SUNDAY

4 PM

Checking his hair in the mirror, Jongin decides against spraying it a sixth time before he picks up a handful of random hair products and dumps them into their respective drawers. The whole bathroom is littered with a mixture of perfume bottles and hair products, and Jongin nearly suffers a decision anxiety meltdown when his eyes land on Taemin's personal drawer. Jongin bites his lip, since he's fully aware of just how protective Taemin is of his belongings (courtesy of Jongin accidentally dropping and shattering one of Taemin's perfume bottles last month), but something has him sliding it open anyway. A lock of hair, stiff from hairspray, falls in his eyes when Jongin peddles back and forth between dousing himself in it or not. However, he forgets all about it when he notices the glass box stashed away in the corner.

Jongin finds himself looking over his shoulder twice, because even though he doesn't think Taemin is as possessive over his makeup as he is with his guitar, Jongin isn't willing to risk it as he eyes the ocean of products, most of which being eyeliners, before him. All Jongin can think about is the pure humiliation that would fill him whenever Taemin would encourage him to regularly wear makeup (since he'd look 'strikingly gorgeous and stuff'), which had him wanting to deck his roommate in the face. However, Jongin figures that he sort of owes Taemin an apology when he goes on to stare at himself in the mirror five minutes later. Jongin isn't sure what surprises him more - the fact that Taemin was right about something for once, or that he miraculously didn't end up stabbing his eyeballs out with the kohl liner. Jongin settles for the latter whilst he inspects his eyelids, practically covered in silver glitter. Lips pursed in an indecisive pout, Jongin contemplates the black liner, and he prays Taemin won't mind when he finds himself dragging the cold tip across the corners of his eyes.

Despite solemnly swearing that he'd never admit to Taemin being right, ever, Jongin would be lying if he said that Taemin was wrong after he takes a step back and admires his (nearly unrecognizable) face in the mirror. It's not until he successfully manages to get his hair to look somewhat presentable that Jongin feels the buzzing returning to his chest, which has been threatening to send him over the edge ever since this morning. Even though it died the minute Jongin got out of bed and realized that he was faced with the mind splitting decision of styling himself, he finds himself grabbing on to the edge of the sink when a sudden headrush has him fearing he might topple over. Jongin assumes that the spinning in his head must have wiped every single moment up until now from his brain, because all he recalls after waking up to Taemin barging right into his room is nearly choking on his cereal when Sehun texted him to jokingly ask if he was still on board for tonight. After assuring himself that he won't fall over and crack his head open against the sink, Jongin realizes that he has yet to text Sehun back, which has him lowkey panicking.

However, Jongin doesn't get a chance to reach into his pocket (which would have been useless anyway, considering he left his phone on his bed) when the smell of tobacco s him back into reality. Jongin is torn between complimenting Taemin for being so eerily silent and suffocating him with a pillow for scaring the living daylights out of him when he peeks his head in the door without a warning. Jongin is lucky, because he (barely) manages to save one of Taemin's perfume bottles, which he nearly knocks right off the sink after jumping five feet in the air. 

At first, Taemin doesn't say anything, and he simply exhales a cloud of smoke into the room while he stares at the alarming amount of bottles, combs, brushes and makeup products scattered all across the sink. However, he nearly chokes on his cigarette when he looks up and sees Jongin, who only rolls his eyes. Taemin ends up coughing for a full minute until he recovers and sends Jongin a pointed look. "Really? You're serious? You're actually-- Christ--" He cuts himself off and Jongin finds himself staring at the fresh scars all over his fingertips when he takes a much needed drag.  

Jongin presses his lips together. At least he isn't pissed about the perfume. "I just wanted--" He scrambles to put Taemin's products back in the box. "I didn't use that much, stop giving me that look," he mutters, eyeing his T-shirt in the mirror. Its black color makes the glitter all over his eyelids glow like jewels on his face. The realization that he should probably reply to Sehun's text dawns on him, and Jongin is about to push past Taemin to get to his room when the latter puts a hand up, effectively blocking him from crossing the threshold.

Taemin takes a drag, seemingly letting the silence speak for itself as he exhales. "What are you doing," he sighs in exasperation, gesturing at the mess on the sink. He doesn't even let Jongin respond before he continues. "Look at this, look at you--" He waves a tobacco stained hand in front of Jongin's face. "I mean, you look goddamn stunning, it's just--" He takes a step back and Jongin takes the opportunity to slip past him. "Can't you just hold up and think about you're getting yourself into for once?"

Stuffing his textbooks in his backpack, Jongin lets Taemin's compliment fly over his head as he stands up and brushes his hands together. He figures that Taemin is lucky, because the buzzing in his head is the only thing stopping him from locking Taemin in the bathroom forever. Jongin bites back his comment about if and when Taemin has ever been happy for him (save for after his performance, but even so) as he wrinkles his nose in disgust. "How many times have I told you to keep your out of my room-"

"Jongin, this isn't a date and you know it damn good and well." Taemin sighs, leaning against the wall as he watches Jongin open the doors to his closet. A defeated sigh leaves his lips when Jongin proceeds to raid through its entire contents. "That one, definitely that one," he deadpans, pointing to the garment in Jongin's right hand when Jongin looks like he's on the verge of another decision anxiety meltdown. "They'll flip if you show up in lingerie, anyway, so," Taemin mutters whilst bringing the stick to his lips, only to squawk when he gets a (hopefully unused) pair of boxers slung in his face. "Go die--"

"Learn to live a little," Jongin giggles before he turns his attention back to the shirt in his hand. His smile quickly melts off his face and he sort of wants to cry, because Jongin knows for a fact that he'll be kicked out the door if he shows up wearing an oversized, pink wool sweater. Jongin goes on to condemn his roommate's awful fashion taste before he tosses it on his bed. Even though Jongin would rather die than embarrass himself like that, he would be lying if he said that he would be willing to loot through his entire closet, which he, conveniently enough, hasn't bothered to organize since he moved in last year. Jongin feels his stomach flutter when he stands up and spots his phone tucked away underneath one of the pillows on his bed, and he dives onto the mattress and grabbing it, all whilst ignoring Taemin's drawn out groan.

Taemin watches as Jongin fiddles with his phone before he takes a long drag. "You're like a girl, you know that?" he mutters after exhaling. He opens his mouth to speak, only to close it when he sees Jongin typing about one letter a minute. "Just don't this up, okay?" He sends Jongin a pointed look, to which the latter responds with an eyeroll. "It's the least you can do since you're unwilling to confront-"

"Could you just get out already???" Jongin runs a hand down his face, his nerves seemingly cutting off the filter between his brain and mouth as he gestures at Taemin. "How about you lay off with this overprotective parenting scheme of yours and mind your own goddamn business for once--" He sighs in exasperation. "You don't know Baek and you never will, so just leave me alone for once and get out already." Jongin scoffs, figuring that Taemin never being able to find a best friend of his own doesn't automatically grant him the right to boss him around under his own roof. It's not until Jongin looks up and sees the look on Taemin's face that he realizes he just said it out loud, and Jongin internally screams as he flails his hands in all directions. "Wait-- Damn it, I didn't--"

Taemin goes silent, cigarette gradually burning up between his fingers as he stares at Jongin with an unreadable look on his face. "Fine." He's silent for another minute. "But if this ends up going to , you're on your own." The buttons on his jacket rustle when he turns on his heel, and he makes sure to slam the door shut after he leaves the room.

