GLOW-UP

14 | saving water

"hey, moony, i've got a good one for you," johnny said as they trudged through the dark back to taeil's apartment block.

taeil sighed.

johnny smirked and then pretended to be someone else approaching him. "hey, i'm new in town-"

"no you're not," taeil frowned, "it's your third year in college."

"tae! stop ruining my pickup lines!" johnny practically screeched at him, hooking the smaller boy in a headlock from behind.

"get off me, you prick!" taeil protested through a strangled yelp. "rape! it's a rapist-!"

johnny clamped a hand over his mouth. "you can't say that! i'm not a rapist, everyone!"

a dead breeze sat silent in the empty street.

"no one's here to hear you," taeil scoffed, finally prising johnny's hands off his face. "hurry up and finish the pickup line then."

"okay," johnny said excitedly, getting ready to enact the pickup line again. he cleared his throat and got into character, approaching taeil with badly portrayed uncertainty. when was johnny ever uncertain about anything?

"hey," he said, "i'm new in town, could i have directions to your apartment?"

taeil grimaced. "ew, no."

johnny let out a loud laugh and looped an arm around taeil's shoulders. "well we're going there now. how about directions to your bedroom?"

taeil squirmed out of johnny's reach and gave his arm a punch. "you suck," he decided.

johnny grinned. "yeah, i do," he agreed.

he slung his arm back around taeil, keeping him within reach as they approached the apartment building, which loomed ahead of them in the darkness.

"are you really going to walk me to my door?" taeil complained.

"yeah, why are you pretending like you don't want it?" johnny questioned, raising an eyebrow as he peered down at the shorter of the two of them.

"it's embarrassing," taeil whined. "what am i - your weak unstable girlfriend or something?"

johnny took him very seriously by the shoulders and stared deep into his eyes. "yes," he nodded, "that's exactly what you are."

"you're so annoying," taeil grumbled, pushing him away and stalking ahead through the double doors into the building.

"that's why you love me!" johnny called teasingly. he followed taeil up to the second floor, quickly catching up on his long legs.

ignoring johnny's antics, taeil fumbled for his keys and tried to unlock his front door as quickly as possible. as much as he agreed he needed johnny's help, he'd been around the hyperactive giant for way longer than any normal human could deal with, and all he really wanted to do right then was go to bed.

taeil wondered if sicheng and yuta had gone to bed yet. but, then again, it wasn't that late.

"moony," johnny spoke up, smashing a palm against the doorframe and leaning a little too far into taeil's personal space, "give me those."

he snatched the keys from taeil's hands and swiftly unlocked the door himself. however, to both taeil's surprise and horror, he marched on into the apartment - without permission, and without any warning whatsoever.

"hey!" taeil objected, but in the few seconds it had taken him to react, johnny's ridiculously long legs had already taken him further into the apartment.