Kyungsoo hums to himself as he continues to drive down the lonely highway. As he’d left the core of the city the number of cars and even lanes had decreased immensely and as he drove out far along the outskirts of the city he could tell this was a good choice. The music playing in his car was tainted by the billowing wind from the window he’d left open on the passengers side and he inhales deeply, smelling the comforting scent of Autumn leaves. Despite being a successful fashion designer Kyungsoo was quite a simple man, and so he’d decided to move out of the city, into a smaller town. One that he could live as simply as he wanted to in. Of course he wasn’t leaving the industry considering he was the co owner of a company founded by him and his best friend, but he looked forward to working from home from now on.

He and Baekhyun were both owners of the brand known as KB fashion. While he designed the clothing Baekhyun actually put them into production, choosing the proper fabrics and everything else Kyungsoo didn’t involve himself in. Baekhyun wasn’t too happy about Kyungsoo wanting to move about an hour’s drive away but then again, it wasn’t too far. Kyungsoo usually worked from home anyways, sending in his drafts to Baekhyun for confirmation via email. Or Baekhyun would just stop by his place after a day at the office and crash. To Kyungsoo looking out his window and seeing the city outside didn’t serve as much inspiration and he’d felt too trapped. Now that he was finally moving away from everything that had suffocated him since his birth, he felt a little lighter inside.

Kyungsoo looks down at his phone that was serving as a GPS and he drives into a small neighbourhood. All of the houses looked quaint and were very grand for such low prices, another perk of living outside of the city he thought. He’d already sent down majority of his stuff prior, thankfully the previous homeowner had been more than kind. She was a sweet old woman who was going to be living with her son since the house had far too many stairs for her comfort. Kyungsoo didn’t have a lot to bring with him but naturally he had a lot of clothes as well as books. Majority of the furniture in the apartment he’d been previously living in wasn’t his own so he’d have to buy quite a few things. The home wasn’t large, a mere two floors as well as a basement. There were two bedrooms and two bathrooms, pretty much more than he needed.

Kyungsoo pulls into the driveway of his new home and he parks his car, making sure to roll up the window before he turns off the engine. He removes his keys and fumbles with them for a bit, trying to find the house key he’d been given a week prior when he’d personally come down to sign the papers. Kyungsoo steps out of his car and he shivers as the Autumn breeze rushes through his clothing. He didn’t expect it to be so much colder here. He stuffs his hands into his pockets and decides that he’ll unload his car later. Right now he just really needed to use the washroom. From what he remembers the back yard isn’t that big and neither is the front which makes him feel relieved because he definitely didn’t want to sweat under the hot sun during the Summer when he’d need to cut the grass.

Before he can make it to his front door however, something in his peripheral vision catches his eye.

To his far left stands a man who looked to be about the same age as himself. His stature was tall and he looked like a model as he stood there with his hands in his pockets. He’s dressed simply, in an oversized cream coloured turtleneck as well as blue skinny jeans, the colours contrasted beautifully on his tanned skin. He has a pair of brown boots on as well and gold rimmed round glasses sitting on his nose. Kyungsoo furrows his brows in confusion when the man suddenly changes his posture, looking as though he’s ready to run. Kyungsoo watches as the man says something to his right and only then does he notice there’s a black cat sitting on his porch. The man breaks into a small run and Kyungsoo’s jaw drops as he jumps onto a large leaf pile he’d probably spent much too long meticulously putting together.

Leaves fly into the air in all directions and Kyungsoo closes his mouth when he feels a few specks of dirt hitting his cheek.

“It’s the first leaf jump of the season!” the man exclaimed happily to the cat and Kyungsoo doesn’t even know what to think. The excitement dies down a little and only then does the man notice that he’s being watched. Kyungsoo awkwardly clears his throat when bright brown eyes meet his own and the man stands with a boyish grin, heading over to Kyungsoo with leaves and dirt stuck on his previously pristine turtleneck.

“I’m Kim Jongin and I’m guessing you’re my new neighbour?” Jongin introduces himself casually as if he hadn’t just been caught jumping into a pile of leaves like a child. He holds out his hand and Kyungsoo politely shakes it, wanting to make a decent impression at least. He jumps when he feels something nuzzling against his leg and he looks down to see the cat staring up at him as it brushes past him. Kyungsoo composes himself and he pulls away from Jongin’s warm grip with a tight smile on his lips.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Do Kyungsoo. What were you doing?” Kyungsoo gestures towards the leaf pile and although it was as clear as day what Jongin had been doing he’d like some clarification at least. Jongin turns and looks at the now dismantled leaf pile before he gestures all around him, the grin never leaving his lips.

“I was embracing the Fall spirit!” Jongin says as if it was the most obvious thing. Kyungsoo nods his head slowly and he smiles, trying not to look nervous as he slowly makes his way towards his front door. Just as Kyungsoo is about to unlock the door a gentle hand on his shoulder turns him around. He looks up at Jongin with wide eyes and flinches ever so slightly when nimble fingers pluck a leaf off of the top of his head. Jongin looks down at him with eyes so warm that Kyungsoo doesn’t know what to do with himself.

