Got Me Spinnin’ ‘Round and ‘Round

[ablueblazer]

Title: Got Me Spinnin’ ‘Round and ‘Round
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 10,446
Summary: Chanyeol is a small town firefighter who has always dreamed of being a hero. When his chance finally comes though, he’s totally unprepared for what’s at stake.
Warning/s: fire situations, language


Park Chanyeol was twelve years old when the house down the street caught fire one winter night. He remembers the flames flickering into the dark sky, their orange color glittering off the snow that had piled up over the week, and the crackling and popping that sounded like the campfire he’d helped his dad build over the summer. While his sister had been terrified, he’d stared in awe as the house was completely consumed by the flames and smoke. The fire engines had roared by with their lights and sirens blaring and his eyes had grown wide as men in armor had jumped out of them. Heroes, he had thought, watching them run fearlessly into battle against the enemy, and he wanted more than anything to be them when he grew up.

“Come on, Babycakes. Don’t be like this.”

Fifteen years and training school later, Park Chanyeol feels nothing like a hero as he shimmies carefully across a tree branch, wincing as the bark scrapes his hands. Babycakes hisses and backs away from him, her tail puffed up and fur standing up on her back. Chanyeol doesn’t really understand why she acts this way every time he’s called in to pull her out of a tree (nor does he understand why she gets stuck in this particular tree so often, but he’s not allowed to question the authenticity of rescue calls). He holds his hand out and rubs his thumb across his fingers, trying to calm her down and coax her towards him. It takes another minute of her staring at him before she slowly starts to move closer, and when she’s within reaching distance he grabs the scruff of her neck and pulls her into his arm.

He hates cats. Dogs are so much better. They don’t even think about climbing trees.

Babycakes growls lowly like she’s a mind reader and bares her teeth and he nearly loses his grip on the ladder he’s climbing down. He grits his teeth and keeps the curses in his head as he steps off the final rung.

“Oh my god, I don’t know how to thank you!” Tiffany exclaims and instead of running for Babycakes, she attaches herself to Chanyeol’s arm, her hand running lightly up and down it. She’s one of nine women who regularly have cat troubles and after Yuri had grabbed his butt one day under the guise of helping him up the ladder, he and his friends at the station had dubbed them GG, or Grabby Grandmas. He had complained about the harassment to his fire chief, Minseok, but was told that keeping the caller happy was part of the job and he was there to serve and protect the public at whatever cost.

At whatever cost to his dignity and pride.

“It’s not a problem. Just doing my job.” Chanyeol smiles politely and tries to not sigh as she flutters her eyelashes at him. Even if she wasn’t older than his mother, he had zero interest in her advances, or any girl’s for that matter.

Babycakes chooses that moment to start purring in his arms and Chanyeol really, really hates cats. “Aww, see, you’re her favorite. I’m so glad I requested you to come save her.” Tiffany coos and lets go of Chanyeol’s arm to take her cat from him.

Chanyeol’s laugh is strained. “Yeah, we don’t usually get requests. You’re lucky I wasn’t on break.” He had been blissfully asleep in the back of the ambulance, in fact, when the dispatcher yanked him off the gurney because the radio calls were going unanswered. Kyungsoo had an iron grip and didn’t even care that Chanyeol’s head had hit the door on the way out, and Baekhyun had cackled at him from the front seat like the worst EMT ever.

He slides into the driver’s seat of the station’s rescue pickup after securing the ladder in the bed of the truck, and radios back to the station. “Station 13, 980 Magnolia is clear. 13-12. Heading back.”

“13-12, okay. Thank you.”

At least Kyungsoo was polite, he thinks and drums his hands against the steering wheel as he waits for a clear break in traffic to pull onto Main Street. Maybe if he had been assigned to a bigger city, even a mid-sized one, instead of staying in his home town then his day would consist of more than rescuing cats from trees, staying clear of wandering hands, and sleeping in Baekhyun’s ambulance. He’s been with the District 13 Station for three years now and the only fires he’s seen are controlled brush fires at the yearly exercises they’re required to put on. He wonders if the firefighters he’d seen all those years ago had experienced their first fire that night. Did they feel the same resignation Chanyeol felt every time he has to climb a tree or wash the stagnant fire engines every other Monday? Did they feel useless, like Chanyeol, when their friends sped off in their ambulances or police cars, rushing to a real emergency, to really help someone in need? Did they feel a thrill when their chance finally came around?

He sighs and pulls out into traffic, the static of the radio as his company.

“Hey, are there any napkins?” Chanyeol asks as he peers through the metal caging from the back seat of the police car.

Baekhyun plucks one out of Jongdae’s take out bag and passes it through one of the squares. “Here. Anything else?”

“Nope, I’m good.” Chanyeol quietly wipes the dribble of ketchup off the leather seat and settles back against the door, legs stretched out comfortably, one crossed over the other. Despite the weird looks he gets for happily jumping into the back seat of Jongdae’s patrol car when he brings lunch around, it’s incredibly convenient for his long legs. People like Baekhyun, Jongdae, Kyungsoo and Minseok wouldn’t understand the torture of knees banging into dashboards.

“So,” Baekhyun starts between bites. “Kyungsoo wants to go to the movies tonight. You guys in?”

“Kyungsoo wants to go to the movies with us tonight? Or Kyungsoo wants to go to a movie and wants us to go to the same movie but sit on the opposite side of the theater?” Jongdae asks.

“Does going to the movies include Post Movie Analysis Time or am I not allowed to do that anymore?” Chanyeol adds. “He can’t get mad at me if there’s no rules clearly outlined beforehand.”

“With us, and no, definitely no Analysis Time.”

Chanyeol pouts around a french fry. “Why do I always get a ‘no’ from you guys?”

“Because you’re lame and you only like things with lightsabers or wizard wands or big ass swords.” Jongdae grins at him from the rearview mirror.

“That’s not true. I think Kyungsoo’s weepy dramas are beautiful and your slasher films make me question our friendship but I still watch them with you.”

“And tell me that a wand would give the killer more torture options.”

The mobile radio sitting on the seat next to Chanyeol crackles to life suddenly, making them all jump. “13-12, please respond to 208 Delphine. Call came in about a cat in a tree.”

“Why are there so many fucking cats in this town?” Chanyeol moans and grabs the radio. “Station 13, I’m on lunch break. Can’t you send 13-11 instead?”

