The lights sparkled and twirled hypnotically, burning rebelliously bright through the surrounding darkness, and Kyungsoo felt exactly as he’d hoped he would. The reassuring warmth against his side made the nineteen year old feel grounded, and he linked arms with the man beside him as they continued to share a cloud of cotton candy.

It was Saturday, only two days after Jongin had asked the younger out, and now they were both walking through the bustling crowds at Ilsan Lake Park. Kyungsoo liked how fast Jongin worked, even though he knew it was just a coincidence that the carnival rolled into town the weekend after the musician had mentioned his love of amusement parks. He was going to take it as a sign, though, choosing to think it was simply meant to be.

“Ooh!” Kyungsoo squealed merrily, pulling Jongin aside to a stall. He quickly handed over a ticket he’d purchased earlier, getting handed three ping pong balls in return.

“Do you have a strategy for this one?” The second year asked, referencing an earlier conversation where the singer had explained his favoured approaches for the different carnival games.

“Mhmm,” Kyungsoo hummed, holding an orange ball at the open mouth of the rotating plastic clown, turning his head to glance up at the law student. Jongin was pressed up against his back, the flocks of people around them pushing them together. The shorter enjoyed the excuse to have the taller draped over him, and guessing from the sure hold on his waist, Jongin liked it too. “Right, left, right. That way you get all three in the very middle.”

The older only laughed in response, but any scepticism he may have had dissipated when the younger won twenty more park tickets. Jongin tried the same game afterwards and received a small penguin keychain. He gave it to the cute first year who promised to use it for his dorm key.

The two continued to walk through the lively atmosphere, both discussing the first portion of ‘January Joyriders’ that Kyungsoo had read. The singer gushed about the ballet dancer’s son who seemed so kind and helpful towards the investigation, and Jongin tried to stop himself from admitting that the boy the music major adored turns out to be the murderer.

Kyungsoo soon lost track of the conversation, seeing a mop of dishevelled black locks leaning on a close by photobooth. The short man was alone, reading something on his phone but glanced up and around every few seconds. They locked gazes.

“Hey, isn’t that Jongdae?” The nineteen year old sent the third year a smile as Jongin followed his line of sight. “You’ve not introduced us, let’s go talk to him.”

The second year started to stutter a refusal to the idea, but was already being dragged by the shorter, who was beyond excited to meet the adoptive brother. Jongdae, who saw the very obvious path towards him the pair were making, looked a little like he was a deer caught in the headlights.

“Hi, I’m Kyungsoo!” The shortest greeted. His voice was loud, but he still clung to Jongin’s arm. The ‘siblings’ exchanged looks, and though the younger looked worried, the eldest composed himself in record time.

“Yeah, I know exactly who you are.” A cheeky smile was accompanied by a teasing eyebrow raise, before he pointed to himself with his thumb. “Jongdae. I’m Romeo’s older bro, but you probably know all that. I’m sure he talks about me all the time.”

All three laughed, and Kyungsoo was so relieved the third year was as friendly as he seemed at first glance. He was glad Jongin had at least one member of his family that seemed to really care. Kyungsoo pushed down the pang of jealousy.

“So, Jongdae, what are you up to tonight?” *Conversations had always been the best distractions. Jongdae seemed surprised by the question, looking to Jongin before answering.

“Uh, yeah. Just waiting to meet up with some friends, actually.” He gestured to the phone in his hands and Kyungsoo nodded, thinking that explained the constant glancing around.

Jongin cleared his throat, as if about to speak, when he was interrupted by a boisterous yell. Another figure swept him aside, disentangling his arm from Kyungsoo’s. The taller made a noise of protest.

“Kyungie-Kyungie-Soo-Soo!” A short, auburn-haired man ran to hug the aforementioned. He let go, only to start pinching the singer’s cheeks. “How have you been?”

“G-good.” Kyungsoo replied, his tone devoid of the previous enthusiasm he showcased while speaking with Jongdae. He leaned away from the newcomer’s grasp, rubbing his reddened cheeks. “Thanks for asking.”

“Uh, hi..?” The second year interjected, taking the attention of the short man -boy?- away from the pouting first year. “I’m Jongin, Kyungsoo’s boyfriend.”

The music major flushed further, his soured mood restored ten-fold. Jongin considered them officially boyfriends? Kyungsoo almost floated up and away into the atmosphere. He was no longer just any old Kyungsoo, he was now Jongin’s boyfriend Kyungsoo. Baekhyun had been downright ecstatic when he found out about the date (especially after Wednesday’s false alarm, thanks Chanyeol), so he was probably going to flatline after hearing that they were now legit boyfriends.

“Jongin, this is Mark. Mark, Jongin and Jongin’s brother, Jongdae.” Kyungsoo snapped himself out of his excited thoughts in order to introduce everyone. He spoke with renewed enthusiasm, unable to stop himself from smiling. “Mark is Minseok’s ex.”

Mark gasped but tried to subtly turn it into a cough. He was clearly appalled by the description, and so told the other two he was doing third year engineering to divert their attention. Jongin was surprised to hear this, considering he looked even younger than the nineteen year old. But then again, Minseok also looked young for his age. Maybe they had bonded over it.

“How long have you known Minseok? If you don’t mind me asking.” Jongdae re-entered the discussion, earning Mark’s full attention for the first time.

“Minnie? Oh, we’ve known each other since first year. We go way back.” Mark laughed airily, his smile tight. Kyungsoo cringed, he probably shouldn’t have brought up the business major now that he thought about it…

“Funny, I don’t think he’s mentioned you before.” Jongdae frowned in thought, tilting his head slightly. He caught Jongin’s eyes then immediately straightened up. “Not that we really talk.”

