“Well, I didn’t think I’d be seeing you again,” admitted Yixing, whose hands were also full from holding seven hundred thousand won worth of merchandise that Junmyeon could recognize.

“Seven hundred thousand won?!” Junmyeon whispered in utter disbelief.

“Yeah,” said Yixing nonchalantly, unsurprised by the fact that Junmyeon was able to tell how much he spent just by looking at the merch in his hands. He was sitting in one of the leather chairs in the lobby next to Junmyeon’s seat.

Yixing placed all of his stuff on the rug while resting his chin and his lips against two fists, his elbows dug into his thighs as he hunched forward. Most of his merchandise was soaked. Luckily, all the bromide posters were rolled up inside of long plastic tubes, safely tucked away. His light up shirt was also hidden under his hoodie, so that was safe, too.

Yixing looked more pissed off about the hotel situation than anything, which made Junmyeon’s anger feel unreasonable. He was a little embarrassed for being preoccupied by his jealousy. He should have been more worried about Yixing. Yixing was drenched.

“Sorry,” Junmyeon cleared his throat.

“No, no. It’s okay,” Yixing smiled politely. “You don’t have to apologize for anything.”

Yixing almost sounded nice. He seemed like a completely different person here than in the line outside of Seoul Olympics Stadium. Now that Junmyeon thought about it, maybe it was the heat and the long wait that made them both so irritable. Now that it was colder and it was raining, Junmyeon couldn’t bring himself to get angry at Yixing for the same reasons anymore. Instead of the rival Junmyeon saw outside, he saw a fellow fan who was rained upon because he was too immature to offer help.

And now both of them are registered in one room because somehow, they booked at the exact same time. They’re just loyal Exo-Ls. These things happen.

“Mr. Kim,” a different receptionist called for Junmyeon, who turned around promptly. “Would you and Mr. Zhang come here for a minute?”

The two immediately rush to the front desk at the other receptionist who wasn't taking care of the long line.

“Have you sorted it out?” Asked Junmyeon.

“We can only register the room for one of you at the moment. The hotel is completely occupied otherwise. We’re very sorry for the inconvenience, but we’re afraid we’ll have to refer one of you to another hotel,” explained the receptionist.

“How far is the nearest available hotel?” Asked Yixing.

“All hotels in the area are full from the concert, so the nearest open hotel, unfortunately, isn’t in the city.”

Yixing rolled both lips in and tapped the counter, and before he can decide to leave, Junmyeon cut in.

“I’ll go. He can stay.”

“No!” To Junmyeon’s surprise, Yixing cut immediately after he proposed. His dimple was popping in again. “No. I should go. You probably booked first. It’s not that far.”

“No, no. You’re completely soaked, you should stay,” Junmyeon reasoned. Why wasn’t this letting him be nice?

“Why... why don’t we just stay in the same room then?” Asked Yixing.

“I guess that’s better than driving half an hour to to the revenue,” Junmyeon said quietly. He turned back to the receptionist. “Can we share?”

“That is fine,” the receptionist suddenly lets out a grin that she looked like she’d been holding in, which confused Junmyeon.

After letting Yixing grab all of his merchandise, the two walked towards the small alcove of elevators to the left of the reception desk.

Junmyeon pressed the button for upstairs, and that’s when it started.

The awkward silence that dipped between them.

Junmyeon didn’t know what to say, although they had many things in common. When it mattered the most, his social skills failed him. He couldn't just make small talk over the weather without making it sound patronizing to Yixing, like he was making fun of him for being soaked.

Ding!

They walked into the elevator followed by two girls. One of them, Junmyeon recognized to be the short blonde girl with red spots all over her legs from the line earlier that day. Junmyeon started to feel anxious because those spots weren’t there anymore. Maybe she was just breaking out from the heat?

The blonde girl was smiling at Yixing, hiding her cheeks behind another fan made poster that was being distributed by sellers at the concert. A cool-looking brunette girl wearing black lipstick was standing next to her, scrolling through her phone.

Unfitting to Yixing’s smug image from earlier, the boy actually wasn’t paying any attention. Junmyeon expected a personality like that to be very upfront about flirting.

The elevator reached fourth floor first. The blonde girl quickly ran out with the cool-looking brunette girl following after. A fit of girly giggles broke out from the hallway as soon as the elevator doors closed again. It must have been the blonde girl.

Junmyeon raised a brow and glanced at the quiet male next to him. What was it about Yixing that captured that girl’s attention? Despite his head being bent forward, his back remained straight as a strand of uncooked noodle.

Yixing had a nice nose.

Not as nice as Chen’s.

His eyebrow hairs thinned out towards the end like Junmyeon’s, and they framed a pair of pleasant eyes neither too large nor too small. Crease lines were more apparent at the corner of those eyes, which meant Yixing smiled often with his eyes. The second most characteristic thing after his dimples were his lips.

Junmyeon yawned. Why the hell was this elevator ride taking so long?