The radio is silent for barely a few seconds before Kyungsoo replies with, “No.”

Jongdae and Baekhyun don’t even attempt to muffle their snickers and Chanyeol keeps his curses to himself and grits his teeth. “Fine. 13-12. Heading out.”

“No.” The two in the front seat mimic Kyungsoo and continue laughing.

“I hate you all.”

“Go get ‘em, Hero.”

Chanyeol flips off Baekhyun as he climbs out of the car, choosing to leave his lunch trash in the back seat as punishment. They know he’s sensitive about the calls he has to go out on, but having grown up with them and built up his dream of being a firefighter just made him an easy target for their teasing. He’s glowering as he walks into the station and grabs the radio strap from his locker and the keys to the pickup off the wall. Someday he won’t be the youngest firefighter anymore, and these kinds of calls will go to someone else while he gets to respond to more important things like Minho and Henry get to. They make a simple car in a ditch operation sound a thousand times more exciting than climbing some trees and avoiding gropers.

When Chanyeol pulls up beside the residence, he’s surprised to find no one there waiting for him. Usually one of the ladies would be on the sidewalk watching for him and he’d get a chuckle out of the last second hair primping that would happen between him shutting off the pickup and stepping out of it. It’s quiet though as he gets the ladder out of the back and he looks at the numbers on the front door to be sure he has the right place. He’s never been called to this address before but GG’s cats, more often than not, pop up at random homes. It’s probably Seohyun again. She’s deceptive and thinks keeping space between them makes her more innocent than the others. Her eyes give her away though, when he can’t maintain eye contact with her for more than a few moments because her eyes keep roaming up and down.

He wishes he had grabbed a jacket on his way out. Keeping the public happy shouldn’t come at this steep of a price.

The numbers aligned vertically next to the mahogany door match the address he was given so he sighs and hoists the ladder up, carrying it into the backyard in search of the caller. “Hello?” His voice is timid, but carries, as he slowly turns the corner of the house. “Anybody here?”

“Oh, hi, you’re here!” Chanyeol jumps a little as someone bundled up in a black hoodie walks out from behind a large oak tree. Their arm flails a little in apology when Chanyeol has to grab onto the ladder to keep it from slipping out of his hold. “Sorry!”

“It’s okay.” He’s in the middle of standing the ladder up on its own when his brain catches up to the fact that it’s not a female voice apologizing to him and he stares in surprise at the boy standing in front of the tree. There’s a small bowl of what looks like cat food in one of his hands. “Um, did you call about a cat rescue?”

“I did. We just moved here the other month and Nami gets spooked by the new noises. I thought she’d come down on her own but she’s been up there for hours.” The boy looks upward into the tree.

“Nami?” Chanyeol’s stomach gives a little flutter of interest. “Like One Piece Nami?”

“Maybe.” The boy looks over at him, head tipped slightly as if judging his reaction before giving an answer. “Are you a fan of it?”

“I love it! Although, Boa Hancock is probably my favorite character.”

There’s a pleased smile on the other boy’s face that has Chanyeol relaxing against the ladder and grinning back. This could be one of the best calls he’s ever been on. “My cat’s an orange tabby so it couldn’t really be anyone but Nami. It didn’t help that I found my figurine in her bed a few days after I got her. Cat burglar stole the cat burglar.”

“Ouch. Hopefully that didn’t become a favorite toy.”

“Luckily not.”

Nami gives a mournful cry from the leaves above them and the way the boy’s face suddenly transforms into worry has Chanyeol moving the ladder quickly against the tree. “Will she bite or scratch if I get too close to her?” He asks as he gives the ladder a small shake to test its stability.

“I don’t think so.”

“Perfect.” Chanyeol gives him a smile for reassurance as he steps onto the bottom rung, then realizes he hasn’t even introduced himself and awkwardly holds his hand out. “Oh, um, I’m Chanyeol by the way.”

“Junmyeon.” The other boy gives his hand a hesitant shake, looking up at Chanyeol with a smile. The hoodie and the beam of September sunlight he’s standing in has his cheeks flushed a pretty pink and Chanyeol takes his time letting their handshake end. “Um, is there anything I should do? Should I hold the ladder steady?”

The cat, Chanyeol, the cat. Chanyeol clears his throat and grabs back onto the ladder. “No, it’s okay, just,” stay right there, “Keep calling for Nami. If she hears your voice then she won’t be as nervous seeing me.”

Nami is three branches up and Chanyeol doesn’t catch a glimpse of orange until he’s reached the end of the ladder and is stepping onto the second level of branches. As he steadies his feet and stands up on a thick branch, he grudgingly thinks maybe he is suited for climbing trees. The branch Nami’s on is chest high and he comfortably rests his arms on it. “Hey, Nami. What are you doing all the way up here?”

The muscles in the cat’s legs contract as if she’s about to move away from him, but then she hears Junmyeon’s voice and she settles for a tail swish and suspicious stare. “Nami, be good for Chanyeol! He’s going to bring you back down here to Daddy.”

Chanyeol doesn’t know whether to coo at Junmyeon for calling himself Nami’s Daddy, or at Nami for the small whine she gives in response. He holds out one of his hands and rubs his fingers together gently. “Come here, Nami. It’s okay.” It takes several moments before she starts moving towards him slowly, stopping and sitting down every few steps until he coaxes her to take a few more. He lets her smell his hand when she’s within reach and he smiles when she finally brushes her neck against his hand. “Good girl. See, it’s okay.” He rubs the top of her head and she arches up into it. “Let’s get you home to your Daddy.”

Nami meows in protest when he reaches an arm around her and holds her against his side but she doesn’t fight it, staying limp as he carefully steps back onto the ladder and moves down with one hand keeping them both steady. They have three rungs left to go when she sees Junmyeon and her demeanor towards Chanyeol suddenly changes in a hurry to get away from him and to the safety of Junmyeon. She growls and twists in his arm to free herself, claws out and sinking into his arm. “Ah!” Chanyeol cries from the sharp pain and she jumps down the second he loosens his grasp on her.

“Nami!” Junmyeon exclaims in shock and she veers away from him, running to the back door of the house and hiding behind a pot of flowers instead. “Oh my god, are you okay? I’m so sorry! I can’t believe she did that!” He grabs Chanyeol’s arm to inspect it as soon as he steps off the ladder.