The sound echoes for a full minute and Jongin finds himself glued to the floor until he no longer hears Taemin shuffling around downstairs. It's not until the front door closes wih a bang downstairs that Jongin feels the familiar coiling sensation tugging at his gut, but he forgets all about it when he stares at the shirt in his hands. His unfinished response to Sehun greets him when he flops back down on his bed, and Jongin practically crushes his phone in his hands whilst his fingers scurry across the keyboard. After a few seconds of pondering, Jongin ends up pressing 'Send' before he sits up and fights the urge to run a hand down his face. The smell of tobacco still lingers in the air and Jongin regrets not yelling in Taemin's face for smoking in his room. God damn it.

Jongin's chest flutters when he stares at the pink shirt, which is close to slipping off the edge of the mattress, and the next thing he knows, he's grabbing it and sliding it over his head. As much as he doesn't want to admit, Jongin ends up handing it to Taemin again, because he sort of hates the happy grin that spreads across his face when he inspects his reflection a second later. In a sense, Jongin figures that he's probably better off wearing something oversized if he's going to be spending the entire evening completing worksheets, anyway. It's not until Jongin checks his watch, and sees that he's got less than an hour until he's due to leave the house, that he suddenly feels his heart racing, and he has to distract himself by burying his face in one of his pillows. A sudden buzzing sound has him sitting up like a bullet less than two seconds later.

Morning! Haven't forgotten about tonight, have you? ;)

/S

ヾ(´∀`* ) 

how could i??? (＃￣0￣)    //j

That's good to hear! :3 Will Taemin be coming as well? 

/S

Jongin bites his lip, gripping the sheets impossibly tight as he types out a response with his free hand. He doesn't know if he should laugh or cry at the way his heart thumps against the mattress when his phone buzzes, before he gets a chance to put it down.

he's got band stuff to do all night 。゜゜(´Ｏ`) ゜゜。

i'm hoping i'll finish my stuff quickly so i can see if that film's really as scary as baek made it out to be kkkk   //j

I see :) And I guess we'll have to find out (⌒_⌒;)

/S

The neighbor's dog barking outside his window nearly has Jongin falling off his bed in surprise, and he checks his watch for the millionth time before he finds himself anxiously pacing back and forth in the middle of the room. He's sort of contemplating calling Baekhyun and asking the latter if he could come over an hour early, in worry of possibly exploding if he doesn't get out of the house in ten seconds. Jongin ends up doing just that, after a full minute of pondering, and he makes sure to mask the exhilarated trembling of his voice when Baekhyun picks up after the first ring. Much to Jongin's relief, Baekhyun seems ecstatic at the idea of him showing up in ten minutes, and Jongin doesn't even realize that he's still in the middle of his call when he proceeds to shower himself with (Taemin's) perfume, toe his sneakers on and run out the door in under a minute.

5:30 PM

Shivering when a few rain drops trickle down the back of his neck, Jongin runs a hand through his damp hair as he steps off the bus. He nearly collides with an incoming cyclist, but Jongin doesn't blame himself for barely being able to walk properly, considering his legs are already aching from being cramped at the back of the bus for half an hour. Checking his phone, for the first time in what feels like forever, Jongin realizes that he was supposed to call Baekhyun to tell the latter where he was nearly an hour ago. Momentarily cursing himself for leaving his umbrella at home when he shudders, Jongin makes sure to protect his backpack from the rain as he eyes the stream of people rushing by. It's not until he averts his gaze and spots a gift shop a few feet away that Jongin mentally smacks himself for forgetting to pick something up on the way, because if there's anything Taemin has taught him, it's that not showering your hosts with gifts is pretty much illegal. Jongin ends up scrapping the idea when he gets another text from Baekhyun asking 'where on God's green Earth he is', and Jongin soon finds himself making his way down the all too familiar street with a slight spring in his step.

Jongin doesn't even bother shielding his jacket and backpack, both of which are drenched at this point, as he approaches the few steps leading to Baekhyun's patio. Jongin immediately notices the handful of darkening stains near the kitchen window, and he fights back a chuckle when he vividly recalls egging Baekhyun's house five Halloweens ago - courtesy of Baekhyun pranking him by (essentially) breaking into his house an hour earlier and placing a life size animatronic right behind his bedroom door. Ringing the doorbell, Jongin feels a pang of guilt when he recalls Baekhyun going on to complain about the yolks taking five hours to scrub off, but it's not until he also recalls one of the neighbors calling 911 on him to report a domestic dispute (probably due his blood curling shriek that practically shook the whole house) that he immediately takes it back. Not to mention Jongin figures that Baekhyun deserves permanent yolk stains on his walls for causing him to end up being questioned by the cops for two hours. Jongin is in the midst of reminiscing how he almost cried when one of the officers subsequently searched his apartment when he hears footsteps approaching the front door.

Baekhyun's grin is nearly blinding when he opens the door and sees Jongin, who attempts a meek smile (as much as the his frozen solid lips will allow him to). "I was like, this close to heading out and searching for you," he says only half jokingly as his eyes trail across Jongin's drenched form. "The room's already prepared, so you missed the hard part, to say the least," he adds, gesturing behind him with a small chuckle. His bright red hair is unstyled and bouncing all over the place when he steps aside and tells Jongin to step inside. Baekhyun seemingly doesn't notice the welcome mat becoming two shades when Jongin dumps his backpack on it. "There's food in the kitchen if you're hungry, Sehun ended up making too much as usual." Baekhyun rolls his eyes in exasperation, and he turns around to hang up Jongin's jacket just in time to miss the way Jongin's eyes twinkle.

As Baekhyun hangs up his jacket, Jongin runs a hand through his hair, figuring it must be a sticky mess from all the products he doused it with earlier, but he doesn't get a chance to feel irritated about it when he hears dishes clattering in the distance. Jongin nearly gives himself whiplash when he looks up, and he finds himself glued to the carpet when Baekhyun goes on to rant about the godly kimchi spaghetti they had for dinner. Jongin doesn't even register toeing his shoes off before he picks up his backpack, which feels like a sponge, and follows Baekhyun down the hallway. Now, Jongin doesn't know if he's simply imagining things, but he's at least 99% sure that he catches a whiff of Sehun's perfume as he approaches the kitchen. It's not until Jongin finds himself peeking his head in the door that the smell of food hits him, which has his mouth watering. However, Jongin forgets all about it when he averts his gaze, causing an warmth explodes and spreads across his chest, and he fights the urge to tell Baekhyun to turn up the heat as he chews on his bottom lip.

Sehun stands with his back facing the doorway as he retrieves a clean plate from the cupboard. As opposed to Baekhyun (and Jongin, for that matter), his hair is perfectly styled in a neat, albeit messy, quiff. It takes Jongin less than a second to realize that Sehun's blond roots are dyed black, and he sort of hates how long he ends up staring when Sehun proceeds to bend down and pick something off the carpet. Despite having stepped foot in Baekhyun's (unnaturally large) kitchen at least a million times before, Jongin finds himself bolted to the threshold, almost shyly, backpack dangling from his fingers and creating a small rain puddle on the floor by his feet as he gradually feels his brain blanking out. In fact, Jongin figures it might have blanked out completely if it wasn't for Sehun turning around a minute later.

