The next day Taeil heard a knock at his door. So, expecting it to be Jaehyo, Taeil shuffled to the door- only halfway excited. "Hey, you're ear-"

"Hi~" Jihoon waved, with that same big smile on his face.

"Oh! It's you. Heh, I thought you were someone else." Taeil apologized. "What's up?" 

"Nothing really, I just wanted to see if you wanted to maybe get to know other. Y'know, as neighbours?" The tall one suggested.

Taeil stood, weighing the offer. He could either hang out with this uncomfortably adorable male, or be tormented by Jiho and Kyung while Jaehyo sat back and watched. "I don't know..." 

"Oh, c'mon! It'll be fun, I promise. We can stay in, or we can go to any place of your choosing." 

"Hmm." Taeil knew it was probably best if they stayed in. The last thing he wanted to do, was run into Jaehyo while he was with another man. "We can stay in, I guess."

"Okay, great! We should probably stay here, because my place is a mess." Jihoon nodded.

"Oh! What if I help you unpack and clean? That way we can get to know each other, and your place'll be ready in no time."

"I like the way you think~" The tall one patted Taeil on the back. 

It was a shame that Taeil felt more comfortable with this stranger, rather than his own boyfriend and his friends. If anything, it should be the other way around. 

----

While Taeil helped Jihoon with unboxing his things, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He was almost certain it was Jaehyo, and it made him nervous. He almost didn't want to check his phone.

"Hey, you okay?" Jihoon asked, tossing a stuffed animal at him. "You're staring into space."

"Y-yeah! I'm fine, heh." Taeil laughed, scratching the back of his head. "I was just trying to remember something, is all."

"Ahh." The tall boy nodded and returned his attention to the box in front of him.

Taeil sighed, and decided not to check his phone. He was busy. Jaehyo would understand, right? Or would he? Would he get upset, and complain about how worried he was about Taeil? Would he think Taeil was cheating on him, and get jealous? Probably not. It wasn't like he cared that much about Taeil. So, his phone vibrated again, but he continued to ignore it. Jaehyo would just have to understand that he wasn't going to be able to answer his text or calls 24 hours a day. Especially, not with how things went yesterday. If Jaehyo couldn't defend Taeil even a little bit, then what was the use? Although, Taeil loved him all the same. Or so he thought. "Wow, Jihoon. How many boxes of stuffed animals do you have?" Taeil snorted.

Jihoon, feeling a little embarassed, laughed nervously. "Only two! I swear!"

Taeil laughed at how red he was getting. "It's okay, don't be embarassed. It's a cute little collection."

"You think it's cute?" Jihoon asked with wide eyes. "Minhyuk says I'll be alone forever if I hold on to these."

"Nah, you just have to find the right girl." Taeil assured him.

"Actually, I'm gay. So, yeah."

"Oh! I'm so sorry. You'll find the right guy." He corrected quickly.

"It's okay, Taeilie~ You didn't know." 

Taeil immediately cringed, hearing that nickname and Jihoon seemed to notice.

"What's the matter?" He frowned, and hoped he didn't do anything wrong.

"It's just that nickname. These guys I know call me it all the time, and I don't really like it." The small boy explained.

"Ah, I'm sorry."

"No, but it's okay if you call me that. I don't mind if it's you."

"Really?!" The tall one asked, overjoyed.

"Yeah, it's cute when you say it."

"It is?"

That's when Taeil realized he should probably reel it in, because it seemed like he was flirting. Maybe he was, but he didn't mean to do it. It was just that Jihoon was like a big kid, smiling for no reason and just being happy. What wasn't cute about it? "W-well, not like, wow i'd date you cute. More like, he's my precious son." He hurried to cover up his flirting. It was like he was scared for Jaehyo to find out he called another man cute. Like, Jaehyo's senses would tingle if Taeil said 'you're cute' to anyone else but him.

"Oh.." Jihoon looked down and shrugged. "So, what kind of girls are you into?" He changed the subject.

"Actually," Taeil laughed a bit. "I'm gay too."

"Really?! Wow, that's so cool."

But was it really? What's so cool about it? Taeil thought. "I guess you can say that."

"Then, what kind of guys are you into?" He asked.

"Umm, They've gotta be sweet, and funny. If they're handsome, then that's a plus!" The small boy nodded. "I would say tall, but I mean, who isn't taller than me, right?"

"Wow, I'm all of those things!" The taller boy joked. "Is this the work of the universe?"

"Probably not." Taeil giggled. "You are too much of a hyper person for me."

"It's because I don't let anything hold me back." He nodded. "I like to have fun! Surely you do too?"

"I haven't had actual fun in a while."

"Whaaat?!" Jihoon jumped to his feet. "This is the work of the universe. It wants me to help you have fun, you old man."

Taeil rolled his eyes, knowing that this was more than he signed up for.

---------

I didn't really proofread so, forgive me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