Chapter Text
“No. Absolutely fucking not, Lix, you are out of your mind if you think I am wearing that.” Seungmin crosses his arms over his chest and scoffs at the sheer crop top that Felix is wriggling on a hanger in front of his face. He should have known Felix asking him to get ready together was a trap. He's already dressed in a comfortable pair of jeans and a nice black t-shirt, but his best friend insists that his go to is not nearly cool or memorable enough to wear for their outing tonight, so he offered his “professional” help.
“Oh come onnnnn, you know you wanna be a little sexy for our birthday, Minnie!” Felix wriggles his brows at him suggestively, grin plastered on his face, “And you can soooo pull it off! You have been working on those abs for a hot minute!” He pokes his side and Seungmin bats his hand away.
“There is no way in hell that I am going to a club with my nips on full display.” The transparent fabric would leave very little of his torso to the imagination and he can feel the embarrassment already dancing in the back of his brain.
“Minnnnn, it’s my birthdayyyyy” Felix pouts “you gotta look hot with me on my birthday.”
“Your birthday was 2 days ago first of all. Second of all, this is also MY birthday party, and third of all, it is absolutely not happening.”
It absolutely happened. There was no arguing with Felix when he batted his eyelashes and stuck out that lip. Seungmin could claim over and over that he was resistant to the charms of Lee Felix, but at the end of the day, he was just a mere mortal. So here he was, shimmery sheer black crop top, low slung jeans that perfectly hugged his ass and the barest hit of eyeliner darkening the shape of his eye. He felt ridiculous, but admittedly sexy. Thankfully, he didn’t stand out too much next to Felix who, as always, was the epitome of sunshine despite the dark clothes he chose. He wore a tight black crop top with a sheer sleeve and a cut out below the neck that showed next to nothing other than his toned arms, but it absolutely did the trick. The glitter scattered on his face matching the pattern of his freckles illuminates his eyes and his leather pants make him look hand sculpted by the gods of androgyny. It honestly isn’t fair that he looks that good, but that is just Felix.
The music in the club is so loud that Seungmin feels his teeth vibrating. It’s only 11pm but the large open room is still packed, bodies sliding against each other and the chatter rising around them in a hum. He is absolutely not a club person or a people person, but it isn’t often these days that their friend group can all fit hanging out into their schedules and he would rather be a human sardine for a few hours than to miss this.
Despite their age differences, Felix, Jisung, Jeongin and Chan had been his best friends since grade school. They had all lived in the same cul-de-sac and did nearly everything together from a young age. Seungmin became closest to Felix and Jisung because of their closeness and in age and birthdays, but Chan had always been a big brother to them and the four of them agreed to adopt the shy, quiet Jeongin when his family moved in next to Chan’s. They eventually all moved in together once they went off for college but after graduating early in January, Jisung moved out of their shared apartment to one on the other side of the city to be closer to his job in a production studio. Seungmin and Felix stayed close to the school that they both teach at now and Chan and Jeongin moved into a student house together since Chan is now in grad school for business management and Jeongin is still working on his undergrad degree.
Regardless of the very different paths all of their lives have taken, they keep in nearly constant contact and always do their best to hang out all together at least a couple times a year, especially to celebrate birthdays. This time, the joint get together that they always had to celebrate Felix, Jisung, and Seungmin’s birthdays landed them at one of the large and relatively bougier dance clubs in Seoul (Felix’s idea). Felix and Jisung were so absolutely thrilled at the idea of them all dressing up like sluts and dancing together that Seungmin just couldn’t deny them, even if he was wildly regretting it now.
Jeongin and Chan arrived first and got them a big semicircle table towards the back that looked perfectly at the dance floor. Seungmin slides into the booth seat next to Jeongin, but Felix’s excitement is beyond containable so snatches up a drink and Chan from the table and immediately hits the dance floor. Seungmin watches the pair laugh and dance to some thumpy remix of a pop song, smiling to himself. He loves seeing his friends happy even if they make him wear ridiculous clothes and drag him to loud and packed places sometimes.
