Jaebum took one last glance around his apartment as he ran to answer the door, making sure enough snacks were set out and Jinyoung was ready for their incoming guests.
The two had spent the afternoon preparing for the little get together Jaebum had set up for the angel to hopefully form better relationships with the others and feel less alone on Earth.
Jaebum was answering a knock that came at his door while Jinyoung watched him open it from where he sat on the couch, revealing their first visitors.
"Hello! Jackson has arrived!" Jackson announced as he walked in.
"And Mark." Mark added, poking in behind him.
"Yugyeom should be here soon." Jaebum stated while closing the door behind the two who easily made themselves at home. "I invited Youngjae too."
Mark turned, raising a brow at the younger. "The security guard?"
"I love Youngjae!" Jackson squealed.
Jaebum chuckled, leading them to the living room where they'd set everything up. "Make yourselves comfortable. There's snacks on the table."
"I'm gonna play some music." Mark stated, immediately heading for Jaebum's speakers to plug in his phone.
Jackson went for the couch, his eyes locking on Jinyoung who quietly sat upon it. "Hey grumpy guy!"
Jinyoung frowned; he wasn't sure if he was intentionally being insulted or not."Don't you know my name?"
"I do, but I like grumpy guy better since it fits you." Jackson concluded.
Jinyoung scratched the back of his neck, his eyes darting over to Jaebum who leaned against the wall watching everyone. Jaebum made a silent gesture towards Jackson, his intent to encourage the angel to make conversation. Jinyoung was at times painfully awkward in such situations, while other times he could easily charm someone with just a few words. This was more important though, since Jaebum really wanted him to feel more comfortable living with him, and making friends was the first step to doing so.
Jinyoung cleared his throat, looking back at Jackson who was rummaging through the snacks on the table. He took in a breath before gently tapping the other's shoulder. "Hey um, I'm sorry that we first met pretty badly..."
Jackson looked over at him, brows raised in surprise before a smile grew on his lips. "Aw it's okay! I said we can start over. I'm Jackson!"
Jackson outstretched a hand towards him, the angel hesitantly taking it. He mustered a small smile as they shook hands. "I'm Jinyoung. Hopefully we can be friends."
Jackson grinned, pulling his hand away just so he could throw his arm over Jinyoung's shoulders. "Jaebum, you didn't tell me he could be adorable!"
Jaebum shrugged, a proud smile of approval on his own face as he watched the two finally get a little closer than they were before. "Yeah he's cute when he wants to be..."
"Like a chihuahua! Dangerous little devils sometimes and adorable angels other times." Jackson cooed as he ruffled Jinyoung's hair.
Jaebum chuckled at the familiar word 'angel'. He never paid much attention to how often the word was used in conversation until Jinyoung came along, now it seemed that everything in his life revolved around angels in some way or another. "He's been quite angelic lately, hopefully he continues to behave."
"Shut up Jaebum I'm not a kid." Jinyoung retorted through the grin on his own face.
Jaebum was about to respond when the front door was pounded on once again.
"Oh, there are the others." He said as he quickly went to open it.
Yugyeom was standing in the doorway, waving as he walked in. "Hey, I found a pizza guy and your security guard."
"Right I ordered pizza..." Jaebum remembered, pulling out his wallet to pay the guy while Yugyeom and Youngjae made their way into his apartment.
"Alright, that's everyone!" Jackson exclaimed once they all were gathered in the living room.
Jaebum shook his head as he set the pizza box down on the table along with the snacks. "No, BamBam's coming too."
Mark quickly turned away from setting up the speaker with a frown on his face. "What? Why?"
"He ruins the mood..." Yugyeom mumbled.
Jaebum shrugged, having hoped that the others wouldn't feel so opposed to his decision. "I dunno, I feel like he should be here too."
"He's gonna try and boss us around." Yugyeom whined with Mark nodding in agreement.
"He's only our boss in the workplace. If he gets too annoying then I'll kick him out." Jaebum stated. He wanted everyone that Jinyoung came into constant contact with to get to know him better, even including his boss. Coincidentally there was another knock at his door which could only belong to their missing attendee. "That should be him."
Jaebum answered the door, it indeed being BamBam who surprisingly agreed to come in the first place. "Hey BamBam, come on in."
