He never stopped in one place; with the changing times he had to learn to adapt or risk getting whisked away in the confusion. Jonghyun was like wind, Key learned, for he's never in the same place for too long. Even with bandages and scratches hiding his face, his eyes show the longing to move, to be free, to just take off and run until his throat burned, his feet throbbed and his chest exploded with rapid beats. He can escape, he can disappear, but Key cannot. Key was trapped in time, stuck in one spot for what seemed like his entire life. Anything unusual or 'different’ never stayed long.

That's what he expected for Jonghyun, it was only a matter of time before the wind picks up again and he’s off. He was waiting for it, which was why he wasn’t surprised to see the said person sitting on a bus bench with a backpack by his feet and headphones in his ears.

He looked like he didn’t want to be bothered, so Key opted to take a seat far from him and pull out his own phone. The small screen glowed with a notification; Dongwoon had taken a picture of his ex getting rejected by his best friend, Woohyun. That had been the main cause for their relationship to end; she admitted using him as a way to get closer to the said male. The look on her face as she was flat out turned down was priceless and made him smile.

"Good news?" a playful voice drifted to Key's ears; He looked up to see the stranger with his headphones out and staring at him.

"Quite the opposite actually, for her at least," he chuckled, placing his phone back in his bag.

The brunette frowned, "That can’t be good."

"It isn’t, but that’s what makes it so enjoyable."

"Oh..." the silence took over once more, leaving Key with an inner battle of whether or not he should pull his phone out again and look busy or strike up a new conversation. His choice was made for him when the man put his iPod away and extended a hand.

"I'm Jonghyun. Kim Jonghyun," he greeted; his smile as warm as his hands.

"I know," Key returned the gesture with a small smile of his own. He remembered seeing the shorter male bust a few tables at his favorite restaurant for the past week and earn himself some curious whispers from the locals, "I'm called Key."

"You 'know'?" Jonghyun was confused; his expression, however, only made him seem more charming.

"We don't get strangers much in this town.  The last time I can remember an outsider would have to be a few months ago."

Jonghyun nodded, "I see, I guess I just draw attention wherever I go."

Key noticed his mood change, but didn’t comment on it.

"Are you going somewhere?" he asked instead, letting his curiosity get the better of him.

"Trying to," Jonghyun motioned to his own bags, "This is the fifth stop I've been to tonight. I'm trying to catch the 94' or the bus to Makpo." Key winced and the man, regretfully, noticed, "Don't tell me..."

"The only buses that run tonight are the 37 and 11. I'm sorry but your best luck for catching the 94 is tomorrow morning."

Jonghyun groaned and buried his face in his hands. After a long exhale, he looked to Key with a hopeful gleam in his eye, "I don't suppose you know where the closest, cheapest inn is?"

"Are you low on money?"

"I lost most of it in a poker game; I thought I could pick up a few extra bucks at the 'Nightmare’, but I royally screwed myself to some cocky jerk."

Key laughed, he knew exactly who the brunette was talking about, "Minho is pretty ruthless when it comes to cards. He hates to lose."

"Tell me about it, he almost cleared me out in less than 15 minutes. I have barely enough for a bus ticket and a meal for tomorrow, but I can always skip if the situation calls for it."

Key hummed, "Well, I don't know any cheap hotels..."

"Great," he sighed, "Just my luck."

"... But I know an alternative," before Key realized what he was implying, the words had already left his mouth and Jonghyun looked hopeful once more.

"Chincha?"

Key nodded, "My roommate is back home for the next two weeks which means I have a vacant bed, I'm sure he won't mind."

"Oh no, I don’t want to trouble you," he shook his head and the rest of his words were lost when the 11’ came to a halt in front of them. 

Key stood up and pulled his bus pass out, motioning for Jonghyun to follow, "Let's go." The brunette looked unsure, so Key helped move him along by grabbing his backpack and climbing into the vehicle. He heard Jonghyun scramble to his feet behind him and smiled smugly, though he was still unsure of what he had gotten himself into.

