“So ehm, Kyungsoo wants to have like a dinner party thing... he wants to do a dry run before the restaurant officially opens.” Jongin drew on the floor with his finger, hoping Taemin would take the hint. They lay sprawled on the floor, taking a break after a particularly grueling class.

“Are you seriously asking me to come over and eat that lunatic’s food?” Taemin let out a theatrical gasp.

“Eeeehhhh...” Jongin blushed. That was exactly what he was asking.

“Cuz I'm totally there! Apparently it's true that all geniuses are crazy, but the food is so worth it.” Taemin chuckled.

“Oh! Oh! Me too, me too! I wanna come too!” Sehun, who was lying not far from them, scooted over and crashed their conversation.

“Uuuh... I guess... the more the merrier?” Jongin wasn't sure what Kyungsoo would think, he got the feeling he didn't really like being around too many people, but he couldn't really say no since Sehun had lent him his bed when he needed it the most. Okay, so Taemin had been the one to lend it to him, without asking Sehun's permission. But he hadn't gotten angry when he found out, and even let him stay in his tiny one person bed with him after he came back.

“Yay!” Sehun grinned crookedly.

“Taemin asked if he could bring Minho?” he went to the kitchen to notify Kyungsoo, but found himself in the middle of a war zone.

“More... more people?!” a stressed out Kyungsoo was attempting to do ten different things at the same time. The sauce was boiling over, three different timers going off and the blender sounded like it was ready to end its own life.

“You maybe... want some help?” Jongin ventured, speaking in an extra soft voice.

“Can you?” Kyungsoo's pained face looked at him as if he was his one and only ray of hope. Jongin nodded enthusiastically, grabbing the extra apron.

“So can you grab the thing in the oven, and then stir the sauce and then...” Kyungsoo started, but Jongin was already getting confused.

“Hang on, one thing at a time heh hehh...” he rolled up his sleeves and adopted an attack position. “Okay, let's do this!” he exclaimed and got right to work.

“Is this better?” Kyungsoo came out of his bedroom wearing a fourth outfit. Jongin had liked the first three, they were all kind of similar anyway, a clean look with mainly dark colors, so he didn't really get what all the fuss was about.

“You're handsome no matter what you put on... if you're going for not handsome, I'm afraid we don't have a potato bag to cover your head.” Jongin chuckled. Kyungsoo blushed instantly and retreated back into the room. It was kind of cute how seriously Kyungsoo was taking this dinner party, he wasn't really the type to worry about what other people thought, especially about the way he dressed.

Jongin knocked on the door.

“Yes?” Kyungsoo timidly answered.

“Personally I liked the second one best, the black shirt, but I'd wear it with the third tie though, the blue one.” he told him through the door, wanting to put both of them out of their misery. He could feel a big lump of nerves threatening to block his airway, Kyungsoo's nervousness rubbing off on him. They were getting way too codependent.

A few minutes later he reemerged in the clothes Jongin had suggested, but with his tie all crooked in a huge, messy knot.

“What happened to your tie?! It was fine earlier.” Jongin burst out laughing.

“Ah, I uhm, had to redo the knot so...” Kyungsoo looked really lost and vulnerable. It was a side of him he had never seen. His big puppy eyes melting him, Jongin offered to help.

“Oh, come here you babo, I'll fix it.” he chuckled.

Kyungsoo didn't have to be told twice, not stopping until he stood only a few inches from him. The atmosphere suddenly changed, turning a bit weird. They were both extremely quiet, he couldn't even hear himself breathing. Oh, he wasn't breathing, he had forgot. He took a sharp breath, trying to clear his head. Maybe there was something in the air that was messing with his brain, some kind of gas or something. It could be he was allergic to Kyungsoo's cologne, making him all lightheaded. It smelled really good, though. He shook his head, trying to snap out of it.