“Where is Jisung?” Seungmin asks Jeongin as he looks around the packed club. “He gets fomo from missing even a little bit of fun so I’m shocked he didn’t get here first.” He turns to the younger man who is staring, just blinking at him
“He said he was on his way. I think he’s bringing someone so maybe that held him up?” Jeongin answers as he seems to snap out of some sort of trance
“He’s bringing someone?? Like a date?” The 5 of them had been perpetually single for the majority of their adulthood. Though they were nearing their mid 20s, none of them had ever had anything more serious that a long-term fuck buddy, and definitely no one serious enough to bring to meet the rest of the group. When they all lived together, they often wouldn’t even bring people home. Whoever this is must be someone that Jisung is properly dating, and probably has been for a while if he is bringing them to meet everyone. He hadn’t heard anything about it from him, but that isn’t too abnormal for him and Jisung. Felix tells him about almost every guy or girl he has even glanced at, but Jisung is pretty private and doesn’t talk about those things as much.
“I honestly have no idea, but..” Jeongin’s eyes narrow on him a little, a smirk barely ghosting his lips enough for his dimple to show, “im sorry im just distracted by whatever the fuck you’re wearing. Or not wearing?”
Seungmin groans. “It’s Felix’s. He made me wear it”
Jeongin laughs “oh he ‘made’ you?”
“Hey!” He smacks jeongin’s shoulder. “He pulled out the pouty face and did the whole ‘it’s my birthdayyyy’ and just was going to be insufferable until I caved, so I caved quickly so we could get here on time.”
“The pouty face is a hard one to resist, even if it is also your birthday so that’s a terrible excuse.” Jeongin laughs. “You look good, it's just…weird seeing so much of you.” His face scrunches up and pokes his friend's shoulder.
“Ah well I feel weird showing so much. But it will be fine” Seungmin isn’t sure if it will actually be fine or if he’ll just die from embarrassment and overthinking later, so he instead just tries to radiate nonchalance.
“Omg heyyy!!” Jisung’s voice rings out over the pounding bass and Seungmin grins at him weaving through the crowd while Jeongin waves his arm in the air. Jisung approaches them on bouncing feet, a smile splitting his puffy cheeks.
“Hey, Inniee! Happy Birthday, Minnie!” Jeongin dodges Jisung’s attempt to strangle-hug him, and Seungmin laughs despite knowing he is probably next. Jisung has always been touchy but especially so after a few drinks, and he has definitely been pregaming.
“Happy birthday to you too, Jisungie. I thought you were bringing someone.” Seungmin says teasingly as he gives into a side hug. “Did you get stood up?”
“Oh no!” Jisung grins, “Changbin-hyung is just getting us drinks!”
“Ah.” Seungmin says, smirking and poking Jisung’s side “so you finally have friends other than us?”
“Oh don’t be like that, Kim Seungmin, you know I have irresistible charms” he winks and Seungmin rolls his eyes.
“You’re irresistibly obnoxious and I have the patience of a saint” Seungmin looks up at the new voice, his mouth dropping a little as drinks are sat on the table. Changbin, Seungmin assumes, is a few inches shorter than himself and wears an easy grin. Seungmin can’t help but notice how pretty his oval face is, perfectly framed by black hair tinted blue. His bow shaped lips are lightly tinted pink and dark eyeshadow lines the outer corners of his eyes, making them seem bigger and brighter. Seungmin’s eyes scan over his face, but only for a moment before his attention is pulled directly to the man’s arms. They’re— well huge, and accentuated by his tight tank top and the band circling his upper arm. It is all Seungmin can focus on for a solid 30 seconds before he snaps out of it, realizing he was being rude and staring.
Good for Jisung, he thinks.
“Binnie! These are two of my oldest friends, Yang Jeongin and Kim Seungmin!” Jisung excitedly introduces them, lacing his arm through Changbin’s “Guys, this is Seo Changbin! We met at the studio and clicked immediately and I’m pretty sure we’re soulmates so you'll love him of course!” Seungmin can tell that Jisung is definitely already tipsy by the way he is excitedly chattering and hanging onto Changbin.
“Wait! Where is Channie and Felix??” Jisung straightens suddenly, almost comically.
“They’re already shaking their stuff somewhere that way” Seungmin points in the direction that he had seen the pair last, but between the dim flashing lights and sea of bodies, the two men no longer stand out.
“Are you kidding me!!” Jisung exclaims, clearly offended as his fomo gets the better of him. “Come on, Jeongie! We are so dancing!” He tugs Jeongin by the wrist as the younger man groans, mouthing ‘help me’ but following behind Jisung regardless.