“Welcome to the neighbourhood Kyungsoo,” Jongin says quietly before he picks up his cat off of the ground and carries it over towards his own house. Kyungsoo is shell shocked for a split second and he hurries into his new home. Jongin may be a bit of a weirdo but there was no denying that he was very handsome.

“I’ve already settled in yeah, okay okay Baekhyun I get it, I’ll make sure my windows and doors are locked at night,” Kyungsoo nods absentmindedly as he speaks with Baekhyun on the phone. Baekhyun had been more than a little offended when he learned that Kyungsoo had arrived without telling him. Now he’d just gotten a small lecture on how to live on your own despite having been living on his own for over 7 years now. If anything the town he lived in now was much safer than the huge city he’d moved away from. Kyungsoo was confident he could leave something out on his porch and have it still be there when he checked up on it hours later. But then again he was originally from the city was nowhere near that trusting.

“ Okay good, but Kyungsoo you do know that our deadlines are coming up right? Fall is already here and if we release things too late we’ll miss the season completely ,” Baekhyun says and Kyungsoo pauses. He knows that. He definitely does. It’d been the sole reason for his stress lately and being reminded of it has the words sinking deep into his stomach. With a glance to his box filled with work supplies he sighs, there isn’t much to say. Thankfully he doesn’t have to wait long because Baekhyun knows him too well at this point.

“ Are you still in a slump ?” Baekhyun asks the dread question and Kyungsoo remains quiet. There had been a reason why he suddenly decided to move to a smaller town and away from the big city. He’d felt more than uninspired seeing the same sights every day. Living in the city had been exciting for the most part but it wasn’t what he wanted in life. Sure working as a fashion designer meant that he was never completely off the radar but he could remain a little more anonymous living further from the main company. He only really needed to talk with Baekhyun and occasionally Chanyeol whenever he needed clarification on the specific kinds of fabrics.

“I’m hoping the change of environment will spark something, I’ll do my best to finish up the designs but know that we may have to delay or go straight to Winter Baekhyun, I’m sorry,” Kyungsoo says honestly and he knows that Baekhyun won’t mind. If anything their holiday collection can just be bigger and worth more, everyone was a er for gifts around the holidays. Kyungsoo hears the chime of his doorbell and judging by Baekhyun’s hitched breath, he did too. Kyungsoo already knows what Baekhyun is going to go on about so he does his best to cut the phone call early.

“I’ll talk to you later Baekhyun,” he says quickly.

“ Watch out for murderers -!” Kyungsoo hangs up the phone and he tosses it onto his kitchen counter, uncaring of his worn phone case taking more damage. With hesitant footsteps he makes his way towards the front door and he leans against it for a moment. Kyungsoo has to go up on the tips of his toes to be able to look through the peephole and when he does he sees a very familiar face. Kyungsoo can only faintly see Jongin’s face, seeing as how he’s looking down and his wavy brown hair is taking up all of the view. He takes a deep breath and he opens the door, stepping back a little as he looks over Jongin who was now dressed in a cardigan and sweatpants.

“Good evening Kyungsoo, I made you some cookies as a welcome gift!” Jongin gently s the plate in his hands forward and Kyungsoo looks down at the colourful thing, unsure of how he managed to miss such a vibrant thing. He feels the child inside of his heart jump with glee when he sees that there are pumpkin shaped cookies on the yellow plate, each one meticulously decorated with royal icing. Kyungsoo had watched enough baking Youtube videos to know that decorating cookies as nicely as Jongin did takes a lot of work and patience. Kyungsoo stares for only a minute longer until he sees that Jongin’s arms are beginning to shake from the weight, to save the poor man he takes them with a small smile.

“Thank you,” Kyungsoo says politely and he looks down at the cookies blankly. He’d been charmed by Jongin’s smile way too easily. Otherwise he would’ve definitely hesitated to take the plate, who knows what could be in these cookies? Jongin may only appear to be friendly and handsome, in reality he could be pure evil. But the more Kyungsoo looks at the wobbly lines of frosting and slightly wonky cookie shapes, he can’t find it in himself to reject these treats. For a moment they’re both silent, awkwardly so and Kyungsoo is about to say goodnight and shut the door when Jongin speaks first.

“Enjoy them, goodnight Kyungsoo!” Jongin says with a bright smile and a small wave and he walks off seconds later. Kyungsoo closes the door as quickly as he can without obviously slamming the door shut and he locks the door. He was half expecting Jongin to invite himself in but he’s glad that didn’t happen. He pads over towards the kitchen island and sets the plate down with a quiet thud before he stares at them. Kyungsoo hesitantly picks up a single cookie and he lifts it to his lips to take a small bite. He chews slowly as the sweetness and spice bursts all over his tongue and a smile immediately works its way onto his lips. Kyungsoo takes another bite, bigger this time before he brings the cookie upstairs with him.

