As soon as Jongin and Baekhyun had landed back in Korea, and made their way through the crowded airport to the waiting car outside, he turned his phone back off of airplane mode - multiple texts coming through all at once.
Taemin: I forgot
to tell you to let me
know as soon as
you all land.
Taemin: Miss you
already.
Taemin: Decided to
go to a music store
with the other guys.
A bunch of your alls
CDs were there.
Taemin: Jonginnie -
miss you.
Jongin: Just landed
and got out of the
airport.
Jongin: I miss you
too, Taem.
Jongin: How's your
day been? Besides
going to the music
store with the others.
Taemin: Well let's see
I'm now talking to you
so it's gotten better very
suddenly.
Jongin smiled at the response, leaning back against his seat as their manager drove them back to the EXO dorm.
Jongin: You're crazy,
but I like it.
Baekhyun shot him a look as he typed away on his phone. "You and Taemin are going to be sickening to be around aren't you?" He asked quietly, shaking his head. "Should have made sure to keep you two apart at least as long as we were all in a group together."
Jongin laughed, "Sorry Baek. I'll make sure we try to keep it as dialed down as possible in front of you all."
"Thank you."
Taemin: So this
probably isn't a
conversation to be
having over text.
Taemin: But what
do you consider us?
I know you were
saying you wanted to
take things slowly -
which I'm not
disagreeing with - but
then we've told all of
the guys, thanks to
Baekhyun for bringing
up the subject.
Taemin: So I guess I'm
just kind of stuck not
knowing what the hell
we are currently. And
don't take this as me
trying to rush you into
anything official - but
it kind of feels a little
official.
Jongin: Did you even
take a breath while
typing all of that?
Babe we are whatever
the hell we are - and
shit if I know what we
technically are right
now.
Jongin: I just know
that whatever we are
right now feels really
good.
Jongin: On the other
hand, we've really
rushed into
whatever we are now.
In the span of one trip
we went from not
talking to last night.
Taemin: Yeah, we
definitely rushed
into things once
again which you
were adamant
about not doing,
sorry about that.
Jongin: Don't apologize
maybe we shouldn't
have gone into every
thing as fast as we did,
but things have already
happened so it's not like
we could take it back at
this point - not that I
would want to take
anything back babe.
Jongin found himself trying to be overly reassuring that there was no way he would want to take anything that had already happened between them back. Because he didn't want to risk Taemin freaking out and thinking that maybe Jongin regretted any of what had transpired between them since they had gone to LA.
Even if things had gone progressed faster than Jongin had wanted them to or thought it should have - mostly because of how things had ended between them.
Taemin: So back to
the main question
what are we?
Jongin: We are two
people who greatly
care about each other
and have made some
pretty dumb decisions
but have each other to
fall back on no matter
how dumb of a mistake
we make.
Jongin: I think that
makes us a couple?
Or something that
strongly resembles a
couple? I've wanted
you back for so long,
Taemin. And if you
want me back then
dammit I'm yours -
completely yours.
Taemin: You're
definitely mine
then, Kim Jongin.
Jongin smiled, shoving his phone into his pocket as their car pulled up to the dorm and he and Baekhyun piled out of the car - walking inside.
He was pulled into a hug from Jung Ah as soon as he entered the dorm, Sehun smiling at him from a few feet away. "Nini!" Jung Ah said, smiling as she released him from the hug. "How was your trip to America? We watched your alls debut showcase, you guys did great."
"The trip was amazing."
Baekhyun let out a laugh as he walked past them. "Yeah ask him just how amazing it was."
"Ugh..." Jongin said, letting out a nervous laugh. "Like I said, the trip was amazing. It was also full of a few surprises."
"Like what?" Sehun asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Taemin and I may be some form of back together. I mean it's been kind of a fluid situation at the moment, but as of now we are considering ourselves as back together." Jongin said, nodding. "We were planning on taking things slowly - seeing how everything went and starting back as friends. But apparently being stuck in a house with your ex kind of moves things along quickly."
"Well damn." Sehun said, laughing. "You owe me some cash, Jung Ah. So does Yeol."
