My eyes drifted across the clusters of people leisurely walking up the wide cobblestone path to the school entrance. It was like a sea of maroon, navy, and black. I was blending into it, just another figure contributing to a group of constricted colors. Recently moments like these were becoming my little moments of normalcy. I was being me, the relatively unknown, completely unbothered wallflower.

>No new guesses?

I had tried to prod but my text had gotten no response, Xulian disappearing for the rest of the night before. It wasn’t surprising; right in the middle of a convo he could suddenly disappear for hours at a time. Sometimes days. I did it too whenever homework piled up or if I slept in. Either way we would always find our way back into our conversation, like it never stopped.

Did I make him sleep late? I bit my lip at the thought, gazing at the baby blue sky. It was pretty warm, which was a nice change to the breezy weather lately. In just a couple weeks it would truly be summer.

And back to my part time job I go.

Maybe with these couple weeks off everything would reverse. Besides work I’d only be staying home during the vacation, and it would probably be the exact opposite for the kingkas. They were ‘princes’ afterall. Queenkas would probably wring this opportunity dry to spend time with them. If that happens, maybe I would fade a bit from their minds.

Or maybe not.

I stared at my phone, silently willing the screen to light up. It remained stubbornly black.

Something solid collided with the crown of my head. I jerked back, and a folder spilled its contents onto the pavement. A boy stared at me, bewildered, his hands now empty.

“I’m so s-sorry!” I said, both of us bending down at the same time. I scooped up as many of the papers as I could, mortification a tidal wave down my back. It wasn’t until everything was placed back into his hands did he respond to me.

“Nah, it’s partially my fault too.” His voice was relatively cheerful, but a grimace was stretched on his thin lips. I apologised again, bowing twice “It’s fine, nothing got wrecked. But we should probably watch where we’re going next time right?” He almost sounded like a teacher.

“O-of course, sorry about that.” I replied, a discomforted laugh escaping my lips. He was tall, enough that my head had to tilt back to look at him. He had dark hair a couple inches long enough to get scolded. His eyes were too dark to be brown; in the morning light they looked almost grey and his skin was fair. Practically white, like fresh fallen snow. Despite the mild weather he had a coat layered over his blazer. I could recognise the black and plaid uniform as my school.

“I heard you the first time.” was his reply, then he was walking past me. Not in the direction of school gates, but against the tide of students, back to the main streets. I watched his retreating figure for a moment.

That wasn’t the nicest way you could’ve replied to someone apologising to you.

“H-hi sunbae-nim!” I turned forward at the random squeal. Just in front of the gates the clusters of people were particularly tight. They seemed to curve around a particular form up against the iron bars on their way inside. My stomach gave a funny twist once I could make out the person’s features. Lay seemed relatively relaxed, even returning the greeting to some girls as they passed. If only I had come earlier.

Why is he here? I thought, anxiety digging a well in my mind. Or maybe just a black hole. It can’t be for me. No. Nope, not gonna make expectations. It’d be so rude to just walk past without saying something though. Do I walk up directly? Or is it better to say hi while walking by? Do I have to speak? I’d rather smile or something. What if he misses it? What if other people hear me and look instead? I DO NOT WANT TO ATTRACT ATTENTION.

The closer I became the more it felt like my steps were getting stiff and robotic. It wouldn’t be such a problem to greet him, that is, if I had any idea how he felt about me. My eyes were trained on him closely, more close than I intend. So when Lay’s gaze lifted my insides felt like they were flipped on themselves. We stared at each other. He eased up off the gate, smoothly cutting through the waves of students going in.

I remembered to smile, then speak “Hello sunbae.”

His hair was tousled and a shade darker, as if damp with water. The corner of his lips were upturned.

“I was waiting for you.” He murmured. My mind wiped clean in seconds.

“Really?” The word came out of my mouth an octave too high. He nodded, still smiling a little. He was smiling. At me.