Mark turned to fully face the other, a glint in his eye. An interest that only sparks when Minseok is mentioned, no matter that the two broke up approximately two years prior. Kyungsoo found it pretty sad actually, how Mark was obviously still infatuated with the other third year, even though they hadn’t dated for that long in the first place. He only hoped the elder would stop following Minseok around like a lost puppy someday. For both of their sakes.

“You speak as if you know him pretty well yourself. So, if not talking, how do you spend your time?” Mark crossed his arms, turning his back on the other pair entirely. Jongin saw an opening.

“Okay, we’ll leave you two to it. Nice meeting you, Mark.” The lawyer in training didn’t forget his manners as he offered his arm again to Kyungsoo. The younger accepted it graciously, relieved to be leaving the suddenly tense situation. When the musician had also said farewell, the couple made a quick escape, slipping into the crowd and not turning to look back at the photobooth.

Jongin let out a relieved sigh when they had rounded a corner, with neither of the other two choosing to follow them. Laughter bubbled up in Kyungsoo’s chest thinking about how absurd Mark’s entrance had been, and he pressed further into the older’s side when a group of teenage girls tried to squeeze passed them on the packed walkway.

“Do you want to get some food?” The taller whispered in Kyungsoo’s ear, the screaming from the ride ‘The Phoenix’ drowning out any more casual attempts of communication. That didn’t stop the tingles that zapped down the younger’s back, however, when he felt the warm puffs of air directly on his neck.

Kyungsoo stopped himself from simply nodding, wanting to tease the elder back. He leaned up, directing Jongin with a hand to the second year’s jaw, tracing it with light fingertips. As he moved closer, he his lips in anticipation and saw the taller watching the action with a parted mouth.

“I would love to,” Kyungsoo whispered back, his second hand bracing himself against the other’s chest. He descended slowly, seeing a ripple flutter across Jongin’s shoulders as a shiver passed through him. The singer smiled sweetly up at the soccer player.

Jongin took a deep breath, nodding as he looked over other people’s heads. He seemed to find whatever he was looking for, and boldly draped his arm over the shorter’s shoulders as he began to lead the way. Kyungsoo thought he preferred just linking arms, but when he s his own arm around the second year’s waist and felt the perfect curve for his limb to fit, he quickly changed his mind. It was fully night-time and pretty cold out, but the singer was hugging a living heater, so he found himself not minding the weather. In fact, it gave him a pretty good excuse to cuddle that much closer.

“Bungeoppang?” Jongin asked once they'd veered off the main path, waiting by a line in front of a small vendor. Even the mere smell of the doughy batter had the younger salivating. The fried snack was the perfect thing for a chilly night.

Kyungsoo nodded vigorously, looking over the various filling options. Once he decided, the two ordered their food, and the younger paid for a packet of pepero as a last-minute decision as well.

“You're not going to make us eat one from both ends and meet in the middle, are you?” The taller piqued an eyebrow as he looked down at the shorter. Kyungsoo was seeing more and more of the somewhat sassy side to the elder, and he was quickly growing to really like the unexpected aspect.

“Pfft, as if I’m sharing.” The younger stopped himself from smiling as he looked forward, knowing if he held eye-contact with the law major he would burst into a grin.

The pair collected their food, and Kyungsoo suggested they eat while on the Ferris wheel. The musical student loved everything about funfairs, but Ferris wheels were indisputably his favourite. Jongin readily agreed, and so the couple headed off to enjoy their snack in the sky.

The queue had turned out to be far longer than they expected, and so the college students decided to just eat in the line only five minutes into waiting. The cuisine was incredible, and Kyungsoo had never enjoyed sweet fish cakes as much as when he had them that night, with Jongin by his side. He did find it pretty embarrassing, though, when the red bean paste had dripped on his chin without him noticing, and Jongin had to wipe it off for him. Well, embarrassing in a kind of nice way. The couple had been so caught up in each other’s eyes during the encounter, that a sixty year old lady had smacked Jongin upside the head to keep them moving along in the queue. In the end, the taller had been the more abashed out of the two.

The bright green carriage was small, and so the pair got it all to themselves. On the way up Kyungsoo felt a familiar churn in his stomach and he gripped the sleeve of Jongin’s denim jacket tightly, the taller giving him a questioning look in return.

“I may be a teensy bit afraid of heights.”

“Then why is the Ferris wheel your favourite part of amusement parks?”

“The fear. The danger. You could say I’m a bit of a daredevil.” Both laughed, and seeing Jongin’s bright smile and hearing his adorable chuckles made Kyungsoo feel more calm than he thought possible, given their elevation. The idea quickly occurred to him: that the nineteen year old could attempt almost anything scary, if he had the older with him. In his opinion, the strength of his emotions to feel such a way was what was truly scary. They had only known each other for five months; how did he feel so comfortable around the other?

Kyungsoo turned his head to look out the window, not wanting Jongin to see the sudden disappearance of his smile. The younger had a bad habit of getting attached to people too quickly, and it rarely led to stable and healthy friendships with people, let alone relationships. He only hoped he wasn’t falling too hard. Or at least that Jongin wouldn’t take advantage of his attachment. Hah, what am I thinking, Kyungsoo berated himself, Jongin is amazing, he would never do that.

“You can see all of Ilsandong-gu from up here,” the shorter said when he finally noticed the view right in front of him, his voice betraying his absolute wonder. The carriage had reached the apex of its journey, and the twinkling glitter of city lights couldn’t be distinguished from the stars above. The horizon was impossible to find, and the singer found himself preferring it that way; the transformation from human to otherworldly perfectly seamless.

Jongin hummed in distracted amazement. Kyungsoo let his gaze fall from the spectacle outside his window, his eyes searching for the older. When he turned, he saw the other already watching him. There was a glaze in his eyes that Kyungsoo had always wished to have directed to him. His smile returned.