They took a seat in the back of the bus. Key is still holding his backpack, but had managed to grab Jonghyun's arm and pull him down to the open chair beside him. As the bus took off, Jonghyun let out a breath he was holding and grinned at his new friend.

"You've really saved my Key," he thanked him. The said male reciprocated with a grin of his own and squeezed his arm lightly. 

--

 “I hope you don’t mind leftovers,” Key yelled over his shoulder as he pulled a couple of containers out of the fridge, “I made a lot of food for my roommate to take for the trip back home, but that kid forget to grab it and now I have nothing but this.”

“Sweet! A home cooked meal!” Jonghyun kicked his shoes off and ran to the meet the blonde in the kitchen, “Anything I can help you with?”

“Sure, take some of the kimchi to the table,” he motioned to the already plated food beside him as he heated up some meat. Key watched as the shorter male carefully staked the plates on his arms and walked quickly to the table. He smiled; it was nice to have someone to help out, normally his friends would just trash the place while he cooked them dinner (which always earned them a smack on the head).

“Show off, where’d you learn to do that?” Key asked as he carried his dinner to the table.

“I’ve had experience in the restaurant industry.”

“Oh? Is that your job?”

“Not exactly…”

Key frowned and sat across from him, “Care to elaborate?”

"I guess you can say I wear a lot of hats," Jonghyun chuckled, but Key clearly didn’t understand his metaphor.

“You’re like an old man with your weird sayings,” he tsked.

“Yah! I’ve been told I’m clever.”

“And I’m very smart, so if I don’t understand something then that means it makes no sense.”

His sigh was accompanied by a smile and he leaned forward, "I take odd jobs here and there. There's always work to be done, granted not everyone wants to do it."

"Like what?" Key tilted his head to the side and waited for an answer.

Jonghyun shrugged, finishing off the leftovers before continuing, "Mostly labor; sometimes I get gigs in restaurants, but there are times when my luck is in its prime."

Key couldn’t help but smile at the way Jonghyun’s face lit up when he recalled his past, "What was your favorite job?"

"Oh that's tough one," he leaned back against his chair, eyes shifting as he tried to answer, "... I guess I really liked this one cafe in Seoul. During my shift, their singer had suddenly fallen to some sort of food poisoning, so I offered to step in and sing a few songs."

“You sing?”

“Very well,” Jonghyun smirked, and Key couldn’t help but think that he resembled a dog with a bandaged nose, one he probably got from chasing a Frisbee and running straight into a wall. He had seen a dog do that before… twice, which why he preferred cats over them; they’re much smarter and a lot more reasonable as far as animals go. Before his imagination could completely take over, Jonghyun continued his story with a little more excitement in his voice, “A company recruiter was there and encouraged me to audition the next time they were looking for talent. He even said he’d put in a good word for me.”

"Really? What company?"

"SM Entertainment."

Key frowned, "Wow, those guys? I hear they’re not the best when it comes to treating their artists fair."

"If you keep doing that, you'll get wrinkles," Jonghyun laughed and playfully knocked the ‘look’ off his face, "I had the same idea at first, but honestly if I can get out there and express myself with music then it’s just a small sacrifice to pay."

"Is that right?"

"Yup… Say Key, I've been wondering about something since you pulled me onto the bus."

"And what would that be?"

"Why are you letting a complete stranger like me stay with you?"

Key smiled and took the plates off the table. Jonghyun followed him into the kitchen, like a puppy Key noticed, and waited patiently for an answer, “To be honest Jonghyun, I don’t think this is the first time I’ve met you.”

Jonghyun’s face paled a little, “O-oh? Is that right?”

“Yeah, I think there was this one time when-” Realizing what his words could have implied, the blonde dropped the plate he was in the middle of cleaning and turned to face him, “No! Not like that! I’m not stalking you, god no! What do you take me for?”

