"Do you remember when you used to be really uptight? Like not even a little uptight..." You were grinning, watching your boyfriend like the doting other half you were as he measured out the sugar on the weighing scales. "I couldn't even bring myself to call you informally, that's how uptight you are."

Kai laughed as he sauntered past the open door. "He's still uptight!"

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes as he reached around you and grabbed another egg. "I was never uptight, Haneul." Diligently cracking the egg against the countertop, he caught the yolk and let the white dribble into the large mixing bowl. "Have you decided what color you want them to be?"

Under your request and constant begging, Kyungsoo had finally agreed to take a day out of his revision schedule to entertain you and teach you how to make something. It wasn't like you were awful at cooking, as proved by the curry you had made before, but with him stressing out over a test he had coming up, you wanted to spend some quality time with Kyungsoo. Whilst he'd been a little reluctant at first, after hearing you suggest him teach you to make macarons, he'd almost died with excitement which you had found incredibly cute on his part. Macarons were a technical challenge and he loved the idea of being able to really show off in front of you. Macarons were a surprise hidden forte of his.

"Pink!" you squealed, replying a little too quickly.

"Pink?" Kyungsoo shot you a curious look, "I didn't think you were into pink and girly stuff."

"Pink isn't just for girls."

"But it's not your favorite color either."

"Well... I know it's not but..." You blushed furiously as your boyfriend raised an eyebrow at you, beating the eggs with the manual whisk in his hand. "We should really get an electric whisk for you. Are you not tired? Should I buy you one?"

"I'm fine without it, it's my weekly workout," Kyungsoo replied, "now stop trying to change the subject." There was a small but still quite visible smirk plastered where his thick lips usually pouted from concentration. 

"I just thought... You know, since you're teaching me... And we're making them together-"

Kyungsoo chuckled when you coughed, unsure of how to go about saying what he wanted to hear. "Shall we make them heart shaped too?" he teased.

"Oh shut up."

"I didn't think you could be so cute."

"And what's that supposed to mean?!"

"Well let's be serious. When you first arrived, did you think you and I would ever get together? Wasn't I a bit uptight and distant?"

"Oh yeah of course, that's what I've been saying!" you said, peering at the white fluffy peaks that were beginning to form in the bowl, "you were so uptight it's a wonder your arse-"

"Haneul, language."

"I wasn't going to say anything bad or graphic."

"Of course you weren't. You shouldn't lie either."

Glancing over at your boyfriend, you were relieved to see that he was wearing a large grin on his face as he began to measure out the ground almonds you'd crushed together earlier.

"So you didn't think we'd get together?"

You shrugged, "at one point, I did really like you. Then you started going out with Shinyeong so that was a bit of a let down."

"Oh don't remind me."

"I also thought I kind of liked Kris when I first arrived. You know, because he's so good looking."

Kyungsoo nodded, "yeah, I can see that."

"But then I realised how much of a weirdo he is. His idiocy takes away like 80% of his hotness."

"Hence why none of us are that fazed by his beauty."

"Exactly." You smiled, "I'm glad you get it."

"It still makes me a little sad though," Kyungsoo said, pouting a little as he passed you the bowl and spoon. "I now know I wasn't the only guy you found attractive."

"Kyungsoo!"

You were almost on nickname terms. Almost. Despite now dating, Kyungsoo still hadn't managed to come up with a nickname for you, citing things like 'babe' and 'darling' to be much too cheesy and totally unlike him anyway. You'd almost vomited laughing in his face when he'd agreed to try it out anyway but it was far too awkward for words. Naturally, 'Princess' was off limits and there was no way he'd be calling you 'Han' or 'Hana' or 'Hana Banana', not with Chanyeol screeching it like a prayer whenever he couldn't reach the television remote and you were sitting closest to it.

"Luhan's also good-looking but I still liked you."

"But Luhan-hyung is-"

"And I've seen everyone topless-"

"Are you going to use Chanyeol's abs against me?"

"Oh no, not Chanyeol," you said, waving your hand dismissively, "I've seen Jaemin in Speedos."

"You ert."

"You're the one who confessed to me behind a waterfall when my shirt was stuck to my skin and I was really cold-"

"You wear padded bras anyway, it's not like I could see anything."

"."

"Language!"

"How would you know anyway?"

"Baekhyun sometimes forgets to hang the laundry to dry."

"Curse Baekhyun."

