epilogue

Chanyeol slams his door shut, Jongin trailing behind him. He's not surprised to see Kyungsoo already there, cross-legged on his and Sehun's couch. Jongin swallows, running self-conscious hands over his arms and through his ruffled hair (that Chanyeol mussed himself, Chanyeol thinks quite proudly) but it doesn't shake off Kyungsoo's burning stare. Curious eyes run up Jongin's bare stomach and chest, glancing at strategically placed tattoos and skimming over tanned abs. 

     Jongin glares right back, because what is Kyungsoo doing with Sehun and oh right wasn't he cheating on me?

     "We all need to have a friendly chat," says Chanyeol cheerfully, interlocking his fingers with Jongin's and pushing him right next to Sehun, who pets his fluffed hair soothingly. 

     Kyungsoo sulks.

     Chanyeol plops down on the floor of his living room, still smiling pleasantly. "Who volunteers to speak first?"

     "He did it," Sehun says immediately, nodding towards Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo shoots Sehun a withering glare, smoothing his hair over his forehead to hide.

     "You little ," he whispers.

     "It's true," Jongin says incredulously. He points a finger right between Kyungsoo's eyes. "You deliberately went behind my back and did things with him!" Sehun frowns.

     "Because you weren't in love with me!" Kyungsoo complains. "What else was I supposed to do? Lie to myself?"

     "I hope I'm not just a rebound."

     "Sehun has a point," Jongin shoots at his ex. Kyungsoo huffs. "Do you like him? At all?"

     Kyungsoo doesn't even miss a beat. "Of course I do."

     "Why didn't you just break up with me like a normal person?" Jongin yells, and Chanyeol puts a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. Jongin sniffs and glares several daggers at Kyungsoo, who just slumps.

     "I don't know why," Kyungsoo says, wringing his hands helplessly. "I'm thoroughly ed up? I've always rejected people? Tried to go my own way? Don't have much experience with relationships? And talking about cheating, what happened that night you guys went to the club?!"

     Jongin says, "That's a normal thing."

     "Oh, is it?" sneers Kyungsoo, startling Sehun by leaning across his lap to poke Jongin in the chest. Chanyeol watches with wild eyes. "It's normal to make out with your best friend when you're drunk? Even when you're in love with somebody else?"

      "Well, I . . ." Jongin searches for words, looking beseechingly at Chanyeol, who shrugs. He can't help him for this one. "It's not exactly like that--"

      "A-ha!" exclaims Kyungsoo triumphantly, sitting up straight. "Because you weren't in love with me. You've been in love with Chanyeol all along."

     "So what?"

     Chanyeol flushes.

     "'Why didn't you just break up with me like a normal person?"

     "Oh, all right, whatever, who cares, what the hell, you win, I'm sorry, let's make up now?" Jongin extends a hand. Kyungsoo eyes it warily. But then he takes it, and Sehun and Chanyeol share a look of relief. 

     "By the way, Sehun and I are a thing now." Kyungsoo looks at Sehun with a gleam of mischief in his eye and Sehun splutters, "We are?"

     Jongin scoffs and flips his hair. "Oh, I don't give a now--" He breaks off and shrieks shrilly when Kyungsoo jumps on Sehun and pins him to the sofa. Sehun lets out a groan and Jongin immediately pulls Chanyeol to his feet. "Let's get the hell out of here, in , what are they doing, what freaks--"

     They both stumble out the door laughing.

Jongin leans against the railing and sighs, getting a cigarette from his pack and sticking it in his mouth. He looks towards Chanyeol, as if expecting a lighter, and Chanyeol shrugs, but he's always been bad at lying. Jongin snorts and reaches out to fumble with Chanyeol's jean pocket, groping around until he finds it. He smirks at his best friend, like he's saying something stupid like I know you or your nose twitches when you lie. Chanyeol smiles, because that's when he lies to other people. When he lies to Jongin he physically has to put his hands behind his back or something.

    But aside from the snide glance, Jongin looks almost forlorn. Chanyeol puts his forearms on the flat white railing and looks out over the street, mimicking Jongin. Jongin blows a puff of smoke from his mouth and nudges his shoulder. He nudges right back. "What's wrong with you?"

