The clock was ticking 9AM when his brown eyes turn away from the sad landscape, seeing the child-like classroom almost full with chatting moms around him. He was used to this, to days like this when Mason’s teacher organized a parent meeting and he was the only dad who attended. It was pretty bothersome if you ask Nichkhun. Not because of the meeting, everything related to his son was highly important for him, but because of some moms who try to make a small talk with him after they had check that, yes, he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring.   

Like the gentle person he is, he had talked with them anyways. Sometimes faking a chuckle to some bad joke, sometimes pretending to be hearing some boring story about how good they can cook. Or commenting about some topics but never saying anything which would make those women think something he could never mean; and refusing with charming smiles to answer questions which those women doesn’t have any right to know and shouldn’t have any interest to heard giving to the fact that they were all married.                           

Women are cruel animals, Nichkhun thinks… Because they could make everything to have what they want, it doesn’t matter the price.     

They know how to lie, till the point you believe even the most unbelievable thing. They know how to play with your heart and mind; they quickly find your most fragile weakness and reduce to ashes your few strong points. They know how to seduce you, they knows that a few cute smiles and some seductive looks will do their magic to have you needing them like some lost dog… They are smart and they are cold. So cold that they’re capable to cry false tears in front of your eyes, to fake a heartbroken ’it’s not you, it’s me’ to break up and to smirk when they turn to leave while you keep pleading them to stay.

-Good morning, Mr. Horvejkul…- the annoying flirtatious tone of voice of one of them brings him back from his deepest thoughts, and he already knew what was about to happen.

His brown eyes turn to his right, finding this lady standing beside him. She has some tight, black skirt ending long inches above her knees. It closes around her waist, above the pink shirt that she is wearing with three opened buttons which shows more of what it should. Her long black hair was artificially curled; her make-up was way too perfectly done to be a Thursday at 9AM and that hand which holds that expensive bag was showing without shame that big, sparkling ring on her left ring finger.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Cruel, indeed… Nichkhun has not doubt.

-¿Can I sit with you?- she ask, so hideously flirtatious ones again that he could only fake a new nice smile.

He was about to nod and ignore her in the precise instant she sat down, but there’s some familiar voice calling for him in the not so distant door -¡Hyung!- He knows is for him, he was the only man in that classroom after all…

His brain barely could process the image of certain blonde boy standing in the door and already walking towards him when his body trembled with some unexpected shiver. A shameless smile curve up on his lips at the sight of that boy pushing that woman away and taking the empty sit beside him… just like his heart started to beat fast and furiously happy when Wooyoung hugged him tight. So tight that Nichkhun could feel that maddening mix between manly perfume and Wooyoung’s unique scent.

-¡Hyung, thank you for saving me a spot!- the young boy in his arms said, but he didn’t hear a word about it…

The addicting sensation of Wooyoung pressing so delightfully tight against him had destroyed any trace of reasoning. The dreamlike feeling of Wooyoung’s soft skin barely grazing his arms was boiling his blood and melting all those ice walls he had been trying to strengthen. And the sweet echo of Wooyoung’s voice was the only thing rumbling on his dizzy mind, creating the perfect background for such a secretly waited moment.

Women were indeed cruel animals, Nichkhun has no doubt…

But Wooyoung… Wooyoung was even worse.

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Rain was falling calmly. From the silver clouds high above in the dark grey mantel raindrops slip one by one, flying through the soft breeze which had calm down its harsh nature of hours earlier. Raindrops clash against the big city, against every moving car or opened umbrellas of walking citizens. Raindrops slowly slide down on the trees green leafs, traveling through those big trunks and quietly dying when they reach the grass. They nicely run through the end of tall roofs as well, conforming something alike to a thin curtain of clear water as some weak sun lights hits them.

Nichkhun sighs soft as he leans a little more into the cold wall of Mason’s school behind his back, watching the last moms whom still were inside talking with the teacher. The rain had started around one hour ago, when he was still in the classroom, and giving to the fact that parent meetings are always long he didn’t worry much about not having an umbrella because it was more than probable that when the meeting ended the rain had stopped… He was wrong, obviously.

Now all what he could do was wait there under the school roof like some homeless man… It’s not like he doesn’t have anything better to do, but he had parked his car two blocks away and he wasn’t in the mood to get soaked from head to toe today.

That was the only reason… ¿wasn’t it?

-Oh, well…- Nichkhun sighs heavy, taking a few steps away from the wall but still under the comforting protection of the school roof.

He looks at the drops nicely falling from some big tree and softly clashing against the small puddles on the floor, and he already could feel the unpleasant sensation of water soaking his cloths…

-¿Mr. Horvejkul? ¿You are still here?- someone calls him and someone ask behind his back, but he doesn’t need to turn around to know who could be.

But even so, he has to do it. He turns around and his brown eyes find that woman from hours ago whom looked so annoyed when Wooyoung pushed her away and stole that empty seat beside him.

-Uh, yes, hi…- was all what he could say as he bows to her, catching her smirk that she quickly changed when he stood straight ones again.

-It’s raining pretty hard and I see you don’t have an umbrella, ¿do you want me to accompanying you to your car?- she ask as she opens her big umbrella, giving him one of those smiles she shouldn’t gave to another man who is not her husband.

She was lying. Awfully lying because it was just raining and she made it sound like if some tornado was about to come… What a sly lady.

A gentle refusing smile had already painted on his face when suddenly that familiar voice was calling him one more time from the distant.

-¡Hyung!-

Nichkhun barely had time to turn a little when that warm, addicting body was ones again pressing tight against him. He let himself enjoy it, maybe more of what he should, and having all this senses centered in the blonde young boy in his arms he miss the way that woman roll her eyes annoyed; and the sound of her high heels walking away mixing with the nice music of the falling water was all what could pass through the loud noise of his jumping heart rumbling on his ears.

