Tumblr Crush

His friends think it’s silly— Apparently, Luhan is too old to be using Tumblr, to be blogging for hours

straight and interacting with strangers from other states and countries. He’s heard it countless times

from Xiumin and Junmyeon, and Chanyeol gave up after his third comment about it. Luhan and his

friends work in an insurance company, though Luhan’s role isn’t as important as the others – just

some filing here and there, and the occasional phone call, but majority of the time, he’s sitting at his

desk bored and scrolling through his dashboard.

“Don’t you have some filing to do?” Xiumin asks as he passes by Luhan’s cubical. Luhan’s hunched

over in his chair, chin nestled in his palm as he holds himself up on his elbow settled on the desk as

he reblogs a picture of something soccer related.

“Did it already.”

Luhan’s friends only know of his little addiction to Tumblr, but they don’t know his main reasoning for

checking his dashboard so frequently. The little red notification on top indicating a new message

always brightens up his mood, a wide smile on his face as he checks it.

He’s been talking to someone lately - a new friend. It started over the mutual fascination with bubble

tea, and then they started to talk more, having learned how much they have in common. It took a

while for them to introduce themselves to each other with their real names, having only known each

other by their Tumblr screen names. The other’s name is Sehun. The boy posts a lot of his selcas as

well as his dance videos, and he seems quite popular on the site. Sometimes it baffles Luhan that

someone as popular as Sehun is taking the time to talk to him so much. And maybe Luhan has a

small crush on the boy— from his pictures, his looks are nothing like he’s ever seen. His dancing

impresses him, and the small stomach flashes when he does specific dance moves shows him that

he’s pretty slender, yet toned. Luhan shakes his head, trying to rid himself of the thoughts. It’s

normal, right? People develop small crushes on pretty people on the Internet all the time—

Right?

They’ve been talking for a little over a month now, but all Luhan knows about him is his name, his

face, his dancing skills, and his fascination with bubble tea. He wonders where the boy lives, if he’s

working or studying, how old he is…

The red notification signifying one new message has Luhan looking to see if any of his co-workers

were around. He bit his lip, clicking on the message.

oshnx94 said: What’s up? I’m bored af.

He laughs to himself quietly. A simple message from him makes him feel all giddy, no matter what

he says.

hanluxiao answered: Bored at work. How can I help your boredom, Sehunnie~?

He’s surprised by how quickly he receives the next message— or messages, rather.

oshnx94 said: I wanna do something :c

oshnx94 said: Can you just jump through the computer and come keep me company? ;;

His messages have Luhan’s heart beating a little faster, exhaling a deep breath as he sends his

response.

hanluxiao answered: I would if I could… I really would, Sehun-ah.

 

“Luhan!” He jumps a little, straightening up and closing the Tumblr window, looking over at

Junmyeon as he walks up to his cubical.

“Yes?”

“I need you to file all these papers.” He lays a rather large stack of papers on Luhan’s desk, shooting

him a wide grin before walking back to his office. Luhan sighs, moving his chair closer so he can

begin filing. He really just wants to talk to Sehun some more; he sounded pretty lonely. What if he’s

upset about something and has no one to talk to? Nah.. He’s pretty popular from what he’s seen.. he

must have many friends.  All these conflicting thoughts continue to run through his head as he files

everything. It takes him the rest of his shift to finish, and he’s already checking Tumblr on his phone

as he’s walking to his car. His eyes widen at the notification of seven new messages. He’s mentally

punching himself because he sees they’re all from Sehun begging for attention. He decides to send

him a separate message with an apology.

hanluxiao said: I’m so sorry.. Work got kinda busy for me for the last two hours.. Are you

okay? :<

And now he has to drive home. What if he replies right away but won’t get another answer for the

next thirty minutes as he’s going home? But when he’s stepping into his home and checking his

phone, there’s nothing in his inbox. He frowns, plopping down on his bed and clicks on Sehun’s

screen name, curious about his posts today. With furrowed eyebrows, he scrolls down a little - only

two posts today; that’s extremely strange. In a day, Sehun usually makes at least twenty posts: two

selcas a day, about ten to twelve text posts, a dance video, and some miscellaneous reblogs. But

today, all Luhan sees is an audio reblog and a text post that’s a bit saddening. It has ninety-seven

notes, majority of them being replies and reblogs of concern from his “fans”.

            oshnx94:

            Feeling down today.. lonely.. ignored, maybe??? It kinda hurts… ; n ;

 

Was Luhan part of this? He noticed the post was made an hour after he disappeared from Tumblr.

Does Sehun think he was ignoring him? Now he’s worried. Sehun isn’t one to talk about his personal

life, but he has mentioned a few times that he’s a bit up and down with his moods and gets

depressed sometimes, but Luhan took that as an exaggeration that most people use.

He sent him a few more messages, as if it’d make him check his inbox a little faster. He wishes he

had an easier way to contact him sometimes, but he’s been too afraid to ask him.

Sehun doesn’t reply that night.

 

It’s 9:30AM when Luhan wakes up, and the first thing he does is grab his phone. He ignores the

texts and goes straight to Tumblr. From what he’s noticed, Sehun is usually up at this time, from

wherever he may be, so he’s not surprised when he sees he has a few new messages.

oshnx94 answered: Yeah, sorry.. I… after you stopped replying, I kinda had a panic attack and

forced myself to sleep.. I’m sorry if I worried you ;;

Luhan frowns, sitting up from his bed as guilt washes over him. Maybe he would have been okay if

Luhan had replied, but it’s too late now. He clicks on his page to see if there’s anything new. It

seems he’s back on his normal blogging schedule, having already posted a selca at this time. He

smiles at it though, admiring it for a few long moments. ‘He dyed his hair again,’ he says to himself.

hanluxiao said: Hey.. if my company helps at all, would you like to have another way of

communication..? Tumblr isn’t always the best..

He gets a reply about ten minutes later when Luhan is brushing his teeth. His eyebrows raise as he

looks at the message containing Sehun’s phone number, and it gives him an odd, warm feeling in

his chest. He’s pretty sure it’ll only be used for texting, but the thought of hearing Sehun’s voice,

hearing him speak to Luhan directly—

 

From then on, for the next couple of weeks, the two begin talking more via text message. Sometimes

they’d send each other random Tumblr messages that they’d post publicly, but all their

conversations take place in texts. Sehun still makes Luhan have those weird feelings, even if they’re

talking about something completely normal. Sehun hasn’t seemed sad since then, and Luhan hopes

he’s the reason for that, so he tries his best to reply to him as soon as he can.

One night, their way of conversing steps up a notch.

Sehun’s parents are fighting again, and he’s locked himself up in his room, curled up in his blankets

as he makes another post on Tumblr stating that he’ll be gone for the night. He’s already texting

Luhan about not feeling too well.

[ ✉: Sehun ] My parents are fighting..

[ ✉: Sehun ]I think I’m gonna have an attack ;;;;

[ ✉: Luhan ] What? No no no, Sehunnie..

Now Luhan’s on the verge of panicking, sitting up on his bed and setting his laptop aside. He

hesitates with his next text, but he figures he better ask now.

[ ✉: Luhan ] How can I help? Can I call you…?

