↬ park.

@⁰⁴ doyoung k. his fingers were busy typing out a text message to his roommate when taeyong heard a familiar voice approach him. with one last 'goodbye' text, taeyong tossed his phone to the side and beamed up at his best friend. they might not have known each other for as long as some others might, nor might they have spent as much time with each other as the prince would have wished to. yet... there was this inexplicable, strong bond that had formed between them. he couldn't imagine his life without doyoung now, nor did he want to. the older man had stationed himself permanently as one of taeyong's support pillars, as well as staked claim of a piece of his heart.

not that he would ever admit it to his best friend. god forbid he inflated the man's ego.

"well, since i made it, i'm allowed to eat it whenever," taeyong stuck his tongue out at the other before leaning forward to place a quick peck on the elder's cheek in greeting. he would have bickered some more, but in the blazing heat, the arrival of the blessed chocolate milk took top priority – taeyong swore he could hear angels singing in the background. "oh my god, i love you– you are the bestest friend, no doubt!!" he exclaimed in delight, instantly pouncing onto the carton like a cat hunting it's prey.

only once he had stuck his straw into the heavenly liquid and taken a couple of sips of the life-restoring milk did the prince give doyoung a once over. "you're looking particularly good today, doie. what- you preparing for a date or something?" he laughed, his eyes twinkling in mirth. for the entire time taeyong had known the other, there hadn't been much talk of any romantic interest in doyoung's life between the two of them. hell, the man worked like a million jobs. so it wasn't a surprise that the elder didn't have much time to pursue anything.

@⁰¹ minjoo k. It's been days since the mess had begun. Yibo was frankly getting fed up with his parents and the barrage of girls flooding his text messages every other day after he rejected another handful of them. It was starting to get tiring. Tiring to the point where he couldn't be bothered anymore. He couldn't switch his phone off and disappear off the grid, there was still his boyfriend, his friends, his grandparents that he needed to have contact with. However nothing forbade him from ignoring the device wholeheartedly until he spotted a different ID among the bunch. He left his phone by his belonging at the bench, while he practiced his skateboard tricks on a flat pavement, not really feeling like using the busy U-ramp. His mind was preoccupied, thinking of more than just his studies and his boyfriend, especially now when everything was going down the drain. He needed to figure this out and quick, he couldn't risk losing anyone at this point.

@⁰² taeyong l. Doyoung’s never been particularly great at making or keeping friends—his packed schedule keeps him occupied throughout the weeks, barely allotting any time for friendship or any other relationship. Most of his time is dedicated to working, then his sister. If he ever feels, even for a moment, that he is being thrown off course, it's enough to throw him into nerves for a week until he fixes his schedule once more. Thankfully, Doyoung's always preferred quality over quantity.

Taeyong is a friend that Doyoung had never expected to make, but thankfully the younger was like Doyoung: absent but understanding. They both had their share of busy schedules, allowing them to take time apart but also be close like best friends should. At least his job paid off in one way: his overnight gig at the convenience store granted him an employee discount that now came in handy, seeing as he was slated to bring drinks. His bag is full of a motley of choices, knowing that Taeyong could be quite indecisive in the most trivial of things, like what drink to have on a picnic—a few different sodas, water bottles, and (Taeyong's well-known favorite and guilty pleasure) a carton of chocolate milk.

He dons a very simple outfit: a t-shirt atop some jean shorts, his casual outfit with a bucket hat on his head while dark locks peek out from underneath. Casual frames cover his eyes—Doyoung's forgone contacts for today. "Hey you," says the older male as he approaches the blanket, dropping his grocery bag on the blanket. "Hope you didn't eat without me."

His legs cross as he plops himself down on the blanket, pulling out his bearings and tossing the carton of chocolate milk to his friend. "Now, who's the best best friend ever?"

@⁰⁴ youngdae k. Feeling the coldness of his hands placed around her temples, she clicked her tongue as she turned her head slightly around to glance at the lad, shooting him the look of annoyance as her eyebrows furrowed, along with her lips curling down into a frown. "Right, but-" Coming to a halt, she watched as he reached one of the cans and his keys dangling from his hands, and a moment of regret unfolds in the pit of her stomach when she heard the word 'shotgun.' "Dae, you know I can't shotgun beers. I'm terrible at it."

@⁰⁴ jisoo k. the sound of her sarcastic tone was like music to youngdae's ears, his lips spreading from ear to ear to hear that she still had the energy to joke around. as she took the claws from his hands, he immediately put his cold hands on her head to warm himself up. "why drink if we're not getting ed up?" he retorted cheekily, "come on, now - let's shotgun these before we start walking." he pulled out his keys and reached his hand out to get the cans shotgun ready.

