Jongin is careful to avoid crushing his thighs when he scooches over and slides into the middle seat. Despite being packed like sardines (beyond the average side of the height spectrum), Jongin is relieved when the three of them all manage to finagle themselves into somewhat comfortable sitting positions, because if Krystal had been any taller, he figures that one of them would have to sit on the roof. Making sure to keep his aching legs out of reach, Jongin stares at the cup holder by his feet, containing Baekhyun's water bottle, while Sehun and Baekhyun take their seats up front. The entire car smells like Sehun's perfume, and Jongin hopes that Taemin doesn't notice him internally screaming as he stares out the window. It's not until the engine rumbles that Jongin notices his scarf, which he's been searching for since February, slightly underneath Sehun's seat. Jongin reaches out and grabs it seconds before Sehun moves his seat back, narrowly saving him from getting his face smashed in.

Taemin goes on to talk about how both Jongin and Krystal did a great job earlier, and Jongin nearly wants to hurl when Taemin proceeds to show them all the video he recorded of the two dancing together (because Jongin honestly wasn't aware of how awful he actually looked in that godforsaken outfit up until now). Krystal seemingly adores it, since she immediately demands Taemin send it to her on Line, and Jongin finds himself staring at Sehun's hair in the rear view mirror when Taemin gives Krystal his username without hesitation. Even though he can't see much, Jongin easily finds himself envisioning Sehun up front, wrist draped over the wheel as they speed down the main road. Jongin eventually tears his eyes away when Baekhyun places a hand on Sehun's arm after he tells a joke (which Jongin honestly didn't find all that hilarious), and it's not until Taemin mentions something along the lines of posting the video on Facebook that he squawks. "No way-"

"Why not??" Taemin groans, waving his phone in the air in protest. "We've all told you you did great-"

"People can't see me like that," Jongin croak-garbles, fighting the urge to swipe Taemin's phone and toss it out the window when Krystal pouts. "Seriously-"

"I doubt anyone will notice," Baekhyun says reassuringly and Jongin fights the urge to remind him that the spotlight was focused directly on him throughout the entire performance. "Besides, I thought you said you wanted nothing more than to show the world your-"

"Not while dressed like a girl," Jongin exclaims, running a hand through his hair in defeat when Taemin only raises an eyebrow.

"Works for me," Taemin says with a casual shrug, to which Baekhyun and Krystal both respond with nods of agreement.

Jongin rolls his eyes. "Everything works for you," he scoffs, but he only crosses his legs (as much as the nonexistent legroom will allow him to) in defeat when he knows that he's lost the fight already. If anything, Jongin is just surprised that Taemin hadn't posted it yet at this point, and he makes it clear that Taemin owes him big time by demanding the latter treat him to an ice cream cone later. Inevitably, Taemin caves, which has Jongin leaning back in his seat with a triumphant grin.

Krystal briefly gives Sehun an array of directions before her eyes twinkle. "Oh, right, I almost forgot--" She leans forward in her seat and playfully tugs on Baekhyun's red locks. "Happy one year," she giggles, which has Jongin's head automatically shooting up like a rocket and Taemin pressing his lips together. "It's rare to see couples make it past the six month mark nowadays, so good on you!" Her lipstick smudges as she runs her tongue across her bottom lip. It's not until Sehun sends her a friendly nod that she grins and pats his shoulder. "I mean, I've only met Sehun like, once, but he seems like a keeper already-"

"Could you scooch over? Your purse is taking up like, half the goddamn seat," Taemin huffs, jabbing Krystal's arm, and Jongin legitimately doesn't know if he's being serious or simply trying to change the subject. Taemin goes on to complain about being born with abnormally long legs (despite his legs being shorter than Jongin's) before he leans in and whispers in Jongin's ear. "Is that Sehun? You were right, he really is smashing," he says not so quietly, and Jongin nearly smacks Taemin's mouth off when Sehun sends them both a funny look in the rear view mirror.

