decides not to interfere, because he figures that Jongin remembers Sehun's rule of always restraining himself no matter what.

Except Chanyeol sort of regrets it, and he hears himself sigh after Jongin suddenly lunges forward and nearly tackles one of the girls before the latter proceeds to grab and tug at her long hair. Chanyeol resorts to pretending not to know any of them as he turns back around and pays for the three photos, all whilst ignoring the cashier's horrifed expression when Sehun attempts to drag Jongin away to no avail. "Yeah, it's...don't mind them--" Chanyeol gestures behind him and only groans into his plushie when he hears Jongin bursting into a string of tearful sobs after Sehun scolds him. "They're uh, always like this. You get, uh...used to it after a while."

Chanyeol soon receives all three photos in a white envelope, and he makes a mental note to hang them up above his desk at home before turning back around. He awkwardly adjusts his glasses when Jongin's fingers suddenly become tangled in her hair, and Chanyeol figures that her terrified screaming and the stress of not being able to free himself is only adding to Jongin's panic as he frantically waves his arm in all directions. Chanyeol can tell that Sehun is peddling back and forth between trying to help Jongin and trying to avoid being slashed in the face as he repeatedly tells the latter to calm down. Eventually, Chanyeol pulls out one of the photos, and he holds it up in front of Jongin's face in a final attempt to get the latter to calm down, as Sehun detangles Jongin's fingers from her hair.

It works, and the next thing Sehun knows, he's apologizing profusely to the two horrified women, whilst trying to explain to them that Jongin is simply a little riled up after the ride and his outburst had nothing to do with them (although the way Jongin is clinging to Sehun like glue whilst glaring daggers at them has Chanyeol believing otherwise). They don't seem to listen, though, and Sehun can only accept their numbers, both of which he forgets and discards ten seconds later, before they run off. It doesn't take long for Sehun to realize that his shirt is nearly dry (which only makes him wonder just how long this whole altercation took), and he runs a hand through his damp hair as he watches Jongin detangle a few blonde strands from his fingers, before tossing them on the ground.

"...Now that that's done and over with," Chanyeol mumbles after fetching their plushies, trying to avoid making eye contact with the cashier as she sends all three of them a dirty look, "et's go grab a bite to eat, I'm starving." He hands Sehun his Eeyore plushie, and Chanyeol only sighs after he tries giving Jongin his Winnie the Pooh plushie back, only for the latter to hiss. Chanyeol has to tell Jongin to let go of Sehun, but quickly gives up when it becomes clear that Jongin has zero intention to do so. "Seriously, what's wrong with-"

"Don't become their boyfriend," Jongin wails, making Chanyeol blink. A few people walk up to the counter after exiting their boats, and Chanyeol has to apologize to all of them after Jongin hisses at them whilst possessively coiling his tail around Sehun's thigh (even though they don't seem to notice), Jongin watches them pay for their photos before resting his chin on Sehun's shoulder. He isn't sure if the two women are secretely hiding somewhere and waiting to talk to Sehun again the first chance they get, so Jongin keeps his eyes peeled as Sehun pats the small of his back.

"Anyway, like I was saying," Chanyeol says as he puts the photos away before they can get damaged or stolen. "If we don't eat within the next ten minutes, I'm suing." He gestures at Sehun to check the map, to which the latter only responds by shrugging, given that Jongin is squeezing him so tight that he can barely even move his arms. Chanyeol only sighs before poking Jongin's back. "Jongin, dude, let him go already, jeez--"

Chanyeol ends up keeping a tight grasp on Jongin's shirt, after promising the latter a million times that he'll keep a lookout for the two girls (which Chanyeol doesn't). A crowd of people push past them to see their photos, and all three of them end up in front of a row of strange looking mirrors after stepping aside. Considering the fact that Chanyeol knows a little bit about how animals usually tend to react after seeing their reflections, he makes sure to keep a close eye on Jongin as the latter curiously inspects one of the mirrors, all whilst Sehun checks the map for places to eat. Chanyeol eyes a Mickey Mouse balloon as it disappears among the clouds, and he figures he might be a little too paranoid when he inwardly panics after Jongin swats the glass. 

They eventually settle for a place near the river to escape the heat, and Jongin rushes forward and grabs Sehun's hand before the latter even gets a chance to put the map away. At some point during their short walk, they pass a man dressed in a clown suit who hands Jongin a balloon, after twisting it to look like a fish (which Chanyeol prayed Jongin wouldn't attempt to eat). Even though they're far away from the rides and overall hecticness, the cheerful atmosphere is impossible to escape, and Sehun holds Jongin close as they make their way through one of the many, many gardens overflowing with brightly colored flowers. Jongin suddenly comes to a halt, and Sehun hears Jongin hum to himself as the latter picks a few flowers whilst sitting cross legged on the ground. They're not even sure if flower picking is even allowed to begin with, and Chanyeol emits a huff of impatience when it becomes clear that Jongin is planning on taking his sweet time as his eyes trail across the sea of flowers before them.

Chanyeol figures that he's milliseconds away from dying of hunger when Jongin finally stands up, a huge grin on his face as he keeps his hands hidden behind his back. Chanyeol's scowl soon disappears, however, when Jongin proceeds to hold up a large, colorful bouquet of flowers before handing them all to Sehun, who picks out the brightest flower and carefully tucks it behind Jongin's ear before kissing the latter on the cheek. Not wanting Chanyeol to feel left out, Jongin quickly bends down and picks a bright green flower, which he hands to Chanyeol ('To match your glasses!' he squeed after pointing to the sunglasses on Chanyeol's head).

They end up at the restauraunt forty minutes later, and Chanyeol isn't even sure if he's still alive at this point, since he definitely wasn't counting on stopping by the house of mirrors, spinning ladybugs (which Chanyeol promptly refused to go on), cotton candy booth, and hat store on the way here. Chanyeol isn't even sure if Jongin is still hungry anymore, given that the latter has wolfed down two cotton candy cones (courtesy of Sehun giving him his cone after complaining about the overly sweet taste) and a strawberry slushie, but Chanyeol dismisses the thought before practically flying towards the house of fast food. The smell of cooking oil is making his stomach growl and Chanyeol doesn't even bother waiting for Jongin and Sehun, who are busy arguing over who's the bravest, before placing his order.

"Do you think there's fish in there???" Jongin asks, pointing to the river to their right, whilst cotton candy off his fingers. An insect buzzes around his ear, but he doesn't twitch it in fear of his Mickey Mouse hat falling off. He's thankful that they're on the more quiet side of the park, because Jongin didn't even realize how much he needed to get away from the constant screaming and rumbling until now, especially since he's on the verge of toppling over with each step as a result of spinning them perhaps a little too quickly on the ladybug ride.

Sehun watches Chanyeol order his food a few feet away before eyeing the tables and chairs lining the river. Sehun seriously regrets letting Jongin take control of the wheel earlier, because his head is spinning so fast that he worries he might fall over any second. Soon, the vertigo becomes too much and Sehun has to sit down on the nearest chair before he tumbles into the river and drowns. Inevitably, Jongin plops down right in his lap, and Sehun tries his best to listen as Jongin describes his recent text from Luhan, in which the latter compliments Sehun's face, whilst trying to control his spinning head.

"Luhan said it probably wasn't a good idea for you to sit up front," Jongin mutters as he adjusts his hat, but he quickly takes it off when he realizes that the ears might be poking Sehun's eyes. He places it on the table and listens to the rushing water behind them. It's so loud that he can barely hear himself think, and Jongin is pretty sure that water droplets are raining down on them every second, but Sehun's lap is so warm and comfy that he doesn't even bother moving. Instead, he leans back and nuzzles his face in the crook of his neck, which reeks of cotton candy.

Sehun snakes an arm around Jongin's waist. "Why's that," he hums, his words getting carried away by the cold breeze that passes, which instantly makes Sehun's vertigo disappear. As he listens to Chanyeol place his order, Sehun wonders if eating right now is a good idea or not, even if he's starving to death. "You hungry?" He kisses the top of Jongin's head.

"Because he said the seat up front is for short people, since they won't be hit with water," Jongin says, figuring the cotton candy he just had did nothing to soothe his cramping stomach. The smell of food hits him and he nearly drools all over himself and Sehun. "Yeah, aren't you?" Jongin giggles, only for his ears to flatten after he sees two blonde girls approaching the river. He isn't entirely sure if it's the same girls from before, but be that as it may, Jongin proceeds to growl low in his throat whilst glaring daggers at them both. They only stare at him, and Jongin figures he would have walked up to them and shoved them into the river if it wasn't for Sehun reassuringly scratching the back of his ear.

"It's not them, relax," Sehun chuckles. Jongin's fluffy ears tickle his face as he kisses the top of the latter's head. "Did you have fun on the rides?" he asks, trying to distract Jongin from a mental breakdown.

Jongin growls at the two girls again, and it's not until they walk in the opposite direction that he nods. "I liked the scary one!" he squees, ears perking up when he sees Chanyeol walking towards them with a tray in his hands. It doesn't take long for Jongin to spot the blue fish printed on the wrapper after Chanyeol sits down. Jongin pokes Sehun's arm over and over, hoping that the latter gets the hint.

