“So, how deep should I go.” Behind the closed bedroom door, the low voice sounds hesitant.

“What the hell, YOU GO ALL THE WAY!” The other voice is tense and impatient.

“I - are you sure your are ready? I don't want to um hurt you…” 

“God I knew this was a bad idea, I knew you couldn't do it! Of course it's gonna hurt, I'll just push it in myself…”

“No no Kyungsoo let me do it! Ok ok here goes oh my god…”

The air is thick with anticipation. Suddenly, a deafening scream penetrates the brief silence, followed by another. Sounds of bodies crashing into furniture, objects flying about, more screaming and and cursing. 

Then silence again.

Finally the low voice speaks up sheepishly, “um, ok, I can fix this Kyungsoo, I'm sure I can…” 

“AGHHH!” The door slams open and Kyungsoo rushes out, face flustered and fists clenching. He hurries into the bathroom and slams the door closed. 

Behind him, on the bedroom floor, Chanyeol pushes himself up, lanky legs tangled up awkwardly.

In his hand, a long needles shines dimly. The tip of the needle is stained by blood, a vibrant scarlet red that spreads onto his slender fingers. 

Chanyeol’s bright eyes are fixed on his hand that has paused awkwardly mid-air. After a moment of contemplation, his voice pipes up, this time more determined, “Kyungsoo!  Kyungsoo ah! Come back here, that was my first time. I know I can do better!” 

*******

Chanyeol has always noticed the unassuming Kyungsoo, despite his best effort to fade into the crowd. Every afternoon in the grade 11 science class, as Chanyeol saunters in, he can always see the small frame behind his seat, head lowered and usually hidden under a black hoodie. 

Kyungsoo doesn't say much to anyone. His owl like eyes are always looking down, scribbling who knows what into his notebook, earbuds permanently in his ears, signally very clearly that he does not want to be disturbed. Chanyeol’s numerous effort to start a conversation has always resulted in some polite but extremely brief small talk that ends abruptly.

-Did you get another A on the test, Kyungsoo?
-Yes. 
-...

-Hi Kyungsoo, did you have a good weekend?
-Hm. 
-...

-Oh wow Kyungsoo, that's a really nice black hoodie, again. Is it new? 
Ok, some questions get a death stare in return. 

Sometimes, Chanyeol even gets the strange feeling that perhaps Kyungsoo is really upset with him? Like in the summer, after playing basketball, as he sits down in his sleeveless tank top, all sweaty and stretching out his sore biceps, he would hear a displeased sigh coming from behind him. But when he turns around, silence resumes. Black hoodie, earbuds, lowered head, nothing else. 

-What's up Kyungsoo? Is everything ok? 
Nothing, nada. 

It bugs Chanyeol, that someone might be upset with him. Especially if it's Kyungsoo.  

When he asks his friends though, they all brush it off nonchalantly. 

“That weirdo? He doesn't talk to nobody.” Sehun would give a yawn before answering, as he rests his head on Jongdae’s shoulder and elbows him to keep caressing his hair. “I've been in class with him for two years now, never said a word to me.”

“Yeah, frankly, he talks to you way more than to all the rest of us.” Jongdae concurs while keeping his fingers busy, not peeling his eyes away from the half asleeped Sehun, “that one time when you asked to copy his notes, it looked like he was almost gonna give it to you!”

Somehow, Chanyeol does not share the same conviction as those two. 

So on the day Chanyeol noticing Kyungsoo paying attention to him for the first time since forever, he gets a little overexcited and may have gotten over himself just a tad bit. 

The conversation starts rather harmlessly, after basketball practice. Jongdae is half seated by the edge of Sehun’s desk, and asks as he accepts the water bottle extended from Sehun’s hand, “so did you get a new piercing last weekend, Channie?”

Chanyeol slowly pulls all his earrings out of his shorts pocket. Coach Wu would’ve killed him if he left them on during practice. “Yep yep, just a small stud on the left ear, so that's three in total now.” 

Out of the corner of his eye, he notices, to his great surprise, a pair of bright eyes suddenly staring at him from the side. 

Chanyeol pauses, and before he knows it, incredibly corny white lies start to spew out of his mouth, “well, three if you only count the piercings on my ears, if you get my drift.” 

Sehun looks up suspiciously, rolls his eyes and decides to turn his attention back to Pokemon Go on his phone instead of calling Chanyeol out. 