Days later, Kyungsoo arrives home after a trip to the small furniture shop in the middle of the small city and he’s more than exhausted. The drive had actually taken him about half an hour and the man had been skeptical about how much Kyungsoo wanted to buy. The man had been suspicious of whether or not he could afford it and after a few minutes of reassuring; Kyungsoo had finally gotten his invoice along with possible delivery dates. He’d dropped by the grocery store as well and he bought enough to last him a week. Thankfully the grocery store was only a 15 minute drive away, he liked to cook and having to go so far for groceries would’ve been a hassle.

Kyungsoo sighs and he’s reminded of how Baekhyun has been asking him for possible drafts the past few days. Usually when Kyungsoo found himself in a slump the two would get together to brainstorm but things were too busy at the office for Baekhyun to come down and visit him. Not to mention how this slump was different from before. Usually it’d last a few days, and during those days Kyungsoo would find himself feeling uninspired and somewhat lazy, or more so unable to physically work on anything. It’d usually break after talking to Baekhyun about what he was feeling but this time that hadn’t been the case. It was partially why Kyungsoo decided to take the leap on a thought that had been brewing for a year or so. Kyungsoo glances out the window and he watches the leaves dancing in the wind.

This Autumn will be much colder than the previous so he does know that he wants a lot of knit and oversized sweaters in the clothing line. Last year’s Autumn line had been more focused on the colours rather than the actual practicality. Kyungsoo doesn’t want to include too many jackets in the line this year, he wants to focus on what goes underneath, in a way he also wants to show how versatile the few jackets will be in the way that they match with whatever they’re put overtop of.

As he pulls up into the driveway he sees that Jongin’s cat is sitting outside. Kyungsoo stares at it in confusion and he’s cautious since those green eyes are staring right into his soul. He gets out of the car and grabs his sole bag of groceries slowly. The cat remains unmoving and Kyungsoo begins to wonder if it’d gotten out somehow. He hurriedly locks his car and enters his own home, tossing the bag of groceries in the fridge to keep the meat from spoiling before he heads back outside, inching towards Jongin’s cat with his hand outstretched. It regards him warily before stepping closer, all the while Kyungsoo has his breath held and his legs shake as he squats to maintain slight eye contact with the animal.

It feels like an eternity before the cat sniffs his fingers and nudges against his hand. Kyungsoo smiles and he scratches behind the cat’s ear before he scoops it up into his arms. Hopefully because the cat is black it won’t get fur all over his black clothing ensemble. Kyungsoo hears a small bell and he notices a collar around its neck as well as a small moon charm. After flipping it over he learns that the cat’s name is Luna and he safely assumes that it’s a girl.

Kyungsoo approaches Jongin’s front door but he hears the sound of a drill in the near distance and steps away from it, opting to head towards the backyard instead. He’d been worried about Luna being uncomfortable in his arms but it seems like the complete opposite, she seems so comfortable he doesn’t want to disturb her. Kyungsoo follows the small path made by stones wedged into the grass and he reaches a small wooden gate that went up to his bellybutton. Kyungsoo peers over the fence and he sees Jongin squatting over something in the grass.

“Jongin,” Kyungsoo calls out to him and Jongin immediately lifts his head. Jongin’s cheeks are a little pink from being out in the cold and his hair is messy in the best way possible, he just looks so soft and handsome. Kyungsoo clears his throat and he reminds himself that Jongin was a stranger, one that liked to jump into leaf piles for Fall spirit.

“Hey Kyungsoo, what’re you doing with Luna?” Jongin raises an eyebrow as he comes closer and Kyungsoo doesn’t miss the chance to look over Jongin’s outfit of the day. Today he’s wearing a long dark red cardigan that hangs past his knees, he leaves it ed to show off a black fitted turtleneck as well as his ripped blue jeans, as for his boots he’s wearing the same ones from the other day. Kyungsoo returns to reality when he awakens from his thoughts and he clears his throat subtly, not noticing the amused expression on Jongin’s face.

“I saw her outside and wondered if she’d gotten out somehow,” Kyungsoo says quietly and Jongin gently takes Luna from his arms. She happily goes back to her owner and Jongin gives her a kiss on the nose before he sets her down. Luna rubs against Jongin’s legs affectionately before she sneaks her way under the wooden fence and back towards the front lawn. Kyungsoo watches her go with his jaw dropped and he wonders if the cat had just gotten loose again, Jongin on the other hand doesn’t seem too worried.