Focus. He swallowed with difficulty, biting his lower lip. With some struggle, he undid the horrible knot Kyungsoo had so clumsily tied, chuckling to himself as he imagined him fumbling with tying it. It was the worst tie knot he had seen in his life. Kyungsoo must have had a butler or a personal stylist to tie his ties up until now. There existed something he wasn't good at after all. It was oddly comforting to find a tiny crack in the otherwise perfect crystal that was Kyungsoo.

Jongin stuck out his tongue in concentration. It was harder than he had thought to tie a tie in the opposite direction. He was used to doing it on himself so everything seemed like it was backwards. Hmm, he got an idea. He nudged Kyungsoo's shoulders, swiftly turning him around so he was facing his back towards him. Kyungsoo let out a low, surprised wince, but stood absolutely still. Jongin put his hands around him, finding each end of the tie. To see better, he leaned over his shoulder and carefully tied a nice knot as if he was tying it on himself. Kyungsoo really did smell nice.

When he turned Kyungsoo back around to see the finished product, Kyungsoo had a very peculiar expression on his face. He couldn't really read what he was thinking, but there was definitely something going on in that handsome head of his. He didn't have time to worry about it, the guests would be arriving soon. He bent forward to put the finishing touches on his masterpiece, adjusting the tie, but without warning, Kyungsoo met him halfway, their lips softly colliding. He knew he should be freaking out, but all he could think about was how soft Kyungsoo's lips were. This was what he imagined hugging a cloud would feel like. It made him want to close his eyes and lean into them, getting lost in the soft fluffiness. And he started doing just that when the doorbell rang, causing Kyungsoo to jerk backwards, breaking their short kiss.

Both of them avoided eye contact, panicking and running circles around themselves.

“Ehm, yeah... uh... the door...” Jongin scratched the back of his head awkwardly and went to answer the door all flustered and confused.

Minho appeared in the door as he opened it, annoyingly on time. Taemin and Sehun followed behind, Taemin raising his eyebrows and giving him a teasing look. He clearly sensed something was up, but Jongin hoped he wouldn't sniff out what. Even if he asked him what was going on, Jongin couldn't give him an answer, because he had no idea.

“Coats... coats!” Kyungsoo reminded him when he clearly had no idea what he was doing, like this was his first time around people. Kyungsoo's voice had a nervous bite to it. They were not going to win any prizes for best hosts this evening. It wasn't Jongin's fault, he hadn't expected his whole world to be thrown for a loop two seconds before the guests' arrival.

“Yeah, ehm... I'll take your coats.” he put up a frozen smile, deciding to wipe his brain clean of everything that had happened and start over.

“Are you okay?” Taemin whispered into his ear as he took his coat. Jongin nodded.

“If that jerk is bullying you, I'm pretty sure I can take him.” he growled. Jongin just shook his head and hurried over to the closet by the entrance to hang the coats up.

“There's one more guest coming, but ehm... do you want to just sit down at the table or...?” Jongin could still feel the ghost of Kyungsoo's soft lips on his, his stomach churning. It was annoyingly distracting. He was trying to push it to the back of his head, but the memory kept lingering.

“So.. can we just sit anywhere or...?” Minho asked courteously. He was the only one acting like a normal human being. Taemin kept looking at him like he was an expert sleuth who had caught a whiff of something, Sehun was like an overgrown puppy, running around the place, excitedly sniffing every corner and Kyungsoo was freaking out in the kitchen. This was going to be some night.

“Uhm, yeah...” Jongin said hesitantly. He wasn't sure if Kyungsoo had some master plan for the seating and he didn't really want to go ask him. He wanted to avoid one on one time with him. He looked over the neatly set table, everything at right angles and in its place. But then it caught his eye. Everything on the table was white, except one little bowl. The red one.

A lone butterfly hatched in his chest, fluttering around, tickling his insides.

“That's my seat, I think.” he pointed at the red bowl.

“Dibs!” Taemin chuckled, and sat down next to him.

“But Minho...” Jongin giggled, flattered that Taemin was still so loyal to him even though he was in a relationship. It gave him a sense of security. No matter what happened in their lives, they would always be besties.