"Pleasepleaseplease--" Jongin kisses Sehun square on the lips, which nearly has Sehun falling out of his seat in surprise. "I promise I'll share!!" Jongin adds for good measure before Chanyeol asks him to 'please stop being so annoying'. "Please--"

Sehun chuckles and pats Jongin's head. "Sure," he chuckles. "But you'll need to move first." He playfully flicks Jongin's face before the latter scrambles out of his lap. Sehun stands up and he doesn't walk away until he makes sure that Chanyeol will, in fact, keep a close eye on Jongin so that the latter doesn't wander too close to the river.

Chanyeol stuffs a handful of fries in his mouth as he listens to the rushing water. He didn't even know that Disneyland sold fish n' chips, but it's not like he's complaining, and he wolfs down half of it in under two minutes before brushing his hands together. He's is silent for a minute as he watches Jongin eye a couple of birds flying in the sky. "How're you liking Disneyland so far?" Chanyeol asks between loud chews. He only rolls his eyes when Jongin proceeds to scold him for chewing with his mouth open. "You literally do the same thing every goddamn-"

"I don't need you keeping an eye on me!" Jongin proudly exclaims, a wide grin on his face as he adjusts the flower behind his ear. "I can keep an eye on myself," he adds and traces invisible patterns into the tabletop. "And it's super fun!" Jongin squeals, and he's silent for a moment before he giggles. "I actually think it's way more fun since you decided to come with us." He grooms his left ear and giggles again when Chanyeol blinks.

As he chews, still slightly taken aback, Chanyeol hears Jongin complain about the cold before he clears his throat and swallows. "Uh, thanks," he mutters. "I...nevermind." Chanyeol clears his throat again before blushing ever so slightly. "I mean, like-- Why?" he asks after what feels like a year's worth of silence. A little girl laughs in the distance and Chanyeol keeps his gaze fixated on his food, which he's practically already scarfed down by now.

It's Jongin's turn to blush and his eyes automatically drift over to Sehun, who is conversing with the employees as he places their order. "Cause, like--" Jongin clamps his mouth shut and he's suddenly glad that they're sitting right next to the river, because the ice cold droplets that subsequently land on his arm help prevent the heat spreading across his chest from reaching his cheeks. Jongin actually contemplates hiding his face behind his Mickey Mouse hat when Sehun turns around and waves at him with a fond smile. "It's..." Jongin blinks and exhales a breath he didn't even know he'd been holding. It's not until Chanyeol snickers and comments on how red his face is that Jongin huffs in defeat. "It's kinda...hard to say, I...think."

"Can't be worse than what I just said," Chanyeol mutters and squawks when Jongin suddenly swipes three fries from his plate.

Jongin only giggles (in the most unapologetic tone Chanyeol has ever heard), trying to hide the fact that he just burned his tongue as he chews. Chanyeol sends him a look and Jongin finds himself looking over at Sehun again. "But like...okay, so--" Jongin continues tracing invisible patterns into the wood and blinks when he realizes just how fast his heart is racing. "Uh, you know how like, I said I appreciated you because you helped me meet Sehun, right?" Jongin quietly says and fights the urge to dive head first into the water when Sehun waves at him again.

Chanyeol raises an eyebrow as he picks up three fries. "...Yes?"

Waving back with a loud squeal, which is instantly drowned out by the rushing water, Jongin bites his lip. "So like..." He swallows and shifts when Chanyeol continues to stare at him. "I...it's-- I don't know how to say it, stop staring at me like that!!" he whines and Chanyeol has to shush him when three teenagers send them strange looks. Jongin simply rests his head on his left hand as he keeps his eyes glued on the uneven wood. "But it's gonna sound weird!"

"As long as it's about me, I'm already on board with it," Chanyeol chuckles and finishes his food. "Unless it's something ty, then please, for your own good, shut the-"

"It's not anything bad!!" Jongin exclaims and slaps Chanyeol's wrist. "Anyway, so like, you can't laugh, okay?" He sends Chanyeol a surprisingly stern look, to which the latter can only reply with a nod. "Okay, so like...you know, when we've been here, and doing all these things, I, uh...I think I've realized how much I love Sehun and how happy I am that he's my boyfriend, because he's the best person I've ever met and he makes me so happy--" Jongin cuts himself off to take a breath, ignoring how fast his heart is beating. "I've stayed with so many different families but he's my favorite one and--" His ears subconsciously flatten and he swallows thickly. "He...he says that I don't know what love is, but I'll still love him more than anything in the world, even if I'm wrong." Jongin swallows as he clenches his jaw. "I...think what I mean is that I don't know what I'd do without him," he says after a minute and looks up at Chanyeol, whose expression is unreadable. "Like, you nearly drowned me, but I got to meet Sehun because of you, and I'm so, so thankful."

Chanyeol nods and he doesn't speak until he's sure that Jongin is finished. "You think I'd laugh at that?" he chuckles and shakes his head. "It feels kinda weird to say 'You're welcome', but you're welcome." He sends Jongin, who looks like he wants to crawl under the table and hide, a warm smile. It's not until a tear rolls down Jongin's cheek that Chanyeol reaches across and gently wipes it away. He doesn't comment on how hot Jongin's face is before speaking. "Hey, you're not weird, okay? That's not a weird thing to say."

"I mean," Jongin swallows, barely noticing the two people dressed in Mickey Mouse costumes walking by and waving at them. "I uh...I kind of...lost all my other families, like, really quickly because I did bad things and they stopped loving me because of it," he says so quietly that Chanyeol barely catches it. Jongin sort of hates himself for getting emotional, since he doesn't think Sehun will be happy with him for crying in the middle of Disneyland, so Jongin hurriedly wipes his eyes with the back of his hand. "And like...I don't want Sehun to stop loving me, because I'll never stop loving him, and that wouldn't be fair, right??" He looks up at Chanyeol, who only nods in agreement. Jongin presses his lips together and sighs as he watches two young children toss a handful of pennies into the river. "I...don't think it feels very good to lose somebody you really, really love."

Chanyeol is silent for a minute. A cold breeze passes and he pulls his sleeves down to cover his hands. "Yeah, no, it...it doesn't," he says after a while, the wind drowning out his words the second they leave his lips. Chanyeol stares at Jongin's tail, which is unconsciously swaying back and forth, before looking back at the river. "It doesn't." They fall into a brief silence until Jongin sighs across the table, and Chanyeol reaches across and pats Jongin's wrist. "Sehun won't stop loving you, don't worry."

Jongin's face immediately lights up, which makes Chanyeol blink. "Really???" he asks, stars in his eyes as he looks at Chanyeol. "Are you sure?? Like, really sure??" He pokes Chanyeol's arm over and over, and the latter has to stop him before he can jump onto the table with glee. "Really??"

"I mean, I can't say for sure that he will," Chanyeol blurts out and immediately regrets it when Jongin's ears droop. "I mean, wait, hold on, like, you never know, y'know? Some things happen and some things don't. Who knows, but like, I know for a fact that he loves you, and I'm not just saying that to make you happy, cause, y'know, I call 'em as I see 'em," he adds with a light chuckle whilst sliding his tray aside. "I mean, I don't know for certain, but I'm pretty sure he'd be ing devastated if he lost you, too." Chanyeol blinks before picking up a cold fry and biting down on it. "You should've seen how riled up he was after he found your coat outside, dude went into conniptions."

Jongin his head aside. "Really??" He blinks and suddenly remembers Baekhyun mentioning something about Sehun finding his coat in the park, which sort of makes him feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Chanyeol nods. "Yeah man, he thought you'd been...nevermind." He clears his throat, definitely not wanting to introduce Jongin to the dark world of hybrid abductions when the latter sends him a joyful smile. "Yeah, it's...let's just say that he was ing worried and leave it at that." Chanyeol turns around and goes on to complain about why their food is taking so long before sighing. "I...suppose I should thank you, too, I guess," he mumbles whilst fidgeting with the grease stained wrapper on his tray. Chanyeol doesn't even need to look up to know that Jongin is staring at him, so he sighs again. "Y'know how like...I kept complaining about you lot being happy like, all the time, and how I said it didn't make any sense?" Chanyeol clears his throat when Jongin nods. "I mean, I still don't think it makes any goddamn sense, but...I mean-- Let's just say that it got boring, after a while. Being sad, that is." He stares at the river for a minute. "And at some point after our...bridge meeting thing, I guess, I guess I realized that I'd rather be happy without reason than miserable for a reason, if that...makes any sense...yeah." Chanyeol is silent for a minute before looking up at Jongin, who is, inevitably, staring at him like he's grown a second head, but Chanyeol chuckles anyway. "Point is, thanks."

Jongin blinks. He has little to no idea as to why Chanyeol is thanking him, of all people, but he grins anyway. "You're welcome, I think!!" he squeals and watches as Chanyeol's hair stands right up after it gets picked up by the wind. Jongin hums to himself whilst staring at the silver (or rather, cheap metal, Chanyeol thinks) ring on his finger before beaming up at Chanyeol. "Do you think me and Sehun will be married???"

"Uh." Chanyeol blinks at the sudden subject change before clearing his throat. "I don't...know??" I mean, I hope you'll be...married, I guess, but it's so hard to--" He clamps his mouth shut and simply nods after Jongin beams. "Your fly's undone, by the way," Chanyeol blurts out and his throat as he awkwardly gestures across the table. "Just...thought you should know since people might, uh...stare."

