MAY

10:43 A.M

"That's enough for today, they're going to get sick if they eat all that," Sehun chuckles, promptly yanking the bag out of Jongin's hands after they approach their street. He only pinches Jongin's cheek when Jongin pouts, all while Vivi and Monggu fight over the last treat on the ground.

The air has grown exceptionally warm since they left the house two hours ago, which becomes apparent when the sun's rays seem to get brighter and brighter by the minute, but Jongin doesn't bother removing his coat as they move aside to make space for a group of cyclists.

Jongin pulls out his phone and records a quick video of Vivi giving the stick to Monggu, which he proceeds to send to Krystal on Line. A part of Jongin low-key knows that all his daily puppy videos are doing is making Krystal regret getting herself a cat instead, but he shoves the thought aside when the wind blows a lock of hair in his face. Jongin makes a mental note not to let Sehun trim his hair again, given that he really doesn't want a repeat of the absolute disaster that was his bangs when Sehun proposed the bright idea of being his personal stylist back in March (which makes Jongin relieved that he didn't ask Sehun to dye his hair, as well). Sehun's palm is warm against his own as the hoard of cyclists rush by at an alarming speed, and Jongin low-key prays that Vivi and Monggu won't end up being reduced to puppy pancakes as they scamper around in the distance.

However, Jongin doesn't get a chance to regret agreeing to their newly implemented no-leash policy when Monggu barks at another dog across the street, and it's not until Jongin looks up that his eyes land on the all too familiar block a few feet away.

At first, Jongin doesn't know what to think, because he hasn't even spared his past house as much as a glance since he moved in with Sehun back in November, but there's something about it this time that makes Jongin unable to avert his gaze. He doesn't know if it's the sugar from the candyfloss he shared with Sehun earlier messing with his head, but Jongin can't help but blink in awe when he squints and makes out what he assumes is a large, yellow truck in the distance. Upon closer inspection, it seems to be parked right outside the front lawn, and before Jongin can process what he's doing, he's excusing himself with a kiss on Sehun's cheek before flying down the road.

Even though it's only been six months, the pavement beneath his feet feels eerily foreign as Jongin rushes down the familiar street with Monggu hot on his heels, seconds after Sehun says something about taking Vivi to the park down the block. The houses on the street seemingly haven't changed at all after all these months, and Jongin doesn't know how to describe the feeling that settles in his chest when he soon finds himself standing outside the large, white building. After spending an uncomfortable amount of time ogling the green grass, as well as his old bedroom window above the front door, Jongin contemplates leaning against the fence for support after he cranes his neck and notices the ocean of moving boxes scattered all around the deserted hallway.

Even though he knows he should run back to Sehun, Jongin slowly inches towards the gate until he's got a clear view of the hallway and kitchen. Surely enough, all that greets him is nothing but the empty, white walls and floors with brown boxes scattered everywhere. For a second, Jongin barely even recognizes the kitchen without the large dinner table taking up most of it, as well as the lack of a shoe rack in the hallway (and shoes carelessly scattered everywhere), but he forgets it when two male movers exit the house carrying what Jongin instantly recognizes as Taemin's closet. Surely enough, after peeking ever so (un)subtly, Jongin notices Taemin's desk chair, as well as pretty much every piece of furniture in the house, neatly stacked at the back of the large truck.

None of the movers seem to acknowledge his existence, which Jongin is oddly fine with as he bites the inside of his cheek. The sun is threatening to make him break out in a sweat, but Jongin can't even lift his arms to remove his sweater as Monggu curiously sniffs one of said movers pants. Jongin doesn't know if it's because he mostly recalls roaming around the house during the darkest months, because he blinks in awe when he realizes just how bright and inviting the kitchen and hallway both look while bathed in sunlight.

Now, Jongin figures he must have been a little too caught up with the thought just now, because it's not until one of the male movers proceeds to load the couch inside the truck that a thought hits him like a freight train. Before Jongin can process what he's doing, his eyes are wildly flickering around the lawn, before he whips his head up upon noticing somebody stepping outside in his peripheral. 

Despite knowing that it wasn't another darkly clad mover, Jongin finds himself holding his breath as he locks eyes with Taemin, whose flabbergasted expression is impossible to miss from his spot on the patio. Jongin doesn't know what he notices first, the fact that Taemin's hair is no longer raven black, but a whitish shade of blond that practically becomes one with the sunlight when he takes a step forward, or the fact that his entire face is void of heavy makeup. Nevertheless, Jongin has to mentally smack himself when he figures he must look like a dazed goldfish, and it takes him a minute to process the fact that he's actually staring at his former roommate when Taemin sends him a sincere, albeit surprised, smile.

