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The sun shined brightly outside and there were no clouds anywhere in the sky. It was so hot the asphalt almost burned and people were wearing as less as they could, but it was still too much. Yugyeom wiped his own sweat from his temple. Another driblet of sweat run down his back and he felt uncomfortable. He couldn't discern the sweat that was flowing because his body tried to cool down from the one his anxious nerves were producing.
Youngjae threw him an unconcerned smile, a large shopping bag dangling carefully in his hand. Yugyeom would have taken his other hand, but his own were too sweaty and unpleasant. He didn't know how Youngjae could be so carefree, but then, it was probably not him who needed to fear for his life. A sigh escaped his mouth. It was just that he couldn't really understand why they needed to do this now. Or ever.
They've been together for just one week. They had held hands, they had cuddled, but there was really not much to their relationship currently that it needed to be reported to Jaebum. But Youngjae felt the need to tell him, and if it made Youngjae happy, Yugyeom would go through with it. He was sure Youngjae would prevent his murder. Or at least avenge it.
Youngjae took Yugyeom's sweaty hand for a moment and squeezed it encouragingly before they entered his and Jaebum's shared dorm. Jaebum looked up from the desk he was hunched over typing away on his laptop. His shoulders tensed as he saw that Youngjae had brought Yugyeom and was regarding him with a serious expression.
"Hyung, we need to talk." Youngjae said and Jaebum, staying in his chair, rolled from his desk towards the neatly made bed and motioned for them to sit on it. Yugyeom sat down warily a bit further from Youngjae when Jaebum crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at him. But then Youngjae huffed and pulled him close by the t-shirt. He took his hand in his (though it was even sweatier than before) and when Yugyeom looked up, Jaebum's eyes had softened, the malice gone even if there was still a trace of disapproval.
"Jaebum-hyung." Youngjae took a deep breath and Yugyeom could feel his hand shaking in his own. He himself was anxious and nervous, but Youngjae also wasn't as carefree as he had thought before.
"I know you always care for me and you know how much I like Yugyeom-" he blushed, "and- and- I wanted to let you know that Yugyeom and I... we are together now." He looked up worriedly at Jaebum who still hadn't said a word and sat still staring with his disapproving face at their intertwined hands. Yugyeom felt anxious and wanted to pull his hand off, but Youngjae tightened his grip on it.
"And now you want my approval?" Jaebum finally growled.
"No, I don’t need that." Youngjae sputtered and blushed when he realized what he had said. Yugyeom felt a proud flutter in his chest at Youngjae’s bold answer. "I just want you to know. You're important to me and I like you a lot. You're still my best friend but now Yugyeom is more important to me and-" Jaebum spluttered ungracefully at that, "I want you to accept that fact."
Jaebum was about to say something but Youngjae held up a finger and grabbed for the shopping bag.
"I know it's hard for you to let go- it's not going to be like I'm really gone, but- I got this for you so that you won't be lonely while I'm doing boyfriend stuff with Yugyeom." Yugyeom bristled at the wording and Jaebum's eyebrows pulled down even further in disapproval. But then, Youngjae pulled a bright blue box out of the bag and Yugyeom desperately stifled his snort. Jaebum looked surprised at what was obviously a pet carrier. A grey cat looked at him through the wire rack.
Youngjae sneezed a few times and smiled satisfied at Jaebum. "Her name is Nora." Jaebum looked back dumbfounded. Yugyeom wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or kiss his wonderful, precious boyfriend. What he did know was that Jaebum would kill him if he did either, so he did his best to hold it all in.
Jaebum seemed to get out of his reverie as the cat mewed and reluctantly took it out of the box.
"Thanks..." he said insecurely, “but why a cat?” He looked irritated, but petted the cat that had made itself comfortable on his lap. Youngjae sneezed again and laughed at the pretty picture. “You seemed like the cat type, hyung. And instead of taking care of me, you can take care of Nora now.” Jaebum ruffled her behind the ears and smiled a bit when she began to purr.
"Just so you know," he pointed at Youngjae, his face switched back to the ‘stoic’ type again, "just because I accept the fact that you are dating him, doesn't mean that I like it. And you!" He growled at Yugyeom. "I'll be watching you and if I see him ever crying because of you, you're a dead man, understood!"
Yugyeom gulped but firmly exclaimed "Yes!" It was a promise he was confident to give.
Still, it took until they left the room for Yugyeom to finally relax and release a relieved breath. Next to him, Youngjae too felt at ease that it was over and he smiled at him. "The cat was a good idea, wasn't it?" This time Yugyeom first laughed and couldn't resist to kiss him, he was too endearing. It was just a slight slide against his lips, but when he withdrew and saw the blush on Youngjae's cheeks and wide eyes, he realized what he did.
"Oh- I uh I'm sorry-" Yugyeom stumbled, his own blush gracing his cheeks. Youngjae giggled shyly. "You know, we're boyfriends now, so... this is stuff boyfriends do, isn't it?"
Youngjae looked up at him and Yugyeom realized how close they were standing.
"Can I do it again?" He whispered. Youngjae's gaze fell to his lips.
"Please." He breathed.
And then they kissed again.
(They parted when they heard steps and realized they were still standing in front of Jaebum’s door. Out of fear he could come out any moment, they ran away, along the hall and out of the danger zone.)
(Sometime later, Yugyeom stopped to say “You
do
know that pets are not allowed in the dorms, right?”
Youngjae’s eyes went wide and round as saucers.
“Apparently not, I see.”
“Oh no, do you think Jaebum-hyung will give her back?”
The answer came a few days later when they were studying together in Yugyeom's room. Or rather, they were sitting on the bed next to each other and cuddling (and sometimes kissing and sometimes giggling over trivial things). There were still books and papers strewn around them but now it was more like a disguise for anyone who would barge in. Which was Jinyoung doing just now. He stepped into the room and pointed at Youngjae. "Why!" He yelled before he took a step further towards the bed and grabbed Youngjae's cheeks, stretching them. "Why did you have to give him a cat??!" With a dramatic whine he threw himself on the bed, over the books and papers and the couple's legs. "Now it's always Nora here and Nora there! I have hundreds of photos of this cat on my phone because he can’t stop sending them to me. It's all he's talking about! I could be lying naked in his bed touching myself and he wouldn’t even look at me, no! ‘Jinyoung, look how cute she’s eating her milk~ aww~’" he imitated Jaebum’s voice in a mocking manner.
“Too much information!” Yugyeom groaned. (“I’m sorry, I know, right? Who would want to watch a cat eating? Eww~” Jinyoung retorted.)
Youngjae regarded him pitifully. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know it would have that effect, I just didn’t want him to be lonely.”
Jinyoung snorted.
The days after, Jinyoung threw Youngjae annoyed gazes, but one sleepy evening he admitted to Yugyeom that it was really difficult to hate the small, fluffy boy.
(Apparently Jaebum had managed to convince the guard that cat litter is really good to keep your clothes free of moths, which still didn’t explain why he bought so much of it. Anyway, he cared too much for Nora to care for that certain rule. Or, in his own words, “It is impossible for something as cute as Nora to be against the rules! Aww, look how cute she’s playing with those pants. Her nails really are sharp- are those mine?! JINYOUNG!!”))