Jongin blinks before he looks down and wordlessly zips his jeans. He hums to himself before his eyes suddenly light up (which instantly has a wave of dread washing over Chanyeol). "I know what the mile high club is now!!" he squees, ignoring the way an elderly woman subsequently looks at him. 

Chanyeol crosses his legs under the table. "I'm sure you do," he says dryly.

"I do!!" Jongin exclaims before he chuckles ever so slightly. "There was like, no space in there, I could barely even spread my legs more than this--" He proceeds to sit with his thighs less than ten inches apart, barely noticing that Chanyeol isn't even looking. "But it still felt good because Sehun said I was really wet, so that's great, right??" Jongin giggles and leans away after Chanyeol nearly smacks his lips off his face, before the latter apologizes to a family of four sitting two tables away. Jongin stares at the river as he recalls the entire floor vibrating beneath him whilst Sehun took him on the bathroom floor mere seconds after locking the door. In a sense, Jongin figures that the loud rumbling of the engine might have come in handy, since it deafened his loud screams and wails of pleasure. "Have you ever made love to anyone??" 

"Dude, shut the up," Chanyeol hisses and fights the urge to smother Jongin with one of the plushies. He goes on to mouth an apology to the woman walking past, before she proceeds to usher her child in the opposite direction. When Jongin only stares at him, he sighs. "You don't talk about that in public, what's wrong with you--" Chanyeol runs a hand down his face and is suddenly really thankful that he had music pumping through his ears whilst Jongin and Sehun did God knows what in the bathroom less than ten feet away from where he sat. "Seriously, hasn't anybody ever taught you...God, nevermind."

"Have you???" Jongin asks, tail swaying in curiosity as he watches Chanyeol blush. "Have you???"

Chanyeol only groans. "No, I haven't, okay?" he huffs, making a mental note to launch Jongin into outer space (without Sehun knowing) the first chance he gets. "Now could you please shut up-"

"But you said you were sad!" Jongin exclaims perhaps a little louder than necessary, given that Chanyeol kicks him under the table subsequently. "But like, whenever Sehun makes love to me, I always feel happy, so maybe you should-"

"That's not how it works, ." Chanyeol sighs in exasperation (and prays that Sehun will return with their food so he can deck the latter in the jaw for forcing him to endure this). Chanyeol seriously wishes that they would go back to discussing their deep, heartfelt emotions after Jongin goes on to describe the feeling of Sehun ultimately coming inside of him in full detail. A group of men subsequently get out of their seats and walk off, but not before sending Jongin disgusted looks. Chanyeol doesn't even bother apologizing as he buries his face in his hands. "Jongin, what in the actual goddamn bloody Hell makes you think I want to know that?"

"But if you're no longer sad," Jongin blurts out and looks up at Chanyeol with wide eyes, "that means you can come back to work, right??? I think me and Luhan can give you some space in our playroom!" He bounces up and down in excitement, only to blink when Chanyeol shakes his head. "Why not???"

Chanyeol blinks (and is awfully relieved) at the sudden subject change. "It's...that-- That's not going to work," he says after a while and runs a hand through his hair. He contemplates staying silent but decides against it when Jongin blinks. "That place gives me the creeps, anyway." A little girl waves at him from across the river and he waves back with a smile. He faces Jongin again, who only stares at him. "Yeah, I mean, Jongdae's in the hospital and Baekhyun officially quit yesterday, it's all ed now." Chanyeol runs a hand down his face and sighs. "So yeah, there's no way I'm-"

"Is Jongdae hurt???" Jongin asks, eyes wide and gaze frantic as Chanyeol blinks. He contemplates calling Luhan and telling him, but Jongin decides against it since Luhan is probably busy exploring New York right now. What makes Jongin feel absolutely crushed, however, is hearing about Baekhyun's departure, and Jongin worries he might actually burst into tears when Chanyeol shrugs. "But..." Jongin swallows and internally panics when the thought of Baekhyun quitting because he disliked him for whatever reason floods his head, but Jongin doesn't get a chance to ask before Chanyeol sighs.

Chanyeol presses his lips together as he eyes Jongin's ring. As much as Chanyeol doesn't want to talk about it, since he hasn't told anybody besides Sehun, he figures that it's a million times better than Jongin shoving his life down his throat every chance he gets. "Okay, so like, Baekhyun sent me an email last week-- I mean, it wasn't just-- I mean, he sent one to Sehun, too--" Chanyeol clears his throat. "Anyway, remember how I told you that Jongdae shoved Baekhyun's ex down the stairs in the lobby a while ago? And how Jongdae threatened to beat him right up if Baekhyun found out about it?" He turns his head, thankful to see Sehun still standing by the counter, since Chanyeol figures Sehun might beat him up for telling Jongin about it.

Jongin blinks. In truth, he can only recall about a third of it, since he's way too busy trying not to burst into a string of loud, ugly sobs right here in the middle of the park at the thought of never being able to talk to Baekhyun, or ask the latter for candy, ever again. Jongin figures that Luhan probably doesn't know about it, and something tells him that Luhan might actually burst into tears and cry for a week once he's told. Jongin scrambles for his plushie and gives it a tight squeeze when he feels himself tear up. "I...I think so," he mumbles.

Chanyeol is silent for a moment. "Let's just say that Baekhyun found out about it," he says with a dry chuckle, only shrugging when Jongin's eyes widen. "Yup, went straight over and beat good ol' Jongdae black and blue after breaking his door down," he adds and Jongin can tell that there isn't the slightest ounce of sympathy in his voice. "I heard that Jongdae could barely even lift a finger afterwards, not to mention his self thought he was still too good for an ambulance after all that, which is just...embarrassing." It's not until Jongin visibly swallows that Chanyeol vigorously shakes his head. "I mean, that's not why Jongdae's in the hospital, if you're--" He blinks. " it, nevermind."

"But I wanna know!!" Jongin exclaims as he literally jumps up and down in anticipation, ears fully erect and facing Chanyeol as he blinks. "Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me-"

"You wouldn't understand," Chanyeol huffs. "It's-"

"But I wanna know!!!!" Jongin retorts and crosses his arms over his chest with a pout. "Or else I'll go ask Sehun."

"There's a reason he hasn't told you, ," Chanyeol says, but there's no bite in his voice. It's not until Jongin proceeds to get out of his seat, presumably to rush over and ask Sehun, that Chanyeol sighs in defeat. "Okay, fine, I'll tell you, but it's not my fault if you end up not getting it, okay?" He sighs when Jongin comes dangerously close to falling out of his seat in anticipation. "Hey, fuzzbrain."

Jongin frantically nods. "Tellmetellmetellmetellme--"

"Man, you sure when it comes to persuasion, just saying," Chanyeol snickers before he clears his throat. "Okay, so like, long story short, Baekhyun divorced his husband like, a day later, since he was pissed at him for keeping the whole thing a secret all this time, which I don't really get, but whatever." He mumbles something under his breath before continuing. "And his ex must have tracked Jongdae down 'cause like, Baekhyun wrote that his ex ended up driving over to Jongdae's house and...let's just say that he took...another beating." Chanyeol has to look away after he shudders, figuring he's doing Jongin a huge favor by sparing the latter the details, which were brutal enough to give Chanyeol nightmares when he first heard about it. "Anyway, so like, everyone sort of figures that Jongdae went crazy afterwards, like, his mom came over and found him like, holed up and crying in his room the next day, it was so weird." He makes sure that Sehun isn't nearby before continuing. "And when she tried talking to him, he just started screaming like a goddamn lunatic whilst throwing around and tearing stuff apart." Chanyeol shudders when he pictures it all in his head. He has to stop when he worries he might go insane himself. "So basically, she had to call the cops and they didn't do to calm Jongdae down, in fact--" He immediately goes silent and clears his throat. "Okay, yeah, nevermind, that's enough, story time over--"

Jongin squawks. "But I wanna know!!!" he practically hollers, ears flattening when Sehun turns around and hushes him from his spot by the counter. Jongin sort of wishes that Sehun won't walk over, because all the excitement coursing through his body is causing him to bounce up and down in anticipation. "Tell me, tell me, pleasepleaseplease--"

"Fine, you nincompoop," Chanyeol huffs and throws his hands in the air. "But seriously, don't tell Sehun I told you this unless he tells you first, okay?" He sends Jongin a look that has the latter keening. "So uh...basically, the cops tried talking to Jongdae but the asswipe wouldn't listen, and got weird when he ran and got a knife and--" Chanyeol runs a hand down his face. "Let's just say that he threatened to...hurt himself if they tried touching him," he says and chooses to leave out the part about them eventually needing to tase Jongdae before the latter could step out of line. He also leaves out the part about Jongdae repeatedly and blindly screaming Luhan's name as they proceeded to take him away. "And before you ask, Baekhyun apparently couldn't handle it and turned in his resignation letter a week before Christmas. And well, it's been a week, so..." Chanyeol has to take a deep breath to steady himself before cursing. "So anyway, yeah, I dunno about you, I'm glad y'all are enjoying your little playroom, but there's no way I'm ever stepping foot in that office again as long as I live." A pigeon lands on their table and proceeds to help itself to a couple of leftover fries, but Chanyeol doesn't even bother shooing it off.