Jongdae, however, glances over at Kyungsoo who’s full on staring at the three of them now, and then looks back at Chanyeol, before a knowing grin starts to bloom on his face, “wow, that's like...so cool of you, Chanyeol.” 

Chanyeol smiles smugly, “yeah. Piercings are cool, I like them.” His voice louder and chirpier than usual, if that's even possible. 

“Hmm, that's not what you said last time, when you almost cried at the tattoo pla…I mean wow is it ever hot today.” Sehun abruptly changes subject mid-sentence as he meets Chanyeol’s deadly glare. 

“What was that? Oh no, piercings don't hurt at all, pssh, I barely feel them.” Chanyeol shifts and re-positions his arms so they look more flexed. 

Somewhere between Jongdae’s suppressed giggles and Sehun almost spilling out the water in his mouth, they hear a quiet voice piping up from behind them. “So it never hurts?” 

Even Sehun puts his phone down to peek out in surprise at the speaker. 

Chanyeol clears his throat, “um, nope, maybe I can take a lot of pain? Piece of cake.” 

Kyungsoo looks at him expectantly, waiting for more detail. Chanyeol decides to elaborate just a bit further, “piercing is so easy man, you can pretty much do it yourself.”

“And you know this because…” 

Chanyeol can feel Kyungsoo’s eyes assessing him, as he blurts out the sentence that he comes to regret later, “because I did this last piercing myself, of course.” 

“Really…” Jongdae interjects, the grin on his face is getting bigger, “so Chanyeol, what did you use to bravely pierce yourself?” 

“Um, like, a needle? You just kinda, you know, pick a spot and go for it.” Chanyeol’s voice is starting to crack, but he doggedly pushes on.

A moment of silence, as a strange sense of awkwardness fills the air. 

“Wow, ok, I don't know where this conversation is going, but I'm done.” Sehun suddenly stands up and grabs Jongdae by the arm. “Bubble tea time. And Chanyeol is buying. Yes Channie you can thank me later.” He speaks as the two of them walk away, not bothering looking back. 

Chanyeol stares at his friends hesitantly as they leave, and then at Kyungsoo. He finally decides to accept the diversion offered to him, and squeezes out a hastily goodbye to the wide eyed Kyungsoo before running off. 

The strange conversation lingers on his mind for days. In class, Kyungsoo is quiet and keeping all to himself again, ignoring Chanyeol all together. Until one day, Chanyeol receives a text message from an unknown number. 

-Hi, this is Kyungsoo from your science class. 

Chanyeol almost drops his phone when he reads the message. His heart starts racing inexplicably, as he types the reply. 

-hey what's up buddy! 

A few moments later, the phone buzzes:
-I have a favor to ask you. 

-what is it? 

A long pause, but the response eventually comes:
-If I give you my address, could you come over to my house on Saturday night? Also, could you please bring your piercing equipment? 

After many hours of Internet research and sleepless contemplation, Chanyeol texts back the next morning, trying to sound as casual as possible. 
-Sure, Sat it is.

*******

Kyungsoo’s home is even nicer than Chanyeol has imagined, a fancy modern house perched at the edge of a high-end residential area. Chanyeol rings the door and fidgets nervously with his reddish bangs. 

Almost instantaneously, the door opens and Kyungsoo peeks out, jet black hair drooping over his eyes, voice barely a whisper, “you got the stuff?”

Chanyeol stammers, “um yeah. Hi.” 

Kyungsoo lets him in, and they make their way to his bedroom. It’s definitely got a theme going, black bedsheet matching the black lamp and black garbage bin. A little somber for a high school kid’s room but hey, what does Chanyeol know about decorating. 

Chanyeol eyes the jar of vasoline on the study desk suspiciously as he starts to empty out the content of his shorts pocket. 

“Um that's for my hands, they get dry all the time.” Kyungsoo feels the need to explain. 