“Pfft.” Taemin playfully waved, sticking his tongue out at Minho who gave him a look as he sat down opposite him. There were six places set on the table, two at the end of the table, and two and two on each side. There was barely any room for the food, since the table hadn't really been designed for so many people. Jongin wondered if Kyungsoo would sit down at the end of the table, right beside him, when Sehun plumped his skinny behind down next to him. He sighed.

Kyungsoo came running over with a bottle of wine, stopping in his tracks and staring at Taemin with menacing eyes.

“Hey.” Taemin just smirked at him, determined to not let him get to him. Kyungsoo poured him a glass while killing him with his eyes alone. Jongin held his breath. It was the most intense pouring of wine there ever was. They were waging a silent war. Taemin stubbornly picked up the glass, swirled it pompously around and took a sip.

“Not bad.” he shrugged, giving Kyungsoo a look.

Kyungsoo went around the table, pouring wine into all the glasses. Jongin offered to help, but Kyungsoo silently signaled him to stay put. When he reached Sehun, he glanced quickly at Jongin and then back at Sehun. “That's my seat.” he mumbled.

“Oh!” Sehun jumped over to the seat opposite Jongin, grinning sheepishly.

There was a knock on the door. Jongin went to get it. The guy who stood in front of him was vaguely familiar. He looked rich, casual but fancy, his clothes all designer, so he had probably seen him before at some function or other. This must be the friend Kyungsoo invited.

“Hello, I'm Suho. Nice to meet you.” he extended his hand in a gentle but formal way.

“You're late!” Kyungsoo yelled at him.

“Fashionably late.” Suho chuckled, throwing his jacket at Jongin as he entered, like he was the help, rushing over to pat Kyungsoo's shoulder, getting a sweet smile from him. Jongin instantly disliked that guy. What a pompous prick.

“Suho!” Minho's face lit up. He got up and gave Suho a big hug.

“Oh..uh.. Minho... what are you doing here? How do you know Kyungsoo?” Suho was taken by surprise.

“Hehh I don't, I'm here as a plus one. That's my boyfriend, Taemin.” he pointed at Taemin.

“He's not my boyfriend!” Taemin objected to Minho's deaf ears.

Apparently, Minho and Suho went to drama school together, but now Minho was an up and coming actor, while Suho had abandoned his dream and become a producer. He sounded a bit jaded about it, which Jongin didn't hate, for some reason. Jongin was definitely on team Minho.

When they were all seated, Suho sitting at the other end of the table fortunately, Kyungsoo nervously served them appetizers.

“It's an experimental recipe so I dunno.... heh..” he said embarrassingly, watching like a hawk as everyone took a bite.

“YUM!!” Sehun exclaimed delighted, his face turning into a crooked eyesmile. He stole Jongin's thunder as well as the shy smile that made an appearance on Kyungsoo's lips. Jongin wanted to be the first one to tell him how good this was. He wasn't really sure what it was though. Little bites of heaven. His mouth was filled with a soft sweetness that lingered in the mouth long after you swallowed. Like food, like cook.

The others followed suit, marveling at how good the food was. “It is, it's really good.” Jongin shyly agreed, way too late, his thunder long gone. He blew it.

A couple of glasses of wine later, the conversation was flowing. Kyungsoo had calmed down after everyone had raved over how good the food was. It really was. It was incredible. He was genuinely gifted. He wasn't a man of many words, so he just sat there, slightly red in the cheeks, happily following the conversation without joining in. What a cutie.

“Kyungsoo-ya! What's up with your tie? Why so crooked?” Suho chuckled, pointing at him.

It wasn't crooked! It looked really nice! Ugh, Jongin did not like that guy at all.

“Well, it's thanks to me that he's wearing one at all, you should've seen the disaster he had on earlier, it was like some poorly executed scouting knot. He would have had no chance of earning a badge for that.” Jongin chuckled, the image of Kyungsoo earlier popped up in his head, with that horrendous thing around his neck.