Jongin stares wide eyed at Chanyeol before he blinks. "But where's Jongdae now??" he asks, ears twitching as he nervously kneads his own shirt, but his anxiety soon disappears when he spots Sehun walking towards them. The latter's blond hair blows in the wind as he sends Jongin a fond smile, which definitely doesn't make Jongin feel all squishy inside.

Fighting the urge to say something along the lines of 'Hopefully dead in a ditch', Chanyeol shrugs. "The if I know, hopefully getting some sense knocked into his , dude needs it," he mumbles before shivering. The thought of somebody like Jongdae having worked under the same roof as all of them for over a year is enough to give Chanyeol nightmares, and he swallows when he realizes how lucky he was to have gotten away with a simple (yet painful) blow to the chest after Jongdae stormed into his office last year and yelled at him for finishing his soda. "And Baekhyun wrote that he was gonna start working at some vet clinic place, which suits him, since he's basically a puppy when he isn't beating lowlives half to death." He looks up when Sehun suddenly appears at their table. Chanyeol has to take a deep breath to mentally pull himself together before raising an eyebrow. "You took your goddamn bloody time."

"They ran out of fries," Sehun chuckles, figuring Jongin wouldn't be happy with his favorite side dish missing. "Thanks for waiting so patiently, though," he adds, mentally showering Chanyeol with babysitting points as he ruffles Jongin's hair. Sehun takes a seat next to Jongin, who climbs into his lap, before wrapping his arms around his waist. It's not until he looks up that he realizes just how dark it's gotten outside. Not too dark, but dark enough to have Sehun questioning if they should wrap it up soon. He checks his watch and adjusts the flower behind Jongin's ear as the latter wolfs down his food. "What'd you two talk about while I was gone?" Sehun asks and steals a fry from Jongin's plate. 

Chanyeol blinks before he rubs the back of his neck. "Uh...stuff," he sheepishly mumbles and clears his throat after seeing the look on Sehun's face. "Okay fine, we uh...talked about you two getting...uh, married," he says after a while and mentally smacks himself when Jongin's eyes light up. "Among...other things, I...I guess." He has to shoo the pigeon away when he worries it might bite his face off after it walks towards him.

Feeding Sehun a fry, Jongin puts his hat on with his other hand. "Cause we will be, right??" He looks at Sehun and nearly crushes the latter's groin as he shifts into a better position. "We'll be like Cinderella and Prince Charming!" Jongin says and figures that Luhan would have loved to hear that. He can imagine Sehun on their wedding day, and even though Jongin doesn't think they'll end up marrying in a castle, the thought is still enough to make Jongin turn his head and plant a kiss on Sehun's cheek, which only makes Chanyeol groan to himself.

Sehun's eyes automatically drift to Jongin's ring, and even though looking at it tugs at his heart (since he doesn't think he'll ever forget the sad glint that flashed in Baekhyun's eyes after he gave it to Jongin), he still feels his chest flutter before he rests his chin on Jongin's shoulder. "I hope so," Sehun simply mumbles and tightens his grip around Jongin's waist when a cool breeze passes. Jongin quickly stuffs the last two fries in his mouth, which surprises Sehun, because he honestly didn't think Jongin could stuff himself even more after all the popcorn and cotton candy he's eaten.

"You do realize that like, weddings aren't...you know--" Chanyeol gestures all around them. "Right?" He runs a hand through his hair and places his plushie in his lap. As he watches the river, he adjusts his glasses. "Life isn't a Disney movie," he adds and clears his throat when he sees the look on Sehun's face (after Jongin's ears droop). "I mean-- It's good to tell him, y'know??? So he doesn't end up-- Yeah, nevermind, forget it."

Jongin simply shrugs before his ears straighten again. "But then we can make it like one, right???" he asks, a hopeful glint in his eyes as he fiddles with Sehun's watch. Jongin figures that he wants it to be exactly like the movies, minus all the glitter flying around whilst he and Sehun descend the steps before walking to their carriage, in fear of possibly inhaling it and choking to death. He momentarily gets so excited that he nearly falls right out of Sehun's lap. "Right?? I don't think it'll be that hard!" 

Sehun hums in agreement. "I don't think so either," he says and adjusts Jongin's hat when it comes close to falling off.

"That means we'll be sitting in one of those carriages, right??" Jongin squees, his entire body buzzing with excitement as he squeezes Sehun's hand. "And we'll get to stay in one of those big castles, right??" He blinks before grinning widely. "That means we'll have one of those big beds that kings and queens have, right??" Jongin grins and repeatedly pokes Sehun's shoulder, seemingly failing to notice the way Chanyeol clears his throat. "That means you'll be making love to me all night, cause Luhan said that's what newly weds do, right? And--" Jongin blinks when Chanyeol suddenly gets out of his seat, the latter suggesting they try out another ride before picking up his plushie and walking off. 

--

When Chanyeol suggested they try out another ride, he figures he should have specified that he meant literally any other ride in the whole entire park except for the tunnel of love. Sehun didn't seem to hear Chanyeol's loud protests as Jongin proceeded to drag Sehun towards the bright pink house and, inevitably, they soon found themselves surrounded by couples after getting in line. Chanyeol honestly doesn't know what he hates the most; nearly being whacked in the face by excited couples every two seconds, or the fact that the line stretches all the way to the back of the building. Now, none of that would be a problem if it wasn't for the fact that Chanyeol is fully unable to converse with neither Jongin nor Sehun, since both of them are busy eating each other's faces (just like 99% of everybody in line) whilst totally ignoring Chanyeol's existence. At some point, Chanyeol ends up making eye contact with another male, who also seems to have been dragged along against his will, and they simply exchange sympathetic looks before Chanyeol pulls out his phone.

"Remember, don't do anything gross, I'm here too, y'know," Chanyeol mumbles, seriously wondering what he's done to deserve being forced to stand in line with a bunch of people groping each other. He has to take a step back when the woman in front of him stumbles and almost crashes into him, which nearly causes him to drop all three plushies (that Chanyeol didn't even realize he was carrying until now) on the ground. Chanyeol only huffs when Sehun hums something in response before going back to playfully tugging on Jongin's ears, which makes the latter giggle shyly. "Man, you two are disgusting."

Jongin's ears twitch as he listens to the romantic song blaring from the speakers, and he looks up and beams at the angel statue hanging from the ceiling. Its cupids bow is pointed right at him and Sehun, and Jongin figures that if Luhan were here, the latter would have called it 'fate'. As he scans the sea of couples surrounding them, Jongin can make out a few people standing in line to purchase their photos, which only makes him squeal in anticipation. With Sehun's hand rubbing the small of his back, Jongin points to the pink boats (even though he thinks they look a lot more like tiny cars) lining up beside the platform. When they take a few steps forward, the sound of rushing water reaches Jongin and he feels his tail swish back and forth in excitement.

"Why can't I just wait out here in the meantime," Chanyeol mumbles as he scrolls on his phone, even though he knows he won't get a reply. He figures he must be imagining things, because he's pretty sure that the water, which is pink toned, smells just like sugar. As the employee, a young girl dressed in red with hearts painted on her cheeks, greets the couples before they proceed to board their boats, Chanyeol sighs before putting his phone away. He's sort of really relieved to see that there are seats at the back, because Chanyeol knows for a fact that he would have resorted to swimming alongside the boat if he had to sit next to Sehun and Jongin. He takes a step forward, only to blink when he realizes that Jongin and Sehun are nowhere to be found. For 's sake. Chanyeol marches over and yanks them apart before dragging them towards the platform. "You guys are ing hopeless--"

Jongin nearly trips and falls head first into the water when Chanyeol lets go of his shirt, but he doesn't even have time to feel annoyed about it, because he soon finds himself squeeing in excitement when the young girl tells them to board their boat. Jongin nearly tips the entire thing over as he scrambles into the front seat, and he nearly does end up tipping the boat over when he pulls Sehun into the front seat to join him. Jongin dips his finger in the pink water and listens to the faint sound of birds chirping and a harp playing in the distance. He looks up and giggles at Chanyeol, who is seemingly questioning his entire existence as he eyes them from his spot on the platform.

Chanyeol only huffs before reluctantly stepping inside the boat, cursing the non existent legroom before settling himself down. Jongin dumps his and Sehun's plushies onto the empty seat next to Chanyeol, the latter only rolling his eyes. "Remember, don't be gross or I'm seriously gonna--" Chanyeol blinks when the entire boat is suddenly ed forward, and he grabs onto the plushies before they can fall overboard. A bright pink spotlight suddenly comes over them, and Chanyeol has to put his sunglasses on before it can melt his eyeballs. 

As they slowly enter the tunnel, Jongin eyes the large, pink love heart on the wall, before he hears birds singing in every direction. He latches onto Sehun's arm when dozens of neon pink hearts illuminate the walls and ceiling. It's so calm and silent that Jongin figures he could fall asleep with his head rested on Sehun's shoulder. His ears soon perk up, however, when he spots a group of swans swimming towards them. Jongin barely hears Chanyeol panickedly telling him not to eat them over the loud music playing. Sehun leans in and kisses Jongin's forehead when two of the (animatronic, much to Chanyeol's relief) swans approach the boat. It's not until they swim up to each other and connect their heads that Jongin beams at the fact that their long, white necks resemble a love heart. At least he's not eating them, Chanyeol thinks and exhales in relief.