Seungmin awkwardly notices a second later that his friend’s eagerness to party has left him completely alone with Changbin, whom he only met 2.5 seconds before. The other man does not seem to share his feeling of awkwardness, however, as he plops down beside him in the booth and takes a long drink of his beer.
“I swear that man is part squirrel.” Changbin laughs, nodding toward Jisung as he scurries through the crowd of the dance floor with Jeongin in tow. The sound is melodic and makes Seungmin’s face warm with his own amusement.
“For real,” he snorts, watching his friend . “Between his cheeks when he eats and his constant energy, he definitely has to be some sort of wild animal.”
Their laughs fade into a mutual quiet as they watch the crowd and drink. Seungmin’s phone buzzes as photos of his four friends (and a few randos) flood in, all sent from Jisung, who has obviously found the party. Seungmin laughs at a video of Felix, Jisung, and Chan all attempting to squish kisses onto Jeongin’s cheeks, Lix being the only successful one and Jisung whining in the background about how he isn’t the favorite hyung anymore.
“So, why aren’t you dancing with them?” Changbin asks, turning towards him a bit, the pleasant smell of cinnamon and citrus following the movement to Seungmin’s nose.
“Oh I will, but only after about 2 more drinks,” he replies with a quiet huff, keeping eye contact with the shiny colored liquid in his glass “I need to be a little less sober to force myself in the middle of that many people. What about you? Why not go dance with Jisung?”
“Oh I will. After about 2 more drinks.” The man parrots Seungmin with a smirk and a swig of his drink. “So you’ve all known Sung-ah since grade school, right?”
“Yeah! We’ve all been together since…well I think Jeongin was 8 and Chan was 12? Felix, Jisung and I were 9 or 10 I think. We all lived on the same road and we were the only kids so we just kinda clicked together.” Seungmin smiles fondly at the group, tapping his fingers on his glass. He isn’t sure what got into him to answer so thoroughly and not just with a simple ‘yes,’ but he figures the shimmery drink has helped charge his social battery. “So how long have you known Jisung?”
“Oh just a couple of months, honestly. We have been basically up each other's asses working on projects together so I was kind of surprised he even wanted to invite me to hang out for his birthday. I was going to say no when he told me about your group and it being a joint party, but he insisted I come and I couldn’t disappoint him” Changbin rubs the back of his neck with a sigh, and Seungmin can’t help but watch the band on his arm stretch with his contracting muscles. Staring again. He snaps himself out of it.
“You must be pretty special to him.” Seungmin’s eyes leave the other man’s arms and trail to his face, a smile on his lips. “He hasn’t ever introduced anyone to us before. None of us really have, so you should feel honored.” He quips, bumping the other man’s arm with his elbow.
“Oh I do,” the other man says fondly and Seungmin’s heart warms for his friend, “we just clicked pretty quick because we worked so much together and both love music a lot, but he swears I am stuck with him for lifers now.” Seungmin laughs at the statement because that sounds exactly like something ridiculous that Jisung would say.
The topic of conversation barrels over to them just a few minutes later as the song ends, the rest of the group in tow. “You guys are boring and need to come dance! We are getting a few drinks before we head back out. Oh yeah! Lix, Chan-hyung, this is Changbin! He’s a producer too Channie.”
Jisung’s introduction leads to chatter amongst all of them as they make their way back to the bar. Chan and Changbin excitedly talk about music production programs while Felix asks questions about his work out routine. Once they get to the bar, Changbin offers to buy them birthday shots.
When he turns to give the shot to Seungmin, the other man seemingly stops in his tracks and looks him up and down, wide brown eyes scanning him from head to toe almost as if he hadn’t really looked at him before. Seungmin feels very conscious all of a sudden about how exposed he is, mesh fabric sticking to his slightly sweaty skin and leaving nothing to the imagination. He tugs a little on the shirt, the hairs on the back of his neck prickling and his cheeks heating a little. He watches Changbin’s jaw tighten as he takes the shot from him— the other man quickly looks away, turning to Felix and Jisung to give them their shots. He isn’t sure why on earth he suddenly feels like a scolded child, but he knows Jisung well enough to know that he wouldn’t date someone who is judgmental, so he brushes off the interaction and takes his shot with the others. He isn’t going to let his anxiety prevent him from having a good time tonight.