It takes Sehun a moment to register what he's seeing (which Jongin doesn't exactly blame him for), and he quickly erupts in a smile when Jongin mutters a half-assed 'Hi'. "I thought I heard something," he chuckles, wiping his hands on his jeans. They fall into brief silence, which makes Jongin want to scream, until Sehun comments on the awful weather upon seeing Jongin discreetly trying to rid his hair of water. "If I'd known, I would've told you to bring an umbrella," he adds before Baekhyun skips inside the room.

Jongin nods, not knowing what to say as he awkwardly stands off to the side and hears Baekhyun mumble something along the lines of fixing the lights downstairs to Sehun, who simply nods in response. To Jongin's surprise, he comes to realize that his body is so warm that he's practically bone dry, but he doesn't get a chance to think about it when Sehun brushes past him. Jongin tries to focus on Baekhyun excitedly saying something about preparing snacks to distract himself from the fact that he's pretty much standing in a cloud of Sehun's perfume, which lingers in the air for a full minute, before he forces himself to walk over to the counter. The sound of shuffling downstairs fills Jongin's head as Baekhyun hands him a bag. It's not until Sehun calls Baekhyun's name from his spot in the living room that Jongin accidentally tears the whole thing apart, kernels flying all across the counter when he flinches like he's been burned. "Damn it."

Baekhyun, who is seemingly more interested in making snacks than Sehun questioning him about the remote's whereabouts, immediately fetches another bag from the pantry. He waits until Jongin accepts it with a garbled thanks, before he runs his hand through his red locks and leans back against the counter. "That's the last one, so be careful now," Baekhyun chuckles, playfully jabbing Jongin's shoulder. He goes on to comment on how perfect the darkening sky will be for their movie session, not even trying to be subtle as he swipes a handful of kernels from the bag. "I made these strawberry pudding things with smiley faces on them on Wednesday, but I left the frigging things behind," he mutters between loud chews.

Ignoring the thought of how anybody could find enjoyment in getting popcorn kernels stuck between their teeth, Jongin bites the inside of his cheek. The fridge blocking the window is the only thing preventing him from flying over and undoing the hatch, considering heat trapped in his chest is dangerously close to melting his insides. As he fetches a bowl, Jongin tries his hardest not to make eye contact with Baekhyun, whose gaze is practically burning holes in his head as he watches from his spot a foot away. The silence has Jongin worrying that Baekhyun might pick up on how loud his heart is racing, and he nearly cries in relief when Baekhyun takes his eyes off of him to comment on the massive amounts of homework they have due tomorrow. Jongin finds himself nodding along as he dumps the entire bag's contents into the bowl and places it inside the microwave.

Baekhyun brushes dust off his shirt as he watches Jongin fumble with the buttons. "Everyone loves the video Taemin posted," he snickers and immediately steps aside when Jongin attempts to whack him upside the head. "I don't blame them, though, you really did outdo yourself, like always." Baekhyun shifts when Jongin awkwardly joins him by the counter, and it's not until they fall into silence again that he clears his throat. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

Nearly toppling over in surprise, Jongin tries to tune out the deafening pounding in his ears as he looks at Baekhyun, who is staring at him like he's grown a second head. "Sorry, it's--" He mentally slaps himself before he regains his composure. "Sure."

Baekhyun opens his mouth to speak, only to close it again. "It's nothing, really, it's just-- How do I put it--" He checks to make sure that the bag isn't on the verge of exploding inside the microwave before he looks back at Jongin. "Have I done or, y'know, said anything to piss you off lately?" He keeps his eyes locked on Jongin, who only blinks. "It's stupid, I know, but you've been acting so strange lately and it's-- You never talk to us about it, and-- I know you've had the whole tournament thing hanging over your head for a while, but you still seem so...you know." He looks at Jongin, who is absently chewing on his bottom lip. They fall into brief silence before Baekhyun sighs. "It's alright if you don't want to talk about it, but I want you to promise me that there isn't anything bothering you, cause honest Jongin is my favorite Jongin--" He playfully pinches Jongin's cheek, causing the latter to smack his hand away. The glint returns to Baekhyun's eyes when he grins. "'Kay?"

"Nothing's the matter," Jongin squabbles, fighting the urge to slap a hand over his mouth when Baekhyun blinks. The microwave dings a second later, and Jongin is glad that he manages to swallow the squeal of surprise that travels up his throat before he flies over and swings the door open. He immediately regrets slamming his hand down on the bag when he emits an embarrassingly loud yelp, causing Baekhyun to cling to the edge of the counter in a series of guffaws. Jongin promptly makes a mental note to dunk Baekhyun in the nearest trash can as he grabs the bowl.

"There's this little thing called patience, my friend," Baekhyun chuckles, dumping the entire contents of the bag in the bowl before he chucks it in the sink. "Or you'll get burned," he adds, filling a glass with water from the fridge. Baekhyun momentarily scolds Jongin for (indiscreetly) helping himself to a handful of popcorn before he walks over and flicks the latter's face. "Was Taemin supposed to come, by the way?" He scratches the back of his head. "I mean, I didn't invite him, per say, but he is type to show up uninvited, so." He picks up the bowl and makes a move to leave the room, but he halts when he sees the look on Jongin's face. "What'd he do now-"

"Nothing," Jongin blurts out before Baekhyun can even finish his sentence, but he immediately sighs in defeat when the latter sends him a look. "I mean, it's nothing really, we're just--" He shrugs. "He's just running his mouth like usual, it's nothing, really." He opts to stuff his face with more popcorn when he finds himself unable to finish.  

Baekhyun nods before he runs a hand through his hair for the nth time. He briefly comments on just how lucky Taemin is to have his guitar to keep him sane (which Jongin can definitely get behind), before he sends Jongin a -eating grin. "Remember, you're here to relax," he says, gesturing at Jongin's backpack, which is sitting neglected on the threshold. "And perhaps catch up on a thing or two, since God knows you need it," he adds with a wink, making sure to swipe the popcorn bowl as he bolts out of the kitchen, after Jongin threatens to egg his house a second time. 

---

Jongin follows Baekhyun downstairs to the living room, and he can't help but blink in awe when he sees that every single piece of furniture has been moved aside, save for the television. The large, empty space in the middle of the room has been filled with at least a hundred blankets and a mountain of cushions, and it all looks so inviting that Jongin fights an impulse to dive head first, and curl up, underneath one of the blankets. With the moonlight casting a soft, gray shadow over the room, Jongin figures that it makes for the ultimate horror movie watching environment as he watches Baekhyun walk over to the sliding glass door to the balcony. As Baekhyun slips behind it, Jongin hums in contentment as he walks over to the coffee table, which is neatly stashed away by the wall, and places his backpack on it. Given that their only light source is the balcony window, which is pretty much useless given that it's nearly pitch black outside, Jongin has to watch where he's putting his feet as he carefully tip toes towards the middle of the room.

"Hitting the books?" Sehun asks with a soft chuckle, his white hoodie practically glowing in the darkness as he brushes his hands together. It's not until Jongin meekly nods that he gestures at the floor. "You could always study here if you want, Baek's always complaining about the wobbliness of that table," he adds and misses the way Jongin vigorously nods when he turns around, after Baekhyun enters the room with a red crate in his hands. "Fancy a drink?" Sehun asks, gesturing at said box with a smile on his face.

