Jongin leans back on Sehun’s bed and rests his weight on his forearms, watching as Sehun squints at his reflection in the mirror.

“Don’t you think that’s enough eyeliner?” he asks finally. “Let’s just get this over with.”

“No way,” Sehun replies, uncapping the tube again. “Wait until you see how much Baekhyun and Luhan wear.”

“Remind me why you need to wear as much as them again?” Jongin asks.

“How else are we supposed to get into this club? We’re barely of age and it’s way too popular for us,” Sehun says. “The only way is to convince the bouncers that we help the atmosphere because we’re pretty or something.”

Jongin frowns. “Why don’t I have to wear eyeliner then?”

“You’re pretty enough with it.”

…

Sehun is right about Baekhyun and Luhan. When they meet the older boys a couple of blocks away from the club, Jongin at first thinks their eyes are just huge craters in their faces from the amount of eyeliner and the bad lighting.

“Make sure you flirt with the bouncer and show off your collarbones a lot, Sehun,” Luhan advises.

“And if that doesn’t work, play the homo card,” Baekhyun adds. “Having gay couples around makes the club seem more accepting and cool and .”

“What should I do?” Jongin asks.

“Don’t say anything,” Luhan says immediately. “And don’t smile.”

Jongin scowls to himself. Is he that much of a mood dampener that even a comment from him will ruin their chances of getting in?

“Whatever,” he sighs, shoving the tips of his fingers into his pockets (the jeans Sehun picked out for him are too tight to fit anything else). “Let’s go, I guess.”

They walk through the thickening press of people toward the club entrance, Jongin’s shoulders hunched against the cold and Sehun talking animatedly, moving his hands and smiling that stupid smile as he tells the story Jongin’s heard a thousand times.

When they arrive at the entrance the line is enormous. Luckily, the bouncers recognize Luhan and Baekhyun. Jongin scowls as Sehun starts talking with the bouncers, and it steadily deepens as Sehun’s voice gets louder and louder and his expressions cuter and cuter. Luhan didn’t say anything about scowling though, so Jongin does it all he wants and he can’t be blamed it they don’t get in because of it.

Unfortunately the scowling doesn’t seem to affect their decision and soon Jongin is being ushered inside the club, bass beat already thundering in his gut. The smell overpowers him the moment he gets within range of the dance floor, and he knows he won’t be able to stomach a drink with the nauseous feeling in his chest and the pounding beginning in his head. It’s the smell of a thousand colognes and a thousand perfumes, sweat and alcohol and sour breath combined with vomit and the stench of the city. Jongin doesn’t know how Sehun can stand it, but he follows the others to the bar and finds a stool isolated from most people while Sehun sends the bartender coy smiles and flirts with strangers.

Luhan and Baekhyun disperse onto the dance floor after a couple of drinks, and Jongin doesn’t budge from his position watching Sehun, realizing what a loser he looks like and ing relishing it. He hopes Sehun notices and goes with him back home, or that those girls Sehun’s talking to notice and ditch him. He wants to leave now and he doesn’t know how he got into a situation like this but then he knows. It’s because Sehun’s always been the more outgoing of the two, effortlessly liked and effortlessly successful for nothing but his looks and his personality. Meanwhile, Jongin’s always been the shyer of the two, working for the things he’s achieved through sweat and migraines. Letting Sehun go without him is letting Sehun draw further from him and risking being even more of a loser than he already is, a loser nobody understands why Sehun hangs out with.

“Jongin-ah,” Sehun shouts over the music, coming to Jongin’s seat after what seems like an eternity. “Aren’t you having fun?”

Does it look like I’m having fun, ?

“Sure I am. Are you?”

“Totally! This place is great! I met this really nice guy and he gave me his number!”

“Well, you better hurry on back to him. He’s probably missing you.”

Sehun doesn’t detect the resentment in Jongin’s voice, only smiles and waves as he heads back to his newfound friends. Jongin’s scowl deepens even further and he sinks into the stool, which doesn’t really work. His headache has gotten so bad that it feels like his skull is pulsing, the very bones fighting to break out of their set shape, and he feels like throwing up. This sure as hell is not fun, and he sure as hell does not like the way that guy keeps touching Sehun on the back. He just wants out of here, but he can’t leave without Sehun.

Then he spots Luhan on the dance floor, body undulating to the beat of the dubstep playing, and he has an idea.

“Hey Sehun!” he calls, getting up. “Let’s dance!”