He laughed, hand covering his heart, “I know I know, still this wouldn’t have been the first time I was stalked.”

“Really?”

“Yup, being a singer sometimes has it’s disadvantages. I get groupies every now and then, which is why I’m never going back to Daegu again.”

“I use to live in Daegu.”

“Is that where we might have met?”

Key shook his head and went back to the chore at hand. Jonghyun had hopped up on the counter and sat with his feet dangling, watching the blonde in the hopes of urging him to continue, “I think it was a year ago, around this time too. Only… Your nose was intact.”

Jonghyun narrowed his eyes at Key’s snickering, “Yah! Don’t make fun of my nose.”

“No offense… but you sound like an old man.”

“No offence, but you look like a girl.”

“Psh, like that can even offend me anymore,” Key motioned to a picture on the wall with his elbow, “You should see my roommate. He’s way more feminine than any other chick I’ve seen.”

“Wait, that’s a guy?” Jonghyun jumped off the counter and went to retrieve the photo, “I thought that was your girlfriend!”

“Ha! Girlfriend my , I was dumped by my most recent one a few days ago.”

“Oh, sorry to hear.”

Key shrugged, “Remember that text I was laughing at when we were waiting for the bus?” Jonghyun nodded, “She was using me to get to my best friend, and he flat out rejected her. She had it coming ‘s all I can say.”

Jonghyun frowned, “You deserve better than that.”

“You’ve only known me a few hours, what makes you say I’m not a terrible person? I could be your stalker for all you know.”

He shrugged, “It’s safe to say you’re not stalker material, one wouldn’t waste their time on trying to befriend me if they were just trying to lock me in their basement.”

“What makes you say I’m not?”

“Cause you live in the middle of an apartment complex,” he smirked, “No basement, no attic.”

Key tsked, “I thought I could have been creepier.”

“Nah,” Jonghyun put the picture down and walked back over to the chair, sitting backwards in it to face the blonder, “Continue with your story, please.”

“Hm?” Key leaned against the counter and crossed his arms, “Where was I? Ah, my friends and I were coming back from a BBQ at the time. It was pretty late when we passed by this park. I think… if I’m not mistaken… you were sitting on a swing set looking up at the sky. Dongwoon, the guy who was driving us, saw you and asked if you needed a lift, but you declined and kept staring up…”

Jonghyun’s brows furrowed together as he tried to recall the event, “I was staring at the sky?”

Key nodded, “Like a dog howling.”

“… Is your friend blonde?”

“Not like my color,” he unconsciously tugged at a small strand of his hair, “He was more of a platinum blonde at the time.”

Jonghyun smiled, “I remember.”

“Oh, cool. That means I’m not a freak,” Key smiled back, “So why were you looking at the sky?”

“That’s because I was watching a meteor shower. They happen every year or so and… Oh crap! What time is it?!” He scrambled out the chair and ran towards his bag, hastily yanking his phone from the front pocket.

Key looked towards a clock hanging above the doorway and squinted to read the numbers.

“It’s…”

“11:13,” they said in unison. Jonghyun looked up at him with wide eyes and threw his phone back.

“You got a balcony Key?”

“Yeah, over there-HEY!” he yelped as the brunette grabbed his arm and pulled in towards the terrace. He slid the glass doors back and looked up eagerly at the sky.

“We’re just in time!” Jonghyun breathed a sigh of relief, “Look up! Look up quickly!”

“What? What am I looking for… whoa…”

The sky was lit up like any other night and the stars were shining and glowing at all different angles, the only different was that white streaks of light scratched the blue surface at random intervals. Sometimes they were bright and distinctive, as though they were tearing through the atmosphere. Other times they were dim and only glowed for a few seconds before letting the night swallow them up.

Key had never seen a meteor shower before. He had heard as a child that it like a bunch of shooting stars had gathered together to jump from the sky at the same time. Needless to say, he was awed and mentally hitting himself for not seeing one sooner.