Was there something on my face? “You w-weren’t waiting out here long were you?” I lifted a hand over my forehead, pretending to scratch, then I rubbed one cheek. Nothing… wait. Is it my nose?  

Lay pointed to the corner of his lips as he spoke “No, only a couple of minutes.” I swiped my mouth with the back of my hand, feeling the brush of crumbs from my breakfast.

So freaking smooth Lena, really. I couldn’t bring myself to say anything as we walked. Which technically shouldn’t have mattered; between the two of us there was usually only quiet. Usually.

“How was your weekend?” He asked.

“I was alright- I mean it was alright.” That didn’t sound awkward at all.

His brown eyes looked brighter from the morning sun “That’s good, I mean if both were alright.”

Did Sehun or Kai ask him to be here? But he actually looks happy... okay happy might be a strong word. Maybe just... content. Unless they told him to be like this too, or is he just trying to seem that way for my sake?

“What?” He murmured. I blinked, realizing I was staring.   

“Nothing.”

His lips returned to their familiar neutral line, the way they only seemed to be around me. “I hoping to talk to you. Actually, I wanted to apologise.”

“Why?” I asked, partially confused. That was definitely not what I had been expecting. 

He stared at the ground, a crease between his brows “I haven’t been very welcoming to you these past couple days, and I think you’ve already started to notice that.” So, it really hadn’t been me overanalyzing. “You need to know it wasn’t intentional. I was uh, caught off guard”

So was I, about everything.

“That doesn’t make up for the way I was acting. I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable.”

“You were still very considerate to me.” I said quietly “What I mean is uh, I don’t think that you’ve been mean or anything like that. Actually- maybe it doesn’t seem that way to you, but everything that’s been done for me already feels like a lot.” His gaze stayed on my face as we walked, his expression almost confused. It made me brush away the little nagging voice at the back of my mind, telling me to stop.“The situation couldn’t have been all that comfortable for any of you. We didn’t even know each other before last week. Sehun-sshi and Kai-sshi didn’t have to help me with those queenkas, but they did. Then you got involved.” I watched my shoes, the crowd in front of us, all the while aware my face growing warm. “Um, to be honest I’m not sure what made you guys decide that you’d like to do any of this, I can’t even repay you, but it’s made me very grateful. So uh, if anything I’m just hoping-” A muffled sound escaped from Lay. I turned, and found a hand over his mouth, his eyes closed but in crescents. He was holding in laughter.

“W-what? Why are you laughing?!” I asked, dumbfounded.

“I’m sorry, I was trying not too.” He said lowly. I looked away, hot and embarrassed while he regained his composure.

“I wasn’t trying to be funny.” I muttered.

“I know,” He said, another smile on his lips “it was just nice.”

“But cringe worthy would be a better description.”

“It was still nice to hear, I didn’t think that was how you felt.”

“I do think that, it just doesn’t show well.” I said lightly. “I’m funny in that way.”

“Do your friends say that a lot about you?”

Well I guess I could get Xulian to vouch for me.

Lay pulled the entrance doors open, gesturing at me to go in first. The crisp air conditioning was a blessing to my face.

“People do, I guess. You’ve probably figured it out already, but I’m not the best at...talking.”    

“You make it sound like something terrible,” He murmured.

Well it isn’t going to do me any favors.

“I think it’s kind of cute.” He continued.

“H-how could it be? I sound ridiculous.” I muttered, my evil blush starting.

“You sound earnest.”

“At least one person thinks so.”

He grinned as he spoke “Let’s ‘get along in the future’ Lena-ah.” My heart thumped harder in my chest. Just the way it would whenever I was around one of the Kingkas. It was almost funny how easily my suspicions could vanish with a couple of words and a smile. If they would never come back, maybe I could really enjoy these moments.

“Heads up people, let’s at least try to make it seem like we are paying attention to the lesson.”

Whack. A few heads started up at the sound. Our history teacher Mr. Im didn’t so much as bat an eye, the wooden metre stick in his hands still stuck to the board.