Sehun takes in a deep breath, beginning to tear up as he reads his message. He doesn’t bother

texting back and just presses the call button. Moving the blankets over his head, he brings the phone

to his ear and listens to the ringing, shaking and whimpering quietly already as he waits. On the

other end, Luhan stares at the name on his phone screen, not believing it at first but quickly answers

when he processes the situation. His voice is low at first but then he clears his throat.

“Hello..?” He greets, biting his lip.

“..L-Luhan..?” Luhan swears his heart skipped a beat from hearing him say his name. He breathes

out shakily, slowly lying back down.

“Hey, Sehunnie.. You okay?” It was a dumb question, but he really had no idea what to say.

“Breathe in and out..” Sehun already feels himself calming from the sound of Luhan’s voice, taking in

a shaky breath and letting it out slowly, and Luhan listens to it carefully.

“I-I really.. want someone h-here right now..”

It hurts Luhan to know Sehun is going through this kind of pain. He never seemed like such a fragile

guy before— he always saw him as overly confident and content with his life, but he guesses things

are never what they seem, at first at least.

“I’m sorry, Sehunnie.. I would if I—”

“If you could.. I know.. but y-you can’t a-and..”

He hears him choke on a sob and it breaks his heart, clenching his fist and closing his eyes.

“Sehun…”

“W-will I meet you one day?”

Luhan is caught off guard, and he’s silent for a moment too long, hearing another whimper from the

other end of the line. “I-I mean.. n-nevermind.. Th-that’s dumb.”

“Sehun, where do you live?” It’s an impulsive question, but he’s been curious since before they even

started talking, and now it seems more relevant than ever. But Sehun pauses for a long moment,

keeping silent before speaking in a soft tone.

“….B…Busan..”

Luhan’s hand smacks his forehead and runs down his face, sighing heavily. “Wow..”

“What’s wrong..?” He bites his lip, much calmer now but a bit anxious considering the current

conversation.

“So far..,” he frowns, “I’m in Seoul…”

“Wow.”

“Yeah..”

They continue to talk about the distance between them, and it carries on and the conversation

changes a couple times. Luhan’s proud of the fact that he was able to cheer Sehun up and hear his

laugh for the first time. They talk for a few hours before drowsiness becomes too hard to handle, and

they give their good nights.

 

Whenever Sehun has a down, he’s always back to his usual self on Tumblr the next day. His selcas

are extra cute today, Luhan thinks, and it make him realize… Sehun’s never seen what Luhan looks

like. And that amazes Luhan. Sehun’s never asked him about his own selcas, or anything about his

appearance, but he still talks to him normally. But what if he starts acting differently if he did see

him? Luhan shakes the thought out of his head, deciding to just see the good in the situation.

[ ✉: Luhan ] Cute selcas.

[ ✉: Sehun ] Aw, thank you o 3 o

[ ✉: Luhan ] How often do you dye your hair? That must be so bad for you.

[ ✉: Sehun ] I like changing up my style from time to time.. It’s refreshing, y’know?

It was one of those nights where Luhan had to stay at the office a little later than usual. He told

Sehun ahead of time so he wouldn’t think he’s being ignored, and he gets home half an hour passed

midnight. His last text from Sehun was from hours ago, having said that he’d talk to him after he

finishes work. He wonders if he’s still awake, but from his Tumblr posts, it sure seemed like it.

Though, he’s pretty surprised by what he’s blogging, but also extremely amused. There’s a variety of

pictures and gifs relating to sex and kissing, and his last text post reads:

            oshnx94:

            so horny but so lonely………

Naturally, that post has over two-hundred notes, probably from hormonal teenagers dying to “take

care of that problem”. Luhan sees that his last reblog was two minutes ago, so he decides to send

him a message.

hanluxiao said: > v >

oshnx94 answered: What’s that face for? < A <

hanluxiao replied: Oh nothing~

Ever since they started messaging each other and publishing their asks, Luhan noticed a large influx

of followers on his part, and he’s been getting many messages, mostly anonymous, regarding his

‘relationship’ with Sehun. Luhan and Sehun laugh about it sometimes, but Luhan secretly loves it.

 

Sehun doesn’t reply on Tumblr, but sends a text instead. Luhan can only smirk and laugh as he

reads it, laying himself down on his bed as he texts back.

[ ✉: Sehun ] Don’t laugh at my needs.

[ ✉: Luhan ] But it’s funny~

[ ✉: Sehun ] You wouldn’t be laughing if you were begging to be touched and no one was around to

do it.

[ ✉: Luhan ]  Maybe, but I’m still gonna laugh at you.

[ ✉: Sehun ] Jerk.

[ ✉: Luhan ] Jerk off.

[ ✉: Sehun ] I already did :c

[ ✉: Luhan ] I would help you.

[ ✉: Luhan ] If I could.

Luhan stares at his phone. ‘Did I really just—’, but the message had already been sent and a wave

of regret hits him like a tsunami.

[ ✉: Sehun ] If only.

And he surely didn’t expect that. He finds it kind of odd.. Sehun doesn’t know Luhan’s face, he

doesn’t know his age, his life—

[ ✉: Luhan ] …Sehun, you know nothing about me. You don’t find that weird?

[ ✉: Sehun ]  What..? I know you’re really nice and you.. you keep me company and make me feel

better.. What else do I have to know?

[ ✉: Luhan ] Well maybe.. My age? I don’t even know how old you are.

[ ✉: Sehun ] 20

[ ✉: Luhan ]  ..Really?

[ ✉: Sehun ] Yup. Did you think I was underaged?

[ ✉: Luhan ]  I didn’t know what to think—I can’t tell from your selcas.

[ ✉: Sehun ] And what about you, huh?

[ ✉: Sehun ]  …Now I’m curious.. I want to see your face.

It’s all escalating so fast, and it may not be much of a big deal, but it is to Luhan. He starts feeling

nervous as he scrolls through his pictures, trying to find a decent one. He swallows thickly as he

places one in a message, hesitantly, but finally sends it. He becomes worried when it takes five

minutes for him to get a reply.

[ ✉: Sehun ] Wow..

[ ✉: Sehun ] You’re gorgeous.

[ ✉: Sehun ] What the hell.

[ ✉: Sehun ] You look so young..

Luhan’s face is bright red and his heart is thumping in his chest so fast, he thinks he’s going to

faint. ‘He thinks I’m gorgeous..?’

[ ✉: Luhan ] I’ll be 24 soon..

[ ✉: Sehun ] Woah! 24?!

[ ✉: Luhan ] Yes—

[ ✉: Sehun ] Wow, you don’t look your age at all.

[ ✉: Luhan ]  I guess I’ll take that as a compliment—

[ ✉: Sehun ] Heh.. yeah.

[ ✉: Sehun ] …….I’m still horny.

[ ✉: Luhan ] omg

 

It’s been three months and their phone conversations have started to become more frequent. They

text daily and end their nights with a phone call— talking before bed is something they look forward

to every day.

“Hey Sehun, I have some news,” Luhan starts, biting back his smile from his end of the call. He’s

lying down on his side, idly playing with a piece of thread hanging off of his pillowcase. “Hm? What is

it?” Sehun asks as he scrolls through his Tumblr. It’s been a lazy Sunday for the both of them, and

Sehun’s been hibernating in his room all day with a bag of chips and Internet.

“My job is sending me to Busan next weekend—” Sehun nearly chokes on a potato chip, quickly

sitting up to recollect himself, and setting his laptop to the side— he already knows what Luhan’s

going to say. “I was thinking we could meet..”