-Hyung, she is gone now…-he didn’t heard Wooyoung’s sweet voice talking to him at first, but it was just when his cute dongsaeng broke the nice hug and moved away that his mind started to work normally again.

-¿Ummm…?- a lost mumble was all what he say, seeing into those black orbs as Wooyoung’s pink lips curved in such a smile that made his heart skip a strong beat.

-The noona who was hitting on you is gone. You owe me two with this one, hyung.- the young boy comments amused, yet there is some playful ring in his soft tone of voice.

-Oh…- he simply murmur, taking a few seconds more to admired that lovely smile a little longer. -¿She was hitting on me?- he wonders then, feeling still a bit stunned by the indescribable sensation of Wooyoung’s skin under his slight touch.

¿Did he ever mention how much he was dying to feel that…? Two years were such a torture…

But it’s gonna get horribly worst from now on, Nichkhun is perfectly aware of that.

-Hyung, ¿you didn’t knew she was hitting on you?- Wooyoung wonders cutely amazed, his warm dark eyes wide open with surprised.

He chuckles at how honestly adorable the blonde boy is. –I knew she was kinda flirting…- he comments casually, not really interested in that lady or whatever she was trying to do.

-Well, she was hitting on you and that’s why I interrupt her. Hyung didn’t looked interest and like hyung is nice I knew you couldn’t be harsh to her so I just gave you a hand… twice.- the blonde boy explains calmly, yet Nichkhun can hear some bother tone at the end of each word.

¿Was his idea or Wooyoung…?

“No, stop. Don’t think… There’s no point in evaluate impossible things” a deep, low voice whispers inside his mind; bringing completely back his correct reasoning and taking into the deepest shadows of his psyche any useless hope.

With the mix of sadness and the feel of doing the right thing a small, melancholic smile softly paints in his lips as he nods slowly, not accepting what his dongsaeng said but agreeing with his other –and much more rational- self.

-Yes, I owe you two… Suk Hyun said you like ice-cream the most, maybe on a better day I’ll treat you with ice-cream Wooyoung-ah.- Nichkhun says as his eyes couldn’t move away from those tender black ones; hearing his own voice sounding too sorrowful for his liking.

But he was good at hiding what he feels… Two years had pass since those improper feelings started to grown on his fearful heart and Wooyoung doesn’t suspect a thing. He was indeed pretty good at it.

Maybe way too good…

-¡¿Which day can be better than a rainy day for ice-cream?!- Wooyoung asks unbelieving, so adorably excited that Nichkhun is sure he didn’t notice his sadness.

-Umm… ¿sunny days?- he answers not really sure; seeing how a beautiful wide smile curves in those pouty lips… feeling a stab of pain mixing with a little of tenderness on his heart.

¿Was it because even when he knows he can’t do anything to own that smile he stills loves to see it like if he has any right…?

“Stop it…” he hisses in his mind, feeling the cold touch of ice walls slowly rising again around his jumping heart.  “I have to do the right thing… I have to do the right thing…” he repeats himself as he takes a slow breath and turns his hurt orbs away.

-¿Do you know why rainy days are better, hyung?- Wooyoung asks him nicely, that sweet voice echoing loudly in his ears.

-No, ¿why, Wooyoung-ah…?-  he ask back with a slightly broken tone; watching how some green leafs slowly fall from the big tree and kindly land on the wet floor.

But when honest, warm words reach his ears said in such a convinced, sure and kind voice Nichkhun’s brown eyes quickly looked up; finding not only those tender black orbs shining stronger than usual… but also a curios and adorable carmine color staining those cute chubby cheeks while those pink lips hold still that breath-taking smile.

-Because rainy days make us sad… and nothing can cure sadness better than ice-cream and good company.-

There is anything he could say at the moment… but there are so many emotions inside his heart right now. He feels like crying, he could collapse on the floor right in this instant and cry his heart out in waterfalls of mixing feelings he can’t really describe. He feels like wrapping his arms around Wooyoung and hugs him tight, so tight that neither of them could breathe, and never thinking on letting him go. He feels like kiss those lips which always seemed to be pleading him in silent to do it…

He feels like telling the unforgivable true, he feels like confessing that overwhelming feeling which houses his little weak heart…

-Wooyoung…- but all what Nichkhun could mumbled is just a word, just a name which all is summed up in.

He couldn’t move, he couldn’t speak… and Wooyoung sees it so clearly. Wooyoung sees through him so clearly.

Wooyoung was indeed worse than cruel women… Because Wooyoung was dangerous.

-Come, hyung. There’s an ice-cream parlor just two blocks away…- the blonde boy says with his soft and adorable voice, kindly grabbing one of his hands and slowly starting to walk.

Nichkhun barely could coordinate his feet to walk property when Wooyoung’s small hand took his big, shaking one. The sensation of those tiny fingers gently squeezing his long ones was something he could never put in words. The sweet warmness of that smooth skin was so strong that any cold raindrop could make him shiver. The tender delicacy with which that small hand was holding his as they walk was something so new and touching… It feels like if Wooyoung was taking care of him.

Like if he was important to Wooyoung just in the way Wooyoung was important for him…

Hearing nothing besides the harmoniously loud beating of his heart echoing in his mind Nichkhun squeeze that little hand gently stronger. Feeling how Wooyoung leans a little closer to him, a genuine content smile appears in his lips as the taste of raindrops falling upon them slid into his mouth…

…Just like the burning sensation of that overwhelming emotion in his heart won’t ever let any ice wall imprison it never again.