“I’m glad you came.” Jongin looked vulnerable as he spoke, his expression so earnest that the younger swallowed down his joke about only attending for the chance of free food.

“I’m glad, too,” Kyungsoo replied, shuffling away from the window and closer to the man next to him, grabbing the other’s larger hand in his own. He fiddled with the tanned fingers, looking down as he continued, thinking back to their conversation with Mark and Jongdae. “So… ‘boyfriend’...”

“I hope you didn’t mind me calling myself that.” The law major’s tone was even more gentle, but with a smile clear in his voice. He pressed closer as well, his other hand reaching up to glide through the musician’s fringe.

“Mind? No… In fact, I’d prefer it if you continued to.” Kyungsoo still couldn’t look him in the eye, his ears feeling like they were on fire. The other clearly noticed this, as he tilted the shorter’s head up with a finger under his chin. The smile he gave was even sweeter than the cotton candy they had shared earlier.

“I have the cutest boyfriend.”

“I don’t want to brag, but I’m pretty sure mine’s cuter.”

The two leant closer, joining in the middle in a sweet kiss. The pair ignored the glorious view they were missing, preferring to spend the majority of their ride fully focussed on each other. As soon as Jongin’s hands had planted themselves on either side of Kyungsoo’s waist, he completely forgot about the stars outside the window and his fear of heights. He basked in the older’s warmth, feeling all gooey inside from the soft lips on his and the shared breath between them. The extended exchange remained innocent, and Kyungsoo loved how gentlemanly and respectful the taller was. Eventually though, and the younger wasn’t sure who had initiated it, but a searing burnt against the tip of his tongue. He wasn’t used to open-mouthed kisses, so the scorching touch made him pull on the locks of Jongin’s hair that were in his grip and elicited a breathy moan from the older. All of a sudden, his body was far more hot than a few moments prior. He could feel them crossing a line into new territory, but he couldn’t possibly refuse the offer. The grip on his waist tightened when the shorter produced a sort of groan-like noise, that under any other circumstance would have been mortifying.

In fact, it still was.

“Excuse me, you may now exit the carriage.” A monotonous voice droned.

Like opposing magnets, the two flew apart. Kyungsoo covered his whole face with his hands, seeing that the entire front section of the line were watching them. How long had the carriage been grounded for?!

Jongin apologised on both of their behalves, a hand on the shorter’s back to guide him out. The singer was grateful for this, so he needn’t remove his hands in order to see where he was going. He never wanted to show his face in public again. Even though the pimple-faced ride operator hadn’t seemed too fazed, the group of three set to use the same carriage next looked rightfully disgusted. Kyungsoo never thought he’d be part of one of those couples, the ones that showed way too much PDA and grossed out everyone around them. But here they were.

“We’re all clear now.” Jongin tittered, his arm yet again around the younger’s shoulders, walking them through the security of an anonymous crowd. He didn’t seem nearly fazed enough by what could only be described as a downright traumatising experience. Either way though, Kyungsoo finally felt safe enough to bare his face out in the open again. The law student rubbed his hand up and down the first year’s arm comfortingly.

“What a way to Christen our boyfriendship, huh?” Kyungsoo couldn’t help but try to joke the situation off, knowing that he was going to be thinking about that moment for, like, a week. He tried to focus on the public humiliation aspect of it, and not the hot making out part. Otherwise, he would burst into flames right there in the middle of Ilsan Park, and not even the nearby lake would be able to extinguish his burning embarrassment.

“We’ll never see those people again, so don’t worry about it, Kyungie-Kyungie-Soo-Soo,” Jongin said cheerily, making his boyfriend cringe at the horrible nickname Mark continued to use though the first year repeatedly protested against it. The two were nowhere near close anyway, which just intensified the weird vibes of the forced pet name. “Besides, I know just how to cheer you up.”

The singer prayed there wasn’t another Ferris wheel somewhere he could make a fool of himself on. In the end, he took the bait and asked what the other had in mind. The law student motioned to the stall he had walked them to. It was a gun shooting game, where the players had five corks to shoot three plushie cherries. The grimy sign atop the van the game was played out of read ‘Pop the Cherry!’ in a tacky red bubble font. He was instantly excited, the musician was best at the shooting games after all, but one look back at the garish sign had him questioning his interests and hobbies.

Kyungsoo missed the first shot, as everyone does, using it as a test to gauge the gun. The next two hit the centre and left cherries. He narrowly missed his fourth effort, blaming the irregularities of the cork, and officially “popped the cherry” with the final shot. Jongin hooted after every shot he got, as a faithful cheerleader, and the nineteen year old felt a wave of gratitude wash over him. He never thought that he’d date someone who accepted him and all his eccentricities. Of course, there was still a lot about himself for the older to discover, but Jongin had handled everything he’d found out about Kyungsoo thus far with great sensitivity and encouragement. Even Baekhyun and Chanyeol didn’t really understand the first year’s fixation with carnival games, so it was that much more special to see Jongin supporting him. He vowed to show the same unconditional support for the lawyer-to-be, if any such absurdities were to arise.

Kyungsoo didn’t want it to just be him having all the fun and Jongin watching, so he advocated for the other to play as well. The second year agreed on the condition that the shorter help him. So, the two stood chest-to-back, with Kyungsoo behind the elder. He helped position the taller’s stance and aided with the aim. Though most of the turn was spent with Jongin acting dumb for the sake of having Kyungsoo pressed against him, he still only ended up shooting two of the three cherries.

“Look how much smaller my bear is than yours.” Jongin pouted, comparing the sizes of the prizes the two won from ‘Pop the Cherry!’. They were both brown teddy bears, and apart from the size difference, they matched completely. Even their little bow-ties were the same.