“I— meet.. You’re coming to Busan..”

He can’t tell what Sehun’s feeling from his tone of voice. A part of him thinks he’s just surprised while

another part feels like Sehun doesn’t want to meet Luhan. “..When are you coming?”

"Friday morning.. around eight-thirty.. I’ll be leaving Sunday night, but I’ll be busy Friday and

Saturday with work, so.. I was hoping on Sunday we could..”

“Meet..”

“Yeah,” Luhan bites his lip, feeling a bit anxious with how Sehun may be taking this.

“Okay.” Sehun answers, but he’s feeling really nervous already. What if Luhan doesn’t like Sehun in

person? It’s those doubts a person gets constantly when it comes to the person they have feelings

for.

Feelings.

It didn’t take too long for Sehun to develop feelings for Luhan. Through all the deep conversations

they’d have until 4AM, the many times Luhan calmed Sehun down and made him feel safe even

through the phone, and the little things he’d learn about the other within their talks. Somewhere

along the line, Sehun began getting those feelings in his stomach that told him he was starting to fall

for Luhan.

 

A week isn’t nearly enough time for either of them to mentally prepare. Sehun’s been a stressed out

mess since Luhan told him the news, but he doesn’t show it to Luhan when they speak. They try not

to mention it when they talk, keeping on topic with other things like Sehun’s college life so far and

how he’s desperately striving for a dance scholarship. Luhan’s days at the office seem to drag on

even longer this week, especially since he’s preparing for his business trip. Soon enough, Friday

comes along. Luhan’s already settled in his hotel room and the nervousness hits him a little harder.

Sehun wakes up that day determined to distract himself with dance practice, but it doesn’t work -

He’s a little off, and even his instructor can see it. But Friday and Saturday go by much faster than

the week did, and that only scares Sehun a little more.

[ ✉: Luhan ] Good morning, Sehunnie.

Sehun’s drowning in a mixture of emotions—good morning texts are always a nice thing to receive,

but his heart is beating much too fast this early in the morning. He hops out of bed and sends a

quick reply.

[ ✉: Sehun ] Good morning ♥

He’s about to run off to the bathroom when he realizes he actually sent a heart emoticon along with

his message. He curses at himself, staring at the phone before tossing it on the bed, not even caring

anymore. Luhan’s quite amused with the text, grinning as he sends his reply. It’s 11:30AM and he’s

already showered and dressed himself - casual with a dash of his own style.

[ ✉: Luhan ] > v > ♥

[ ✉: Luhan ] I can’t wait to see you today.

It takes Sehun twenty minutes to shower and dress himself. He towel dries his hair and applies a

thin layer of BB cream to his face; he wants to look perfect, of course. Luhan’s text has his stomach

doing flips, and he’s already feeling too nauseous to eat because of his nerves.

[ ✉: Sehun ] I’m nervous, honestly..

[ ✉: Luhan ]  At least I’m not the only one.

That makes him smile though, and even makes him feel a little better. They plan to meet at the local

bubble tea shop around 1PM, and Sehun can see the time going by way too fast. Before he knows

it, it’s 12:45PM. Luhan has already arrived and he’s seated at a table beside the window. His fingers

tap on the table anxiously, and he’s frantically checking his phone every minute. It took Sehun a lot

of courage to pull himself out of his house and begin walking. There were a few times where he’d

stop in his tracks and turn around, but he always ended up walking back towards the shop. His

thoughts are going crazy in his head and the sound of his heart beating overrides the sounds of cars

passing by him.

It takes him a moment to realize he’s stopped outside the shop. It takes him a moment to realize

he’s been staring at Luhan through the window the entire time. And it takes him a moment to realize

Luhan’s been looking back at him. He wants to run away at that moment, but he feels like his feet

are glued to the ground. He hears nothing but his heartbeat thumping faster in his chest and in that

moment, he thinks he forgot how to breathe. Luhan isn’t moving either, they’ve just looking at each

other. ‘Is Luhan feeling what I’m feeling, or is he regretting this whole thing?’ That’s when Sehun

finally snaps out of his daze. He gasps when he processes everything and sees Luhan again, and

that’s when he turns around and begins running.

 

Luhan runs after him.

He shouts Sehun’s name as he chases him but Sehun just keeps running. Luhan would think a

dancer would be a fast runner, but he catches up to him soon enough. When he grabs onto Sehun’s

arm, he turns him around and pulls him into his embrace. He feels Sehun shaking in his arms, and

he hears him crying against his chest. When Sehun’s arms encircle around Luhan’s waist in return,

he feels like he can finally relax. They forget that they’re in a public place because all they can hear

and focus on is each other. After all these months of needing each other’s company, they’re finally

able to hold each other.

“Sehunnie.. please don’t run from me again..” He smiles to himself - he should’ve seen this coming.

The popular boy from Tumblr who seemed so confident is, in reality, just young, insecure, and

fragile.

“…I’m sorry..” he finally speaks, and it makes Luhan happy that he can finally hear his voice in

person. Sehun finally pulls away to wipes his tears, slowly looking up at Luhan with a small smile.

“Hey..,” he laughs, “Sorry you have to see me like this..” Luhan only shakes his head and chuckles,

reaching his hand up to help wipe some of the excess tears away.

“You still look great either way,” he laughs, giving Sehun’s nose an affectionate poke. “You’re even

taller than I expected~”

“I was scared you wouldn’t like me in person..” he admits. Luhan shakes his head again and

sighs. ‘He really has no idea, does he.’

“Impossible..”

 

They end up going back to the bubble tea shop, and Luhan buys Sehun his favorite flavor, then they

sit at the table beside the window. They converse, the same kind of conversations they always have,

only they’re a bit shyer in person. The subtle brush of fingers and accidental nudges of their feet

have them exchanging shy smiles and glances. Eventually though, their fingers become interlaced

together over the table top, and that helps them figure it all out.

After drinking their bubble teas and chatting for two hours in the shop, Sehun leads Luhan back to

his house. He’s extra thankful today that his parents won’t be home till late that night.

“Sorry about my room—it’s kinda messy.” Luhan just shrugs and plops down on Sehun’s bed with a

grin.

“Hey, you don’t just go lying down on people’s beds like that. So rude~” Sehun teases, walking over

after closing his door. He looks down at Luhan for a moment as he bites back his smile, then

gesturing him to scoot over so he can lie down beside him. Sehun’s pulled into Luhan’s arms and he

suddenly feels safer than he’s ever felt.

“I wish you could hold me like this whenever I’m upset..” he mumbles against Luhan’s chest, his arm

slung over his waist, pulling himself closer.

“I wish I could too..”

Sehun takes in a deep breath, the smell of Luhan’s cologne making him smile as he tilts his head

back to look at him. Luhan looks back down at him, and they stay like that for a moment before they

both start leaning in. Their hearts are beating faster, and they both can feel it with their chests

pressed up against each other. In that moment, Sehun can’t get over how beautiful Luhan is, and

Luhan’s thinking the same about Sehun. Or how their voices sound so much nicer in person rather

than over the receiver. Caught up in the moment and their racing thoughts, their lips eventually

meet, and they share a soft, sweet kiss that they’ve been dying to have over the past few months.