“Oh yeah, that's cool hehe.” Chanyeol tries to laugh it off but his throat dries. Man, is this ever awkward…

His hands lay everything out one by one on the desk: a long needle that he found at the craft shop, a basic blue ball pen, a cheap gas station lighter, some rubbing alcohol (he read that disinfection is key to piercing, whatever that means). Then there's the earring, a stainless steel bar with a metal stud at one end. He has always liked little metal hoops himself, but as he stared at all the options in the store before coming here, this earring just called out to him. It's simple, unassuming, but attractive in its own masculine way. Man, just thinking about seeing that on Kyungsoo’s ear gets him excited -

OKAY Park Chanyeol, get a hold of yourself, jeez. He shakes his head ever so slightly and clears his thoughts. The truth is, for the past few days, he's been thinking about one thing and one thing only - Do Kyungsoo. Why did he ask him to come over, of all people? Exactly what kind of piercing does he want? Where? How? And those damn inquisitive eyes and plump heart shaped lips, why do they keep creeping up into his mind at the strangest moments, refusing to leave him be. There's only one possible explanation: frigging teenage hormones. For the first time in his life, Chanyeol agrees with his mom and blames the malfunctioning of his brain on the damn raging teenage hormones coursing through his body. Hormones that make him want to do things to this strange boy that barely acknowledges his existence.

Chanyeol pulls his thoughts back, and turns around to face Kyungsoo. He puts on his best puppy-eyed innocent look and tries to play dumb, “so, why did you ask me to bring all this stuff?”

Kyungsoo stares at him unabashedly, “because I want a piercing and you said you could do it.” 

“Well, yeah of course I can do it! But why don't you go to a tattoo place?” It's much easier than asking the guy that you don't even want to talk to, Chanyeol thinks inwardly. 

Kyungsoo hesitates, and sits down on his bed before responding, “I went to a few places and asked, they said I needed parental consent, and my parents-” His fingers run over the bedsheet slowly, smoothing it out, “-um, they barely talk to me, I doubt they would have the time to go with me for consent.” 

Chanyeol is a little taken back, “oh, are they busy at work?” 

Kyungsoo clears his throat, “... I dunno. I never see them. My dad travels a lot doing merger and acquisition deals. Mom, I think she's on a trip this weekend with a friend. It's, complicated.” 

Chanyeol sits down gingerly at the other end of the bed. Wrapped in the same familiar black hoodie, in the sparsely furnished bedroom illuminated dimly by lights peeking through the curtain opening, Kyungsoo suddenly seems a little alone. 

Chanyeol thinks of all the noisy family meals at his house, with his mom and sister gossiping animatedly, and the smell of home cooking filling up the air. Frankly, he can't imagine a life without those moments.

“Well, you are welcome to come hang out at my house any time.” He tries to smile reassuringly. 

Kyungsoo hums, his stare impassive, “that's nice of you to offer.” He pauses, letting the silence settle in before speaking again, “so this piercing…”

“Oh yeah piercing-” Chanyeol speaks, “where do you want it?” 

Kyungsoo points at the lobe of his left ear. 

“Ok, right.” Chanyeol feels a sudden surge of nervousness washing over him, “that's simple.” 

“You are the expert.” says Kyungsoo. 

“Alright, so…” Chanyeol gets up, looks at Kyungsoo, and tries very hard to not sound panicked, “I guess you can just sit there, yeah?”

“Yeah.” 

Ok, it's clutch time. Chanyeol stares at everything on the desk and tries to remember the sequence shown on the YouTube video. He picks up the needle with a trembling hand and attempts to flick on the lighter with the other hand. 

Ten flicks later, the lighter is still not . Chanyeol is very much not a smoker. 

With a sigh, Kyungsoo comes to stand next to him, hand extended out with open palm. Chanyeol gives him a hesitant look before caving in and handing him the annoying lighter. 

With one swift flick, a warm amber flame comes alive, flickering and dancing in his hand. 

“Oh wow, thanks!” Chanyeol speaks, moving his needle towards the flame. Kyungsoo speaks up, “actually, I was thinking, if you got the rubbing alcohol, we should probably wipe the needle before heating it.” 

Chanyeol’s hand freezes, “but that wasn't on the… I mean, you think that's necessary?” 

Kyungsoo nods.

Alright... Ok… Chanyeol rushes to grab the rubbing alcohol, then scrambles to find some tissue for wiping. He spills a bit of the alcohol but eventually manages to wet the tissue and wipe the needle. 

Kyungsoo waits quietly, and flick starts the lighter again patiently. 

A gentle swiff of vapor escapes as the needle touches the flickering flame. A faint blue tinge appears on the surface before quickly fading away. 

Chanyeol’s voice is a little shaky, as he follows Kyungsoo back to the bed, and kneels onto the surface awkwardly with one leg, “So, how deep should I go.”

