It’s so, so good to be back home, Joshua thinks. While he would have loved to stay with his family than in their hotel, he can’t be too mad when he got to see his mother yesterday. Joshua takes a deep breath of the LA air and relaxes, smiling contentedly to himself.

He’s taking in the sun as Jeonghan takes in the sites besides him. It’s one of their off days, where they can do whatever they want (within reason) before they have to prepare for their schedule. Joshua immediately offered to show Jeonghan around at the same time the other playfully demanded to be toured.  

They’re walking around an outdoor mall just hanging out and enjoying the weather. Joshua plans to take Jeonghan to a park that’s close by next; he’s trying to think of places that they can go to where they could get recognized the least.

They’re walking closely together and Joshua stares straight ahead when he slips his hand into Jeonghan’s, who immediately laces their fingers together. Jisoo glances back at him and can’t help but smile. Jeonghan smiles back at him and it’s one, two, three seconds before they’re giggling to themselves, high on the fresh air and the sunshine honey atmosphere. It’s so nice to be able to hold hands out in the open without the overlying worry of fans finding them at every corner.

Jisoo leads them into a cafe Jeonghan points to and they settle to eat lunch.

Later, after stuffing their faces with probably too much sugar than their diet allows, Joshua leads them to the closest park, hands intertwined still. They stroll around, just enjoying the peacefulness of spending time together outside and listen to the background music of the city: kids shrieking as they run around, the pounding of feet meeting asphalt as joggers run by, the rustle of the leaves when the breeze blows through the trees.

Jeonghan stops by a wall of flowers to take it all in. Being in an urban space is familiar but the novelty of being in another city -Jisoo’s city at that- makes it unfamiliar in the best of ways. He wants to learn this city just as he’s learned Jisoo, like Jisoo has learned him. While it has been a little annoying not being able to communicate as freely as he would like, Jeonghan gains a new respect for Joshua for coming to Korea even though korean was a second language used only at home and barely knowing two characters.

Jeonghan inhales deeply as he looks up at the clouds and bathes in the warm sun. He opens his mouth to say something when he stumbles in place at the sudden pain in his knee and his palm.

Jeonghan windmills his arms to stop from falling and spies Joshua brushing the dust off his pants and quickly getting to his feet. He goes over to Jeonghan to make sure he’s okay.

“Did you just trip?” Jeonghan can’t even say that straight, he’s too busy trying to hold in his laughter.

“...Shut up.” Jisoo’s face is so red but he’s smiling and he starts to laugh and now Jeonghan can’t stop giggling because he’s so happy in this moment and Joshua keeps poking at his sides and it’s just such a good day.

[ For the record, Joshua did trip because he was too busy looking at Jeonghan and didn’t see the raised bit of sidewalk when he was walking, but Jeonghan doesn’t need to know this. ]

thank you all for reading! the last chapter should be up before the end of the week! ^0^