“She’s a good girl and always stays close so I let her roam around. She’s not really a house cat but she’s not a complete outdoor cat either,” Jongin explains and Kyungsoo hums in response. She definitely did seem like she had quite the personality on her, then again Kyungsoo wasn’t too familiar with animals. Jongin watches him for a moment and Kyungsoo looks back at him with an eyebrow raised in question. Jongin seems to be waiting for him to say something. Kyungsoo glances over towards what Jongin had been crouched over before and he can’t hide his curiosity,

“What are you working on?” the way Jongin’s lips spread and reveal his perfect teeth is enough to make Kyungsoo swoon and he can tell he did the right thing in asking because Jongin looks more than excited to tell him about it. Jongin opens the gate and Kyungsoo stares at him,

“Would you like to see?” Jongin leads the way and Kyungsoo follows, shutting the gate behind him. Jongin’s backyard isn’t much different from his own, except there are a few ornaments scattered around, Kyungsoo doesn’t have a chance to look at them because he’s already caught up with Jongin. On the ground is a large piece of cardboard, along with a pile of them off to the side. So far Kyungsoo can see that there’s a faint sketch of sorts on it and nearby the pile of cardboard he can see an assortment of paints. The colours were mainly orange, black, purple and there was some red and white as well.

“I teach at the elementary school down the road and I was tasked to create a haunted house for them to enjoy during Spirit Week, I’m having trouble with some of the design aspects. Overall I’m a little confused as to where I should even begin,” Jongin pouts as he speaks and Kyungsoo finds himself smiling. He’s definitely not surprised that Jongin works with children, judging by the few interactions they’ve had it’s obvious Jongin would be good around children. Kyungsoo thinks vaguely about all that he has to do before he makes a decision.

“I can help you if you’d like,” Kyungsoo offers and Jongin’s bright smile is enough of a response for him. Together they lay out the cardboard, discussing how they’d like the pieces to connect before Kyungsoo begins sketching the outline of a simple house design. A part of him wants to add loads of details but he knows that the kids won’t be able to really pay attention to it anyways so he opts for what he could remember seeing on those cartoons he used to watch when he was a child. As he’s sketching Jongin watches him and he looks up at him, meeting his eyes.

“I design clothes for a living, I’m used to doing these kinds of sketches. I’m not the greatest painter though so I’ll leave that to you,” Kyungsoo says in a light tone and Jongin just nods slowly. He’s prepared for the slew of questions but they never come, Jongin seems to accept his job and move on. Kyungsoo doesn’t realize how thankful he is for it until Jongin gently reminds him that he should keep sketching. Kyungsoo was so used to people asking more about his job he’s a little shocked seeing how Jongin seems slightly uncomfortable with the mention of it.

The two continue to work in on and off silence. Sometimes Jongin would talk about the kids at school and all of the shenanigans they tried to get away with in class, reminding Kyungsoo of his own childhood. Kyungsoo would talk of stories of his own, of the difficult clients he and Baekhyun would deal with. Kyungsoo finds himself smiling and his chest feels lighter, talking to Jongin felt easy and the other man had a naturally comforting aura surrounding him. It wasn’t hard to tell that he listened more than he spoke and that he was intelligent, more than he was letting on. Kyungsoo hadn’t even noticed that the sun was setting until Jongin tapped his shoulder, mumbling something about how he wouldn’t be able to see what he was sketching soon.

“Come inside for some tea? You’ve worked hard and you’ve helped me out, it’s the least I can do,” Kyungsoo sees no reason to refuse so he accepts the offer. Anything to keep him away from his work anyways. Both he and Jongin bring the cardboard towards the shed just in case it does rain before the two head inside. Kyungsoo removes his shoes and he can see that Luna is already curled up on the couch. Jongin heads straight to the kitchen after telling him that he can hang up his coat and make himself at home. Kyungsoo does as he’s told and he looks around. The interior structure of Jongin’s home was similar to his own, but there are numerous fall decorations strewn about which made everything feel much warmer, much cozier.

Kyungsoo wouldn’t be surprised if Jongin was the type of person who decorated their home according to the current season.

“I’d ask for you to stay for dinner as well but I can’t really cook, I can only make desserts,” Jongin laughs at himself with a shake of his head as he fills the electric kettle with water. Kyungsoo purses his lips and he doesn’t want the guilt of Jongin not eating a proper meal tonight on his mind so he thinks back to the groceries he’d gotten, there was enough for two.

“I can cook dinner for us both, I don’t even want to imagine what ordering take out is like here,” Kyungsoo doesn’t give Jongin a chance to protest and he runs out the front door back into his own home. Unlike Jongin’s it’s much colder but he doesn’t dwell on the fact because he’s already grabbing the groceries out of the fridge. Kyungsoo locks his door before he makes his way back into Jongin’s home, lifting up the grocery bag with a triumphant smile. Jongin graciously welcomes him into the kitchen with an exaggerated motion and Kyungsoo laughs out loud.

“We’re going to have to work together because I’m going to make some poached pears for dessert,” Jongin grins and he hands Kyungsoo an apron. Kyungsoo stares at the cute bear apron for a few seconds before he shakes his head, Jongin shrugs and he wears it instead. It seems as though he only had one to begin with. Kyungsoo decides to make a one pot pasta for them since it was easy to make and he wouldn’t have to worry about portions too much. Kyungsoo adds chicken to it as well and Jongin lights up at the meat of choice, gushing about how much he loves chicken.