"Hey guys." BamBam greeted as he entered the living room. There was a long moment of silence and awkward tension between them. "Well don't look so tense, we're here to hang out, aren't we?"
"Yeah..." Yugyeom mumbled, darting his eyes away.
"Then let's have fun, I brought some liquor." BamBam said with a smile, lifting up a bag that held two bottles of alcohol.
"Well now I'm liking BamBam a lot!" Jackson exclaimed.
BamBam chuckled, setting the bag down on the coffee table. "You all can relax, nothing that happens here will affect your jobs. I'm here as a friend right now, not your boss."
A heavy weight seemed to be taken off of everyone's shoulders, even the people who didn't work at the cafe. Jaebum knew it would be a good idea to invite BamBam despite his strict work ethic, since outside of their jobs, he wasn't all that bad.
Everyone had finally arrived and were gathered in the living room surrounding the coffee table either on the couch, floor, or chair.
"Everyone?" Jaebum called to gain their attention. He stood in front of them, clearing his throat before speaking. "Um, I just wanna let you guys know that the purpose of inviting you all here was to hopefully give Jinyoung a feeling of belonging. You know he's been living with me for a while and I think he's a bit homesick, he's been that way for weeks, actually. He can't return home right now, so I want this to be his second home with you guys' help."
Jackson clapped his hands together, accidentally starting a wave of applause. "Aw Jaebum, you're so sweet!"
"We can all be friends Jinyoung." Mark assured, leaning over to pat his shoulder.
Jinyoung smiled, his gaze drifting over to Jaebum who smiled back. Jaebum was more than glad to do this for Jinyoung, and he was ecstatic that the others were on board too. Jinyoung didn't have to say it aloud, but the joyful look on his face was enough to show how grateful he was for everything.
The group talked for a while and ate, laughing and catching up on things going on in their respective lives. It wasn't until the conversation slowly started dying down that Yugyeom suggested something.
"How about we play a game!"
"Okay, what game?" Jackson asked.
"Never have I ever!" Yugyeom offered.
BamBam nodded, agreeing with the choice. "Oh an icebreaker, cool."
"How do you play?" Jinyoung asked.
Yugyeom jaw dropped at the question. "You've never played? What is your childhood?"
"Basically you hold up ten fingers and put a finger down whenever someone says something you've done before." Jaebum explained. He then gestured for the others to put up their fingers to show Jinyoung how it worked. "For example, never have I ever owned a dog."
Only two fingers of the group's fell.
Jaebum gestured to the two, pointing at their nine fingers remaining. "See? BamBam and Youngjae put their fingers down because they've owned dogs before. The last person with fingers up wins."
Jinyoung rubbed his chin, nodding at the demonstration. "Oh I see."
"This will help us know you better, let's play." Youngjae stated, flashing a smile at him.
Everyone put up their ten fingers, starting a real game of Never Have I Ever.
"Okay everyone I'll go first!" Jackson claimed as he looked around at the others. "Never have I ever... worked at a cafe."
"Oh come on Jackson that was an easy blow." Yugyeom complained.
Jackson shrugged it off as the fingers fell. "I'm here to win, not to sympathize."
"Me next." Mark stated, quickly moving the game along. "Never have I ever worn dress shoes everyday."
"Oh coming for me Mark huh?" BamBam asked as he put a finger down.
"I wear a damn business suit everyday, I have to wear dress shoes." Jackson whined as he lost a finger as well.
"Never have I ever had a crush on someone in this room." Yugyeom chimed in, his eyes drifting over to the person seated across from him. "Jackson~"
"Shut up." Jackson grumbled, a light blush blooming across his cheeks as he put another finger down.
Jaebum almost mindlessly put a finger down as well, though he caught himself at the last second. He didn't have a crush on anyone as far as he knew. Except when the word 'crush' was thrown out there, he immediately glanced at Jinyoung, and was surprised to see the angel staring back at him. They both had quickly looked away, ignoring their briefly locked gazes. He felt his heart thump against his rib cage, but that didn't mean much of anything... did it?
"Oh Jinyoung?" Youngjae asked, the mention of the angel's name drawing Jaebum's attention.
Jaebum looked over at Jinyoung and noticed only nine of his fingers were still standing. He'd put his finger down for the previous question, which meant that someone in this room had caught his liking. Jaebum felt his heart throb in his chest again, though he quickly averted his eyes to prevent himself from staring too long. From that moment on he could only wonder: who out of the six of them does Jinyoung like?
