Kevin caressed his head as his vision started to blur. His head felt like it weighed almost a thousand pounds and his knees were starting to shake. He closed his eyes and felt himself starting to slowly collapse to the ground, but was stopped by two slender, strong hands wrapping themselves around his lean waist.

He laid there motionless in the man’s arms, the only movement and sound coming from Kevin was his rapid heartbeat and heavy breathing. He didn’t want to open his eyes though; he wanted to stay in the strange man’s hands. It reminded him of a certain someone, someone who once met the world to him.

These hands, this strength, it’s the same but yet completely different.

Who is this man?

~

Kiseop lifted up the fragile man off the ground and carried him towards the bed. He lightly placed him on top of the freshly cleaned sheets, adjusting the pillows to allow him to sleep as comfortable as possible. Kiseop walked over to his closet and pulled out a knitted blanket and gently placed it on top of Kevin’s body.

“You sure are a clumsy one,” Kiseop said in a fast manner and he quickly slipped out of his room. He quietly shut the door behind him and proceeded to the kitchen. He fetched himself a glass of water and sipped on it as he clumsily looked through the cabinets for snacks with his free hand.

“Is this guy some kind of heath freak?” Kiseop said with disappoint apparent on his face, “there’s nothing to eat here! Ah! I’m so hungry!”

Ten minutes later, Kiseop slowly walked to Kevin’s bedroom with a half empty water glass and some kind of American chocolate he found stuffed in the back of a drawer. He ripped the wrapper with his teeth and eagerly ripped the gooey bar in half, chewing it happily.

“He must be from America, how else could he get this kind of food?” Kiseop said with curiosity, still working on chewing what was left of the chocolate. He didn’t seem like it though. He’s… weird, almost like a mystery.

~

Kevin rubbed his heavy eyes with his delicate hand, woken up from the bustling traffic outside of his apartment. He slight opened his eyes but flinched from the bright light seeping from the windows, instantly closing his eyes and shoving his face into the pillow in response. “Go away sun!” Kevin muttered into his pillow. He pushed himself off the bed and covered his face with the unfamiliar blanket.

Wait a sec, who’s bed am I in?

Kevin took the blanket off of his head and forced his eyes open despite the sun still bothering his eyes. He surveyed the entire room and his eyes widened with shock. “This… this… th-”

“My room.”

Kevin spun around on his bed and looked at the man who was standing in the doorway. He had a tray full of freshly made food in his hands and he brought it towards Kevin, laying it in front of him on top of Kiseop’s blanket.

“You passed out yesterday, so I thought you would need some yummy food to help you feel better,” Kiseop said in a polite matter as he started to head out of his own room. He stopped in front of the doorway as Kevin looked at him with surprise, his eyes imitating a deer in headlights. “Oh, and my name’s Lee Kiseop, nice to meet you,” Kiseop said as he bowed and shut the door behind him.

Kevin looked down at his hands, which were now slightly shaking. He placed them on his heart, which was beating at the speed of a humming bird flapping its wings.

How can he do this to me? He’s…he’s not Eli. He’s nothing like Eli. He doesn’t look like Eli, feel like Eli, talk like Eli, cook like Eli… His name isn’t Eli. He’s not Eli!

Kevin felt himself grow frustrated. He didn’t know why he was feeling like this all of a sudden. Kevin wasn’t the type of person to get mad or frustrated with himself or anyone else. He was always laughing, always smiling, even after Eli passed away. The only time he wasn’t was when he was around people he didn’t know, such as those girls who followed him home from work.

He clutched his shirt and closed his eyes, releasing a tear as he shut them tighter. He was angry, angry at himself for allowing his heart to beat this way for someone who wasn’t Eli.

He dropped his hand and wiped away the tear that was now on the edge of his chin, ready to drop onto the freshly cooked food Kiseop made for him. Kevin just couldn’t let someone else’s hard work go to waste, even if he just learnt his name.

Kevin grabbed the pair of chopsticks instinctively and reached for his food, but realized that it wasn’t typical Korean food; it was American food, food that his mother used to cook for him back when he was younger. Scrambled eggs lathered with ketchup, greasy bacon and toast lathered with fresh, real butter.

Is… is he from America as well?

Kevin dropped his chopsticks and elegantly hopped off the bed, leaving the warm, comforting food behind him. He opened the door slightly, looking through the crack for any sign of Kiseop and there he was, cleaning up in the kitchen.

Kevin opened the door just enough for his slender body to slip out. He tip toed his way to where Kiseop was washing off the grease on the frying pan and waited for him to finish. A minute later, Kiseop turned around and jumped at the sight of Kevin standing in front of him when he least expected did.“Erm-“

“Are you from Amercia?” Kevin asked bluntly, not caring that he cut Kiseop off.

“No…,” Kiseop said in a soft, confused voice, “why?”

Kevin looked at him with a slight glare in his dark orbs, trying to intimate the man in front of him. “You! You cooked me a typical Western breakfast!” Kevin said as he stepped closer with his finger pointing towards Kiseop’s body, ready to poke him right in the ribs. Kiseop looked at him with wide eyes, but not filled with fear. Instead they were filled with amusement and Kiseop covered his mouth as he let out a giddy laugh. “Are you trying to scare me?” Kiseop said in the midst of laughter.

“Why! Is it not working?” Kevin said with a desperate tone.

“It-“ Kiseop started to laugh even harder. Not able to contain it in anymore, he fell to the ground as he watched Kevin’s ‘intimidating’ face go to the most innocent, angelic face in the entire universe.

Kevin looked around desperately, trying to find some way to make himself look a little bit scarier, but Kiseop was laughing like a maniac on the floor and soon Kevin was on the floor with him.

After a few minutes, they both calmed down and pushed themselves off the ground, resting their backs against the wall while holding their stomachs which were now in immense pain after the hysteric laughing.

Kiseop exhaled loudly and faced Kevin, giving him a toothy grin.

“Hi, my name’s Kiseop.  I’m also not American, nice to meet you.”  

Kiseop reached out his hand, waiting for Kevin to accept it, which he did so eagerly.

“Hi, my name’s Kevin. I’m anything but scary, nice to meet you too.”