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inch by inch (we're moving closer)

Summary:

sehun and jongdae werent expecting anything special that night. just the crowd and music. until they meet each other, that is.

Notes:

so this fic was inspired by moving closer by never the strangers kasi muriel played it on her jqbx room hahahaha
i would like to give credit to my sechen prens who helped make this fic possible yiehhh

this was written in between work breaks with a cluttered mind. so i would like to apologize for the mess. but anyway, hope you enjoy! :)

Work Text:

sehun really doesnt want to go to that dumb music festival. he was never a fan of crowded places and loud music. kaya naman nung inimbitahan siya ni baekhyun na manood ng music fest noong nakaraang araw ay tumanggi siya. pero andito na naman si baekhyun para guluhin siya. dinadahilan na lang niyang mas marami pa siyang importanteng gagawin.

“gaya ng ano, oh sehun? tapos na ang finals, naipasa mo na lahat ng requirements. what could be more important than hanging out with your favorite kuya?” baekhyun pouts, nudging sehun’s knee who is lying on the bed.

ayaw na sanang sumagot ni sehun, kunwari na lang wala siyang naririnig.

“sehuuuun, sige na kase,” baekhyun says in a sing-songy voice. “pupunta si yeol saka mga barkada niya, mukha naman akong kawawa kung wala akong isasama.”

at that, tinignan ni sehun si baekhyun. “bakit di mo yayain si kyungsoo o si kuya minseok? bat ako pa.”

“eh may kasamang ibang pupunta si kyungsoo, tas si kuya minseok malelate daw.” bekhyun explains, humiga na siya sa tabi ni sehun. he wraps his arm around sehun. “sige na kasi, bunso. bukas ka na magpahinga.”

sehun rolled his eyes. ilang beses na ba siyang nabiktima ng nakakairitang pagpapacute ni baekhyun? ah, hindi na niya mabilang.

ngumiti si baekhyun sa kanya, he smells victory. “sama ka na?”

umirap lang si sehun at tumalikod kay baekhyun. “anong oras mo ako dadaanan dito?”

“yes!” baekhyun exclaims. “mga 6 ha, dapat bihis ka na. baka traffic eh.”

sehun grunts a reply.




“jongdae?” chanyeol’s voice booms through his phone. “sasama ka ba? malelate na tayo niyan.”

jongdae winced at chanyeol’s loud voice. “chill ka nga, ang aga pa oh.” he reasons, maaga pa lang naman talaga. mag-alas sais pa lang sa orasan niya. “diba 8 start nun?”

jongdae’s still trying to finish another episode of hunter x hunter, pero ayaw niyang sabihin kay chanyeol kasi siguradong pagagalitan siya.

chanyeol clicked his tongue. “ano pa bang ginagawa mo? sabi mo sasama ka eh bat ang tagal mo?”

jongdae sighs and hits the shut down button on his laptop. “eto na nga, magshashower na.”

“hindi ka pa nakakaligo? sinasabi ko sayo, kapag napaghintay natin ng matagal si baekhyun dun, humanda ka.”

baekhyun na naman. hay, his best friend really is so whipped. wala nang ibang bukambibig kundi baekhyun baekhyun. “eh bat mo pa ako niyaya, si baekhyun lang naman pala concern mo.”

naiiritang sagot ni jongdae. wala naman siyang problema kay baekhyun, ang problema niya ay andun sa naudlot niyang panonood.

“magsasama din daw kasi ng kaibigan.” chanyeol answers. “10 minutes, kim. dapat nakaayos ka na. daanan ka namin ni kuya jun at kuya xing.”

medyo nagpanting ang tenga ni jongdae. “kilala mo ba sino dadalhin ni baekhyun? pogi daw ba?”

“malay ko. ngayon ko lang makikilala. bilisan mo na kumilos jongdae, please lang.” rinig na ni jongdae ang pagod sa boses ni chanyeol, natawa na lang siya.

“geh, tignan ko.”