"Still," Kyungsoo said, leaning his hands back against the counter and looking you up and down. Protectively, you crossed your arms over your chest. "Not bad. You're a B cup. At least that's better than an A."

"You're so mean!"

"And you're the one who came and confessed to me behind the same waterfall- dripping, no, soaking wet."

"You planned it all, didn't you?"

"Of course I didn't!"

Kyungsoo's smile that transitioned rather quickly into a grin gave his game away immediately and you hit him on the back as hard as you could.

"You ert!"

 

 

 

The macarons turned out great as expected and by the end of the baking day, three things had come out of it. The first: a plate of sweet pink macarons, sandwiched together with a layer of chocolate ganache. The second: a lot of wonderful memories. The third: a slight insecurity on Kyungsoo's part.

You first noticed something was bugging your usually very easy-going boyfriend when he refused to let you feed Chanyeol a macaron. Chanyeol, comfortable and warm wrapped up in a bundle of blankets, had asked if you could give him one and put it between his teeth. No one else had thought anything of it, simply focusing on the television and what was being watched but you felt Kyungsoo's legs around you tighten a little as you began to reach for the plate on the table in front of you.

"Kyungsoo, let me get up for just a second?" you said, tapping his right thigh.

He shook his head, sliding his hands down and around your waist to keep you in place. "Don't feed him."

You were a little shocked by his possessiveness but decided it was cute to see him act that way. You managed to nudge Kris with your toe and picking up your signal, he handed you a macaron that looked simply pea-sized in his large hands.

"Yeollie, here."

"Oh?" Chanyeol turned his head to you, forgetting he had ever asked you to pass him one anyway. "Thanks princess!"

You slapped Kyungsoo's arms that were still firmly wrapped around you and when he still wouldn't let go, you turned around, a little annoyed that he was ignoring your request.

"Kyungsoo, get your hands off of me!" you hissed, loud enough for everyone else in the room to come to a stop. 

Kai glanced over at Kyungsoo who looked like he was experiencing a mixture of regret, shock and the urge to fulfil a murder. Chanyeol froze in his spot and simply took the macaron out of your hand, peeling himself out of his warm and blankety cave, understanding that Kyungsoo was definitely not happy. Seeing him act that way, when you noticed him retracting his hands, you stood up and got up from where you had been sitting between his legs.

"Han-" he started, already missing your presence. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to practice. Jaemin's probably waiting."

Kyungsoo felt his heart drop a bit. Jaemin, the one you'd mentioned wore Speedos around you, was waiting for you. Jealousy was taking a toll.

"Baekhyun, are my things where they usually are?"

Baekhyun nodded, "I washed your towel though so there isn't one in your bag. Just grab a new one from the bathroom."

"You can take mine," Kyungsoo said, pointing to the black towel that was hung up on the back of a chair. "It's clean."

You nodded and picked it up, still not quite understanding why your boyfriend was being so severely annoying one moment and utterly adorable the next. You figured that it was probably because he hadn't wanted you to feed Chanyeol in the way couples feed each other but Chanyeol was a friend and like a brother. That and you'd also turned him down for Kyungsoo before anyway. What was there to be worried about? Stuffing the towel into your bag, you grabbed a bottle of water that stood on the table alone and raised it in the air.

"Who's is this?"

"It's mine," Luhan waved, "just take it. I'm not ill."

To Kyungsoo's dismay, you nodded and tucked it under your arm as you began to put on your shoes. His jaw was threatening to drop. You were willing to share bottles with Luhan? Hadn't you mentioned that Luhan was good-looking earlier too? One part of Kyungsoo's mind was hurtling with questions like: was this the level of strength you'd show in your relationship? But the other and more rational side of his mind that controlled him 99% of the time was telling him to get a grip and that just because you didn't mind being friendly with the others, didn't mean you loved him any less. You'd been living in a dorm full of boys so why was it only now that he was a little unhappy with it? And it was true. You swam. Of course you'd see topless boys in tiny trunks that left little to imagination a lot of the time. Kyungsoo sighed, pulling a blanket off of Chanyeol and wrapping it around himself instead.

"When will you be back?" he asked, his voice just loud enough for you to hear over the buzz of the television.

You turned back, opening the door just as you were about to leave. "In a couple of hours."

"Don't work too hard and hurt yourself, okay?"

You smiled and nodded. "I won't."