@⁰⁴ mingi s. pretty sure drinking in public like this is against the law, but so is chilling at the park after sunset so who gave a . youngdae and a few of his homies hit up the park with a 36-pack of cold beers and just chilled on the grass, gazing at the vast universe on their backs while talking about life. next to youngdae was a homie he didn't know /that/ well, but somebody he'd been drinking with for what he feels like forever. his brown eyes had the twinkle of the stars as he gazed at mingi, his homie, and asked him for what felt like was the first time ever, "how've you been, man?"

@⁰⁴ doyoung k. given their busy schedules, especially considering the fact that doyoung was a senior this time, they hadn't gotten much time to spend together. just the two of them, that is. so taeyong had decided that enough was enough, he was stealing his best friend for a nice sunny day in the park. he had even opted to leave skitty behind despite the beautiful sunshine – /that's/ how badly he wanted some alone time with doyoung!

having left his cat in the capable hands of his roommate, taeyong had left for the park with a basket full of sandwiches, fruit, some kimbap and a couple different cubes of cheese. doyoung had agreed to prepare the drinks, which taeyong was looking forward to – he was going to put his best friend through a test to see if he got the drink that the prince was craving at the moment (though truthfully, taeyong always craved chocolate milk).

having arrived early, the young man set up the picnic blanket and set down a couple of stones he had picked up on the way on the corners of the blanket. content with his arrangement, taeyong sprawled out on the picnic blanket and scrolled through his social media. thankfully he had checked the weather before getting dressed for the day. his usual jeans, even though most of them were ripped in some place or the other, would have killed him. instead for today, an oddly really warm day for end of march, taeyong was decked out in a pair of his shorts and a t-shirt, with a cute fisherman's hat and shades keeping his face appropriately shielded.

@⁰³ jeno l. “are you sure it’s not because he’s been with you for a couple of days and he just kind of misses his other parent? just like i miss you?” Jaemin teases as he looks over at their now not-so-tiny white furball, his head resting on the bench as his eyes shift left and right, watching his parents in a playful banter. “He’s really starting to look a little like you.” He suddenly blurts out as he takes a look at his lover, then at their son and back to him again. “yeah, definitely.” His wink catches Jaemin off-guard, rendering him flustered. “oh.” He breathes out with a short laughter. “Don’t be silly, jeno, I would never ever exchange you for the world.” there’s a short pause, a gently smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “ever.”

In a flash, Jaemin feels like he’s back to being twelve years old again, under the same old treehouse, basking the same spring breeze, a pageant of smells floating in the cool air as a horde of dandelions now littered the fields, with his soulmate in front of him and he realises that’s all he ever wants.

It’s more than a pleasant surprise when Jaemin hears the three words he’d been longing to hear leaving other’s lips for first time, to say that he least expected it was an understatement. It draws a soft breathy chuckle from his lips, his eyes fluttering shut as he rest his forehead against the others. he tries not show how elated he is but it’s evident when he can hardly contain his bright smile, a smile that would put the sun to shame. His reservations about their relationship are all out the windows when he feels a surge of confidence and strength knowing that maybe, just maybe, Jeno is just as in love with him as he is with him.

“Yeah.” Jaemin is still grinning as he places a gap between Jeno and him, he thinks it’s gonna take awhile before he stops grinning like this. Or maybe, never. It’s him who gets up first, not before giving his lover a gentle peck on his lips. There’s a twinkle, a glimmer of hope for their future in his eyes as he stretches his hand out in an invitation. “Let’s go home, love.”

@⁰⁴ youngdae k. upon hearing the noise of her /annoying/ cousin, she turned around unamused by one of his tricks and rolled her eyes while stuffing her belongings in the pockets of her hoodie. "ah, i'm so scared." she replied sarcastically, holding both of the cold alcohol beverages in her hands. looking down and noticing the case of white claws he had brought along, she raised both of her eyebrows in surprised before letting out a brief whistle. "wow, guess we're getting ed up tonight huh."

@⁰¹ jaemin n. There’s something terrifying but comforting in this moment about being vulnerable in front of the one you love most. It seems that every time Jeno’s alone with Jaemin, all his worries, anxieties, and fears seem to wash away into the vast oceans. All except one: his fear of breaking him even if he’s done it before. For once, Jeno feels the urge to confess how hard his heart thrashes and turns, knees nearly buckle underneath him, smile smiling beyond comprehension every time he’s with him, alone. How he’d wish to tell him to wait for him if he’s tired of waiting for so long—but he doesn’t dare. For once, that urge isn’t blemished with fear, but Jeno swallows back that urge and awaits another time when they are ready. He only hopes Jaemin still loves him the same when the time comes.

When Jaemin brushes away at his strands, he feels his face heat up further as he clears his throat, glancing off to the side. Jeno knows he’s handsome, but he could see why Jaemin had wanted to hear the words directly from him. He could see what he means by wanting to be pretty for your one and only because if anything, he has no care in the world to look appealing for anybody else. , there’s nobody else on the planet he’d bring out an expensive piano for to play his childhood love lullaby. There’s nobody out there that’s on his mind as much as Jaemin is.

