JEONGIN DIDN'T know what he did in his past life to deserve everything happening to him, but he sure as hell appreciated it.

for one, he got to go to the movies with the surfers. that was already more than enough for him, seeing as he hadn't seen them in a while. but then, when he was getting snacks with chan, the surfer had leaned down and whispered in his ear, telling him that he liked his new hair. needless to say, jeongin nearly combusted on the spot. gaining chan's approval was something he craved— although he didn't know why— so getting that compliment from him was the best thing to happen to the biker in weeks.

though, getting to sit next to chan during the movie was a very close second.

jeongin thought of himself as a person that didn't get scared easily. however, felix was someone that flinched at everything, which jeongin found out as he was seated next to him. so, every time felix would jump in his seat or scream, jeongin would, too. it was a knee-jerk reaction that jeongin didn't care for at all.

this is so embarrassing, he thought to himself. this movie isn't even that scary! it's felix that's making me all jumpy! now i look like a wimp!

growing up in a household of bikers, jeongin was forced to participate in many lovely "family bonding" activities that varied from calming bike rides during sunset to being kicked out of the house for a night with nothing but your wits and the clothes on your back. most times, though, the bikers settled for movie marathons, and most times they chose to watch horror movies. while at first, they terrified jeongin, eventually he became used to all of it. that was why it wasn't shocking at all when minho selected it to watch; the original was something that all of the bikers enjoyed, but none of them had seen the remake, so it piqued their curiosity. unfortunately, because he was seated next to felix, jeongin spent the first half of the movie jumpy and tense rather than relaxed and having fun.

after another jumpscare caused felix to let out an undignified yelp (which left jeongin quivering in his seat), the biker decided to draw his legs up onto his seat and hug them tightly, figuring that it would lessen his chances of reacting whenever felix did. although it wasn't the most comfortable position, it did end up helping him quite a bit. his heart was just about to calm down completely when—

"are you okay?"

jeongin's head whipped sideways, nearly colliding with chan's face (who drew back just in time). "jesus, chan, that scared me!" he hissed. the older boy had whispered in his ear so suddenly that the biker nearly had a heart attack.

chan seemed to find this amusing. even in the dark of the movie theater, jeongin could see his eyes crinkle. "sorry. are you alright? you seem a bit...apprehensive."

ah. that wasn't surprising, given jeongin's curled-up state. "i'm fine," he said, slowly lowering his legs and assuming a more relaxed position in his chair. "never been better. don't worry about me."

he got an eyebrow lift in return. "are you sure? it's okay to admit it if you're scared, you know. i won't judge."

jeongin shook his head. "i told you, i'm fine. now just—"

it was at that very moment that felix chose to let out a high-pitched shriek, causing jeongin to let out a scream of his own. his cheeks burned when he heard chan's muffled laughter and he buried his face in his hands, thoroughly mortified. oh my god. why do i always have to embarrass myself in front of him?

he was in the middle of mentally cursing felix when his hands were suddenly tugged away from his face. he looked to the side to find chan (who was grinning widely) pulling on his wrist fervently. he sent him a questioning look, to which chan replied, "stand up."

"why?"

"just do it."

jeongin hesitated but obeyed, bending over slightly so that the people in the row behind him would be able to see the screen. "now what?"

before he could comprehend what was happening, chan swiftly pulled jeongin onto his lap where he landed with a small gasp. his legs were splayed across chan's own, one of his arms caught himself on the armrest of the chair while the other was still locked in chan's grasp, and his face (ungracefully) smacked right into the surfer's chest. "ow!"

"oh my god!" chan quietly exclaimed, quickly moving to adjust their position to a more comfortable one. "i'm so sorry! that went a lot better in my head."

despite the slight throbbing in his forehead, jeongin giggled. chan's embarrassment practically radiated off of him, and in a way, it was kind of cute. still muttering apologies, the surfer carefully moved him until the biker was nestled in between his legs, back flush against his chest.

jeongin's body went rigid in shock as he took in the intimacy of their position. dear lord, he thought, please don't let my dumb gay self mess this up or so help me i will jump off the nearest cliff.

chan let out a low chuckle. jeongin gulped, feeling the vibrations against his back. "that didn't go exactly as i planned. is your head okay?" all the boy could do was give him a nod, too afraid that his voice would give away how much he was panicking on the inside. "that's good. anyway, i didn't like seeing you so scared, so i sort of acted on impulse. when my friends feel afraid, they tend to feel better when someone hugs them, so i thought that it might be the same for you."

even though jeongin hadn't really been scared— rather, he was more shocked due to felix's screaming— the fact that chan took initiative to comfort him made his heart warm. it further showed him just how genuine and caring the male truly was. although his heart continued to beat at a thousand miles an hour, he felt himself relax against the older, feeling more at ease than before.

however, just as he did so, he felt chan tense up behind him. "wait, is this okay? am i making you uncomfortable? if i am, you can go back to your own seat. i'm so sorry, i don't know what i was thinking. i know that some people aren't too fond of skinship and we've hugged before but this is kind of on a different level—"

jeongin covered his mouth with his hand before he could continue rambling. keeping his eyes on the movie, he spoke, his voice wavering slightly. "i think i'll stay here for a while longer. i... i don't feel scared when i'm with you." it was the truth—chan had a very calming presence— and even though jeongin wasn't scared of horror movies at all, he could definitely appreciate the surfer's kind actions.

chan let out what sounded like a sigh of relief before slowly slipping his arms around jeongin's waist and resting his head next to the younger's. "good," he mumbled against his neck, "because i didn't really wanna let you go."

a small smile slowly crept up jeongin's face. god, i'd pretend to be scared any day if it meant getting treated like this.

☀☀☀

"did everyone have fun?" chan asked as they all gathered outside after the movie's end. there were scattered nods and noises of approval (or, in minho's case, one slight dip of the head), although jeongin noticed that changbin looked extremely irritated. why does he— oh. he suddenly remembered who changbin had to sit next to the whole time: the screaming boy himself, lee felix.

that reminds me... jeongin silently slipped over to felix's side. "hey," he whispered, "thank you so much."

the surfer gave him a confused look. "for what?" he asked, but jeongin merely shook his head with a grin.

"well..." chan checked his phone. "there's still plenty of time left in the day, and i have a few errands to run. does anyone wanna come with me?" when he got no response, he sighed. "if you guys want to buy anything, i'll cover for you."

multiple hands immediately shot into the air. jeongin stifled a giggle when chan rolled his eyes, clearly predicting this outcome. however, when the biker glanced at minho, he found that the older was the only one who didn't want to go.

"i have something important to do," he said when jeongin asked him about it. "i'll see you at home." without another word he rushed off to god-knows-where, leaving jeongin a bit confused— and a bit worried. he's never kept anything from us before, but he seemed so secretive just then. what's going on?

"okay..." chan said after minho disappeared. "well, then, let's get go—"

"wait!" everyone paused at jisung's sudden exclamation. "i...uh...forgot that i also had something to do. i'll catch up with you guys later, i promise!" before anyone could question him, he ran in the direction that minho left in, yelling, "be back soon!"

"that was weird," hyunjin commented; changbin and jeongin hummed in agreement. the redhead noticed the surfers give each other a look, although he ultimately decided not to think about it. "well, no use wondering about it. let's go already!"

"jesus, are you that excited to run errands?" seungmin muttered, causing hyunjin to laugh and slide an arm around his shoulder.

"nope. i'm more excited to blow chan's wallet."

"hey!"