“Let’s swap.” Kyungsoo suggested, taking the plushie out of the older’s hands and replacing it with his own one. When the taller asked him why, the shorter smiled brightly up at the other. “It’s a thing couples do all the time. Besides, I’m the small bear and you’re the big bear.”

The neon lights of the surrounding stalls and rides glowed rainbows along Jongin’s skin, bathing him in colourful illumination. As he grinned with sincere joy, he looked like a psychedelic angel. Strangely enough, it reminded the younger of Hyunsik’s artwork that he’d shown Kyungsoo. He didn’t particularly want to remember the science major, having ignored all his messages and attempted calls over the past four days. Ironically enough though, his digital painting captured the essence of Jongin’s free flowing aura of happiness and honesty perfectly.

“I think this calls for a celebration!” Kyungsoo chirped, tugging Jongin to the side by the arm, not wanting to get in the crowd’s way of playing the shooting game they themselves had just finished. Jongin tilted his head, brow slightly furrowed due to the boy’s words.

“I thought this whole evening was kind of a celebration..?”

“Yeah, so like… A celebration within a celebration, then.” The singer explained, pulling the pepero packet out of his back jeans pocket, shaking it teasingly in front of the other’s face. “I’ve decided to share!”

The two smiled as they munched on a couple of the sticks. Kyungsoo started out by poking fun at the elder’s gun aim, and eventually Jongin retaliated by reminiscing over the club party from two months ago. The younger’s face paled when the taller recalled all the details, from the beer stain on Kyungsoo’s shirt to the way he had yelled for Jongin and promptly sat in his lap when he’d found him. The first year wanted to try and embarrass the other back again, but decided it wasn’t the lowest blow Jongin could’ve gone for - the ferris wheel thing would’ve stung far worse. And as a reward, he chose to not push it. Instead, he silenced the other by beginning to feed the next pepero stick to the law student.

The second year nibbled along the chocolate-coated biscuit, his piercing stare making Kyungsoo focus on watching him eat rather than returning his eye-contact. Of course, the older was an adorable eater too, reminding the younger of Baekhyun’s childhood pet: a little rabbit named Aeri. He’d loved the grey bunny, though he never really understood why Baek had given her a small collar with the letter ‘L’ on it, considering her name didn’t even contain the letter. The other singer had said he was just drawn to it in the store, but Kyungsoo himself just found it weird. But then again, that was Baekhyun for you.

When the older drew close to finishing the snack, Kyungsoo remained holding on to the end of the treat. Jongin gripped the stick with his teeth, sliding it out of the shorter’s grasp, delivering delicate kisses to Kyungsoo’s fingertips. The action wasn’t grand, especially not compared with what they’d gotten up to earlier in the night, but the air between them was still and the loud buzzing around them faded into white noise. The moment seemed… intimate. They continued to watch each other until the musician could no more. His ears burned again, and he looked over the taller’s shoulder before his gaze dropped to the ground.

“I can’t believe you’d do that in front of your sister.”

“What? Wait, Krystal?” Jongin seemed surprised by the revelation, shocked out of their previous moment. He turned to look behind him and around their general area.

“Yeah, this is at least the third time she and her female friend have walked passed, watching us every time.” Kyungsoo pointed to the two dark haired girls who pretended to look over a single carnival pamphlet between them, the unknown girl glancing back at the two men. She quickly averted her eyes again.

They were walking twenty feet away from them, amongst the busy crowd, but Kyungsoo had instantly recognised the Kim sibling. However, she, unlike Jongdae, was not alone. Also, they were very obviously looking at him, so he supposed it wouldn’t be the most opportune time to go introduce himself.

“Oh my goodness, um- I didn’t know-” Jongin turned back to the shorter, his eyes wide and pleading as he stuttered.

“It’s okay.” The first year almost laughed at how genuinely the taller wanted to placate him, but honestly, he didn’t mind. In fact, he totally got it. “They were probably just curious about me, and maybe Krystal’s just a little protective over her big brother. It’s fine, it doesn’t worry me. Promise.”

Jongin heaved a massive sigh of relief, and the singer could see the large weight lift off his shoulders. Kyungsoo wondered if interfering siblings had gotten in the second year’s way when it came to romance in the past. Either way, it wasn’t going to faze him. He still thought it sweet how close-knit their family seemed.

“May I ask who the other girl is, by the way?” Kyungsoo rubbed a hand up the length of the taller’s arm, hoping for it to come across as a reassurance that he wasn’t going to run for the hills at the first sign of trouble.

“My… cousin. Seulgi.”

“Well then, let’s give your sister and cousin something to watch.” Kyungsoo smiled wickedly, snaking his arm up to the back of the law student’s neck, pulling him down for a chaste kiss. Jongin seemed hesitant but relaxed quickly enough. The nineteen year old could taste the chocolate on the older’s mouth. He his lips as he pulled away, glancing at the place where the two girls had been moments ago. They were gone, but Kyungsoo was satisfied either way, knowing he did it more for himself than for them.

Having had enough of walking through game stalls and food carts, the two decided that it was time to hit the real rides. Well, Kyungsoo decided and Jongin readily agreed, the first year knowing that there was no way he could humiliate himself on a rollercoaster as much as he had on that Ferris wheel. Unless he threw up on himself, everyone else on the ride and all the people below. But even karma had its limits, right? ...He hoped he hadn’t jinxed it.

“How many tickets do we have left?”

“Enough, considering I just won us ten more.” Kyungsoo wasn’t usually such a show-off, but he felt comfortable enough around the elder to jokingly flaunt his natural affinity with party games in front of him. They had their arms linked again, and the shorter pulled the second year’s sleeve, stopping in his tracks. “Woah, can we ride that next?”