“Never as pretty as you,” he mumbles, lifting up his two crescent gaze, lips carved in a genuine smile as he mingles with the stars in his eyes. “Nobody is as pretty as you, Nana.”

Despite Jaemin’s pre-approval, Jeno still finds himself nervous at his answer, but he tilts his head up to count the ridges of the branch he once looped over. Though his daydreams are cut short when he says yes and Jeno fails to bite back the wide smile gracing his already elated expression. “Definitely not using our son against you because he barked at me a couple times while I was preparing for this. Safe to assume, he wanted in, so it’s not my fault,” he replies, huffing a few short breaths of laughter. He turns his head with furrowed brows, almost as if he remembered something before grinning and sending a wink, “Just do you know, you’re stuck with me. There aren’t any refunds or exchanges, even on the night.”

He wishes he could say the same about him for the rest of his nights, but time will lead them.

“I’m extra for one day and suddenly it’s a crime?” He grumbles, puffing his cheeks slightly in his palms as he glances at their surroundings. He guesses he’s able to see how this was rather extravagant and... creative? Perhaps not many people would do without the funds to haul out a rare piano, but Jeno thinks it’s the bare minimum that Jaemin deserves. Through his rummaging thoughts, he manages to blurt out, “I reckon if they saw us, they’d think it were a marriage proposal too.”

As many times Jaemin has kissed him, his breath never fails to hitch before each of them. Jeno finds himself replaying these moments as if they were his first kiss, over and over again. Instantly, his arm arms are loosely hitched around his lower back. He watches the universe hazed with the sunset close behind Jaemin’s lids as he finds his own faltering shut shortly after, slightly tilting his head to better mesh their petalled pairs against one another in their first spring kiss. It’s a chaste yet dainty kiss, but Jaemin’s special three words he pleads to say back breaks him first—in a good way with an influx of fireworks in his chest. “I love you too,” he whispers back, pulling back slightly to rest his forehead against his own, eyes still shut as he smiles, evidently too overjoyed. “Let’s go home, Nana.”

@⁰³ minhyung l. it can’t be—she swears there’s something that went wrong in this moment in time. jinsoul swear she hears the stranger’s voice wrong because something about it rings through her head; ringing of the memories she spent for two months overseas in titian painted skies. she’s convinced she’s generalized a random english-speaker with the summer love she once had—her first kiss, her first love, and the first boy she found herself thinking from time to time even years after and despite the uncomfortable distance. jinsoul shakes her head, cursing under her breath as she lifts up the base of her palm to smack the side of her head. quickly, she’s rummaging through her bag, taking out her compact first-aid kid as she steps beside him.

“listen, you fell really hard and I find it hard to believe you didn’t injure y—“ before she finishes her sentence, she winces at the further impact when the male falls back. it leaves her whipping her head forward with the few bandaids gathered in her hand, but this is the moment she finds herself gaping, freezing, standing stunned for other reasons. at this duration, it makes fully sense to her why the familiarity was uncanny, but she denied it because how could have her childhood revisit her. jinsoul finds herself lowering her frame slowly, gaze still pinned on his rich ebony eyes that burn hints of auburn of the vancouver sunsets. it’s a slow but happy knowing smile she attempts to bite back with her teeth pinching her lower lip. she rips open one of the bandaids, carefully squatting beside him to place one on the side of his arm. “still haven’t grown out of being a clutz after all those years, have you, mark?”

@⁰³ dohyun l. eunbi's comparison catches her off guard at first and her eyes flicker to look at dohyun's reaction, not missing the tiny falter in his smile. but sooyoung knows better than to bring it up, so she merely nods at the young girl's suggestion. "alright! then sooyoung unnie is the queen, dohyun appa is the king, and eunbi is our little princess. yeah?" she affirms his daughter's wishes with a small smile, watching fondly as she took the plate from her dad and started to dig in.

"nonsense, dohyun! if anything, i'm just sorry i wasn't able to bring more. the past few weeks have been hectic with planning for the spring formal, and i've felt bad i kept having to cut down the time of our cooking lessons." in the time she took up to refute him, her hands had already started working on their own to fill up a plate for him too. she holds it out towards him, "so don't feel bad, alright? and eat lots. how can you care for eunbi on an empty stomach?"

@⁰³ jeno l. A flush of warmth begins to surface on his cheeks, eyes fluttering gently as the other moves a stray strand of hair from his eyes. It’s as if time came to a momentary halt for both of them as he looks up meeting the other’s gaze. There was always something about those dark brown orbs that pulled him in, so beautiful, so safe, filled with so much warmth and gentleness. In that single look, Jaemin knew that where he belonged, with him, and that he was much in love with Jeno today as he ever was, perhaps even more so.