“Class participation is not voluntary.” He continued, tapping the stick repeatedly to emphasize the point. “And as I’m sure the majority of you have already figured out it is required that you pass this course so let’s just do each other a favor and co-operate alright?”

“Can we start cooperating tomorrow?” A voice muttered from the other side of the room. The teacher pointed a warning finger at the culprit amidst the giggles.

“You’ve had since the start semester. And as we all know you guys are going to make up for this ‘slacking off’ during the break.” Some snickers rose. “Just in case for the few of you who decide not to save yourselves from an early mid-life crisis I will do the ultimate favor of making sure you stay motivated and engaged while you’re here.” He walked back around the podium, slapping down a high stack of papers. “So to speed up the next unit we are going to do some project based learning!” A chorus of groans resonated through the room, long and disgusted. Mr. Im had to raise his voice to be heard. “Don’t worry everyone, you’re all going to love it!” Which basically meant we were going to hate it. “The deadline is friday of next week, just before the break-”

“That’s the same day as the dance!” A girl whined.

He smiled cheerfully. “Correct, the formal will be on that friday in the evening while school is during the day. So I will expect to see you all present with smiling, prepared faces ready to present your work.”

Mr. Im crossed the room, handing a short stack of the guides to each head of the row. “Stay in groups of two to four max. Make sure to list on the marking rubric who did what because I will check.” He came to the last row, handing me the last of the papers “It’ll be a weighty project, so I won’t suggest going alone.”

“Is it still possible to?” Nana asked from behind me. He raised his brows.

“Of course, have a ‘ball’ with all the research.” No one laughed. Mr. Im grinned, crossing his arms behind his back while he walked. “I want a powerpoint presentation, no more than 20 slides, pecha kucha style; that means all pictures, and no words. You may have a script in hand but do not read from it as though it is the first time you’ve seen it. General research prompts are in your textbook as a starting point but it is possible to go off tangent if you would like, so long as what you choose actually has to do with what we’ve been studying, which is?” Perfect silence. “Anyone? This is a history class so it shouldn’t be so hard to guess.” His gaze swept across the room, landing on final row. My row.

“Nana.”

“We’ve been looking at ancient societies and their collective cultural identities.” She answered.

“Ah yes, ancient societies. The human stepping stones for our present day development and progress. They are the reason we are in relative terms ‘us’.” He swept the stick over the group “Let’s use this opportunity to look into our origins, to understand what it was that moved the people of the past in their time.” With the way he described it, this project could almost sound interesting. I knew better then to get my hopes up. “Alright people, figure out who your going to go with. I want group names by the end of this class, and by tomorrow your topic of study.”

No sooner had he finished did chairs scrape back and the volume of conversation rise. I leafed through my pamphlet, frowning slightly. Of all times to give us a project it just had to be now.

Mr. Im was one of the more pickier teachers in this school, so getting a good grade in his class would be a feat. It was going to half kill me to try.

Nana spoke from behind me “Are you going to pair up with someone?” I turned around. She was already busy jotting down some ideas on her notepad. I had spent enough time around her to know she was actually speaking to me.

“Um, I’m not sure.” Because if it wasn’t teacher assigned, I automatically went alone. Nana usually did the same, but it didn’t feel so sad in her case. “How about you?” She took a moment to consider, looking across the room. A displeased look crossed her face the moment she saw Jae Hwa. He was already huddled amongst a group of people, talking and laughing boisterously.

“I wouldn’t trust these people as far as I could throw them.” She said, in a line of disapproval. “Doing a project together would be a disaster.”

“Maybe,” I laughed a little at her bluntness, staring down at my notes “but this seems pretty open ended. We can choose any ancient civilization we want. It might even be fun.” I said it, but there was a good chance it wouldn’t be.

She turned to me, adjusting her glasses. “If you want to work with a partner, why not try to ask Jae Hwa-ah?”