"They're pretty, aren't they?" Jongin asks in awe, eyes glittering as he watches the majestic, white birds split up until they're swimming next to the boat. It almost feels like they're escorting him and Sehun down the tunnel, which makes Jongin wrap his arms around Sehun's waist before scooching closer until he's practically sitting in Sehun's lap. Sehun's shirt is still slightly damp, but Jongin barely even notices as he squeezes him as tightly as he can.

Sehun nods. "They are," he hums before Jongin's hair, which is tinted a rosy shade thanks to the bright lights and water. As Jongin subconsciously kneads Sehun's chest with one hand, Sehun rests their heads together before rubbing Jongin's thigh. "But not as pretty as you," he chuckles and Sehun doesn't even need to look back to know that Chanyeol is most definitely cringing to death. A flock of doves appear seemingly out of nowhere as they chirp and fly above their heads, and Sehun doesn't even get a chance to see if they're real or not when Chanyeol speaks.

"Would you give it up," Chanyeol huffs and rolls his eyes. He blinks when the walls are suddenly illuminated with a pale, pink glow and he immediately hears Jongin squeal when a row of photos of Disney couples appear on either side. Chanyeol sure is glad that he's wearing his sunglasses, because he feels his eyes burning from how bright and pink everything is (he figures it's a single person thing, because Jongin and Sehun don't seem to be affected in the slightest). 

"That'll be us soon, right??" Jongin says, squeezing Sehun's hand as he points to a photo of Cinderella and Prince Charming. Jongin finds himself squeezing Sehun when he sees how fondly she's looking at him, and Jongin inwardly screams when he turns to face Sehun, who is staring at him with an equally fond glint in his eyes. Chanyeol only rolls his eyes when Sehun responds by playfully tugging on Jongin's right ear, which has the latter nearly blushing to death.

Jongin rests his head on Sehun's shoulder as they continue to glide along the calm waters. Jongin inwardly hopes that Sehun won't hear (or feel) how fast his heart is racing after they subsequently find themselves inside a room with giant flower fields on either side. A white swan sleeps soundly underneath a bush scattered with pink roses. The bright sunflowers and daffodils surrounding them has Jongin's ears twitching with joy, and he blinks when a large swarm of butterflies suddenly appears in front their boat before quickly filling the entire room. Jongin briefly wonders if they're real or fake, but he figures he gets his answer when he grabs one and stuffs it in his mouth.

Sehun only sighs before pulling Jongin closer, the latter grinning up at him with stars in his eyes. The colorful grass and flowers nearly take Sehun's breath away as a purple butterfly lands on his hand. It flutters its wings before he carefully lifts his arm and brings it close to Jongin's head. Sehun only watches in awe as it hops from his hand to the top of Jongin's head before it perches itself on the black strands. It proceeds to flutter its wings, which in turn makes Jongin giggle after one of them grazes and tickles his ear. Its bright purple wings seem to tint Jongin's bangs and eyelashes a dazzling violet. Sehun has to restrain himself from kissing Jongin's face all over in fear of the butterfly possibly getting startled and flying away. 

Swatting the air in front of him, Chanyeol eventually gives up on trying to shoo the butterflies, which seem to be taking a great liking to his face, away, before huffing and covering his head with his plushie. "When's it over," he grumbles, mainly to himself, after he hears Jongin giggle at something Sehun just said.

Jongin nuzzles his face in the crook of Sehun's neck, the purple butterfly still perched on his head as he inhales Sehun's perfume. Jongin isn't entirely sure if it's his spinning head messing with him or not, but he's pretty sure he can smell the sweetness of the flowers surrounding them, and he unconsciously reaches up and gently pats his ear. The flower that Sehun gave him earlier is still there, much to his relief, since Jongin would be devastated if he ended up losing it in the water. 

Jongin is seconds away from searching for a (preferably yellow) butterfly to give to Sehun when the latter suddenly connects their lips after Jongin turns his head to face him. Chanyeol briefly worries that they might fall overboard when Jongin subsequently flinches so hard that the entire boat shakes, but if Chanyeol is going to be honest, he sort of wishes they had all fallen overboard after Jongin and Sehun proceed to engage in what Chanyeol can only describe as another face eating session, right in front of him. They seemingly refuse to acknowledge Chanyeol's groans of protest before he pulls out his phone again.

A swarm of butterflies surround Chanyeol's head and the latter squawks. "Don't be a scaredy," Jongin giggles as he drapes his legs across Sehun's thighs. They exit the tunnel and Jongin momentarily hears Chanyeol complain about how cold it is, but Jongin doesn't even notice due to how tight Sehun is squeezing him. All it does is remind Jongin of how Sehun held him when they made love for the first time, and Jongin barely hears Chanyeol's irritated huff of 'These goddamn insects, man' as he nuzzles his face in Sehun's shoulder. 

"I'm not scared, you utter asswipe," Chanyeol groans and fights the urge to smack Jongin in the back of the head. The sweet smell of the water and overly romantic music playing in the background is enough to give him cavities. He swats a butterfly when it nearly flies into his eyes, only to blink when it ends up falling in the water. Chanyeol seriously hopes that Jongin doesn't see it.

Jongin only hums something in reply as he watches the swarm of colorful butterflies before them (whilst praying he doesn't accidentally inhale one of them). Suddenly, Jongdae's face pops into Jongin's head, which is closely followed by Luhan's face when they met after the latter escaped - a year before they'd meet again. Over the sounds of birds chirping, Jongin swallows when he recalls scratching his recent foster mother across the cheek before she shoved him out of the house for good and slammed the door in his face. Now, Jongin isn't sure if it's the beauty of the swans gracefully swimming around in front of them, but he finds himself blinking in surprise after a certain warmth explodes in his chest when Sehun his hair. Even though he's at least 100% sure the pink water must be laced with something, Jongin finds himself gripping Sehun's arm tighter, because all he can think about is how incredibly lucky he is to have somebody like Sehun.

A boyfriend like Sehun. 

A family like Sehun. 

It's the feeling of somebody tapping his shoulder that s Jongin back into reality, and he blinks when he looks up and comes face to face with the young girl managing the ride. She briefly tells him, for the fifth time, to exit the boat so other people can get a turn, before she steps aside and gestures at the platform. It doesn't take Jongin long to realize that pretty much every single person waiting in line is staring right at him, and Sehun has to walk over and usher Jongin out of the boat when the latter only flattens his ears and remains frozen in his seat.

"Okay, so like," Chanyeol says as he watches Sehun envelope Jongin in a tight hug. "Just getting it out there, if you buy this, I'm gonna murder you both and dump your bodies in the woods." He groans to himself as he looks at the picture on the monitor before him. Chanyeol figures that it doesn't get more third-wheeley than this; Sehun and Jongin embracing each other in the front seat with their lips locked, whilst Chanyeol sits in the back with his plushie draped across his lap whilst scrolling on his phone. Jongin and Sehun walk up to the counter and Chanyeol fights the impulse to shove them both off the platform when they erupt in a fit of childish giggles. "Okay, first of all, shut the up, you lowkey forced me to-"

"Can you buy it??" Jongin squees, ignoring the way Chanyeol groans in protest as he repeatedly pokes Sehun's arm. "Pleasepleasepleaseplease--" Jongin only giggles when Chanyeol rolls his eyes. Jongin stares at the monitor with hearts in his eyes and doesn't notice Chanyeol trying to (only half jokingly) bribe Sehun into not buying the photos (and subsequently fails). Inevitably, Sehun does end up buying the photo, and Jongin only beams whilst Chanyeol fights the urge to slam dunk them both into the water and run them over with one of the boats.

Sehun receives the photo inside an envelope that he protects with everything he's got, especially given the fact that Chanyeol is sending him death glares every chance he gets. Sehun tucks the envelope under his arm whilst holding his plushie in his other hand. It's not until he looks around, and sees how much the sky has darkened, that he realizes that time really does fly by when you're having fun. As he hears Chanyeol mumble to himself, Sehun lifts his arm to check his watch before Jongin suddenly pokes his arm.

"I lost my balloon," Jongin whines and tugs on Sehun's sleeve until the latter looks up and sees the gift shop only a few feet away. "I wanna-"

"Sehun's already bought you so much stuff," Chanyeol chuckles and pats Jongin's head. "Maybe you should get him something for a change, y'know?" he adds with a laugh. He shrugs when Sehun sends him a harsh glare. "I mean, it's only fair, right? Don't gimme that look, last time I checked, I wasn't the one humiliating my friends by--" Chanyeol gestures at the envelope tucked under Sehun's arm before rolling his eyes. "Nevermind."

Jongin blinks. Last time he checked, love and affection was the best thing one could ever give somebody, but he figures he's been wrong all this time. "But-"

"He's just kidding," Sehun quickly says and pats Jongin's head. "And--" He nearly stumbles when Jongin suddenly dumps his Winnie the Pooh plushie in his arms before he scampers off towards the gift shop. Sehun and Chanyeol can only watch as Jongin throws the door open and rushes inside. They're both silent for a moment until Sehun sighs and runs a hand down his face. "What'd you do now." 

