He lost track of what number yawn that was hours ago when he was still up in the air. He wasn't tired perse, rather he was just ready to be home in his own space again for the first time in months. 

After filming ended for their variety show, the members of EXO got a much-needed break. Most of them went on vacations with their friends or spent time with their families, both of which Kyungsoo did, but he decided to take one more trip by himself before he got back to work for the next few months. He would normally enjoy going with the members, but he was an introvert at heart; he needed time to himself occasionally and he thought that was a more than perfect time to do just that. 

Admittedly, though, the closer he got to the apartment, the more he realized how much he missed being home. Sure, it was nice to spend time by himself for a few days and escape the buzz of being an actor/singer, but it was nicer being in the comfort his own home. Sometimes, that was all the therapy he needed.

He pulled into the parking garage and parked in his usual spot, turning off the car after shifting it into park. He let out a short sigh and sat back in the seat for a brief moment. From far away, one wouldn't have been able to see the small smile that graced his lips in accompaniment to the thought of being a mere two minutes away from being home. 

Kyungsoo then sat back up, pulled the keys out of the ignition, and exited the car. He grabbed his bag out of the backseat and threw it over his shoulder as he shut the door, locking the car as he walked away. 

He would have taken the elevator up to the fourth floor, but he knew it would take a decade to get down to him and he was too anxious to wait around for it. And as much as he hated how taking the stairs always made his hairline glisten with a thin stripe of sweat, a little perspiration was a little price to pay for who was waiting for him at the end. 

It took him the same amount of time to walk as it would have to wait for the elevator and before he knew it, he was standing in front of the door to home. He wondered if he should make some sort of grand, romantic entrance because he knew Jongin was into that kind of thing. Up until the day they first bought their own place, all he could talk about was how he was going to come home every night and say, "Honey, I'm home" because it was cute and would remind them that they were finally living together, alone. Kyungsoo said he would cringe if he did that, but deep down, it made his heart grow even fonder of the younger male, if that was even possible. 

While he was pondering over what his next move would be, a thought suddenly hit him. He took his bag off his shoulder and set it down on the floor, bending down to zip it open and pull out the bouquet of flowers he picked up at the airport earlier that night. It consisted of a mix of Jongin's favorites: lavender tulips, bright white daisies, and his ultimate favorite, pink roses. Bringing home flowers was his one signature romantic gesture and he did it whenever he happened to pass by a place that sold them. It was small, but he knew Jongin loved it. 

He put his bag back on and opened the door, deciding to go with a silent surprise welcome, where he would sneak up behind him and wrap the flowers around to his face and place a kiss on his cheek. But what he walked into was not the scene he expected. 

All of the members were there, huddled around a distraught-looking Jongin on the couch. "What's going on?" he asked with furrowed eyebrows. "Why are you all here?" The room went silent and they looked around at each other awkwardly. Kyungsoo's eyes connected with Jongin's, who were stained red with a clear sign of tears. "Did something bad happen?" He spoke again and still got no immediate reply. 

Suddenly, the others stood up, saying goodbye to Jongin before walking over to him. "Good luck explaining this one to him," Chanyeol said as he stopped in front of him for a brief moment. Kyungsoo became even more puzzled, but the taller male just chuckled and shook his head, patting him on the shoulder before walking out the door after the others. 

He waited until he heard the beep signaling the door closing before looking back over at Jongin. He wanted to ask what was wrong, if he had done something wrong, but he had a funny feeling he should know what was wrong, so he didn't. Instead, he just sat his bag on the floor and set the bouquet on top of it before walking over to him. 

"Is it safe to ask what's wrong?" he said after he sat down next to him. Jongin just looked at him, a frown on his lips and the remnants of past tears in his eyes. "Baby, what's wrong? Why were you crying?" He tried to touch his face in order to wipe them away, but Jongin stood up before his hand could even reach him. 

"How could you not tell me?" he said, his voice laced with anger and angst. 

"Tell you what, Jongin? What are you talking about?"

"We always tell each other everything. Even if we know it's going to hurt, we always do."

"Of course, we do. I know we do, but what I don't know is what you're referring to."

Jongin sniffled as he shook his head, looking off to the side for a moment. "I know you were probably scared to tell me and I understand what the feels like, but hyung, you can't just not tell me things like this. This doesn't just affect the group, it affects me, too."

"Jongin," Kyungsoo started as he stood up, "I promise you I have no clue what you're talking about. I'm really trying to think of everything I could have possibly done wrong, but I'm drawing a blank. I texted you when I got the plane, called you when I got off. What did I do?"

