They were so dirty after their tractor adventure, covered in mud from head to toe, that Jongin threw Sehun into the bathroom and closed the door, keeping guard. He was sure that if Sehun got the chance, he would run wild around the house and bury it in mud in under a second. He'd better keep a close watch on him until he was squeaky clean.

“I'm scared!” Sehun called out.

“What are you scared of? I'm right here outside the door!” Jongin yelled through the door.

“I don't like being alone.”

Sehun's pouty voice pulled at Jongin's heartstrings. That alien voodoo of his was strong. The control Sehun had over his feelings was disconcerting, bending them at his will. But he knew he had to pick his battles, and this was one he couldn't win. If Sehun refused to take a shower, the only one who would regret it was Jongin himself. So he caved without even putting up a fight and entered the bathroom.

“Shower with me.”

Sehun grinned. Jongin's face went insta-red.

“Don't be silly, that's not how we do it here on Earth,” Jongin lied.

“It's a stupid system anyway, I don't like getting wet.”

Sehun's pout grew.

“How do you shower without getting wet?”

“We just go through the decontamination booth, you just walk through it and you're done,” Sehun said, like it was the simplest thing in the world.

“Well, here you have to decontaminate yourself by hand,” he said sternly and pointed at the shower booth.

“So unfair.”

Sehun pouted and proceeded to get into the shower.

“Not with your clothes on!” Jongin exclaimed, appalled.

“But they need decontaminating too?”

Sehun wrinkled his eyebrows, looking down on his mud-covered overalls.

“Yeah, we have a different decontamination system for that, it's called a washing machine.”

Jongin snorted.

“Ugh, so inefficient!” Sehun spat out in frustration. He was kind of cute when he was annoyed.

Sehun suddenly smiled.

“What?” Jongin asked, surprised at the 180° turn his mood had taken.

“You were thinking something nice about me. I can feel it.” he said, pleased.

Jongin's cheeks burst into flames. He couldn't get used to this connection they had. Nothing was private anymore.

“Come on, we don't have all day. Take your clothes off.”

Jongin changed the subject, only then realizing he would have to watch Sehun take off his clothes. He swallowed with difficulty.

Jongin forced his eyes to examine every inch of the floor while Sehun undressed. He couldn't bring himself to watch him through the shower glass, worried that 'extra gear stick' from before would start making trouble again, so he turned his back, trying to block the image of the water caressing Sehun's lean abs from his mind.

“Ah, ah! My eyes sting!” Sehun complained behind him.

“You're supposed to put the shampoo in your hair, not your eyes!”

Jongin snorted.

“What do I do? What do I do?” Sehun whimpered helplessly.

“What is there to do, just rinse it out!”

Jongin was determined not to turn around.

“Uhu... it won't come oooout...” Sehun whined.

Jongin sighed, let the overalls drop, and took a deep breath before diving into the booth. He had no other choice. He helped Sehun rinse all the soap out of his hair and eyes, focusing with intent on the task at hand, careful not to get distracted.

“Now that you're here, we might as well shower together.”

Sehun grinned widely.

Jongin gave up. There was no point in resisting anymore, Sehun could probably feel how much Jongin wanted to be there. He turned his back to Sehun and started to shampoo his hair as quick as he could. He was going to break the record for the fastest shower ever to be had.

Jongin rinsed and rinsed his hair, but the shampoo continued to froth in his hair. He hadn't even used that much shampoo in the first place. He rubbed harder, only to get more soap bubbles stuck to his hair. Then he heard Sehun snicker behind him. Agh, that prankster.

He turned around with a face that was clearly not amused. He had better not. When Sehun saw Jongin's expression, he died of laughter, his face warped into a huge smile. He was still holding the shampoo bottle above Jongin's head. It was so ridiculous, Jongin couldn't but laugh too.

Then he suddenly realized that they were both wet and , standing only inches away from each other. His insides twisted into a pretzel and he got an overwhelming urge to kiss him. That same second Sehun's expression changed and he looked back at him in surprise. Had Sehun felt it? It was like having a spy inside his head, listening in on his feelings. Jongin's heart couldn't take the suspense, banging on his ribcage, begging to get out of there.

Without hesitation, Sehun lunged forward and locked their lips together.