“Pretty cool huh?” Jonghyun asked, breaking the silence, “I’ve tried watching these showers in other places too. When I can’t get a job to pay for a hotel, I sleep out and catch them if I’m lucky. Of course these don’t happen often; every year or so but that’s still a long time to wait.”

“Wait, you’ve slept in the woods before?”

“Sometimes for weeks at a time; Just because there are jobs doesn’t mean that everyone’s looking for a worker. Sometimes I don’t fit their criteria,” he shrugged as if it was no big deal, “During my travels, I have never come across a place with stars as bright as this. I want to say it’s because of the lack of city lights but… I don’t know. It’s just breathtaking here.”

 “’During your travels’ huh? When was the last time you were home?”

“Honestly? I don’t remember. It’s been a while…”

Key rested his chin in his palm and looked at him thoughtfully, "What made you chose this life? It doesn't sound very pleasant."

Jonghyun drew his attention away from the sky to look at him. Key could feel his breath catch in his throat as they lock eyes.

"At first I thought I was spoiled, that I had everything I could ever need, but there was always a nagging feeling in the back of my head. When I was at my highest peak, standing 10 feet tall and towering, I had never felt so small.  But then, what some people would view as my destruction, came, I  felt I was falling down a hole; getting deeper and deeper into darkness and never truly hitting the bottom when things only kept getting worse. After a while though, I realized my eyes were closed..." he looked away, staring out over the endless blanket of stars, "So when I learned to opened them, I couldn't believe all the marvel I saw.  I've seen so much more in these past few years, felt so much more and lived like I never had before."

Jonghyun turned to Key and grabbed his arm gently; the shower had ended, but his eyes still glowed with stars, "You wouldn't believe it Key, everything we're missing out on. I've met the most interesting people, eaten things I didn't even know we're edible and seen sights that could only be described in fairy tales!"

Key’s eyes widened; Jonghyun’s searching for a response from him, any sort of acknowledgement, but the blonde doesn’t trust himself to talk. Eventually, h settles for the word "Wow". He was surprised that he could even say that because Jonghyun was just so intense. His eyes, god his eyes, were filled with fascination and he looked like a child in wonder. His smile, his eagerness, the words he spoke left Key nearly speechless, which is why he could only say 'Wow'.

Unfortunately, this buzz doesn't last long and the logical side of Key took over, easing him off his high of excitement and grounding him back on earth. His grip on Jonghyun's arm loosened and he stepped back, "But Jonghyun, you've had to sacrifice a lot to do this. You've told me yourself; sometimes you go for weeks sleeping outside or starve because you can't find work."

He expected the younger to look dejected, to feel that low Key was feeling. To his surprise, Jonghyun kept smiling; though it wasn’t as big as before, it was still just as soft and if not more sincere than he's ever seen.

"Even with everything falling down around me," he began, leaning on the balcony railing and peering over the edge, "I'd like to believe in all the possibilities. Anything can happen Key, it all depends on if you're willing to let it."

"Kibum," Key heard himself say, "That’s my real name, Kibum."

Jonghyun smiled, eyes flickering with an unknown feeling, "Kibum."

--

“Key… Key... Keeyyyy… Kibummieee.”

Key groaned at the sound of his name and turned over in his bed, trying to cover his head with the sheets but failed when something restrained his arm from moving. He looked up glare at what the weight was and was a little startled to see Jonghyun hovering above him. The latter had removed the tape from his nose before he went to bed; though there were a couple of scratches here and there, he still looked rather handsome.

“Jong…hyun?” he yawned, shifting a little so he could sit up, “W-what time is it?”

“Six.”

You’re joking, Key glared at his clock and sure enough, it was six in the morning, “Jonghyun… I’ve only had seven hours of sleep and today is my day off… what the hell are you doing?”

Jonghyun winced a little, making Key regret his words until he remembered no it’s six in the ing morning, I have every right to be pissed at this little regardless of how cute his puppy eyes look…. God damn it Jonghyun, “I wanted to show you something.”