 

 

 

There was an upcoming competition against a number of other universities dotted around Seoul and it's neighbouring cities and Jaemin was adamant that this time, this season, everyone would be on form.

"No sweet treats. No deukbokki. No bad food. Okay?"

The entire squad groaned louder than an empty belly rumbling and Jaemin sighed, slumping down and pulling his hand over his face. 

"I know, I know. But it's just for a week. Competition starts on Friday. In fact, it's just a few days. We want lean, green, fighting machines going into the gala, right?"

"I just made macarons with Kyungsoo today though, oppa. Let me finish them at least?" you begged, throwing your goggles at him when he shook his head. "Jaemin!"

"Macarons are just sugar. You need complex carbs that release energy slowly."

"But I made them with Kyungsoo!" you whined.

"And my boyfriend just got me this really amazing cake for our 300th day."

"My boyfriend's taking me out for streetfood tonight and we're going to sit by the river."

"Mom just sent me a load of snacks from America! She'll kill me if I don't eat them."

"No excuses!" Jaemin screeched, blowing his whistle to try and assume some power over the girls in his squad. Who knew being team captain could be so hard when girls, boyfriends and food were involved? He looked to the guys on the team, seeking their support, but they too scratched at their necks.

"Our maknae did make macarons with her boyfriend for the first time today..." one said and you beamed at him, pointing and telling him you'd bring him one the next time you made them.

Another boy in the team, a -r, sat down beside his girlfriend who was also in the team. "Looks like we can't go to the burger house anymore, what with hyung being a tyrant and all."

"I don't care! It's for your own good!" Jaemin glared at you, "I'm going to talk to Kyungsoo and make sure he puts you on a healthy and powerful diet. Now everyone up, let's get in the pool and start training! Up! Up! Up!"

You groaned, pulling a face. "God, I hate you sometimes."

 

 

 

When you heaved yourself up the stairs back home, you had expected to be able to go to sleep quickly and rest your aching bones. Instead, you were met with Kyungsoo who appeared to be a little upset. In all honesty, you weren't ready to deal with whatever he was going to say. If he was going to be emotional, he could be emotional with Xiumin or Suho, one of the elders with a kind and compassionate heart whatever the occasion. 

"I got a call from Jaemin," he said, "he said I'm feeding you bad food."

First and foremost, Kyungsoo was taken aback and slightly offended. He couldn't understand why all of a sudden, he was being asked to change the diet of the entire dorm to something healthier, even though Kyungsoo was an avid reader and learner of healthy cookbooks. Jaemin had made the mistake of not explaining to him that you had an important competition that weekend and you'd never mentioned it to the dorm either. Everyone was going to be cheering for Luhan and Xiumin at the university football match and you rathered they'd all gather to watch two dorm members than split and half just watch one. You also tended to do better when you weren't being watched by loved ones. You just didn't want Kyungsoo around to see you do badly, if you were to do badly.

"Stupid oppa," you muttered, not realising that it had come out to sound like you were accusing Kyungsoo, not Jaemin.

"What?" Kyungsoo croaked, "what did you-?"

"I need to sleep," you mumbled, your eyes starting to shut on their own, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Haneul-"

You weren't responding, far too tired to hold a proper, decent conversation and far too tired to see Kyungsoo's hurt expression.

"Where is everyone?" you asked, looking around. "Why are you still up?"

"I waited for you," Kyungsoo whispered, catching you when you stumbled over your feet on the way to your room. 

You winced, noticing how heavy your legs and arms felt after that excruciating session Jaemin had put you through and nodded, falling straight onto your bed. "That's nice."

 

 

 

The next morning you were woken up to the shrill ring from your mobile phone. Your hair was still slightly damp but you noticed that your clothes had been changed. Smiling, you knew who it had been. You reached for your phone and took the call, groaning rather loudly when you saw the caller ID. 

"What?"

"Well that's certainly no way to speak to your team captain."

"Oppa, please. Please don't tell me we have training now."

"Better. We have gym work in an hour. Eat something good and come up, okay?"

You sighed, "okay."

Dragging yourself out of bed, you pulled on a giant hoodie and peered out into the open plan living area, spotting a familiar tuft of hair sticking out from behind the refrigerator door. Bounding over, you put on your biggest smile and wrapped your arms around Kyungsoo, letting him kiss the top of your head.