Their last few hours together were better than they would’ve expected. They talked about their

feelings for each other and long distance relationships. They kissed, a lot, and explored each other’s

bodies, though both of them knew they weren’t ready to go very far yet. They held each other and

Sehun cried a few times, not wanting to let Luhan go. But unfortunately, it was time for Luhan to get

his things from the hotel and get on the train home.

“This is going to be a hard week, I can feel it..” Sehun says, leaning against the doorframe with a

pout. Luhan’s smiling at him, cupping his cheek and giving him another kiss.  

“I know.. but you gotta pull through, okay? I’ll text and call you every day like we always do.” Sehun

nods, pouting still, then pulls Luhan into a hug.

“When do you think I’ll see you again?”

“Hopefully soon..”

It takes longer than expected, but they give their final goodbyes before Sehun lets Luhan leave. But

after everything that has happened that day, Sehun’s more than happy that Luhan ran after him.

 

[ ✉: Sehun ] I miss you..

[ ✉: Luhan ] I left your house like two minutes ago.

[ ✉: Sehun ]  >:c

[ ✉: Luhan ] I miss you too ♥ ♥ ♥

[ ✉: Sehun ] Better ♥

Overwhelmed with excitement, Sehun had told all his followers the news on Tumblr that night, but he

soon regretted it. His post got over four-hundred notes, majority of the replies being from jealous

followers while a small percentage congratulated him - some were even shocked that he was into

men. He told Luhan to just delete all the hate messages he’d get cause he knew he’d get a lot.

Sehun even lost a good amount of followers from it, but he doesn’t even care.

     oshnx94 said: Sorry babe~ ^^;;

 

It’s been a month since that night, since they’ve been an official couple. It’s been hard, and Sehun’s

been feeling extra needy, but they get through their days just as they used to. Luhan wonders why

Sehun hasn’t replied to his text in a while, but little did he know he’d be given some great news.

Sehun had been crying from joy for the past hour just from a letter that came in the mail. When he’s

finally situated, he grabs his phone and calls Luhan.

“Hello?” Luhan whispers in greeting.

“Luhan! I know you’re at work but I need to tell you something really important so excuse yourself

from wherever you are!”

Sehun’s rambling, and Luhan can tell it’s something important like he says. So Luhan tells the others

he’ll be right back and goes outside to the lobby.

“Okay, what is it?”

“I…I got a dance scholarship..,” he starts, pausing momentarily, “For a university in Seoul..”

They go silent and it takes Luhan a moment to register, but then he’s smiling like an idiot and tries

his hardest to hold in his excitement.

“You’re moving to Seoul!?”

“I’m moving to Seoul.”

Luhan feels like he can cry at that moment but he keeps his composure— this isn’t the time or place

to be squealing and crying. He tells Sehun he’ll call him later, and that night they talk about all the

things they’ll do when they’re finally together. Luhan promises to take Sehun out on a proper date,

and Sehun suggests a sleepover so he can sleep in Luhan’s arms, but Luhan knows Sehun’s

suggesting more than just sleeping.

And Sehun moves to Seoul one month later, two months before his college term at Seoul Institute of

the Arts starts. He’s living in a small apartment not too far from the college and not too far from

Luhan.

It’s been a year since they followed each other on Tumblr, 8 months since they’ve befriended each

other, and 2 months since they’ve been together. And that was only the beginning.

Holding Onto Gravity

Moving day went by much smoother than Sehun predicted. He didn’t bring much with him, so he had told Luhan not to bother coming to help; the elder had to work anyway. But also, his parents would embarrass him. They drove Sehun down to Seoul to help him settle in and say their goodbyes till the next time they see him. His parents were still having their issues and constant fights, and they seemed rather distant during the trip, but Sehun tried to see the bright side to all of this—Luhan. His mother had begun crying, hugging her son so tightly that he was finding it hard to breathe. Luckily his father stepped in, prying his clingy mother off her son, trying to talk some sense into her. It took a while, but after a couple reoccurring farewells, his parents finally decided to let their son go.

With a long sigh, Sehun stepped over to the nearest bed, plopping down onto it and closing his eyes. It had been a pretty tiring day, and Luhan was still stuck at work, so a little nap wouldn’t be too bad. He wasn’t exactly sure how long he had dozed off, or if he even did, but he was given a pretty rude awakening when he felt something prodding at his cheek. His eyes blinked open slowly, vision taking a moment to become clear again,

but the sight of a blond man nearly an inch away from his face causes him to jump up in surprise, his head bumping into the other man’s.

“Jesus--!” The other man curses, palm rubbing his forehead as he steps back, eyebrows furrowed in pain. Sehun sits up on the bed, also rubbing at his head, as he glances at the other man. “Sorry—you were really close and you scared me and— Ah, wait.. You’re my roommate, right?” Sehun asks, placing his hand down.

“Yes, I’m your roommate, and you’re on my bed. Get off, please.” The other male seemed tall from what Sehun could tell, and his hair was a nice shade of blond. He noticed multiple earrings on his ears, and how the dark bags beneath his eyes didn’t look like normal eye bags. Sehun then realized he was just told to get off the other’s bed, quickly scooting off once he’s come back from his thoughts. Standing up now, he realizes he was right—the other was slightly taller than himself.

“Zitao, by the way. Huang Zitao. Call me Tao if you want,” he greets, walking past the other so he can get to his bed. Sehun watches as Zitao fixes up the sheets on his bed that Sehun seemed to have wrinkled. Maybe he was just extremely tired before not to notice, but he sees that side of the room much clearer now. It’s extremely neat, and the bookshelf beside the bed is stacked full with what Sehun believes are manga, and a variety of cute plushies on the top shelf. It all seems very.. girly, but Sehun isn’t judging. He then looks over to the other side of the room—completely empty, but still spotless. The bed has no sheets, but Sehun did bring his own, and there’s an empty desk beside it.

“I’m Sehun,” he finally responds, glancing back over at Zitao. “Oh Sehun. It’s nice to meet you.. Zitao.” His pronunciation of the other’s name isn’t the greatest, but he tried. He figures the boy is an exchange student from China, judging by his name and slight accent in his Korean, and he hopes he doesn’t mind how much he just butchered his name. Zitao’s probably used to it anyway. Zitao looks at Sehun with a playful roll of his eyes, taking a seat at the edge of his bed. “Call me Tao. It’ll be easier on you.”

 

 

Sehun’s first school term was set to begin two months after he had moved to Seoul. Luhan did a good job of showing him around the city often, especially during their dates, and his time spent with Luhan was the absolute best. Whenever Luhan was stuck at

work all day, Sehun would stay in and deal with Zitao. His roommate was rater unique— Sehun learns how much of a neat-freak the boy is, and about his odd fascination with candy and anything cute. The taller usually spends his lazy days reading another shoujo manga volume he had bought, but there are rare moments where Zitao wants Sehun’s attention. A lot of the time, Zitao was extremely annoying, and loud, but Sehun’s grown to appreciate his new friend, even if his mood changes frequently.

 

“So, how are you liking things here so far?” Luhan asks Sehun as they’re snuggled up on the couch playing Mario Kart. Sehun’s concentrated on the screen as he tries his hardest to stay in 1st place.

“It’s nice,” he responds.

“You like your roommate? What was his name again..?”

“Tao. He’s weird.”

Pressing his lips together tightly, Luhan desperately tries to think up more questions in order to distract his boyfriend so he can pass him in the race. “Do you think he’s cute?”

