---

10:32 A.M

SATURDAY

 

The sunlight filling the room awakens Jongin ever so slowly, and it's not until he feels something warm pressing against his forehead that he inwardly groans. Through the fog in his head, all he manages to recall is stumbling into Jongdae's guest bedroom at some point during the night. Figuring he must have crashed in his own misery and slept until morning, Jongin keeps his eyes squeezed shut, not wanting to be greeted with the sight of Jongdae's messy house with random, hungover people passed out in every room. A part of Jongin wonders how long he's going to manage to lie here until Jongdae kicks him out, but he forgets all about it when a dull, albeit comfortable sensation shoots up his lower back after he shifts. 

 

Oh.

 

At first, Jongin is unable to think of anything with the fog returning to his head, but he somehow manages to recall Chanyeol telling him something, as well as Taemin, before he feels his pulse quicken. Come to think of it, Jongin also remembers emptying the contents of his stomach on more than one occasion, which he figures lies behind the fact that he isn't running to the bathroom right now. Nevertheless, Jongin can't help the wave of shame that comes over him, because he upmost refuses to believe that he somehow ended up in bed with Chanyeol, or even Jongdae. It's not until Jongin feels his lower jaw ache that everything floods him all at once, and a part of him sort of wishes he could vomit right now, because the mere thought of being pressed up against Taemin, in Jongdae's house, makes him want to cry.

 

In fact, Jongin doesn't even register the tears flowing down his face until he feels a hand brushing against his cheek. The guilt erupting in his chest makes him slap it away before he can process what he's doing. "Don't ing touch me, you stain--"

 

Jongin doesn't really recall what happens next, but what he does recall is lifting his head to give Taemin a piece of his mind, only to choke on his own saliva when he sees Sehun staring back at him with soft eyes. 

 

What the .

 

To say that Jongin comes dangerously close to cracking his head open against the wall when he flinches would be an understatement, and in his hurry to apologize, he barely registers scrambling to cover himself with the duvets. A part of Jongin low-key wonders if Taemin or Chanyeol must have drugged him, which in turn caused him to sleepwalk to Sehun's house at some point during the night, but he dismisses the thought when he feels heart pounding in his chest. Jongin is suddenly struck with a vague memory of Taemin telling him that Sehun wasn't going to be attending the after party to begin with, and the confusion that clouds his head nearly makes his brain implode.

 

Sehun only chuckles at Jongin practically being tangled in the sheets. "Good morning, gorgeous," he hums, reaching out and kissing Jongin's forehead.

 

What the actual ???

 

Jongin blinks, wondering if he should pinch himself to snap out of it. Even though his brain probably hasn't caught up yet, he's certain that Sehun should be halfway across the world avoiding him by now. "Hi," he blurts out, not even bothering to hide the puzzlement in his voice as he rubs the back of his neck. Jongin racks his brain for something else to say, only to turn up empty handed as he flies over and tackles Sehun in a bone crushing hug. Ignoring the discarded towel on the floor, Jongin doesn't get a chance to ask himself what the actual happened last night when Sehun suddenly kisses his nose, making him squawk.

 

"You're so goddamn cute, you know that?" Sehun chuckles, brushing a lock of hair out of Jongin's eyes. It's not until Jongin looks like he's on the verge of a meltdown that Sehun sits up. "I brought you here last night," he says while stretching his long legs.

 

Fighting the urge to say something along the lines of 'Obviously', Jongin swallows. With his brain seemingly coming to life, he manages to recall Chanyeol handing him a bottle of transparent liquid (which went on to burn his insides) before everything just blurred. "I...why didn't you just..." He mentally slaps himself as Sehun pulls him in closer. "Why didn't you just drop me off at home instead?"

 

Sehun is silent as he mumbles something to himself, and it's not until he runs a hand through his hair again that Jongin's eyes land on the obvious red marks on his knuckles. "I couldn't," he says after a few seconds. "It's just...there were so many people and I knew you wouldn't be able to get out of there on your own, and I didn't want you to stay with-"

 

"What do you mean, 'out of there'?" Jongin blurts out, feeling his head grow heavy as he rests it on Sehun's bare chest.  