Jongin blinks as he grabs his backpack and drops it on one of the cushions. He nods, nearly shuddering when Sehun goes on to hand him an ice cold can of what he assumes is soda. Jongin watches as Baekhyun helps himself to one, as well, before he plops down on five cushions at once and reaches for his backpack. The softness beneath him is enough to want Jongin to fall asleep right this second, but he restrains himself when Baekhyun puts the bowl of fresh popcorn on the carpet near his feet. Jongin finds himself raiding his backpack for his overdue worksheets whilst Baekhyun flicks through Netflix, and he bites back a groan when he's greeted with at least a hundred formulas and equations. For once, Jongin sort of wishes that Taemin was here, since he could really use the latter's braininess right about now, but he dismisses the thought when he hears Baekhyun groan behind him. Reaching into his backpack in search of a pencil (which he already knows he forgot inside his locker), Jongin blinks when Sehun subsequently mumbles something he doesn't hear, but Jongin resorts to completing his worksheets so that he can immerse himself in the movie afterwards.

However, it's not until Baekhyun irritatedly steps away from Sehun that Jongin feels a heavy pang in his chest, and before he knows it, he's reminiscing Sehun and Baekhyun's brief altercation in the front seat, courtesy of Taemin spreading his surliness around like the plague. In fact, Jongin sort of regrets even bringing up Taemin's name a minute ago when he sees the look of frustration on Baekhyun's face, but he decides to keep his mouth shut as he attempts to focus on the first problem. Jongin finds himself unable to, though, when the buzzing in his head prevents him from thinking clearly, so he stuffs his papers in his backpack before he shoves it aside. As Sehun and Baekhyun go on to lowly discuss only God knows what behind him, Jongin anxiously figets with his sleeves, and even though he can't make out a single word, he has to swallow the lump that threatens to escape his throat. A minute later, Baekhyun sits down next to him, and Jongin is seconds away from apologizing for mentioning Taemin when Baekhyun speaks.

"Sorry about that," Baekhyun chirps, gesturing at Sehun. It works, and Jongin finds himself unconsciously cowering next to Baekhyun when a few clouds block the moon, plunging the room into darkness to the point that he can barely see his own hand in front of his face (let alone the bowl, which Jongin makes a mental note not to step in if he were to need a restroom break). "Anyway, it took a while, but I found it!" Baekhyun excitedly points to the screen, on which a demonic looking woman stares back at them, before he goes on to remark how much he isn't looking forward to having math class first thing tomorrow morning.

Nodding, Jongin crosses his legs as he grabs a cushion, unconsciously fiddling with a loose thread as Sehun sits down next to Baekhyun. For a second, Jongin lowkey wonders if he should have just opted to sit at the wobbly table anyway, since neither Baekhyun nor Sehun are saying a word to each other as the movie loads. At first, Jongin restrains himself from stuffing his face, but the growling in his stomach has him grabbing a handful of popcorn, and he momentarily forgets all about the thick silence when the opening credits show up on the screen. Despite not knowing anything about the movie whatsoever, Jongin finds himself strangely mesmerized whilst he shamelessly stuffs his face. Jongin figures that he must be a little too mesmerized, though, when he practically wraps his hand around Baekhyun's entire hand when he grabs another handful of popcorn. However, it's not until Jongin looks up, only to be met with Sehun's unreadable expression that he recoils like he's been burned. Jongin is lucky, because the darkness effectively masks his reddening face when he manages to choke out a half-assed apology, and he sort of wishes the cushions would swallow him up as he makes a mental note to avoid the bowl throughout the rest of the film.

Jongin soon finds himself zoning out as he fidgets with the cushion in his lap, mainly because the heat threatening to set every capillary in his body on fire makes it impossible to concentrate on the events unfolding on the screen. He takes a quick sip of the overly sweet drink and opts to stare at the half empty bowl of popcorn by his feet, hoping the loud voices emitting from the speakers is doing a decent job at drowning out the fierce pounding in his chest. At first, Jongin wonders if he's simply just looking for an excuse to avoid watching the gruesome scenes before him, but it's not until he sees Sehun and Baekhyun, who seem to be sitting slightly further apart than they did since the film started, that Jongin internally curses. Taemin's words pinball inside his head, and Jongin has to fixate his gaze on the subtitles when the familiar urge to smother his roommate with a pillow fills his head. Jongin figures that there must be something about Taemin that can put just about anybody in a surly mood, but he isn't about to put his theory to the test as he bites back a sigh.

"I think I'm gonna work on...yeah," Jongin eventually mutters as he gestures at the table, and he's about to get up off the floor when Baekhyun pouts. "It's just-- I don't want to-"

"But it's just getting to the good part," Baekhyun whines, grinning as he gestures at the screen. Surely enough, a murder brutal enough to give Jongin nightmares plays out onscreen, before Baekhyun pats the space next to him. Baekhyun's grin slips off his face, though, when Sehun subsequently tells him to 'let Jongin do as he wishes'. "Could you stop bossing me around 24/7--"

Jongin opts to awkwardly stare at his feet, both of which are numb at this point from sitting on them for so long, when Sehun goes on to tell Baekhyun to lower his voice, which in turn results in Baekhyun grumbling something incoherent under his breath. Chewing on his bottom lip, Jongin clears his throat before his eyes flicker back and forth between the two. "How about we just-- You know-- Let's be friends--" He mentally slaps himself, suddenly feeling more motherly than Krystal when Baekhyun looks at him. "I mean, we should all be-- We should all be getting along on your special day," he mutters and looks away in embarrassment, just in time to miss the way both Sehun and Baekhyun exchange irritated looks.

Baekhyun is silent for a minute until he nods, but it's anything but joyful as he tightens his grip around the can in his hand. It's not until he proceeds to slam Sehun for his constant bad mood that the latter mutters a low apology to Jongin, who subsequently finds himself watching as Sehun and Baekhyun walk towards the hallway, until they're out of sight. Jongin doesn't hear anything besides muffled whisper-yelling, but it's not like he wants to, either, and he finds himself unable to focus on the television as his eyes roam around the room, which seems to be blackening by the second. The tarp covering the furniture on the balcony rustles in the wind, and it's not until Jongin realizes that his entire neck is pretty much drenched in sweat that he slowly gets up off the floor, since he could really use some fresh air. Not to mention Jongin is sort of praying that Baekhyun won't ultimately kick him out for ruining everything just by being here, but he shoves the thought out of his head when he spots something shiny on one of the cushions by his feet.

Despite wanting to ignore it, curiosity ends up getting the best of him, and Jongin blinks when he picks Sehun's silver ring up off the floor. It glows even brighter than ever as Jongin twists and turns it in his hands, and he makes sure to safely tuck it away in his pocket before he swings the balcony door open. Jongin makes sure to leave it open a crack as he steps outside, a cool breeze hitting him in the face as he wordlessly inspects the rows of houses before him. The uneven floorboards are already beginning to make his feet ache, but Jongin pays it no mind. Instead, he opts to think about how Baekhyun has been oddly on edge since a month back, and Jongin finds himself running his finger across the cold, rusty railing when he goes on to recall his and Baekhyun's brief discussion half an hour ago. Even though he knows pretty much everything there is to know about Baekhyun, Jongin figures that questioning Baekhyun about his behavior would be unnecessary, given Baekhyun's tendency to speak up whenever something bothers him. Jongin simply dismisses it as their overwhelming amount of exams and assignments getting the best of all three of them before he hears Baekhyun whisper-yelling something inside the living room. The thought of him and Baekhyun growing distant solely due to school related stress makes Jongin want to cry, especially since he doesn't ever recall Sehun and Baekhyun bickering as much as they have been for the past month. On the other hand, Jongin would be lying if he said that he wanted to ask Baekhyun about it, so he simply sighs to the sound of a dog barking in the distance. The chains to the swings on the playground below rustle in the breeze, and Jongin makes sure not to accidentally knock over any of the pots scattered everywhere as he makes his way to the furthest corner of the balcony.