It's not until Jongin realizes that he should probably do something that his legs seem to move of his own accord, and the next thing he knows, he's awkwardly pushing past one of the movers before he inches towards the patio. Opting to stand by the bottom step, Jongin tries squashing the strange buzzing in his gut when he catches a glimpse of Taemin's bedroom through the window. Surely enough, it's void of just about everything, save for three unopened boxes and Taemin's clean desk. Jongin barely recognizes it without the sea of dirty laundry and plectrums scattered all around the floor, which Jongin doesn't think he ever caught a glimpse of during his one year stay with Taemin. 

Jongin forgets all about asking if they would be willing to let him take a look at the rest of the house (which he figures he's entitled to for obvious reasons), before he nearly jumps out of his own skin at the sound of Taemin clearing his throat.

A female mover exits the house carrying a box of pots and pans as Taemin casually descends the few patio steps, and Jongin immediately notices that they're basically the same height now (Jongin doesn't even want to know how much Taemin has grown over the past six months, considering he's grown a full inch of his own since they last saw each other). In fact, it takes Jongin a second to get used to not looking down ever so slightly when Taemin runs a hand through his soft, white locks.

"Hey," Taemin says after what feels like forever, an unreadable glint flashing in his eyes when he looks at Jongin. He's silent for a minute as a handful of movers proceed to load a few boxes inside the truck. "How've you been?"

Jongin blinks, because he'd nearly forgotten what Taemin's voice even sounded like, but he dismisses the thought when he swallows. "Good, I guess," he replies, not even bothering to hide the surprise in his voice as his eyes trail across the moving boxes in the lawn. "How-- I mean...nevermind." He mentally smacks himself when Taemin chuckles.

The sunlight reflects in Taemin's silver earrings when he shifts. "It's been a minute," he hums and Jongin wholeheartedly expects him to whip out his lighter and cigarette pack when he sighs. Instead, Taemin simply gestures at Jongin's hair as it blows in the wind. "You look a whole lot better as a brunet, just saying." He sends Jongin a wink before he nods at Monggu curiously sniffing every single box in sight. "New family member?"

Jongin nods as he rubs the back of his neck. "Yeah," he mutters. "I mean, not new-new, I guess-- I mean, Luhan let us adopt him last month, so...yeah." With an awkward nod, he half-assedly gestures at Taemin's face. "Your, uh...your hair looks nice." And less terrifying, he thinks as he flails his arms around everywhere. "What's-- What are you-- What's going on???" He gestures at the doorway, at the commotion taking place somewhere inside the house.

Taemin stretches his legs, which are probably longer than Jongin's at this point, with a dull sigh. His gaze flickers back and forth between the boxes in the lawn and the truck parked near the fence. "Got accepted into the State University over in Cali," he lowly says and Jongin doesn't get a chance to question him about the lack of enthusiasm in his voice before he continues. "So yeah." Taemin seemingly contemplates his paper white sneakers as he clears his throat.

It takes Jongin a second to rack his brain for a response. "You never told me," he blurts out and fights an impulse to smack a hand over his mouth when Taemin sends him a look. Jongin internally screams, because even though his head feels like it's stuffed with cotton, he vividly remembers cutting Taemin off mid call all those months ago, before they went on to never exchange another word up until now. 

"I mean, I tried, at least twenty times," Taemin chuckles with a low sigh. The sound of shuffling coming from upstairs, presumably Jongin's old bedroom, is heard before Taemin breaks the ice. "Guess it's too late now to say sorry, huh?" Even though Taemin quickly turns his face away, Jongin immediately catches the spark flashing in his eyes. 

Jongin blinks, and he's glad that he can rely on the dazzling sunlight to stop him from suffering a mental breakdown. A part of him is aching to tell Taemin that it was too late from the very start, but he doesn't have the energy to speak, so he simply nods as they go on to watch a few more boxes being loaded into the truck. Jongin has to look away when the sun threatens to melt his eyeballs, but not before he hears Taemin audibly exhale next to him.

Monggu yaps at them from a few feet away, which Jongin ignores to the fullest as he clears his throat. "It's...I mean, who's..." He awkwardly gestures at the house, which is getting emptier by the minute, in an attempt at breaking the suffocating silence between them.

Taemin visibly swallows before he runs a hand through his hair. "This family of three," he absently says. "Moving in in about a week, actually," he adds, tracing invisible patterns into the dry grass with the tip of his shoe. He's silent for a moment. "I showed 'em around a while ago, they've got two dogs, you might like 'em."

Jongin high-key hates how his ears perk up at the word 'dogs', and he opts to stare at his empty bedroom window to distract himself. In a sense, Jongin figures that he's entitled to running upstairs and checking it out, but he opts against it when he figures that he'll definitely be a nuisance to the hoard of movers rummaging through his stuff. Even though he really can't remember, Jongin has a vague memory of his dirty laundry being strewn across the floor, as well as one of the doors to his closet hanging open when he was in his room last, and a part of him is physically aching to see if it's still there. Alas, he ends up restraining himself when Taemin sends him a look.

