To spend some time with their other friends, the group splits up. It seems fine for everyone but Haechan is a little disappointed that no one stays with him.
Haechan aimlessly walks around, constantly dodging people as he tries to find a place to relax.
He would've stayed at the couches but decided it was enough when the first couple started making out.
He looks for a quiet corner or something so he can just sit and be on his phone until one of his friends reappear.
"Haechan?"
"Huh?"
He launches himself at the male. "Taeil!"
"I missed you", Taeil says before kissing his cheek.
Haechan attacks his face with kisses, making him laugh. Haechan brings Taeil back into a hug, holding him the same way he holds his teddy bears.
"I missed you too."
"Why are you all alone? Aren't your best friends with you?"
"Jaemin is with Jungwoo and probably Ten, Mark is with Johnny and Jaehyun, and I know Chenle and Jisung are together."
"They just left you?"
"I said they could."
"Haechan!" Taeil whines. "Stop torturing yourself."
"It's fine. I didn't wanna stop them."
"Well, now you're stuck with me and I'm gonna drag you all over the place."
Haechan chuckles. "I'm fine with that."
"Good."
Haechan feels so much better now that he has a friend with him. And Haechan appreciates that Taeil knows his boundaries and what makes him uncomfortable so he avoids doing anything that Haechan won't be comfortable with.
"I wanna makeout with someone", Haechan mumbles after they've passed at least ten people kissing.
Taeil smirks. "Is Jaemin single?"
Haechan slaps his arm. "Taeil! I didn't even tell you I like him."
"Your mouth didn't but your face did." Haechan rolls his eyes. "So tell me, are you two still pretending you don't like each other?"
Haechans silence gets Taeil to squeal, making the younger laugh. "We might've had a conversation."
Taeil rolls his eyes. "Give me more than that."
"I'll think about it."
"Haechan!"
➳
When Jaemin realizes he hasn't seen Haechan in a while, panic creeps into him.
Jaemin
Have you seen Haechan?
Jisung❤️
Oh so I should panic, great
Jaemin
Jisung!
I thought he was staying with you
Jisung❤️
He practically told me and Lele to
get away from him!!!
Jaemin
Why did you guys listen???!!!!
Jisung❤️
Let's text him
From: Jisung❤️
Jisung❤️
Haechan, where the fuck are you?
Haechan🥰
He's busy
Jaemin
What the fuck do you mean by "he's
busy"?
Haechan🥰
Exactly what I just said
Don't worry, I'll watch your friend
"I'm gonna go kill someone", Jaemin tells Jungwoo before getting up and going in search of Haechan.
He ignores his phone vibrating with texts and he scans around, wondering why everyone is so tall.
He finds Jeno with his friend, Doyoung and some other guy he's never seen before.
"Jeno!" He calls.
Jeno grins. "Hey, Princess."
"Don't princess me, where's Haechan?"
"Wouldn't you know?"
"You're no fucking help."
"Calm down."
"I won't until I find Haechan and, or the asshole that fucking texted me and Jisung on his goddamn phone!"
Doyoung laughs, further enraging Jaemin, concerning Jeno and the guy with them.
"Do you know who Taeil is?"
"Is he here?"
"He's with Haechan. I saw them earlier. They looked like they were having fun."
"I'm gonna kill them."
"You have to have to find them first."
Jaemin glares but Doyoung keeps grinning.
"Let's go find Haechan", Jeno says, gently pushing Jaemin away from his friend so he doesn't get beat up.
➳
Haechan finds himself alone again after Taeil excuses himself to get a drink and talk to someone he knows. He offered for Haechan to come but the younger declined, not wanting to socialize with strangers, if possible.
Walking around, he finds a familiar dressed male. As he gets closer, he feels relieved to see that it's actually who he thinks it is.
"Mark!" Haechan exclaims happily when he spots him. As he goes to hug him, he looks over to greet Marks friend but the smile falls off his face when he sees who he's talking to. "Hi."
"Wha-?" Mark asks in confusion when he leaves. "What just happened?"
Taeyong sighs. "I gotta talk to him."
Taeyong runs in the direction Haechan went, looking around for someone Haechan would go to or someplace he'd be. He steps outside and walks around to the side and finds Haechan sitting on the sand between two large bushes.
"What do you want?"
"To apologize."
"You don't mean it, you just don't like me being upset at you. You do whatever you can to make it seem like we're on good terms and I don't know why you won't you just let me go."
"I never wanted to."
"You have a great way of showing it. Remember when you yelled at me?"
"I didn't mean it."
"Oh, I think you did. You don't say things you don't mean. You told me that."
"I didn't mean of what I said during that fight."