    "Nothing," Jongin says, but the answer is bland. Chanyeol worries a lip between four teeth. "I'm just tired."

    "Like I haven't heard that response before." Chanyeol hoots, shaking his head disappointedly. "We just ing made out in your pickup truck and you and Kyungsoo aren't mad anymore. Why are you so gloomy? And be honest."

    Jongin looks at him and says, "Like you never lie."

    "Aww, I just don't want you smoking." Chanyeol rolls his eyes. "You want me to be honest in return or something? Well, okay, I quit smoking."

    "You say that now--"

    "No, I'm not joking," says Chanyeol, leaning back and staring Jongin straight in the eye. Jongin looks wrecked - hair fluffed, eyes rimmed red, and an almost half-chewn cigarette lying between two bitten lips. "I've completely stopped. It's not good for you and, it may surprise you, but I don't want to get cancer in two years."

    "You believe that ?"

    "Oh, yes, I do." Chanyeol swallows, remembering. "My dad used to smoke a lot. When he went to America. Then when he came back, he was having all sorts of lung problems. Couldn't ever breathe right. And you know the rest. Call it crap, if you will, but some of it actually makes sense."

    Jongin blinks, glancing back down at the street and blowing a smoke ring. Chanyeol's not surprised he can do fancy like that. When he speaks, it doesn't sound like his voice. It's distant and strikes some similarity to a call on hold, like it's waiting for something. "What do you propose I do, then?"

    "Quit," says Chanyeol firmly, grabbing Jongin's chin and turning his head towards him. 

    "Why, though?" asks Jongin, eyes wide and searching.

    "Because I ing love you, ," Chanyeol says indignantly, and then he leans in, flicking the cigarette out of Jongin's mouth just to let it fall, and presses his lips to Jongin's. He immediately slips his tongue in and from cheek to cheek, tasting every single bit of his best friend that he can, letting Jongin's tongue slide along his teeth. Jongin's mouth still tastes a bit like smoke, and Chanyeol wants to eradicate all of the (now that he realizes) repulsive scent. He pulls back slightly to rest his forehead against his best friend's, feeling strong, warm arms curl around his neck and link there. 

    "Do you regret getting those tattoos?" Jongin whispers mockingly against his lips.

    Chanyeol grins. "Not in the slightest, bro." Jongin smiles back. "Do you regret getting yours?"

    "Nah," Jongin breathes. "Just watching you get all uncomfortable with me taking my shirt off was more entertaining than when Sehun snorted noodles up his nose."

    Chanyeol laughs and kisses Jongin again, and again and again, and he's so caught up in all of it that when Jongin pulls back to tell him something, he has to blink a couple of times. "What?"

    "What happened to your 'no littering' policy?" Jongin nods over the railing, and Chanyeol peers down. His eyes widen. The cigarette.

    "Holy ing , I'm so sorry Earth, I'm coming right now." 

    Jongin just laughs at him as he rushes down the stairs to the ground, screaming profanities as he tries to rekindle his relationship with the world.

They're just sitting in Jongin's own apartment room, on his bed, sprawled atop the covers and playing video games. It feels normal, but there's something there, now, something that they can't erase because it happened so suddenly. It's the sneaking glances and brushing skin, its the easier laughs and comfortable positions. And Chanyeol loves it. It feels amazing.

    Jongin swears when Chanyeol beats him, again, and throws down his controller. "I swear to Jesus," he complains, "I'm better at Mario Kart."

   Chanyeol snorts, slapping a hand over his mouth and letting go of his own controller. "Something you would say. Of course you're better at Mario Kart, I bet I could have beat that when I was six."

    Jongin throws a leg over Chanyeol's own, rolling his eyes. Chanyeol throws an arm around his best friend's shoulders, pulling him in so they're tight against one another. Jongin is warm. Jongin is home.

    "You know, Jongin," Chanyeol starts, crossing his ankles, "do you think this could work? This whole boyfriend thing?"