"Shuttheup," Jongin growls, effectively silencing Taemin by elbowing him square in the chest. Leaning back in his seat, after making sure Sehun didn't actually hear anything, Jongin finds himself staring at the people walking by when the stop at a red light. Jongin makes out the colorful door to the bubble tea shop when Sehun steps on the gas again, and it's not until the large bubble tea statue comes into view that Jongin feels his stomach cramping with hunger. Eyes trailing around the inside of the car, they soon land on Baekhyun, who is deep in conversation with Sehun, and Jongin has to force himself not to think about sitting next to Sehun up front, even for just a second. It doesn't work, though, which becomes clear when Jongin goes on to imagine himself leaning on Sehun's broad shoulders whilst they drive into the night. The warmth erupting in his chest does nothing to stop his brain from going into override, and it takes Jongin every fiber of his being to snap out of it when his brain proceeds to wander into territories that makes him want to squeal in embarrassment. Jongin is lucky, because the loud rumbling of the engine drowns out the sound of his heart practically jumping out of his ribcage. (if it hasn't already, that is).

On the other hand, Jongin figures that it wouldn't have made a difference, given the loud squawk of surprise that leaves his lips when he's back into reality, only to realize that he's quite literally clinging onto Taemin's arm for dear life. To say that Jongin regrets recoiling like he's been burned, only for Sehun to slam on the brakes a second later and thus causing him to nearly crack his head open against the window, would be a vast understatement. Taemin doesn't seem to notice, to Jongin's relief, and he simply resumes fixing his eyeliner whilst taking selfies on Line.

Jongin rubs the sore spot on the back of his head, not even realizing that Sehun just finished backing into a parking space until he hears the sounds of doors opening and slamming shut all around him. At one point, Jongin thinks he briefly registers Sehun asking him if he was alright at least three times, but he doesn't even trust his own brain at this point as he fumbles with his seatbelt. Jongin hears Krystal asking Taemin all about his band and upcoming shwo as he reaches for the door handle, only to stop himself when he notices Sehun's cell phone in the cup holder between the two front seats. After a second of contemplation, Jongin finds himself grabbing it, and he tries to ignore the strange tingling spreading across his fingertips when he feels its warmth against his palm. Jongin's eyes end up trailing down to the screen after it automatically lights up, nearly screaming out loud when he's greeted with twenty texts from Baekhyun. At least eighteen of them are from last night, leaving majority of them unanswered, which Jongin finds sort of strange. But then again, he would be lying if he said that he was a master at replying to calls and texts, as well.

Eventually, Jongin ends up scrambling out of the car when he worries that Sehun might forget about him and lock him inside, and he absently slips Sehun's phone in his back pocket when he notices Sehun chatting with Baekhyun a few feet away. Taemin seems to be having the time of his life as he proudly shows Krystal his newly bought plectrums from yesterday, and Jongin ends up standing awkwardly off to the side when none of them seem to notice his existence. It's not until his stomach grumbles in protest, though, that Jongin walks up to Taemin and practically drags the latter in the door.

Jongin finds himself flying towards one of the many pastel pink chairs the moment they enter the small shop, and given how much his stomach is screaming for food, he doesn't really blame himself for being impatient when he childishly drums his fingers on the tabletop. Resting his head in his hand, Jongin watches as Sehun walks in the door (with obvious caution, given just how low the ceiling is) after Baekhyun, who skips towards the menu hanging from the ceiling. Jongin momentarily tears his eyes off Sehun to remind Taemin, for the twelfth time, that the latter owes him ice cream when Krystal begins writing down their orders on her phone. Ignoring Taemin's eyeroll, Jongin eyes the tablecloth, which is an alarming shade of pink and sort of reminds him of his outfit. The mere thought is enough to make Jongin avert his gaze with a shiver, but he sort of wishes he'd just kept at it when his eyes automatically land on Sehun, who is deep in conversation with Baekhyun. A part of Jongin is dying to know what they're talking about, like always, but he restrains himself when Taemin proceeds to take a seat beside him. The smell of tobacco fills Jongin's head and he fights the urge to gag when Taemin sends him a knowing smirk.

Taemin doesn't say anything, though, and he simply fixes his hair before he crosses his legs. He waits until Krystal waves Sehun and Baekhyun over to the counter to chuckle out loud. "You ain't subtle, just letting you know," he sing-songs without looking up. A few feet away, Baekhyun tosses him a plastic spoon, which he catches in midair. He looks back at Jongin, just in time to see the latter scoff.