I shook my head a little furiously “No, that’s fine. I think he would be going with one of his other friends, besides-” That really would be a disaster.

“Lena-ah.” We both turned at the voice. Kai stood next to the empty desk beside my own, grinning. “Am I interrupting?” My tongue was a sudden dead weight but Nana remained unaffected.

“Not really.” She said, looking between him and me. “Will you three be pairing up then?” Three. She was talking about Sehun.

Kai looked at me, his eyes questioning “If you’d like to.” It took a second for my brain to register, then my mouth to move.

“Um, if you guys are okay with that?” I said, answering and questioning at the same time. He smiled, lifting my bag from the chair and sliding into the empty seat.   

“If we weren’t we wouldn’t have come to you.” No sooner had he finished did I feel a presence looming behind me.

“Hey.” Sehun greeted, sliding an empty chair in front of my own desk. By this point the whispers around us were getting harder to pretend to ignore.

Why the hell did I say yes?

“H-hi,” Stupid. stutter.

“How was your weekend?” Kai asked, crossing his arms over the desk top.

I opened my textbook, leafing through the pages as if I had something to look for. “It was fine, how about yours?”

“It was fine.” He mimicked my voice, the gleam in his eyes hard to miss.

Okay now you’re really trying to tease me.

“Do you have any ideas?” He continued.

“Not really,” I said into the book “I haven’t had a chance to look over any of the notes yet.”

Suddenly Sehun took it from my hands, flipping through until he reached a page. “Start reading from here. Most of the prompts are in this section.” His voice was considerably quiet in comparison to Kai’s, his face automatically set in neutrality. If I hadn’t known any better I would think he was angry at that moment.

“Thank you.” I murmured. He met my eyes, and I could feel the hint of warmth they had. Nothing gigantic, but it was still something. The two of them were a unique combination to say the least, but in a way I guess they did match well.

This project might not go so bad....I hope.

You were really starting to hate walking in hallways. Not the empty or sparsely filled ones, but the crowded ones.

An arm slung over your shoulder, heavy and sagging. “Holy it’s Miss gonna-be-popular Lena!” The all too familiar voice boomed next to your ear. You staggered to hold yourself and Jae Hwa up. Not that it seemed like he was about to notice you having any difficulties though.

“Uh, could you-”

“Why can’t I find anyone people in moments like these?!” He sighed, holding a hand over his eyes to see through the masses.

Where is Nana and her self-righteous morals when I need them? You internally sighed. It didn’t feel as though he was going to retract his arm soon. People stared at you both as they passed. “Lena-ah, you may be the only real friend I’ve got.” That’s a bit of a major stretch. “Where are you headed?” He asked  

“I’m going to eat lunch.” You muttered, regaining your sense of balance. As the two of you walked you tried to maneuver yourself out of his personal bubble.

“But where? I never see you in the caf.”

“I rarely eat in the cafeteria.”

He grinned smugly, as if he knew something secret. “I know, that’s why I’m asking.” You turned to face him, effectively slipping his arm off your shoulders.

“What do you need?”

Jae Hwa put a hand on his heart, exaggerated shock and offense plain and clear on his features “All I give is a simple hello and I’m suddenly attacked!” You sighed, wanting to pinch your brow. Sometimes you almost forgot this person was your equal in age; with his level of maturity it felt like he was younger than Jihyuk or Choon Hee. Actually, sometimes he could be well in line with Ri On if it wasn’t for the hints of diva within his personality. That just dropped him lower on your scale.

“I just meant to ask you a question-”

“But with the way you’re talking it it’s like I’m talking to Nana-ah!” He whinned.

“I’m sorry.”

He frowned, squinting at you a little “No your not.”

Okay I’m not. Deal with it.

You fiddled with the straps of your bag, feigning interest at the passerbys. It wasn’t all that difficult to actually speak to the photography club leader, he was very open and chatty with the other kids in your grade. With someone of his personality type, you didn’t need to speak with him often before the stiff phase in a friendship was lost; he could quite literally be comfortable with any and everyone. That would very well explain his behaviour to you now.