“What?” Sehun turns his head suddenly to look at Luhan, and Luhan laughs triumphantly as he hits Sehun’s player with a red shell, easily passing him and quickly making it to the finish line.

“You cheater!” Sehun yells, putting his Wii-mote down on the couch and crosses his arms, a pout on his lips.

“I did no such thing! You’re the one who looked at me.” Luhan grins, putting his controller down as well, turning his body a bit to look at Sehun. The younger rolls his eyes and feigns anger, but Luhan easily sees through it. “C’mon baby, don’ be mad,” he laughs lightly, leaning closer towards Sehun till his back touches the couch completely, Luhan hovering over the other completely. Sehun’s loss in Mario Kart resulted in a pretty great make-out session that makes Sehun forgive Luhan instantly. The game was completely forgotten about once Sehun’s shirt made it onto the floor.

 

 

Soon enough, summer had come to an end, and Sehun swears it was the best summer he’s ever had. He was both excited and nervous to start his classes, and he didn’t expect to become so busy in college, but then he realizes that’s what happens when he’s using a scholarship. Because he grows so busy, Sehun basically abandons his Tumblr, to the point where he decides to delete it. He says it was a great run, and it holds many great memories, but there’s no point in having it anymore when his life has come together so well. Luhan does the same, not finding a need to be on it anymore – his main purpose of having the account was to talk to Sehun, but now he has him in person.

The first few months of classes were hell for Sehun, but thankfully, Luhan was usually there when Sehun needed him during his mental breakdowns and homework struggles. Even Zitao managed to help Sehun from time to time. At first, Zitao wasn’t sure how to handle someone who had history of depression and anxiety, but he learns the best ways to help Sehun in his time of need, and Sehun begins to see Zitao as a best friend.

It was already nearing the end of November, and Sehun couldn’t wait for their winter break. Zitao seems to be a lot smarter than Sehun had expected, breezing through classes as if they were nothing. He’s majoring in theater, but he seemed to be great at any subject handed to him. The boy had just as many classes as Sehun did, but he felt like he’s never seen Zitao struggle at all. Though, he’s grateful to have, not only a smart roommate, but a roommate who’s willing to help Sehun whenever he’s having trouble with a class. It saddens Sehun a bit that he’s always swamped with homework, and ever since Luhan got a promotion, he’s been stuck at the office even longer. They finally live in the same city, but they still have obstacles between them.

 

After hours of Zitao trying to explain math formulas to Sehun so he can finish his homework, Sehun moves onto practicing his dance class routine. At first, he was rather shy about dancing with Zitao in the room, possibly judging him from where he sat on his bed, or the times Zitao would complain about the music being too loud and Sehun feared he’d upset Zitao. But after a while, he grew very comfortable with him, and Zitao would often compliment his dancing, or point out little mistakes the other made so he can fix them. It’s now a usual sight to see Sehun’s dancing in the middle of their shared studio apartment while Zitao read a book on his bed.

“Looking great, Sehun-ah!”

“Thanks,” Sehun manages, breathing heavily as he walks over to Zitao who was handing him a cold bottle of water.

“As hot as you look all sweaty like that, you better shower soon. I don’t want you stinking up the apartment.”

Sehun just rolls his eyes, taking the bottle and taking large gulps. That was another thing he had to get used to. Zitao doesn’t have a filter when it comes to his thoughts, constantly complimenting Sehun or doing harmless things such as patting his butt when he walks by. Before, Sehun wasn’t sure if Zitao had a thing for him or not, but he soon realized that it’s just a normal attraction, and Zitao’s well aware that Sehun’s off limits—he’d never try to get in between them anyway, it’s against Zitao’s own beliefs regarding love. Sehun got used to it all after a while, and Luhan actually finds it funny.

 

 

With the first semester coming to an end, Sehun’s dance class becomes back-breaking. His dance class always has monthly dance test, and December is known to be one of the toughest in his school, and he’s been preparing so much for it that it’s taken a toll on his health. He blames it on his anxiety mostly, and where that is part of the case, he can’t let it get in the way. His dance teacher is extremely hard on his students, and he seems to like picking on Sehun the most, despite being the best in the class. Mr. Kim constantly puts him on the spot, making him go through the routine a couple more times on his own in front of the entire class, and it’s become too much to handle.

 

“This class is going to be the end of me,” Sehun speaks into his phone, laying down on his bed. He had just gotten out of the shower after practicing for a good two hours.

“I know, you said that like five times already,” Zitao says from his side of the room, and Sehun gives him a look, pointing at his phone. “I’m not talking to you!” Zitao just laughs and blows him a kiss teasingly before retreating back to his game of Animal Crossing.

“Are you in pain, baby? This teacher seems like he’s out to get you or something..” Luhan responds, phone held in between his ear and his shoulder as he folds his laundry.

“My ankle kind of hurts from today, but I’m sure it’ll be okay by tomorrow. I hope. I just don’t want to keep getting lightheaded during practice..”

“I don’t want you to either.. Please be careful.”

“I’m trying,” he sighs, closing his eyes. “I miss you so much, I wish I could be over there right now.”

Zitao gags from the other side of the room, and Sehun shoots him the middle finger.

“I wish you could too,” Luhan smiles, plopping down onto his bed once he’s finished putting his clothes away. “I want to hold you, and kiss all your worries away.”

“You’re so corny,” he laughs. “I love it.”

“I love you~”

“I love you too, dork.”

“Oh my God, get off the phone. You two are so gross!” Zitao shouts from his bed, a disgusted look on his face.

“Is Tao complaining again?” Luhan asks, having heard his loud voice even through the phone.

“Mhm. He says we’re gross. I wonder what he’d say if we started having phone sex—”

“Don’t you fucking dare!” Zitao yells, putting his DS down immediately, a finger pointing at the other.

“Luhan… I wish you could touch me right now..” Sehun says in a needy voice, and Zitao screams, sprinting off his bed and jumps on top of Sehun. Sehun yelps, and Zitao grabs his phone, bringing it up to his ear.

“Control your boyfriend!”

All that can be heard from the other line was Luhan’s uncontrollable laughter, and Sehun follows suit.

“Yah! Don’t hurt him, okay? Dance class has been murder on his fragile little body.”

 

 

There’s only two weeks left until the dance final for the semester, and Sehun’s pushing himself even more. Even though he’s best in the class, and Zitao swears his routine is flawless, he feels that some of his moves are off. The dance studio is usually empty after classes, so Sehun decided to practice there instead of his cramped, mirror-less apartment. With the music blaring, and Sehun dancing by himself in the dance room, his vision started getting blurry, and it looked as if the lights were dimming mid-routine. His body began to overheat, and everything suddenly went black. The next thing he knew, he was lying down on the cold, wooden floor of the studio, and his dance teacher hovered over him slightly, fanning Sehun with a sheet of paper. The color was finally returning to Sehun’s face, and Mr. Kim looked down at him in concern, a bottle of water being handed to him.

“Sehun, you need to drink some,” Mr. Kim says, helping Sehun sit up. Sehun takes the bottle and gulps down half of it in no time. He then looks over at his teacher, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“When.. did you get here?”

“About five minutes ago. I walked by the studio and saw you on the floor. You didn’t look conscious so I ran in…”

Sehun’s never seen Mr. Kim look so concerned before, or so soft spoken. It’s refreshing really, because he’s usually so tough on Sehun, but now he sees a different side of him.