"Me?" Chanyeol squawks. "I was just trying to--" He huffs before eyeing the darkening clouds. "I mean, at least he'll learn that life isn't all about taking and getting, y'know?" Even though it's nearly five o'clock, he can still see hoards of people flooding through the entrance a few feet away, which he finds kind of strange. Chanyeol runs a hand through his hair, which is damp for some reason. "I mean, look, what's the worst that could--" He cuts himself off when the door to the gift shop opens and Jongin comes running towards them, and Chanyeol automatically sighs when he sees the wide grin on Jongin's face. "."

Sehun opens his mouth to speak when Jongin stands in front of him, but he quickly clamps it shut when he sees the cluster of helium balloons floating behind Jongin's back. Sehun eyes their colorful strings and strange shapes and colors before clearing his throat (because he's entirely unable to complain when Jongin's gleeful smile is less than ten inches from his face). "Uh, what have you-"

"They're for you!!" Jongin squees and holds up the balloons in front of Sehun's face. There's at least a hundred of them (which makes Chanyeol blink in awe) and Sehun sort of worries Jongin might accidentally let go of some of them as he reluctantly wraps his fingers around the mass of strings. "This one's my favorite!" Jongin says and Sehun only tightens his grip when the former proceeds to point to the biggest ballon. It's bright pink, heart shaped and glittering so much that Chanyeol fights the urge to put his sunglasses back on.

Sehun clears his throat and hands Jongin his plushie before gripping the strings with both hands. Sehun is momentarily worried that he might take off and float up into the sky given just how many balloons there are, but he only chuckles and kisses Jongin's cheek. "How thoughtful of you," he hums and he's in the midst of wondering exactly how they're going to be able to cram fifty balloons inside the taxi later, when a thought hits him. Chanyeol, who apparently notices the look on Sehun's face, only sighs. "Uh, you-- Wait, did they let you--" Sehun cuts himself off when somebody opens the door to the gift shop, and figures he knows the answer when a female employee sends him a less than friendly look.

After a brief dispute (which mainly consisted of Jongin repeatedly accusing the young girl of trying to 'steal' Sehun's love from him after she demanded they return the balloons immediately), Sehun ends up paying for solely the heart shaped balloon before apologizing and handing her the rest, some of which she ends up accidentally letting go of (which has Chanyeol laughing perhaps a little too loudly), before she disappears back inside the shop. Jongin only eyes her with pure hostility until Sehun ruffles his hair and assures him that he's much happier with just one balloon than fifty. Chanyeol momentarily suggests that they try out the infamous ferris wheel, but it's not until Jongin proceeds to sit in a cross legged position on the (alarmingly filthy) ground, before emitting an incoherent string of whines, that Sehun figures that it's probably time to wrap it up for the day.

Chanyeol only huffs after Sehun goes on to explain that Jongin is probably a little too tired to go on any more rides. "He doesn't look that tired to me," he mumbles, not even believing his own words as he gestures at Jongin, who only tugs on the hem of Sehun's jeans whilst muttering something about the young girl trying to steal Sehun from him. "Sheesh, he's hopping on both feet when he wants to do things that I don't wanna do, but when I wanna do something for once, he's like, entirely knocked out," Chanyeol bitterly mumbles, and Sehun figures that Jongin seemingly isn't the only one who's getting tired. "No fair."

Sehun only shrugs before bending down and telling Jongin to get up, considering how filthy the ground is (Sehun seriously sympathizes with whoever has to clean the park after closing hours). Instead of getting to his feet and following Sehun to the gates, however, Jongin only emits another drawn out whine before he curls up at Sehun's feet, the latter quickly grabbing Jongin's plushie to prevent it from getting dirty. Even though people are sending Jongin looks of pure adoration as they walk past, Jongin still hides his face behind Sehun's legs as he lies mere inches from a large slushie puddle, all whilst irritatedly jabbing Sehun's shins with closed fists. Sehun only chuckles low in his throat before he sends Chanyeol off towards the gates to hail a cab.

It's not until Chanyeol waves them over a minute later that Sehun bends down, trying not to drop the plushies and envelope (or loosen the grip on his balloon) as he gently nudges Jongin. Sehun proceeds to tell Jongin that it's time to head home so they can rest before dinner, only to sigh when Jongin repeatedly tells Sehun that he isn't, in fact, tired, whilst irritatedly tugging on the hem of Sehun's pants and writhing around on the ground like a fish out of water. Sehun decides not to remind Jongin about all the sugar he's had before nudging him again, since Chanyeol is beginning to send them annoyed looks from his spot by the gates. A group of blonde women walk towards them and Jongin possessively coils his tail around Sehun's ankle almost painfully, refusing to let go even after they're long gone.

Hearing Chanyeol holler their names, Sehun sighs when he realizes that he's entirely unable to move, given Jongin's iron grip around his legs. "Jongin, get up, our taxi's waiting," he says. Sehun just hopes that Chanyeol is doing a good job at stalling the driver as he ruffles Jongin's hair. A man and woman dressed as Aladdin and Princess Jasmine send Jongin friendly waves as they walk by, the latter only whining in response.

Jongin only swats Sehun's hand away. "I'm not tired, I'm not tired, I'm not tired," he whines and Sehun has to hush him after a group of children turn their heads and laugh. "I'm not tired, I don't wanna go home, I don't wanna--" He forcefully tugs on the hem of Sehun's jeans, which nearly causes the latter to stumble. "I don't wanna go home, I wanna go on the ferris wheel, I don't wanna go home, I'm not tired, I don't wanna go home, I don't wanna go home!!" Jongin whines, not having the energy to yell as he repeatedly jabs Sehun's ankles with his fist. A little girl trips over his legs and accidentally steps on his tail, and Jongin, with no energy left to scratch her, only groans before kicking his legs in irritation, which knocks her right off her feet. Her loud crying only makes Jongin whine whilst Sehun apologizes to her parents.

After numerous attempts to lift Jongin to his feet with no success, Sehun suddenly remembers his little trick on the plane earlier, and he manages to free himself from Jongin's grip before he wordlessly walks away and leaves Jongin on the ground. It's not until a large group of tourists walk towards Jongin and proceed to ask him if he's lost that Jongin freezes, and surely enough, he's scrambling to his feet and speeding towards Sehun like a bullet less than two seconds later.

--

Sehun was definitely right about Jongin being drop dead exhausted, because not only did Jongin end up falling asleep in the taxi (before he was even fully seated), but Sehun was entirely unable to wake him after they pulled up to the front of their hotel half an hour later. Sehun, after (sort of) convincing Chanyeol, eventually had to carry Jongin towards the lobby. It turned out to be much easier said than done, given Jongin's deep sleep, which only made Chanyeol feeling like he was carrying a limp sack of potatoes. It wasn't until they reached the main entrance that Chanyeol whirled around and proceeded to chase after the taxi, which was already halfway down the road, after they ended up forgetting their plushies in the back seat.

Sehun figured that Jongin probably would have kept sleeping even if an earthquake struck, if it wasn't for the German Shepherd that loudly barked at them once they entered the lobby. Chanyeol resorted to standing safely off to the side whilst he watched Sehun chase Jongin around for twenty minutes, after the latter jolted awake, scrambled out of Sehun's arms, and rushed to hide behind the front desk in a blind panic.

After they finally managed to convince Jongin to come out from underneath one of the tables behind the reception, after reassuring him that the man with the dog was, in fact, gone, Sehun promptly refused to let go of Jongin's arm until they reached the elevators. Chanyeol immediately regretted not taking the (six flights of) stairs the minute Jongin proceeded to talk about how badly he wanted Sehun to make love to him inside an elevator, to which the latter responded by kissing him square on the lips. Chanyeol mentally beat himself up for choosing to leave his earphones in his suitcase whilst he endured the longest and most excrutiating elevator ride of his entire life. On the other hand, Jongin ended up tripping over the threshold after they reached their floor, after refusing to stop attacking Sehun's face with kisses, so Chanyeol figures that they're all on good terms, after all. Despite that, the latter practically scrambled towards his own room after they parted ways.

"Can we swim in the pool???" Jongin asks and Sehun figures that all the energy must have returned to Jongin's body thanks to the latter's half hour long nap as he frantically points to the sign on the wall. "Can we??" He pulls on Sehun's hand as he tries dragging the latter in the opposite direction, only to blink when Sehun shakes his head. "But I can swim well!! And-"

"You didn't even bring your trunks," Sehun chuckles, knowing that he won't allow Jongin to step foot anywhere near a swimming pool until he's done his research on the relationship between cats and chlorine. "Maybe some other time, I promise." Sehun kisses Jongin's lips after they curl into a pout. "Now let's get some rest before we meet up Chanyeol for dinner, alright?" He gently ushers Jongin away from the sign and makes a mental note to keep an extra eye on Jongin whenever the latter heads out to explore the hotel, since the door to the pool area seems to be unlocked. 