“I’m okay. It’s not bad.” Chanyeol reassures him, despite his eyes widening a bit when he sees blood quickly pooling from a particularly deep gash. It’s going to sting like hell in a couple of days and Baekhyun probably won’t give him anything, saying it’s a battle scar and to deal with it the old fashioned way (doing a few shots at the bar later; Baekhyun and Jongdae teaming up to relegate a tale, full of inaccuracies, of Chanyeol’s bravery against a four legged foe).

“I have bandages. Let’s at least clean it and put an antibiotic on it to help.” Junmyeon doesn’t leave any room for arguing as he pulls Chanyeol with him to the door, hand not letting go of his arm. Nami zooms into the house ahead of them and Junmyeon pulls out a chair from the small kitchen table and makes Chanyeol sit down. He wets a washcloth in the sink and hands it to the firefighter. “Press that on it to stop the bleeding and I’ll run upstairs to get the rest of the stuff.”

“Okay.” Chanyeol dutifully presses it against his arm, wincing as it stings the scratches. It’s not the first time he’s come away more worse for the wear than the cat he’s rescued, but Junmyeon seems nice and the worry he has for his cat and now Chanyeol’s arm has a pleasant effect on him. An effect that leaves his skin still warm where Junmyeon’s hand had been, anticipating its return when he comes back to bandage it, and a comfortable smile on his face as he looks around the house. It’s bright and tidy with the sink clear of dishes and chicken thawing on the counter for dinner. The fridge has some photos on it and Chanyeol can’t help himself as he stands up and walks over curiously.

There’s Junmyeon in a sweater, sitting on the floor reading to a bunch of kids, and a few selfies with some other kids, their smiles wide. Another photo is of a classroom and Junmyeon standing in the middle of the kids with flowers. A couple of photos are of Junmyeon and some friends at the beach, one photo that must be with his parents and a brother, and several scenery shots that were probably from memorable trips. He laughs to himself as his fingers hover over a picture that must have been Junmyeon during the College Years, at a party with a red Solo cup in one hand, V sign in the other, drunkenly happy smile on his face and bleached blond hair on his head. It’s an odd contrast looking between that and the picture with the kids but it’s intriguing and has Chanyeol glancing around for more pieces of Junmyeon in the house.

There’s a coffee pot in one corner and a large mug with a Luffy wanted poster print sitting next to it and Chanyeol nearly drops the towel he’s holding against his arm as he rushes over to the figurines standing along the back of the counter. Nami (a few blemishes on her legs from being a chew toy) is posed next to Princess Leia, blaster aimed at not just Darth Vader but also Darth Revan and Chanyeol thinks Junmyeon might possibly be the best person he’s ever met. He can picture Junmyeon with early morning bed hair, drinking his cup of coffee and creating a story with his figurines to match whatever mood he wakes up in. He’s like an extremely miniature and watered down version of Superman, with no powers but super nerdy interests that he hides behind sweaters and hoodies and cordial smiles when he steps outside his house.

Chanyeol smiles at the image and then chokes as he looks above the coffee pot and sees the calendar on the wall. The calendar. The one he was forced to pose for when Minseok decided they needed to raise funds to buy Station 13 hoodies for everyone. He had finally agreed after being promised he could have November and sit in the sacred fire engine for the picture. For some reason the calendar was a hit in the community (Minho and Henry’s photos were less tasteful than his) and by the middle of January he had been on nine GG calls and autographed as many calendars. His cheeks burn a little though as he looks at his face on the wall of Junmyeon’s kitchen and wonders if Junmyeon is confused on the date, because it’s only September.

The added thought that it might not be a mistake has his stomach turning to jelly and he distracts himself from going any further by picking up Darth Revan and moving him over to stand next to Han Solo because they would make the greatest duo ever. The two of them skirting the boundaries of good and evil in the Millennium Falcon, or Ebon Hawk, and altering the future of the galaxy on whatever opportunities came their way. Light Side, Dark Side, lightsabers, blasters, everything on one ship.

“Are you playing with my figurines?”

Chanyeol jumps at Junmyeon’s voice and Revan’s lightsaber hits Han in the side. Betrayal. He looks over at Junmyeon, who has his arms crossed and is actually frowning unhappily, and Chanyeol panics, eyes glancing around for a way out of this. “Why is your calendar open to November?”

“I-“ Junmyeon’s eyes grow comically wide as he looks over at it.

The embarrassed flush on Junmyeon’s face is cute and has Chanyeol feeling like he has the upper hand. He rests an elbow on the counter and grins coyly. “It’s a good photo though, isn’t it?”

“That’s not… I didn’t-“ Junmyeon closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. “Yes, it’s a nice photo. I needed something to put on the wall and one of the other teachers gave it to me and most of the pictures weren’t something I wanted to see every morning.”

“You like seeing my face every morning?” Chanyeol’s grin is teasing. It’s fun seeing Junmyeon flustered.

Junmyeon glares at him and sits down at the table, patting the empty chair next to him. “I only have Hello Kitty bandages left and I’m no longer sorry about it.”

“That’s okay.” Chanyeol takes the towel off and holds his arm out.

It’s quiet as Junmyeon puts the antibiotic on the wound and dabs away at the excess. The bandages are in a tin can that has Hello Kitty wearing a surgical headlight with her trademark pink bow and Junmyeon explains as he pulls a pink one from it, “I teach second grade and at my old school there was a girl who loved Hello Kitty. She was really clumsy and always hurting herself so I had these in my desk.”

“You said earlier you’d just moved here, right? Why here? It kind of sucks here.”

Junmyeon laughs, sticking a bandage carefully on Chanyeol’s arm. “I took the first job opening I saw. Anything sucks less than having to see your ex with his new boyfriend every day. Apparently I was the fool who didn’t know just why he was the favorite teacher amongst the faculty.”

“Ouch.”

“Sorry! Is it on there too tight?”

Chanyeol grabs onto Junmyeon’s hand before it can pull the bandage off. “I mean ouch, that sucks.”

“Oh.” Junmyeon shrugs and gathers up the wrappers and dirtied towel. “It’s fine. We broke up almost a year ago and I have a new town, new school, new people now so it doesn’t matter anymore.”

“And a new face to look at every morning.” The comment earns him a glare and a finger pointing out the door, and as he sits in his truck radioing back to Kyungsoo, he finds himself hoping Nami escapes into a tree again soon. Even if it costs him a few more scratches.

Chanyeol walks into the station’s kitchen after returning from his evening break and finds Kyungsoo cutting up an apple at the sink.

