Third Wheeling For Dummies | on hold

eighteen

"Open up, bitch!"

Yuta rolls his eyes and pulls the door open, only to find—surprise, surprise—a dripping wet Ten standing at the door. "Did you have to yell like that? My partner's...partner is home, too, you know."

"Yeah, well, I decided that knocking wasn't effective enough." The ravenet shrugs off his soggy jacket before stepping inside, then drops it on the hardwood floor. "And if by partner's partner you mean yourself—"

"No, it doesn't." Strawberry rolls his eyes again, except harder this time.

"Anyway, this isn't even your house." Ten frowns. "Whatever the fuck are you doing here?"

"Whatever the fuck, precisely."

"Funny." His eye twitches, and he shivers as a gust of cold air wooshes in when Yuta closes the door. "Doyoung is probably going to be pissed if I mess up his house."

"Probably."

"I thought we were supposed to meet at the recording studio, but thankfully one of you headasses remembered to text me." Voice laden with sarcasm, Ten makes his way up the stairs, Yuta in tow. "I waited outside for an hour. And I didn't have an umbrella. And the place was closed."

"I can see that," The taller says wearily, eyeing his soaked t-shirt with thinly veiled disgust. "You're tracking mud all over the place."

"It was on purpose, if you hadn't caught on yet."

Yuta shakes his head, but there's a small smile on his face. "I'm sure those three clean freaks are going to be thrilled to have you in the room."

He shrugs as they reach the door. "Three? I thought Taeil and Jungwoo were done with their verses."

"Oh, Jaehyun's boyfriend decided to tag along."

Ten freezes, his hand on the doorknob. The prospect of walking into an occupied room with clothes that probably stick to him like a second skin doesn't seem so appealing anymore.

"Oh," he says feebly. "So that was what you meant by partner's partner."

Yuta spreads his hands. "Well, to be honest, Taeyong isn't a bad singer, either."

Ten lifts his shoulders non-committally, and pushes the door open, expression bordering on fear. The three look up at his entry, Jaehyun's wide smile turning forced at the grime on his clothes.

Taeyong's eyes flicker to his chest—goddamnit, why do I have such beautiful collarbones—and flicker away, widening in alarm.

Doyoung's jaw hangs open in horror. "Bitch!"

"Nice to see your creativity hasn't abandoned you in times of dire need," Ten remarks dryly, closing the door behind Yuta and himself. "What are we doing today?"

"First of all, we're getting you cleaned up." Jaehyun speaks up, casting a worried look towards Doyoung, who looks about ready to explode. "Doyoung, you think your clothes would fit him?"

"He's too short for my clothes." Said boy narrows his eyes at him viciously. "He messed up my entire house!"

"Um," Yuta opens his mouth, looking extremely insecure about having done so a moment later. "Not the entire house."

Ten nods. "Although, if you want me to—"

"Yet," Doyoung snaps. "He needs to take off his wet clothes. After that, he can walk around the house naked, for all I care—"

The still mute Taeyong widens his eyes in unspoken horror.

"Hey, it's not his fault he got stuck in the rain," Jaehyun intervenes, his deep voice placating and calming in its trademark manner. "If anything, it was our fault we didn't tell him earlier that we weren't supposed to meet there."