 

jongdae didnt make it in time, chanyeol has to drag his ass out of the dorm kasi di pa siya tapos mamili ng isusuot. in the end, chanyeol grabbed the nearest hoodie and made jongdae wear it. na ikinainis naman ni jongdae sa buong byahe nila. buti na lang junmyeon offered to buy him something nice. that lifted his mood a bit.





dumating si baekhyun at sehun ng mga alas siete, hindi din naman kasi sila saktong nakaalis ng 6. kahit na medyo malapit sila sa venue ay matraffic pa din kaya medyo natagalan pa rin sila sa byahe. both decided to wait for chanyeol’s group sa may labas ng venue, madami nang nagsisipasukan na tao. baka bandang likod na sila makakapwesto niyan.

“oh asan na?” sehun asked, a bit irritated.

“andito na, naghahanap lang ng parking space. smile ka nga bunso,” baekhyun encourages sehun. sanay na sanay na siya sa ganitong mood ni sehun, kaya wala na lang sa kanya kapag nagsusungit ito. alam naman niyang hindi kayang panindigan ni sehun e.

sehun just rolled his eyes and looks at his watch. seven na. anong oras naman kaya sila makakauwi nito? kapag di niya talaga kinaya tong music fest na to, uuwi na siya ng maaga. mas lalo pa siyang naging uncomfortable nung andami nang nagbubulungan na dumadaan sa kanya. hay nako naman.

he starts to regret coming to this stupid fest.

“ayan na sila, bunso,” baekhyun happily exclaims beside him, nudging him hard in the process. sehun cranes his neck to look for the people na kikitain ni baekhyun. he saw chanyeol first, sa tangkad ba naman nito. it’s the first time he’s seeing the guy in person though.

sehun looks at baekhyun beside him and he looks so elated to see the giant pup. he rolled his eyes. nararamdaman na niyang maa-out of place lang siya ngayong gabi.

when chanyeol’s group reaches them, baekhyun is practically bouncing on his feet. sehun moves behind baek. hindi kasi siya sanay makipagsocialize. he’d let baekhyun do the talking for him.

“hey, baek,” chanyeol greeted baekhyun with a kiss on his cheeks, and baekhyun’s about to explode.

“hey,” sagot lang ni baekhyun, it’s so obvious how much he likes this chanyeol guy.

sehun surveys chanyeol closely. he’s good looking and literally a puppy. when his eyes went to chanyeol’s friends, who are a lot shorter than him, he noticed the guy grinning with full teeth first. and then the guy who has dimples.

then his eyes fall on the third guy.

hindi siya nakangiti, in fact, he looks irritated as fuck. but strangely, hindi maialis ni sehun ang paningin sa kanya. suddenly, sehun feels a tingle in his skin, from his fingertips to the ends of his hair. then to his heart.

sehun couldnt and wouldnt look away. wala na din siyang marinig sa paligid. and then the man, finally looks at him.

he thought he saw sparks flying.




“sehun?” baekhyun calls. he was about to introduce sehun to chanyeol kaso hindi ito sumasagot. pagtingin niya kay sehun, nakatitig lang ito. when he follows sehun’s line of sight, he smiles when he realized sehun is looking at chanyeol’s friend.

“sehun?” tawag ulit ni baekhyun. finally, sehun snaps out of his reverie. “this is chanyeol,” baek gestured towards chanyeol. “chanyeol, this is our bunso, sehun.” chanyeol smiles widely at sehun, while sehun was hesitant to do the same. hindi pa naman niya kasi masyadong kilala si chanyeol. but when chanyeol stretched out his hand, sehun takes it.

“ah eto nga pala mga kaibigan ko,” chanyeol starts, gesturing to his friends. “si kuya junmyeon, kuya yixing, and this kid right here is jongdae.”

so the guy with the full smile is junmyeon, and the dimples guy is yixing. okay. and the cute guy is jongdae.

jongdae rolled his eyes, intensyon ba ni chanyeol na ipahiya siya sa harap ng isang adonis?