"And you definitely tried to prove that, right? Going to your other friends, hanging out with the people who made me feel insecure. You definitely acknowledged my presence when I was anywhere near you and your friends and you definitely said more to me than "I need to get past you" and "here's the answers". You fucking gave up and I didn't do anything to you. Or maybe I did and if I did, let that keep you away. I have two best friends who love me more than you ever have and three other people who also care. They actually put in effort and they've never ignored me or told me reasons why I'm hard to like."
"What the fuck?"
"Who the hell are you?" Jeno asks, glaring.
"He's just leaving", Mark answers, grabbing the back of Taeyongs shirt and dragging him away. When they're far enough, Mark harshly releases his shirt. "What the hell, Tae?"
"Let me explain."
"Go ahead."
➳
Even after Taeyong explains, Mark is still livid. He gives the male a stern look before getting up and going in search of his friends.
He finds them outside, sitting on the sidewalk. Chenle and Jisung have joined them and they're all doing their best to comfort Haechan.
"I can't stand him but please tell me you didn't punch him. "
"I didn't punch him. I had to get out of there or I would've. "
➳
"Taeyong!" Darci exclaims. "What the hell happened?"
"I know Haechan. I...I wasn't a good person to him", Taeyong admits, looking down at his lap while he fiddles with his fingers.
"Did you apologize?"
"I tried but he hates me and I deserve it."
Darci stares at his friend for a moment before looking at Ten and walking off to where Mark texted him they were.
"Hi", he says softly.
They all look up. "Hi."
"I didn't know he knew you. I'm sorry."
"Darci, it's not your fault and this is your party, you can have whoever you want here."
"I didn't want to make anybody upset."
"Stop that", Mark says to him. "You didn't do anything."
"You didn't", Em agrees, hugging Darci from behind and kissing his cheek.
After a few minutes of silence, Darci brings himself to ask. "Are you guys gonna leave?"
"We don't have to", Haechan tells his friends.
Jisung gives him a look. "Cookie..."
"It's okay. I'm angry but I don't want anything to get in the way of me enjoying myself or taking it away from you guys."
"You don't have to say", Darci says gently.
"I know. But I want to hear Taeyong apologize and hear whatever he has to say even if I'll still be mad at him after."
"We're all here for you. "
"Thank you. "
➳
Wanting to talk to Taeyong himself, Haechan lets Darci lead him to male while he leaves his friends in the kitchen.
An annoying feeling of sympathy hits Haechan when he finds Taeyong crying in Tens arms. He wants to be mad and he doesn't wanna care but he can't erase the fact that he used to.
"We can talk if you want."
Taeyong nods, sniffling. He pats Tens leg, signalling that it's alright for him to leave.
"Just shout if you need one of us, we won't be too far", Em tells them.
The two boys nod.
Neither speak, Haechan just awkwardly trying not to stare as Taeyong collects himself.
"I really am sorry", he says after a while. "I know I was a horrible person to you and I deserve to be punched and cussed at definitely don't deserve your forgiveness but I'm sorry."
"Taeyong, I hate your actions, not you."
"You should have me too."
"I see you've let the emotional side take over. This is new."
"I don't like the person I was in high school. Not if it made me treat a wonderful person horribly and drive my best friend away. I know I have never deserved you and might not ever will but I miss you. It's okay if you don't miss me too, I just wanna tell you that."
"I would miss you...", Haechan admits. "A lot. Part of me would always wanna talk to you but I can't be friends with that person I used to know. I'm more afraid and more cautious and still dealing with all those insecurities that developed before and after you. I wasn't lying, I have two best friends who treat me way better than you did and they help me a lot. But I've also realized that I'm still bothered by things that happened. Things I never got an explanation for."
"I honestly don't have one. You did nothing wrong. I was a jerk because I could be and I thought it was cool but then I realized that I was horrible. I've always wanted to apologize to you but I had a feeling you would want nothing to do with me so I never reached out but when I say you, I wanted to try. I will never not be sorry for how I treated you even if you don't believe that. I'm just so sorry."
Haechan nods. It's silent for a moment and then he sighs. "I don't like being worried that you're gonna appear or be involved in something like this. I don't know if we can ever be friends again but I want us to be civil."
"Okay."
"One question though, 'cause I am bored and nosy."
"Yes?"
"Actually two questions, depending on your answer. Did you stop playing with people's feelings?"
Taeyong chuckles. "Yes. I actually got karma. Someone did to me exactly what I did to others and I finally understand why people were so upset. Which I deserved."
"I wouldn't have chosen that...or maybe I would." Haechan laughs. "But I'm glad something finally knocked some sense into you."
"And someone."
Haechan raises an eyebrow. "You've met Doyoung and Yuta, right?"
Haechan gasps. "Both of them?"
Taeyong blushes. "It's not official but there's something between the three of us."
"If they knocked sense into you, I like them. And I'm okay with the idea of you being happy now."