"Oooh care to share?" Mark asked.
Jinyoung looked down at his lap, chewing on his bottom lip. "Um..."
"Don't be shy! I'm sure any of us would be flattered if you liked us." Yugyeom said with encouragement.
The room went quiet, everyone anticipating Jinyoung's response, even Jaebum who for some reason felt a bit anxious. All this time Jinyoung's been talking about how terrible humans were only to grow a crush on one, the least Jaebum wanted to know was who could change his mind so drastically.
"I-I'll tell my crush only if Jackson shares his." Jinyoung finally answered, looking over at Jackson who immediately shook his head,
"Let's just move on." Jackson quickly mumbled.
"Oh my god Jackson, just say it already." Yugyeom groaned.
Jackson ignored the maknae, continuously staring down at his lap. "I said let's move on."
"Okay, I'll ask a question." BamBam volunteered, to Jackson's relief changing the topic. "Never have I ever dated anyone in the past year."
Youngjae was the only one to put a finger down amongst the group.
"Ohh Youngjae, who's the lucky person?" Yugyeom asked, nudging the elder with his elbow.
"Not telling~. I'll ask a question though." Youngjae replied, briefly locking eyes with Jaebum as a smirk tugged at his lips. "Never have I ever... had someone new living in my apartment."
Jaebum drew out a long sigh as he slowly puts his finger down, shaking his head at Youngjae. "Seriously dude?"
"It was bound to be said at some point." Youngjae shrugged.
"I've got one!" Jackson suddenly yelled. He pointed at Jaebum, a large grin on his face. "Never have I ever had a crush on the person I'm living with."
Jaebum rolled his eyes despite the fact that he felt blood rushing to his face from the accusation. "Guys now you're just making assumptions."
"They're good assumptions though. Jinyoung put his finger down for having crush in this room, it's probably you." BamBam stated, only egging the group on more.
"That's what I've been trying to tell him, but he refuses to listen." Youngjae complained.
Jaebum waved away the ridiculous thought of Jinyoung liking him even just a little bit more than a friend. "No, I refuse to put words in Jinyoung's mouth. He's never said anything like that before."
"Oh, so you admit that you like him and you wanna know his answer?" Yugyeom asked.
Jaebum shook his head, overwhelmed by the bombarding of so many accusations. "What- no I didn't say that either..."
"Jinyoung who's your crush?" Youngjae asked again, now everyone invested in the two's relationship.
"I'm not telling." Jinyoung stated firmly.
"They're both in denial." Mark said with a disappointed sigh.
"No, we're just friends." Jaebum urged, looking over at Jinyoung who'd been quiet the entire time. "Right?"
"Right..." Jinyoung mumbled with his eyes focused on his lap.
Jaebum felt a bit of an awkward vibe coming from Jinyoung, he could tell that talking about crushes and stuff maybe wasn't his thing. They promptly moved on with the game to hopefully change the mood, soon enough everyone forgetting about it once Jackson pulled out one of the bottles of liquor and started mixing up drinks.
The night went on with everyone talking and having an enjoyable time, even Jinyoung who the gathering was mainly focused on. Jaebum was glad to see him smiling so much and enjoying time with the others, it seemed that throughout the night, the beginning of good bonds had been made.
It was hard to get ahold of Jinyoung by himself since now that he was opening up more, everyone was eager to get to know him. Jaebum found himself constantly watching him, making sure he was comfortable and okay every 5 minutes or so. Staring at Jinyoung became a habit, mostly since Jaebum hadn't gotten time to talk with him much during the night, so the only interaction he's had was from afar. Occasionally Jinyoung would notice him staring and would smile in his direction, which only made Jaebum want to quickly look away and hide behind something. But he was a grown man hosting a small gathering, not a teenager still figuring out his hormones.
Jaebum did end up making a move towards Jinyoung when Jackson had whipped up a fresh mix of drinks and everyone was occupied with getting their serving. He was able to snag one of the first cups poured and made his way over to Jinyoung who remained on the couch, obviously with no interest in alcohol. Jaebum seated himself next to the angel, offering the drink in his hand to him.
"Hey, want one?"