Key raised his eyebrows, “Oh? And that couldn’t have waited until, like, ten?”

Jonghyun smiled wearily, “My bus leaves at ten.”            

“Bus? What bu… oh right,” Key yawned again and flung the covers off him. Jonghyun took a step back and adjusted his backpack strap as he waited for Key to stand up. The blonde scratched arm and looked around for a pair of decent looking clothes, “When you say you want to show me something, I’m assuming it’s not something I can stay in my P.J’s for, huh?”

“No, but I have no complaints if you want to go out in a tank and boxers,” he grinned mischievously. Key threw a nearby book at his head in the hopes of knocking it off; it didn’t work.

After hastily getting dressed and a quick breakfast consisting of bread and jam, the two left the house and made their way towards the nearest bus stop. Jonghyun was carrying a small map in his hand and was looking at his phone every few minutes to confirm the time. Key took a seat on the bus bench and watched as he fiddled around with the paper once more.

“Jonghyun, the sun isn’t even out. What could you possibly want to show me?” he sighed, rubbing his eyes.

“Still tired?”

“Yeah, haven’t had my coffee yet.”

Jonghyun felt guilty for rushing the latter to leave without his drink and surveyed his surroundings. His eyes spotted something down the road and he handed the blonde his map and phone, “Hang onto this for me?”

“Where are you going?” Key called after him as he started to walk away. Jonghyun responded with a wave over his shoulder and disappeared inside a store, what kind of store is open at six?

With a sigh, he leaned back in his seat and looked over the map. Red ink circled around one of the stops on the route and Key had to squint in order to make out the name. He realized it was a stop by the nature route a little bit outside of town.

Key felt something warm against his cheek and turned to see a foam cup smelling of coffee. Jonghyun smiled as he handed it over and extended his other hand out, which was carrying a few packets of sugar and cream, “I saw the note Taemin left you on the fridge about not ‘overdosing’ on Americano. I didn’t know if you sweetened it or not so…”

“Nah, I like it how it is. Thanks Jonghyun,” he replied, smiling at him. It soon fell when he noticed the brunette was staring at him with a dazed expression, “… Did you get anything for yourself? Your cheeks look kinda red, don’t catch a cold now.”

“H-huh?” Jonghyun blinked a couple of times before coughing lightly, “I-I’m fine. I’ve got my coffee here,” he held up a plastic bottle and took a seat besides Key, tossing the unneeded sugar into the can besides him.

“So where are we headed?” The blonde asked, returning the phone and map to it’s rightful owner.

“I told you it’s a surprise! Gosh I bet you’d be terrible at keeping secrets.”

He shrugged, “This mouth was made for talking, but I’m not that insensitive.”

“Mhmm, I believe that.”

“Is that sarcasm I sense, sir?”

“No not at all,” Jonghyun grinned at him, “Hey, our bus is here.”

Key looked down the road and saw the 15’ approach them. Jonghyun stood up and gently grabbed Key’s hand, pulling him inside as soon as the vehicle opened it’s doors. The latter couldn’t help but think back to yesterday night when he was the one dragging Jonghyun after him. Oh how the tables have turned.

The driver seemed surprise to have two people on so early and greeted them with a tired smile. They took the seats in the back like last time, though now Jonghyun had his arm hooked around Key’s.

“We’re going to hike aren’t we?” Key asked as the bus took off.

“So you peeked, huh?”

“You’re partially at fault.”

Jonghyun laughed, “I suppose I am, but yeah. Nature hike, I want to show you something I discovered on my first morning here.”

“Oh god, if it’s a dead body-”

“This isn’t a horror movie Key, no dead bodies, no murders.”

“Okay… if it’s a dead animal-”

“What I am showing you is alive, unless we have a complete black out in eight minutes then we’re kinda screwed, but other than that it’s alive*.”