Sehun’s eyes brighten at the suggestion; he sets down his drink and follows Jongin onto the dance floor. They’ve been dance partners for a long time, and they both know how good they look together.

“Let’s go over here,” Jongin suggests, pulling Sehun by the hand towards the area of the dance floor closest to the door. He sniffs Sehun’s breath and notes the way he starts to cling to Jongin. He’s definitely drunk, Jongin decides, and smiles to himself.

A different song comes on, fast-paced and clubby, with a hoarse female voice that feels like it’s coming from the back of Jongin’s mind and seeping throughout his body. It empowers Jongin and he breathes on the back of Sehun’s neck, observing the way the younger boy sighs and leans into him. Then he starts moving and Sehun follows his lead, their hips moving fluidly against each others’. They’re being pressed in on all sides but no more than they are pressed against each other, just two bodies amidst many sliding against each other.

Jongin forgets for a moment what he’s doing, the music gets into the pit of his stomach and he moves involuntarily. Arms wrapped around Sehun’s stomach, head thrown back so his neck is exposed to the damp air, body moving of its own accord. He even turns Sehun to face him and enjoys the sweet feeling of grinding directly against Sehun, watching the younger boy’s face and whispering suggestions into his ear.

Finally Sehun whispers back, “I’m tired of this place. Let’s go somewhere else together.”

Jongin is pleased, and he immediately leads Sehun out of the club and back onto the street. It takes him longer to find his car that it should with Sehun stumbling every few steps, but he finds it eventually. After he buckles Sehun in and slides into the driver’s seat himself, he glances at the time.

Only one o’clock in the morning, plenty of time. He revs the engine and speeds off back home, gladly forgetting about Luhan and Baekhyun, clubs, and Sehun’s laugh as he talked to the people at the bar.

…

“Jongin, I need to go to the bathroom,” Sehun says at about four o’clock.

Jongin looks up at his friend from his position on the floor. He looks mournfully at the rerun of The Notebook on the television screen and reluctantly gets up, pulling Sehun from the bed. He’s still wearing the jeans and sleeveless shirt from earlier in the night, and he shivers slightly in the cool air as they exit the room.

“Better hold it in until we get there,” Jongin warns, “or else I’m leaving you in the hallway.”

Sehun nods weakly and manages to make it to the bathroom, shutting the door behind him as Jongin waits outside. It takes seventeen minutes and thirty-six seconds before he opens the door again (Jongin counts), and then they stumble back into Sehun’s bedroom. Jongin notes with pleasure that they’ve arrived back just in time for Noah and Allie’s reunion. He’s so absorbed in the movie that he doesn’t notice Sehun’s talking to him until he raises his voice.

“Jongin-ah!”

“Huh?” Jongin turns to face Sehun, who’s staring at the ceiling and examining his fingernails with the light from the television.

“Why didn’t you have fun tonight?” Sehun asks unhappily.

Jongin groans. “You know I hate those kinds of things.”

“Then why’d you agree to go?” Sehun’s voice is confused.

“I thought you wanted me to go.”

“Only if you were going to have fun.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter anymore. You looked like you were having fun.”

“Is that why we left so early?”

“Maybe.”

Sehun laughs and rolls over in bed. “You’re funny. I think Baekhyun and Luhan liked you.”

“I couldn’t tell. Luhan kept telling me to shut up.”

“But that’s how we got into the club. Your whole silent and brooding thing.”

Jongin is astounded. “You think that’s a thing?”

“Of course. You’re usually really outgoing...except for during parties...and school....and life.” Sehun laughs nervously. “But it’s okay. You always say the right thing when you do say something. I like that about you.”

Jongin doesn’t know what to say. He never knew that Sehun felt that way about him. That Sehun thought he was outgoing, that Sehun liked the way he disliked parties, that Sehun didn’t think he was a loser. It’s so nice to hear that he forgets to respond, just wonders what else Sehun hasn’t told him.

“Jongin? Are you still listening?”

“Yeah.” Jongin turns around completely to find Sehun looking at him.

“You do know that I love you, right?” Sehun asks. “In a not creepy way?”

“I do now.”

Sehun laughs and looks back at the ceiling, then back at Jongin. “Well, aren’t you going to say anything back to me?”

“You’re drunk. Go to bed.”

Sehun laughs again and Jongin finds a smile creeping onto his face. When he looks back at the screen he realizes he doesn’t really need to watch the rest of the movie--he knows how it ends already anyway.