"Was I horrible last night when I came back?" you asked, mumbling quiet and feeling bad for the way you had brushed Kyungsoo aside when he'd waited up for you to return. The least you could have done was say thank you but even that hadn't crossed your mind. Now was the time to apologise.

But Kyungsoo, not wanting to make his girlfriend feel guilty, shook his head. "Not at all, Haneul."

"Really? You're not just saying that?" 

"I promise. I'm not just saying it for your sake," Kyungsoo lied. Peering up at him, you shot him a look that easily let him know you didn't believe him but he smiled anyway, handing you a bowl of rice."No more bad breakfasts for you says Jaemin-hyung," he said, "so you're getting a traditional Korean breakfast today, okay?"

"You're the best," you whispered, stabbing a piece of omelette and putting it in your bowl.

"I am, aren't I?" Kyungsoo watched as you dug in, satisfied that you were eating his food so well. Thoughts of insecurity and annoyance disappeared. He suddenly didn't mind that Jaemin had practically accused him of feeding you unhealthy food seeing you appreciate his home cooking so much. "Why the new diet all of a sudden? Just out of curiosity?" 

You shrugged, not wanting to let slip of the competition. "Jaemin's idea," you replied. Knowing Kyungsoo, he'd probably give up anything to watch and cheer for you and considering you weren't on top form, the sheer idea of it scared you. There was no way in hell he was coming. 

 

 

 

As the week wore on, you began to feel more tired and more restless. Xiumin and Luhan were practicing almost every night and accompanied you to the pool as you slipped out of the dorm whenever Kyungsoo wasn't looking, telling the others that you'd be going to the library. It was stupid not to tell anyone about the competition and you couldn't quite believe that Kai hadn't found out about it yet but after swearing the two eldest to the utmost secrecy, they agreed that they'd keep it quiet about your race that weekend.

But without food, you felt like you were dying. Your body craved for salt and sugar and oily foods slicked with grease. You'd almost blown up when Sehun came home with Suho followed by a deliveryman from the local Chinese takeaway. There were 13 plates of jjajangmyun but Kyungsoo had reached over and taken yours away from you. You couldn't be angry at him for doing so, not really, but at that moment your patience was really being tested and you stormed out of the room, unable to contain your unhappiness in a way that wouldn't hurt your boyfriend's feelings.

Kyungsoo however was also unhappy at the way you'd been acting. You'd stopped kissing him good morning and kissing him good night. Truthfully, he missed it. He also wasn't sure why you'd been so cold recently too. You weren't showing any signs of being on your time of the month and mood swings were never much of a problem during that period anyway. Something just wasn't adding up. On top of that, he was growing suspicious of your intentions whenever he realised you'd slipped out for a swim without telling him. He was started to suspect infidelity and his feelings towards Jaemin took a dramatic turn.

"You're spending a lot of time with other guys..."

You stopped eating. Your body just wasn't happy with the lack of unhealthiness in your diet. Kyungsoo wasn't giving up though.

"Let's spend today together- just the two of us," he said, placing a hand on your arm until you moved away.

"Kyungsoo... I can't." You whispered, barely able to speak. You'd been up all night tossing and turning over fear that you'd somehow stuff up your race later that day. "I'm... I'm..." There was no better way to put it. "I'm spending the day with Jaemin-oppa."

Kyungsoo felt himself getting riled up. There was only so much a man's pride could take. "Haneul, why haven't you been calling me oppa recently?"

You looked at him apologetically, yawning a little. "I'm sorry, Kyungsoo... It just hasn't been on my mind. I'm sorry."

"Then what has been on your mind? Jaemin?" Kyungsoo asked, the volume of his voice increasing ever so slightly. With everyone already gone to save seats at the game, he was glad you were alone together.

"Y-yeah? You could say that?" you said, mumbling your words as they stumbled out of your mouth. You yawned again and this time, Kyungsoo stood up abruptly making you leap back in shock. He banged his fist down hard on the table and a part of you suddenly switched as you reached out to hold his hand, wanting to check that he hadn't hurt himself. 

Your mind was a mess, as was his and talking to each other simply wasn't working. You were too tired to appreciate him and he was too aggravated to simply breathe and calm down. Talking to you when you were like this was just infuriating and again, he was questioning whether you still loved him the way you used to say you did. What had started off earlier in the week as insecurity and a little jealousy had now escalated into annoyance and irritance.

"What the hell? Haneul, I miss you for God's sake. You've been so cold this week and I don't understand what's wrong. Can't we spend today together at least? Please?" 