“What the hell, you go all the way!” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, finally losing his cool.

“I - are you sure your are ready? I don't want to um hurt you…” 

“God I knew this was a bad idea, I knew you couldn't do it! Of course it's gonna hurt, I'll just push it in myself…” Kyungsoo gestures to stand up and rip the needle out of Chanyeol’s hand.

“No no Kyungsoo let me do it! Ok ok here goes oh my god…” Chanyeol suddenly inches closer, grabs Kyungsoo’s left ear with one hand, and goes straight for his earlobe with the other hand holding the needle. 

Kyungsoo’s eyes bulge with fear and instinctively pulls back to loosen Chanyeol’s grip, which only makes Chanyeol’s hand pinch onto the ear harder, as his lanky figure towers over Kyungsoo even more to get the job done. The needle sinks into Kyungsoo’s flesh, producing an instant scream and a punch to Chanyeol’s stomach. Apparently not the type to back down from a sudden violent attack, Chanyeol’s nostrils flare and his right hand digs deeper, stubbornly trying to pierce through the earlobe. 

This was the last draw for Kyungsoo. Another hard punch lands on Chanyeol’s chin, making him see stars, and both feet kick into Chanyeol’s upper body, finally pushing the giant off the bed and tumbling into the nearby desk. 

Chanyeol lands on the floor dumbfounded. When he looks up at Kyungsoo, he sees blood dripping off the left earlobe, and a thin long bloody slash propagating from where the skin was pierced to his cheek. His wide open eyes must've betrayed the shock and remorse on his mind, for Kyungsoo takes one look at him and books it for the bathroom mirror. 

Once recovered from the initial shock, Chanyeol makes his way to the now closed bathroom door and knocks on it gently, “Kyungsoo, are you ok in there?”

The response is curt and dispirited, “I think we are done for today.” 

“Kyungsoo, I'm sorry, I-I shouldn't have lied to you, I don't know what I'm doing. But maybe we can fix this-”

His pleading voice is interrupted sharply, “I think it's best you leave, NOW!”

Chanyeol is taken back by the stern voice thundering from the other side of the door. His hand rests on the door, unsure what to do next and waiting, hoping for a sign. But the silence finally gets to him, and his shoulders sag and head hangs low shamefully. Chanyeol gets up and walks out of the empty house, closing the front door quietly behind himself. 

*******

A month passes since the “incident”, something that Chanyeol was so ashamed of, that he could barely bring himself to remember the details of that evening. It's just another ordinary school day, Sehun and Jongdae are making out next to him and blissfully in their own little world, having grown bored of his inexplicable somberness. Chanyeol catches himself staring absentmindedly at the small hooded figure seated distantly in the school yard. The black hood covers even more of his face now than usual, concealing the earbuds all together. Twice Kyungsoo suddenly looks up and their eyes would lock for a fraction of a second, but he would quickly look away, leaving Chanyeol flustered and feeling powerless. 

Guess he's now definitely too hated to be acknowledged. Chanyeol sighs and brings his focus back to his cell phone. 

Well, if Kyungsoo thinks he can just be ignored like that, then he's sorely wrong. Chanyeol prides himself in his tenacity - sometimes known as sheer stubbornness, or “being so ing thick” as Sehun would put it. In other words, he doesn't give up, especially when a certain someone keeps creeping into his mind incessantly, with those big accusational eyes, tugging at his heart irritatingly and challenging him to do better.

He turns his gaze back to the cellphone and watches the same YouTube video one more time, wincing as usual at the moment the cartridge punches through the person’s ear. For someone that always tears up at the sight of a fish being cleaned, Chanyeol has to force himself from looking away, and swallows the sense of dread bubbling up in his stomach. 

I've gotta be ready this time, I can't fail him again. 

He's almost ready. After he found this video of someone demonstrating how to use the cartridge of a professional piercing gun, he promptly ordered the same equipment online. It took him another week’s time to muster up the courage to try it on himself. The whole thing wasn't easy, he had to down a bottle of soju stolen from his older sister. His hands trembled too much the first time around, and the skin on his earlobe was surprisingly resistant. What Chanyeol learned from that experience, is that as with most things in life, hesitation only makes the situation more painful and messed up. If you are sure of what you want, you got to do it like you really mean it. 