A ride that looked like a massive slingshot bounced a small bundle of people up and down in the air. The riders were in a central bubble, which looked to only be restricted from being flung across the country by two thick, stretchy ropes. The blinking light above the queue read in yellow and blue lights: ‘The Pants Wetter’. Seriously, who named these things?

“Aren’t you afraid of heights?” Jongin looked sceptical of the younger’s earlier claim, yet still willingly agreed to give the ride a go. Kyungsoo knew he himself was going to be freaking out as soon as they stepped in line, but the law major seemed impressively nonplussed.

“I told you, I’m a daredevil. On an entirely unrelated note, I think I’m going to use the port-a-potty first. Meet you back here?” Kyungsoo handed their small collection of ride tickets over to the elder, giving a thumbs up when Jongin nodded affirmatively. He turned and wandered in the general direction he remembered the restroom sign to be, hoping he didn’t get lost along the way.

Jongin, however, was thankful for the opportunity to call Jongdae without the chance of being overheard by the first year. He walked a bit further away from the ride the pair had agreed upon, standing to the side where it was slightly less noisy. He dialed his top contact. They picked up on the second ring.

“Hey, it’s me. Close call earlier.”

“You’re telling me, I almost myself when I saw him dragging you up to me. How’d he even know who I am?”

“I don’t know… But it’s not surprising, we’re not exactly as under the radar at college as we had hoped we’d be.”

“Hah! That’s rich coming from you. Befriending humans against direct instruction… May I remind you we’re here because of you? You’re so on the radar, I’m pretty sure you invented it.”

“Touché. Anyway, what’s the verdict? Do you think the C-Clan are here?” Jongin looked around as he whispered into the receiver, making sure there was no one he recognised nearby. Just a bunch of preoccupied teenagers and bored parents, nothing suspicious.

“Nah, not seen ‘em. I’m pretty sure you’re good. Seulgi and Krystal have nothing to report either… Well, except that you’re totally whipped for a saucy little thing. Apparently, you two put on quite the show for the ladies.” The second year was glad the other couldn’t see his fiery complexion. It had been so unexpected when Kyungsoo had grabbed him and kissed him in front of who the former thought to be his sister and cousin. At the time, the law student was so tense learning that the singer had found out about their surveillance but thank goodness he had misunderstood. Either way though, he really liked how the shorter had initiated it, and he hadn’t missed the intended meaning behind it. God, he really did like the human far too much.

“Right.” The younger of the two cleared both his throat and his thoughts of the nineteen year old’s plump lips descending on his own. “What about Junmyeon?”

“He and Yix are getting a couple’s massage or some . Sehun organised it, setting it up as a last activity together before Yix leaves. Jun doesn’t know anything. But…”

“But?” Everything so far had sounded to be going perfectly. He really owed Krystal, Seulgi and Sehun for their help. And of course Jongdae, but the taller remained stubborn that some of the responsibility rested on the elder’s shoulders, considering as it was the third year’s suggestion that led to Jongin dating Kyungsoo in the first place. Even though everyone and their mum knew it was going to have happened one way or another, with or without the history student’s nudging.

“Nothing too big, just… Yixing knows.”

“What? How? Yixing can’t keep a secret from Junmyeon! They’re alone together in a couple’s activity right now. He’s totally going to tell!”

“Firstly, calm down Romeo. Sehun accidently let it slip, but he’s totally supportive, and promised to keep the secret. This is Yix we’re talking about, he’s got our backs. Secondly, don’t give me gross mental imagery of the two lying next to each other on a massage table.” The taller took a deep breath, knowing that the healer would do all in his power to not tell their clan leader if he promised as much. To be honest, Jongin was really going to miss the second eldest vampire while he was away. Yixing had a bright energy about him, and he was the clan’s peacekeeper. The younger vampire begged that neither Junmyeon nor Sehun got into a fight with anyone while the Chinese clanmate was absent.

“Okay… Yeah you’re right, I trust him. But while I have you, how’d things go with Mark?”

“Shut up. I can’t believe you left me alone with that guy. He already knows who we we are, which just adds another layer of weirdness. Thank goodness he quickly realised I know next to nothing about Minseok, otherwise he woulda been all over me.”

Jongin just laughed in response. He felt bad for piling another problem onto Jongdae’s plate, who was already doing the younger a massive favour by orchestrating this whole evening. But at the same time, he always enjoyed when Jongdae got annoyed and whiney, it was beyond entertaining.

“On a more serious note, you really should tell Junmyeon at some point. Some point soon. He’ll be mad, yeah. But we both know he’s not a bad guy, he wants to protect people just as much as we do, if not more. He’ll want what’s best for Kyungsoo, too.” Jongdae had the decency to sound gentle, whilst delivering the cold hard truth. The sudden advice had Jongin’s mood turning sombre, but he was still infinitely glad to have the older by his side. He considered himself the luckiest person to have met Jongdae when he did, all those years ago. They’d been inseparable for so long, he couldn’t think of anyone else he would rather have turned with.

“I know, and that’s the problem. We both know what the best thing for Kyungsoo is, and that’s not me... “ Jongin kept scanning his surroundings, spotting the object of his affections walking back towards their agreed meeting place. Kyungsoo walked merrily, getting distracted by another carnival game. It had something to do with water guns and balloons, that’s all that the second year could make out from his viewpoint. The game master talked into a headset microphone, instructing the current players on the rules while tucking used tickets into their bum bag. The venue was bolted to the side of a sturdy truck, and the short nineteen year old stood staring up at the prize wall. It was made of thick iron metal and stood an imposing twenty feet into the air.

The vampire felt immediately saddened. He was doing the human a great disservice, he already knew as much. He didn't need Junmyeon to remind him he could never be happy, it was a truth he was all too aware of. His voice turned small, and he felt like he was back to being that scared and wounded twenty year old boy who had cried his eyes out in Jongdae’s embrace during their last day as humans.

