Hello, Neighbor

Chapter Five.

Jeongin opens his eyes to see nobody in his bed, rolling over. His head is pounding, and He groans, reaching to his bedside table and grabbing hold of a pill bottle. He shakes it, listening to the pills rattle inside for a moment. He braces himself before He gets up. His legs feel like jelly, and his sight wavers.

God, why did I do this to myself?

He stumbles over to the doorway, peering down the hallway. He sees a figure walk into the living room, and He gulps. "Chris?" He calls, clenching his fist. He doesn't gain a response, so He rubs at his eyes, walking forward. "Chris, are you still here?" He turns the corner and gazes into his living room.

Chris sits on the couch, looking outside the window. He doesn't look at Jeongin; He gives him a mere side glance. "Good morning," He hums, "How did you sleep?"

"You stayed?" Jeongin strides forward, sitting beside him. He looks at him, giving a soft smile. He sets his hand on his knee, laying the pill bottle beside him. "Why didn't you go home?"

"I fell asleep before I even thought about that." The blond turns his head, glancing down at his hand before his gaze shoots up to his eyes.

He is lying. The second Jeongin had fallen asleep; He had gone through everything of his. Every drawer, cabinet, and even his closet. He didn't find anything out of the ordinary, though He has a better understanding of the layout of the younger's house now.

The older had taken various pictures of Jeongin as well, now tucked away in his phone.

The ravenette rubs his thumb against the other's kneecap, "I think..." He smiles, "I think you're a really nice guy. Thank you for helping me out last night..."

"Of course," Chris places his hand over the boy's, lifting it and kissing his knuckles, "I did the bare minimum." He hums against the ravenette's skin, feeling it burn against his cold lips. The contrast of temperature causes Jeongin to shiver. "Do you want me to get us some muffins?"

Jeongin's cheeks burst into a scarlet, "Are you cold?" He questions gently, shaking his head, "You must like muffins a lot." He chuckles, grinning widely. "I can make us something, don't worry."

The man shakes his head, "I'm not, no." He admits, darting his tongue out to lick the boy's skin, drawing a thin strip against a vein. He looks into the boy's eyes as He does this, staring into them with intent. "Are you sure?"

Chris enjoys teasing the boy in ways he's never been, and by Jeongin's reaction, He can tell the boy desires it. Jeongin squirms, his pupils dilating and mouth going dry. He licks over his lips, his mind in a jumbled mess. He can't think straight, letting out a shaky gasp.

"Hyung, stop it..." The words slip out of his mouth like a sin, croaking. He averts his eyes toward the doorway once He hears a knock, receding away from Chris. He gulps, getting up and walking toward the door, opening it. "Oh! Goodmorning-"

Jisung stands there with a frown. He glares at Jeongin, tapping his shoe against the ground. "Are you free now, Jeongin?"

"Uh," Jeongin looks over his shoulder at Chris, who gives an awkward smile. "Yeah." Jisung glances in that direction, immediately sighing.

"Jeongin, I got a job at the shelter," Jisung rubs at his eyes, shaking his head. He stares at Jeongin's blank face, scoffing. "What the fuck, Dude. Aren't you happy for me?"

The younger licks over his lips, raising his hands, "Hey, hey. Of course, I'm happy for you!" He swallows, "I'm just tired, Jisung. I'm happy for you."

Jisung purses his lips, "Why is it that every time I tell you something I'm happy about," He prods, "You act like such a bitch and don't even act like you care?" 

Jeongin looks back over his shoulder once more, gulping once he meets the other's eyes, "Jisung," He sighs, "I'm sorry that I seem like that." He nods, stretching toward him, "I really am."

The male covers his eyes, rubbing them harshly, "No, I'm sorry. I'm just annoyed with you, Jeongin." He admits softly, allowing the boy to caress his shoulder, "Last night, you were really rude to me for no reason."

In the background of their hearing, they pick up Chris murmuring something; though, they chose to ignore it.

"I don't..." Jeongin lifts an eyebrow, "I don't remember much of last night."

Jisung shrugs, "It's fine now, but why did you drink so much?" He asks, tilting his head, "You never do- You hate it."

"I felt like doing it," The ravenette sputters.

He looks at Jeongin for a while, examining his face. Jeongin is nearly flustered as if He is a child getting scolded by his parents. "I should get going," His eyes squint while He smiles, "I have work in an hour."

"Good luck, Hannie!" Jeongin calls after him, waving while closing the door. He turns back toward the living room, peeking inside. Chris sets his phone in his lap, glaring down at it. "Hyung, were you just on a call?"

Chris lifts his head, "Yeah," He grumbles, leaning his head back and looking up to the ceiling, "An old friend of mine just called."

Jeongin's nose twitches, walking toward him and sitting beside him, setting his chin on his shoulder. "Why are you so grumpy now?"

"I haven't talked to her in a few months," The blond breathes, cupping the boy's cheek. He closes his eyes, "I think I should leave soon."

Jeongin reaches for the remote on the coffee table and turns the television on, sinking. His heartbeat increases once the man positions his hand on his head, leading him down to his lap. He lays against his thigh, humming, "Stay until I get us stuff..." He whines softly, "Do you want cookies?"

"Cookies for breakfast?" Chris contradicts, making it sound as if he is disputing it until he chuckles. Ever since the night before, Jeongin has been seeing the man in a different light. He seems charming. "Fuck, yeah."

Jeongin turns off the television once more and rises to his feet, dancing to his kitchen. The blond, of course, follows after him, mimicking his wobbly moves with soft giggles, his eyes squinting. With Jeongin, He feels happy for a weird reason. He would do anything for him already. He would do anything to have him. 

The ravenette opens his fridge and bends down, grabbing a package of pre-made cookies. He quickly shuts the doors and goes over to a counter, setting the container on it. "They aren't homemade, but I mean they're still cookies-" He turns around to find the man's chest in his face, lifting his head to look at his face. "You're very close."

Chris is merely staring at Jeongin. The blond contemplates kissing him, kissing him until He can't breathe, and deflowering him right then and there; But decides against it as He doesn't have much time, reaching behind Jeongin and taking a cookie out. While parting the boy's lips with his thumb, He slides the cookie into his mouth. "I should get going," He mumbles beneath a groan, grabbing one out for himself. 

"Where are you going?"

The air grows a little tense. Well, for Jeongin, it does.

"I'm going to sort things out with my friend," He murmurs, biting onto the cookie. Crumbs smear across his mouth.

Jeongin lets off a soft hum while He takes the cookie out of his mouth, smiling, "All right." He jumps onto his tippy toes, wiping the man's mouth with his index finger. "Have fun, Hyung."

"I will," Chris returns to the same person He had been before. Dull. His voice is painfully bleak, and it sounds as if he is now forcing himself to speak to Jeongin.

The ravenette pulls away, lowering his gaze, "Okay." He murmurs, "I'll see you tomorrow?"

Chris walks toward the living room, looking back with a tender smile, "Sure, I'll stop over tomorrow morning and bring over something."

He sounded sincere.

But, He never ended up stopping over.

And, maybe He does this on purpose. He does love to play a little game.