Chanyeol takes another look at the lone hooded figure on the other side of the school yard, and feels the familiar sense of anxiety coursing through his body. Kyungsoo’s silence since the incident has been almost unbearable. The few feeble attempts Chanyeol make at talking to him have all resulted in death glares or plain avoidance. Is he upset? Regretful for contacting Chanyeol in the first place? Is there a scar? Does he still want the piercing done properly? The endless questions keep popping up in his head day or night, impossible to shake off. His hand reaches for his cell instinctively, pulling up Kyungsoo’s number quickly, as if he's done this a thousand times already. He hastily types up a message, finger hovering on the send button for a long time, before quickly deleting the message, cussing out loud, then typing up the same message and forcefully pressing the send button over and over before giving himself the time to change his mind. 

-Hey, I found a better way to do piercing. 

Chanyeol fidgets nervously as he watches Kyungsoo pull out his phone, takes one look before putting it back into his pocket. 

Nothing. 

. 

Chanyeol cusses. He decides to take a selfie. The photo is only for the earlobe piercing he did himself, but out of habit he puts the phone up a little higher and goes for the perfect 45 degree angle, lips automatically pursed into a stiff grin. He checks the photo and slaps on a quick filter (frigging lighting on a cloudy day making his skin so unbearably ghostly), sends it to Kyungsoo along with a link to the YouTube video that taught him how to do self piercing, and another message. 

-I bought the cartridge and tried it on myself already. Please trust me this time. 

Again, he watched like a hawk as Kyungsoo reads the message and puts the phone away. 

Nothing.

.

Chanyeol calms himself down, and doggedly charges forward in the face of likely defeat. 

-I'm sorry about last time. I will never lie to you again. 

Nothing. 

Right when Chanyeol considers throwing his phone on the ground and stomping on it out of sheer frustration, he feels the familiar buzzing of the phone as a message finally comes through.

-When? 

Chanyeol bolts up and screams victoriously, “YESSSSS!” A nearby kissing Sehun grumbles in protest.

Chanyeol swears to himself inwardly: this time, no more mess up. 

*******

The same bedroom, the same owl like eyes, this time more judgmental and uncertain.

“You are sure this time?” Kyungsoo’s voice is laced with a hint of sarcasm. 

“Yes!” Chanyeol is unfazed. He has already explained everything step by step, and showed Kyungsoo all the equipment and how to sterilize properly this time. While his first self piercing looks a bit, well, rough around the edges, the second one on the upper earlobe is pretty much perfect, if he may say so himself. 

Chanyeol’s hands move efficiently in preparation, wiping Kyungsoo’s right earlobe with alcohol, then dabbing a dot with the pen. The heat of Kyungsoo’s skin upon contact is extremely distracting, but Chanyeol takes a deep breath and keeps going. He intends to do his absolutely best this time around.

He wipes the needle on the cartridge with alcohol wipe and softens his voice, “are you ready?”

Kyungsoo gulps, looking quite unsure. His fingers instinctively reach for the left earlobe, the scab from last time is still visible. Chanyeol feels the sudden tug of remorse in his heart. 

After a silent moment, Kyungsoo pipes up, “so… do you want a drink maybe?”

“What?” The word comes out louder than Chanyeol anticipated, a few pitches higher, and cracked, to his embarrassment. 

“Well, you know, I hear alcohol is a good relaxant for tense situations. Up to you…” 

Chanyeol thinks it over for a brief second, heck, the soju did help him when he experimented on himself, and they could definitely both use some relaxing right now. He puts the cartridge down and answers, “sure, what do you have?” 

Kyungsoo goes rummaging in his parents’ bar and comes back with two tumblers filled with ice and a bottle of Scotch. 

“Macallan 25 Year Old Sherry Oak?” Kyungsoo raises the bottle in his hand, which definitely looks more expensive than the convenience store soju Chanyeol is used to. “I figured this occasion calls for the good stuff.” 

Chanyeol nods. He watches as Kyungsoo swiftly pours a double shot into each glass, not spilling a drop. “Do you do this often?”

Kyungsoo hands him a glass, “well I started with cheap beer when I was younger but has since realized this is more to my taste.” 

Chanyeol stares at the crackling ice in the amber liquid, an image of Kyungsoo drinking alone in this very room flashes through his mind. He opens his mouth but then decides to swallow the words, and instead lifts the glass and chugs the content in a few gulps. The burn is instantaneous, stinging his eyes and making him cough. 