“im not a kid,” jongdae quips.

nakipagkamay si baek at sehun sa mga kaibigan ni chanyeol. when it was finally sehun’s turn to shake jongdae’s hand, he stills. he’s even more handsome this close.

the jongdae guy smiles at him. his eyes turning into crescents and his lips curling upwards like a kitten. sehun now believes that love at first sight do really exist.

“hi?” bati ni jongdae nang hindi pa binitiwan ni sehun ang kamay nya. sehun squeezes his hand a little before he lets go.

“hi.” sabi lang ni sehun pabalik. he was out of words.



jongdae feels the little squeeze that sehun gave him before letting his hand go. and he wouldnt deny that he felt electricity through his veins. this meeting almost felt like fate, kaso baka naman kasi sobrang gwapo lang ni sehun kaya he’s letting himself imagine such things.

hindi napansin agad ni jongdae si sehun nung una, siguro kasi naiinis pa siya kay chanyeol. pero nung nakalapit na sila, jongdae was dumbfounded. cos sehun’s basically the most handsome guy he has seen. he looks at jongdae with such intensity. and jongdae’s knees began to shake.

gusto sanang ikwento agad ni jongdae kay junmyeon o kay yixing kung gaano kagwapo si sehun, but obviously he cant do that with the subject being in front of them. so he held his feelings in. he’s doing so well, so far.



nung pagpasok nila ng venue, naalala ni sehun kung bakit hindi sya umaattend sa mga ganitong okasyon. siksikan sa dami ng tao. maingay na nga dahil sa dumadagundong na musika, maingay pa magdaldalan ang mga tao. there’s a growing bubble of anger in his chest.

sehun looks in front of him, nakita niya si chanyeol na nakadikit at nakaakbay na kay baekhyun. right. nakalimutan na siya agad ng kaibigan niya. beside chanyeol and baekhyun are the pup’s friends, jun and xing.

and then he panics, asan si jongdae?

sehun looks around in search of the shorter man. he cant seem to find him, what with all the people pushing forward. he looks at baekhyun, kausap pa rin si chanyeol. mukhang wala pang nakakapansin na nawawala si jongdae. so he searches for him again.

pagkatapos ng ilang segundo, sehun almost screams when someone suddenly grabs his shirt from the back. he looks around and finds jongdae breathing heavily. hands tightening on his shirt.

“s-sorry,” jongdae huffed out in between deep breaths. “ambilis nyo kasing maglakad?” he smiles.

sehun softens. “okay ka lang?”

jongdae shakes his head and pouts. “hindi, madaming nakatapak sa paa ko.” he looks at his white sneakers and it’s all dirty now. jongdae frowns, hirap na namang labhan to. bakit nga ba siya nagputing sapatos ulit?

“asan sila chanyeol?” jongdae asks, letting go of sehun’s shirt kahit ayaw niya talaga. in this proximity, naaamoy niya yung pabango ni sehun, kahit pa andaming nakadikit na tao sa kanila.

“andiyan sila sa may harap,” sehun answers, eyes not leaving jongdae’s. then he grabs jongdae by the arm. “‘lika nga dito, baka mawala ka ulit.”

jongdae blushes when sehun grabs him and placed him to his side. hindi na siya nakasagot o nakaimik after that. pano ba dapat magreact sa ganung sitwasyon? kasi the prickling sensation that traveled through his skin stopped him from uttering a word.

“huwag ka na muna humiwalay sakin, ha,” sehun suggests. he doesnt know where this newfound courage was from, but he’s not questioning it.

the usual flirty jongdae wouldve answered ‘never’ with a wink. but with sehun, he just nodded.

both feels a connection they’ve never felt before as they get lost in each other’s eyes. unusual for sehun who was never attracted this much to another person. unusual for jongdae cos this is actually the first time he’s felt this deep for someone he had just met.

then the lights dim.





the fest started with the familiar music of silent sanctuary’s ikaw lamang. isa yan sa mga nasa playlist ni jongdae bago matulog. kahit na kukupad kupad siyang gumalaw kanina gusto naman niya talagang pumunta dito. he’s a big fan of opm, after all.

ikaw lamang, ang aking minamahal… ”  jongdae sees sehun mouthing the lyrics as his eyes focus on the band before them.