Jongin peddles back and forth between thanking Taemin from saving him from looking lonely at the table all by himself and elbowing him in the ribs a second time for being so groundbreakingly annoying. However, Jongin ends up doing neither, and he opts to zip his sweater, despite it being at least a hundred degrees in the tiny shop. A second later, Sehun emits a loud laugh at something he can't hear, and Jongin mentally smacks himself when he effectively proves Taemin's point by whipping his head up. He doesn't even need to look to know that Taemin is smirking next to him, and this time, Jongin does end up jabbing Taemin's waist, harder this time. Over by the counter, Sehun casually runs a hand through his hair, and Jongin doesn't even realize that he's doing the same exact thing until Taemin snickers. "Would you shut up already-"

"Look, he's handsome and all, but this is worse than I thought." Taemin winces whilst he massages his sore waist. He seems to recover in the blink of an eye, though, because he goes on to whack Jongin's shoulder. "As in, you're like, so much more smitten than I thought you would be," he adds for emphasis when Jongin only sends him a look. Taemin goes on to inspect the cotton candy themed walls and chairs, a giant contrast to his black pants and striking red jacket, before he absently fidgets with the equally pink tissues on the table. "Thanks for using me as your pretend-Sehun just now, by the way, it means a lot." He sends Jongin a -eating grin, only to clamp his mouth shut when Jongin threatens to break every single one of his plectrums.

Jongin doesn't know if he's got the coiling in his gut or his aching limbs to blame, but he finds himself unable to think straight as he tries processing Taemin's words. He eventually blames it on the fact that he hasn't eaten all day, which in turn has him wishing that Krystal would hurry up with their drinks before he starves to death. "What do you even mean by that," he groans, running a hand down his face. Majority of his eye makeup ends up coming off on his palm, but he pays it no mind.

Taemin shrugs, not even trying to be discreet as he points at Baekhyun with a slim finger. He's silent for a minute as he inspects his fingertips, all of which are covered in scars, as a result of several months worth of daily strumming. "You know how it is," he simply says after a minute of silence. He doesn't get a chance to continue when Krystal skips over to their table with a pink tray in her hands.

"I think that's all of 'em," Krystal sing-songs, eyes trailing over the differently colored cups before them. "Hey, lovebirds, get over here," she calls, gesturing at Sehun and Baekhyun, who are busy discussing something over by the counter. It's not until they're all seated that she picks up the largest cup, the pink one, and hands it to Jongin. "Winner gets the biggest one," she says with a wink. She briefly moves out of the way for a group of students before she picks up the second largest cup and hands it to Taemin whilst blushing profusely.

Jongin ends up attacking the thick, pink straw with his mouth when he worries he might starve to death, and he practically moans in contentment when the sweet taste of strawberry travels down his throat. However, Jongin figures that he probably should have done so a little quieter when he looks up and sees all four of them staring at him (especially Taemin, who is doing a not so good job at masking his ugly guffaws). Thankfully, Sehun seems to pick up on Jongin nearing a mental breakdown, because he offers to hang up their jackets, which has Jongin wanting to cry in relief. Jongin puts his drink down, but he ends up asking Taemin to remove his jacket for him when he feels his arms cramping up as soon as he tries moving them. Taemin only snickers to himself when Jongin scrambles for his mug after he tells Sehun thanks, but Jongin spares Taemin another set of broken ribs when he realizes that the only empty chairs are the ones across from him and Baekhyun. Jongin figures that it doesn't take a genius to figure out where Sehun will be sitting, and he's certainly not in the mood to discuss his performance with Krystal sitting across from him (no matter how much they'll praise him). Because, the last thing Jongin wants right now is for Taemin to belittle him for dancing in skin tight leather pants and glitter eyeshadow.

However, Jongin nearly chokes on his mouthful of tea when Sehun wordlessly slides into the seat opposite him, and he nearly wants to cry when eh accidentally misses the straw with his mouth after Sehun smiles at him. Turning his head ever so slightly, Jongin sees Baekhyun showing Krystal something on his phone, which he figures must explain their seating arrangements, as he takes another sip. Despite feeling like he was on the brink of starving to death fifteen minutes ago, Jongin worries his stomach might combust if he swallows another sip, so he shoves his cup aside.