A few drinks later, Seungmin feels warm and fuzzy and far more confident now that he isn’t focused on feeling exposed. Instead his thoughts are lost in the music, his body moving of its own accord. He sways as others move around him, a few sliding and grinding against him, touching his hips and arms briefly before finding their real target. The smell of sweat and cologne and alcohol all blend together, filling his senses, grounding him to this moment in which he feels like he’s floating.
His friends have mostly scattered to different parts of the dance floor, Lixie grinding on Chan and Jeongin leaning against their table, tapping away at his phone with a smile on his face. Jisung had been dancing all over Changbin not too far from him, but is now nowhere in sight. Changbin isn’t either so he figures the pair have either gone to the bar or maybe to the bathroom.
Maybe to hook up in the bathroom…Seungmin thinks and then lets out an audible laugh to himself, shaking his head to rid himself of the image. He really is happy for Jisung though. Changbin seems really nice and he’s hot so he wouldn’t blame him if he was hooking up with him in the bathroom.
Seungmin’s drunk mind floats, thinking how nice it would be to be hooking up with someone right now, especially someone who looks like Changbin. How hot it would be to be manhandled by someone with arms like that and pushed against the bathroom sink, the club sounds thumping through the door, knowing someone could walk in and see them—How would it be to have his arms pinned above his head and one of those thick thighs between his legs, grinding-
Seungmin needs to sober up, get drunker, or find someone to fuck. He feels embarrassed and icky for letting his mind slip that far, especially with Jisung and his boyfriend in his mind.
He decides getting another drink will help his brain slip back into a cloudy haze and pull him out of whatever horny dumpster fire he tried to throw himself into. He easily slips between the crowd to the bar, putting in his order and waiting at the end to be served.
His fingers are tapping on the wood in the rhythm of the song playing when he feels a presence slide up next to him. Changbin is absolutely not who he expects to see leaning against the bar. The other man smiles at him and Seungmin can see the pink flush caused by alcohol on the apples of his high cheeks.
“Hi.” He says simply.
“Hi.” Seungmin says quietly, pushing the images he conjured in his brain into a very thick steel box, trying and failing his attempt to not feel so awkward with this guy.
The bartender places his shots in front of him and Seungmin takes one, silently offering the other to Changbin. The other man nods and takes it, clinking their glasses together before downing it. The burn adds that comforting layer of warmth and fog to his brain, so much so that he doesn’t notice Changbin fiddling with the mesh hem of his top until his fingers brush his side. He almost startles at the contact and Changbin pulls his hand away, smiling at him in a way that tells Seungmin that he’s definitely not sober.
“I really like this shirt” he hums, a little smirk on his face. “You pull it off well.”
The comment is casual but it makes Seungmin’s stomach clench. He huffs out a quiet laugh, eyes trailing down the other man’s chest.
“I kinda thought you were judging me earlier for wearing something so outlandish, so I appreciate it,” he says shyly, almost wincing as he says it out loud like he just revealed too many thoughts.
“Judging? More like envying. I could never have the confidence to wear something that hot. But, then again, you do have the waist for it.” The other man sighs and just keeps looking at Seungmin, speaking casually as if he isn’t he’s not setting his face on fire. Seungmin’s stomach does somersaults and he just keeps talking against his better judgement.
“I don’t know about confidence, but I like yours too. It really shows off all of… this.” He says, trying to sound as casual as Changbin but failing miserably as his drunken brain guides his hand to the other man’s arm, finger proding at the muscle under the band of fabric. Changbin laughs out loud, an almost cackle and Seungmin can feel his whole face and neck warm.
“Sorry” he cringes and pulls his hand away but Changbin just shakes his head
“It’s okay, I worked hard for these” he jokes and flexes which nearly kills Seungmin right there. The feeling of impending doom hits worse when Changbin’s finger traces the shape of Seungmin’s torso through his shirt, the sheer fabric making him feel everything way too well. “It seems like you work hard too.” He says, his voice dropping a little but ending with a final teasing poke to his side.
Jisung chooses this time to throw his arms (as much as he can) over Seungmin and Changbin’s shoulders, the smell of his perfume mingling with the cinnamon and citrus scent of Changbin and the strong smell of liquor as he pulls their heads together.
