“Hey, ‘sup?”

“I can’t believe you cheated.”

Jongin grins when he hears the reproachful voice through the phone as he lets himself fall heavily onto the couch. “Really?”

“Well, okay, I can," Taemin allows. "But we were on camera!” The indignant huff is loud enough to echo through the empty room.

Jongin laughs in response. “Unlike some people, I don’t have a fairy prince image to keep up, you know.”

An unattractive snort. “I should’ve guessed when you said you felt guilty and asked for aegyo, of all things.”

“Yeah, you really should have,” Jongin agrees peaceably. “Don’t you know me 120%?”

Snickering. “Only you would’ve taken that as a challenge." Taemin's giggling peters out and his voice turns contemplative. "Well. Maybe Minho-hyung.”

“Minho-hyung would’ve obliterated the both of us without needing to cheat, though," Jongin points out. "In like, ten minutes. For each and every game."

“Hmm. That's what I should make you do when you come over next. Game with Minho-hyung for like 3 hours." Taemin hums in satisfaction. "Nothing like having your kicked over and over to stop your cheater tendencies.”

Jongin huffs a laugh, and knows he'll have to make it up to Taemin, but tries to appeal to his best friend's (almost non-existent) sympathy anyway. “You’ll cheer for me though, right?”

“Of course not." Taemin sounds affronted. "I’ll be depending on Minho-hyung to take back my dignity for me.”

"Ha, some manly man you are," Jongin teases, sprawling backwards till he's comfortable. "I see you're still following the flow of things, Mr. Pretty Boy*."

There's a beat of silence but surprisingly no immediate response to Jongin's dig.

"Hah, was that agreement?" Jongin almost can't believe he's winning this, and proceeds to shamelessly take advantage. "It's okay, you can tell me everything. All your statements for your album were totally lies to fool the fans, right?"

"Mm, you think so?"

Jongin blinks, because Taemin's voice is light, but he sounds rather too brightly innocent, and, uh-oh, Jongin knows this tone. He sits up and hurries to fix things, but has a sinking feeling that he's probably too late.

"Er, Tae, you know I was just teasi-"

"Is that your way of saying I should get you back myself?" Taemin interrupts.

"No that's not--"

"You think Minho-hyung's gonna be too soft on you?"

"Wait, no--"

"Well, in that case, I can hardly say no to my favourite hoobae, can I?"

"Taemin--"

"You're totally in luck, then, coz I have the dorm all to myself for the next few hours! I was planning to ask you to meet up at the cafe, but this is fine too."

Jongin groans and wishes he could hit himself upside the head. Or reach across the distance somehow and hit Taemin instead. That would be much more satisfying. One of the many (many, many) times when he actually wishes the whole teleportation thing was real. "Dammit Tae, you know I--"

"Jongin," Taemin cuts him off, and Jongin stops short, because Taemin's voice is lower but kind of weirdly whispery and Jongin totally knows better, he does, but his heart seems to pick up speed despite himself.

"Come over."

Jongin closes his eyes and releases a shuddery breath. He bangs his head fruitlessly against the back of the couch and slumps, wondering why he can never seem to learn, even after all this time. And Taemin's still on the other end, patient and amused, because he knows Jongin, knows what Jongin's gonna say, knows exactly what effect he has on the other, and one of these days Jongin's gonna-- Oh, whatever, to hell with it.

"...Fifteen minutes."

"I'll be waiting." He can practically hear the smirk in Taemin's voice before the call disconnects.



----End.----