He could see the tears beginning to build in Jongin's eyes again and the sight made his heart clench. "Just forget it," he said, wiping them away before they could escape and trying to walk away. "It doesn't matter. Clearly, you don't feel the same way about this that I do, so just forget I said anything."

He walked past him and headed toward their bedroom, but Kyungsoo, who was as lost as ever, quickly turned around and grabbed his wrist to stop him. "Okay, I don't know why you're so upset, Jongin, but not talking to me about it won't tell me how to fix it," he said in a stern yet still soft voice. "You talk about telling each other everything, yet here you are, not telling me anything." 

His response took Jongin aback, but not enough that it stopped a tear from sliding down his cheek. "You..." he began, interrupting himself with another sniffle and a tiny hiccup. "Y-You're leaving the group. You're not renewing your contract," he finally spat out, making the elder's eyes widen in disbelief. 

"I'm what?" he replied with a chuckle. "Where did you hear this?"

Jongin's pupils moved back and forth, his brow furrowing for a split second. "O-Online," he said in a quieter voice. "It's all over the place. Everyone thinks you're leaving the company once your contract expires." As much as Kyungsoo wanted to be serious, he couldn't help but let out a series of laughs in response to the younger's words. "Why are laughing? It's not funny, hyung. You should've told me you didn't want to be in EXO anymore."

"I'm laughing because it is funny," he replied as his laughter died down. "You're right, I should have told you and I would have, if I had anything to tell. Jongin, I'm not going anywhere."

It was Jongin's turn to look confused. "Really?" he asked, to which Kyungsoo nodded his head with a smile still on his face. "T-Then why are these article saying you are? I swear, hyung, they're all over the Internet. People are going crazy over this."

"Let me see this," he said, taking out his phone from his pocket and going online. Sure enough, one of the top trending topics was titled "EXO's D.O reportedly not renewing his contract with SM". 

"Well, I don't know where the people who wrote this got their information, but it's false," he said as he put his phone back in his pocket. "Manager called me and asked me when I wanted to schedule my contract renewal meeting with the company, but I said I didn't know. But I never said I wasn't renewing at all. It was probably a mistranslation or something stupid like that."

"Are you being serious right now?" Jongin asked in total disbelief. Kyungsoo chortled and nodded his head again. The younger, tan male let out a huff of air and looked around. "So, you mean to tell me I've been sitting here for the past ten minutes crying over fake news?!"

"It would seem so," the elder replied with a light-hearted laugh. Jongin whined loudly and laid his face in his hands, sitting down on the ledge below him. Kyungsoo chuckled again and moved closer, squatting down in front of him. "Did you really think I would leave without talking to you about it?" he asked in his usual deep, soft, and comforting voice, his hands laying atop Jongin's thighs.

"I don't know what I thought," he answered as he lifted his head back up. "I didn't think. I saw the headline and immediately went into panic mode. I thought that was why you went on a trip alone, to make the final decision without anyone around. I didn't even stop to wonder if it was fake or not, I was too scared I would find that it wasn't."

"Aw, baby," he said, pulling the younger into his arms. "I would never do that to you or the members. If I was seriously considering leaving, you would be the first to know, so you could talk me out of it." That one made Jongin let out a little chuckle. He pulled his head out of Kyungsoo's neck and looked at him. 

"So, you aren't leaving me to go be a famous actor?" he mumbled cutely, making Kyungsoo laugh again. 

"No, I'm staying right here with you to be a famous actor/singer. You forgot the slash singer part," he replied, earning a shy and slightly embarrassed smile from the younger. He smiled back at him and placed a quick kiss on his lips. "I'm going nowhere unless you're coming with me. I couldn't leave you behind even if I wanted to, Jongin." Jongin smiled tenderly at him and leaned forward to initiate another kiss between them, this one a little deeper and longer in duration. "Oh, that's right," he said suddenly, forgetting about the poor bouquet for a second time. He stood up and walked over to his bag where they were laying. Jongin had stood back up when he turned back around. "I picked these up for you at the airport," he said as he handed them to him. "They aren't as nice or fresh as they are at a flower stand, but I saw the pink roses and knew I had to get them for you."

"They're beautiful, hyung," he said, lifting them up to his nose and smelling them. "They smell so good. Thank you. I love them and I love you, so much."

"I love you, too, Nini," he said, leaning up for another kiss. 

(The pink roses were forgotten yet again on the floor outside of their bedroom because they found it rather difficult to make love while holding a bouquet. They hoped it would still be alive in the morning.)

Fin.