Jinyoung looked down into the cup, waving his hand at the offer. "Ah, n-no thanks."
Jaebum frowned, cocking his head to the side. "Come on, they don't have liquor in heaven?"
"They do, but I try not to partake too much in it..." Jinyoung confessed.
Jaebum smiled, lightly nudging Jinyoung's arm. "I'm sure you'll like it. Try it at least?"
"Okay." Jinyoung giggled out, somehow easily convinced to accept the cup and take a small sip. His brows raised as he allowed the substance to sit on his tongue, looking at the substance in the cup again. "Oh, it is good."
"See? There's more where that came from if you want." Jaebum stated, pointing at the pitcher of the drink Jackson had made that was quickly disappearing.
The night was then filled with jokes and drunken laughter, everyone growing a bit tipsy from the alcohol, but it only made things all the more fun. Everyone was laid back, even Jinyoung who surprisingly let loose quite a bit. Maybe he was finally comfortable to show his true self, since before that night, Jaebum had never seen him jump around and dance all giddily. It was really cute, he could only smile as Jinyoung's sillier side showed itself for the first time.
Or maybe it was the alcohol doing it, since by the time the other guys started leaving, Jinyoung was barely able to keep himself upright. His cup hadn't been empty since Jaebum gave him his first drink, so it wasn't all that surprising that he was a bit wasted.
It was around midnight when everyone decided it was time to go. Jaebum stood at the door waving goodbye to the last of the guys making their way out. "Get home safe guys! No driving, walk home!"
He watched them head to the stairwell until they were out of sight, making a mental note to call each of them in the morning to make sure they all made it home okay. He closed his front door and locked it, only to be pushed against it from behind as a pair of arms engulfed his waist.
"That was fun." Jinyoung mumbled against his shoulder, pushing his body weight onto Jaebum who was caught off guard by the sudden embrace.
"It was." Jaebum agreed while awkwardly turning around in Jinyoung's hold. The angel wasn't moving much since he was using Jaebum's body as a standing pillow, and it was easy to tell that his mind wasn't fully there. "You've have a lot to drink huh? I gave you only one drink though?"
"Mark gave me another... Then um... Jack gave me another, I think..." Jinyoung mumbled, having to work way too hard to remember the past few hours of his alcohol induced trance.
"Oh, you're drunk then." Jaebum concluded, gently pushing Jinyoung to stand on his own two feel so they could walk together.
"Obviously?" The other chuckled out.
"Alright, let's get you to bed." Jaebum wrapped his arms around Jinyoung, the angel slinging his head on his shoulder. The alcohol on his breath was strong and easy to smell. Jaebum had stopped his own liquor consumption at Jackson's second batch of mixed drink, though it was obvious that Jinyoung kept going after his first which put him in his current state. "Its weird to see a drunk angel y'know."
"We're more human-like than you'd think. It's disgusting." Jinyoung grumbled, almost tripping as they made their way into Jaebum's bedroom.
"Being human?" Jaebum asked while securing his arms around the other to make sure he got to the bed safely.
Jinyoung shook his head, groaning as he slumped down onto the mattress and laid back. "No, being drunk."
"It'll pass." Jaebum assured him. He helped Jinyoung pull off the sweater he was wearing, leaving him in a T-shirt. He thought about taking Jinyoung's pants too, but he felt a bit weird about it, so he left him to sleep in the sweatpants he was already wearing. Jaebum glanced at Jinyoung's dried lips, knowing that the angel most likely didn't clear his system with anything non-alcoholic the entire night. "Let me get you some water."
Jaebum hurried out of the room and returned with a tall glass of water, setting it on the nightstand by Jinyoung for his ease of access. Jinyoung was laying still, and Jaebum knew he'd drift off to sleep any moment now; he didn't want to disturb him while he needed rest. He quickly turned to leave, though was prevented from doing so by a tight pull on his wrist that kept him close to the bed.
Jinyoung suddenly sat up, tugging him slightly harder to come closer. "Jaebum you're so kind to me."
Jaebum blinked, sitting on the side of the bed where Jinyoung wanted him. The statement was so out of the blue, he didn't even know what to say. "Oh um, thanks."
"Like really kind to me, I dunno why cuz I'm like a dickhead lots of the time, but you're still really nice. I repect that." Jinyoung slurred, his speech a tell-tale sign of his drunkenness.