The kitchen is soon filled with the delicious scents of chicken pasta and poached pears and Kyungsoo feels warm inside. Since Jongin’s dish took more attention than Kyungsoo’s does he offers to set the table, which results in a small amount of yelling from both parties as Jongin tries to explain where everything is. Minutes later dinner is set for them both and Jongin keeps his poached pears on the stove for a little longer, Kyungsoo hasn’t ever tried them before and he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t excited about them. Jongin’s dinner table is on the smaller side so they across from each other but not far enough to make it awkward. Kyungsoo waits for Jongin to take a forkful of pasta, gaging his reaction.

“This is delicious!” Jongin eyes light up and he smiles brightly, shoveling more food into his mouth. Kyungsoo laughs and he gestures for him to slow down.

“You can take your time, it won’t run away from you,” Kyungsoo tells him before he takes a bite for himself. Kyungsoo frowns for a split second, he didn’t add enough garlic but after a long day of work, this was definitely satisfying. Things are quiet for a second and Kyungsoo finds it a little awkward but then again they were focused on eating so it wasn’t really his fault. He swallows hard, he’d had enough trouble talking to Baekhyun and Chanyeol and they were actually his friends. When Jongin wasn’t leading the conversation things were awkward again. Kyungsoo drinks a sip of tea, which was an interesting pairing to pasta and he decides to bring up a topic first.

“So Jongin, have you been living out here long?” Kyungsoo asks and Jongin wipes his mouth with a napkin, he was already done his pasta. Kyungsoo isn’t far behind from finishing so he does, but leisurely to give Jongin enough time to properly digest. He can tell that Jongin is eager to clear off their plates to bring out dessert.

“I’ve been living here since I was a teenager, my family moved here for my dad’s work and I never found any reason to leave,” Jongin explains and Kyungsoo can understand that. He doesn’t have a chance to reply because Jongin is already clearing their plates. He wonders if Jongin could sense that he didn’t want to talk about it. Jongin returns with a plate with two halves of a pear on it as well as what looked like custard in a bowl. Kyungsoo takes a spoonful of custard, putting it on his side of the pear before he scoops a piece and brings it to his mouth. As soon as he takes a bite he’s delighted with the warm spices that burst on his tongue, it’s immediately soothed by the sweet custard and the sour pear complements it all perfectly.

“It’s only 7pm, would you like to join me for a movie? Luna and I always watch one on Wednesdays,” Jongin leans over to look at Luna with adoration, she doesn’t even regard him but her ears do twitch. Kyungsoo knows that he should be leaving and that he was probably spending way too much time with Jongin despite not really knowing him but he was just so comfortable. He didn’t want to go back to his cold and lonely house yet. So he doesn’t refuse.

“Great! I’m going to put the dishes in the dishwasher than change into something more comfortable, I’ll be right back,” Jongin says but Kyungsoo helps him clean up this time, despite Jongin’s whines of being the host. Kyungsoo is the one who turns on the dishwasher since Jongin was sent upstairs to change and he takes a seat on the couch after turning off the kitchen light. There’s a faint glow coming from the artificial fireplace beneath the television and Kyungsoo sits down on the couch, grabbing a cushion before he puts it on his lap. Luna stares at him before she stretches and stands, shifting towards him before she nestles right on top of his cushion, lying down once more. Kyungsoo scratches behind her ear and he looks up when he hears Jongin coming back down. He’s changed into a loose v neck and some joggers.

“In the mood for something spooky? Want to watch Pride, Prejudice and Zombies?” Jongin plops down on the couch and he keeps a distance between them. He turns on Netflix and Kyungsoo knows of the story Pride and Prejudice, he’d never really heard of the zombie part though. Then again, he’s not really in the mood for anything in particular and Jongin seems excited about it so he agrees.

“I love this movie! Also, please keep an eye on Luna because even though I love her with my whole heart she always ends up scaring me when I lose track of her,”

Kyungsoo finds himself sketching on his front lawn a few weeks after moving to this little town. He’d taken some time to finally rake the leaves that had littered the grass since there was a large oak tree sitting in the middle of his front lawn. After doing all that work he’d decided to change things up and sketch outside for once. And so here he was, messily drawing designs in his sketchbook with Luna curled up beside him. Turns out Jongin has something like a doggy door which was how Luna was able to leave the house as she pleased, even when Jongin wasn’t home. Kyungsoo finishes a sketch of a cardigan before he sighs. He looks up at the sky and decides that he doesn’t want to continue.