And still after so long, Jeno never failed to make him feel so beautiful with or without the compliment, when all he really needs to do is just to look at him with those wondrous eyes, a little shy smile playing on his lips that would cause his heart to somersault around in his ribcage. The subtle bashfulness doesn’t go unnoticed by him and he wonders if Jeno’s just as nervous as himself. This time however, as Jeno leans away, it’s his turn as he reaches out to tuck the blonde strand behind his ears. “I could only say the same for you.” he whispers with rosied cheeks.

He doesn’t even hide the fact that he’s staring quietly with pure adoration at how pretty the other is as he watches the sunlight kissing Jeno’s soft features to his blonde locks, alighting softly upon his skin, it’s an ethereal sight he thinks he will never get tired of. Jaemin only snaps out from his current reverie when he hears the other speak, eyes crinkling shyly as if he’s been caught, shaking his head in response. There’s a slight curious tilt of his head that follows as the other takes a hold of his hand, giving him all his attention he has as he hears his lover out. A chuckle threatens to leave his lips as he watches how nervous the other is. For all the years Jaemin has known him, he had always been the calm and collected one between them both, yet today’s Jeno was a rather refreshing sight to see.

As soon as Jaemin hears the soft rustle of the leaves, he turns his attention towards Tiny’s direction, little paws now padding back in their direction with a stalk of yellow rose with a note on it. He laughs as he reaches out to receive their little pup, a hand reaching to gently scratch the back of Tiny’s ears with soft ‘thank you’ before taking the rose from his mouth. “Tiny said he’d be mad if you don’t go formal with me.” he reads out to himself, wreathed with smiles as he brushes his thumb over the newly stamped paw prints. “ Using our little son on me already? can’t say no to that, can I?” he releases an airy laughter he looks up at Jeno, gazes softening immediately as he squeezes the other’s hand in return. “Yes. Yes, of course, Jeno Lee. I would love to go to spring formal with you.”

A string of coos escape him as he watches Tiny trying to grab their attention, immediately he has the flower and note set down careful on the piano keys so as to not to ruin it so that he could keep it nicely in the same stash of little notes and knick-knacks Jeno used to give him when they were younger. hands gently carding through the soft white fur of their pup as he hears the earnest words leaving the other’s lips. And he wonders if that’s counted a confession?

Jaemin’s eyes are brimmed with tears of mirth, a smile tugging his lips broke into a wide grin at the other’s words. He can vaguely picture the whole imagery in his head, Jeno’s flustered and embarrassed look, the confusion on the mover’s faces and it sends him into around round of soft laughter. god, does he really love the man in front of him. Things you do for love, they say.

When he’s all calmed down from his giggling fit. Jaemin releases his hand from the other’s gentle hold, he reaches ups, fingers gently brushing against the other’s pink dusted cheeks. “ I mean… “ he starts off with an immense amount fondness in his tone. “bringing the piano all the way from your place to the middle of an empty field underneath our little treehouse does sound too big a project just for spring formal, you know that?” he explains as he takes the other’s cheeks into both of his hands. His eyes flickers over Jeno’s face, mapping the curve of his long eyelashes, the twinkle dancing in his eyes, his nose now in the shade of soft, rosy pink and down to his cupid bow before leaning in, so close that he brushes his lips against other’s, eyes fluttering shut. “but, I love it and..” there’s a short pause as his eyes flutter open, gaze meeting his. “I love you, always.” he says in a hush whisper.

@⁰³ sooyoung h. eunbi giggled, pleased with every word that came out of sooyoung's mouth. "if i'm a princess then you can be the queen! and daddy can be the king! we're like one big royal family!" dohyun's expression faltered for just a split second, wondering if his daughter craved more of a family than he was able to provide. he plastered his little smile back on, having mastered the facade of being okay for his daughter's sake.

"you're right. and now, the princess needs to start eating before her food gets cold," he said with a little laugh before handing his little girl a plate. "i'm not sure i can repay you for doing all this, soo. it must have taken a lot of time out of your day to prepare all of this for us."

@⁰³ dohyun l. "i did," she confirms, a hint of pride in her tone after witnessing the way the father-daughter duo's eyes gleamed with awe. "no need to thank me!" she says as she shakes her hands dismissively. it wasn't like she did this everyday and the gratitude they displayed was more than enough to make it feel like her efforts were worthwhile. "it is a meal for royalty," she informs, an emphasis on the word 'is'. "eunbi, did you forget the fact that you're a princess? of course a princess deserves a feast like this one." sooyoung scrunches her nose and shakes it playfully before she bursts into laughter. "eat up! food tastes best when it's warm."

@⁰¹ jaemin n. Jeno doesn’t know how much time goes by as he plays the song again and again like it was his baby, his soul, his preach. His heart soars when he hears his favourite chuckle and he almost hates it when he sees the image of Jaemin’s pretty smile. The corners of his lips perch up without opening his eyes when he feels his favourite sense of warmth settle beside him along with the smell of home. Jaemin has always smelled like home and Jeno wonders why he ran away from it—but here he tries to mount the stakes of their tent after it had blew away with the wind. Jeno can’t bare to say ‘I love you’ through his trouble mouth, but he hopes Jaemin can feel it through their fingers and through the light bumps of their shoulders.