Once he's snug at the back (as in, away from the fluttering tarp, which threatened to smack him in the face every time a breeze passed), Jongin makes himself comfortable on one of the stools as he stares at the abandoned pile of pillows in the living room. He figures that he didn't stretch properly after his performance yesterday, considering every single muscle in his body painfully shrivels up when he hears footsteps pitter-pattering around the house. Jongin is sort of glad that he's so well hidden amongst Baekhyun's random junk, because the thought of being evicted for being a nuisance makes Jongin want to scream, all while he makes sure to stay exactly where he is when he hears Sehun say something to Baekhyun in an irritated tone. Taemin's words wash over him like a tidal wave, but Jongin does his best to clear his head of every ounce of his roommate when the balcony door swings open.

Suddenly feeling like a wounded animal hiding from a group of hunters, Jongin mentally recites his apology (even though he has no idea what he's apologizing for) when he hears the floorboards creaking a few feet away. He can just barely make out Baekhyun's silhouette, but Baekhyun doesn't seem to have noticed him, and Jongin suddenly feels awfully foolish for hiding away when he hears Baekhyun agitated breathing from his spot by the door. Jongin has no idea why, but he feels a certain spark ignite in his chest when Taemin's words creep their way back inside his head, which has him anxiously pulling his sleeves over his freezing hands. Jongin figures that Taemin not only has the power to put him in a bad mood for the rest of the day, but also to infiltrate his brain, because Jongin is at least 99% sure that that's the smell of tobacco lingering in the air when he inhales. However, Jongin forgets about it when he stands up, heart racing and mind spinning as he inches towards the door. 

Jongin tries his best not to step on a loose shard on the ground as he walks towards Baekhyun, mentally preparing to get evicted for ruining the latter's anniversary hangout as he clears his throat. "Look, I just wanted to say--" Jongin sort of regrets his decision to get up in the first place when he looks up and sees Sehun staring right back at him with an equally perplexed look on his face. Jongin suddenly becomes awfully aware of the ice cold floorboards against the soles of his feet when they fall into silence, and he fights the urge to scramble back inside the house when Sehun sends him a smile.

Sehun chuckles when Jongin continues to open and close his mouth like a goldfish, and it's not until the latter looks down that he notices the white cigarette between Sehun's fingers. However, Sehun seemingly doesn't notice Jongin's dumbfounded expression as he takes a long drag. The thick, gray cloud that leaves his lips gets lost in the wind after he exhales. He leans against the railing, eyes trailing over the little girls playing on the slide below. "I thought you left," he softly says, and he's about to open his mouth to continue when Jongin flails his hands in all directions.

"Sorry, I was just--" Jongin mentally smacks himself when Sehun sends him a look, and he resorts to clamping his mouth shut as he watches Sehun take another drag. Now that Jongin thinks about it, he has a faint memory of Baekhyun telling him that he and Sehun used to smoke together during the first months of their relationship, but he still finds himself staring like a surprised owl (mostly because he sort of hates the idea that Sehun has something in common with Taemin). They fall into silence again, but it doesn't last long before Jongin feels the familiar coiling in his gut, causing him to emit another series of garbled apologies. "Yeah, sorry, I was just about to-- I didn't mean to-- Sorry for disturbing." He's just about to reach for the door handle when Sehun speaks.

"It's alright," Sehun says after shifting into a more comfortable position. Even though the night is as black as his hair, Jongin can clearly make out the glint in his eyes when he smiles again. "Did you want-- You said something about...you know--" He chuckles and gestures at Jongin, who only blinks in response.

Jongin ends up remaining silent for an embarrassingly long time before he mentally smacks himself. "Nothing, it was nothing, I thought you were--" He scratches the back of his head and looks through the window. Even though the living room is still drowning in darkness, the only source of light being the television screen, he doesn't catch a glimpse of Baekhyun anywhere. "Where's Baek?" he asks after a minute of silence. Even though he feels the overwhelming urge to vomit when Taemin forces him to inhale his tobacco ridden air, Jongin feels a certain spark ignite in his chest when Sehun exhales a second later. However, Jongin immediately regrets even thinking about his roommate, because he doesn't think he's doing a good job at masking his shudder when Sehun looks at him.

Sehun momentarily tears his eyes off Jongin to run a hand through his hair, which causes his quiff to fall apart, but he seemingly doesn't mind the soft locks covering most of his eyes when he gestures at the door. "He's in the kitchen, said something about making more popcorn," he replies, eyes quickly flickering back to the children frolicking on the playground. He's silent for a moment, eyebrows furrowing when Jongin frowns. "I'm sorry you had to see that," he sighs, taking a long drag. One of the little girls below squeals for her mother to push her on the swings, before the sound of a dog barking in the distance fills the air.

It takes Jongin a minute to process Sehun's words, and it's not until he finally does that he vigorously shakes his head. "No, it's fine, it's no problem," he squabbles, feeling the familiar heat rushing through his neck when Sehun sends him a soft smile. "I mean, it's my-- I shouldn't have-- This was supposed to be fun for you two and now-- Nevermind." He mentally smacks himself and figures that if Taemin were here, the latter definitely would have smacked him, as well. "I didn't mean to ruin it for-"

"Jongin, that wasn't your fault," Sehun quickly says, gaze flickering back to the empty living room. He takes a drag before he puts his cigarette out against the bottom of his shoe. "None of it was," he adds with a reassuring smile in Jongin's direction. The strings on his hoodie flutter in the wind as he ruffles Jongin's hair, and he looks away just in time to miss the way Jongin internally screams at the top of his lungs. "The moon sure is bright tonight," Sehun hums whilst looking up at the glowing white orb hovering above them. Its pale rays seem to come down to Earth and illuminate Sehun's face and hair in an equally bright glow when the clouds move aside. It seems to linger even when he turns his head to look at Jongin. "Is something the matter?"

Jongin closes his mouth. The unbearable tugging in his gut is making it nearly impossible for him to open his mouth to speak, and he fights the urge to grab a chair from underneath the tarp, since his knees feel like they're about to give in any second. He opts to lean against the railing, hoping he isn't making Sehun uncomfortable as he latches onto it for dear life. "It's nothing, really-- I mean, it's nothing special," Jongin mumbles, mainly to himself, as he watches Sehun's hair blow in the wind. It's not until Jongin looks down and sees the pair of mittens on one of the little girl's hands that he blinks, since he'd forgotten all about the freezing cold, and he has to make sure he isn't actually dying of hypothermia when he realizes just how hot his entire chest is. "I mean, it's-- Taemin's been acting kinda crazy lately, that's all." He bites his lip when Sehun raises an eyebrow. "He's just...yeah." 