However, Jongin figures he must have done so perhaps a little too forcefully when he ends up knocking the entire thing over, causing the thick, pink liquid to trickle down the edge of the table and miss Sehun's shoe by an inch. Krystal promptly puts her conversation with Taemin on hold to look up, just in time to see Jongin's life seemingly flashing before his eyes, and she's halfway through getting out of her seat to fetch some tissues when Jongin scrambles out of his chair.

Jongin nearly slips in the pink puddle on the floor as he flies over to the counter, all whilst he avoids making eye contact with the young girl behind the register, who only sends him an annoyed look. Despite Baekhyun reminding him about the tissues already on the table, Jongin finds himself grabbing a wad of tissues from the counter anyway, before he stuffs them in his pocket. It's not until Taemin's loud laugh echoes in the small shop that Jongin recalls the look of pure surprise on Taemin's face after he painted their table with bubble tea just now. One thought leads to another, and before Jongin knows it, he's awfully thankful that he didn't catch the look on Sehun's face, which he made sure to avoid whilst he left the table. Jongin finds himself standing in the same spot for what feels like forever as he stares at the neon pink sign hanging on the wall. Goddamn it.

Ever so slightly, Jongin finds himself inching towards the table, but it's not until he spots the colorful row of self serve ice cream machines to his right that he remembers his and Taemin's deal. Figuring he'd rather not embarrass himself by getting up a second time, Jongin walks towards the small, pink room, since he figures that he might as well be a good roommate and get Taemin one, as well. Jongin is careful not to slip on the bubble tea stuck to the bottom of his shoe as he approaches the machines, which look suspiciously easy to operate, and he ends up suffering a minor decision anxiety meltdown as his eyes trail across the many flavors before him. Eventually settling on chocolate for himself and strawberry for Taemin (since he knows that Taemin will definitely freak out over being forced to eat something bright pink), Jongin grabs two cones and prays he won't somehow screw up the whole process, which solely consists of one button, as he presses down on it. The machine, which looks like it hasn't been used in ages, emits a noise that has Jongin momentarily wondering if he should run for his life, as he runs a hand through his hair. While he watches the pink blob gradually filling up his cone, Jongin is suddenly thankful that he didn't end up spilling any tea on his shirt, since he planned on wearing it tomorrow at Baekhyun's house. If he doesn't end up breaking his neck beforehand, that is, when he comes dangerously close to slipping again.

One thought leads to another, and Jongin blames the rumbling of the machine for lulling him into his world of inner thoughts when he finds himself thinking about Sehun's black blouse, which Baekhyun begged Sehun to wear today since it perfectly matched his hair color. Jongin figures that it must be a Sehun thing, considering he doesn't typically find black blouses attractive on anybody (save for perhaps Taemin, but Jongin would rather die than admit it out loud), but he doesn't bother questioning it when the machine stops making noise. Jongin places his own cone under the machine, hoping it won't combust and splatter its contents everywhere when he presses the button. It's not until Jongin actually takes a look that he realizes just how pink Taemin's ice cream is, and he's in the midst of contemplating snapping a photo of Taemin's reaction later when a voice nearly has him jumping five feet in the air (which Jongin is awfully glad he doesn't end up doing, since that would mean slipping and cracking his skull open against the wall).

Jongin whirls around, figuring he must look like a deer caught in headlights as he repeatedly assures himself that he hasn't dropped dead from a heart attack. He sort of hates the garbled noise of confusion that leaves his lips, but he stops himself from slapping a hand over his mouth at the last minute. "What's-"

"I said hey," Sehun chuckles, shoving a hand in his pocket as he wordlessly inspects the gradually filling ice cream cone. They fall into silence, which nearly has Jongin screaming out loud, before he clears his throat. "Are you alright?" Sehun asks with a look that Jongin can only interpret as sympathetic. His voice is like honey, and Jongin figures he'd much rather listen to it than the loud, uneven rumbling of the machine. "It's just-- You've been gone a while and it looked like you fell back there." He sends Jongin a gentle smile, which is partially illuminated by the neon pink sign hanging on the wall to their right. 