The pink balloon grazes the ceiling as they make their way down the hallway, and Jongin eagerly asks if he can swipe the card when they reach their room. He manages to unlock the door after a few attempts before bouncing inside, every ounce of fatigue seemingly gone without a trace as he skips over to the minibar and helps himself to a can of soda and a bag of chocolate wafers. Sehun reminds Jongin not to spoil his appetite as he unties his shoelaces, and Sehun doesn't even realize how stiff his legs are from all the walking he's done (or being crammed inside a tiny boat for twenty whole minutes) until he sits down on the edge of the bed. The loud sound of Jongin chewing breaks the silence shortly after and Sehun sends him a look. "Don't stuff your face, we've got a reservation at seven, remember?" 

Jongin giggles before swallowing. He figures that no matter how much he eats, he'll always have room for pizza, and he simply runs a hand through his hair before perching himself on a chair. "Don't tell me things I already know," he whines and nearly falls right out of his seat when Sehun proceeds to slide his shirt over his head. "What are you-"

"You should change your clothes," Sehun says as he walks over to Jongin's blue suitcase and retrieves the latter's baby pink blouse. Sehun tosses it at Jongin and only chuckles when it lands right on top of his head. Sehun figures that if they weren't so short on time, he would wash his hair, given that it's most likely stained with dirty theme park water. He makes a mental note to do so after they get back as he changes into a black T-shirt. "You don't want to enter the restauraunt smelling like fries and cotton candy, just saying."

"I don't smell like fries and cotton candy," Jongin retorts, words muffled as he stuffs a handful of wafers in his mouth. He eyes the balloon, which is stuck to the ceiling, as he buttons his blouse. It's a little too tight for his liking, but Jongin can tell that Sehun definitely isn't feeling the same way. Jongin only blushes after Sehun sends him a wink before he stares at the silver ring on his finger. The image of Cinderella and her prince pops up in his head and Jongin fights the urge to rip his blouse into pieces when he worries he might actually suffocate to death. "I'm gonna miss Baekhyun," he mutters, polishing the ring with his right thumb.

Sehun stills before he sighs. He's quiet for a minute, and the only thing he can think about is the email Baekhyun sent him and Chanyeol yesterday, in which the former briefly elaborated his reasons behind his decision to resign and how much he'd miss Sehun in particular. The entire room falls into silence before Sehun sighs again. "So am I," he says after a while, as he watches Jongin's ears droop. 

"I'm gonna miss him always giving me candy and being nice," Jongin whines, not even bothering to mask the sad sigh that escapes his lips. He grabs Sehun's hand when the latter walks over and takes a seat next to him. "Do you think Jongdae will be nice like Chanyeol after they let him out of the hospital?" he asks and blinks when Sehun clears his throat. "I mean, maybe Baekhyun will forgive him and choose to come back, right??" The hopeful glint that subsequently flashes in his eyes disappears as soon as it came when Sehun quickly shakes his head. "Why not???"

Sehun doesn't say anything for a whole minute. "It's hard to say and I know you're not going to agree or understand," he says. He sighs and keeps his gaze locked on the pink balloon stuck to the ceiling before making a mental note to scold Chanyeol for telling Jongin, even though Sehun figures that Jongin would have found out on his own, anyway. "But Jongdae's, he's just...he's ed up," Sehun sighs, not even bothering to censor himself since he knows that Jongin already knows the word thanks to Chanyeol. "And Baekhyun has every right not to forgive him." Sehun sort of wants to mention that Luhan does, too, but decides against it.

Jongin pouts as he rests his head on Sehun's shoulder. "But it doesn't have to be like that, right??" he asks before his stomach growls. Sehun has to place a hand on his shoulder before he can get out of his chair and raid the minibar again. "I mean, you said Chanyeol did bad things and that you wouldn't forgive him, but you forgave him since you talked to him, right???" Jongin looks up at Sehun and the puzzled innocence glittering in his eyes almost has Sehun screaming at the top of his lungs. "So I think you should talk to Baekhyun so he can talk to Jongdae, and maybe they'll forgive each other if-"

"I'm afraid that's not going to work," Sehun quickly says and runs a hand through Jongin's hair. He hasn't spoken to Baekhyun since the latter's email, and he doesn't think he's going to ever again (aside from wishing the latter good luck with his new job), but Sehun definitely wouldn't be all that surprised if it turned out that Baekhyun would rather throw himself off a bridge than have to look at Jongdae's face again (mainly because Sehun feels the same exact way). Sehun is silent for a minute. "And the difference between Chanyeol and Jongdae is that Chanyeol made a mistake and Jongdae is just...always horrible, I guess," he says and unconsciously pulls Jongin closer when he thinks of how the latter scratched Jongdae in the face months ago. The thought of what Jongdae possibly would have done to Jongin if he hadn't interfered instantly makes Sehun nauseous. He has to take a few deep breaths to steady himself before Jongin speaks.

"But both of those are bad, right??" Jongin asks, confusion apparent in his voice as he frantically attempts to put two and two together. "I mean, you managed to get Chanyeol to forgive you, right?? And he's like, my second boyfriend now," he adds and Sehun doesn't even bother asking him what he means. "So why wouldn't it work with Jongdae??" The air conditioner automatically turns on and Jongin crawls into Sehun's lap when he worries he might freeze to death.

Sehun listens to a group of women laugh as they walk down the hallway, their shrill voices making him want to jump out the window as he snakes his arms around Jongin's waist. "Jongdae was more than just 'bad'," he sighs and shakes his head, not wanting to delve into detail in fear of bursting into tears. Even though Jongdae, strangely enough, seemed to keep his distance in the office, Sehun still caught Jongdae sending him evil scowls every now and then for no apparent reason. "The difference between a mistake and being a downright terrible person is that you can fix a mistake. I mean, not always, but it's what Chanyeol did," Sehun hums against Jongin's hair, suddenly recalling the way his chest trembled as his eyes trailed over the writing inside Chanyeol's card last week. "And it's a difficult thing to do, which is why I forgave him." Cold air hits the back of Sehun's neck as he looks into Jongin's wide, curious eyes. "Jongdae didn't care about fixing his problems, I mean, you could say that he tried fixing his problems by creating more problems, but that's still not deserving of forgiveness, at least in my opinion." 

"But Chanyeol said that his mother saw him cry," Jongin exclaims and latches onto Sehun's arm when he picks up the scent of a dog outside. "I don't think he deserves to be sad, because Chanyeol doesn't deserve to be sad," he adds and playfully tugs on Sehun's hair. 

Sehun sighs as he eyes the ring on Jongin's finger. If Sehun is going to be honest, he highly doubts that even Jongdae himself knows why he cried, but he decides not to tell Jongin. A bird flies past the window and lands on the roof, but Jongin only nuzzles his face in Sehun's arm as he grips the latter's sleeve. "Some people just don't deserve forgiveness," Sehun says as he Jongin's cheek with his thumb. "Some of us go in the right direction and some of us go in the wrong direction, and sometimes there isn't anything we can do about it." He's silent for a minute, and it's not until he realizes that Jongin hasn't said anything for a whole minute that Sehun internally panics. "Wait, I meant-"

"But I think I went in the right direction," Jongin beams and grabs Sehun's hand. "Don't you??? Right??? I did, right??? I think I did!!" He pokes Sehun's cheek until the latter swats his hand away.

It takes Sehun a minute to adjust to the change in subject before he clears his throat. "...What do you-"

"Because you became my boyfriend!!" Jongin squeals, nearly tipping the chair over as he throws his arms around Sehun's neck. "So that means we both went in the right direction! Just like Chanyeol, right??" He grins widely, his ears twitching with joy as he kneads Sehun's chest almost painfully. "I wanna tell Luhan about Jongdae, I think he'll be happy!" Jongin excitedly says and blinks again when Sehun quickly shakes his head.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Sehun softly says whilst Jongin's hair. His back is starting to ache from pressing it up against the back rest, and it suddenly hits him that he's sitting on the map. He doesn't bother moving, though (mainly because his legs might snap off from how numb they are). It's not until Jongin sends him a puzzled look at Sehun sighs. "Some things will always hurt no matter what," Sehun hums, choosing to leave out the part about Luhan learning about Jongdae (which he will, eventually) and possibly feeling guilty. "Like, I'll never forgive Chanyeol for what he did to you, but I forgave him for making a change." Sehun kisses Jongin's neck and only chuckles when he sees the look of utter confusion on Jongin's face.

Jongin nods, even though the puzzled glint refuses to leave his eyes. "I'm gonna miss Baekhyun," he whines, figuring he's in desperate need of a second nap when a wave of fatigue washes over him. He nuzzles his face in the crook of Sehun's neck and tries not to fall asleep as he fiddles with Sehun's watch (which he's probably set to Tokyo time at this point). "I don't want Baekhyun to go in the wrong direction," Jongin adds and Sehun feels his chest tremble at the genuine despair in his voice.

