Thump.

Thump...thump.

Thump.

Jongin sighs in frustration. He rises to the tip of his toes, reaching as high as he can. The ladder he's standing on wobbles, and he grabs a tree branch before he could fall to his possible death—again. This causes more apples to fall off the branch.

"You're bruising them, you !" D.O. shouts from the bottom of the ladder, hand cupping around his mouth. He bends down to pick up the apples Jongin had dropped, brushing the dirt off of them. "...Who even eats Red Delicious?" He grumbles to himself. 

Jongin successfully climbs down the ladder unharmed, exclaiming, "I did it! I didn't drop any this time!" 

D.O. looks unimpressed. "You got one."

"A handsome one," Jongin adds. He places his one good apple in D.O.'s basket, then begins to search for another good tree.

Baekhyun is sure to scold him for the number of bruised apples caused by Jongin, and Jongin only.

"Don't you think I deserve a turn at picking?" D.O. asks from behind him.

Jongin scoffs. "With a height like that?"

D.O. drops his basket. Jongin starts running when he hears D.O.'s footsteps quicken.

The night before, Baekhyun had told Jongin that he planned on giving him and D.O. a job that would force them to cooperate. He claimed it would be a 'bonding experience'. Now that Jongin thinks about it, maybe he was better of telling the prince that there were other ways of going about it.

But he did not have the heart to, so now he reaps the consequences of being chased by a midget, through an apple orchard, at twilight, while laughing and screaming at the same time.

After the sun had made its turn past the sky, the temperature had risen a fair amount. Because of that, D.O. kept his coat off for the rest of the day. It wasn't until then that Jongin had a chance to observe how small D.O. really is.

So small...

Just like Kyungsoo...

...

What would happen if he stopped? Let D.O. catch him? Even for just a second, will he get to know what it's like to fall into Kyungsoo's arms?

His sore lungs order his feet to slow down. His breathing becomes ragged. How far have they even gone?

Jongin turns around, only to have D.O. come crashing into him. The impact knocks the breath out of both of them as they fall to the ground, D.O. on top.

The birds fly away. Any small mammals that might've been near, scurry away. The only thing audible becomes Jongin's own breathing.

Jongin knows it might sound cliché, but...it really does feel like they are the only two left in the world. With D.O.'s face only a few inches from his, his problems, worries, and insecurities all disappear at once.

They stay like this for god knows how long. Jongin's lost track of time. D.O. has his eyes wide open, yet his expression is unreadable. The anger he's felt earlier is now gone. Jongin searches for any emotion other than shock and confusion, but comes back empty-handed.

Then, that small amount of bliss is gone.

He expects something witty to come out of D.O.'s mouth, but nothing comes. He feels D.O.'s weight being lifted off, leaving him with something to be desired. 

By the time Jongin gets on his feet, D.O. is already heading for the basket. The sky is losing its purples and pinks, and it is becoming too dark for Jongin to see past D.O.'s silhouette. 

He rushes to catch up with the protagonist, thinking what did he just do? And for what reason?

D.O. is stiff in his movements. Obviously, he is affected by what happened. Knowing this makes Jongin want to just return back to the room and never have to see D.O. again.

A fat moment of silence ensues. When Jongin opens his mouth to apologize, D.O. suddenly speaks, as if to purposely cut him off. "I didn't really intend to do anything once I caught you."

Jongin stares at him, then faces forward, internally sighing. "I don't know what I was doing either," he admits. "Sorry..."

D.O. seems to lighten up at being apologized to. A slight smile appears on his face. "Don't stress."

"You just really remind me of someone I-...I once knew."

Silence.

"...Are they dead?" D.O. asks quite bluntly.

Jongin holds his breath. Oh, you have no idea. "No, he's alive...I think." He runs a hand through his hair, hoping Kyungsoo hadn't been caught in the middle of the shooting.

D.O. hums in amusement. The conversation ends there. They return to the castle after D.O. insists on picking some apples on his own, to satisfy Baekhyun. Jongin didn't have the heart to tell him that Baekhyun doesn't even like apples.

When they enter through the doors, the prince rushes up to Jongin, taking hold of both his hands. From the sparks in his eyes, Jongin  can tell that Baekhyun wants to ask, "How did it go?"

Acting like he didn't just do the equivalent of farting on the first date, Jongin smiles and gives him a thumbs-up. Baekhyun lights up like a Christmas tree, tightening his grip on Jongin's hands.

"Chanyeol is in the dining room, make sure to say hi," Baekhyun whispers before turning his attention on D.O, who is standing beside him.

Chanyeol?!

Jongin's eyes widen. He puts down the apple basket and sprints as fast as he can to the dining room. His footsteps echo throughout the castle walls, his shoes occasionally squeaking against the marble flooring. 

If this 'Chanyeol' looks like his best friend, Jongin's theory can be completely confirmed.

Said prince was in Baekhyun's seat, eating a slice of the same cake. He is unbothered by Jongin's arrival, shamelessly loading his cheeks with strawberry shortcake like he's been starved.

Jongin doesn't know what made him, but he shouts, "Yeol!" as soon as he sees the man.

This catches Chanyeol's full attention. He watches in curiosity as Jongin marches over, grabs his chin and leans in to inspect his face.

Holy smokes, it really is Chanyeol. Same hair, same eyes, same stupid face...It was like he just decided to put on a fancy suit.

Chanyeol drops his fork and swallows his cake, Adam's Apple traveling far. Rightfully, he looks taken aback. Not the, 'you've-just-violated-my-personal-space' kind of shock, but a genuine, innocent one.

The next thing Jongin knows, Chanyeol suddenly leans in and touches his lips against Jongin's.

What..?

It takes Jongin a few seconds to register, but when he gains back his control, he shoves the prince away. "What the ?!" he yells, aggressively wiping his mouth with a sleeve.

Chanyeol stares at him. "What?"

"You don't just take someone's first kiss right after meeting them!"

"That was yer first?"

God, he sounds just like Chanyeol.

"Yes, dimwit!"

"..." Chanyeol's mouth hangs open. "Oh, my bad...you were sorta actin' like you wanted to..."

Jongin almost blushes. He puts his hands on his cheeks to cool them down.

That really was his first. And to think he would lose it to his best friend out of all people is the most absurd thing. It doesn't help that Chanyeol is actually quite good-looking.

Jongin internally slaps himself. No, he's not! Chanyeol's the ugliest er I've come across. For sure!

Baekhyun walks in, D.O. following closely. "I heard sh