 

Sehun sighs under his breath. "Jongdae's house," he mutters, playing with a lock of Jongin's hair,

 

Jongin blinks. What the . "But you...Taemin said...wait, never mind." Amid the confusion igniting in his head, Jongin misses what Sehun says next, and the next thing Jongin knows, his eyes are scurrying across Sehun's phone screen.

 

 

Tuesday (10:54 P.M) 

From: Lee Taemin

Just a friendly little reminder that you better make sure I don't see your face at the show, and especially the AP, in three days.

Don't tell Jongin if you know what's good for you.

This is the only warning I'm giving you. 

No questions.

//T      

 

 

For a second, Jongin finds himself unable to process a single word due to the pounding in his head, but it's not until he's scanned the email at least ten times that he feels his chest swell with fury, but he manages to hold it in as he clenches his jaw. What the is going on???

 

"So, that's it, I guess," Sehun huffs, a spark of agitation flashing in his eyes as he tosses his phone aside. "I mean, I didn't want anything to do with it, but I was worried he might do something to you if I responded." He audibly sighs. "I mean, he did, but-"

 

"You should've come," Jongin whines, recalling the awkwardness that filled him as he stood alone in Jongdae's kitchen with nobody to talk to. "I mean, there were so many people, I doubt he would've known," he adds and wonders if he should inform Sehun about just how intoxicated Taemin was last night. There's no goddamn way he would have noticed.

 

Sehun shakes his head. He opens and closes his mouth until he absently tightens his hold around Jongin's waist. "Look, I didn't want to tell you this, but--" He audibly swallows. "I wasn't planning on going, since you said you weren't sure if you were going or not, but then he sent me that, and...I guess I didn't like the idea of him being drunk out of his mind around you, and I figured he wouldn't notice me in the crowd, anyway." He kisses Jongin's forehead before he gestures out the door. "How does breakfast sound?"

 

Sehun's question seems to fly over Jongin head as he blinks, not even realizing how tightly he's gripping Sehun's hand until a pang of warmth blooms in his chest. "Wait, so you came???" he squees, not bothering to hide his ear to ear grin when Sehun nods.

 

Sehun sighs. "I mean, I figured that as long as we didn't run into each other, me and Taemin, that is, everything would be fine and I could talk to you for a bit." He visibly blushes, but it disappears as quickly as it came when he Jongin's cheek with his thumb. "I didn't expect there to be so many people so I kind of...stood outside on the balcony for a little while, since it got hard to breathe in there. And then he came out for a smoke--" He absently squeezes Jongin's hand. "We didn't really say anything to each other until I made the mistake of asking if he had seen you anywhere, and then he just...went off, I guess-"

 

"Went off?" Jongin echoes, feeling himself quiver with excitement for reasons he doesn't even want to know. He's practically sweating bullets at this point, and Jongin barely registers the warmth that hits him over the fact that Sehun was under the same roof as him at some point. "I don't...he wouldn't...never mind."

 

Sehun shrugs before he runs a hand through his hair in exasperation. "He just...started yelling all this random nonsense about how he knew you'd screwed up and that he was the only one who could make things right, and that I should 'stay the goddamn hell' away since only he knew how to love you," he lowly says, all while Jongin practically grips his arm for dear life. "I mean, I could barely understand a word of what he was saying, but I clearly remember him saying something about 'doing something' to you if I didn't leave." Sehun is silent for a minute, gaze flickering contemplatively. "I mean, I didn't really give a at first, and I figured I'd leave him alone and go find you, but then you came outside." 

 

Jongin blinks as he tries to string his thoughts together. Even though he barely recalls a single thing, he winces when his palm throbs at the memory. A part of him doesn't even want to believe himself, because Jongin figures that if he really did punch Taemin, he would remember it for sure. "I did?" he asks, wondering if he should just keep quiet when Sehun nods.

 

Sehun sighs as he rubs the back of his neck. "I know I should've left when they dragged you back inside, but then he went after you and I just couldn't." He clears his throat and checks the time on his phone, but he doesn't get to finish saying something about breakfast before Jongin childishly tugs on his hand.