Though it takes him a few seconds to pop open his gaze, smiling a smile without his usual cool, cold demeanour. He smiles a smile only Jaemin knows—a smile so foreign and rare, but it happens for the sake of the moment. Jeno eyes skim up and down his attire, lifting up a hand from the keys to brush a few strands of hair from Jaemin’s eyes. “You look pretty, Nana,” he says, pausing with a genuine yet slightly timid smile. He feels his hands tremble briefly, but he leans back to grip on the bench with a shaky breath, intentionally bumping their shoulders once more as he mumbles, a strand from his slicked back blonde streaks drooping near his eyes, “You always do.”

The shy little Jeno he used to be seems to make a return when there’s another breeze that brushes past him. It invokes a line of goose pebbles down his spine. He suddenly feels like they’re under sixteen, legs sprawled out under the tree on an autumn day after scrambling to see who reached there first. They panted away, bickering but huffing despite reaching on the same footing... like they always have. It seemed like they always worked in unison, almost like two soulmates with the same heartbeat and same stare. Just a pair that nobody would dare to separate because whatever adhesive that was between them seemed not to die off even with time or distance.

He shakes his head with a muffled low laugh, tipping his head back slightly to glance at the slow moving clouds. He squints just briefly, lifting up a hand to block the sunbeams peeking through the gaps between the leaves.

“I hope you aren’t tired. I kind of forced you to come here after classes, but I couldn’t find any other time to do this,” he gives Jaemin an amused look before sending off a wink, lightly elbowing at his arm with an exhaled breath. “I’m not...” nervous? A lie. He could feel the cage of his chest rattling as if the boar inside threw itself at the bars, ready to free, but Jeno holds himself back with a clear of his throat. He takes hold of one of Jaemin’s hand in his with a squeeze, expression serious but mellowed out in endearment. “I’m not the most... outwardly extravagant or flamboyant with things. You know me. You’ve always been that type between the two of us.”

He turns his head enough to where he could see Tiny eagerly gazing at them in his peripheral. His smile widens as gives the pup a signal and instantly, Tiny’s up on his feet, quickly tracing over to the blind spot of the trunk with his tail wiggling in excitement. Within seconds, the pup comes over with a single yellow rose, stem in his mouth with an upside down note pinned right over with the words ‘Tiny said he’d be mad if you don’t go to the formal with me. For further proof, he gave me a signature, so will you go with me?’ stamped right besides a few evident paw prints from ink. Jeno fails to bite back his laugh as he watches the white furball pad over to poke his nose at Jaemin’s side. Mentally, he thanks Sooyoung for giving him the idea to incorporate Tiny in the proposals because boy, would this be awkward if Jeno had to do it alone.

Just once, he looks at Jaemin like he was the universe, but this time, without the traces of fear or reluctance. He looks at him seriously with a light-hearted sheen before scoffing at the pups shoving his head between them. Jeno ruffles his fingers between his ears, earning happy whistles as he mumbles, “I don’t know about flowers, but I read about it. It means happy beginnings or something like that—just something I think works with us.” He hopes the oranges of the sky block the light pink on his cheeks, but he’s glad he’s made the choice to look down at Tiny. “I hope you liked this, Nana. The guys who moved the piano here thought I was going to marry you. They looked so confused when I told them it was for a school dance.”

@⁰³ sooyoung h. he takes a seat across the two young ladies, smiling at the scene in front of him. if he had been good enough, eunbi would have had a mom to look after her and he was sure they could experience many more moments like this. inching over, he peered into the basket with a surprised gasp. "you made all this?" the question slipped out, too in awe to stay quiet for once. cooking was a skill that seemed to constantly evade his reach and both he and eunbi hadn't had a decent meal in a long while. "wow, eunbi. she made all this for you! what do you say?"

"thank you!" his daughter exclaimed almost immediately, eyes never once leaving the container of cookies. "we don't usually get to eat like this! this is so cool! it's like a feast for royalty!"

@⁰³ dohyun l. the way the young girl's eyes gleamed with such fervent excitement warmed the female's heart. it seemed that, with eunbi around, smiling was as easy as breathing air. sooyoung lets the child do as her heart desires, carefully smoothing out the picnic blanket before taking a seat next to the two. "yeah? i hope it's good," she muses with a hum, reaching over to grab the basket as she starts to unpack its contents.

"it's not a lot," she assures, although the vastness of containers in there seem to disagree. "what would you like to try first? there's so many so you can have a pick!" she starts to go off on a tangent about all the things she's packed, actively pointing out the containers that held them and making silly explanations in an attempt to make the child laugh. "and finally... this one," she holds up one particular container excitedly, "your daddy told me you like sweets, so i made you some cookies! i didn't know what flavor you liked best, but mine is white chocolate macadamia so i hope you'll like it as well."