It takes Jongin a moment to raid his head for a response, but he still ends up opening and closing his mouth like a lost goldfish as he continues to listen to the soft rumbling to his left. "It's, yeah--" He looks at his shoes and makes a mental note to wipe them down later. If Jongin is going to be honest, he barely even remembers nearly falling flat on his face, and before he knows it, he feels the familiar heat creeping up his entire neck. "I didn't actually-- I mean, I know it looked like it, but-- I mean, I'm good, thanks--" He figures that Krystal must have sent Sehun over to look for him, and he's about to apologize for taking so long when Sehun speaks.

"That's good to hear," Sehun hums, running a hand through his hair, which Jongin realizes is newly dyed. They fall into silence again, the only audible sounds being the rumbling of the machine and distant chattering of customers as he watches Jongin fidget with the hem of his shirt.

It's not until Jongin notices Sehun staring at him in his peripheral that he wants to die, because his face is most definitely an unpresentable shade of red (that not even the bright pink sign can mask), and it's not until Sehun clears his throat that Jongin flinches like he's been burned. "Sorry, I'm just--" He bites his lip and mentally smacks himself. "It's really hot--"

Sehun slowly nods, eyes briefly moving away from Jongin as he gestures to the right. "You might want to-"

"Kind of like when I left the stage earlier, and-- Nevermind--" Jongin curses himself before he attempts a smile. As much as he swore he'd keep his mouth shut, he feels every thought weighing his tongue down like a pile of bricks, and it's not until Sehun opens his mouth to speak again that Jongin internally panics. "You don't need to wait for me, tell them I'm sorry, I'll be-"

"Sure," Sehun chuckles before he resumes pointing, "but-"

"-there in just a sec," Jongin squabbles, hoping Sehun won't hear the pounding in his chest over the sound of children squealing in the distance. He's seconds away from forcing Sehun back to their table when he turns his head, only to emit a surprised squawk when he sees his own ice cream cone, now overflowing, and with excess cream spilling out all over the counter and threatening to drip on the floor. Before Jongin knows it, he's scrambling for the tissues in his pockets, nearly falling flat on his face as he flies over to the machine and slams his hand down on the button. Jongin is thankful that it doesn't end up malfunctioning, like they tend to do in the movies, and he only groans when he sees the chocolatey mess all over the counter. He's in the midst of dying internally when Sehun walks over without a warning and proceeds to help him wipe up the thick, gooey substance. "Wait, you don't need to-- Nevermind."

Sehun only hums something in response as he effortlessly polishes off the entire counter in one swift swipe, to Jongin's awe, before he brushes his hands together. His ring glows like a silver orb in the neon lights, and Jongin hates how long he ends up staring. Sehun only chuckles when Jongin goes on to mumble a series of apologies, before they fall into brief silence again. "I know I said it earlier, but you did a really good job back there," Sehun says a minute later, with so much sincerity that Jongin nearly chokes on his own saliva. Leaning against the (clean part of) the counter, Sehun absently fidgets with a discarded straw.

Jongin stands glued to the tile floors for an embarrassingly long time, and he does end up choking when Sehun suddenly looks up and sends him a smile. "Thanks," he blurts out, way too loudly for his liking, and he doesn't even realize how heavy his legs feel until he steps aside to make space for a young girl entering the room. Jongin absently watches her (mainly because he'd rather Sehun didn't notice his reddening face) help herself to a cone of blueberry ice cream before he presses his lips together. "I didn't think you'd come at first," he says and swallows a lump in his throat he didn't even know existed. "Like, to the show."

Sehun raises a surprised brow. "You didn't?"

"I mean, like, you and Baekhyun, not just--" Jongin clamps his mouth shut and doesn't it open it again until he's certain that he won't end up spewing absolute nonsense. "Like, I didn't see you and I thought you chose not to-- The lights were super bright, so I didn't see you guys anywhere," he adds for reasons he doesn't even want to know. Jongin bites back his comment about how ecstatic he felt upon finding out that they had been there all along whilst he keeps his gaze fixated on his shoelaces, which are tinted pink. "I'm really looking forward to tomorrow," he says before he can stop himself, lowkey hoping that the sound of a chair toppling over a few feet away makes his words fall on deaf ears.