 

"What then???" Jongin stares up at Sehun with wide eyes, mainly because he has literally no memory of Taemin allegedly chasing after him, at all. At this point, Jongin isn't even sure if he wants Sehun to continue because he's genuinely curious or because his backside aches so much that he worries he might collapse upon standing up. Jongin suddenly curses Chanyeol for supporting his bright idea to let him stuff his face with vodka, and Jongin dismisses his growling stomach while he nuzzles his face in the crook of Sehun's neck.

 

Sehun is silent for a minute before he playfully flicks Jongin's forehead. "Don't worry about it," he chuckles before he says something about making them breakfast. Ruffling Jongin's hair, Sehun sends Jongin a smile of adoration when the latter responds by burying himself under the duvets. "I'll be in the kitchen if you need me," he hums, kissing Jongin's forehead.

 

From his spot under the covers, Jongin only giggles to himself when he hears footsteps disappearing out of the room and down the stairs. With his (nonexistent) thoughts pinballing inside his head, Jongin finds himself frozen in place until he has to peek his head out before he can die of heatstroke. Tuning out the loud clattering of pots and pans downstairs, Jongin's eyes lazily roam around the room. It's not until Jongin shifts ever so slightly that the space between his thighs feels like it's on fire, which has him wanting to smile and scream into another dimension at the same time. Even though Jongin hates himself for being unable to recall Sehun coming inside of him, it still makes his chest swell with a certain happiness he didn't even know existed until now.

 

 

11:09 A.M

 

 

Jongin doesn't even remember falling back asleep, but the next thing he knows, he's jolting awake less than a minute later to a loud buzzing noise. It takes Jongin a minute to recall where he is, until he turns his head and sees the black cell phone sitting on the bedside table. In his dazed state, Jongin grabs it, figuring it must be Krystal asking him what on Earth happened last night (even though he knows that he won't be able to give her an answer).

 

Jongin blinks when he unlocks it, only to be greeted with a text from who he assumes must be Sehun's mother. Her words and sentences about architectural schemes and ideas only adds to the spinning in Jongin's head, and he's seconds away from letting Sehun know when his eyes land on Baekhyun's name two rows down. Even though Jongin instantly feels a pang of shame after he proceeds to open up the conversation, he figures that he might as well ask Baekhyun what went down last night (even though he can't remember if Baekhyun was even at the party to begin with), since his own phone is nowhere to be found.

 

However, Jongin forgets all about it when he realizes that not a single text message has been exchanged since the beginning of November - one day after their meetup at Baekhyun's house. At first, Jongin ignores it, but curiosity gets the best of him when he finds himself scrolling up until his gaze lands on the series of messages exchanged roughly two weeks before their movie night. 

 

 

October 18, 2018

 

11:02 P.M

 

 

11:04 P.M

 

 

11:05 P.M

 

 

11:06 P.M

 

 

11:07 P.M

 

 

11:09 P.M

 

 

11:10 P.M

 

 

11:17 P.M

 

 

11:22 P.M

 

 

11:23 P.M

 

 

11:24 P.M

 

 

11:25 P.M

 

 

11:29 P.M

 

 

11:30 P.M

 

 

11:31 P.M

 

 

11:35 P.M

 

 

11:36 P.M

 

 

11:40 P.M

 

 

11:41 P.M

 

 

 11:42 P.M

 

 

 11:43 P.M

 

 

11:44 P.M

 

 

11:46 P.M

 

 

11:47 P.M

 

 

11:49 P.M 

 

 

11:59 P.M 

 

 

"Jongin, are you alright?"

 

Jongin nearly breaks his wrists scrambling to put Sehun's phone back on the bedside table. As Vivi skitters up the stairs, Jongin manages to choke out something along the lines of 'I'm fine' before he runs a hand down his face. He isn't sure if it's the sunlight burning his eyes or the mush in his brain, but Jongin finds himself unable to string together a single thought when he vividly recalls Chanyeol's tobacco stained breath, mere minutes before he felt his entire head collapse in shambles. 

 

Love issues, little one. 

 

Jongin remembers it a little clearer now, and he's lucky, because the hypnotizing smell of something frying downstairs wipes out the fury swelling in his chest.  Vivi's tail wagging back and forth is the only thing stopping Jongin from from punching the nearest wall as he exhales.

 

Damn it.