“Aww look at you guys getting alonggg!” Jisung hiccups, his voice an octave higher, indicating he is beyond wasted. Jeongin appears behind him, hands on his shoulders and an irritated but fond look on his face.
“Hey guys. Changbin, I am going to take him and Chan home if you want a ride. Our Jinsungie is about at the point that he’ll start throwing up any minute if he keeps dancing, and Chan is joking about taking his shirt off so it is time to go.” Jeongin removes the glass that Jisung has picked up from his hands and places it back on the bartop, ignoring the other man’s pout.
“Oh don’t worry about it, I live in the opposite direction so I can just Uber.” Changbin grins Jisung and ruffles his hair.
“Thank you for coming and hanging out with me and my friends Changbin-ah” Jisung slurs and squeezes Changbin’s cheek before plopping a wet kiss on it.
“Thank you for inviting me, Sungie, I had a lot of fun” Changbin hugs the very drunk man and then Seungmin hugs them both before Jeongin hauls Jisung off in search of Chan.
“Do you want one more drink?” Changbin’s voice startles him but Seungmin nods as he flags down the bartender.
One more drink turns into four, courtesy of Felix. Once he finds them a few minutes later, he chatters to Changbin about his job and about Jisung and about other things that Seungmin completely misses because by the fourth shot that Felix orders, he is floating on a different planet.
At some point, Felix drags Seungmin back on the floor to dance to a song that was popular when they were in school, and the pair perform the choreography sloppily—with full body laughter and drunken coordination. After a couple more songs, Felix abandons him on the floor to make out with a dark haired stranger, and he thinks in the back of his mind that Changbin must have left because he doesn’t see him anymore at the bar. He didn’t mind being alone in this moment, though. His body moves and sways with each changing beat, feeling the other people around him and the music vibrating his very being.
The next song that comes on is sensual and slower and Seungmin feels good. He isn’t usually one to just dance like this, but the beat of the song races through his bones while alcohol warms his veins and he just moves, swaying and grinding to the flash of lights and hum of the bass. He doesn’t know how much time passes before he feels gentle but firm hands slide onto his waist, moving him along with the song. Seungmin has danced with so many people tonight that doesn’t even care to look at whoever is touching him because all he can feel at this moment is the steady thump of the speakers vibrating him from his toes and up his spine.
The hands on his hips are tentative, slowly making their way up his sides. He feels callused thumbs brush the strip of skin above the waistband of his pants and his head falls back with a groan, leaning into the touch and the person at his back. He feels heat lick up his spine, the touch burning him in the best ways and lighting a fire in his belly. At this point he doesn’t even care if he’s rubbing up all over a stranger. The contact is as drunkening to his touch starved brain as the booze and he feels like he’s on a cloud, drifting where the wind takes him.
“This shirt should be illegal,” Seungmin hears the words, low and gravelly in his ear, and a shiver runs up his spine. The hands on his hips gently pull him backward against a solid chest and the smell of cinnamon and citrus fills his nose.
“Do you like what you see?” Seungmin doesn’t recognize the raspy hum that escapes him. He thinks he must be back in some alcohol induced fantasy land, even as his fingers trail up the bare, strong arms encircled around him.
“I knew you were pretty when I first saw you at the table, but fuck, this shirt has you all out on display and you’re fucking perfect.” Changbin’s hand slides under the fabric and settles on Seungmin’s firm stomach and the words and the contact send warmth down his spine and needles over his skin. A nagging thought in the back of his mind tells him he needs to stop whatever this is from happening, but the fog won’t let him grasp the concept of why. He finds himself slowly moving against the other man, the music and Changbin’s hands guiding his hips. He loses himself to the steady thumping and the feel of warm hands roaming his hips and waist. He feels the press of a broad chest at his back and his head falls back against Changbin’s shoulder as he grinds against him, a breathy whimper escaping his open mouth.
It’s only after he feels a warm, tentative press of soft lips to the hollow of his collar bone that his brain decides to start to clear, the hazy fog of alcohol making it difficult. The second kiss to the bottom of his throat where his neck meets his shoulder feels so good and perfect but it’s…wrong. Changbin continues to press small but slightly deeper kisses onto Seungmin’s neck and shoulder, the cool air of the club hitting the warm, wet spots that he leaves behind. Seungmin is brought back to reality by the sensation and is struck with a wave of horror by the situation they have drunkenly found themselves in.