“I don't know if I can be selfless, Dae. I don't know if I can give him up.” It was almost too loud around him for his weak confession to be heard over the phone, but he knew Jongdae have received the message either way.

“It's going to be okay, alright? We're all gonna work this out together, everything will be fine-”

The reassurance was cut off as Jongin’s life flashed before his eyes. His blood ran cold as he watched the expansive prize wall teeter towards the walkway, people still milling around underneath. Kyungsoo still standing right in front of it.

Jongin dropped his phone, sprinting in the direction of the water gun game. He wasn't far away. That didn't matter though, the wall began falling, and falling fast. There wasn't enough time. People noticed, a few screams erupting around him. Kyungsoo didn't have time to run out of its way. Jongin knew it was dangerous. He shouldn't break his rules for the younger. They were in a very public place. But he had to, Kyungsoo was going to get crushed. There was no way he could save him. He squeezed his eyes shut, begging that no one saw what he was about to do. The vampire ripped through the physical dimension and grabbed the boy in front of him. Doing it a second time was harder, having to pull the other with him. He zapped close by, pressing the human’s face into his neck. He didn't want Kyungsoo to see him being teleported away. The nineteen year old had instinctually fisted the material of Jongin’s shirt when he'd been enveloped.

“Are you okay? You're not hurt, right?” Jongin cupped the younger’s face with his hands, eyes searching for any injuries.

“J-Jongin?” Kyungsoo whispered his name, his hands still clenching the older’s shirt, his arms having s beneath Jongin’s denim jacket. The law student looked into the musician's eyes, seeing a startled haze of confusion. “How did you...What-”

“I saw it falling and was close by, I ran and grabbed you. It’s okay, you're okay.” The vampire repeated the consoling words Jongdae had told him earlier, beyond relieved that Kyungsoo was alright, and yet not believing the sentiment he spoke of at all. “Everything will be fine.”

Everything was hectic. People ran towards the fallen slab of metal and others sprinted away, some yelling aimlessly and some shouting with authority. As soon as Kyungsoo realised what had happened, he pushed out of the taller’s hold. He ran to help a group of men who tried to lift the corner of the heavy material off another man's leg. Jongin was close behind, and the two helped in any way they could. Only three people were injured: one with a broken leg, one with a broken arm and one with just a dislocated shoulder. Thankfully, none were fatal and all three would be fine soon. The wall had just so happened to fall when there was a gap of people, sans Kyungsoo. If Jongin hadn't saved him… the first year didn't want to think about it.

Jongdae, Krystal and Seulgi had all shown up at the scene almost immediately after it happened, so Jongin had gone to speak with them. Kyungsoo stayed with Minho, who had the injured leg, while they waited for the paramedics. The twenty-eight year old man was surprisingly brave. He didn’t cry, and he even managed to make a joke about getting the carnival company to pay for the medical bill. The singer kept talking to him, hoping to distract him from the pain until the doctors arrived and brushed him away.

Kyungsoo then stood and stared at the fallen piece of metal. He remembered absentmindedly standing in front of it in order to get a better viewing angle on the water-balloon filling game. He hadn't noticed the game previously, so it had easily piqued his interest. Added to that, he hadn't yet found Jongin, so he thought he'd watch a round. Looking down at the dangerous slab, he saw what was almost a fatal injury for him. He knew how heavy it was, from trying to help a group lift it off Minho’s leg, and it was heavy. He’d almost d…

“My goodness, Kyungsoo!” The nineteen year old was startled to hear his own name being called, turning to see a woman jog up to him. Irene ran the tutorial for first year musical theory at his college, and also lectured Baekhyun for the second year continuation of the subject. She was new this semester and was incredibly friendly with all her students, not afraid to start a conversation. Her usual polite smile was replaced with a look of worry as she scanned his body. “Are you alright? I saw you in front of the wall right before it fell, how did you get away?”

Kyungsoo shook his head and smiled at her concern. Though sweet, he didn't need her worry. Not when others had actually gotten hurt.

“Thank you for checking up on me, Irene, but fortunately I'm fine. My boyfriend pushed me out of the way, I'm really lucky.” He wasn't sure the etiquette for such a situation, should he ask if she was fine too?

“Ah, I'm so glad. I’m here with my family.” She motioned behind her, though Kyungsoo couldn't make out anyone as obviously being with her, but there was a large number of people crowding around the area. “So, I understand how easily it could have been any of us. I'm glad you're alright, and I understand if you won't be in class on Monday. You should take some time.”

Out of his peripheral, Kyungsoo could see Jongin approach the pair. He thanked Irene again, and she disappeared back into the gathering mass.

“Would you like me to take you home now?” Jongin touched Kyungsoo’s shoulder tentatively, as if the latter could explode at any second. He also looked guilty, though nothing that had gone wrong was his fault. Kyungsoo jumped back into Jongin’s arms, burying his face in the taller’s chest. The law student along the shorter’s back, nuzzling into his hair.

“How many times are you going to have to protect and save me?” The younger asked exasperatedly, when he raised his head to look into the other's eyes. “This is number three, already.”

“Four, if you include the party two months ago. You were pretty out of it.” Kyungsoo appreciated the humour, but really did feel like a burden. He managed a frail chuckle, at least, and that seemed to perk up the elder. “C’mon, put this on, you're freezing.”

The two let go of each other after the smaller shivered. Jongin took off his jacket, wrapping it around the younger, and returned to hug him. Kyungsoo loved how the second year's scent wrapped around him just as securely as his arms did. He smelt safe. And the nineteen year old needed that so much in that moment.

“Let's take you home.”