Sehun is silent for a minute. "Okay," he hums, shifting into a more comfortable position. "Anything I can do to help?" He sends Jongin a smile that has the latter tightening his grip on the metal railing before he can topple over. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't-"

"It's fine," Jongin blurts out, perhaps a little louder than necessary, since one of the little girls subsequently looks up from her spot in the sandbox. His tongue twists itself into knots as he absently eyes the few illuminated windows to the houses across from them. "He's just kind of, y'know, been acting really weird and different lately and takes it out on everybody else-- I mean, it ends up being mostly me since we live together, but yeah," he says when he worries that he might pass out from Sehun's intense gaze. It's not until Sehun sends him an overly concerned look (that reminds Jongin of Krystal's motherly expression whenever he calls her up for help) that Jongin nearly chokes on his own saliva. "Wait, it's not like that, it's fine, really--"

Sehun chuckles. "If you say so," he hums before he sends Jongin a playful wink. "Let me know if he's ever any trouble, okay?" He adjusts the strings to his hoodie when Jongin only responds by blushing profusely. Sehun shifts when the railing seemingly makes his spine ache, and Jongin nearly jumps out of his own skin when Sehun subsequently moves to stand right next to him. "I heard him tell Krystal his 'big show' is coming up soon, maybe he's just nervous about that?"

"I mean, I-- Yeah, I guess," Jongin blinks and, despite not even believing himself at this point, he doesn't bother squashing the spark of heat that flares in his gut when he notices that he and Sehun are most definitely standing a little closer than they did just a minute ago. "I think so, too," he mumbles, running a hand through his hair, which thankfully doesn't feel like cement (meaning that the spray hasn't frozen over). "I mean, most of the time I can put up with it, but sometimes he just forgets that the rest of us have feelings, as well." Jongin briefly recalls Krystal at one point telling him that he needed to 'learn when to keep his effing mouth shut', and Jongin doesn't think he's ever related to something so much as he clamps his mouth. In fact, Jongin wholeheartedly expects Sehun to walk right back inside the house, which is why he ends up blinking in surprise when he looks up and sees Sehun staring at him with twinkling eyes. 

Nodding, Sehun runs a hand through his hair for the nth time. "I could tell," he chuckles and Jongin figures that it doesn't take a genius to know what he's talking about.

Jongin sighs, feeling his veins buzz with irritation, and he figures that he'll never, ever forgive Taemin for humiliating him right in front of Sehun and Baekhyun like that as long as he lives. One thought leads to another, and Jongin finds himself swallowing the lump in his throat when he recalls Sehun and Baekhyun's subsequent altercation in the car. "Yeah, he's-- Sorry about him," he mumbles, and he sort of wonders why Sehun is still choosing to stand outside when an ice cold gust of wind passes and threatens to knock him off his feet. "Why're you, I mean-- It's freezing, you should be in there helping Baekhyun prepare the--" Jongin's voice trails off when his eyes land on Sehun's hand, which in turn has him scrambling for the ring in his pocket, which he wordlessly hands to Sehun, who accepts it with a thanks. Jongin watches as Sehun slides it back on his finger before he clears his throat. His hand feels like he's slammed it down on an electric board, and Jongin has to shove it in his pocket to stop himself from screaming out loud.

Sehun seems to contemplate the glittering object for a second before he shakes his head. "That wasn't your fault either," he says, patting Jongin's shoulder. His eyes seem to flash when he processes Jongin's question, and he's silent for a minute before he opens his mouth. "It's...I just needed some air, I guess." He absently traces invisible patterns into the dirty metal railing, eyebrows furrowed as he looks at Jongin. "Been a busy week-"

"But it's like, zero degrees out here," Jongin blurts out, fighting the urge to slap a hand over his mouth when Sehun sends him a look. All of a sudden, Jongin can't help but feel worried, since Baekhyun has been missing for what feels like forever, but he forgets all about it when Sehun chuckles. "I mean, it's your own anniversary, you should be in...in there," he says, gesturing at the darkening living room before he can stop himself. "I mean, aren't you excited???" He sends Sehun a puzzled look, ignoring the way his heart feels like it's about to crash through his ribcage any moment.

Sehun is silent for a moment, and Jongin definitely doesn't miss the way he automatically fidgets, with what he assumes must be his cigarettes, in his pocket. He casts a glance at the empty living room before he sighs. "I mean, I suppose," he says, voice dying out as he shoves a hand in his pocket. "I guess you could say things have been a little hectic lately," he adds when Jongin only blinks. A crow lands on the railing less than ten inches from his face, and Jongin immediately regrets the loud cackle that leaves his lips when Sehun jumps five feet in the air with a shriek.

After coming down from his laughing high, Jongin wipes his eyes as he watches the bird, which he inevitably ended up scaring away, fly off into the night. "How come?" he asks before he can stop himself. The smell of tobacco still lingers in the air, which makes Jongin feel giddy. "I mean, is there something weird going on between you and--" He nearly bites his tongue when he clamps his mouth shut (which only has him realizing that he definitely should have taken Krystal's word for it), but Jongin doesn't get a chance to apologize when Sehun clears his throat. They fall into silence for nearly two minutes, which does nothing to soothe the ever growing feeling of heaviness in Jongin's gut. Figuring that he has most definitely crossed the line of eviction by now, Jongin scrambles for the door, but he doesn't get a chance to swing it open when Sehun looks up.

"We just haven't been getting along lately, that's all," Sehun says and turns around, just in time to see Jongin standing by the door with his hand hovering above the handle. Staring at the now deserted playground, Sehun runs a hand through his hair, which is now a black, matted mop atop his head. The sound of gunshots blaring from the speakers in the living room, as well as the harsh howling of the wind, is the only thing preventing them from falling back into silence (well, that, and Jongin internally screaming at the top of his lungs). Sehun retrieves his cigarette pack, which Jongin assumes must be empty since he proceeds to fold it up in his hands, before he stuffs it back in his pocket and sends Jongin a smile. "Taemin must be practicing back at home, I presume?"

Jongin blinks at the sudden subject change, and it takes him a minute to raid his brain for an answer as he awkwardly moves to stand beside Sehun again. "I think so???" he mutters, even though he knows for a fact that Taemin is rehearsing with one of his band mate's (he isn't sure which one, but he figures it's most likely the drummer with the funny ears) tonight. Jongin doesn't even want to think about how dark and terrifying the house is going to be once he arrives home later, and the mere thought has him wanting to bolt into the kitchen, get on his knees and beg Baekhyun to let him stay overnight. Alas, he remains bolted to the ground when Sehun hums in understanding. "He usually disappears when he's got an upcoming gig, it's kind of like a coping mechanism for him-- He's been doing it a lot lately, though, but-- I mean, he ended up losing against some other group a while ago and...yeah."

Sehun nods. "That's understandable," he replies, the moonlight returning to define his features when the clouds move again.

Hearing Baekhyun fumbling about in the kitchen, Jongin chews on his bottom lip. Despite having stood on Baekhyun's balcony at least a hundred times, he doesn't recall it ever being this small, considering it seems to be closing in on him with every passing second. Jongin pretends to cough in an attempt to stifle the incoherent ramblings travelling up his throat, which is proven to be useless when he subsequently opens his mouth (mostly because the godforsaken silence is starting to drive him towards a mental breakdown). "I, uh, didn't mean to tell you to shut up, by the way," he blurts out, seriously hoping Sehun doesn't remember as he fights the urge to dunk his head in the nearest pot. Smooth.