“You’ve been working real hard lately, huh?” The other smiles, and it’s much more sincere than usual.

“Yeah.. I want to do really well on your exam, Mr. Kim—”

“Ugh, I’ve always hated being called that. Call me Jongin, alright? Mr. Kim is for in classes only,” he winks at Sehun, and the color definitely shows in his face now. “Drink up,” he says, tapping at Sehun’s chin affectionately, and Sehun obeys, drinking the rest of the bottle. Jongin then sits down beside Sehun on the floor, glancing over at him.

“You know, your routine is perfect. Don’t overwork yourself like this.” Sehun looks over at Jongin with wide eyes, completely taken aback.

“P-perfect? But you always call me out and make me dance over and over again!”

“Cause I like watching you dance. You deserve the spotlight,” he shrugs, grin plastered on his face. Sehun cannot believe what he is hearing, completely surprised, and even a bit upset.

“..I always thought I was messing up or something.. and then I’d get so lightheaded in class, and so nervous..” Sehun admits, and it’s Jongin’s turn to look at Sehun in surprise. “Really? Hey, you really should’ve told me that. I won’t do it anymore. I don’t want you fainting on me again,” he offers a soft smile, reaching up to ruffle Sehun’s dampened hair. He’s then standing back up, extending his arms down towards the other to take. Sehun accepts the offer, getting back up on his feet. It’s in that moment that he realizes he’s taller than Jongin, never having been this close to the other.

“You gonna keep practicing? I think you’re good, but then again, dancers are perfectionists.”

“I.. no, I think I’m done for the day. Besides, my routine is perfect, right?” Sehun grins, and Jongin laughs, nodding slightly. “It’s pretty perfect. I think you’ll be fine with just your normal daily practices up until the final.”

“Alright.. thanks Mr—ah, I mean Jongin,” he smiles, and then he’s already walking over to grab his bag.

“I hear you’re here on a scholarship,” Jongin suddenly announces, “You looking to be a professional dancer, right?” Sehun turns around to face him once he’s put his bag over his shoulder, smiling. “Yeah! Like a choreographer for artists or something. Why?”

“Maybe I can give you some advice some time. You do know I’m a student teacher, right? I can help you get far quickly.. cause you’ve really got the talent.” It’s almost as if Sehun’s eyes are sparkling, and his face reddens again at the compliments. Before he knows it, he’s saying yes to Jongin’s proposal, and they’re exchanging phone numbers in order to plan a day to meet up and talk.

 

 

“Oh my God, Sehun! You will never believe what just happened!” Zitao barges into their apartment door, a cup of Starbucks coffee in one hand while the other hand was flailing around in excitement. Sehun’s sitting on his bed reading over his psychology notes when Zitao takes a seat on the edge of Sehun’s bed. “I ran into this really cute guy at

Starbucks, and he offered to pay for my coffee!” Sehun manages a hum, eyes still glued to his notebook. “Then we sat down together at one of the tables and talked a bit, and then he asked me out!” Zitao literally squeals, limbs waving around happily before sipping through his straw.

“That’s great, Tao. I’m glad you’re going out.” Finally.

“Sehun, you don’t understand. He’s adorable. And he paid for my coffee. I think he’s the one.” Sehun’s then glancing up at his friend, an eyebrow raised in amusement. “Is that so?”

“Yes! He’s shorter than me, but that’s okay! And his face is really cute, and he has really nice, sexy blond hair. And..” he leans in closer, lowering his voice to a whisper, “I think he’s got money.”

“Tao!”

“What?”

“Don’t date him for his money.”

“I’m not! I think he’s cute and really nice! You know… the money’s just… a plus. You know I’m an expensive person, Sehun!”

Sehun just rolls his eyes, looking back down at his notes. “Yeah, yeah. Go do your face stuff or whatever.”

“I will!” He huffs, pinching Sehun’s calf before getting off from his bed, running to the bathroom before Sehun could kick him. Sehun groans, rolling his eyes as he sets his notebook down. He gets up from his bed, putting his books away before grabbing a jacket. As he slips it on, he walks towards the bathroom door.

“Hey, I’m gonna spend the night at Luhan’s, okay? I’ll see you tomorrow,” he announces from the other side of the door, and Zitao’s popping his head out from inside, a facial mask already on his face, startling the younger—he should be used to this by now. “Okay! Have fun~” he smirks, and Sehun just rolls his eyes.

 

 

“He said he’d give me advice about the dance business! And he told me he’s a student teacher! I had no idea! He must be pretty young.. but he dances so well!”

Sehun’s been ranting about his dance teacher ever since he got to Luhan’s place. Sehun’s nestled in Luhan’s lap on his bed, and Luhan’s been pressing soft kisses against Sehun’s neck and collarbones.

“That’s really great. I’m mostly glad that you won’t be overworking yourself anymore,” he speaks against his skin, his hands lifting Sehun’s shirt up. “God, I missed you.”

“I missed you too..” Sehun smiles, releasing a soft hum when Luhan discards his shirt and begins pressing kisses to his chest. “How’s work been?”

Luhan just shrugs, looking up at Sehun, “Hectic. I’ve never seen so many papers in my life. I thought maybe, just maybe, my work would be a little bit more different after getting that promotion.” Sehun frowns, his fingers playing with the hem of Luhan’s shirt. Luhan laughs softly, helping Sehun remove it.

“Has your boss been less on your case lately?”

“He surprisingly seemed pretty chipper today,” Luhan grins, “As if his Starbucks run was the best he’s ever had. He took longer than usual, actually.”

For a moment, Sehun feels like he sees a weird connection to this story, but he just shakes it out of his head. “Well, that’s good! Hopefully he’ll continue being happy so you’re not getting yelled at for nothing.”

Luhan just hums in response, lifting Sehun’s chin up to press their lips together. Sehun gets the picture that Luhan would rather be doing something else besides talking about their day. His arms wrap around Luhan’s neck, and he straddles his hips, fingers tangling in his hair. Soon enough, Luhan is lowering Sehun’s back to the bed, his hands moving down to playfully tug at the elastic of Sehun’s boxers. “These need to go.”

“How soon is too soon for a first kiss?”

“Well, you’ve been out on one date already.”

“I know! And usually first dates end with a kiss, right? If they like each other enough, this is.. Does that mean he doesn’t like me? Sehun, am I not likeable?”

Sehun sighs, sitting back against his pillows as he continues to text Jongin about their plans. He’s supposed to meet up with him in an hour, but Zitao’s been ranting about his

new love interest for the past thirty minutes, causing Sehun to procrastinate on getting ready. “Maybe he’s one of those people who like to take things slow.”

“But how will I know if he actually likes me?!”

“He asked you out on another date, didn’t he?”

Zitao pauses, taking a seat on his bed as he processes that fact. “He did.”

“Then he obviously has some sort of interest in you.”

“Oh my God— he totally does!” It’s the squeal and kicking of Zitao’s legs that have Sehun rolling his eyes, sitting up from his bed as the other stuffs his face in his pillow.

“I gotta get ready to meet up with Jongin,” Sehun says as he gets up from his bed. He’s moving towards his closet to get dressed, and Zitao’s peeking over at him from his bed.

“Meeting with Jongin?” He grins, emphasis on the teacher’s first name. “A student hanging out with a teacher outside of classes - How scandalous.”