Closing his sketchbook he carefully places his pen on top. Kyungsoo looks over at the leaf pile he’d just made and for a moment he just stares at the colourful leaves mingled all together. He remembers his first impression of Jongin and he finds himself considering doing the same, like Jongin had said, maybe embracing the Fall spirit would spark some ideas. Kyungsoo shakes his head laughing at himself for even considering the idea but then again, it didn’t hurt to try. He stands up gently, so that he doesn’t disturb Luna and he stares at the leaf pile for a little while longer. It didn’t look thick enough to cushion him, if anything jumping into a leaf pile seemed pretty painful. Kyungsoo decides that he should just go for it and he jogs towards the pile.

Just as Kyungsoo makes his jump he notices Jongin’s car pulling into the driveway and it was too late, he couldn’t stop himself at this point. Kyungsoo lands into the leaf pile on his since he didn’t know how else to jump into one and as he suspected the leaves did little to nothing to cushion his fall. Kyungsoo freezes as Jongin gets out of the car with a very knowing smile on his lips, well it was more like a full blown grin at this point. Kyungsoo feels his cheeks heating up despite the weather being quite frosty outside and he wants to bury himself in the leaves out of embarrassment. Jongin doesn’t say anything but he does gesture down to the two pumpkins he’d taken out of his car during Kyungsoo’s little moment.

“Want to help me carve these? Halloween is around the corner,” Jongin seems to be holding in his laughter and despite being very flushed Kyungsoo decides to accept the offer. He was sure that Jongin would be out much longer. With a throbbing bottom (from the fall) Kyungsoo stands and he brushes himself off before grabbing his sketchbook and pen. He follows Jongin inside and is welcomed by the warm scent of candles once more. Kyungsoo waits for Luna to come inside with them before he closes the door and locks it. Toeing off his shoes he pads over to the kitchen island and sets his sketchbook down before taking a seat. The house smells faintly of cupcakes and Kyungsoo sees that there’s a rack of undecorated vanilla cupcakes to his left, Jongin probably left them out to cool.

Jongin sets out a newspaper base for them before he hands Kyungsoo a large knife. Kyungsoo knew that there were specific tools for pumpkin carving out there and a part of him is happy that Jongin didn’t spend money on that (he personally thinks it’s a waste). Together they start carving the pumpkins, making it a competition of sorts when Jongin flusters and tells Kyungsoo to look at his own pumpkin. Unlike Kyungsoo who starts out with a sketch, Jongin stabs the pumpkin in one go and he starts making gross noises when he pulls out the seeds, distracting Kyungsoo who’s trying his best to draw a perfect sketch.

“By the way the kids are really enjoying the haunted house, some of them go directly to the back of the line after going through it the first time,” Jongin tells him and Kyungsoo is glad he participated. He and Jongin continue to carve their pumpkins and occasionally Luna will come by and nudge their legs, he personally loves it. Everything is so comfortable and stress free. That is until his phone rings. Kyungsoo recognizes the ringtone to be Baekhyun’s (one that he’d personally set up, Kyungsoo could care less) and he wipes his hands down carefully before picking up the call. Before Kyungsoo can even set the device against his ear he can already hear Baekhyun yelling on the other side.

“ KYUNGSOO WHERE THE ARE YOU, I’VE BEEN STANDING OUTSIDE FOR 2 MINUTES NOW AND IT’S SO COLD. I KNOW YOU’RE HOME YOU HERMIT, YOUR CAR IS IN THE DRIVEWA- ” Kyungsoo hangs up the call and he doesn’t have to look at Jongin to confirm that he probably heard it too. Kyungsoo sighs and he makes his way to Jongin’s front door before he pulls it open, sticking his head out in the process. True to his words Baekhyun was indeed standing in front of Kyungsoo’s door, now cursing about how he’d gotten hung up on while Chanyeol politely tells him to calm down. Kyungsoo stares at them both and he doesn’t bother announcing his presence, he’d rather let them notice him and soon enough, they do.

“Kyungsoo! Did you tell us the wrong address because I swear, what kind of best friend are you?” Baekhyun marches over towards him and Chanyeol follows behind like the sweet puppy of a man he is. Kyungsoo doesn’t say anything but he doesn’t have to because Jongin pops up behind him. He takes one look at his best friend’s expression and he knows that this isn’t going to end well. Kyungsoo opens his mouth and he gets ready to push his friends back into his own house but Jongin is too quick.

“Hey, I’m guessing you two are friends of Kyungsoo’s? You can come in if you’d like, I’m Jongin,” Kyungsoo sighs and he wants to keep them outside but it was cold outside and he didn’t want to leave his pumpkin unfinished, although he’s sure Jongin will have to finish it for him. Baekhyun and Chanyeol easily make themselves at home on the couch and Jongin is already brewing tea for them, what a sweetheart Kyungsoo thinks.

“Sorry to intrude Jongin, I’m Chanyeol and this is Baekhyun. Kyungsoo, we actually brought some prototypes down for you,” Chanyeol says and Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow. Since when did they really care about his opinion on the final product? Kyungsoo was usually satisfied with a picture of it most times. He trusted Baekhyun and Chanyeol to bring his concepts to life after all, if anyone could do it, it was these two.