Though when it came to someone like you, investing your time with that kind of personality didn’t feel like a good idea; one moment he was going to be there, then there’d be a shifting tide of activity and he would be bolting off to be the first spectator. Simply put, he was too unpredictable. That automatically made him undependable.

“Lookin’ for someone?” He cocked his head to one side, one brow raised. He didn’t bump into you by chance. He came with a purpose, you were sure of it.

“I was just going to my locker, I left my lunch in there.” You tried giving him a smile

He smiled bigger, pointing just over your shoulder “Don’t lie, your food’s in your bag. I can see it from here.”

You shrugged off the bag, in the process making a mess of books and pencils behind you. Sure enough the zipper had been undone, the bag wide open and sagging against your back without you realizing.

“So ungraceful Lena-ah,” Jae Hwa tsked, crossing his arms. You looked at him then at the mess, a flare of indignation building in your system.

“Y-you could have said something before!” You responded, but it lacked the strength you held internally. The latter shrugged, bending down to help pick everything up.

“Your hair was covering it, I couldn’t tell.”

You’re making this up. I know you’re making this up. UGH JUNG JAE HWA!!!

You bit your tongue, swiftly stuffing everything back as quickly as you could. Jae Hwa went one page at a time, his eyes scanning them with mock thoughtfulness.

“I’ll do it.” You muttered, snatching the notes out of his hands.

“Aigoo, are you upset?” He picked up a pen. “Sorry~”

“Lena-ah’s actually mad?” A new voice intervened, cooling your irritation in a matter of seconds.  “I’ve never seen that before.” Kai bent down at your side, your pencil case in his hands. You took a breath then exhaled, feeling the butterflies start.

“She can get grouchy at times, but Lena-ah’s not that bad.” Jae Hwa interjected, a large grin on his face.

Since when were you an expert on my personality?! You shot him a look that was conveniently not seen, quickly standing. They stood too.

“Oh~ you were waiting for Kai-ah huh?” Jae Hwa’s brows shot up suggestively. You could only stare, cheeks flaming.

Jung Jae Hwa you are dead to me.

“Were you?” The said person turned, his eyes perceptive crescents.

“W-well, not exactly-” In truth you were just going to go to the little nook in the library, and if they were there you would’ve stay. The four of you had eaten together all of last week, but it was usually one of them who found and herded you along. It still felt early to just expect it to always be like that. After all, when Kai, Sehun, and Lay ate with you, they weren’t eating with the rest of Exo. It wasn’t a bother not being introduced to the rest of the group, but you did feel a little bad for keeping them away from their friends.  

“Really?” Kai placed the case in your bag, zipping it shut. “I was looking for you.”

“Oh.” Your lips pressed into a thin, flustered line. Kai chuckled.

“I’ll just leave the two of you then.” Jae Hwa interjected, grinning as he backtracked down the hall. You didn’t like that look.

Don’t make that face. Don’t read into this. Don’t make assumptions. Bad things happen to me when you make assumptions!

“Ready to go?” Kai asked, an eyebrow raised.

“Sure.” You mumbled, casting glances at over your shoulder as you followed him down the corridor. Kai noticed your lack of attention, laughing quietly to himself as you tried to track down Jae Hwa with your eyes.

“He’s nice enough, but he has a big mouth.” He ventured. “I’m guessing you already know that.”

“Yes, unfortunately.” You looked at the floor a bit gloomy.

“There’s nothing wrong with what we’re doing anyways, most couples do it all the time” Kai continued. Just as he expected, your head popped up in seconds, your eyes the tiniest bit wider “Uh, couple?”

He hummed in response, “Eating lunch together isn’t a crime.”

“But what about Sehun and Lay?” you asked.

Instead of answering he stared pointedly at you, that mischievous grin growing. “Why stutter? Does it sound like something bad?”