You shook your head but Kyungsoo wasn't taking no for an answer. Hauling you up, he took you by the wrist and started pulling you towards the door. In his mind, the dorm was suffocating you and making you act the way you were- unresponsive and downright irritating. He was so vexed with Jaemin for spending so much time with you as of late and all he wished for was to rewind back to the day you'd begged him to teach you to make macarons and had later gone out to the mart to buy all the ingredients together. That was before you'd managed to mention anything about other good-looking boys in Speedos or not.

"Kyungsoo. Wait-" you said, struggling against your will. Jaemin was coming to pick you up to walk with you to the pool. He knew just how drained you were and his conscience had told him to take it easy on you. Little did he know the rest of the emotional aftermath he'd be responsible for too. "Kyungsoo-yah, hey, hey!"

At the sound of your tone, he snapped too. "What?!"

"I need to see Jaemin!" you screamed, not caring about hurting your boyfriend's feelings anymore. You'd now guessed that he was feeling jealous and unloved but at that moment, all you wanted was to sleep for a million years and take a long, hot bath.

"Haneul, you're coming and watching the game with me!"

"I don't want to!"

"Fine," he said, trying to maintain some composure, "let's just hang out then. Please. I'm begging you."

"I-I can't..."

"What's that supposed to mean? You'd rather watch the game with Jaemin than me, your boyfriend?"

"Are you accusing me of cheating on you with Jaemin?!"

"I never said that. You came up with it yourself."

That was it. He was being far too childish for you to handle and you were now just as vexed as him. Overworked and angry, you finally lost it.

"Kyungsoo, just leave me alone! Can't I get some time away from you?! You're so annoying! You don't run my life!"

"What's been wrong with you recently?!" He shouted back, "do you know what? Fine. Just go with Jaemin. See if I care."

You bit your lip, not wanting to cry as you watched Kyungsoo put on his shoes. He was wearing a burgundy t-shirt to show support for the university's football team. You too were also in burgundy, wearing your team uniform but it could easily have been mistaken for you showing your support too. As Kyungsoo slipped his phone into his back pocket, he shot one final look at you.

"Actually on second thoughts, let's just break up. Obviously that's what you want seeing as you'd rather go to the game with another guy and not your boyfriend. I'll see you later. It's over."

You felt a whimper escape your lips but it was covered by the sound of the door slamming. Once he was gone, you sank to the ground, too overwhelmed by nerves for the race and thoughts about your deteriorating relationship to stand. Covering your mouth to hide your ugly chokes, you sat and cried, only managing to compose yourself when the doorbell rang and you knew that Jaemin had appeared to pick you up.

 

 

 

You made the finals, scraping in by a few milliseconds. Your body was not on top form to say the least but you hadn't expected it to be. Jaemin had been at an internal battle with himself, wondering whether to ease everyone into the gala well rested and recuperated, or throw everyone into hard training as a means of getting some last minute practice in. He'd chosen the latter, much to everyone's disappointment, and the tiredness that had resulted had been building up until you'd cracked earlier that morning. You wanted to punch yourself for taking it out on Kyungsoo although it wasn't right for him to accuse you of spending all your time with Jaemin. You never thought he'd get so overprotective about you hanging around with your own team captain.

"You're up. They're calling you. Are you ready?"

"If having a dark pit of a heart means I'm ready then yes, I'm ready."

You'd already told Jaemin what had happened when he had arrived to pick you up and found you, red eyed and sniffling, and he felt a little bad for pushing you further onto a diet that had probably added to your anger and misery.

"Was he really mad at you?" Jaemin asked, clicking his stopwatch as another team member turned. He was taking down splits for everyone's races but still couldn't shake the guilt that he'd played a small part in your unhappiness.

"I've been a massive recently. It's no wonder he broke up with me."

Jaemin took a double take, "wait, he broke up with you?"

"He said 'let's break up'. I'm pretty sure that constitutes to breaking up with me."

"Oh my god..." Jaemin was sheepish, unsure of what to say or do. Your race was coming up and you were being called to the waiting room but somehow, giving you pep advice on your swimming and not comforting you seemed like a very wrong thing to do.

"I'm doing awful today, aren't I?"

"You're not rested. I don't expect you to do that well. But you know," Jaemin looked down at his sheet, "your personal best is better than the girl who's ranked first in the finals. Even if you're just a bit off your best, you could win this thing. It'd be incredible."