“Hey, you just missed Junmyeon.”

“Junmyeon was here?” Chanyeol asks in surprise.

“Mmhmm.” Kyungsoo bites into one of the slices as he throws the core away and motions towards the table. “He left you something.”

There’s a container filled with cookies sitting on the edge and a folded piece of paper taped to the top that has his name on it, along with a plea for no one else to read it and a >.< emoji. Why hadn’t he waited another thirty minutes to take his break? He had been bored to death and went for a short walk and missed what probably would have been the most exciting thing to happen to him all day. Junmyeon was probably just getting off work and still wearing one of his teacher sweaters and Chanyeol didn’t get to see it.

Carefully, he pries the paper off and opens it up.

Dear Chanyeol,

Thank you for saving me the other day and I’m sorry that I hurt you. Are you okay?
Daddy said it was very bad of me to do that and to show how sorry I am, I am giving
you some cookies leftover from a birthday party in Daddy’s class. He thinks the
peanut butter ones are the best so you should try those first.

I am also thanking you in advance in case I get scared and find myself in a tree again.
Daddy said he will take away my Stormtrooper mouse if I use my claws on you again,
and it’s my favorite toy so I promise I will be nice to you next time.

Sincerely and repentant,
Nami

P.S.: I’m sorry if Daddy is kind of lame. He spends his days around eight year olds.

“What does it say?”

“Huh?” Chanyeol looks up from the letter at Kyungsoo.

“What does the letter say? You have a creepy look on your face.”

“What look?”

“That look you get when Jongin brings the German Shepherd puppies around for rescue training. Like you want to hug them and cuddle them but you know you shouldn’t.”

“I-“ Chanyeol starts to protest but makes the mistake of looking down at the piece of paper again and lets out a noise of despair. “But Kyungsoo, it’s so cute! What did he say when he left it? Did he seem happy or did it seem like he was obligated to do it? What was he wearing?”

Kyungsoo wrinkles his nose at him. “He just asked if you were around and told us what his cat did and wanted to know if your arm was alright.”

“Wait, us? Who else was here?”

There’s a smirk on Kyungsoo’s face and Chanyeol’s stomach sinks a little. “Baekhyun.”

“No!”

“Yes. Proclaimed himself as your best friend and offered to let Junmyeon know anything he wanted as he walked him back to his car.”

Chanyeol wrinkles the paper as his fists tighten and he quickly puts it onto the table, trying to smooth it back out.

“Relax. He wouldn’t do that to you. Junmyeon seems nice and it’s obvious he likes you.”

Chanyeol’s head pops up quickly with surprise. “He likes me?”

“You know he requested you when he called, right?”

“Wait, what?”

“Why do you think I said no?”

“I thought that was your default answer!” Chanyeol cries because that was something important and why did Kyungsoo not tell him? “You know for sure that he likes me?”

“The dude came by to see you and brought you cookies. GG flirts with you but have they ever come by the station to see you?”

“His station calendar was on my month but it’s only September.” That jelly feeling returns to his stomach as he thinks of Junmyeon’s flushed face when he’d pointed that out to him. “So these aren’t Apology Cookies, these are I Like You Cookies?”

Kyungsoo stares at him like it’s obvious and quickly turns to leave the kitchen when Chanyeol tears open the container of cookies while hugging the letter to his chest.

Fire Safety Day is something Chanyeol looks forward to every year.

He gets to visit the elementary school with Minseok, Henry and Baekhyun and teach the kids about what to do if they are ever in a fire. They always look up at him in awe, not because of his height, but because he’s a firefighter and it’s something that makes him feel really proud of his career. They’re separated by grades, with Chanyeol, Henry and Minseok splitting the first, second and third graders between them and teaching them safety tips appropriate for their level of understanding, while Baekhyun teaches the fourth graders CPR. Being the youngest at the station, Chanyeol is usually given the first graders, but this year is different. This year Junmyeon is with the second graders, and Chanyeol really, really wants to see him, see how much he can fluster Junmyeon and how often he’ll blush when he catches Chanyeol looking at him.

He begs Henry for nearly a week to switch with him and it’s only as they’re riding to the school that Henry finally relents and gives up the second graders. Minseok is unhappy with the arrangement and makes him promise to come get him if things start to go awry. It’s second graders though and he didn’t go through training school just to fail at the Stop, Drop and Roll rule, so he doesn’t understand why Minseok has so little faith in him.

They part at the secretary’s desk and he hesitates outside the room the second graders have gathered in to make sure his hair isn’t sticking up anywhere and there’s no lint on his shirt. Satisfied, he pulls open the door and steps in with a smile and a, “Hello.”

There’s about thirty kids in total and two teachers besides Junmyeon, who gives him a tiny wave as an older woman instructs the kids to gather on the floor and explains to them what they all will be doing for the next hour. It’s quiet when she makes her way to the back to sit next to Junmyeon and the other teacher, and the sudden attention has Chanyeol feeling a few nervous butterflies as he steps closer to the group.

Before he can open his mouth to introduce himself though, a little girl beats him to it. “I remember you. You were here last year.”

“Yes I was. Wendy, right? You were a little bit shorter back then.”

She giggles. “Where’s your helmet? You let me play with it before but it was too big and covered my whole head.”

“It’s back at the station. Since you’re older now, I’m going to teach you something different today.” He smiles at her and then looks around at the others. “Hi, I’m Chanyeol. I’m from the District 13 Fire Station and today I’m going to teach you a few things that will help keep you safe if you’re ever in a fire.”

A hand is raised from the back row and the boy looks between Chanyeol and Junmyeon for permission to speak. “Go ahead, Taeyong.” Junmyeon says, sounding so gentle that Chanyeol almost misses hearing the question.

“Have you ever been in a fire?”

He laughs nervously. “Well, yes, we had to put out fires in training school and each year the station does practice fires.” They’re super controlled and not even remotely scary and, damn, Chanyeol’s only been here a few minutes and is already lying to an eight year old. His palms feel sweaty. Taeyong nods his head though, like he only paid attention to the word yes, so Chanyeol clears his throat and continues, explaining to them the dangers of flames and smoke. “The most important rule to remember if your clothing or hair catches on fire is something we call Stop, Drop and Roll. The first thing you need to do is stop where you are. Don’t run, just stop moving.” He jumps a little and then freezes in place to demonstrate. “Next you-“

“You don’t look like you’re on fire.” Someone comments and several heads nod quickly. “You said fire is really hot and hurts you, so wouldn’t you be screaming if you were on fire?”