"Were you all really betting on what would happen while we were gone?"
"There may have been a small, friendly, competition." Jung Ah said, nodding.
Sehun shrugged, "So what? We were bored and saw an opportunity. Baekhyun's been providing us with updates the entirety of your alls trip."
Jongin let out a laugh, shaking his head. "You guys are unbelievable."
"Says the guy who he and his ex went from not really speaking to back together within a week." Sehun replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "Either way, I'm happy for you. Definitely considering that means you won't be moping around here anymore."
■
Jongin had headed to his room, wanting to get everything unpacked quickly before he crashed - leaving Sehun and Jung Ah to whatever it was they were planning on doing.
There was a knock on his door, leading Jongin to reply with a quick come in while he continued putting away his things.
"I'm heading out here in a minute and wanted to stop in and tell you bye." Jung Ah said smiling over at him. "I'm glad you and Taemin figured things out, you look happier. And I know that's got to be due to Taemin."
Jongin nodded, smile on his face. "It is."
"You two are good for each other. And I still say that I must have been blind to not notice it the last time you were dating, cause it was really obvious now that I think about it."
Jongin laughed, shaking his head as he sat back on his bed. "We tried keeping it as far under wraps as possible. Probably weren't as good as it as we thought we were, but we were scared that if we let it out to too many people we'd lose everything."
"Not too scared of that this time around?"
"I'm trying not to be. Honestly? Still a little scared, especially because I wasn't planning on us moving as fast as we did. But we did, so - I can't really let myself seem too scared about it."
Jung Ah nodded, "Trying to seem completely confident that everything is alright?"
"Yeah I am. Because he wouldn't even look at me for more than thirty seconds before we got to LA, and I finally got him to let me in. I'm not fucking that up again."
"Sehun told me that you didn't do anything to mess it up in the first place."
"I know, but still maybe if I had been more willing to be open about us - maybe things wouldn't have happened the way they did."
"Can't blame yourself for things that are out of your control, Nini."
■
Kibum: So were you
just not going to tell
me that you and
Taeminnie hooked up
while you were in LA
and are back together?
Jongin: Key, you're in
the army when was I
supposed to have told
you this?
Kibum: You could've
texted me. Or hell for
this you could have
called me.
Kibum: Are you
forgetting that I've
been rooting for you
two to get back together?
And that I've been
telling him for the
longest time to reach
out to you and talk
things out?
Jongin: Sorry I didn't
immediately text you.
I take it that Taem
either texted or
called you?
Kibum: Obviously
since you so
thoughtlessly left me
out of the news.
Kibum: I'm happy for
you two, really I am. I
just can't believe you
two moved as fast as
you did.
Kibum: Where's your
alls morals? I mean jeez.
Jongin: Like you're
one to speak about
morals, hyung.
Jongin: But for the
record, I was
planning on taking
things a little slower
than they ended up
going.
Kibum: Well I guess
that didn't go as
planned for you then
from what I've heard.
Kibum: No judgement
from me though. You're
both adults.
Kibum: So now that
you two are back together
and going on tour together
what's the plan?
Jongin: I don't know?
Figure out how to not
break up this time
around? That sounds
like a good starting
point to me.
Kibum: You guys aren't
going to break up again.
Circumstances are
completely different now.
Kibum: You both seem to
have a renewed appreciation
of each other now, Jongin.
Taemin really missed you
while you two weren't
together and not talking.
Jongin: I know but that
doesn't mean I'm still not
worried about that being
the outcome again.
Jongin: Hell I didn't even
do anything wrong the last
time and he still found a
reason to leave me.
Kibum: You really under
estimate Taemin's interest
in you, Jongin.
Kibum: Trust me - the boy
is in love with you, always
has been. He never stopped
loving you.
Jongin: I know. It's just
still kind of hard to not
think that maybe that'll
happen again and he'll
leave all over again.
Kibum: He won't.
Trust me, he won't.
We've talked about
you countless times,
more than you'd ever
guess - and I can tell you
he won't just leave you
again.
》》》》》》
Sorry it's a little bit of a filler
chapter