“N-no.” You said impulsively, but your expression was a sad giveaway.

“It’s not a lie. There’s you,” He made a gesture towards you then himself “and then there’s me. Together we make a pair.” It was as though he were speaking to a child. You could feel your cheeks reddening.

Similarly to Jae Hwa, Kai made you feel unbalanced but with him it almost always felt intentional. He sought out the ways, he wanted to make you flustered. Was this the personality that made people gravitate towards him? It wasn’t necessarily appealing to you; every word that popped out of your mouth could be ammunition for him to make you frazzled. The frustrating part was that no matter how good he was at it you never opened your mouth and said ‘stop’. Why? Personally you’d come to blame his smile.

“Then call us that, why say couple?” You muttered, the last part coming out a bit quieter.

He leaned in a little, exaggerating his whisper “Why not?”

“People will misunderstand.” You looked at him pointedly, trying to communicate displeasure with your eyes.

“They’ll misunderstand even if we make a speech,” He tugged your arm, pulling you off course towards a drink vending machine. He searched his pockets for his wallet, then found some loose change. “It’s better to just do what you want instead of worrying. Sometimes seeing that kind of sincerity will reach people more than an explanation.”

Thunk. Thunk.

One can dropped from the dispensary. Then a second.  

“Even if they just misunderstand more, you’ll already be occupied enough that it won’t matter.” He held a tall bottled fizzy drink to you. You hesitated, then quickly took the slim coffee tin that was in his other hand. Kai grinned.

“What if I wanted that coffee?”

“Coffee is cheaper than the sodas here.” You said, cracking open the lid “You also don’t look like a coffee person.”

He watched you drink, his eyes endless pools of brown “I could be, you don’t know that.”

“Maybe,” You said lightly “but you could also be a soda person.”

“No need to be so careful.”

“It’s my way of compromising. I haven’t bought you food or anything before.”

Chuckles began to build up in his chest. You took another sip, watching out of the corner of your eye. It was the second time today you had been a cause of laughter, but it didn’t feel so bad.

His laughter was particularly sweet; it was like all the mystery and allure had been shaved off his face. Suddenly all you could see was boyish cuteness.

“Wow you’re really something.” Kai smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. You smiled back behind your drink, taking slow steps with him towards the library. “If that’s the case I expect payment for that can. Lunch would be good.”

“I only need to give back as much as I’ve been given. Unless you want a triangle kimbap expect another one of these” You pointed at the drink.

“What about ramyun?”

You bit your lips, thinking “That’s at least two dollars more. You’d owe me.”

“Can I repay you with a different method?” Kai asked, his steps slowing.

“I can consider, but it’d be too easy for cheats.” You looked over your shoulder at him. A small smile was on your lips, like laughter lay just underneath. “I want my repayment.”

Suddenly he was all too close, arms extended to just ghost over your shoulders. The only reaction you could give was the widening of your eyes, watching as shadows drew long over his face as his head tilted. A flare of warmth teased your skin just above your brows.

The touch of lips.

It wasn’t just a faint brush of mouth, but a real kiss that lasted seconds that felt like hours. You could feel every tingle, every flicker of sensation that bubbled up inside. Even after he drew back you remained bolted in place.   

“Can this cover it?” He asked softly. “Or do I need get another coffee?” You stared at those lips, feeling shivers rippling like waves all over you. A rush of emotions consumed you, making it almost unbearable to look at them for long. So you had no choice but to lift your gaze, right into his eyes.

Those eyes that seemed to always carry a mischievous gleam whenever you were in their line of sight. They spelled his capability for trouble with a promise. The only way to keep safe was to keep watching, never giving them the chance to escape your caution in case they reach out and rattle you. And now it was as you were watching that you felt yourself being held captive. Those eyes were evolving, morphing within shifting honey gold hues to create a sight that had been haunting the farthest reaches of your mind for days.

They hadn’t been trick, or some mistaken sight. The golden eyes, they were back.

~~~