“you like this song too?” jongdae asks with a smile on his face. honestly, he thinks sehun’s the kind to dislike opm. he didnt look so willing to be here after all.

nagulat si sehun sa tanong ni jongdae. hindi niya alam na napansin pala ni jongdae na sinasabayan nya ang pagkanta ng banda. “ah, pamilyar lang.” sehun answers.

jongdae grins, he knows sehun likes it.

silent sanctuary plays for a few more songs, which sehun and jongdae sings along to, before they bid the crowd goodbye.

by the end of silent sanc’s setlist, jongdae and sehun are already grinning to each other.



“akala ko ayaw mo ng opm,” sabi ni jongdae, smiling hesitantly at sehun. sehun looks at him as if he’d said something weird.

“i never said that,” sagot ni sehun. curious sa kung paano naisip ni jongdae yun.

“mukha kasing ayaw mo pumunta dito.”

“never really liked crowded and loud places,” sehun says through the loud music. halatang hindi siya naintindihan ni jongdae sa mukha pa lang nito. sehun gestures for jongdae to come closer. lumapit naman si jongdae agad.

“anong sabi mo? sorry, maingay na kasi.” jongdae apologizes.

umiling lang si sehun at nilapit ang sarili kay jongdae, bago siya bumulong diretso sa tenga ni jongdae. “i said, i never really liked crowded and loud places.” sehun’s lips grazed jongdae’s ears, and both stills at the momentary contact.

sehun mumbles a sorry after that, and jongdae did the same. parehong namumula hanggang tenga ang dalawa, at di na alam ang sunod na gagawin.

sehun thinks that he messed up. mas nag-ingat sana siya. everything was going well until he did that one mistake. jongdae, on the other hand, wanted to tell sehun that it was okay. that he knew it was an accident. kaso nauunahan na siya ng hiya. hiya na never naman niyang naramdaman noon sa ibang tao.




tumugtog at natapos na ang isang banda pero hindi pa rin nag-uusap si jongdae at sehun. sakto namang naalala na silang hanapin ng mga kaibigan nila. jongdae saw junmyeon glancing around him, sigurado hinahanap na siya. baekhyun was also craning his neck looking for sehun.

“ah, tabi na ako kay kuya jun, hinahanap na ata ako,” pagpapaalam ni jongdae kay sehun. he still couldnt look at the tall man.

sehun just nodded in return. “sige. i think baekhyun’s looking for me too.”

they hesitantly went to their friends. nasa magkabilang dulo na si jongdae and sehun. there was disappointment in their chests pero di naman nila alam kung anong gagawin nilang dalawa.

“san ka galing?” junmyeon asks, as soon as jongdae reaches his side. halatang nag-aalala ito.

“nasa likod nyo lang ako,” jongdae answers. “dami kasi tao, sorry.”

“sinong kasama mo? sana tumabi ka na agad samin,” yixing adds.

“ah, kasama ko sa likod yung kaibigan ni baekhyun,” sagot ni jongdae. hindi niya kayang banggiting yung pangalan ni sehun, afraid that his friends might sense familiarity.

junmyeon nods in understanding. “you like him?” he says. walang hesitation.

jongdae was surprised with junmyeon’s question, kahit na ilang beses niya na itong natanong about sa ibat ibang lalaking nakilala nila noon. back then he would answer automatically. “type ko.” but this time, he was afraid to answer. because he’s not sure about what he feels for sehun.

“i think…” simula ni jongdae. “i think i’m attracted to him.”

pagkasagot ni jongdae, may bagong kantang tumugtog. pamilyar na kanta para kay jongdae. somebody’s covering parokya ni edgar.