“You came all the way down here for a couple of prototypes? Not even the finished products?” Kyungsoo questions and he remains standing when Jongin comes by to place two cups of tea on the coffee table. Chanyeol says a small thank you and Baekhyun probably would’ve too if he had been paying attention. But the whole time he’s only been staring at Kyungsoo, well technically his eyes have been darting from Kyungsoo to the pumpkins to the vanilla cupcakes, back to Kyungsoo.

“Well we also dropped by because someone hasn’t bothered contacting us and now I can see why,” Baekhyun doesn’t even try to hide the fact that he means Jongin. Jongin flushes and he returns to carving the pumpkins. Kyungsoo is beginning to feel heated and he wants to get Baekhyun and Chanyeol out of here as soon as possible. But of course nothing is easy for him when his friends are around, especially not Baekhyun. Speaking of Baekhyun he leans to the side so that he can get direct eye contact with Jongin before he speaks,

“You inspire Kyungsoo you know,” Baekhyun sings and Kyungsoo eyes widen as his jaw drops. Kyungsoo shouldn’t even be surprised that Baekhyun knew. There were too many times when Kyungsoo had thought he was being sneaky when in reality Baekhyun had known all along, it was difficult having a best friend that was all knowing as well as incredibly nosey in the most caring of ways.

“Out of curiosity Jongin, what do you usually wear during Fall?” Baekhyun continues and Kyungsoo is too frozen to possibly strangle his best friend. The worst part is that Baekhyun knows this because he takes a long sip of his tea like he doesn’t have a care in the world.

“D-during the Fall I usually wear long cardigans, turtlenecks, knitted sweaters,  I’ll usually pair those with jeans and boots. I like being cozy,” Jongin answers honestly and Kyungsoo has had it.

“Baekhyun I’m going to murder you,” he threatens as he stalks towards his best friend and he can faintly hear Jongin’s little plead of, ‘Not in my house please’ in the background. Before he can get any closer Baekhyun is already jumping off of the couch and he swiftly dodges Kyungsoo before making his way right beside Jongin. He’s pulled out his phone and Kyungsoo knows that it’s not a good sign but he also can’t bring himself to care at this point. He sits down beside Chanyeol and cuddles with Luna.

“So Jongin, I don’t know if you’ve heard of us before but our brand is called KB fashion, would you like to model for our Fall campaign?” Kyungsoo assumes that Baekhyun is showing their website and he sighs. It wasn’t like they could do any official pictures with prototypes and without their photographer Minseok. Chanyeol and Baekhyun were both handy at photography themselves but they definitely weren’t professionals nor did they have the professional equipment. There’s so many holes in this plan. Jongin seems hesitant and Kyungsoo remembers how Jongin had tensed up at the mention of his work when they’d first met.

“I won’t pressure you into anything but I’m sure Kyungsoo would love to see his muse wear what he’d created, do you have any modelling experience?” Kyungsoo’s face burns red at Baekhyun’s comment and also at the question. He knows that it’s somewhat in the formalities to ask but really, with Jongin’s gorgeous figure it was natural to assume that he was some kind of model. But he was just a humble elementary school teacher.

“I’ll help out and I do have modelling experience,” Kyungsoo is more than surprised at this news. Baekhyun is more than ecstatic about the news and he’s going on and on about how they were going to take some quick photos the next day. Kyungsoo is beginning to feel overwhelmed and he feels like Jongin might be as well so he decides that it’s more than enough for tonight. He stands up and looks down at Chanyeol since he was the only one who could somewhat control Baekhyun.

“It’s getting late, we should get going. You two, here’s my keys, I’m going to talk with Jongin a bit,” Kyungsoo says without breaking eye contact with Jongin. Before Baekhyun can make any snide comments he’s already being dragged outside by Chanyeol who thanks Jongin for his hospitality on such short notice. The house is silent moments later and Kyungsoo approaches Jongin slowly, with a small smile on his face. Mainly to serve as an apology for the mess that had just occurred.

“Really, if you’re not okay with all this I’m not going to hold it against you, and neither will Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo says quietly and Jongin nods his head. He makes a clicking noise with his tongue and Luna immediately makes her way over to him. Jongin scoops up the cat into his arms and he kisses her head, she purrs and curls up against him. The sight makes Kyungsoo smile and he scratches behind her ear.

“Don’t worry, I only modelled for a year or so. My sister had connections and she helped me get a modelling job on the side when I was only a supply teacher. I don’t have anything against modelling but the industry isn’t one I want to be in 24/7. Plus, I’d love for you to be able to see your muse wear your designs,” Jongin teases and Kyungsoo flusters. He playfully punches Jongin on the arm and he rolls his eyes when sweet laughter delights his ears. Kyungsoo makes his way over to the door and he gives Luna a kiss on the forehead, he unconsciously leans up to kiss Jongin goodbye as well but he manages to catch himself before their lips touch. Jongin who’d unknowingly leaned in as well is just as flushed and the two mumble their goodbyes with promises of seeing one another tomorrow.

