You know that place between sleep and awake, that place where you still remember dreaming? That's where I'll always love you, Peter Pan. That's where I'll be waiting. (Tinkerbell to Peter Pan)

“He’s really nice, don’t worry.” Hyeri assured me, flipping around on her bed restlessly, awaiting a certain text.

I threw a toss pillow at her. “You’ve said that about seven hundred and two times. But it's your first impression, how could you trust that so easily?”

“Well, everyone says first impressions are important!”

“Our first impression of each other was pretty bad, and look how we ended up!” I exclaimed. “Wait, that’s helping your point. Oops.”

She giggled heartily. I looked up, annoyed. “Don’t laugh at my mistake- oh, he replied?”

She could only nod, excitedly jiggling the phone between her hands. “Open it!” I screamed, ecstatic.

“Nonono! We have to wait. It’s a rule.” She stated. I threw another toss pillow.

“Oh, come on, when do you ever follow rules?”

“True, but you know…I don’t want to seem clingy. It took him four minutes to reply, so it’ll take me four as well.”

I chucked a number of toss pillows at her head, until her entire collection was gathered around her waist.

“Come on, it’s been two minutes, open it!” I pressured.

“Be patient, young grasshopper,” she replied, letting her hands fall onto her knees in a zen position.

“Hyeri, please~”

“Do you have a crush on him too?” she teased, opening one eye from her meditation stage. “Pft, no, but to be honest my favorite of them all would have to be Baekhyun.”

“Not Sehun?” she asked, two eyes opening.

“Obviously him too, because he’s been my friend for so long, but now that he’s occupied with Dahyun I have to move on too.”

“Well, you don’t have true feelings for Baekhyun then, since you’re kind of using him to get distracted from Sehun.” She said, and I nodded, agreeing. “Either way, he’d make a great friend.”

“Oh god it’s been more than four minutes,” I jumped up, grabbing Hyeri’s phone.

Kwon Hyeri

Yeah, it was great today. You danced well at the karaoke.

Kim Jongin

Thank you :D do you want to go with me again sometime?

We screamed so loud, Kris’ family could’ve heard us all the way in Canada.

“OH MY GOD OH MY GOD WHAT” Hyeri shivered, more of a surprised statement rather than a question.

“Here, let me help you type.” I offered once I calmed down.

“Am I supposed to sound ecstatic? Bored?” I asked. “I have no experience, Master Hyeri.”

Kwon Hyeri

Yeah, sure! When?

Kim Jongin

Tomorrow night? It’s a Saturday, we can go to Mokdong.

~~

Oh Sehun

Jongin got a girl~ Jongin got a girl~

Lee Jae Mi

He better treat her nice, or I’ll chop off your balls.

Oh Sehun

M-m-mine?

Lee Jae Mi

Well, you did introduce us to him.

“Jae, why’re you laughing to yourself?”

I leaned over to show Hyeri my text thread with Sehun, and she smiled.

“Don't worry too much, Jae Mi. It’s only a fun date. Nothing serious.” She pouted.

“I don’t want you to get hurt,” I truthfully said.

“I’ll learn to protect myself. Thanks for being there.”

I filed through her pile of clothes, frowning at the fanciness of it all.

“How do you stand ruffles and lace, really?” I complained, throwing aside a bunch of floral and lace.

“Yah, yah, yah, hold up, now you’re in charge of my closet too?” she teased, fetching back the clothes I carelessly trailed onto her carpet.

“This!” I interrupted, holding up a white t-shirt with graphics at the front. “Perfect.”

She enthusiastically pulled out a pair of daisy yellow shorts and a thin brown belt.

“You could be my coordinator, I’m serious.”

I did go home and do some research, after coming to the realization that Hyeri will be going out more with Jongin and that as her supportive best friend, it’s my role to offer ideas that won’t have her out and about on the busy streets of Incheon in pajamas. I spent hours scrutinizing pinks and pastels, skirts and boots, being hypocritical as I surfed the web in a long t-shirt and basketball shorts. I want to do anything I can to support Hyeri. After all, it might be our last year together. I want to savour every moment.

“What do you think about Dahyun?” I blurted, to make conversation.

“To be honest, she could be a really nice person, and as bubbly and popular as she may seem, she’s probably lonely.”

I looked at Hyeri. “How do you figure all that out?”

“Remember when you said that we had bad first impressions? Do you remember why?”

“You were really stuck up and always talked loudly to other girls, so I thought you were hard to approach,” I confessed.

“Doesn't that sound shockingly similar to our first meeting with Dahyun? I acted like a hot shot because I was lonely and I wanted attention. I bet Dahyun does so, too. She’s probably dying for love from the guys and especially from Sehun, but she doesn’t have a good way to show it.”