 

it took one look

then forever laid out in front of me

 

“attracted? is that deep?” junmyeon asks again. aware kasi si junmyeon sa lahat ng flings ni jongdae na madalas nagtatagal ng isa o dalawang buwan. and he’s worried that it would happen with this sehun guy. ayaw nyang madamay si chanyeol kung sakaling mawala ang interes ni jongdae kay sehun after a month or two.

jongdae though doesnt know how to answer. it was a new feeling for him. hindi kagaya sa mga naging relasyon niya, if you can call those relationships at all. “i think it’s getting there, jun.”

junmyeon’s brows meet. “you make sure. i hope you understand, mahirap na baka si chanyeol madamay if ever na… mawala yung nararamdaman mo kay sehun.”

jongdae chuckles. “ni hindi mo pa nga alam kung gusto niya din ako.”

junmyeon rolls his eyes. but before he can make a rebuttal, it’s yixing who answers for him. “he likes you, obviously. hindi niya nga halos maalis mata niya sayo kanina.”

jongdae reddens at yixing’s words. “T-that’s…” he cant say that it isnt true, because jongdae noticed the way sehun looked at him. and he knows something’s in there.

hindi napigilan ni jongdae na hanapin si sehun, kaya napalingon siya sa direksyon nito. nasa kabilang dulo pa ito, katabi si baekhyun. pero pagtingin niya, nagtama ang mata nila ni sehun. nakatingin na rin pala ito sa kanya.

 

i take one step away

then I find myself coming back to you

my one and only, one and only you

 

jongdae bites his lower lip as he was caught looking. at di nakakatulong yung kanta sa background. he looks away and tried to focus on the real reason why he was there. for the music fest. but the song playing was a bigger problem. pakiramdam ni jongdae pinaparinggan siya ng universe.

when the song finished, jongdae lets out a relieved sigh. earning the glance of both junmyeon and yixing, he just smiled at them and told them not to worry. okay lang naman kasi siya. may matangkad na lalaki lang na nagbibigay problema, pero okay pa rin naman.



tapos nagkagulo when the band also covered bagsakan by pne. everybody behind them suddenly went forward to get a closer look of the band. jumping up and down while theyre at it. at dahil sa maliit at medyo lampa si jongdae nalayo na naman siya kina junmyeon.

when the crowd settled, di na niya nakikita sila junmyeon. he sees chanyeol who’s sticking out like a sore thumb. but also no sehun. okay, this could be his situation for the next 30 minutes. tanggapin niya na lang.

after a few excruciating minutes, natapos na rin sa wakas yung cover band. nagsigawan ang mga tao pagkatapos nila. nagsiusog na naman pabalik sa likod yung ibang mga tao. hindi na talaga alam ni jongdae kung saan siya pepwesto, and honestly malapit na siyang mainis.

the crowd ‘ooh’ed when a piano suddenly plays, at tumingin si jongdae kung sino yung tumutugtog. he smiles when he realized what the song was.



hindi na makalapit si sehun kina baekhyun, masyado nang maraming tao sa tabi nila. nakita siya ni baekhyun, ngumiti lang siya to make him know that he’s alright. next thing he does, is look for jongdae… again. nag-aalala siyang baka natangay na naman ng mga tao si jongdae.

when he saw jongdae, jongdae looks so lost. looking around, probably for his friends. without thinking about it, sehun’s feet move towards jongdae. as he reaches jongdae, jongdae smiles and for a moment, he doesnt know what to do.

 

when you smile, everything's in place

i've waited so long, can make no mistake

all i am reaching out to you

i can't be scared, got to make a move

 

sehun unconsciously reaches for jongdae’s arm. “jongdae?” he breathes.

nagulat si jongdae nang may humawak sa kamay niya, nung paglingon niya it was sehun, looking so worried at him. he feels sehun’s warmth through his sleeves. admittedly, he couldnt help the blush that settled on his face. “s-sehun?”

“that’s it, i’m keeping you beside me.” sehun announces. “lagi ka na lang nahihiwalay.”