They stare at him expectantly and he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before shaking his arms violently. “Ah I’m on fire! It’s hot, it’s hot!” The kids dissolve into giggles and when he glances back at Junmyeon, the teacher has a hand covering his mouth and shoulders shaking a little, clearly enjoying Chanyeol’s misery. “First I’m going to stop moving, and then I’m going to drop onto the ground.” He originally was going to get down on his knees first before laying down, but they’re all watching eagerly so he decides to hell with it, and falls down backwards, making sure to at least land on his butt first so Baekhyun doesn’t have to treat him for a concussion. “Then I’m going to roll around so the flames will go out.” He rolls on his side a couple times and then goes back the other direction. The giggles have turned into laughter now and he stops moving with his face down in the carpet, taking a moment to wonder if Henry had to do this every year.

He turns and sits up with his legs crossed. “Do you think you guys can give it a try?”

“Yes!”

“Okay, everybody get up.” He stands up with them. “Alright, now when I tell you to go, you’re all going to pretend you’re on fire and when I tell you to stop, drop, and roll, I want you all to do it immediately, okay? Oh, be careful when you drop though. Don’t hit your head on the ground or hurt yourself. Ready? Okay, you’re all on fire!”

The room turns chaotic as the kids scatter around, shrieking and running and shaking their limbs. Chanyeol lets them release their energy for a few moments and his eyes catch Junmyeon as he scans the room. There’s a grin on his face and when he notices Chanyeol staring back at him, he lifts an arm and points at his hair. Confused, Chanyeol reaches up and feels the static left over from the carpet and his cheeks redden as he smoothes his hair back out. He quickly looks away and turns his attention back to the kids, calling out to stop and drop and laughing at their enthusiasm when they roll around the room.

The hour passes quickly after that, now that their energy is a little worn out, and he’s a little tired also when they move to the last activity and the kids are lined up to practice exiting the school in an emergency. Junmyeon hangs back with him as the other two teachers walk the kids out of the classroom and Chanyeol should be able to relax for a moment, but he’s hyper aware that there’s no one else in the room anymore. All of the words he’d been practicing for the last week escape him.

“I have to say, I was surprised to see you here today.” Junmyeon says as he leans against the teacher’s desk behind them.

“You were?”

“They said someone named Henry was going to be here so I thought you’d be at the station. Saving felines and all.”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol laughs and folds his arms nervously. “I usually go with the first graders but I kind of, maybe, wanted to see you and asked Henry to switch.”

“Really?”

“Well, the cookies were really good and the note was kind of adorable, so I wanted to say thank you.”

“Ah.” Junmyeon nods his head and the pleasantly surprised look he had on his face a moment ago is replaced with neutrality and a dash of disappointment. That encourages him.

“And I wanted to let you know that my shift ends at five tomorrow and if you happened to also be getting off work at that time and wanted to get dinner with me, that would be totally cool.”

Junmyeon looks over at him with wide eyes. “I… that would be great! I mean, dinner would be fun. I could use some new friends.”

There are muffled voices coming from the hallway and Chanyeol only has a few more seconds before the kids are back and the moment is lost, so he closes the space between them, squeezing Junmyeon’s hand as he leans in to whisper, “And just so you know, it’s a date. Not a dinner between friends.” He turns away smoothly, he hopes, and goes to meet the kids as they walk into the room, handing them the papers he had brought and making them promise to show their parents what they learned today.

“Will l see you again next year?” Wendy asks when he’s at the door to leave.

“Probably not, but you’ll see my chief and he’ll be a lot of fun. I promise.” He smiles at her and, before the door can shut behind him, looks back at Junmyeon still leaning against the desk unmoving, motioning with his hands I’ll drive here at five.

“How did it go?” Minseok asks when they meet up in front of the school.

“How did it go?” The kids love him and he got a date. He smiles. “Perfect.”

Its dark outside as Chanyeol’s car approaches the school for the third time, but unlike the other attempts, Junmyeon looks over from the passenger seat and gives him a small smile. “We should probably stop this time or else you’ll be dropping me off to work in the morning in these same clothes.”

Chanyeol laughs, a little ashamed at his unwillingness to end the date, and pulls into the parking lot, coming to a stop next to Junmyeon’s car. It had been hours since Chanyeol had picked him up for dinner, the easy conversation and the smiles he effortlessly pulled from Junmyeon led to coffee and then dessert and then driving around aimlessly to delay a goodbye. It’s silly, Chanyeol feels silly with the butterflies in his stomach making him light on his feet as he walks over to Junmyeon’s side of the car, opening the door for him. “You’re sure this time?”

“Yeah,” Junmyeon says and looks anything but sure as he bites his lip and makes no move towards his car. “I mean, both of us have to work tomorrow and it’s really getting late.”

“It is.”

“But one little walk around the school probably wouldn’t hurt. We’ve been sitting in the car for a while so we should stretch our legs.”

“A little walk?” Junmyeon nods, eyes shining with amusement under the parking lot’s lights, and Chanyeol grins as he slides his hand into Junmyeon’s and gives him a tug forward. “Okay, a little walk it is.”

The exterior lights around the school are kind of dim, but the bright moonlight makes it easy to walk through the soccer field and in the gravel of the playground. The lonely toys are calling out to him, so he lets go of Junmyeon’s hand and holds onto the monkey bars. They’re not designed for a twenty seven year old and even with his knees bent, they still brush across the gravel as he swings back and forth. “What was your favorite playground toy growing up?”

“Hmm.” Junmyeon looks around at everything thoughtfully. “I always liked the slides that had the big towers on top. We’d play pirates and make people walk the plank by sliding down, or some of us would defend the tower while others attacked it.”

“Pirate Captain Junmyeon defending his ship and crew.” Chanyeol laughs as he stands up and wipes his hands on his legs. “Ooh you have a spinning wheel! That’s my favorite! Get on!” He grabs Junmyeon’s hand in lieu of waiting for a response and makes the teacher get in one of the slots. “I was always really good at making it spin fast.”

“You sure about that?” Junmyeon asks as he watches Chanyeol bend nearly in half to get a grip on the children’s rails and struggle to get momentum going with his long legs.

“Shut up! I’ll show you!”