Inevitably, Sehun does remember, and he emits a hearty laugh before he puts his hands up. "So I figured," he says with a -eating grin. A dog loudly barks somewhere in the neighborhood, and Sehun turns his head in the nick of time to miss the way Jongin visibly cringes at himself.

"I mean, it was meant for-- I mean, I wouldn't tell Baek to shut up on any normal occasion, it's just-- Nevermind," Jongin croak-garbles, wishing the floorboards would give in and send him crashing to the ground below as he keeps his eyes fixated on his socks. In Jongin's defense, he figures that he had every right to tell Baekhyun to shut up for laughing in his face mere seconds after getting verbally abused (and sentenced to two hours of detention) by his teacher. "It's just-- I wasn't telling you to-- I would never-- God, nevermind-"

"I get it, trying not to fall asleep in math class every day isn't easy," Sehun chuckles, moving out of the way just in time to avoid (rightfully) getting smacked in the shoulder. He mentions something about their math teacher's stubbornness with a slight tremble in his voice, and Jongin sort of wants to jump for joy when Sehun goes on to remark just how cruel it was for her to potentially schedule his detention on a Saturday (which Jongin figures just about anybody can get behind). Sehun eyes his reflection in the window before he sends Jongin a smile. "Like I said just now, I'm sorry you had to see that, but I hope you still--" He cuts himself and gestures in front of him.

"Yeah, no, it's-- It's fine--" Jongin immediately catches a whiff of his hairspray when he fidgets with a lock of his hair, and he tries to distract himself from the strong strawberry scent by leaning back against the railing, making sure not to bump Sehun's elbow in the process. The solid metal is enough to make Jongin's back ache, but he ignores it when he subsequently finds himself engaging in a drawn out discussion about Taemin's late night rehearsals, his (own) hatred for his math teacher, his baby faced friend Luhan, and the movie they're watching (none of which they actually paid attention to) with Sehun. Thankfully, Sehun seems to take Jongin's side majority of the time (save for Jongin's comment about his teacher being out to get him, which only has Jongin figuring that Sehun and Taemin will never know what it's like to be horrible at math and hated by your teacher for it). Even though Jongin knows that he's rambling (and probably boring Sehun to the core), he can't help the words from falling from his lips, especially when when he looks up mid rant to see Sehun staring right at him, listening attentively and nodding along.

In fact, Jongin figures he would have remained talking about Luhan's dog, Monggu, forever if it wasn't for the sound of something shattering inside the house promptly making him clamp his mouth shut. Even though Jongin figures that Baekhyun must have dropped a plate just now, he can't help but feel relieved, because the noise s him back into reality (and nearly gives him a heart attack). After a minute, Jongin wholeheartedly expects to find himself standing alone on the small balcony, with Sehun in the kitchen helping Baekhyun clean up. Except instead, Jongin ends up nearly suffering another heart attack when he's greeted with the sight of Sehun still staring at him, as attentively as ever, and Jongin is about to erupt in a series of apologies for wasting Sehun's time when Sehun ruffles his hair.

"I think Monggu and Vivi would get along well," Sehun sincerely says, making Jongin blink (since he's just surprised that Sehun ended up remembering Monggu's name at all).

The sound of shuffling coming from the inside the house fills the air, and Jongin nearly topples over when the familiar sense of heat suddenly explodes in his chest, and this time it's so strong that he grips the railing until his knuckles turn white. Sehun doesn't seem to notice, but Jongin's relief is short lived when he becomes at least 99% sure that Sehun is staring right at him in his peripheral. It's not like Jongin is going to turn his head to find out, though, and he mentally smacks himself when he runs a hand through his matted locks. Not even the deafening sound of the wind howling all around them is enough to overpower the pounding in his chest at this point, which Jongin sort of hates when he hears footsteps approaching the living room. Despite initially being thankful for his thick, wool sweater for protecting him against the biting cold, Jongin fights the urge to slide it over his head and toss it over the railing when he worries he might die of heatstroke. The feeling promptly disappears when Jongin realizes that he is definitely looking at a subsequent eviction on both Sehun and Baekhyun's behalf, with plates being broken and all, and he's about to say his goodbyes when Sehun speaks.

"You look beautiful tonight, by the way."

One of the floorboards loudly creak when Jongin nearly topples over in surprise. A part of Jongin wishes that Sehun wasn't simply trying to be nice, especially now that his gut has been reduced to a warm puddle of goop inside of him. Figuring that Sehun is simply making up for his own incoherent babbling just now, Jongin shakes his head. "You don't need to-- I mean--" Jongin cuts himself off when he sees the gentle smile on Sehun's face, which seems to glow brighter than the paling sky above them. Jongin automatically looks at himself (for the first time since he got dressed earlier), which makes him want to cry. "This is all-- Taemin told me to, I didn't actually want to wear-- Nevermind, thanks." Jongin scratches the back of his head, seriously wondering if Sehun is just messing with him or if his fashion taste is just as nonexistent as his own. "You look, uh...nice," Jongin blurts out, to which Sehun responds with a chuckle. "I mean, you always-- Nevermind."

"Don't mention it," Sehun hums, gesturing at his own hoodie and jeans, "this is just something I threw together at the last minute." He's silent for a minute until he chuckles at Jongin. "Nothing wrong with being fancy, though, right?" he adds with a less than subtle smirk, which Jongin ends up missing when he turns his face away in embarrassment. They fall into silence for a few seconds until Sehun speaks. "Silver's my favorite color, actually."

Jongin blinks, and it takes him an embarrassingly long time to realize that Sehun is referring to the glitter on his eyelids, which he honestly forgot he was even wearing at this point. Leaning back against the railing, despite his back already protesting, Jongin hopes he won't scare Sehun off when he sends the latter a face splitting grin. Jongin nearly wants to cry when the squishy liquid that is his stomach suddenly takes the form of a thousand butterflies, all of which flutter so furiously that he worries he might collapse when he realizes that he and Sehun are standing less than five inches apart. Jongin sort of wishes that Baekhyun would hurry up and return, because he knows that Sehun is picking up on the deafening pounding of his heart, which becomes obvious when the smell of tobacco grows stronger next to him. Amidst squeezing his eyes shut to prevent the cold winds from hitting his eyes, Jongin swears that he feels Sehun's soft hair tickling his temple, which has him questioning his sanity when he reopens his eyes to let go of the railing. Out of nowhere, Taemin's words hit Jongin like an ice cold tidal wave. This isn't good. This isn't ing good. 

It's not until Jongin hears Baekhyun calling his name from inside the house that he finds himself flying towards the door, barely remembering to open it as he scrambles inside the house. In the commotion, Jongin barely registers that he must have tripped over the threshold, and fallen flat on his face on top of the pillow mountain, until Baekhyun and Sehun subsequently help him to his feet. Jongin isn't sure if he's got the many minutes of standing up to blame, but he finds himself flopping back down on the cushions when his legs fail to support him. His entire face feels like it's on fire, and Jongin thankfully forgets about it when Baekhyun speaks.