@⁰³ jeno l. Jaemin hears the soft engine of the said car approaching, Jeno wasn’t lying when he said the car coming to fetch him was rather fanciful — almost a little /too/ fanciful if he must say. Jaemin stands in the spot almost a little too awkwardly as he waits for the car to come to a halt, it’s not the first time he’s seen or sat in one but to see it in the middle of their dormitory is another sight. He looks around, curious eyes staring in his direction and returns back a couple of awkward smiles. He understands why as he looks into the reflection of the tinted glass windows, he’s dressed only in comfortable black hoodie and jeans, far too under dress for whatever the junior has in plan for him (or not).

he raps against the window, corners of his lips upturn as he greets the chauffeur with a grin when its being wind down. “just give me a minute. i’ll be back down in a jiffy!” he doesn’t even wait for a reply before he’s scurrying back up the steps of the dorm’s staircases, back into his room to change into something more appropriate. he does a good flip of his closet, numerous pieces of clothes strewn into his bed. well, he’ll clean that mess up when he gets back. He settles with a simple white t-shirt and black slacks, a black blazer for the final touch. He stares into the mirror for a good minute just to make sure he has everything in place and that he looks good enough or at least he/wants/ to look perfect for Jeno. it makes him feel giddy and he knows it sounds silly but he feels like a high-schooler going for his first surprise date when all he really is going was to probably collect tiny since Jeno didn’t have time to bring him back personally.

Jaemin’s back down in no time and hurriedly gets into the car, he feels apologetic that his indecisiveness being the cause of the delay. when he gets in the boy’s eyes are wide with anticipation as he looks at the driver expectedly for at least an information on where he was going yet the only sound breaking the silence between them was the soft humming of the engine starting. um, did he get into the right car? surely, it was? he was already waiting in front of the dorm on the dot, like what Jeno told him to and it was a rather fancy car like he said. whatever it is, Jaemin drops a quick text to the other informing him that he’s safely boarded it.

The ride is seemingly long, jaemin spends most of his time looking out the window, he watches as the white scatter cloud in the intense blue sky, birds flying gaily from one tree to another, the flowers starting to bloom, dotting the landscape with pretty colours and it bring a smile to his face. Spring, his most favourite season of all. Belatedly, he realises that they’re not travelling in the direction of Jeno’s apartment, instead the car is already out of the city and into a very familiar neighbourhood, a place that he has spent most of his childhood in which he hasn’t visited since he moved, one that held the most beautiful memories to him and most importantly one that held everything of Jeno.

When the car comes to a halt, there’s a slight hesitation in jaemin before he steps out of the car, he doesn’t know what installed for him, a part of him anticipates it and another uneasy. but, It’s a surprise! he reminds himself. He takes a quick glance of his surrounding, gone were the familiar buildings he used to see every day, he can barely even pin-point their exact location. However, what he recognises not so far in the distance is the apple tree house Jeno and him used to frequent almost every day.

Without hesitation but slowly, Jaemin approaches in the direction of the treehouse. He isn’t too far now when his ears perk up to a tune that he’s so well acquainted with, one that he has played over and over, time after time, years after years, a melody etched deeply into this brain, into his heart. A melody that was solely jeno and his, one to call theirs.

His heart is soaring in his chest, a surge of emotion bubbling within him as his eye glistened with tears by the time he reaches the other. oh god, he didn’t want to cry, not in front of his lover as he daps the tiny drops with his sleeves, an inaudible chuckle leaving his lips as he watches Tiny look at him with much curiosity. Quietly, he slips next to Jeno on the white duet bench, fingers eager as he lays them on the black and white keys, sweeping across them with familiarity alongside the other in the same tune, just like before. Silently, he thinks to himself, perhaps, this was what it meant to feel complete. Just Jeno, him and now with tiny, underneath their little apple tree house like good old days.

@⁰¹ jaemin n. Perfect afternoon with the rebirth of spring.

Newborn cherry blossoms awaiting in its green cocoons for the fortnights to come forth to finally bloom. Winter began to sleep away its existence, ready to hibernate like its animals once did. They take shifts between work and slumber, but as the days go by, winter sleeps heavily, prolonged, and peacefully, while her animals escape from their burrows to embrace the regeneration of life. Winters harsh winds no longer cut into the flesh of knuckles and shackle knees—she gives a lighter bump, alike a gentle apology as she gifts the next season as repentance.

The birds fly north to return to their old homes as spring welcomes herself warmly, but Jeno drives down the lane of their old neighbourhood, settling himself under the Apple tree house they once played in with wide-cracked grins and full-hearted laughters.