It takes him a moment to figure it out but he’s soon running around in circles, the wheel spinning faster and faster, and when he thinks it’s enough, he jumps into the slot beside Junmyeon’s. His knee bangs into the rail and it’s going to leave one hell of bruise tomorrow but it’s worth it to hear Junmyeon’s laughter. The spin only becomes dizzying once the wheel starts to slow down to a stop and they both laugh as they get off and lean into each other.

“I think we need another walk around the school to get our heads on straight.” Chanyeol says and Junmyeon giggles conspiratorially, giving him a wink as he pulls him over to the swings instead. One of them is a large wooden plank and Chanyeol sits on one side while Junmyeon sits next to him, facing the opposite direction. With Chanyeol’s hand gripping the chain near Junmyeon’s waist, and Junmyeon’s doing the same, they kick back and forth gently and alternate between looking out at the quiet playground and at each other.

“So what do you say we upgrade our next date to the arcade?” Chanyeol asks after they’ve been silent for a while.

“Depends. Will you give me all your coupons and let me pick out a prize?”

Chanyeol lets out a loud sigh. “If that’s what it takes. Just don’t pick out a stuffed animal and name it after me.”

“We’ll see.” Junmyeon’s grin has Chanyeol feeling like they’re swinging higher than they actually are.

“Where does this rank on your best dates list?”

“I don’t know.” Junmyeon sets his mouth in a firm line as he thinks. “It has the potential to be first.”

“What? It’s not already first? I even pushed you on the spinning wheel!”

“I said it had the potential! It’s all dependent on one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“If you’re going to kiss me or not.”

This throws Chanyeol for a loop and he forgets to push the swing backward when it’s his turn. Junmyeon’s staring at him with a confident gaze, like he can feel Chanyeol’s heart pounding through the chains he’s gripping tightly, and there’s really no question of or not. “I’m definitely going to kiss you.”

“Okay.”

The swing comes to a stop with nobody pushing it and they both meet in the middle with no hesitation, Chanyeol’s hand moving to Junmyeon’s waist and Junmyeon’s hand on the back of his neck as they kiss. Their teeth bang together in the haste to touch but they quickly meld to each other, moving soft and slow and gentle. Junmyeon sighs into his mouth and Chanyeol feels like they’re flying up among the stars. The air buzzes around him and makes him body hum from the vibrations, and he wants more and more of Junmyeon. He moves his hand as Junmyeon’s shirt slides up a bit and presses his fingertips into the skin beneath them. Junmyeon tries to shorten the space between them but the sudden shift in weight sends the swing off balance.

Chanyeol crashes backwards onto the earth, Junmyeon tumbling down with him. It takes a moment to catch his breath and by the time his head clears, Junmyeon is laughing and curling into him. “Sorry! I didn’t mean for that to happen.”

“You really like hurting me don’t you?” His elbow stings a little but he doesn’t bother looking at it, choosing to trace his hand lightly up and down Junmyeon’s back.

“Hey, you can’t put all the blame on me for Nami scratching you. And the spinning wheel was all you. I am sorry about this one though but, look, now I can kiss it and make it better.” Junmyeon kisses his cheek first, then brushes his lips. “All good now?” Chanyeol nods his head, placated, as Junmyeon smiles at him softly and runs his finger across Chanyeol’s jaw. “Speaking of Nami though…”

“No, don’t speak about Nami.” Chanyeol whines.

“Speaking of Nami,” Junmyeon begins again and gets up off the ground, extending a hand. “I should get back to her.”

“Okay.” Chanyeol reluctantly takes his hand and laces their fingers together as they walk back to the cars. “So, is tomorrow too soon to see you again? Or are you the type that likes your space?”

“Space? What space?” Junmyeon wraps his arms around Chanyeol’s waist and pulls him flush against him, grinning up at him. “Is lunch too soon to see you again?”

“Not at all!” It’s not soon enough in his opinion, but he keeps that to himself as he kisses Junmyeon one last time. “Same place?”

“Eleven?”

Chanyeol nods and has to let go. He waits until Junmyeon is getting into his car before doing the same, waving through the window as they turn in opposite directions.

“So you played on the toys and kissed him on the swing set?”

Chanyeol nods eagerly, arms tightening around the fire pole as he hugs it to his chest and sways to the left and right.

“God, he’s a five year old.” Baekhyun gestures towards the firefighter and Jongdae and Kyungsoo make faces at him. “You’re gross.”

Chanyeol sticks his tongue out at them without a care. He only has to put up with them for a few more minutes before he can clock out on lunch and go see someone far more interesting than his best friends. “I may be gross but at least I have a boyfriend~”

“That’s fine. The three of us won’t miss you a bit.” Baekhyun moves between the two others and throws his arms across their shoulders. Jongdae nods and returns the embrace and Kyungsoo shoves both of their arms off him. “We’ll think of you though when we mute your favorite movies and change all of the dialogue.”

“Do what you want.” If that was the trade-off for dinner dates and kissing, then so be it. As long as they left Lord of the Rings alone; that was holy ground. “Hey guys, I think I really like him.”

“No shit.” Kyungsoo snorts.

“I mean, a lot more past like and not quite to love but maybe in another week or two.”

“We get it.” Jongdae interrupts him from going any further. “You feel all gooey and happy.”

“Like you found the biggest slide on the playground and get to keep it all for yourself.” Baekhyun adds and Chanyeol glares at him for his choice of comparison, but doesn’t refute it because it’s sort of accurate. Junmyeon is definitely the best slide in any playground in the world.

He glances over at the clock on the wall and hurriedly lets go of the pole. “I have to go meet him for lunch. What should I bring him to eat? I don’t know what all he likes yet. Are sandwiches safe?”

“Sandwiches are a good idea.” Kyungsoo agrees.

“Okay, good.” Chanyeol gets to the doorway before stopping and turning back to them. “What about vegetables? And mayonnaise? Do I have them leave it off to be safe or should I at least do the basics?”

“I don’t know. Do the basics and he can pick them off if he doesn’t like them.”

“What if he really hates tomatoes and doesn’t like the juice they leave behind?”

“Oh my god, then don’t do tomatoes! Or better yet, just text him and ask what he wants!”

“Fine, geez. See you!” Chanyeol grins at them as Baekhyun consoles Kyungsoo with a pat on the shoulder, and waves as he runs out the door.