Luck doesn't seem to be on Jongin's side, though, when a glint appears in Sehun's eyes. "So am I," he says, twirling the straw with his fingers. The young girl leaves the room, and they both follow her with their eyes before Sehun clears his throat. "I was actually-"

"You should," Jongin grins. "I mean, you and Baek deserve to be happy on your--" He cuts himself off when he realizes just how dumb that sounded, so he opts to keep his mouth shut whilst Sehun chuckles in agreement. "I...what are you doing back here?" he asks, genuine confusion lacing his words as he gestures all around them. "I mean, shouldn't you be, you know...with them?"

Sehun blinks at the sudden change of subject before he runs a hand through his hair. "I was actually wondering if you'd seen my phone anywhere." He gestures at the wall to the left, behind which Krystal, Taemin and Baekhyun are sitting. "Baekhyun doesn't have it and it's not in the car, I don't think I left it at the auditorium," he mutters, mainly to himself, turning his face away just in time to miss the way Jongin scrambles for his pockets. "Have you-"

"I'msorryIforgottogiveittoyou," Jongin croak-garbles as he practically shoves the black object in Sehun's face, causing Sehun to take a step back in surprise. before he anxiously pulls his sleeves down. "It was in the car and I thought I'd-- And I forgot to--" It's not until Sehun's eyes trail across the screen that Jongin internally panics. "I didn't do anything, I promise-"

"I believe you," Sehun chuckles, shoving his phone in his pocket. He's about to open his mouth to reply when Krystal suddenly calls their names from behind the wall. "Guess we're expected," he says and turns on his heel after he sends Jongin a wink.

Jongin watches Sehun walk out of the room, eyes still glued to the now empty doorway whilst he hears Krystal asking Sehun 'where the eff he went for so long'. For a moment, Jongin finds himself completely unable to move, especially with Sehun's cologne lingering in the air and bolting him to the floor. Jongin eventually forces himself to move his legs, though, after an entire group of women enter the room and head towards the machines. He's outside by the counter less than a second later, and Jongin doesn't know if he's got the overall heat or the sharp tugging at his gut to blame when he feels his chest flutter upon seeing Sehun conversing with Taemin, who subsequently gets told off by one of the waitresses for propping his feet up on the table. 

One thought leads to another, and Jongin feels himself swallow when Taemin's words pop into his head. However, they disappear just as quick as they came when Sehun sends him a smile from his spot a few feet away, and Jongin barely registers nearly colliding with said waitress as he makes his way back to the table.

5:45 PM

Despite having not only zipped his sweater, but zipped his jacket up to his chin, Jongin still finds himself shaking like a leaf the second he exits the shop an hour later. While Taemin and Krystal discuss their mutual love for eyeliner a few feet away, Jongin shoves his hands in his pockets when they begin their short walk back to the parking lot. With his stomach now full, Jongin figures he might just be able to endure the upcoming forty minute bus ride home with Taemin, but he isn't willing to get his hopes up yet. A cold gust of wind threatens to make Jongin's cheeks freeze over, and he irritatedly exhales a cloud of smoke when shoving his hands deep in his pockets doesn't warm him up one bit. In fact, it only seems to be making him that much colder, and Jongin is in the midst of contemplating wearing the sweaty crop top in his duffel bag, since at least he knows for a fact that it's warm, when he sees Sehun's car come into view.

Taemin proceeds to thank Krystal at least a hundred times for treating them, to which she responds by blushing profusely, and he slings an arm around Jongin's shoulder after he turns around. "The last bus leaves in five, we should head back," he says, playfully flicking Jongin's cheek.

Jongin swats Taemin's hand away. His eyes automatically flicker to Sehun, who doesn't seem one bit bothered by the biting cold, and Jongin nearly flinches to the point of elbowing Taemin's ribs for the nth time when Sehun turns his head to look at him. It suddenly hits Jongin that he should probably say something, so he clears his throat. "I guess," he barely audibly mutters whilst he clenches his hands into fists in his pockets. Despite Sehun being clad in all black, he practically shines in the darkening night, which has Jongin nearly tripping over his own two feet despite standing still.

