"Are you cold?" Kai asks you. It's not really that chilly outside, but you're not about to tell him that. You watch as he takes off his jacket, the collar of his shirt stretching open to reveal his silver chain. He lays the jacket around your shoulders, even helping you get the sleeves on. You suppose Kai really does want to pretend to be like someone else this time. He's acting like a gentleman.

Afterwards, he rolls up the sleeves of his button-down and untucks his shirt. It's crazy how Kai can go from looking professionally mature to down right ... well. To put it mildly: extremely, extremely attractive. 

The luminous glow of the moon stretches over the grass, casting the landscape in a world of blue. Kai starts to walk, to where, you don't know, but you follow him anyway. You listen to the sound of the grass softly crackling underneath your feet and feel the wind as it whispers through the air. Kai is a hand's breadth away from you. You can sense the current of air when his hand moves, feel the way it tickles your skin. It's luxurious. It's amazing. You just feel so freaking alive, and while the walk itself seems pointless, the feelings it gives you aren't.

"Do you normally take walks around the campus at midnight?" You ask him, attempting to crack a joke. 

"Yes," he says, surprising you with his frank response. "I don't see why other people don't. It's nice out here, don't you think? Nobody around. Nothing to bother you. It's just the moon. And the ground." He smiles a little at this, as if he can't quite believe his poetic side is getting ahead of himself. "You ever get that feeling? When you stay up late at night, and you're tired, and you want to sleep, but you can't? So you just sit there, and wait for that feeling to pass. People fall asleep eventually. But I like ... " he his head to stare up at the moon. " ... I like walking underneath the stars."

You raise your head to stare at what he's gazing at, at the blanket of black that covers the sky. Little lights shaped like stars peek through the surface, lighting a path a million years old. "I can't say I've done that before," you comment, turning back to watch the ground in case you manage to trip - because you're just that kind of a klutz.

"No? Well, you can start now," Kai decides. His gait is long and lazy, perfectly matching the  apathetic look in his eyes. "Oh. You should come to the pond. It's nice at this time." He turns toward the direction of the pond, and you trail behind him, the route only slightly brightened by the moon. You stare at his back as he walks forward, his shirt stretching and crinkling with each move he makes. Is it weird that you think his back is attractive?

You and Kai arrive at the pool, but instead of sitting on the bench, Kai closely approaches the border of the pond and positions himself on the ground, leaning back on the palm of his hands with his legs stretched out in front of him. You sit down, as well, and you both quietly watch the water as the reflection of the sky glimmers on its surface, twisting and turning with the breeze's prompting. It's breath taking, in a completely different way from how it looks in daylight. It's enchanting. It feels magical, you suppose, like if the moon were to shine a certain way, or if the pond were to gleam a certain way, anything could happen. Anything.

At that moment, you realize exactly why this is Kai's favorite place.

"You see that?" Kai asks, pointing to a star in the sky. "It looks like you."

You squint up at the constellations, not really understanding. "What?"

"Nothing," he brusquely responds. He lies down on the floor, relaxing his head against the cool grass. You do as he does and tilt your head back to get a better view of the stars. This is just like that time when he had invited you to the dance room to look up at his glow-in-the-dark stickers ... only, better. And much, much more real.

"You ever wonder what it's like to get up there?" He murmurs, the look on his face entirely too serious and intent for a midnight rendezvous. "Like how some people imagine themselves in the clouds, or on the moon."

"Someone already got on the moon."

"No, I know that," he replies, irritated. "I mean. The stars. What's it like to be on a star?"

"Hot," you reply, not giving him the time of day. He turns his head to give you a look, and you almost jolt upright. His face is so close, closer than you had expected, and he does't waver at the proximity, either. He just stares at you, his face shadowed but his eyes alight with mischief. 

"Mm. I bet the view is nice." Thankfully, he tilts his head to look at the stars again, saving you from having to keep his stance. Geez, that was close. He was so close. And you had felt the undeniable urge to touch him. "Maybe it's like when you're on a plane, and you look down, and all you see is patches of brown and green. And everything looks the same."

"Or maybe it looks better."

"Or maybe you're right," he grins, that wonderful smile slowly adorning his lips. Gosh, that smile. It's so darn amazing. "What if our planet was a star?"

"What?"

"And we were all just little lights on the earth, making it shine bright but not as bright as the other stars," he continues, ignoring your unintelligent outburst. "Wouldn't that be interesting? If we're the reason the Earth shines in the first place."

You raise your hand, making a point by saying, "I'm not really shining right now." It's too dark to see anything, much less discover you have a light of your own.

"Really?" Kai asks, turning to you, his voice incomprehensible. Close. Again. "I disagree on that. But, anyway," he says, moving his head, giving you time to breathe for a second, "I guess my theory doesn't make sense."

"Well, it's a nice image," you assure him, returning your hand to your side. "You could make a story out of it. Submit it to Disney. Make them have a movie."

"What are you talking about?" He laughs.

"Oh, you know," you add, unable to stop your silly speech. "Boy meets girl. Boy is from earth, the girl is from the Stars, and they have this really complicated love story and stuff happens, and in the end they get together again."

"And whose home do they get to stay in, hm?" He tests you. "The Earth, or the Stars?"

"The Stars," you scoff. "It's prettier."

"You said it was hot, earlier."

"She can handle the heat. Plus, it's pretty. "

"You don't even know what it looks like from up there." 

"Sure I do," you retort, tapping your temple with a knowing look. "I saw it in the movies."

Kai just shakes his head, but he's grinning at your absurdity. Mission: Get Him To Feel Better is accomplished. 

Your stomach grumbles just then, at exactly the wrong time, and Kai bursts out laughing. You can't help it; you laugh, too, even though you're extremely embarrassed. You shake your head at yourself and try to salvage your reputation by saying, "I was hungry ... I guess ... "

"You didn't eat?" Kai asks, his shoulders still shaking from the humor of it all. 

"Hyunsoo got me food," you tell him. "But I'm still hungry."

"How is Hyunsoo, by the way?" He wonders out loud. The way he says it sounds rhetoric, and you're not sure whether you should reply. "I hope she's alright."

" .... she's fine," you say after a moment of contemplation. "I think. She doesn't really tell me anything."

"Well. She doesn't tell me much, either, but I guess I'm to blame for that," he chuckles bitterly. To blame? To blame for what? "Well, I'd say eat if you're hungry, but it's kind of late ... "

" ... early," you correct him.

"It's late," he states firmly. He yawns then, his eyes crinkling. He looks so sweet like that. Young and helpless. "You know, I'm tired, but I really don't want to get up. You think I should just sleep here?"

"On the grass?" You almost squeak, as if his question hadn't been obvious.

"No, in the pond," he says sardonically. "Yeah, here. I don't feel like getting up. I'm freaking tired."

"So stay here if you want," you try to shrug, your movements constricted by the angle of the ground. "Nothing's gonna stop you."

"Will you stay with me?" He asks you softly. He stirs to look at you again, and dangit, you can't think straight when he's looking at you with those sleepy eyes. 

"Isn't that against the rules?" You somehow squeak out. "There's a curfew, isn't there?"

"What's your point?" Kai whispers, his breath tickling your nose. "Nobody comes here anyway. You and I, we could just lie here and let time pass, and nobody would care. You will, won't you?" He searches your eyes, those pleading eyes that suggest a desperation deeper than he implies. "I'll get you breakfast after."

"Okay," you smile, your defenses failing to protect your heart. "Fine. I'll stay. I'll hang out with you."

Kai simply smiles.