"Oppa, I'm really not up to it. I only just managed to get into the final anyway."

"I know, I know." Jaemin sighed, "I'm sorry for pushing you so much this week. I think everyone's pretty annoyed with me."

You didn't reply but started to put on your swim hat, mentally preparing yourself for the water.

"Just go in and do you best. Think about whatever it is that'll make you perform better."

"If Kyungsoo could come and hug me after the gala whilst I apologise to him, that'd be nice..." you mumbled, "but like hell that's going to happen."

"See how it goes. Just focus on this race and think about the other things later."

 

Think about the other things later. It sounded so easy yet why was it so hard? When you closed your eyes to concentrate, you saw Kyungsoo's hurt expression and his evident anger at you. You saw the way he barely glanced at you when he left. You saw all the past situations where you'd snapped at him and thought he was being irritating. Wasn't this karma? Wasn't this your own fault?

As you stepped up to the block, barely able to smile though the crowd cheered for you like wildfire, you hoped that no one could see you crying though the dark plastic of your goggles. You were shaking with nerves and snuck a look at the other girls lining up for the race. They looked fearless and you knew nothing else apart from this race was on their mind. You had to become one of them if there was going to be any chance of doing well in this thing.

The whistle blew once and you clambered onto the block, lowering yourself into the start position. Another whistle blew and the pool fell silent. 

"Take your marks... Go!"

---

Meanwhile, the game was at half time and everyone was on a break. Scanning the crowd, Kyungsoo was looking for you. He felt awful for leaving you behind but he hoped you'd appear near him so that he'd be able to apologise as soon as possible. There was a rather uncomfortable sense that he'd been accusing you of something you had never done. You weren't cheating on him, he knew that. He'd simply let his own insecurities and jealousy get the better of him and he'd gone and taken it out on you. He reasoned that there must have been a reason for your angsty nature during the past week and he clenched his fists in frustration thinking about how stupid he had been for not simply bothering to ask you privately and sincerely just what was wrong.

"Hyung, have you seen Haneul?" he asked Lay and Kris who were sitting on the bleachers above him, their tall statures giving them the perfect view.

They shook their head and Chen and Seohee who were sat beside them blinked at Kyungsoo curiously. "Didn't you two come together?"

Kyungsoo wanted to cry with guilt. "She said she was coming with Jaemin."

"Jaemin?" Luhan had appeared in the crowd, holding bottles of water to give out. The football match was a charity match so it was a top priority for the players to get into the crowd and get some donations for their good physiques. "What about Haneul and Jaemin?"

Luhan knew exactly why you'd told Kyungsoo you were waiting for Jaemin but considering that the younger boy looked borderline ill, he assumed that something had gone wrong.

"We fought before we left. I told her it was over," Kyungsoo whispered, lowering his head in shame. Luhan, eyes widening at the situation, slapped him around the back of his head.

"You're both so ing annoying. Why can't you just talk to each other?!" he hissed at the very surprised and shocked boyfriend. "Your girlfriend's at a competition today. That's why she's been eating healthily and feeling angry at the world all week. That's why she's been so tired she couldn't even tell me her own name this morning. Just walk around the corner and into the pool complex and you'll find her there."

"What?" Kyungsoo was overwhelmed, "what? Why-?"

"Why didn't she tell you?" Luhan asked, "probably because she didn't want you to worry about her?"

Kyungsoo wanted to faint. You were both at fault here but all he could think about were his own flaws. He'd pretty much accused you of cheating. He'd failed to see that you were tired, thinking you were just being ratty with him. He hadn't been there for you when you needed it most.

"Hyung, what are you still doing here?!" Kai shouted, bringing Kyungsoo back to reality. "Do you want to keep her or not?"

Of course he did. Of course he did. 

---

"Go Haneul, go!" Jaemin shouted, watching the timeboard as it came up with everyone's reaction times. You'd hit the water and instincts had kicked in. You suddenly didn't care about anything other than winning. The blur of burgundy around you everytime you came up to breathe was enough to let you know that the crowd wanted you to win. The crowd needed you to win. You forced yourself through the water, even screaming as your arms hurt but you kept your legs going, driving the water behind you like your life depended on it and like Kyungsoo would come back to you if you did well. It wasn't long until you hit the timepad and looked up at the board. You hadn't concentrated on anyone else in the race, just the water and you looked first to see your time. 