"I gotta catch my train," Krystal hums before she goes on to complain about how much she despises riding the train at night. After reapplying her lipstick, she makes sure to let Taemin know how glad she is to finally have met him, to which the latter replies with an indiscreet wink (which in turn has Jongin wanting to stomp on his foot). An incoming breeze gets caught in her long coat as she turns to Sehun to give him a hug. However, she doesn't get a chance to when Sehun speaks.

"I could give you all a ride if you're short on time," Sehun says, fishing his car keys out of his pocket. Upon closer inspection, Jongin notices that one of the keychains is a photo of his new puppy, Vivi, which has the latter feeling all fuzzy on the inside.

Taemin immediately picks up on the way Jongin's eyes glitter, and he makes sure to send Sehun an exaggerated grin. "Nice offer, but I think we'd rather take the bus," he says before Jongin gets a chance to say yes, to the latter's dismay. Taemin doesn't get a chance to usher Jongin in the opposite direction, though, when Jongin vigorously nods his head.

"I'd like one," Jongin says, hoping he doesn't too arrogant as he sends Sehun a smile. Not to mention the last bus has definitely arrived, and driven off, at this point. "I mean, if it's okay with you--" He gestures at Sehun, who nods. 

"It's no problem at all," Sehun replies, a cloud of smoke escaping his lips with each word. Next to him, Baekhyun nods in agreement. "We could-"

"It's like, zero degrees," Baekhyun chuckles when Taemin doesn't bothering masking his frown. "You'll die of hypothermia before you even reach the bus stop," he adds for emphasis, making Krystal laugh out loud. "Not to mention we can discuss the things we're planning on doing tomorrow-"

"What things?" Taemin asks, raising a curious brow. It's not until Baekhyun subsequently fills him in that he frowns ever so slightly. "Wait, wait, wait, so--" He clears his throat and sends Jongin a look. "So that's what you meant by 'nothing special'?" he lowly asks, making Sehun and Baekhyun exchange puzzled looks. 

Jongin blinks, feeling every cell in his body shrivel up when an ice gold gust of wind passes. He wants to scream, because he really isn't in the mood for another one of Taemin's 'arrogant-father' episodes right now. "Yeah, so?" Jongin mumbles, only for a joyful grin to spread across his entire face at the thought of spending the following evening watching movies with Baekhyun and Sehun. Taemin only sends him a look of dismay, and Jongin blames his eagerness to climb inside Sehun's car  (and thus escape the biting cold) for making him huff impatiently. "Why do you even give a -"

"I give enough s to know that I don't think that's a good idea, like, at all," Taemin says, not even bothering to keep his voice down as he sends Jongin a pointed look. "Are you serious? Think about it for a minute-"

"What do you mean?" Jongin scoffs, suddenly feeling extremely small under Taemin's gaze, despite being two inches taller than his roommate. It's not until he notices Baekhyun sending Sehun a puzzled look in his peripheral, to which the latter responds with an equally puzzled shrug, that he feels his nerves buzzing with irritation. A part of Jongin prays that Taemin will opt to walk home instead, because the last thing he wants right now is for all of them to be cramped inside Sehun's car with Taemin's contagious surliness looming over them. "I'll pay for a goddamn cab if you just-" 

"Hey, listen--" Sehun interrupts, confusion evident on his face as he clears his throat. "We didn't want any trouble with that, we just figured it would be--" He cuts himself off when Jongin sends Taemin an annoyed look. "You really don't need to come if you don't want to-"

"I want to," Jongin exclaims a little louder than necessary, resulting in an elderly couple glaring daggers at him. Jongin has absolutely no idea how and why Taemin would even think to berate him right in front of Sehun and Baekhyun like this (which has him feeling glad that Krystal already left), but he shoves the thought away when he crosses his arms over his chest. Jongin goes on to mutter something about Taemin simply being airheaded as usual, to which the latter responds with a scoff. Jongin doesn't even give Taemin a chance to respond before he walks over to Sehun's car, climbs into the backseat and slams the door.