Chanyeol is sitting on the couch in the station’s lounge, replacing the pages of emergency contacts for the county’s districts in the binder with updated ones, when Baekhyun walks in and collapses over the back of the couch, arms dangling against the cushions. “I’m dying of boredom! I can’t make it the last half hour.”

“Unfortunately, I think you’ll live.”

Baekhyun kicks at the back of Chanyeol’s side of the couch. “I think Jongdae’s off at eight. Do you wanna go play some pool later?”

“Sorry, can’t.” Chanyeol looks up from the papers apologetically. “Junmyeon said he’d have a romantic dinner ready for me when I got off and we’ll probably watch a movie or something after.”

“Or something.” Baekhyun snorts and rolls his eyes when Chanyeol gives him an unamused look. “I get to be the best man at your playground wedding during recess, don’t I? You’ve been together a whole two months after all. I think there’s some dandelions growing next to the sidewalk I can go pick for your boutonniere.”

“Mm I don’t know. Jongdae promised me a bitchin’ bachelor’s party so I might have to go with him instead.” Chanyeol leans closer and stage whispers, “He’s bringing a geodome!”

Baekhyun snorts and shoves him away. “You win. But next time you have to play pool with us. Junmyeon can come too if he wants.”

“I promise we’ll be there. We can all-“

Chanyeol’s cut off by a siren blaring through the station’s intercom and they both freeze at the sound.

“Was that a…?” Baekhyun trails off in disbelief and both of the mobile radios come to life with static and Kyungsoo’s voice.

“Station 13, we need all available personnel to respond to a structural fire at 208 Delphine. Repeat, 208 Delphine for a structural fire.”

It takes a moment for the address to process. “Shit. Junmyeon.” The siren goes off again and Chanyeol’s heart is pounding so fast as he grabs his radio and runs from the lounge.

Minseok is standing at the lockers radioing back to Kyungsoo and Chanyeol wastes no time in opening his locker and jumping into his protective gear. His hands fumble getting into the sleeves of his coat and he curses to himself. When he finally gets them through he grabs the rest of his things and joins the others gathered around the chief. Minseok relays instructions to them and Chanyeol tries to pay attention but it’s so hard because Kyungsoo didn’t say if anyone was in the house still and what if Junmyeon’s in trouble or what if Nami’s in trouble and Chanyeol can’t reach her as easily as he can in a tree.

“Are you sure you can do this?” He jumps as Minseok claps a hand on his shoulder and he sees everyone scattering towards the engines. “I need you to be calm and not panic or do anything stupid.”

“I’m okay. I can do it.”

Minseok looks unsure but nods towards the Engine Number One. Chanyeol hops into the back next to Minho as Minseok gets into the driver’s seat and radios that they’re heading out.

The lights are flickering off the buildings and the sirens are screaming into the night as they speed through the streets, and it’s everything twelve year old Chanyeol had dreamed of, except he sees and hears none of it. It’s taking too long to get there and the noises aren’t loud enough for Junmyeon to know he’s on his way. The radio is filled with various status reports as the police arrive on the scene but it’s hard to hear over the sirens and wind roaring by. What little he can catch doesn’t mention Junmyeon or Nami or anything useful to him.

When they finally turn onto Delphine, the smoke can be seen from all the way down the block, the orange hue of flames visible the closer they get and Chanyeol feels his stomach dropping. This isn’t happening, this isn’t happening, he thinks over and over as they come to a stop and he gets a good look at the chaos they’re walking into. They all pour out from the engine and start undoing the hoses while Minseok gets the latest from the police officers.

“Okay, listen up!” Minseok calls out when he rejoins them. “I need three people to check the perimeter while the rest prepare the hoses. Homeowner is unaccounted for so Minho and Henry are on rescue.”

There’s a flurry of movement as everyone breaks to their tasks and Chanyeol grabs Minseok’s arm before he can go anywhere. “You have to let me go with Minho and Henry. Please!”

“Absolutely not.”

“You have to! They’ll be going in there blind and I’m the only one who knows the layout of the house. You’ll be wasting time if you don’t let me go in.”

Minseok curses and holds his arms over his head, eyes squeezed shut as he thinks quickly. “Okay, go with Minho but you two stick together.”

“Yes, sir!” Chanyeol runs back to the engine where Minho and Henry are getting their masks and air cylinders ready. “Chief said I’m going in with Minho instead.”

“I’m in charge so stay behind me.” Minho says and Chanyeol nods obediently before putting the mask over his face and making sure the air cylinder backpack is secure.

The two of them get a nod of approval from Minseok and approach the front door cautiously, with Minho testing the handle before looking back at Chanyeol with a nod. It’s hard to see much in the living room with the smoke billowing around, leaving distorted shapes all around and their flashlights only letting them see so far in front of them as they crouch low. Chanyeol’s heart is racing as he swipes his arms in large arcs to try to feel around for where they are. If Junmyeon was in the living room then he shouldn’t have had problems getting outside with the door so close, and he wouldn’t have any reason to have stayed in the house unless it was for Nami, so Chanyeol taps Minho’s back and points in the direction of the stairs.

It gets hotter the further into the house they go and just near the base of the stairs Chanyeol’s hand runs into an arm. His breath is stuck in his throat as he shines a light to the side and sees Junmyeon. The other boy has the collar of his shirt pulled over his nose and he immediately grabs onto Chanyeol’s hand when he notices he’s there. He points down at his leg and Chanyeol understands without words that he’s hurt and can’t walk. Chanyeol gets Minho’s attention and takes a deep breath before taking his mask off and putting it on Junmyeon, then lifting him up in his arms. The additional weight has him gritting his teeth but he wills his arms and legs to bear with it. He follows closely behind Minho as they retrace their steps quickly out of the house.

Chanyeol gasps for air when they reach the lawn and falls to his knees, putting Junmyeon down on the grass. “Are you okay?” His hands are shaking as they pat Junmyeon’s hair, his arms, everything to make sure he’s safe and okay.

Junmyeon nods but then changes his mind and shakes his head and fumbles trying to pull the mask off. “Nami!”

It’s muffled but Chanyeol can make out the word. “I’ll look for her but you have to go with Baekhyun right now, okay?” He looks up as the EMT approaches, along with Minseok. “He says he hurt his leg.” He tells Baekhyun and helps him get Junmyeon up, letting go when Baekhyun has a hold of him.

“Are you okay? Do you need to go with them or anything?” Minseok asks him.