Kyungsoo barely remembered the trip back to the college dorms. Just that he'd clung onto Jongin as they walked out of the park grounds, and how he'd wished he could continue to cling to the other while he drove. Soon, though, they'd parked as close as possible and started the trek to the residential building on foot.

There had been silence most of the way, but it hadn’t been uncomfortable. He still got to hold onto the taller tight, so he was as okay as he could be. He was still wracked with shivers, even with Jongin’s jacket over his own sweater.

The law major pulled out his phone when it buzzed and quickly replied to a text, the screen having a crack on it Kyungsoo didn't recall seeing there earlier. When he asked after it, though, the older just said he'd dropped it. Either way, it reminded him that he didn't want to spend the night alone in his dorm with only his thoughts, so he decided he should text Baekhyun. He messaged the musical second year, asking if he could stay as his and Chanyeol’s dorm. Baek replied a moment later, saying of course he could, and that Chanyeol was out anyway.

Jongin had seemed hesitant to enter the building, but when Kyungsoo could barely scan his student card by himself, he'd offered to walk him all the way to his dorm. Which had, of course, turned into Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s dorm. Before knocking on their door, though, the second year turned to face the younger, creating a bit of distance between them.

“Look, Kyungsoo. I just wanted to say I'm so sorry. I took you out tonight, and it was my responsibility to make our first date special. It went really badly, and-”

“Stop. Our date didn't go badly. The date part of the night went really well, actually.” Kyungsoo reached out to hold the taller’s hands, enjoying the comfort of the physical touch. After everything that happened during the night, he didn't want either of them to let the final incident eclipse those good memories. Continuing to reassure the other, he felt his blush grow, but remained stubborn to look the other in the eyes as he spoke. “Don't feel guilty about the accident, okay? It wasn't your fault. If you want to feel bad about something, feel bad about ruining my good reputation in front of all those people in the Ferris wheel line.”

Jongin laughed in shock, clearly having forgotten about their impassioned, and uncomfortably public, kissing. He didn't look so sorrowful anymore, and so Kyungsoo took that as a success. Jongin stared down at him with an openly adoring look. It made the shorter’s frightful jitters dissipate for a moment, and so he gave a quick peck to the older’s mouth.

“Thank you so much for tonight. For everything.” He whispered finally against Jongin’s soft lips, lowering himself from the tips of his toes. Still engaged in eye contact with the second year, he knocked on Baek’s door thrice.

The door opened straight away, revealing a smirking man wearing chipmunk-printed pyjamas. He looked between the two happily.

“I've been listening pretty much the whole time by the way, you're not at all quiet.” The couple flushed in unison, turning slightly away from each other. The thought to just bolt had probably crossed the lawyer-to-be’s mind, but before he could action any plan, Baekhyun quickly his hand out in Jongin’s direction. “Byun Baekhyun, it's so good to finally meet the man who's been sweeping Soo off his feet.”

The tallest of the three seemed the most nervous, shaking the other second year's hand as he introduced himself. Jongin made sure Kyungsoo was alright one last time before entrusting his care into his best friend's capable hands.

“Nice jacket, you get it from the Jongin souvenir shop?” Baekhyun asked once he'd sat them both down on the bed with a cup of tea each. Well, technically it was actually two beds. The dorm already had the pair of single beds, but then Chanyeol and Baekhyun had started dating, so at some point they'd pushed them together and bought a double bed duvet.

“I forgot to give it back… I hope he doesn't need it before I can return it to him.” Kyungsoo was slightly lost in his own thoughts, everything churning in his mind as he finally began processing the events of the past few hours. He brushed his fingers over the rough material of the denim over his shoulders, his fingers twirling the loose threads at the cuff.

“Okay… So are you going to tell me about how he ‘ruined your reputation’ on a Ferris wheel? I want all the gory details.” Baekhyun was pumped to hear about the date, considering that Kyungsoo said it went really well himself. The younger hadn't really dated much, so now that a potentially serious relationship was blooming, his best friend wanted to hear all about it. “That’s why you came, after all, right? To spill the beans?”

“Ah… Actually.” Kyungsoo hesitated. How did he tell Baekhyun that he thought that Jongin was a little too perfect, and that things weren’t adding up because of it? For the meantime, he thought he could play along, though. “Well, there was this accident… But I’ll talk about that later.”

Baekhyun nodded, also curious about what had happened that led to the hunky soccer player having to apologise to his best friend. He wrapped his hands around his mug, sipping his lemon tea while watching the younger collect his thoughts.

“Everything was amazing. We went on rides, played games, and even shared pepero.” Baekhyun raised his eyebrows, eyes widening in assumption. “A packet. Not- Anyway, we also went on the Ferris wheel, because-”

“Because it’s your favourite, even though you used to cry going on them. Now you’re as stoic as stone and a total thrill seeker who goes on rides made for grandma’s, we know.” Baekhyun nodded, wanting to get to the juicy stuff.

“Anyway, we were on the ride and… got a little side-tracked.” Kyungsoo blushed for the millionth time that night, hiding his face behind his mug. He couldn’t believe he had to explain this, let alone to someone who wasn’t going to let him live it down. “And we didn’t realise that it had finished…”

“And everyone around saw you macking on Casanova... Classy.” Baekhyun nodded his head in approval, taking a loud slurp of liquid. “You two seem to be pretty close, pretty fast. Well, I guess you’ve had those secret lunch dates… But still.”

Kyungsoo sipped his own hot beverage, thinking it tasted a little bitter. He enjoyed the warmth rolling down his throat, though, so he drank another large gulp.

“Yeah… But he introduced himself as my boyfriend to Mark!” The confession was enthusiastic but cut short. Lemon tea sprayed over the bedspread, a loud choking noise accompanying it.

