too fragile for your love (too strong for your heart)

and i dedicate to you (my entire destiny) pt five

he finds heeseung conversing with lee minho, who's holding a bouquet of calla lilies and yellow jasmine, when he makes it back to his seat.

"-leave you to it, then," he hears minho say, as he draws closer. "wish me luck, will you?"

"just try not to insult him again," heeseung replies, dryly. "you don't need luck, hyung. you need social skills."

"fuck you," minho says, his voice a flat monotone. he nods at jake. "good evening, jake-ssi. your coven leader is one blunt fucker." with that, he disappears into the crowd, as fast as he appeared.

heeseung sighs, exasperation heavy in the gust of air that escapes his mouth. "i apologize for his language."

jake flops down next to him, grinning. "i'm australian, hyung. this is definitely not the worst i've heard. or said, myself."

"hmm," heeseung leans back in his seat, casually spreading his legs as if to get comfortable, and sends him a purposeful glance. jake's mouth goes dry. "you definitely weren't an innocent altar boy, were you, sim jaeyun?"

he coughs, trying not to stare at how heeseung's trousers look like they have been painted on to his thighs. "that- that depends on your definition of innocent, i guess."

heeseung hums. "you took a lot longer in the restrooms than i thought you would. did something hold you up?"

he fumbles a little, rubbing one of his hands over his knee. "no," he says, as steadily as he can. "i got caught up with the tissue dispenser a bit." he holds out his other hand, displaying a cute origami deer that he made on his way back to the auditorium. "here, i made this for you!"

the emcee on stage, announces the name of the next performer, but heeseung doesn't pay any attention, instead fixated on the paper art lying on jake's palm. he starts to wonder if he's offended the other man somehow, but then, heeseung reaches out, and deliberately picks up the origami deer.

"any particular reason?" he asks, handling the expertly folded piece of tissue paper, carefully.

jake looks down, feeling shy. "well... you seem like you like deer. i mean, you have that bambi paperweight in your office. and- and, you kind of remind me of a deer, probably because your eyes are shaped like one's."

"ni-ki gave me that one," heeseung says, as he gently slips the origami deer into his shirt's pocket. "thank you, jaeyun-ah. i love it."

"you're welcome," he murmurs. "it's just origami, though. and, that's not even good paper." he suddenly perks up, and turns to face heeseung. "tell you what, hyung. i can make you prettier ones, than that, if you want."

at that moment, the lights dim, and hanni, the new exchange student, begins to croon the beginning verse of sarah kang's once in a moon. he can't help but watch, entranced, as heeseung's face gets bathed in soft purples and pinks, and the corner of his lips pulls up into a delicate smile. "i'd like that very much."

***

after the event is over, they head backstage to meet up with some of the people they know, and get front row seats to minho messing up his carefully prepared speech, while seungmin's expression goes from blushing to stormy, the more the cat-eyed vampire speaks. chan has to intervene before it all goes sideways, and jake's pretty sure he hears some of the other vampires revising already existing bets, as he squeezes past two madly giggling girls, to greet felix.

it's almost ten when the lights begin to go off, one by one, and all the remaining stragglers are shepherded out. he grabs on to heeseung's sleeve as they are swept along in the rush, more in an excuse to stay close to him, than because of any actual fear that they might lose each other in the crowd.