 

It's not until Jongin legitimately worries that he might explode that he forces himself out of bed. He does his best not to topple over as his fingers fumble with the buttons to his neglected blouse. A part of him wants to cry, and Jongin figures that all the alcohol (and vomiting) must have dehydrated him to the point of no return, because he finds himself unable to shed a single tear. Instead, he opts to ogle Sehun's unnaturally tidy closet to distract himself from the painful throbbing in his veins.

 

Just damn it. 

 

It's not until Sehun calls his name from downstairs that something ignites in Jongin's chest, and the next thing he knows, he's whirling around and flying down the stairs five at a time.

 

Sehun looks up from his spot by the stove when Jongin scrambles into the kitchen a second later, before he smiles softly. The sunlight seeping through the curtains illuminates Vivi's white fur as he yaps at a pigeon perched on the windowsill. "I see you're taking a liking to them," Sehun chuckles, gesturing at Jongin's pajamas with the spatula in his hand.

 

Sehun barely gets a chance to ask Jongin how he would like his eggs before he's nearly knocked right off his feet, and Jongin barely registers Sehun's surprised exclaim when he tackles him in a bone crushing hug. To say that Jongin takes back his claim of being dehydrated would be an understatement, but he doesn't bother holding back the river of tears that come rushing down his face when he buries his face in Sehun's shoulder.

  

 

11:40 A.M

 

 

"1968, definitely 1968," Jongin mutters to himself, eyes trailing over the words before he absently drums his pencil against the tabletop. He doesn't even bother checking the back of the book as he scribbles his answer in the margin. Or was it 1942??? 

 

If there's anything Jongin has learned, it's that he was definitely right about Sehun being equally as brainy as Taemin, given that Sehun went on to complete his part of the project before Jongin could even contemplate touching his textbook. Even though Sehun didn't end up belittling him, a part of Jongin still hates himself for agreeing to study while sitting in Sehun's lap, since he immediately found his distraction levels skyrocket. However, Jongin knew that he would rather re-read the same paragraph a hundred times at the expense of leaving Sehun's warm embrace. Jongin's eyes trail across their empty breakfast plates on the table, only to regret it when his stomach, which is on the brink of exploding, responds by cramping painfully. 

 

"Why can't we do something fun instead," Jongin whines, missing Vivi's head by an inch as he swings his legs back and forth. He nearly flinches when Sehun kisses his cheek, causing the latter's hair to tickle his temple.

 

Brushing a lock of brown hair out of Jongin's face, Sehun's eyes trail across the words in their shared textbook. "You're improving so much, don't worry," he hums, resting his chin on Jongin's shoulder.

 

Jongin blinks (and sort of wants to slap Sehun for lying to his face). "Yeah, but--" A loud ringing noise nearly makes him fall off Sehun's lap, and Jongin soon finds himself going on a five minute search after coming to the realization that he has no idea where his phone even is.

 

It's not until he's turned Sehun's entire house upside down that Jongin finally locates his phone under the bathtub, which he doesn't even want to think about, but he's just thankful that it isn't dead from water damage after he turns it on. Even though he missed the call by two minutes, Jongin figures that it wouldn't have mattered, because the irritation that ignites in his veins when he sees the 16 missed calls, as well as the 42 unread text messages, all from Taemin (despite majority of them being illegible, drunken gibberish), is enough to make him want to shove his phone back underneath the tub.

 

What makes Jongin clench his jaw in anger, though, is the unread message sent just a couple of hours ago.

 

 

(8:21 A.M) From: Baekhyun

are you free to call? 

 

 

Jongin blames his cramping stomach for making him grip his phone until his knuckles turn white, but he forces himself to keep it together when Sehun turns the corner and asks him if everything's alright.

 

"Everything's fine," Jongin sighs, making a mental note to launch Baekhyun into outer space the second they meet again (not that Jongin wants to, but even so). Everything's goddamn fine.

 

Nodding, Sehun playfully flicks Jongin's chest before he gestures at Vivi chasing his tail on the floor. It's not until Sehun goes on to ask Jongin if he would like to accompany him on Vivi's morning walk that Jongin immediately grins, and he nearly trips on the first step rushing upstairs to change. In the commotion, it suddenly hits Jongin that he must have left his shirt among the ruins that is Jongdae's now trashed house, but he doesn't bother asking Sehun for a spare shirt in fear of being a nuisance.  