    Jongin grins into Chanyeol's undershirt. "I kinda like the idea of the boyfriend thing. You want to try it out?" He interlaces their fingers together and holds them on top of Chanyeol's stomach.

    "I think I want to." Chanyeol looks up at the ceiling and smiles. "But you'd have to drop the best friend label."

    "Oh yeah? And who would be your new best friend?"

    "Mmmm, believe it or not, it'd have to be Sehun."

    "You wouldn't dare, ."

    "You're gonna have to convince me," Chanyeol says, and Jongin releases their fingers to sit up, pulling his shirt down. He has a serious look on his face and Chanyeol is worried for a second until he straddles him and leans down close, cupping Chanyeol's jaw. He presses a soft kiss to Chanyeol's lips, and then again and again, all over. 

    "Is this persuasion enough?" he murmurs.

    "Not even close." Jongin gives him a hard look, and Chanyeol's lip into his mouth. Chanyeol responds heartily, cupping either side of Jongin's face, pulling him in for a heated kiss, proceeding to do everything to Jongin that his lips would allow that he wished he could have done for all those years of them being friends. He loves Jongin so much. So, so much.

    "I like you a lot," mutters Chanyeol, biting down on the bow of Jongin's upper lip. "Is that normal?"

    "God, I love you, too," breathes Jongin. He runs his hands up Chanyeol's sides and slips them under his tank, smirking at Chanyeol's shiver of appreciation.  "Why didn't this happen earlier?"

    Chanyeol shrugs. "I was utterly convinced you didn't like me and utterly scared of rejection?"

    "Loser," Jongin whispers, but shuts up when Chanyeol kisses him again.

    This possibly could become the best part of their friendship.

"So, um, are you guys, like, a thing?" Kyungsoo queries, stirring his coffee and looking at them like he might puke. Sehun scrunches up his nose.

    "I don't know, it's not like they were making out two seconds ago," he says, and Chanyeol sighs. 

    "Why are you both here again?"

    "Oh, we'd just like to give you some relationship advice," says Kyungsoo nastily, leaning in and smiling. He takes a sip of his coffee, probably revelling in the fact that Jongin looks absolutely disgusted.

    "You think we'd take your relationship advice?" Jongin shakes his head. Chanyeol slings an arm around his (boy) best friend. "If you think that, you must be insane."

     Kyungsoo raises his eyebrows, and Sehun does the same, and they both laugh, in sync, and Chanyeol is totally creeped the out. Jongin just slumps. 

    Oh, Chanyeol hates them both. But. Then again.

    "I think I want to thank you, Kyungsoo." Chanyeol cringes. "For, um, completely cheating on my boyfriend when you guys were dating." Jongin glares and Chanyeol crouches lower. "Because maybe we wouldn't be where we are today?"

    "Ohhhhhh, goooooooood," moans Jongin, and Kyungsoo looks sympathetic.

    "If you guys weren't ing morons, maybe you wouldn't need to thank me," he simpers, resting his arm on Sehun's shoulder.

     Jongin shoots daggers.

     Chanyeol laughs. Oh, boy, he's screwed. "Yeah, maybe I'll take you up on that relationship advice."

     Kyungsoo and Sehun look triumphant, Jongin looks furious, and Chanyeol's just probably going to die. Oh, well, at least he has a boyfriend. 

     He thought his life was going to change for the worse, when Jongin started dating Kyungsoo.

     It might have turned out that it changed for the better.

     Not that that's the cheesy he would say.

     Jongin is the cheesy one. Jongin is not badass. Only Chanyeol can be badass. Only Chanyeol is badass.

     Right?

a/n:

sorry if anything is cheesy and stupid. but this is finally over yay /confetti

i just watched the fault in our stars so this is probably really bad and dumb and hey im still not over that movie (i hate john green so much oh my  g dO) so its excused, right?

hooray jongin and chanyeol are in love more confetti (but that one character is deAD sobs) (i wont give away spoilers bc im nice tho)

um i really enjoyed this journey with all y'all????? thank you for commenting and upvoting and whatnot

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chankai 4 lyfe

--kika <33