Key looked out the window, biting his lip as he thought about what fit the profile, “What can die in eight minutes…”

“Keeey, give it a rest! You’ll know soon enough!” the bus came to a halt and he smiled, “See? We’re here already! Didn’t take long now did it?”

“Whatever, let’s go,” Key mocked a scoff and stuck his tongue out at him playfully before hopping off the bus. He examined the dirt road in front of him and looked down at his feet, wishing he had worn better shoes, “Next time warn me about the terrain.”

“What’s wrong? Afraid of getting a little bit of mud on your Prada?” Jonghyun snickered, “Don’t think I didn’t notice the designer brands you have hiding in your closet.”

“Two things. Number one, these aren’t Prada, they’re Gucci; number two, they’re not hidden in my closet, they’re displayed.”

“Oh, my bad,” he rolled his eyes, “Let’s go, or we’ll miss it.”

Key was internally screaming as he followed behind the self proclaimed professional hiker. What the hell were they going to ‘miss’ if they didn’t hurry? Key was a smart boy, even when he was a child. That’s why surprises never worked on him. He would pick up on the smallest clue and guess immediately was planned for him. However, Jonghyun was being mysterious as hell which made the blonde wonder. Either he had met his match when it came to guessing secrets, or he was losing brain cells from being around Jonghyun’s stupidity.

Key chuckled at the last thought, but the humor was quickly dispelled when the brunette veered of path and started walking through the shrubs.

“Uh… Jonghyun? What are you doing? We can’t hike down there! It’s part of the forest!” Key yelled at him.

“Just follow me! The best spots are always hidden,” he yelled back, waving his arm in an over-exaggerated manner to get the boy to follow.

Key huffed, but none the less waded through the trail of broken twigs Jonghyun left in order to catch up. They walked in silence, but Key would stop every once in a while to snap a picture of an oddly bent tree or of a colorful looking bird. He managed to get Jonghyun in one of the shots and secretly saved the picture… for memories sake.

Then the two came across a large mound of rocks. Jonghyun smiled triumphantly and turned to his companion, “We’re officially… a third of the way there.”

“Jonghyun!” Key groaned, “Its still hella dark! How do you expect me to walk any further in this area without trippin-”

“I’m kidding! My surprise is just up these rocks. And it’s not ‘hella dark’, The sun is starting to give off some light.”

“The sun? Jonghyun the sun isn’t even…. Wait… We’re going to see the sun rise, aren’t we?”

The brunette’s face fell, “Damn. I ruined it.”

Key laughed and pat his back comfortingly, “Aww, that’s so sweet Jonghyun! You didn’t ruin it; I told you I was smart, didn’t I?”

“Yeah… but I wanted to have this stay a secret.”

He laughed again; Jonghyun was just too much like a puppy. Key was sure that if he had ears and a tail, they would be drooping down, “Well… I’ve never been here before.”

Jonghyun perked up, “Really?”

“Yup, so show me this ‘not-so-secret’ surprise.”

The elder grinned and nodded, starting his climb up the rocks. Jonghyun stopped occasionally for Key to catch up and to taunt him when he felt like the latter was going slow. Key would retaliate by slowing his pace even more than before and make little quips about his height.

“You’re so close Key! Just a little more!” Jonghyun called form the top of the rocks. The said male huffed and glared at him, his sharp cat eyes looking darker than usual.

“One more word Jonghyun, and I’ll shove you off the damn rocks.”

“Hey, we agreed no dead bodies.”

“For you I can make an exception.”

He chuckled and when Key was close enough, he bent down and grabbed his hand, pulling him up the remaining way.

“You’re light,” the brunette commented absentmindedly as Key dusted himself off.

“And you’re strong. Now where’s the…”

Key trailed off and Jonghyun turned around, smiling at the sight, “Looks like we made it.”