“Are you suggesting…that we befriend her?”

“I…I don’t know, there are some people that act snotty because they want to be the opposite, but then there are people that actually are. I have no idea, really, but we could certainly give her a try.”

“Wow, I didn’t know you were that nice,” I joked.

She looked at me with gray eyes.

“Honesty time. You’re that nice, too. Because if you didn’t try interacting with me and reaching into my isolation, then we wouldn’t be here today.”

“Enough with the cheese, we can seriously bake a pizza with it. Hurry, put this on and be on your way, darling,” I feigned a rich British accent, and she smiled.

~~

“Do you want to come over?” Hyeri shouted over the phone, defying the loud blasts of pop music exploding behind her.

“I thought you were with Jongin?”

“Dahyun saw us walking and decided to tag along…and invite everyone else, too. Come over…” she said, a bit disappointed.

When I arrived at the karaoke and was escorted to the lounge they rented to fit a group of over a dozen, I saw a quite pissed off Jongin, a sighing Hyeri calming him, and Dahyun on Sehun’s lap…again.

I looked over at Baekhyun to avoid the pang in my chest and bounced over brightly, putting on my brave front. “What’s up?” I greeted.

“I was sleeping when Dahyun called, screaming at me to come join a party. I thought the guys were all here already and didn’t want to miss out the fun, so I hurried over…long story short, Jongin thinks I ed him.”

“I’m sure he doesn’t think so,” I assured. Baekhyun was focused in the corner where Hyeri and Jongin stood, so I followed his sight.

To a fuming Jongin.

“What, does he think he’ll get laid or something?” I growled.

Baekhyun quickly leapt to his friend’s rescue. “No, but you should know, when Hyeri and you left, he gave us this long speech about how her hair smelt like strawberries and cream and how her hair was drizzled in the most magnificent shade of dark Americano, how her voice was better than Kyungsoo’s –man he got mad at that and threw a tart at Jongin’s shirt, but he cleaned it up and apologized and offered to make kimchi spaghetti- anyways, yeah. He’s really interested in her. Jongin’s a good kid. He’s not the type to take advantage of girls no matter how much he looks like a ert.”

“I look like a ert?” I heard said character exclaim and Baekhyun leap to his feet. “No, Jongin…” he trailed off. Jongin slowly moved in on his prey, and I scuttled aside, afraid.

He jumped on top of the wine haired man…and gave him a huge hug. In their embrace, being so near them, I heard Jongin transfer, “I know it’s all Dahyun’s work, having you guys all here. I’m not mad. I just need a victim because Sehun will flip me if he sees me throw a tantrum at her.”

Baekhyun grinned. “Yah, get off me, you bastard,” he pushed, bearing his teeth.

“Me? You’re the-“ Jongin pretended to punch down.

“Ugh,” Baekhyun shrugged him off, eyes controlled by a certain darkness. They’re wonderful actors, really. If I haven't heard their little exchange, I’d be peeling them off each other by now, as the other guys are doing.

I hurried to Hyeri to explain, just as Jongin and Baekhyun are to the other guys in hushed voices among loud shattering screams.

“Jongin is just framing Baekhyun, he doesn't want Sehun mad at him for accusing Dahyun. And you will not believe what he said about you!” I squealed. Hyeri looked up at me, excited and her face shone beautifully under the karaoke lighting.

“What?” she squealed too.

“Oh my gosh, I think I’ll have to write it down, if I ever say such words I’ll no longer be Lee Jae Mi.” I joked.

The guys are still in a jumble, their long limbs braided and Jongin struggling to get up to reach Hyeri.

As the two conversed, I looked for Sehun in the mess and found him comforting a shaken up Dahyun. She looked at him with teary eyes, a shaking finger pointing at the guys. It was hard for me to peel my eyes away, Sehun looked so appealing and he really has grown a lot, as creepy as I may sound. And even if Dahyun may be quite mean and selfish of Jongin and Hyeri’s feelings, she looks really upset by her action and regretful.

“Jae, don't cry,” I heard a soft voice say beside me. I looked up to the sculptured face of Jongdae. “I-I’m not crying,” I said. When my fingers clumsily wiped below my irises, I lamely joked, “Just…water bending. With my eyes.”

When I looked up again with blurry eyes through salted drops, I saw Sehun and Dahyun melt into each other, lips against lips, his arms wrapped around her waist and her hair falling gently around them.

Two days into this war for Sehun and I feel like I’ve lost a few thousand battles.

---

just can't get enough of exo nowadays! first the teaser photos now growl mv teaser ! can't wait to get the album in my hands

(gif creds to edanzgarden @ tumblr)