“Student teacher. He’s literally my age.”

Zitao just rolls his eyes, shrugging as he turns over onto his back, arms folded behind his head as he watches Sehun change his shirt. “Still! You’re hanging out with the really hot dance teacher from university. You’re going to get stared down into the depths of Hell.”

“You’re being ridiculous,” Sehun laughs. “Besides, I’ve got a boyfriend that I’m crazy about. Jongin’s got connections and experience! He could really help me out with my future.”

“Of course, of course,” he waves him off with a hand, laughing to himself. “Go.”

With a heavy sigh, Sehun heads for the door once he’s changed his shirt and put on a jacket. “Don’t stay up too late reading your mangas.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Oh, wait—”

“What?” Sehun turns a bit from the door to glance at his friend.

“Do you think it’d be a long time till I get to suck Junmyeon’s d—”

“Goodbye, Tao.”

 

 

The two had made plans to meet at the dance studio since Jongin had been there all day working on some new choreography. Sehun didn’t expect him to still be practicing when he got there though, the male drenched in sweat as he easily went through the movements, as if he wasn’t even exhausted. Standing at the doorway, Sehun watched as the other danced - It was mesmerizing watching Jongin dance; the boy danced so flawlessly, unlike anyone Sehun’s ever witnessed before. He was truly amazed by his talent, and the determination within him grows more and more each time he witnesses Jongin dance, because Sehun longs to become just as talented as Jongin.

When Jongin catches Sehun’s eye in the mirror, he smiles, stopping his movements to turn around and face him. Sehun’s a little startled, smiling sheepishly at the other as he steps inside completely, closing the door behind him. “Sorry— didn’t mean to intrude on your practice.”

“What’d you think?” He asks with a precious smile, stepping over to grab himself a small towel. Sehun’s eyebrows raise at the sudden question.

“Huh? It was great— amazing, really.”

“Awesome,” he replies, wiping the sweat off his face with the towel. “I’ve been working on it all day. I hope to teach you guys this next.. once it’s perfected.”

“It really.. it’s amazing. You dance so perfectly— I can’t even believe how great you are—”

Jongin just laughs, walking towards the speaker to turn the music off. “You’re too nice, Sehun.. You’re really great too, y’know.”

“Not anything like you though— How do you just.. make something like that?”

“Years of practice.. hours and hours a day. It just comes to me now so naturally.. like how stories come to writers. It’s just the process of putting it all together that’s the hard part.”

Sehun nods as the other explains, smiling widely. His eyes almost sparkle from how much he looks up to Jongin. He just thinks about how much he needs to keep practicing, and how far he can go in life if he ever becomes as great as his teacher.

Jongin gestures for Sehun to follow him once he grabs his bag, leading him out of the studio. “I’ve been in here all day, I think I need some fresh air.”

 

It’s already dark outside, but the city lights of Seoul easily shine over the streets. Sehun and Jongin are walking along the sidewalk, bundled up in their thick jackets – it’s gotten quite cold recently, the winter months quickly approaching. Sehun’s always loved the cold though, and the holidays that come along with the winter. He’s excited to be able to spend them with Luhan.

As they walk, Jongin tells Sehun about how he got into dancing. He learns that Jongin had practiced ballet majority of his life, and eventually shifted over to hip-hop. Apparently, he had been in many contests and even auditioned for a few companies, but in the end, he decided that’s not what he wanted. He realized he’d rather teach others instead of live the idol life style – and Sehun’s grateful to hear that, because if he hadn’t changed his mind, then he would’ve never met him.

“Believe it or not, I still have a long way to go. I’m lucky that I even got a student teacher job in dancing. I’m not even near professional choreographer level yet.”

Even if he isn’t technically deemed ‘professional’ yet, Sehun thinks Jongin’s already one of the best. He can’t even imagine how amazing he’d be if he continued to improve.

“I want to be as good as you. And I want to have opportunities like that.. I feel like I’ve wasted so much time— but I wasn’t able to take classes or go to contests or anything.. because of my parents.”

Jongin frowns at that, placing his hand on the other’s shoulder. “You’ve still got plenty of time. I know it doesn’t seem like it because we’re the same age.. but I’ve just been given an early start. You’re at a good level right now.” He gives him a reassuring smile, squeezing the taller’s shoulder, and it helps Sehun smile back at him.

“..Yeah.. I guess you’re right.”

“And don’t you worry, alright? I’m going to help you as much as I can.. I’ll get you into competitions, and shows too.” Jongin’s smile is the kind that really helps Sehun relax, and it makes him smile in return. The other sends him a playful wink, poking at his side. “There we go. Keep smiling, like that. You’ve got so much going for you. I know it.”

 

Once a food cart catches Jongin’s eye, he grabs onto Sehun’s wrist, tugging him along. “I’m starving! You want some? It’ll be my treat.” He insists, and the other’s enthusiasm has Sehun accepting his offer. They get an order of ddeokbokki to share, eating the spicy rice cakes together as they continue to walk down the streets of Seoul. The two talk about dancing for a while longer, but the conversation soon shifts over to their other interests and random stories. They decide to visit a small coffee shop, and Sehun insists on buying them hot chocolate in return for Jongin’s ddeokbokki. After enjoying their cups of hot chocolate, they continue to converse at the shop. Sitting together at one of the tables, Sehun stops mid-laughter as a tall man approaches them from behind Jongin’s chair. He looks up at him with furrowed brows, and this makes Jongin pause, turning around to look up. With a heavy sigh and a roll of his eyes, he looks down at the table, crossing his arms as the tall gentleman takes a seat beside Jongin, wrapping his arm around his shoulders. Sehun blinks in confusion, his breath quickening slightly.

“You two having a good time? Why didn’t you tell me you were hanging out with a friend tonight, hm?” The man speaks, and his voice is quite deep. He leans closer to Jongin as if he’s going to kiss his cheek, but Jongin shifts away, shoving his arm away from his shoulders.

“Because it’s none of your business.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s my business. I’m your boyfriend.”

“You are not my boyfriend, Yifan.” Jongin shoots the man a glare, and Sehun feels extremely uncomfortable. The situation feels so tense, and it’s triggering his nerves.

“I told you to leave me the hell alone. Stop following me around.” Jongin is quick to get out of his seat, and Sehun mimics him.

The man rolls his eyes, “Baby, please—”

“I am not your baby!” He shouts, grabbing onto Sehun’s hand and quickly drags him out of the café. Luckily, the man named Yifan isn’t one to chase Jongin after he barges out, but Jongin isn’t slowing down anyway. He continues to run away with Sehun’s hand in his, and Sehun’s never felt so confused before.

“J-Jongin!” He tries to get his attention as they run together, but the dancer doesn’t respond, feeling as if he’d choke if he tried to speak. Before he realizes it, Jongin had led them to Sehun’s apartment. He tries to catch his breath before facing the other, and the usual bright and happy Jongin that Sehun’s grown to admire isn’t there.

“..I’m really sorry about that. Thank you for hanging out with me tonight though.. I wanted to make sure you’d get home safely so..”

This is a side of Jongin that Sehun was never aware existed. He’s almost shy in a sense, but it goes to show him that even the people you look up to have their soft sides.

“It’s okay—really. I just.. I got a little nervous. But you got us out of there before my anxiety could get bad..”