"It's just the way you left it," Taemin hums after noticing the curious glint in Jongin's eyes. "I mean, a month after you left, I contemplated, y'know...cleaning up and getting rid of everything, but I just...couldn't." A lock of blond hair falls in his face when he looks back at his shoes. "I probably should've asked sooner, but if there's anything you'd like to keep for yourself, now's a good time to...y'know." 

Shaking his head, Jongin chews on his bottom lip. Even though his brain is screaming at him to turn around and run back to Sehun, he remains bolted to the lawn when Taemin briefly gives orders to one of the female mover.

"Uni might be a better option," Jongin blurts out before he can stop himself. He doesn't even want to know how much Taemin is going to need to pay for another guitar, but he doesn't comment on it. "You know...for a change."

"Don't even get me started," Taemin chuckles in exasperation. "You have no idea how much I wanted to get the hell out of there, seriously," he mutters, kicking a pebble across the grass. "I mean, it was great at first, but after a while it just...became a real load, I guess. Not to mention Yeol was constantly giving me hell for the smallest of things, anyway." He goes on to say how he practically bounced off the walls in glee upon recieving his letter of approval three weeks ago, to which Jongin responds with a nod. "And I heard Cali's great and all, so."

Jongin chuckles. If he's going to be honest, he would be lying if he said that he could picture Taemin sitting perfectly still and obedient in the middle of a classroom for seven hours straight, but he doesn't say it out loud. "We've all gotta start somewhere, I guess," he hums, scratching the back of his head. A part of Jongin wants to tell Taemin to say hi to Baekhyun for him if he happens to pass by Manhattan, but he restrains himself at the last minute.

Nodding in approval, Taemin follows Monggu with his eyes before he checks his phone. It's not until he puts it back in his pocket that he frowns. "Look, listen, I wasn't going to...I mean, now that you're here, I figured I-- Y'know, since we probably won't--" He curses under his breath, at which Jongin only blinks. "I know you probably don't give a anymore, and that's fine, because you shouldn't, but...God, I'm so sorry-"

"Taemin," Jongin huffs, fighting the urge to run a hand down his face. There it is. "For God's sake-"

"No, I mean it," Taemin interrupts, and Jongin swears that he sees Taemin's eyes clouding over with desperation when he curses again. "I never meant for-- , I'm so, so sorry, Jongin, damn it," he sighs, voice audibly cracking at the last words as he drags a hand down his face (which makes Jongin glad that he isn't wearing any heavy eyeliner). "Like, this whole thing...God, those practice sessions were already stressing me to goddamn bits, and listening to you talk about Sehun with that goddamn smile on your face, I just--" He clenches his jaw, eyes fixated on the movers rushing in and out of the house. "I mean, I was fine with it at first, y'know? Since I believed Sehun was happy with Mr. Red and whatnot, but then I found out that he liked you back, and I just...I guess."

Jongin tries to ignore the coiling in his gut by stifling a loud sigh. There it ing is. "Taemin, stop it."

Taemin seemingly peddles back and forth between bursting into tears and screaming as he stares blankly ahead of him. His hair blows in the wind and conceals his eyes while he keeps his head lowered. He audibly curses before he stares at Jongin through thick, white locks. "I just want you to know that it wasn't your fault and I'll probably always feel ty as hell about it," he says after a minute of silence, all while Monggu nibbles on the hem of his jeans. Taemin's gaze flickers back and forth between Jongin's eyes, seemingly waiting for a reaction, and it's not until Jongin looks away that he sighs. "I mean, I figured you'd want to...y'know, now that you're here and-"

"I didn't ask," Jongin sighs, to which Taemin responds by nodding ever so slowly. "I mean-- Look, Krystal booked us this stadium in two weeks, maybe you could...you know." He awkwardly clears his throat, figuring that Krystal will be overjoyed to find out that they've got another audience member. "Before you...yeah."

Swallowing, Taemin shrugs. "No, but seriously, you should've seen how...I mean, , after all that--" He exhales in exasperation. "I had to force Jongdae to let me crash at his place for like, a month, since I couldn't bear to sleep in there one more goddamn night," he huffs, lazily gesturing in the door. It's not until Taemin looks up and lets the sun hit his face that he seemingly processes Jongin's words, because he quickly shakes his head with a frown. "My flight leaves at six tomorrow morning," he says with a low sigh.