“Mark?! What the hell was he-” a coughing fit, “doing there?” Baekhyun roared, running up and over to his kitchenette. He grabbed a thin roll of hand towels, tearing squares off and trying to absorb his drink and spit. Kyungsoo laughed but helped him try and clean up.

“Mmm, I don’t know, he just came up and started pinching my cheeks. Mark just being Mark. But I think you’re missing the point: Jongin and I are officially together!” Kyungsoo threw the paper away, grabbing Baekhyun’s wrist and jumping up and down on his spot. His unabashed excitement had been bottled up all evening, not wanting to act crazy in front of his boyfriend (!!!) but now, with his best friend, he could finally let it out.

The older singer jumped around too, honestly over the moon for his long-time bestie. Somewhere along the way, he started chanting about Kyungsoo and Jongin sitting in a tree. At that point, the younger slapped Baekhyun’s shoulder, grabbing a blanket and returning to the bed.

He snuggled with the taller, leaning his head on the other’s shoulder. He had so many emotions from the night swirling around. He was overjoyed about him and Jongin now being official, he was a little shaken from the near-death experience at the conclusion of the night, and… confused. Confused about exactly how he had avoided death. Having gone through the happier feelings, he wanted to move on to talk about the other thoughts to who he saw as his human diary.

“But then… the accident happened.” Kyungsoo couldn’t keep the frown off his face nor the gravelly tone from his voice. Under the blanket, Baekhyun grabbed the smaller’s hand and squeezed it. “This big metal wall, with all the plushies and prizes pinned to it… fell. I was right in front of it. If Jongin hadn’t- I wouldn’t-”

“Shh, shh.” The older cooed, taking Kyungsoo’s drink from him and directing his head to the taller’s chest. He hugged the younger closely, all of a sudden seriously grateful to the law major. Baekhyun already knew about what had happened with Hyunsik, and he hated the other first year for it, but was thankful that Jongin was there to protect his closest friend. To hear that the fellow second year had done it again, Baekhyun couldn’t ever hope to repay him. “He was there, you’re okay.”

“I know.” Kyungsoo’s voice was muffled by the older’s pyjama shirt, and so he raised his head out of Baekhyun’s hold, his nose reddened. “But that’s just it…”

Letting out a frustrated sigh, the younger flopped down, head landing on Chanyeol’s pillow. He felt crazy, fixating on such little things, but it had been nagging him. He’d tried to ignore it earlier, but after the accident, he couldn’t not voice his thoughts aloud to someone.

“Okay, bear with me.” Kyungsoo dragged his hands over his face, wanting to start from the beginning. “Last Tuesday, Jongin got these massive scratch marks all over his arms from when he’d held Hyunsik up against a wall. The next day, at the soccer game, the were literally gone. I asked him about it, and he said they’d just cleared up? But they were so big and bleeding, there’s just no way.”

Baekhyun didn’t speak, lying down next to the other, facing him with a frown. Both their drinks sat on the bedside table, cold and forgotten.

“And tonight, when he saved me. He grabbed me, like in a hug. I know the whole thing happened so quickly, but I remember that moment. We didn’t move.” Kyungsoo turned to look imploringly at the elder, hoping he understood. Baekhyun had a blank look, like everything had just gone over his head.

“What do you mean you didn’t move? Didn’t he, like, push you out of the way or something?”

“Exactly! He would have had to, right? For me to have moved from that spot right underneath the wall, he would have had to push me, or I would have had to run. But neither of those two things happened. I didn't move a single step. One second I was there, then my face was pressed into Jongin’s chest and we were next to the fallen wall.”

Baekhyun blinked and took a deep breath. He opened his mouth, then closed it. The older settled on reaching out to the other’s arm, a soft smile in place.

“I’m sure the whole thing was a lot to take in, and I understand that. Maybe we should just try and rest a bit for now. You can talk things through with Jongin himself later, if you’re still worried about it tomorrow.” Kyungsoo sighed again, of course Baekhyun thought he was crazy, the younger almost did himself.

But he just didn’t understand. Too many things turned out to be strange coincidences: how Krystal and their cousin had wanted to follow them around, how Jongdae had been there too, and how when he came to the site after the wall had fallen, he had no friends with him. The third year had told Kyungsoo earlier he was there to meet his buddies, but there was no one else with him when he showed up and talked with Jongin. Was he also just there being protective, like the two girls? Something smelt fishy to Kyungsoo, and it wasn’t the Bungeoppang.

“Here, you can borrow some of my pj’s,” Baekhyun said, rifling through his drawers. He picked up an old shirt and sweatpants, flinging them across the room to the first year. Kyungsoo sat up on the bed, catching them before they landed on his face.

“Where is Chan, by the way? It’s late, shouldn’t he be here?” He asked, having given up on the previous conversation with the elder for now. He thought it was actually a good idea to ask Jongin about it on Monday, being upfront was always the best option, and the law student had been the more level-headed out of the two of them at the time. It only made sense that he’d remember the events the clearest.

“Pulling an all-nighter with Jaebum. There’s a group project due tomorrow morning, what’s the bet they spent most of the night playing Fortnite anyway?” The older singer picked up their tepid tea and rinsed the mugs in the sink. Kyungsoo took off Jongin’s jacket and folded it, his mind realising something while on the subject of the IT student.

“You and Chanyeol haven’t done anything gross since you washed these sheets, right?”

“Uhhhh… You might want to sleep on the floor.” Baekhyun at least had the decency to look sheepish as he returned to the bed, sliding under the covers. Groaning as he did so, Kyungsoo got up to go to the bathroom and change clothes.

“Ugh, just don’t tell me what exactly you did and I’ll be fine.” The nineteen year old really didn’t want to lie on the itchy carpet all night, and he also still craved the comfort of Baekhyun’s physical contact. “Ignorance is bliss, after all.”