The rocks they were standing on overlooked the entire forest until it made a rough transition from the woods to a small bay that opened out to the ocean. The sun was rising perfectly between the two terrains, reflecting off the blue waters and warming the green trees. Key liked nature… when it was on TV, but seeing the sight for himself made him rethink his entire opinion on the ‘dirty, savage, jungle’. When he looked left, he could see the small outline of his town, which was like a small pile of rocks compared to the overall expanse of the scenery.  

Key’s hand found purchase on a stable stack of rocks. He wanted to get closer, to see more from his perch, but didn’t know where he could go, “Wow… I never knew I was this close to the ocean.”

“Couldn’t you hear the waves?”

“I always thought it was the wind playing tricks on me,” he tried to take a step forward, but Jonghyun instinctively grabbed his waist and pulled him back a little, “J-jong-”

“Be careful,” he warned, “I don’t want you to fall and get hurt.”

“Right…” Key was still a bit dazed that he didn’t notice the elder looking at him carefully.

“Haven’t you done this before?”  Jonghyun asked, loosening his grip on the blonde.

“What? Seen the sun rise?” Key scoffed, “Of course I have! When I have to wake up for work, I watch it from my window.”

“That’s not what I meant. Have you ever gone anywhere to watch it? Like the mountains, or the beach or… here at least?”

“Don’t be stupid. I…” He trailed off. Key furrowed his brows and he dug through his memory, trying to figure out a moment when he had left his house for something like this… for anything really, but all he did was draw a blank.

Jonghyun raised an eyebrow, “I’ll take that as a no.” He took a deep breath, “Amazing huh? I was so excited for this that I actually didn't sleep last night"

Key rolled his eyes, "Well that’s your own damn fault-"

"But I was also too busy thinking of something else," he looked at the blonde, "How about you come with me Key? Come exploring with me."

Key nearly lost his footing, "…Ha, what kind of joke are you getting at? That’s funny Jonghyun, real funny.”

“I’m being perfectly serious”

His nervous laughing ends, “What do you mean?"

"I saw it in your eyes, you want to break free just as much as I did. It's constricting being here, so why don’t you travel with me?" 

Jonghyun held out his hand, but Key could only stare at it. He looked up to see if the brunette was really joking, but Jonghyun radiated confidence. His smile was more than welcoming, encouraging even, but Key was still unsure and slowly took a step back.

"That’s crazy Jonghyun. It's all too sudden. I'm sorry, but I can’t just-"

"What have you got to lose Kibum?" it' was the first time he had addressed him seriously; no nicknames or pet names of any kind, which made Key's resolve start to crumble.

“I can’t just leave! I have an apartment, a job, a life-”

"You’ll make it home; we’ll just get lost on our way there.” he chuckled, “I’m quite well known in some places, so work won’t be hard to find and as for your ‘life’, when was the last time you really lived Kibum?”

"Jonghyun-"

"Please. I know you want this," Jonghyun stepped closer, "There's so much more I want to show you, please."

Key stared at him a little longer, head running wild with 'what if's', 'cans', 'can'ts' and 'wants.'

His eyes lingered over the brunette’s hands. They’re calloused with the work he’s done and ready for the work he has to do in the future. They’re large and warm and beckoning him to just throw away his routine and break out. His palms start to sweat and his heart is beating faster than it should. The adrenaline is nearly killing, but strangely…

He never felt more alive.

Key placed his hand hesitantly in Jonghyun's, and the latter’s smile was blinding.

"You won't regret it, I promise. C'mon."

As Jonghyun led him away, Key smiled to himself and thought about his last words. For some reason, he doesn't think he will.

 

 

---

* it takes around 8 minutes for the sun's rays to reach earth, so when it goes out, we won't know until eight minutes after 

i really shouldn't have typed this, but whatever. I did soem research about meteor showers (since one happened a week ago) so the information should be close to accurate. I read that in some occasions there can be a tone of 'falling stars' in less than a minute, and then in others there could be like... one in an hour or so. Let's just say the Jongkey couple got lucky ^^

:| you dead yet?