Jongin blinks, but he doesn't bother protesting when Taemin goes on to check his plane ticket on his phone. Despite the millions of words piling up on his tongue, Jongin manages to swallow each one when Monggu runs back to Sehun, all while he prays that Monggu doesn't end up getting distracted and scampering off somewhere else. Jongin doesn't know how long he's been standing unmoving, but he wouldn't be surprised if  his legs have gone numb by now. The temperature must have dropped by at least five degrees, and all Jongin wants is to return to the comfort of his and Sehun's living room, all while he hopes that he isn't looking too awkward as he presses his lips together. 

Taemin seems to get the hint, and Jongin tries to ignore the spark that flashes in Taemin's eyes when he nods in understanding. For a second, Jongin doesn't know what to do, and he sort of hates how he remains awkwardly bolted to the grass when Taemin goes on to envelope him in a firm, albeit feather light embrace. All Jongin can think about is that for once in what feels like forever, Taemin doesn't reek of old tobacco, but Jongin doesn't get a chance to process the thought before Taemin quickly leans away. One the movers nearly collides with them while carrying Taemin's desk across the lawn, and Jongin opts to pretend to contemplate the healed scar on his palm when they proceed to send him a dirty look.

Taemin is silent for a minute, eyes flickering back and forth between Jongin and the large, yellow truck as he keeps his hands shoved deep in his pockets. "Good luck in two weeks," he says after what feels like forever, voice partially drowned out by the incoming breeze. "I mean, not just that, with everything else, as well, but--" He cuts himself off with a sheepish chuckle. 

Jongin tries to ignore the strange buzzing in his veins as he nods. A part of him figures that there's no use in wishing Taemin good luck on his studies, given that the latter is already brainy enough as it is. "You too," he blurts out, to which Taemin responds with a nod. "You'll...you'll do great, I promise." 

A blinding glint appears in Taemin's eyes. "Really? Y'think so???"

Jongin nods, but he doesn't get a chance to tell Taemin to fly safe before his phone rings. He doesn't even need to fish it out to know who's calling, and he barely registers taking a few steps back until he collides with an incoming mover. She only sends him a sour look before he awkwardly rubs the back of his neck. Thankfully, Taemin's nod of understanding saves Jongin from having to respond, and he's unable to move when Taemin reluctantly leans in, ever so slowly. Jongin doesn't get a chance to react before Taemin recoils like he's been burned, which is closely followed by one of the female movers calling Taemin over.

Hearing Vivi yap in the distance, Jongin finds himself staring at the white building until his eyes grow sore, all while he hears Taemin discussing something about where he would like his desk to be placed within the truck. It's not until they proceed to look through a handful of papers that Jongin akwardly inches towards the gate, hoping he won't stumble over the boxes scattered everywhere. Not wanting to be a nuisance, he opts against waving goodbye, even upon noticing the longing look on Taemin's face after he closes the gate behind him.

The monotone chattering grows more and more distant as Jongin makes his way down the brightly lit street with a slight spring in his step. Inevitably, Vivi practically jumps up into his arms when he approaches the small park in the distance, and Jongin immediately spots Sehun talking away with another dog owner while Monggu chases his own tail by their feet. Jongin is nearly blinded when a handful of clouds move aside, so he opts to bend down and toss Vivi and Monggu a few treats as he waits for Sehun to finish up his conversation, all while the latter keeps a tight grip on his hand.

Watching Monggu and Vivi argue over the last kibble, Jongin is about to ask Sehun if they can grab something to eat when the sound of an engine roaring to life in the distance makes him whip his head up. Even though it's gone after a split second, the large moving truck passes by in the form of a yellow flash before it continues down the silent road. Jongin ends up staring into space for what feels like forever, until he scrambles to his feet when Sehun asks him if he's hungry.

"You look like you could use a bite to eat," Sehun chuckles, seemingly reading Jongin's mind. It's not until he picks up on the distracted flickering in Jongin's eyes that he blinks. "Is something the-"

"It's nothing," Jongin blurts out with an indiscreet glance over his shoulder. For reasons he can't explain, there's a strange buzzing in his head that refuses to go away, and he doesn't know if it's his hunger messing with him, but he doesn't bother acknowledging the joy that swells in his chest when he grabs Sehun's hand. 

"Don't tell me you're still worried," Sehun hums, kissing Jongin's forehead. "I already told you you'll do great."

Jongin blinks, not even wanting to admit that he's forgotten all about their (post summer break) math exam as he presses his lips together. He doesn't bother bringing it up, though, given that that he might end up screaming at the top of his lungs due to how much his heart is racing. Instead, Jongin hears himself say something along the lines of where he'd like to eat, which is closely followed by him tightening his grip on Sehun's hand.

Despite the chilling breeze, the golden sunlight makes Jongin feel like he's walking on air as they make their way out of the park with Vivi and Monggu hot on their heels.