Yixing’s bottom lip was large but dainty at the same time. The size was helped by the shape. It’s got a slight point in the center down at his chin like the perfect bottom half of a heart.

The elevator reached sixth floor and Yixing took an earbud out of his ear before gesturing for Junmyeon to walk out first.

Although wall lamps were seated between every hotel room door, the hallway still looked slightly darker because of the rich mahogany wood doors and wall t. Across the elevators was an entire concave wall of mahogany that cut directly against plain vanilla wallpaper on either side.

“Six oh nine, this way.” Those were the first things Junmyeon said to Yixing in what felt like ages of awkward, newfound silence in that elevator. He turned to the right hallway. Yixing trailed behind him, both hands full of merch scraping walls on either side of them.

Junmyeon wondered if asking him to play hallway sliding would be inappropriate.

From here, Junmyeon could see the small table counter at the end of the hallway where lilacs and light pink carnations sprouted in grey porcelain vases.

They stopped in front of the door labeled 609 and Junmyeon gulped. This might have been a bad idea. Worst case scenario, they don't get along at all and end up rather being strangers than anything. Best case scenario... Well, Junmyeon wouldn't dare hope for too much.

Red light blinked instead of green. What the hell?

Junmyeon realized his hand had been shaking.

“Oh, hahaha...” He laughed it off awkwardly. Yixing didn’t respond, so Junmyeon felt his chest tighten once again. He didn't want to be the reason for any awkward tension, especially not on the best three days of his life.

He scanned the card again. This time, the light turned green to spare him from embarrassment. He pushed the handle down and took the first step into their hotel room. A newfound rush of cold air brushed his cheeks as he entered. The fresh scent of a clean hotel room came.

Junmyeon switched on the lights to reveal a rather small but cozy one-person room. It was well-lit without ceiling lights. A tall lamp stood from the carpeted floor and there was the typical light above the bedside table. The twin-sized bed was towards the right of the room. In front of the bed was a TV set on top of a set of drawers.

“Should I call for another mattress?” Asked Junmyeon.

“Yeah, sure. You have to take the bed, though,” insisted Yixing.

“Okay,” Junmyeon said awkwardly. He supposed it was only fair, since they’d chosen to give Yixing the refund so Junmyeon paid for all three nights.

Yixing put his suitcase and merch by the window while Junmyeon called the hotel front desk for another mattress.

A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Junmyeon didn't even get a chance to open the door fully before the mattress was shoved harshly through the crack like an invading giant, as if the hotel staff member couldn't wait to leave.

“Geez, calm down,” cursed Junmyeon as he closed the door behind him. Yixing grabbed the mattress before Junmyeon could carry it.

“I got it. Thank you, Junmyeon-ssi,” said Yixing. Junmyeon fidgeted uncomfortably.

“Please, just Junmyeon.” Honorifics would just make things more uncomfortable to between the two of them. Now that Junmyeon had gotten a better look at Yixing, he thought maybe they were around the same age after all.

Yixing plopped the mattress down on the open spot in the middle of the room.

“Are you sure?” He asked with a cheeky smile. Junmyeon felt his personal bubble wobble a little at a smile like that. Yixing continued, “What year were you born?”

“Ninety-seven.”

“Really? What month?”

“May.”

“Damn it. I’m October. I guess I should really give you the light stick then, right, hyung?”

Hyung sounded wrong coming from Yixing. They weren’t that close, were they? Not many people have called him hyung before, especially people his own age.

“Nah, it’s fine. Just call me Junmyeon.”

“Junmyeon,” Yixing said again. “Thanks for the room, and sorry for... You know, earlier today.”

“No no no. I’m sorry for getting salty over a light stick. I was not being very mature.” Yixing’s apology made him extra self-conscious. “There was no reason to argue. We both like Chen, so we could be family, I guess.”

Junmyeon almost slapped a hand over his own mouth after he said that. Was it stupid for him to say? A small part of him wished he could just pull that not-give-a-flying-damn attitude like he did in that line today. As much as he knew the statement to be true for EXO-Ls, would Yixing find it odd?

Yixing turned and scooted to face Junmyeon with a smile. “We should. I agree, hyu- I mean, Junmyeon!!”

That third eye alien-looking dimple popped out again, except this time it didn't look like an eye or an alien’s face. What the hell was wrong with himself in the line that afternoon? Why was he so irritated? As of right now, the dimple was making Yixing appear completely harmless and docile. It was a deadly combination to Junmyeon, because people like that made him feel defenseless.

Yixing came out of the bathroom after changing out of his soaked clothes. In one hand, he held his light up Chen T-Shirt. The rest of his clothes were grasped without a care in his other hand. He tossed them into his open suitcase from the open bathroom door.

“Hey,” Junmyeon called from the bed. “Can I try on that T-Shirt?”