Slower than your best by a second. Fair enough. 

Reading across, you looked for the number.

#2

Peeling your hat off, you looked around and spotted Jaemin on the far side of the pool, grinning at you happily. Forgetting about everything, you smiled and took in the applause. Second place wasn't so shabby. Perhaps being without Kyungsoo would be okay too.

It's funny how the one person who can make you feel alive is the exact same person who can make you feel like you're dying.

 

 

 

After collecting your medal, you stumbled into the changing rooms to get out of the tight swimsuit you were in. There were a few wolf whistles as you walked past the other university's teams but you shuddered, not able to think about anyone but Kyungsoo. Even with a silver medal in your hand, you didn't feel like you'd accomplished anything. You were dying to be fed, but to be fed was to be liked by Kyungsoo. Usually that wasn't an issue but given the situation, you were a million percent sure you'd be starving to death by the time he'd forgiven you. Peeling the lycra one-piece off of you, you put on your underwear and got back into your team kit. You didn't care about blow-drying your hair, figuring that if the match was still on, you'd make it home before the others. 

Walking out of the changing room, you noticed that the races had ended and the pool had come to a standstill. The final results were being called out on the overhead speakers and you clapped when you found out the university had ranked second to one from Daegu. Wanting to see the points, you hurried over to the wall where all the times were taped up and sighed when you saw you'd only lost out on number one by 10 points. That was one bronze's worth of points. 

Your eyes naturally carried on moving along the sheets. Before your race, you hadn't concentrated on anything but your own self-made hell and you'd missed out on your teammates' swims. The burger house couple in your squad had managed to beat their personal bests which made you smile at the thought of them going out together and celebrating. The girl who had celebrated her 300th day with her boyfriend had also scored a gold. It turned out that only you hadn't improved and it was probably because during your week of hell, you'd made the mistake of not looking for your first call of comfort- Kyungsoo.

There was a tap on your shoulder and you turned your head slightly, surprised to find one of the older male team members beside you, towel around his neck and decked out in sandals, team shirt and sweatpants. "Haneul-ah, I think there's someone here for you," he said, discreetly pointing behind him.

You looked away from the timesheets and your finger stopped tracing the list of names as you searched for your teammates' times. He was here. Kyungsoo was here and he was walking towards you, a shocked look on his face. He was shocked you'd never told him about your race today and you were shocked your legs didn't just give way there and then.

 

 

 

You couldn't keep your eyes off of him- Kyungsoo, a vision in the university's colors, wearing the spare football team jacket he'd managed to nab from Luhan. He looked amazing in burgundy and you trembled with fear as you approached him, the lanyard of your medal dangling from your pocket. Noticing it, Kyungsoo couldn't help but feel mightily awful. You looked tired and worn out and yet you'd gone and placed in a race. He hadn't been there to support his girlfriend. He hadn't even known about it about Luhan had slapped him around the head and told him to man the up. 

Tears started forming in your eyes before you'd reached him and when you saw his arms open out in front of you a little, his expression sad and a little forlorn, you flew into his arms, reaching up and holding onto his neck as if doing that would stop him from leaving you. A weeks worth of missed emotions came flooding back all at once and hit you like a tsunami wave.

"Oh god, Kyungsoo. I'm so sorry. I'm really, really, truly, so sorry. I- I didn't mean it." You were choking, crying as you clung to his neck, breathing in the scent of his cologne. You felt awful for treating him so horribly and you didn't want him to break up with you. You didn't want that at all. "I'm sorry, Kyungsoo. I'm so sorry."

"Haneul-"

"Please don't break up with me. I'm really so sorry. I shouldn't have said those things to you. I-I didn't mean them. I was just tired and being stupid. Really, I'm so sorry. Please. Let's not end this all. I don't want us to be over."

You couldn't bring yourself to let go of him and you hadn't noticed his hand resting on the small of your back and the back of your head, gently your wet hair.

"I'm so sorry," you sobbed. "Please. I don't want to break up-"

"Haneul." Kyungsoo's voice was stern and you winced, letting out a sharp cry that left Kyungsoo feeling awful that he'd ever mentioned breaking up in the first place. "Haneul, just shut up and kiss me."

You wasted no time in planting a kiss on Kyungsoo's cheek before resuming your crying. The weeks worth of hard training with only one days rest had taken a toll on your body and your emotions were a mess. All you wanted to do was cuddle up into a ball in Kyungsoo's arms and fall asleep there.