The houses that once laid new and pristine in the surrounding area aged with its chipped paints, roofs, and rusted with auburn. The Apple tree house on the other hand, aged just as well, but as Jeno meticulously climbed up the remaining steps, the inside had looked nearly the same as what he remembered. The plain woods with an empty interior, but this time, there were missing planks on where they used to sit cross-legged or took their afternoon naps on summer days. On a few walls, he sees it being tainted to spray paint, markers, and scars. He nearly chokes at the coincidence when he sees a ‘J + J = heart’ drawn in one of the crevices, but not by them.

He remembers when he used rest his head on Jaemin’s lap, knees nearly brought to his chest as Jaemin thread his fingers in his hair. They sit in the tree chomping away at the apples as the kids below them ran around in circles, brimmed with giggles and occasional cries.

He smiles at the memory, but didn’t dare to attempt to climb back in—he would be a fool to. It would be a death wish for their memories if he tried.

“Tiny,” he calls out for the pup after falter back onto the soles of his feet. His dress shoes rustle against with the budding grass and the pup’s ears and fuzzy frame perk up in joy. Jeno eyes grin two crescent moons as he kneels carefully in his black suit, cupping the dog’s face in his palms like he held the world. “You miss him, don’t you?” The pup tilts his head, almost as if he failed to understand. Jeno stifles an airy laugh, hand drawling up to pat his head before standing back up with a soft sigh. “Makes the both of us.”

Jeno had sent off a text to Jaemin saying that he had gotten someone to pick him up, but what he hadn’t mentioned that the location of meeting was under the arms of their childhood memories. Besides this, he doesn’t mention the occasion or why the change of plans—but he waits till Jaemin comes to him under their special tree, where Jeno, Tiny, and a pretty white piano lay out of place.

Jeno sets himself on the pristine snow-white duet bench, brushing his finger tips across the keys with a shaky breath. The last time he had touched a piano was the last time he had seen Jaemin before he disappeared out of his life. It makes him nervous, especially when the same old instrument was one he learned with the Jaemin he once knew. Now they’re both grown, stepping on eggshells amongst themselves with taller boundaries, but with the passing weeks he’s spent with him, Jeno decides to walk closer to the direction he’s always feared.

He’ll learn to love Jaemin again, but this time, slowly and properly.

He shuts his eyes to intake a deep breath before allowing himself to play the tune he once played with his lover. Jeno waits till his lover comes by, inviting him into their abandoned avenue. The light breeze dances under the lazy afternoon sunbeams as the keys to The Girl Who Fell from the Sky swayed with it. Tiny stays quiet as his head lowers onto his palms with his eyes holding the universe now closed in tranquility.

@⁰³ sooyoung h. the brief eye contact was enough to have his face flushing, only able to offer a shy and sheepish grin in response to her little thanks. she was kind, so much kinder than many people he had met in his life and his heart was overflowing with gratitude. angels like her were rare in a world so seemingly cruel. knowing how much eunbi secretly yearned for a mother, he couldn't help but appreciate the fact that sooyoung would go out of her way to make his daughter smile.

"all for me?" he heard his daughter say, eyes wide like christmas had come early. "this is amazing! this is so much food!" she was beaming up at the older female as if she had fallen in love with the most amazing person in the world. quickly taking hold of sooyoung's hand, eunbi took a seat and carefully tugged her down despite her little bounce of excitement. "i wanna try it now! it looks so good!"

@⁰³ dohyun l. "oh?" the revelation came as a surprise, albeit not an unwelcome one, and she couldn't help but chuckle as she reached her hand up to pat eunbi's cheeks. "your dad thinks i'm pretty, eh?" she glances over at the male for a brief moment, murmuring a small thank you while stifling her laughter, before she turns back to the little girl in front of her. "my little eunbi is really pretty too! just like a princess," she cooed, pinching the child's cheeks gently before she stood up properly. upon hearing eunbi's excitement over the picnic basket, she couldn't help but chuckle once more as she nodded. "mhm, this unnie woke up really early today to make this for you. i made extras too, so you can take some home and pack it as lunch for a few days. it's all for you."

@⁰³ sooyoung h. a smile grew on his face as he saw sooyoung make her way over. the look of endearment only grew as eunbi's eyes widened, a happy flush tinting her cheeks as she stared at the female in front of her. "you're even prettier than my dad said you were!" his daughter's sudden outburst caught him off guard and he couldn't help but let out a soft 'eunbi!' in embarrassed protest.

before he could even clear his name, wanting to convince other that he wasn't a creep that blabbed on about girls and their looks, eunbi had already moved on. he had missed his timing.

"is this food?? for us??" he hadn't seen her so excited in a while and he couldn't help but chuckle.