Yixing handed it to him carefully. He avoided touching any of the lights. Junmyeon pulled his own shirt off and slipped the light up Chen shirt over his head. As it slid down his torso, he could feel wires and excess dried glue poking into his skin, leaving indents and scratches. No sooner had the hem touched Junmyeon’s waist, his torso began to itch in different spots that were irritated by the wires.

“How do you wear this thing? It’s so scratchy. Doesn’t it annoy you?” Junmyeon asked.

“Yeah, naturally,” Yixing replied. “But it’s for Chen, so I’m happy to wear it.”

A twisty yet warm feeling turned in Junmyeon’s stomach. How could Yixing just say that? Would he do the same for Chen? Junmyeon felt happy in that shirt, even though he didn’t make it. He felt that wearing the shirt was more important than the itching now, because Yixing put time and love into making it. With someone like Yixing, it must have been a lot of love. He flopped himself down on the pillow and switched the shirt on so it was glowing. Yixing turned off all the lights in the room so the TV was the only thing on.

“You should take the bed tonight. You deserve it,” said Junmyeon. The words came out light and even, but his eyes were gazing at Yixing’s back figure with a certain admiration.

“Stop that,” Yixing smiled again. “I’ll take it tomorrow and you take it the day after.”

Junmyeon frowned. He should be happy that Yixing was telling him to stay on the bed, but why did he feel so guilty? Maybe it wasn't so much guilt as an obligation. It was hard to watch Yixing sleep on the mattress when he had spent so long making this shirt for Chen.

“Why do you like Chen?” Asked Junmyeon, staring up at the pretty patterns on the ceiling created by that shirt.

“Maybe it’s his voice. Maybe it’s his smile. Maybe it’s everything about him.”

“Oh gosh, you sound like you’re in love,” Junmyeon teased.

“Isn’t that what it feels like when you have an ultimate bias?” Asked Yixing. In the dark, he turned to face Junmyeon with an apprehensive smile. “Are you going to tell me that you don’t feel in love when you talk about Chen?”

Junmyeon told Yixing that he’d started liking him after What is Love. His voice captured his attention because it sounded like God had crafted it himself. It was agile and pleasant and uncommon. It sounded like an exotic pink fruit, sour and sweet and chilly.

“Yeah. His voice is wonderful,” said Yixing. “It’s the smile though, more than the voice. I haven’t seen-”

“YES!” Junmyeon shouts, suddenly flopping up and slamming his fists down on the bed. “I live for his smile!!”

“You too?!”

“Well, yes.” There was more to the story, but Junmyeon wasn't sure if it was okay to tell. It would sound too weird. Hey, at least they won’t see each other after these three days, right? It wouldn't hurt to expose his feelings to a stranger. At least, Yixing would perhaps understand how he felt more than anyone else. Junmyeon. just didn't know how Yixing would react to something so personal. “They make me feel better, in a way.”

“Me too,” said Yixing, though it was painfully clear that he was hiding something as well. In fact, both of them were now just playing a game of concealing the truth from each other. To what purpose were they doing those? Why were they trying to hide?

Yixing must have already asked himself these questions, because he continued on where Junmyeon was too afraid to.

“I think when he smiles, everybody in the world is okay in his eyes. Even if I screwed up, I was no less of a human being.”

Yixing had pinpointed the exact feeling in Junmyeon’s heart. Before he jumped to conclude whether or not every Chen fan felt this way, he glanced over at Yixing. Yixing’s eyes were closed. His face was completely relaxed as opposed to before in the elevator and outside the stadiumr. He looked like a feather drifting through the air without a care in the world. His body sprawled out freely as if he had no worries when he spoke about Exo. Junmyeon sighed in content when he realized how comfortable he felt in the Chen shirt, and it suddenly felt strange how much he could connect with Yixing.

“I think that’s why I like him, too. He makes me feel like I’m worthy of good things,” admitted Junmyeon. He pressed another pillow against his face so his head was sandwiched between two pillows. “When I see him, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks of me, not even me.”

“You’re a nice person, Junmyeon,” Yixing smiled with his eyes still closed.

Junmyeon’s face flushed. The upsetting thing about the comment was that Junmyeon didn’t think he deserved it, not when Yixing was a thousand times kinder. More than anything, if there was only one nice person in the world, it would have to be Yixing. “You can't seriously mean that. I yelled at you in the line over a goddamn light stick.”

“You let me stay with you,” Yixing pointed out. “You listened when I went on about Chen. You got me a mattress. You offered the bed.”

“Anybody with manners would have done the same,” retorted Junmyeon as he sighed into the pillow. “I didn't offer you a poncho when I saw you get rained on.”

Yixing kicked the blanket over himself and turned away from Junmyeon, hiding the completely eased face from the elder. “Stop arguing with me and just agree, will you?”

Junmyeon threw the pillow on his face back towards the headboard.

“Goodnight, Yixing. Thanks for letting me wear this shirt to sleep,” he said.

A sudden loud rustle came from Yixing’s side as the mattress creaked from an obviously violent lift.

“Take it off!!”