Kyungsoo looks surprised, “ok… I guess we are not sipping today.” He takes one look at his own drink, pauses, then does the same and empties the content. 

Well, this is definitely much stronger than soju. Chanyeol steadies himself and grabs the cartridge again. He inches towards Kyungsoo, who has sat back down on the bed. “Shall we?” 

Kyungsoo gives a small nod, as a pretty rosy flush starts to spread across his cheeks.

Chanyeol lines up the cartridge with the dot he marked, and takes a deep breath. He presses down decisively with as much force as his hand could muster. 

An audible gasp escapes Kyungsoo. Then it was over. Chanyeol pulls the cartridge away and examines the earlobe, the surgical post with the metal stud is left in the new piercing hole, no blood visible. Success. 

He smiles, “it's done!”

Kyungsoo looks up joyously, and rushes to the bathroom. Chanyeol grabs the backing of the earring and follows. In the bathroom mirror, Kyungsoo’s eyes gleam with excitement, as he stares at the piercing on his ear with some disbelief. “It's perfect.” 

Chanyeol holds up the backing, “may I?”

He gingerly holds onto Kyungsoo’s ear, and attaches the backing onto the earring. 

The reflection of the metal stud glints in the small mirror victoriously. The rosy glow on Kyungsoo’s face has now turned a few shades darker, and spreads onto the tips of his ears. Chanyeol assumes this is from both the excitement and the scotch. He exclaims, “it looks perfect, Kyungsoo. Well, I hope at least you don’t hate me any more.”

Kyungsoo looks up through the mirror, instinctively his lips before speaking with a slight slur, “I never hated you.”

“Well, you know what I mean. I thought you were pretty upset with me last time. And it’s not like you ever liked me.” It must be the scotch, Chanyeol feels a faint sense of regret after uttering the last sentence.

Kyungsoo locks eyes with him, and Chanyeol is unsure of the emotions within those dark eyes that shine with an unwavering intensity. “I never hated you, Chanyeol. Last time… well I felt pretty stupid, what was I thinking, that I could just get a piercing at home…”

“Hey but it is totally possible, right! I always knew it’s possible!” Chanyeol beams, ignoring Kyungsoo’s raised eyebrow.

“Yeah… That’s the good thing about you, optimism. I wish I’m more like you.” Kyungsoo’s voice drops. 

“No way. I’m just the dumb jock, everyone knows you get good grades, and your parents are super rich.” 

Kyungsoo huffs, looking down at his own hands, “yeah, a lot of good that ever did for me.” His fingers fidget with the strings of the hoodie, voice now barely a whisper. “And I’m serious, I never hated you.” 

With courage suddenly gushing out of nowhere, Chanyeol decides to let his inner thoughts pour out freely, “what do you mean? But you never talk to me in class, and I always feel like we are being too loud, too sweaty, or just too annoying around you.’

Kyungsoo glances at him, and backs away a step, seemingly withdrawing into his own shadow, “it’s not you, I’m just not good with people. I look at you guys, and you all look so happy, so comfortable with everything, life, school, all of it…” His fingers play with the strings nervously, tugging on it and pulling the threads apart. “I wish I can be just like you, surrounded by friends, sure of myself, happy, relaxed…”

“Well, why not? Everyone deserves to be happy. Why…” Chanyeol is taken back, and at a loss for words. He wants to comfort him, to give him a hug and wipe away all the sadness in those eyes, to do something. He can't even begin to explain the strange pull he feels towards Kyungsoo, someone he barely knows, needing his approval and wanting so desperately to see him smile. He wants to learn about his past - the memories that shaped his insecurity - the absent parents, the lonely years of insecurity, all of it. 

He wants to reach out and touch the jet black hair that swoops right above those hallowing eyes that threaten to him in, and hug the petite slender frame and imbue it with warmth and life, because that’s all he’s made of, happiness and passion and so much life. 

You are not alone. I’m right here. And I'm listening.

Kyungsoo speaks again, sounding relieved that words are finally gushing out, “of course you don’t get it, not everyone gets to be loved by all, and is naturally good at everything. You know what, I don’t hate you but I do get mad at you sometimes, for just being so damn… perfect. Like after every basketball practice, when you sit in front of me pretty much topless, all toned and sweaty, flaunting your perfect biceps-” Kyungsoo gulps and looks away, but his voice is frustrated, refusing to stop, as if fearing that he may never be able to speak his mind so freely again if he stops, “-it's so rude, you know, I’m frigging 16, I have hormones, and needs…”

At the sound of that sentence, Chanyeol’s mind goes completely blank. It could be the shock of the confession, or the booze and the strange turn of events that are apparently making both of them act out of character, but all his thoughts cease, saving for one desire that overwhelms his senses like a deafening siren that has just been sounded. 