“Changbin, wait.” Seungmin pulls away and whips around, eyes wide and startled. The other man almost looks confused but Seungmin’s tight chest and sudden panic get the better of him. He turns, making a beeline toward Felix on the other side of the club before the other man can even speak. He thinks he hears his name being called but he flat out ignores it
“Lix, I think I need to go.” He says hurriedly, tapping the man on the shoulder until he de-suctions himself from the stranger. Felix looks at him a bit dazed but nods.
“Sorry, Hyunjinie, time for me to go.” Felix pecks the pout off of the other man’s face as he pulls away. “You have my number though so definitely text me and we can continue where we left off.”
Felix winks at the stranger as Seungmin pulls them away and out the door of the club. The only thought in his brain is “get home now.” He is pretty sure he’s about to have a panic attack but his brain still feels like liquor mush and he can’t grasp the reason why quite yet. The pair flag down a cab and they climb in not at all gracefully. Seungmin’s heart races and his brain feels foggy and he’s…hard? Or was hard? The thought that he is never drinking again crosses his mind as the uneasy feeling consumes him.
“Did Jisungie, Channie and Innie get home safe? My phone died so I can’t check” Felix cuts through his haze with the casual words, not knowing how sharp they actually are.
Jisung. Jisung and Changbin. Changbin and Seungmin. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuckkk. Seungmin groans and runs his hands through his hair before grabbing his mostly dead phone out of his pocket to see messages in their group chat.
D9 DumBster🔥🔥🔥
Jeongie: I got dumb and dumber home safe
Hannie: Thank you Innieeee
Hannie: Changbin-ah also said he got an Uber and that had a lot of fun!
Seungmin’s throat tightens
Channie: He’s cool sungie good job
Hannie: oh I knowww he’s so cool
Hannie: I knew he’d fit well with us
Seungmin: Felix and I are in an uber on the way home but his phone is dead
Hannie: Happy birthday twins love youu
Seungmin: Happy birthday Jisungie
Seungmin feels sick and there is so much more than the alcohol swirling in his stomach that is contributing to it. God he really fucked up and he can’t even get his brain straight to figure out what the fuck he even did or why.
He just danced and grinded all over his best friend’s boyfriend.
His best friend’s boyfriend just grinded all over him. And called him pretty and perfect. And kissed his neck.
Fuck fuck fuck.
“I’m glad Jisungie brought Changbin. He seems pretty cool and he’s hot so bonus.” Felix says absently, picking at the glitter on his cheeks.
“Mm” Seungmin grunts in reply but his eyes fixed onto the back of the seat. Flashes of light from the street lamps pass over his eyes and images of Changbin’s hands roaming his body fill his brain and roil his stomach
“Too much this time buddy?” He vaguely feels Felix’s hand rubbing his back, his words drowned out by the ringing in his ears.
How could he do that to Jisung? Obviously Changbin is a piece of shit if he is feeling up his boyfriend’s friends as soon as his boyfriend leaves the club, but Seungmin isn’t the kind to do that with ANYONE let alone his friend’s boyfriend. What has gotten into him? His mind races through scenario after scenario, slipping deeper into the anxiety of what the outcomes could be.
He could just not tell Jisung and rot in his guilt for the rest of all time. Or he could tell him and Jisung could never want to talk to him again and all of their friends would be forced to pick sides and of course they would be on Jisung’s side as they should be because what Seungmin did was completely fucked. Or even worse, Jisung could forgive him despite being heartbroken and they would stay friends and Seungmin’s guilt seeing Jisung go through a breakup would ultimately drive him insane anyway.
Fuck he’s spiraling.
Seungmin and Felix arrive at their apartment in time for the first wave of nausea to hit him. He tumbles out of the cab and vomits in the bushes lining the parking lot. Felix is there, holding his hair off his face and rubbing his back and the feeling of being undeserving of such good friends hits him and he throws up again, tears lining his eyes.
“Oh, Minny, let’s get in and get you some water.”
Felix guides him up the stairs and into their apartment. The haze covers him again after he throws up everything in his body and he’s barely conscious as he drinks the water and swishes the mouth wash that Felix hands him. His shoes, pants and the sheer crop top manage to be peeled off of him before he collapses on his bed and drifts off on top of the covers.