"Stop right there!"

Sicheng stumbles over a small rock on the ground, his phone slipping out of his hand and he uses his other one to catch it before it hits the ground. He furrows his brows in worry when he finds that he just sent Kun a long line of jumbled nonsense as a result of his feat in response to the other's message about what to do with his essay. 

Whoever's making so much noise, Sicheng could care less. It's probably some student council monitoring the students who's breaking rules and in charge of chasing them down. It's happened before so it's nothing new for him. He settled his attention back to his phone, typing down an apology to Kun when he hears it again.

"Stop!" The voice is shrill now, closer than before and the rapid footsteps nearing him made Sicheng realize the chase might be in his direction so he discreetly turns at the corner of the building to avoid it.

He's so sure he's safe but a blur of movement flies past him before it makes an abrupt turn that Sicheng made the unfortunate collision with, sending him to the ground with it.

Sicheng winces from as his makes a painful smack against his, bag strap sliding off his shoulder. "What?" he mutters as he checks if he had managed to break his phone with the fall after he just saved it when the person that hit him stands up while stretching out his hand for Sicheng to take.

"Be careful there." It makes the Chinese boy look up, eyebrows raising at the familiar face he finds over him. A second later, he blushes and pulls himself up with the other's help.

"It's just you,Youngho-hyung." Sicheng says, awkwardly looking at anywhere but the elder's face. They might know each other because their circle of friends are almost the same, running into each other when there are hangouts arranged but Sicheng has never really talked to him much else on his own. There's always the others who seemed to make it their crusade to see how much Sicheng learned like Yuta or even Taeyong who's more than happy to help him with anything. This situation with only the two of them was odd to the say the least.

"Why are you calling me that? No one really calls me that to my face nowadays unless they're the teachers or staff."

Sicheng laughs nervously, unsure if he should just outright say that Taeyong did introduce him to Sicheng by saying "Oh, this is Seo Youngho" but never got around to making small talk because let's be real, Sicheng is more than comfortable keeping to himself, perhaps he can even say he's comfortable with Taeyong than someone who is really just a stranger. Instead of outright declaring his internal crisis, he replies with "Is there something..."

"You can just call me Johnny. Everyone does." the elder cuts him off, oblivious to Sicheng's inner turmoil, arms crossing on his chest as he smiles at the boy.

There are people passing by them, mostly girls who look at Johnny starry-eyed and when they think Sicheng's isn't looking, giggling amongst themselves with blushes adorning their cheeks. It makes him recall how popular the elder is around school, cool personality and handsome face drawing them in like moths to flames. Always standing out with how he's even taller than most, the way he was raised in Chicago and his english flowing like silk out of only madded people swoon over him more.

It was the other reason Sicheng avoided him. His natural awkwardness and unwanted lack of brain-to-mouth sass filter that's only hindered by his still improving Korean not fitting with in with anything pertaining Johnny. 

"Okay, um, Johnny-hyung," the person in question smiles wider "Can I help you?"

Johnny makes a small nod, brown strands falling to his forehead at the movement and Sicheng thinks there is something unfair with how he seems like he's posing for a candid photoshoot. Not to brag but Sicheng was handsome himself yet it's more of the overwhelming handsome faces that his friends all have that often makes him think how on earth was it possible, especially those with natural charisma, their varying pesonalities not helping. He almost misses what Johnny said and he cleared "Come again?"

"You didn't stop the first time I called so I thought you didn't hear me."

So it was really Sicheng being called. Another thing to add to his list of weird things happening to him: Johnny going out his way to talk to him even when he was ignored twice. It must've been very important then for all the effort Johnny is making. "What's wrong?"

"Your outfit."

Sicheng's eyebrows furrow at the sudden declaration, his thoughts screaming rude as he looked down confused at what he was wearing. With how Johnny stared into his eyes and said that without missing a beat, it would seem like his pink sweater, blue jeans and white sneakers just committed a crime against the fashion world. His sweater was baby pink yes and maybe his sneakers had mud at the soles but they're not that bad. He looks back up to Johnny who's still staring. "Excuse me?"

Johnny's smile couldn't get any wider and actually repeats what he said, emphasizing every syllable by dragging them out and leaning forward with each of them.

It's honestly annoying to look at and Sicheng wants to be angry but he's more confused than anything else. "My outfit is decent." he explains, not really seeing the problem. 

"Well, my fashion evaluation says otherwise." the elder snaps his fingers before he starts pointing out what he thinks is wrong with the outfit.

"The pink of your sweater is bright enough it matches your hair's light shade. The jeans blends with how the blue is neither bland nor loud and you managed to keep the simplicity of the whole thing with your sneakers' minimalistic color. You look younger with your outfit. I can almost say you're glowing."

Sicheng is lost at what Johnny is trying to say, his assessment not bad and sounds almost like he was complimenting him? Out of nervousness, he grabs the hem of his sweater only to have Johnny swat it away with a stern look. Great, he's the one worried for wrinkles on his clothes when Sicheng is having some on his forehead with this ridiculousness. 

He's annoyed now, biting out a "Your point is?" Kun could be looking for him now and he's wasted enough time listening to whatever this is. Maybe Johnny is drunk too early because what else can he explain this?

Johnny's smirk catches him offguard, a hand ruffling Sicheng's hair out of the blue. "Johnny's fashion evaluation concludes that it's adorable. You're adorable."

The warmth on Sicheng's cheeks must be the firetruck red blush that's overtaken his face while Johnny has the audacity to wink at him before walking away as abrupt as he came.

(When he was sure he was out of the Chinese boy's line of sight, Johnny crouched down to the ground holding his face between his hands to hide his beet red face that matched Sicheng's after what he just did. He was never asking Ten for advice ever again and he was never trusting Taeyong when he said it was going to be easy.

The embarassment, however, is mingling with the giddiness he feels at how Sicheng blushing was another level of adorable.)