“Yeah.. yeah, you mentioned the anxiety earlier. Sorry about that. I’ll see you in class soon?” He offers a soft smile, and Sehun finds himself smiling back.

“I would never miss your class,” he laughs, and Jongin just pats his cheek.

“Sleep well, Sehun-ah.”

 

 

“He seriously just walked up and sat at your table?” Zitao asks, glancing at Sehun with a raised eyebrow. Sehun was packing his overnight bag for when he heads to Luhan’s apartment while telling Zitao about how his night went with Jongin.

“I was so confused, you don’t even know. I was just sitting there like.. ‘Who is this tall Chinese man and why is he being possessive over Jongin?’ I think his name was… Yifan?”

“Wait.. Yifan? Oh, I know him! He’s really tall and blond and kind of hot—he’s in my Chinese class! I hear he’s a fucking weirdo though.”

“Really?” Sehun turns to face the other, slinging his bag over his shoulder. “I mean, Jongin seemed very annoyed by him.. Yifan kept making it sound like they were a couple but Jongin kept saying they weren’t.”

“I don’t know— I heard he likes molding candles in the shape of his penis.”

“Oh God, Tao. I really didn’t need to hear that.”

“Well, you asked! I mean, that’s just a rumor, but I wouldn’t doubt it. Probably does some other sick stuff with those things—”

“--I’m going to Luhan’s.”

“Oh, okay! I was going to call Junmyeon anyway.” He smiles, leaning back against his pillows and looks at his phone screen.

“Awh, how cute.”

“Go away!”

Sehun closed the door behind him before Zitao’s pillow could hit him.

 

 

Despite being flooded with classes and upcoming exams, Sehun still manages to make plans with Luhan throughout the week. He feels as though he needs to stay over with Luhan at least once a week, or he won’t be able to focus on his school work completely. It’s come to that point in their relationship where they never want to be separated, but it’s inevitable considering Sehun’s a full-time student and Luhan works more hours than he used to. After taking a relaxing bath together, the two changed into their warm sleepwear and snuggled up in Luhan’s bed. Being able to just lay in bed with arms and legs tangled together is extremely stress relieving for the both of them. It was about two hours before when Sehun arrived, and Luhan asked how his day was, but he was still going on about it. Sehun finds it easy to rant about his teacher, and now new friend Jongin, and how fun he is. At first Luhan found it cute, happy to see that Sehun’s made a new friend who could possibly help him in his future, but after a while…

“I walked in when he was working on new choreography for our class and it looked so amazing! He really is a great dancer.. I hope I can be like him one day.”

“You’re already a great dancer, Sehun.”

“But he’s so much better than me! The way he moves.. it’s mesmerizing! And he’s my age.. he’s so great already and he’s done competitions and stuff!”

Luhan tries his best to hold back a sigh, running his fingers through Sehun’s still damp hair. “When do your exams end?”

“Hm? Oh, they’re all next week and then I’m done until after winter break! And we get to spend Christmas together and stuff..” Sehun offers a small, shy smile, and Luhan can’t help but pull the younger into a more secured hug.

“You’re the cutest, you know that?”

“Am not!” Sehun looks up at Luhan, a bit surprised at how close their faces became. “You’re way cuter than me.”

Luhan rolls his eyes, closing the gap between the two and presses a soft kiss to his lips. Sehun smiles against his lips, feeling small and protected against Luhan’s chest and wrapped up in his arms.

“I love you so much..”

 

 

It may have technically only been their second date so far, but the two were constantly communicating. Whenever Zitao was in class and Junmyeon was at work, they’d text back and forth; during their free time, they’d talk on the phone. Zitao seemed to have grown quite fond of the elder, more quickly than he had expected. There was something about him that Zitao loved – he feels it might be how sweet and gentle he is, especially with Zitao, and how he feels safe around him. Usually Zitao is the one doing most of the talking, but he really values people who listen, people who remember the little facts and details he may have slipped out during a random conversation. He was really excited for their second date, having been eagerly waiting outside of his apartment for Junmyeon to pick him up. The kinds of dates Junmyeon takes him on are definitely unlike the kinds he’s been on before – it seems like Junmyeon actually tries to treat Zitao to a nice meal, and not in a way that seems too desperate to impress. Honestly, fancy dates aren’t needed for Zitao to see effort, but he’s not complaining either.

There were a few times where Zitao insisted on paying his half of their meal, but Junmyeon declined the offer each time. Zitao wasn’t wrong when he figured Junmyeon had money, but he still feels a little bad about the expensive meals— (at least he tried to help paying). The dates are more romantic than Junmyeon probably intends, but it’s probably just seen that way in Zitao’s perspective. After dinner, Junmyeon takes them to walk in the park, and Zitao can’t help but blush when the elder takes his hand in his. He smiles to himself, intertwining their fingers together as they walk.  The trees nearby are decorated with Christmas lights, and the scenery makes the whole situation so much more overwhelming— in a good way, of course. They talk as they walk, mostly Zitao, but Junmyeon always finds himself smiling when he listens to the younger speak. He enjoys his lighthearted personality, and how lively he is. He’s unlike anyone he’s ever dated, for sure.

The date feels like it goes by quicker than they’d wanted, and Junmyeon drives Zitao back to his apartment before it gets too late. Like the gentleman he is, he walks Zitao up to his door. The younger still can’t get over how much he towers over Junmyeon, but he finds it adorable. Once they reach the door, Junmyeon can’t find the will in him to let go of Zitao’s hand, and he just gazes up at him with a soft smile.

“I.. had a great time tonight.. honestly,” Zitao admits, glancing away shyly with a small smile.

“Thank you for accepting my second date,” Junmyeon grins, leaning to the side a bit to get a better look at Zitao’s face. “I’m afraid I’m.. growing to like you a lot.”

Zitao swears his heart skips a beat at the other’s words, blush darkening his cheeks as he looks back at the elder. “R-really?”

“Yeah.. I hope we can go out again soon..?”

“Yes! Just—just let me know, okay? Text me, call me—whatever you want!”

Junmyeon just laughs, bringing a hand up and curves his palm along the back of Zitao’s neck, bringing him in closer to press his lips to his. Zitao responds immediately despite being taken aback, his hands grabbing onto Junmyeon’s free hand. He wasn’t sure it was possible, but Zitao’s face is a darker shade of red by the time the elder pulls away, and he finds the other’s reaction to be the cutest thing.

“I’ll talk to you soon. And good luck on your exams!” Junmyeon says, pressing a kiss to the back of Zitao’s hand before waving himself off and getting into his car.

Studying for his exams probably just got twenty times harder.

 

 

As much as the towering stacks of paperwork set on Luhan’s desk was distracting, the large bouquet of flowers being sent to Junmyeon’s office certainly catches his attention. He peers over the walls of his cubicle, staring through his boss’s opened door as the receptionist places the vase of flowers on Junmyeon’s desk. Chanyeol and Xiumin are watching from their cubicles as well, glancing at each other with wiggling eyebrows. Junmyeon looks incredibly confused by the delivery, but a smile graces his features once he reads the card it came with.

“Must be from his Starbucks lover,” Chanyeol guesses, and Xiumin just laughs. They all sit back down in their chairs, and Luhan’s shaking his head.

“I’ve never seen the man so happy,” he hears Xiumin say.

“Hey, better for us, right?” Chanyeol responds and they all laugh in unison.