@⁰² doyeon k. “yeah right? a loveless marriage would probably be the most unhappy thing to me. not that my love life was ever happy. but you know what I mean.” Jaemin nudged her lightly with his elbow, a little smile settling on his lips, releasing a small puff of cold air, watching it disperse into thin air. “dude, if you decide that you never wanna get married and if i’m single as , perhaps we can just move to the countryside and live in a small cottage together. I can cook.” he laughs. “you can do the dishes, because that’s all i won’t do.” he offers her a grimace look. “but i’ll do anything else for you.” a harmless wink is what jaemin gives the other girl before he gets on his feet, arms stretching out towards the sky, the moon is shining so brightly upon them tonight that jaemin smiles at it in return, his mood turning for the better. “we should get going soon though? I need to return the car back home and hop on the last bus or the cab back to the dorms.” he pouts. “Can’t wait to move out so i get to return back to my apartment and have tiny come back with me. poor doggo.”

@⁰⁴ jinsoul j. “i’m so sorry buddy, are you okay? are you hurt? do you need a checkup right now?” the words come tumbling out in minhyung’s main language; english. his canadian accident was prominent as he scans the baby shibie, checking every angle of sir gerald for even the slightest scratch. the dog remains happily wiggling in his owner’s arms but his eyes were fixated on the girl that approaches them. the lack of attention from gerald makes minhyung frown but it dawns upon him that they weren’t alone. “oh! i’m so sorry, i should’ve been more careful. and don’t worry i always carry a pet first aid kit in my bag. i’m a vet student myself, you see! so i can patch myself up too! i think.. i mean the bandages aren’t fitted for me but..” as usual, the young boy goes off tangent as he rambles on and on. gerald seems tired with his antics, going limp in his arms with an exhausted look on his face. “it’ll be fine! i just have to—“

when minhyung finally turns to look at the girl, he stops; stops speaking, breathing, existing even. even time seemed to have taken a pause and all he could see was the girl that stood before him. maybe he was wrong, maybe this wasn’t his actual first love. but those eyes, he could never forget those large orbs that young canadian boy mark lee thought held his entire world. the realisation was physically startling, sending him stumbling backwards a few steps. he ends up tripping on a rock, sending him crashing down onto his with a yelp, arms clutching onto gerald. “— ow.”

@⁰³ dohyun l. sooyoung did not feel like herself. gone with the wind was the junior consistently dressed in oversized hoodies and loose jeans and in her place was a young woman dressed in cami tucked under a midi skirt. in her hair was a bandana tied as a bow and in her hands was a picnic basket that honestly weighed more than she expected it to. but she knew how much first impressions mattered and could only hope the little girl she was excited to meet would reciprocate the affection sooyoung already had for her.

"dohyun!" she calls out to the familiar figure with a wave, her pace increasing just a tad bit as she made her way over to the two. "and you must be princess eunbi," she coos, placing the picnic basket down on the blanket before she squats down to meet the child's height. "my name is sooy, and i'm very excited to meet you!"

@⁰³ sooyoung h. "is she coming soon? is she?"

dohyun couldn't help but laugh at eunbi's constant questions. it had been exactly two and a half minutes since they had arrived at the park and she was already bubbling with excitement at meeting someone new. he wasn't sure where she got her outgoing personality from but he was beyond grateful for it.

"don't worry. i'm sure she's on her way," he said with a soft smile. pulling out his phone, he opened the juniors chat room and wondered if it was too early to message her about her whereabouts.

@⁰⁴ jisoo k. he heard the door open and watched as she didn't seem to notice him crouching in the dark. his lips spread tight as he tried to stifle his laughing, sneaking behind her as she locked the door and — BLAM! he jumped with the cans in his hoodie clinking against each other, yelling with a whisper, "BOO!" followed by laughter and a huge eating grin. just in case he traumatized her for life, he figured he should hurry with the white claw, pulling it out of his hoodie and handing it to her. "how you've been?"

@⁰³ minhyung l. it was peaceful until it wasn’t. next second she was staring up at the slow moving streaks across the sky, followed by the lightly swaying branches between the breeze, scanning if there were any buds of life, but the next moment, she was stumbling and falling back. it takes her a few steps as she attempts to regain her stance, “woahwoah—“ and thankfully, she succeeds with a few flails of her arms, unintentionally dropping her tote bag in the process before losing it under one of her shoes. “,” she curses to herself, narrowing her gaze at her surroundings in confusion but with a little frown when she feels the mellowed cushion under her soles, essentially ruining the few desserts. “my poor muffins,” it’s a soft whine as she holds up her bag to her chest, hugging it with a broken expression.

first, she glances in front where the bike faltered. time is going by too quick since she doesn’t have time to bite into her anger because the moment she attempts to part her lips to say something, the male’s zipping past her with no intent to turn back. she huffs while turning towards him, but perks up at the sound of a whimpering puppy and quickly, she’s scattering over with her bag slung over a shoulder. “um,” she starts off hesitantly, dirtied converses stopping slightly behind the male’s frame as she clutches on the brown strap hung over her shoulder. her brows furrow, reeling her lower lip between her teeth in concern, “is your... dog okay? I’m so sorry about that um—does your dog need to go to the vets? wait uh—are you okay? that was like... a really bad fall.”

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