 

Thankfully, Sehun saves Jongin from a mental breakdown at the last minute, and Jongin figures that if his legs weren't feeling like jelly, he would be bouncing off the walls when Sehun proceeds to hand him one of his blue hoodies. The exhilaration coursing through his veins briefly makes Jongin's head blank out, and he's glad that Sehun subsequently saves him a broken neck after he nearly trips down the whole staircase.

 

 

12:15 A.M

 

 

"Can I give it this time??" Jongin squees, jabbing Sehun's arm with each word. An orange leaf lands in his hair as Sehun hands him the bag, and Jongin nearly screams in adoration when Vivi effortlessly catches the treat in midair. For a second, all Jongin can think about is the disgusted look that Taemin sent him when he suggested they pool their money to buy a dog, but the thought disappears when Sehun ruffles his hair. 

 

"You're getting better at this," Sehun chuckles as he picks a yellow leaf up off the ground, which he carefully tucks behind Jongin's right ear. It's not until Jongin goes on to toss an entire handful of treats at Vivi (who inevitably misses each one) that Sehun promptly yanks the bag out of Jongin's hands with a squawk. 

 

Jongin simply stuffs his hands in Sehun's coat pockets (which has him regretting leaving his jacket in his locker) as he watches Vivi stuff his face like the world is going to end. The pointy leaf tickles the shell of his ear, but Jongin can't bring himself to care as he watches a young girl play fetch with a large Golden Retriever in the distance. Tightening his grip around Vivi's leash, Jongin doesn't even realize that he's nuzzling his face in the crook of Sehun's neck until an ice cold breeze passes, which drowns out the sound of his heart nearly bursting out of his ribcage. In fact, Jongin figures that he probably would have died of cardiac arrest if it wasn't for his stomach growling with hunger, and he seriously hopes that Sehun didn't hear as a group of joggers pass by.

 

Sehun did hear, because he immediately suggests that they find someplace to eat (after Jongin looks like he's on the verge of a meltdown). After a few minutes of contemplative searching, they settle for a small Italian restaurant (which accommodates dogs, to Jongin's relief), and Jongin soon finds himself anxiously drumming his fingers on the checkered tablecloth. The warmth, as well as the romantic jazz music, makes Jongin's chest swell with joy as he watches Sehun scan the menu, all while Vivi slurps water by their feet.

 

The next thing Jongin knows, he's practically inhaling his spaghetti and meatballs, not even bothering to care about the red tomato sauce staining his chin as he twists and turns the fork in his hand (especially with Sehun occasionally looking up from his salad to comment on his adorableness). A part of Jongin prays that Krystal won't call him up and ask him to come to practice anytime soon, because he figures that he won't be able to complete a single routine after he clears his plate less than five minutes later.

 

At some point during their half hour long discussion about whether or not teaching math in schools should be illegal, Jongin finds himself attempting to catch a handful of cherries in his mouth when Sehun tosses them at him from across the table. However, it doesn't last long before Jongin comes dangerously close to choking to death, after Sehun goes on to call him the cutest thing he's ever seen in his life (which sends Sehun into a blind panic, to say the least).

 

 

2:21 P.M

 

 

After Sehun swipes his card two hours later (after reassuring Jongin, for five whole minutes, that he doesn't need to run home and fetch his wallet), Jongin ends up being so caught up with not freezing to death, after leaving the warmth of the restaurant, that he has to give Vivi's leash to Sehun. Despite it only being two o'clock, the skies have blackened significantly, and Jongin doesn't even realize that he's grabbed Sehun's hand until they're halfway down the dimly lit road.

 

With Vivi skittering ahead of them, Jongin fights an impulse to ask Sehun to carry him home when he feels a wave of fatigue wash over him like a tidal wave. By some miracle, Jongin manages to keep himself vertical as they approach the first crossing, and it's not until Jongin reaches out to press the button that he halts upon seeing the white bandage wrapped around his right hand. A part of Jongin seriously wants to slap himself silly, because how on Earth did he miss that?????