His big callous hands reach out and grip Kyungsoo by the shoulder, and before he can register the sudden panic in those big expressive eyes, before he can regret and scram like a coward himself, he leans in and kisses Kyungsoo with all the passion he’s ever felt, like a drowning soul whose life depends on it. All the words that he couldn’t say, all the hopes that he wishes to show him, all the love he’s felt from others since birth, he channels it all and tries to pass it onto the small lonely boy buried in the oversized black hoodie. 

Kyungsoo’s shoulders stiffen upon contact, but to both their surprises, after a moment, as if making up his own mind, he melts into the kiss and reciprocates clumsily. His hands search for Chanyeol’s arms, and his body leans into Chanyeol’s chest just a little, seeking for the comforting contact. The two boys, tall and short, passion and ice, mere acquaintances but engaged in the most intimate and tender act - it all feels so absurd, but also strangely, so very natural. 

When they finally part, Kyungsoo’s face is crimson red, having fully acknowledged everything that has just transpired. He almost chokes while trying to clear his throat to speak, “I… what… I’m…”

Chanyeol breathes out loud, and then smiles, “well, now we know scotch was probably not a good idea,” he hastily adds, touching his own burning cheeks, “not that I object to what just happened…”

Kyungsoo is, on the other hand, a rambling mess, “you don’t have to… I don’t know…”

His mumble is interrupted by Chanyeol’s hands gently hugging him, “it’s ok, we can talk about it slowly. I'm in no rush. Tell me everything.” 

Kyungsoo stares at him tenderly, contemplates in silence momentarily, before giving Chanyeol a small but trusting nod. 

*******

“Where the hell is Chanyeol?” Jongdae complains out loud. Science class always bores him to death, it's worse when his friend decides to skip class, again. 

“I dunno, I feel like I haven't seen him since forever.” Sehun yawns and tilts his head away from the warm afternoon sun that's making him drowsy. 

They are slowly walking across the neighbourhood park, on route to Sehun’s favourite bubble tea joint. Suddenly Sehun stops in his track.

“C'mon slowpoke.” Jongdae grabs him by the arm. 

Sehun resists, and instead points towards the bushes beside them, “listen.” 

Jongdae focuses. Mellow guitar riffs drift through the air, accompanied by a mesmerizing male vocal. 

Now I see fire
Inside the mountain
I see fire
Burning the trees
And I see fire
Hollowing souls
I see fire
Blood in the breeze
And I hope that you remember me

The velvety voice ebbs and flows with the acoustic guitar, drawing the listener in. A gravelly voice harmonizes with the main vocal occasionally, adding another layer of depth to the song. 

Sehun follows the voice and finds an opening behind the tall fragrant rose bushes. There, away from the prying eyes of the public, two figures are seated on the grass. Chanyeol is strumming his guitar with eyes half closed. Next to him, Kyungsoo, in an out of character white hoodie, has his head resting on Chanyeol’s shoulder, and is singing with a satisfying smile on his face.

The guitar plays out the last lingering note of the song, and Chanyeol gives Kyungsoo a gentle nudge, “what else do you want to sing?” He contemplates briefly, then strums out a familiar chord, lighthearted and upbeat. 

Kyungsoo tugs on his playing arm, making him stop, “no more Bieber.” 

Chanyeol looks at him quizzically, “why not, I thought you liked him.”

Kyungsoo looks a little flustered, “well I do, but we are in public, and all his songs are so…lovey dovey…”

Chanyeol inches closer to him, and a Cheshire grin starts to bloom on his face, “hmm, are you being shy again?” He leans in, and gently brushes over Kyungsoo’s plump lips with his own. Kyungsoo blushes but reciprocates after a little hesitation, responding and reaching in deeper for the kiss. 

Away from them, beside the opening of the rose bushes, Jongdae is wide eyed and covers his gaping mouth in shock. And Sehun exclaims, loud enough for everyone including the kissing love birds to hear, 

“WELL BUTTER MY BOOTY AND CALL ME A BISCUIT-”

The End < 3