The next afternoon Kyungsoo isn’t in the best mood. First of all, Baekhyun was the worst kind of guest. Kyungsoo’s house was furnished yes but he hadn’t set up the guest bedroom yet out of pure laziness and that was his own fault but Baekhyun hadn’t even considered sleeping on the couch. No, his friend had demanded that Kyungsoo share his bed. Kyungsoo didn’t even have a big bed, his bed was a modest twin size since he preferred sleeping on smaller spaces as opposed to a large space. Needless to say Baekhyun wasn’t going to let Chanyeol sleep downstairs in the living room alone so they all ended up sharing Kyungsoo’s twin sized bed. Kyungsoo had wanted to leave but Baekhyun didn’t allow him to, mentioning something about how they needed to make up for lost time.

Baekhyun was a cuddler and Chanyeol was a snorer, meaning Kyungsoo hadn’t gotten any sleep last night. It was also partially the reason why they’d changed their original morning shoot idea to an afternoon shoot. Minseok had showed up the next morning and Chanyeol explained that he’d called him down. Along with camera and other fancy equipment Minseok also brought some of the finished products with him, which meant more material for the photoshoot. They were now standing in a pumpkin patch, the same one Jongin had gone to the day prior to pick his pumpkins. Of course with Jongin came Luna and Kyungsoo kept the kitty occupied while Jongin got ready. Baekhyun was the next best thing they had to a makeup artist and they kept it simple since the focus was the clothing.

“Kyungsoo stop playing with the cat and get ready,” Minseok’s sudden appearance causes Luna to run off and Kyungsoo watches her go with sad eyes. Then he processes Minseok’s words and he points to himself in disbelief. If there anything everyone knew it was that Kyungsoo didn’t model. Hell he barely even showed his face during important meetings and as a co-founder he was expected to attend those. Minseok taps his shoulder to bring him out of his thoughts and Kyungsoo blinks furiously.

“You heard me, Baekhyun told me all about it and we’re going to need another model. Chanyeol’s occupied since he’s busy keeping Baekhyun from accidentally destroying all of the pumpkins,” Minseok says and he gestures to the outfit that had been laid out for him. Kyungsoo sighs and he does as he’s told, changing behind the makeshift change room they’d set up. His outfit consists of ripped jeans, a oversized wool turtleneck as well as a beret. The beret had probably been Baekhyun’s idea, he himself never focused on accessories. Kyungsoo gets dressed and he feels so foreign in the clothes he’d designed.

“Okay Kyungsoo, Jongin, we’re going to keep things natural so just interact as you usually would. When I need you guys to pose I’ll tell you,” Minseok says with a wink and Kyungsoo sighs. Jongin is waiting for him at the top of a small hill and he’s crouched down, staring at the pumpkins. It reminds him of when he’d brought Luna to the yard while Jongin was working, wondering if she’d gotten out somehow. Kyungsoo smiles and he approaches, unaware of the camera clicking in the background. Jongin looks up at him when he arrives and Kyungsoo feels awestruck. Jongin looked absolutely perfect in the clothes that Kyungsoo had designed. They weren’t very extravagant nor were they very different from the things Jongin usually wore but seeing their logo as well as the other little pieces of patchwork was enough to know that it belonged to KB Fashion.

“Take a walk with me? Luna loves the smell of pumpkins, I know Chanyeol is on ‘cat duty’ but I’m positive she’s already gotten away, let’s find her?” Jongin tilts his head over towards Chanyeol’s direction and Kyungsoo follows it, seeing how Chanyeol was leaning over, looking around for the elusive feline. Kyungsoo laughs and he accepts the quest. He holds out his hand to help Jongin stand but Jongin doesn’t let go. Instead, they continue along the pumpkin patch with their fingers intertwined, the smell of Autumn and spices in the air. They walk for a few moments and they find a leaf pile in the near distance. Jongin takes one look at Kyungsoo and the two have no words to say before they break into a little run.

Jongin leads Kyungsoo right into the leaf pile and they tumble down a small hill. Kyungsoo lands on top of Jongin and they’re both laughing heartily. Their laughter dies down as they meet each other’s eyes and Kyungsoo feels cold fingertips wrap around the nape of his neck. Jongin pulls him down and their lips meet in a chaste kiss. Kyungsoo eyes flutter closed and they meet for another, and another, and another. Kyungsoo opens his eyes when he feels Jongin pinch his cheek and he looks down at him in a daze,

“I think I’m fall ing for you Kyungsoo,” Jongin giggles and Kyungsoo rolls his eyes but he leans down for another kiss. Moving to a small town truly was a wise choice he thinks, he found his muse, he found his love and he found the person he wants to spend the rest of his seasons with.