"I'm so sorry for being so horrible to you. I was just-"

"You never told me you were racing today. You should have told me, you idiot," Kyungsoo said quietly, whispering into your ear as he held you tighter. "Why didn't you tell me you were going through hard training? I wouldn't have been so adamant to spend time with you if I knew you wanted to sleep so much. I told you not to work too hard and hurt yourself, didn't I?"

"I'm sorry-"

"Shut up and stop saying you're sorry!" Kyungsoo snapped, his voice softening when he felt you tense up again, "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have said those things to you. 

"I didn't want you to be around if I did badly."

"You could have told me that though, Haneul. I wouldn't have minded it if you didn't want me to be there." Kyungsoo kissed you on the cheek. "I feel awful for accusing you for spending so much time with Jaemin. He's your team captain, for crying out loud, I'm so sorry."

"I should have told you about today and about everything."

"I should have trusted you more. I shouldn't have been so insecure."

"Kyungsoo, I came second today," you whispered to him. "Are you happy for me?"

"That's really good," Kyungsoo acknowledged, "and of course I am, silly. You're amazing, especially after everything I said to you. I honestly felt so bad. As soon as I left, I wanted to run back to you. I can't believe I was so horrible. I forgot for a moment who you were to me and I promise it'll never happen again. I promise you."

"I should have shown you how much I love you," you said, shaking your head, "I should have shown you that you're the only one I look at."

Kyungsoo smiled shyly, pulling you closer so that you were standing on your tiptoes. "You can still do that now."

"I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you. You weren't trying to be annoying, you were trying to be nice to me and all I was being was ungrateful the entire time."

You started tearing up again and Kyungsoo hunched over a little, letting you rest your feet firmly back on the ground. He didn't like seeing you an emotional wreck but at the same time, all he wanted was to be showered with kisses from his girlfriend that he loved and missed so much, whilst also putting you to bed and sleeping beside you as you finally got the rest you deserved.

"Don't cry, okay? Let's put it behind us." You nodded, your arms still around his neck and your face buried in the crook of his shoulder. "You must be really worn out. Are you okay?"

Stepping away from him, you smiled through your red eyes and nodded again in reply. 

"I feel so bad," Kyungsoo sighed, "we have to promise to tell each other everything, okay? From now on, I need to know everything. I even want you to tell me when you're on your period- don't let me just guess."

"You always get it right anyway you freak."

"I'm trying to be romantic here."

You giggled, "I know."

"So to consummate the end of our rough patch, is there anything you'd like to eat? I feel like I desperately need to feed you. Or just anything you'd like in general?"

Tiptoeing, you wrapped your arms around Kyungsoo's neck again and he smirked, knowing what was coming.

"Kiss me?"

Leaning down, he pecked you on the cheek, almost laughing when he opened his eyes and found you staring at him angrily.

"Kiss me properly. On the lips. Kiss me with everything you've got."

Lowering his head, he brought his forehead to yours and his lips in preparation. You closed your eyes, waiting for a kiss full of a week's missed emotion and Kyungsoo didn't care that anyone on the poolside could see the two of you. All that mattered was that the misunderstanding between the two of you had been cleared and whilst it'd almost broken you both down, you would be emerging stronger than ever.

"I thought you'd never ask."

 

 

 

---

GENUINELY THE REASON WHY THIS IS SO LONG IS BECAUSE I HAD AN INSANELY VIVID DREAM THAT THIS HAPPENED TO ME NO EXAGGERATION (CAPS LOCK BECAUSE IM SO EXCITED). The only difference was that in my dream, Kris, Lay and Yoo Jae Suk (Running Man/ Nations's MC anyone????) was also there and watching and cheering when Kyungsoo and I kissed but like that would totally not be good for this situation. I mean, I remember I even cried in my dream because we'd fought and then I cried again when I woke up because the dream wasn't real. (I also squealed because in my dream Kyungsoo said 'just shut up and kiss me' and admit that is hot as ok THAT IS HOT! NEEDY IS HOT!). Anyhow, live my dream through this extreeeeemely long epilogue. (This was the longest of the three- I'm obviously so biased I can't even try to hide it)

But ahhhhh! We make a start on the other alternate endings now!!!!!

Moving onto Kai and Chanyeol's here~~~

SEE YOU THERE! SEE YOU SOON!