 

while we're young, come away with me

keep me close and don't let go

 

jongdae pouts. hindi naman kasi niya yun kasalanan eh. “sorry.” he says, kahit di niya alam bat kailangan niyang magsorry kay sehun. “nahiwalay ka din naman ah?”

sehun chucles. “kaya ko sarili ko. ikaw, dito ka lang sa tabi ko.”

 

inch by inch, we're moving closer

feels like a fairytale. ending

take my heart, this is the moment

i'm moving closer to you

 

as the chorus plays, sehun takes jongdae’s hand in his, interlocking their fingers. this was new to him, but it feels so right with jongdae. tinignan niya si jongdae, “is this okay?”

hindi makapagsalita si jongdae, gusto niyang sumagot ng oo. hindi ito ang unang pagkakataon na may hahawak sa kamay niya, pero ito ang unang beses na may naramdaman siyang kakaiba. so he nods. afraid that his words might fail him.

“okay,” sehun mumbles, squeezing jongdae’s hand a little bit tighter. “jongdae?” sehun speaks quietly, but loud enough for jongdae to hear. tumingin siya kay jongdae, and jongdae was already looking back.

“hm?” sagot lang ni jongdae. ano bang sasabihin niya kung ganyan makatingin si sehun?

“this is my first time doing anything like this.” pag-amin ni sehun. no perfect time than now.  sehun was always an honest person. sanay siyang sinasabi at ipinapakita ang nararamdaman niiya. “nung nakita kita kanina, i’m.. i’m immediately drawn to you.”

 

who'd have thought that I'd breathe the air

spinning 'round your atmosphere

 

jongdae swallows nervously. hindi makapaniwala sa sinasabi sa kanya ni sehun. every single fling that he had had started like this. but sehun looks so sincere.

“s-sehun,i…” jongdae starts, finding the words to say. kasi hindi sila pareho ni sehun. he’d been in this scenario a lot of times before. paano ba niya ito sasabihin ng hindi mao-off si sehun? cos certainly thats the last thing he wants to do. “i... i’ve had so many flings before. this isnt the first time i held someone’s hand.”

 

i'll hold my breath, falling into you

break my fall and don't let go

 

“pero ito ang unang beses na kinabahan ako ng ganito, that i felt so deep like this. okay lang ba yun sayo?” jongdae admits, shyly looking at sehun through his thick lashes.

 

inch by inch, we're moving closer

feels like a fairytale ending

take my heart, this is the moment

i'm moving closer to you

 

sehun cant help but think about how perfect jongdae looked at the moment. his bashful face was deep red. his eyes looking at him like a lost puppy. paano niya sasabihing hindi okay? he’d make it okay.

“you know i really cant say no with you looking at me like that, right?” sehun finally says, closing the distance between him and jongdae. he lets go of jongdae’s hand to put his hand in the other’s waist.

 

inch by inch, we're moving closer

feels like a fairytale ending

take my heart, this is the moment

i'm moving closer to you

 

hindi na napigilan ni jongdae ang mangiti sa mga salita ni sehun. this is a first for both of them, and that’s alright. they would make it alright.

sehun cups jongdae’s face with his other hand, as he pulls him closer. “is this okay?” tanong niya ulit. honestly, hindi niya alam kung mapipigilan niya ba ang sarili kung sakaling tumanggi si jongdae. but his heart is bursting with so much emotion for the other. especially now that he’s smiling cutely like this.

jongdae smiles then nods. and within seconds, sehun’s lips was on his. it was familiar and different at the same time. but he can feel fireworks setting off in his chest, now that, that’s definitely different.

in the background, jongdae and sehun faintly hear their names being called pero di sila lumingon. too engrossed with each other’s lips and embrace. when they finally let go of each other, they were smiling from ear to ear.

 

i’m moving closer to you

 

“glad i came to this fest after all.” sehun grins at jongdae, still holding jongdae’s little face.

jongdae blushes at the sweet gesture but with a smile he answers, “glad i did too.”