Adjusting the flower behind Jongin's ear, which is still as bright as ever, Sehun smiles. "I don't think you need to think about that," he hums and wipes away the single tear that subsequently rolls down Jongin's cheek. "Hey, look at me." Sehun makes sure that they're locking eyes before he smiles again. "Baekhyun's a great guy, he'll go far in life and he'll certainly find somebody new to make him happy, I don't want you worrying about him, alright?" he softly says. "And I don't want you worrying about Jongdae either, because he's--" Sehun blinks and inwardly smacks himself when Jongin suddenly emits a loud sob. "Wait, I didn't mean to-"

"It's not that," Jongin sniffles before he hastily wipes his eyes. He sort of hates how much his heart is racing and he hopes Sehun doesn't hear it over the sound of the air conditioner rumbling. "I, uh...I don't-- I don't want us to go in the wrong direction," he says after a while, so quietly that Sehun barely catches it. As much as Jongin was planning on staying silent, he finds himself opening his mouth to speak before he can process what he's doing. "Like, I've had so many families that said they loved me and everything, but all of them stopped loving me after I did bad things--" Jongin's ears flatten when he recalls the feeling of hard gravel and mud beneath him when he slept underneath the berry bush in the park. "And I got so scared when you said I couldn't live with you anymore because I thought you stopped loving me like they did, and it made me sad--" A sob loud enough to shake the entire room escapes Jongin's throat, and he mentally smacks himself when he feels hot tears flowing down his face. "Because I wanted us to stay together forever."

Sehun watches Jongin frantically wipe his eyes, not even realizing how dry his mouth is until he opens it to speak after what feels like a year's worth of silence. Except he can't choke out a single word, so Sehun simply wraps his arms around Jongin's waist and prays he doesn't suffocate Jongin to death as he holds him close. As Sehun keeps his eyes on their plushies, both of which are sitting on the bed, he soothingly rubs the small of Jongin's back as the latter sobs into the crook of his neck, all whilst gripping Sehun's shoulders tightly. Sehun eventually has to gently lift Jongin's head until they're locking eyes before closing the space between them, when he worries that Jongin might suffer a nervous breakdown. The salty tears staining Jongin's lips nearly has Sehun worrying that he might suffer a nervous breakdown himself, but he forgets all about it when Jongin subsequently wipes his face.

Jongin swallows as he wipes his face, which he figures must be an ugly, red and splotchy mess, before coiling his tail around Sehun's wrist. "I mean, we don't have to get married," he quietly says whilst playfully jabbing Sehun's chest with a pout. A sob-like chuckle escapes his throat, because he doesn't even believe his own words. "As long as we can stay together forever." Jongin's ears perk up, his face still stained with wet and dry tears as he grins widely. "Can we do it here??" He points to the table behind them, only to erupt in a fit of giggles when Sehun blinks. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding!!! I was just-"

"Is that all you ever think about??" Sehun chuckles and huffs in exasperation, figuring that Chanyeol was definitey right about Jongin being (somewhat) unromantic. His legs are entirely numb at this point but he barely pays it any attention as he gently wipes Jongin's eyes with the back of his hand. "And you know I'd love it if we did," he says whilst checking his watch, "but we've got a reservation in twenty minutes." He sends Jongin an apologetic smile, to which the latter only replies with a low whine, before eyeing the plushies on the bed. Sehun seriously wonders how on Earth they're going to bring them home without sawing them in half and stuffing each half inside their suitcases (or booking two extra plane seats). He shoves the thought aside before kissing Jongin's forehead. 

The white envelope suddenly catches Sehun's eye and he reaches across and grabs it (he's surprised he's even able to move an inch given that his entire body is aching under Jongin's weight). Jongin watches, eyes wide in curiosity, as Sehun carefully opens it up before pulling out the photograph taken inside the tunnel of love. Jongin's eyes quickly fill with stars and Sehun kisses his cheek, which is still wet. Even though he sort of hates himself for it, Sehun finds himself chuckling at Chanyeol at the back, but on the other hand, Sehun knows that he would have done the same exact thing if he were in Chanyeol's place. The butterflies swarming them has Jongin's chest swelling with joy as he recalls Sehun's warm lips pressing against his own, whilst they sat surrounded by swans and colorful flowers. A sudden knock has them both flinching in surprise, and Jongin sticks to Sehun like glue when the latter walks over to the door after carefully putting the photo back inside the envelope.

"Thanks for answering my calls," Chanyeol says in an overly dramatic tone after Sehun opens the door. He has changed back into his black sweater, and Sehun only shrugs sheepishly when Chanyeol proceeds to send him a thumbs up. "Anyway, if you guys're done doing whatever y'all tend to do in there-- Don't tell me." Chanyeol sends Jongin a dark look when the latter opens his mouth to speak. "I'd like to, y'know, get going, cause I'm-" Chanyeol's sentence ends in a low 'Oof!' when Jongin nearly tackles him to the floor in a bone crushing hug. Chanyeol briefly hears Jongin mention something about 'the right direction' before he brushes himself off. "Okay, first of all, don't hug people when they're starving, and secondly, I have no goddamn clue what you're talking about, but I might if we get going like, now." He briefly comments on how 'weird and red' Jongin's eyes are before the latter whacks his shoulder.

Sehun rolls his eyes. "A simple 'I'm hungry' would've sufficed, but sure," he mutters before turning around and grabbing the key card from its slot on the wall. Sehun hears Chanyeol and Jongin discuss what they're planning on doing during their sightseeing trip tomorrow before stuffing the card in his pocket and closing the door. Sehun looks up, only to blink when he realizes that Jongin is nowhere to be seen, and he figures that Jongin must have teleported when he sees the latter bouncing up and down in excitement, whilst frantically pressing the button to the elevators, thirty feet away. Jongin's grin only widens when he sees Sehun, who only chuckles when Jongin proceeds to excitedly wave them over after the elevator doors slide open.

Over the sound of Jongin impatiently calling their names, Sehun looks over at Chanyeol, who only mutters something about how he must be dead from starvation at this point. Sehun only pats Chanyeol's shoulder before they step inside the elevator, which is empty (which Chanyeol sort of hates, and he makes a mental note to kick Jongin out of the elevator if the latter so much as attempts to do anything along the lines of disgusting).

Sehun checks his watch and exhales in relief when he sees that they'll make it just in time. As he listens to Jongin and Chanyeol argue over whether or not pineapple actually belongs on pizza, Sehun feels the inside of his pocket vibrate. The elevator doors close and Sehun Jongin's hair as he pulls out his phone. It's a text from Luhan, which sort of surprises Sehun, considering the fact that they haven't exchanged a single text since October (which consisted of Sehun texting Luhan's phone to make sure he'd gotten the number right). Sehun finds himself staring perhaps a little too long at the attached picture, taken from the monitor displaying the post ride photos, which he figures Jongin must have taken whilst they waited for their photo to be processed.

YOOOOOOOO so jongin sent me this like an hour ago, sorry i couldnt reply :(( i like, fell asleep for 5 hours after we got to the hotel since there was this baby on the plane so i couldn't get to sleep :))))))))  ANYWAY i think i mightve actually died at how practically already married you two are???? im glad i didn't go with you since i'd probably cry both at you guys and myself since i also want a boyfriend now, so thanks for that i guess :D btw if i'd known about the butterflies i would've asked you to bring a jar and sent it to me since free snacks are the bomb (idrk how to put swans in a jar but i bet you'd come up with something) :-)

No but seriously, I kind of sat on the plane this morning and thought about how happy my little jonginnie is nowadays??? like ive never seen him so cheerful and bright until he met you??? I mean he was still a cheerful little let before you, but he's a lot happier now that he's no longer jumping back and forth between a ton of annoying families, you know?? Like it got a little annoying to listen to him ramble on and on about his new foster parents and siblings every single month and year, I literally couldn't keep up after like, the sixth one BUT DONT TELL HIM THAT bc I still think it's a miracle that he met youuuu so don't hate me okay???

i bet you 50000 bucks that jongin's joined the mile high club now btw!! i texted him asking what it was like and never got a reply so could u tell me instead?????? huehuehue

BTW where'd you get those plushies??!!!!!? i didn't see them anywhere when i went -.-''' think yeol will notice if i steal his??? tell him he shouldn't check his phone next time, since i heard there's like, a ton of dangerous electrical stuff beneath the water surface. :)) don't want my friends dying y'know??? especially if they're getting married soon LOL (<--- show that to jongin since he HATES it whenever i write it like that :D) GIVE ME YEOLS NUMBER BTW pls and thank u

Dont sit up front on the scary ride btw, you're like 15 inches too tall for that aka basically asking to get struck by the cannons (i saved the pic jongin sent #sorrynotsorry) :) 

Mom let me buy you guys souvenirs!!!! AND NO it's not those ugly i heart new york shirts, don't worry ;)) we've booked tickets to the empire state building so i'll make sure to send you guys selfies if i don't end up falling and dying :-)

i left my sweater in the playroom, btw, and since you're getting back 2 days before us, feel free to chuck it through our mailbox since mom gave it to me as a birthday gift and she'll be pissed if she finds out i left it there :)))

/L

Sehun's eyes trail across the words on the screen before he types a quick reply (in which he repeatedly begs Luhan not to use the photo of him utterly drenched as blackmail), making a mental note to gift Luhan his Eeyore plushie before sending the text. Sehun figures (and hopes) that Jongin won't be all too upset, since Sehun would much rather have his own warm, life size cat plushie over a stuffed toy any day. 

It's not until they reach the lobby shortly after that Sehun wraps his arms around Jongin's waist, the latter only whining about how much he's craving pizza whilst Sehun runs his thumb across the silver ring on his finger. Chanyeol only chuckles and rolls his eyes when Sehun places a long, loving kiss between Jongin's fuzzy, black ears before the doors slide open.