“What do you mean? Kyungsoo makes the neatest, most elegant kno... OUCH!” Suho yelled in pain before he could finish the sentence, bending down to rub his leg. Maybe he had gotten a cramp. Maybe Jongin had caused it by silently cussing him out.

“More wine, anyone!” Kyungsoo suddenly stood up, going around the table. When Kyungsoo got around to Suho, he whispered something into his ear. Jongin's insides turned into lava, slushing around boiling hot, burning everything in its way.

“Let's move into the living room for some more wine and dessert, bring your glasses with you.” Kyungsoo announced, popping into the kitchen to prepare the dessert.

“So how long have you two been together?” Suho asked Taemin and Minho, when Minho leaned back on the couch, putting his arm around Taemin.

“Oh, we're not together... not officially anyway...” Taemin simply said, not too bothered about it, but Minho took his arm back and looked a bit disgruntled. Jongin wondered how long Minho was going to put up with that wishy-washy attitude of Taemin's and whether it would be too late when Taemin finally realized that he was head over heals.

“Hyung, can you open this for me?” Sehun sat down right next to Suho, completely ignoring his personal space, handing him a wrapped candy that was in a bowl on the table.

“Hyung?!?” Suho retorted, moving half a seat away from Sehun, who nodded enthusiastically and followed him, moving closer, sitting squished up against him.

Suho shook his head, unimpressed, unwrapping the candy and throwing it back at him. “It's not like it's wrapped in steal.” Suho complained, since Sehun could have easily opened it himself. Sehun beamed at him with stars in his eyes as he popped the candy in his mouth.

Jongin couldn't understand what everyone saw in Suho. Sure, he was handsome, but everyone here was pretty good looking. How did he have Kyungsoo, Minho and Sehun mesmerized, lapping up his every word. Jongin was not buying it. There was something fishy about this Suho character.

When a song they were using in class for composing their own dance routines popped up on the playlist Jongin had put on his phone, Taemin jumped up and started dancing.

“Guys! Come on, let's give them a show!” he giggled, completely wasted.

Sehun giggled shyly, glancing nervously at Suho, who wasn't paying any attention to him on purpose. Jongin was confident in his abilities, but he was feeling extra self-conscious. He finished the rest of his wine in one fell swoop.

“Come ooon!” Taemin pulled them out on the floor with him, and they all chuckled awkwardly, before getting into character, falling right into the routine, their bodies swayed by graceful movements. It felt good, it felt right. Jongin loved dancing. It always made him happy, no matter what.

Kyungsoo, Suho and Minho all watched with admiration, they were getting a guerilla performance by some of the best modern dancers of Korea.

“Join us.” Taemin danced like an elegant butterfly towards Minho, taking his hand.

“Oh, oh, hey! Taemin hyung! Show them your signature move.” Sehun suggested with anticipation in his eyes. Taemin didn't have to be asked twice, doing a move he had come up with himself. It was at the same time simple and complicated, familiar and totally alien. Jongin never got bored of watching Taemin dance. He had his own take on the world. There was no one like him.

Kyungsoo, who had looked like he was not going to get up even if the world was ending, suddenly stood up and bumped into Jongin, hard. It threw him off. What was that for? Maybe Kyungsoo was just a mean drunk.

“Now you try! Now you try!” Sehun grinned goofily, looking at Suho.

“Ehh...” Suho looked really uncomfortable.

“Yeah, let's all try. “ Minho dragged Suho out on the floor, going first and failing miserably. Everyone laughed.

“Hang on, hang on!” there was a fire in Minho's eyes, he looked determined.

“Here we go. He's super competitive.” Taemin giggled. He was so in love and he didn't even know it.

Taemin showed Minho more slowly how to do the move, and on his third try he wasn't half bad.

Kyungsoo just about died from embarrassment, but he too was pretty drunk, so he attempted it. He was better than Jongin had expected. He had a very unique style of dancing, but it was charming in its own way, attractive even. He was full of surprises. The more he got to know him, the more he wanted to know.