"I had to take a call from Dad," Baekhyun mutters, apologetically scratching the back of his neck when he looks at the now blank television screen. "Hopefully it was at least decent," he adds with a grin, only to wrinkle his nose when he inhales. "What's--" He blinks and sends Sehun an irritated glare. "Don't tell me you've been-"

"Can we not do this right now? Please?" Sehun runs a tired hand down his face when Baekhyun only rolls his eyes (which only has Jongin fighting the urge to remind Baekhyun that he was the one who kickstarted Sehun's tobacco use from the very start). "Think about our guest-"

"So I turn my back for like, fifteen minutes and you go at it with that again," Baekhyun scoffs, red locks partially concealing his eyes as he crosses his arms. "As long as you didn't offer any of it to our guest--" He nods at Jongin, who only blinks from his spot on the floor. "Christ, you're just-"

"And I'm the one bossing people around?" Sehun retorts, and Jongin is seconds away from slipping out the front door when Baekhyun throws his hands in the air. "So you're just going to lecture me while ignoring that this whole thing's your fault?" he sharply says with a pointed look at Baekhyun, which has Jongin fighting the urge to bury himself underneath the mountain of pillows. A dog barking outside has them all turning to face the balcony, but none of them seem to make a move to check it out.

Baekhyun opens his mouth, only to close it again, before he sighs and puts his hands up in defeat. "Fine," he deadpans, making sure to send Sehun a glare as he walks over to Jongin, who looks like a question mark. "Sorry about all this," he sighs, running an irritated hand through his hair, "I promise to make it up to you somehow, okay?" He pats Jongin's shoulder (even though Jongin figures that he should be the one telling Baekhyun that). It's not until Jongin nods that Baekhyun stands up, inspects the room, and turns on his heel. Jongin briefly hears him mutter something under his breath before he disappears down the hallway and slams a door shut behind him.

The sound echoes for almost a full minute, and Jongin sort of wonders if he secretely has the power to drain the joy from just about every situation, but he doesn't want to think about it as he awkwardly fidgets with a loose thread on one of the cushions. In his peripheral, Jongin notices Sehun staring right at him from his spot by the door, but they remain in complete silence until Jongin worries he might actually die from how fast his heart is racing. "Uh-- What did-- What did you mean by that?" he asks, head clouding over when Sehun sighs. "Y'know, 'this whole thing'?"

Sehun is silent for a minute. He opens his mouth, seemingly contemplating his response, but he ends up closing it again before he shakes his head. "Nothing," he lowly says and Jongin sort of wants to burst into tears when he notices that the glowing aura enveloping Sehun has been replaced by one of pure exhaustion and agitation. "It's nothing, don't worry about it," he says after a few seconds of silence, sighing to himself as he runs a hand through his messy hair.

Jongin bites the inside of his cheek, wholeheartedly expecting Sehun to bend down, grab him by the ankles and forcefully drag him out the front door after the latter walks towards him. However, it never happens, and Jongin sort of hates the feeling that coils in his gut the second Sehun wordlessly sinks down beside him, a few feet away but still at arms distance, amongst the cushions. At first, Jongin is too caught up with trying to quiet down his raging heartbeat as he keeps his eyes glued on the black television screen, but he eventually gives up when his body refuses to cooperate. Now that Jongin thinks about it, with the television turned off, the entire room is pitch black, save for the moonlight seeping through the glass door of the balcony. Despite that, he still finds himself covering his reddening cheeks with the cushion in his hand, even though he knows that Sehun isn't looking at him. He hears Sehun's stable breathing next to him, and the lump clogging his throat is the only thing preventing Jongin from screaming out loud as Taemin's words echo in his head like a mantra. Jongin doesn't know if he's got the pounding in his chest to blame, but he finds himself shoving his roommate's words to the back of his brain, and he doesn't even realize that he's inching closer until he catches a whiff of Sehun's strong perfume. Amidst the spinning in his brain, Jongin briefly registers a door opening, but it disappears as quickly as it came when he feels every thought in his head blurring one by one.

Jongin barely even registers what happens next, but what he does register is the subsequent taste of tobacco making his lips tingle, which is closely followed by a hand gently gripping his hip. Despite the balcony door practically sitting wide open, Jongin fights the urge to rip his sweater off when he genuinely worries he might die of heatstroke, but he dismisses the thought when, in his dazed state, his hand unconsciously scrambles for something to grab onto. He eventually settles for Sehun's shoulder, and Jongin shivers when he feels its broadness beneath his palm as Sehun shifts beneath him. Jongin simply allows the fluttery sensation that erupts in his chest to spread to the rest of his body when he feels Sehun's lips moving against his own, which has Jongin dismissing the faint sound of footsteps that manage to penetrate the cloudiness in his head.

Jongin figures that he probably should have listened to his brain when his gaze flickers to the doorway, which is partially illuminated by the dim, yellow hallway light. The thumping in his chest makes it impossible for him to even string his thoughts together, and despite the darkness of the room, Jongin immediately feels his head clearing up when an ice cold sensation washes over him like a tidal wave. Even though it's so dark that he can barely even see his own hand in front of his face, Jongin can barely make out Baekhyun's unreadable expression as he stands unmoving in the doorway. Beneath him, Sehun is as silent as ever, and amidst the flickering in his head, Jongin barely registers scrambling off the carpet (or rather, Sehun's lap), tripping thrice as he bolts past Baekhyun, before he half-assedly toes his shoes on and stumbles out into the cold autumn night.

9:54 PM

Throwing himself in the door, it takes Jongin a minute to stop his head from spinning as he slams his hand down on the light switch. The bright light threatens to melt his eyes, and he keeps them squeezed shut whilst he tosses his backpack (which he's surprised he remembered grabbing on his way out) on the welcome mat. Heart racing in his chest, Jongin trudges towards the stairs, head pounding so intensely that he contemplates sitting down for a while. He forgets all about it, though, when he gets an impulse to check his phone, since he hasn't even spared it a glance since Baekhyun let him in earlier. Amidst the hundreds of texts from Baekhyun asking him where he was a few hours ago, Jongin immediately spots one from Taemin, which the latter must have sent after he left for Baekhyun's house.

one of yeol's cymbals broke so i had to help his  look for new ones. will be crashing at his tonight. might stay behind all afternoon tomorrow but will probs be back sometime after that. PLEASE tell me everything went well with y'all.

/T

Jongin's eyes trail over the words on the screen, but the consistent pounding in his chest makes it impossible to focus, so he shoves his phone back in his pocket, not even bothering to raid the fridge for a late night snack as he bolts up the stairs and to his room. His curtains are still undrawn, but Jongin finds himself unable to fix them as he practically collapses face first onto the bed. Lifting his head, he catches a glimpse of the sink in the bathroom, which is still cluttered with his and Taemin's products, and the next thing Jongin knows, he's unconsciously gripping his sheets when he recalls Sehun's remark about his face earlier. Jongin ends up lying unmoving on the mattress for nearly twenty minutes, all while his gaze flickers around the room. It's not until his phone slips out of his pocket after he rolls over that Jongin finds himself reaching for it. He scrolls through his contact list until his eyes land on Sehun's name, which has Jongin gripping his phone tighter. The house feels oddly incomplete without Taemin's loud strumming, but Jongin dismisses the thought when he puts his phone by his ear.

Sehun's voicemail greets him even before the very first ring, which Jongin figures he's much too exhausted to even think about right now, so he simply opts to listen to Sehun telling him to leave a message at the beep for a minute, before he tosses his phone across the bed, buries his head in the duvets and closes his eyes.