“I’m fine. Can you have everyone be on the lookout for an orange tabby though? I don’t know if she’s inside or outside.”

Minseok nods and relays it into the radio as Chanyeol wipes the sweat off his forehead and watches as the flames start coming out of a window on the second floor. The hoses turn on and the air turns gray with smoke and it looks a thousand times more terrifying up close than it had when he’d been twelve, watching from afar. He shudders and looks away.

There’s a nudge to his shoulder and Minseok motions towards the backyard. One of the other firefighters is walking towards them with a bundle of orange in his arms and Chanyeol feels tears well up in his eyes as he takes Nami from him. She starts meowing noisily at him, as if trying to communicate, and he shushes her and holds her tight. “It’s okay. Your Daddy’s okay. He’s going to be so happy to see you.”

Minseok gives him permission to head out in the ambulance with Baekhyun and he rejoins them as the EMT is finishing wrapping up Junmyeon’s knee. Probably a bad sprain, he’s told, as he climbs into the back and deposits Nami into Junmyeon’s lap. The sight of the cat has Junmyeon shaking with relief and he smiles gratefully when Chanyeol takes his hand and holds onto it tightly.

He tries to not think of the what if’s as he’s sitting in a chair in the waiting room at the hospital while Junmyeon gets checked out, head back against the wall and eyes closed as he rests for a moment. There are so many things that could have gone wrong and he feels so, so lucky that everything went right. They made it in time, found Junmyeon in time, and everything’s okay. He wipes away a runaway tear and goes into the bathroom before more can fall. The face staring back at him in the mirror has patches of ash on it and the cold water feels soothing when he splashes it on his face, clearing it all away.

The doctor is out there when he returns and takes him back to where Junmyeon is resting. He looks much better than when Chanyeol had left him and he sits down on the bed next to him when Junmyeon scoots over. They’re quiet as Chanyeol threads their fingers together, thumb idly brushing back and forth over Junmyeon’s hand. Nami looks at them from a carrier the nurses had found and lays her head back down to get some sleep.

“You doing okay?” There’s a nod and a head falling against his shoulder and Chanyeol closes his eyes as he rests his cheek against Junmyeon’s hair, feeling drained and weary and relieved to have the other boy in his arms again all at once. “Are they going to keep you here overnight?”

Junmyeon reaches over to grab a pad of paper and a pen.

Just for a few hours. They told me to not talk much.

“So what happened?”

Junmyeon winces and hesitates for a moment before writing.

Wanted it to be a candlelight dinner.
Nami knocked over the candles.
Called the station.
Couldn’t find Nami.
Fell down the stairs.
Saved by a handsome firefighter.

Chanyeol laughs tiredly and kisses the back of his hand. “At least you were on the ground under the smoke. We’ll have to talk about the rest later.”

Sorry…

“It’s okay. You’re safe. That’s all that matters right now. And candles are no longer allowed in our home at all.”

Junmyeon tips his head up with surprise. “Our home?” He starts coughing and Chanyeol has to pat his back until it subsides.

“Unless you want to sleep in your driveway in the cold, then my home is now your home also.”

Junmyeon scribbles something onto the pad and flips it over to reveal a large heart, taking up nearly the entire page, and a love you written above it.

“I love you too.” Junmyeon smiles and wraps his arms around Chanyeol, and the firefighter feels a lump in his throat as he holds him tightly. “Just don’t ever scare me like that again, please.” He feels the other nod and he pushes the shaky feelings in his stomach away because it’s okay.

It’s all okay.

Orange paws kneading into his back is Chanyeol’s least favorite way to wake up in the mornings, but, to his dismay, it’s quickly becoming routine now that Junmyeon and Nami have been living with him for a while. “Go away, Nami.” He tries to swipe a hand behind him but she’s one step ahead and jumps onto his hip, claws going through the fabric of his pajama pants as she maintains balance. “Goddammit.” He hisses into the pillow and sits up with a scowl.

He hates cats.

“You and I need to have some boundaries, you hear me?”

She blinks at him before jumping down and running out the door, and he can hear the bell on her collar tinkering all the way into the living room. He rubs the sleep from his eyes and looks over to the other side of the bed. It’s empty and all of the sheets are bunched up under Chanyeol, which means Junmyeon’s been awake for a while already. It’s six-thirty, according to the clock, and Chanyeol yawns tiredly as he walks out of the room. Junmyeon left the light on in the kitchen and the coffee pot still running so Chanyeol can take his time waking up as he pours coffee into the Boa Hancock mug they had picked up on one of the many shopping trips they’d gone on to replace Junmyeon’s things.

After putting the coffee pot back, he surveys the new figurines to see what Junmyeon has left him to work with this morning. Darth Vader’s hand is held out towards Darth Revan in mid-Force Choke and Chanyeol scoffs. He drums his fingers on the counter and tries to decide whether he should completely redo this storyline or give in and let Junmyeon win for the day. Vader is grossly outmatched, but Junmyeon left the coffee pot on for him instead of letting it go cold and is in somewhat of a feisty mood. That usually means good things for Chanyeol later on. He groans in defeat and places Leia and her blaster next to Vader, while Han goes next to Revan and Chanyeol even poses his scoundrel hands in the air for extra points.

He picks up his mug and wanders into the living room while sipping his coffee. Junmyeon is sitting on the couch with papers sprawled on the table, making marks and comments here and there in red pen, but he looks up with a smile when Chanyeol sits next to him. “Morning.”

“Morning.” Chanyeol sets his coffee down next to Junmyeon’s Luffy mug and leans over for a kiss, drawing it out a little longer since he feels deserving. “You need to have a talk with your daughter about waking me up too early on my days off.”

“Maybe she was doing exactly what I asked her to do.”

“Maybe you should come and do it yourself next time.”

“Unlike you,” Junmyeon flicks his nose and then kisses it quickly. “I have to go to work soon and we both know that wouldn’t be a very good idea.”

“How soon is soon?”

“Very soon.”

Chanyeol pouts and picks his coffee back up, holding it with both hands and drinking unhappily. “How dare you Force Choke my favorite character and run.”

“Sorry, I promise I’ll make it up to you. Is the Force Choke still holding?”

“Yes.”

“Good boy.” Junmyeon ruffles his hair playfully and gets up from the couch to get ready for work.

Nami is silently judging him from her perch on the cat tree and Chanyeol huffs into his mug. “Don’t look at me. I don’t like you.”

It’s a lie, and they both know it.