Suho went last, and it was just about the most horrible thing he had ever seen. If only he could unsee it. How could anyone move like that. Awful, awful, awful. Sehun collapsed onto the floor in a fit of laughter. He was absolutely amazed.

“Hyung, hyung... how did you do that? Do it again! Do it again!” he cried with laughter. Suho wasn't completely sure how to take it, since Sehun seemed to be admiring him and dissing him at the same time. Sehun tried to copy him, but it was impossible. No human could move that awkwardly on purpose.

Jongin noticed Taemin and Minho slow dancing to the side, like they were alone in the world. Taemin looked really at ease in Minho's manly arms. It made Jongin feel a bit weird. Unsettled. This was going to take some getting used to. He had never really seen Taemin in love before, not really, not like this. It had always been just the two of them against the world.

He glanced over at Kyungsoo and got a pang in his chest. Kyungsoo was maintaining a safe distance from the theater Suho and Sehun had going on, but was having a blast watching them. He wondered if he was just being paranoid, or if there was something between Kyungsoo and Suho he didn't know about. He got the feeling he didn't have the whole story.

After all the guests had left, they just stood there, awkwardly. They were both a bit tipsy still. Jongin's heart was all over the place, writing its own symphony of beats. He was so confused. They had slept in the same bed for a while now, and nothing had happened. Kyungsoo had respected his boundaries without exception, every single night. So he had stopped worrying that Kyungsoo might be into him, convinced he married him just for the restaurant, and the prophecy too, maybe.

But now, now everything that had been so clear to him, was all fuzzy and out of focus. He had kissed him. Had it been by accident? Jongin had been leaning forward, so maybe it was a miscalculation, their lips meeting by accident. Or, perhaps not? And if not, had the kiss meant anything or had it just been spur of the moment? Kyungsoo really didn't seem like the spontaneous type, though. His head was drowning in questions and he had no answers to offer it.

Kyungsoo started tidying up. Jongin felt weird. He didn't have the courage to talk to Kyungsoo about what happened, and the thought of sharing the same bed now was too awkward and inappropriate, so he just retreated into his room, shutting the door.

A half hour later, he lay awake in his bed. It made him uncomfortable to skip their before bed routine, he had become so accustomed to it, that he couldn't fall asleep without it. The door flew open, Kyungsoo walked in like nothing was more normal, throwing himself into the bed next to him and picking up the book from the nightstand.

“Hmm.. so where were we...” he murmured, turning the pages.

“Will had just met Louisa.” Jongin reminded him.

“Right, right... here it is.” Kyungsoo found the right page and started reading. His voice was even more beautiful than ever. When he read, his voice turned so calm and softly hoarse. It was the most soothing sound in the universe. It just filled him with warmth and lulled him into a feeling of serenity and security.

Jongin quietly winced. He was sobering up, his head starting to hurt. Kyungsoo's powers of observation were as superhuman as always. He closed the book and turned to him with concern in his eyes, placing his fingers on his temple, applying pressure. It actually worked. It hurt less. But maybe he was just distracted to have Kyungsoo lying next to him, watching him with such concentration, his fingers gently caressing his face with precision.

Jongin opened his eyes. It was pitch black. He had fallen asleep in the middle of Kyungsoo's special headache massage. He was going to adjust his pillow when he realized it wasn't a pillow at all. He was lying on Kyungsoo's chest that gently moved up and down in rhythm with his breathing. He was asleep. Jongin swallowed. He had his arm around Kyungsoo, and he could feel Kyungsoo's hand on his back. Huhh. It was no big deal really, it was a normal thing to snuggle a bit while sleeping. It didn't really mean anything. When he and Taemin were younger they often slept wrapped around each other in a chaotic bundle of appendages. It was just cozy. But it didn't feel like this was no big deal. What was happening to him?

Not able to fall back asleep, he just lay there, in Kyungsoo's arms, listening to his own heartbeat.

Ba-bamm.

Ba-bamm.

Ba-bamm.