 

Jongin wishes he'd just ignored it, though, because he knows that it doesn't take a genius to figure out how and when it got there. Before he knows it, flashes of Jongdae's house, which is soon followed by his brief discussion with Chanyeol, hits him like a truck. All it does is remind Jongin of what he happened to come across a couple of hours ago, and the wave of guilt that comes over him makes him want to lean against the nearest lamppost before he can collapse. The sound of a car horn blaring pulls Jongin out of his thoughts, and he barely registers Sehun ushering him across the road before the light turns red.

 

To Jongin's dismay, the adrenaline fades as quickly as it came, and Jongin soon finds himself chewing on his bottom lip as he watches Sehun bend down to untangle Vivi's paws from his leash. Jongin can feel the words pressing against his throat, threatening to escape any second, but he manages to swallow them when Sehun sends him a soft smile. Feeling his heart race, Jongin scrambles for Sehun's hand, but it does little to soothe the buzzing in his nerves as they continue down the dark road.

 

"The stars sure are bright tonight."

 

Jongin immediately takes back his loud noise of surprise when he flinches, and he's thankful that Sehun seemingly didn't notice as he blinks. Figuring it's probably best if he keeps his mouth shut, Jongin averts his gaze until he's staring up at the sky, which has gone from bright gray to pitch black in a matter of minutes. Surely enough, it doesn't take Jongin long to notice the hundreds of twinkling, white dots scattered above their heads, making him tighten his grip around Sehun's fingers. Jongin doesn't even notice that they've stopped walking until he narrowly avoids colliding with a broken streetlight, but his apology dies in his throat when he turns his head.

 

Now, Jongin doesn't know if the fullness in his stomach is messing with him, but he can't stop his eyes from welling up when he sees Sehun's fluffy hair, tinted a pale, blue shade in the moonlight. Its bright glow seems to dance in Sehun's eyes as he keeps his gaze fixated on the stars above them. In fact, Jongin doesn't even register the tear rolling down his cheek until a breeze passes, and he hurriedly wipes it away before Sehun turns to look at him with a gentle smile. With his heart threatening to burst, Jongin has to look away when the lump in his throat threatens to make him scream out loud.

 

It's not until Sehun notices the anxious glint in Jongin's eyes that his eyebrows furrow. "Is something the matter?" he asks, adjusting the red leaf behind Jongin's ear (which Jongin is surprised he hasn't ended up losing yet).

 

Somehow, Jongin manages to swallow the words resting on the tip of his tongue, and he simply croaks out a low 'It's fine' before he watches Sehun turn back around. Jongin watches Vivi Sehun's hand for a second until he genuinely worries he might pass out from lightheadedness. The next thing he knows, he's scrambling for Sehun's arm, and Jongin doesn't get a chance to apologize for yanking Sehun back two steps when before he opens his mouth to speak. 

 

"You were right," Jongin blurts out, not even bothering to smack a hand over his mouth when Sehun blinks. The puzzled look on Sehun's face only makes Jongin tighten his grip. "You were...I mean, you were right about--" He nearly jumps out of his own skin when his phone rings, and the buzzing in his head makes Jongin scramble for his pocket before he can process what he's doing. 

 

Krystal is silent on the other end of the line until she clears . "Heyo," she hums, a hint of desperation in her voice.

 

It takes Jongin a minute to register whose voice he's hearing, and he makes sure to clear his own throat before he tightens his grip on Sehun's hand. "Hey," he dumbly mutters, instinctively moving closer to Sehun when a cold gust of wind passes.

 

Once again, Krystal is dead silent before she audibly exhales. "I just wanted...well, two things, actually." She sighs. "Listen, I'm sorry for just leaving you behind like that last night," she says with an apologetic chuckle. "Okay, anyway, so like, remember how I managed to book the studio for two weeks? So like, I'm here now and some other person just told me they're gonna reschedule it for another group if both of us aren't here." She's silent for a minute. "So in other words, it'd be swell if you could-- Like, you don't even need to dance, just...you know, be here."

 

For a second, Jongin feels his mind go blank, since he's entirely caught up with trying to put his finger on why Krystal supposedly left him last night. After racking his brain, Jongin is unable to remember anything beyond Krystal driving home early from the party, which has him feeling relieved over the fact that she chose not to drink. "It's--" He blinks when her words finally sink in, and he honestly doesn't know if he should laugh or cry. "Wait, right now???"