"Respect. You mean respect. Thanks." Jaebum chuckled, correcting Jinyoung's silly speech error. He felt his chest warm from the suddenly slew of compliments that had never left Jinyoung's mouth before. It was definitely the alcohol in him speaking, but either way it felt nice to be appreciated. "There's no point in being mean all the time. Gets tiring. I like you enough to treat you well."
Jinyoung nodded vigorously in agreement. "Jaebummie I like you too."
"Really? That's a first." Jaebum replied, a bit caught off guard by the sudden use of a nickname. He brushed the comment off as another drunken statement despite his heart fluttering from it, ignoring the grin that automatically showed itself on his face.
Jinyoung nodded again, leaning in closer towards Jaebum. "I really like you, do you like me too?"
Jaebum instinctively leaned away, his heart thumping when he felt Jinyoung's breath ghost along his lips. He knew Jinyoung wasn't thinking totally straight, and knew that he was drunk out of his mind, yet the words spilling out of him constantly left Jaebum surprised and flustered. His face was as red as Jinyoung's was for a different reason, and his response came out in between a shy fit of light giggles. "Sure Jinyoung, I like you."
"Yay!" Jinyoung threw his hands up in victory as if he scored a goal before he fell back against his pillow, covering his face with his arms. "Ugh, I'm sleepy."
"Then rest." Jaebum replied, tugging the covers over him to ensure he was warm.
Jinyoung reached up and tugged at Jaebum's sleeve when he stood up from the bed, an adorable pout on those pink lips. "I want you to lay with me."
"I will, I just need to clean up. Don't worry, I'll come back soon." Jaebum stated. He wasn't exactly thinking when leaned down and patted Jinyoung's head, he just sort of mindlessly did it, but didn't regret it at all when Jinyoung sighed in contentment from the touch. "Go to sleep, okay?"
"'Kay..." the angel trailed off, already lulling into slumber.
Jaebum watched his eyes drift close, the sound of his heart beating growing obnoxiously louder by the second. His hand that had been on Jinyoung's head ended up traveling down to his face, moving the soft strands of hair covering his forehead out of the way. Even in a deep drunken sleep Jinyoung was pretty; all Jaebum could do was admire him. His fingers trailed down the angel's cheek, cupping his soft face in his palm.
Jaebum hated the feeling he got in his stomach and chest, all warm and tingly like a bunch of butterflies were in there. He knew what that feeling was but refuse to acknowledge it; despite staring at Jinyoung for the better part of most days and sleeping with him every night, cuddling him and constantly thinking of how beautiful he was; Jaebum really didn't want to admit to the feeling he got from being around the angel.
How he felt towards Jinyoung showed itself in so many ways, yet he was purposely blind to it since from the beginning he thought him and Jinyoung would never grow this close. Surely Jinyoung didn't even feel the same anyway. He would've said something by now, wouldn't he?
Jaebum wasn't sure of anything, nor did he want to assume or make assumptions. He didn't want to take anything Jinyoung said while under the influence to heart despite a lot of it sounding like an outright confession; else it would be Jaebum's desires forcing something to exist that didn't. Nor did he want to take his own actions or feelings too seriously, since he wasn't even sure if he truly did think of Jinyoung as anything more than a friend.
It was definitely a challenge to ignore his noisy heart that refused to stop beating so damn hard. And just as Jaebum felt that maybe he'd been sitting there staring at Jinyoung for way too long, he was surprised by the additional hand that joined his on Jinyoung's cheek. The angel slid his hand over the back of Jaebum's hand and between his fingers, all the while nuzzling his face into Jaebum's palm. He let out another content sigh, finding comfort in their joined hands as he fell deeper into sleep.
Jaebum's mind shortwired for a moment, taking a while to register what had happened. He kept hearing the constant pounding of his heart in his head, which at that point, wouldn't stop anytime soon.
He still had to clean up the mess left in the living room, but just for a few more minutes he wanted to stay like that. In split seconds Jaebum's mind was changed. While feeling Jinyoung's warm hand over his and running his thumb over the angel's soft cheek, he knew from then on that he surely didn't think of Jinyoung as 'just a friend' anymore.
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(*idk if this chapter made sense, sorry about that!!*)