Taeyong laughs. "I don't know why I wasn't more scared of you before."
"I wasn't really that scary", Haechan says, remembering how intimidating his ex-bestfriend was.
As if remembering the same thing, Taeyong winces. "I wasn't scary either. Just had very bad ideas and was good as persuading."
Haechan smirks. "Never worked on me, though."
"It almost did once."
"Yeah, once. After you tried, like, a hundred times."
"I'm sorry about that."
"You've already apologized."
"I'm still sorry."
"Everything good here?" Darci asks, looking between the two nervously.
"It's fine. Sorry to worry on your birthday. Or you know, close to it."
"Your feelings can't be helped."
Haechan nods and glances at Taeyong before standing up.
"I know where your friends are", Darci says and extends his hand.
Haechan takes it and follows him through the makeshift dancefloor to the backyard.
Jaemin and Jisung rush over and trap him a warm hug. When they pull away, Jisung hands on his face, worried eyed peering into his.
"Are you okay, Cookie?"
Haechan nods, repeating what he told Darci. "I'm fine."
"Fine?"
"We are still surrounded by a bunch of strangers and I've spent half of my time here without you guys."
"You told me-"
"I know but that doesn't mean I wasn't bored. And then Taeil went to be all social so I was alone again and then I found Mark and then...all this happened."
"Next time, I am not letting you convince me to leave you alone. I will force you to third-wheel."
"Jisung!" Haechan whines.
"That's final."
"Stop using the parent tone on me."
Jisung sighs before pulling Haechan into another hug, overcome with guilt that he's had a hard time today.
He kisses his forehead before he pulls away to tell him, "I love you too."
"I love you too."
"I love you guys too", Jaemin says, squirming his way under their arms and into the middle of their hug, making them laugh.
"Are they always that cute?" Darci asks Mark.
"I think so."
"They are", Chenle tells them.
"Are you guys hungry?" Em asks.
Haechans jaw drops in shock. "You have food?"
As they walk inside, they get stopped by Johnny, Jaehyun, and Taeil.
Taeil rushes over to Haechan and gently takes his face in his eyes as his eyes rake over him. "I heard what happened. Why didn't you tell me?"
"'Cause how could I? There's no way for it to go well, especially not with how angry I was before."
"You can tell me anything."
"Taeil", Haechan says, grabbing his shoulders and looking into his eyes. "I was not going to share toxicity and convince you to dislike your friend because I don't like the old version of him."
"Fine, I understand."
"Good."
"Where were you guys off to?" Johnny asks.
"Food."
Johnny grins at Haechan, startling the brunet and filling him with comfort. "Let's dance first."
➳
"Loosen up."
"I don't know you."
"Attitude won't scare me away either, I'm friends with Doyoung."
"Is he sassy?"
"He verbally rips your head off any chance he gets."
"I like him."
Johnny chuckles. He, then, holds out his hands which Haechan slowly places in his. Johnny begins to step to side-to-side guiding him.
"Um, why are we doing this?"
"Figured you'd want a warm up."
"For?" Haechan asks, worriedly.
"Don't worry, you should have fun and if you don't, you can just go to your friends. They're over there."
Haechan looks back to confirm that his friends are in sight. He flushes at the sight of the extra people who also trained on him and Johnny.
It takes a few minutes but as Johnny begins to loosen up, so does Haechan.
Even more minutes later, Haechan finds himself giggling as Johnny jumps along to the song, singing his heart out. He takes Haechans hand and twirls him.
"Ready for a dip?"
Haechan nods. Johnny twirls him again and then dips him, being sure to firmly hold his waist so he doesn't drop him.
They stop when Haechan gets tired and the two walk over to their friends.
"How was that?" Jaemin asks.
Haechan smiles at Johnny. "That was fun."
"That's what I'm here for", Johnny winks.
Chenle, Jaehyun, Darci, and Ten laugh when they see Marks expression.
Johnny holds his hands up in surrender, grinning as he makes suggestive expressions at Haechan. He even gives a flirtatious look to Mark, feeling even more amused when he sees Jeno's unamused expression.
"For real, can we eat now?"
I cannot wait for the chaos I have planned
I know I keep talking about it but I'm just so excited and so happy thinking about it
And the closer we get to the chaos, the closer we get to chaotic characters
No, but I seriously wish you knew what I was talking about so you could understand how genuinely happy I am at the thought of this and no, I will not shut up about it before or after it happens, thank you :)
I have my therapy and you have yours, LEAVE ME ALONE
I am also still in pain so if you're mean to me, you're heartless
Also can't wait to be uncomfy in school tomorrow and socially uncomfy in English class while I fail a Chem test later on, yayyyy🤗
I WUV YOU, SQUISHIES💙💚
Not proofread ('cause we don't do this shit when we're on the brink of death)❤️