 

"Like I said, you don't need to do anything, but I'm working on a little something right now and would rather keep my place," Krystal replies before the sound of sneakers screeching against linoleum floors is heard in the background.

 

Jongin fights the urge to scream, even after she goes on to bribe him with a whole weeks worth of bubble tea. Even though he wants nothing more than to sit down and organize his thoughts, he knows that protesting would be useless, given that he hasn't bothered to show up for almost two weeks. "I'll...I'll be there," he mutters, wondering if he'll be able to dance with his legs feeling stiff as cardboard, since he definitely isn't going to have time to stretch. A part of Jongin hopes that Sehun won't be annoyed with Krystal's last minute plans, and the thought makes him cling to Sehun's arm like a baby koala.

 

Thankfully, Sehun simply nods in understanding when Jongin goes on to tell him a minute later. "I'm assuming you have some catching up to do?" he knowingly chuckles before he scolds Vivi for trying to eat discarded food scraps off the ground.

 

Jongin tiredly nods, suddenly wanting nothing more than to curl up next to Sehun in the latter's soft bed. "Haven't really bothered showing my face as of lately, so I owe her," he replies. All Jongin hopes is that Krystal was serious about the bubble tea, because the emptiness that swells in his chest when they stop outside his lawn nearly makes him change his mind. "I'll be done at around five, so I...I guess I could come over afterwards? I mean, if you--" Jongin hopes he isn't sweating bullets as he scratches the back of his neck. "If that's...if you're...never mind."  

 

Sehun shoves his hands in his pockets. "I'd like that," he says, adjusting the leaf behind Jongin's ear. "Practice hard now, okay?" He playfully jabs Jongin's shoulder, to which Jongin responds with a groan.

 

Nodding ever so slightly, Jongin keeps his eyes glued on Sehun's hair, hoping he isn't looking too awkward as he presses his lips together. It's not until the harsh winds settle that Jongin becomes painfully aware of the pounding in his chest, which he hopes Sehun isn't picking up on. At some point during his internal panicking, Jongin doesn't notice that Sehun has taken a step forward until they're touching foreheads. It's the feeling of Sehun's fingers gently tucking a lock of hair behind his ear that s Jongin back into reality, and he barely gets a chance to open his mouth when Sehun proceeds to close the space between them.

 

Jongin is so caught up with wondering how Sehun's lips can be so incredibly soft (as opposed to his own, chapped ones) on account of the biting cold, that he barely registers wrapping his arms around Sehun's neck, all while Vivi barks at a German Shepherd across the road. In a sense, Jongin figures that he shouldn't have to worry about freezing to death upon realizing that his whole chest is burning with a heat strong enough to make him break out in a sweat. Sehun's adoring gaze is doing nothing to help, and Jongin figures that he definitely would have died of heatstroke if it wasn't for Sehun leaning away a second later.

 

The next thing Jongin knows, he's muttering a shy 'See you' before he finds himself staring at Sehun's hair blowing in the wind as he walks in the opposite direction with Vivi hot on his heels. Jongin forces himself to move when he nearly gets mowed down by a hoard of cyclists, and the warmth spreading across his cheeks makes Jongin contemplate chasing after Sehun, all while he leans against the fence for support.

 

Jongin is careful not to trip on the patio steps after he pushes the gate open, and he seriously wonders how he's going to make it through two hours of practice with his heart pounding like it's end of the world. It's not until Jongin reaches into his back pocket that he realizes that he's still wearing Sehun's coat, but he opts against running after Sehun when he shoves the key in the lock. To Jongin's surprise, the door is unlocked, but he doesn't pay it another thought as he kicks it open. Jongin sort of regrets asking Sehun if he could come over, given that they've got their project to finish, anyway, but he shoves the thought away after he slams his hand down on the light switch.

 

The hallway light momentarily blinds him, and despite being unable to blink the reflection out of his eyes, it doesn't take long for Jongin's eyes to adjust to the darkness in the kitchen. He figures that he probably should have closed the front door first, but Jongin forgets all about it when he jumps five feet in the air with a wall shattering shriek.

 

The loud noise echoes in the house (and the whole neighborhood, for that matter) and Jongin doesn't know if he should laugh, cry and or run back outside as his jaw hits the floor. "The hell are you doing here???" 

 

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