“Nice weather, isn’t it?”

Kyungsoo looks up from his cup (of coffee, he presumes), silently debating whether to respond or just stare at the stranger opposite him. It was a bit weird to acknowledge the dark skies outside as nice but he dare say nothing. It would be very helpful if he could see the other’s expression but seeing as the male’s face was completely blocked by the newspaper in his hands, Kyungsoo was at lost.

He stares back at his cup, the loud sound of the rain outside barely passing through the thick glass of the café. “You could say so.”

It was a safe answer. Maybe the guy had a thing for the rain, after all.

The silence returned after his reply, the newspaper still held high and Kyungsoo finds himself looking at tanned fingers.

“Ah…”

He looks away, eyes landing on the slightly brightening sky. He sets his cup (still full) down on the table with a soft thud. He wasn’t exactly sure if he should say his farewell to the stranger so he chooses to fiddle with the straps of his backpack, not really knowing why he was hesitating.

“I’ll be going now…” he awkwardly settles for before quickly slinging his bag on one shoulder and slipping out the booth with brisk steps. He misses the sound of the newspaper rustling in a quick attempt by the stranger to bring it down or the eyes that follow him out the glass doors and outside.

Kyungsoo shakes his head, a half-smile on his face at his own ridiculousness. The sky’s already cleared up but the light bit of rain was still enough to soak through anyone’s shirt.  He glances at the people around him, all of them carrying an umbrella on their hands and he grimaces before pulling one out from his bag and quickly opening it up.

He’s walked for a few minutes before reaching a stop, the red light bright in front of him as he waits a full minute before he’s allowed to cross the road. He’s squashed between employees intending to work for another four hours and students rushing to get home as fast as possible. Kyungsoo’s not any of them, his only concern consisting of mud not staining his white pants or his bag getting wet.

When the green light signals, he’s slow to step forward, choosing to walk a tad bit behind the throng of people to avoid any casualties (his pants). It has always been like this, people always wanting to leave first so he’s mildly surprised when a taller figure walks just as slow beside him. He’s almost too close for comfort but Kyungsoo doesn’t say anything – not until they reached the sidewalk.

“Do I know you?” he blurts out, tilting his umbrella slightly upwards to catch a glimpse of the stranger’s face. He notices the tanned skin on his neck before he meets the other’s eyes and his own widens a fraction.

His hand automatically moves forward to shield the stranger from the rain, not registering the wetness on his shoulder because his umbrella’s just too small to hold two people.

“Hi.” The stranger replies instead, his voice soft and uncertain as his smile. Kyungsoo notices the wetness on the taller’s hair and on his shoulders (he doesn’t notice his).

“You’re the one from the café.” He replies as well and he doesn’t comment on how their answers are totally unrelated to what the other was saying. “The weird one.”

The other male just flushes in response this time, a hand coming up to rub awkwardly on the back of his neck.

“Yeah, well… sorry ‘bout that.” The stranger mumbles rather awkwardly, avoiding Kyungsoo’s gaze but his shy smile never disappeared. “I was sorta trying to make small talk but evidently, I failed.”

“Oh,um,” Kyungsoo looks around and suddenly, he was all too aware of the stares thrown at them and he flushes as well. “Should we, uh, move to the side?”

The stranger seems to take the hint, his cheeks flaming even brighter than before and something warm flies past Kyungsoo’s stomach. “Were you hitching a walk under my umbrella?” he chooses to ask instead, his lips pursing immediately to stop the teasing smile from coming out suddenly.

“Did I fail at that one too?” the stranger asks softly, ducking down when he notices Kyungsoo’s arm lifted at a far more level than normal. Kyungsoo notices the gaze but he pretends he didn’t.

“No. You were actually quite good at it.” He smiles finally, just a small one to ease the other. “Are you heading to the bus stop?”

“Yes.”

“Then I suppose you can hitch under my umbrella just until we reach the stop.” He offers kindly, smiling wider when he sees the relief spreading on the male’s face.

They walk quietly for the next minutes, the two of them fighting a silent battle before Kyungsoo gives in and let the taller male hold the umbrella out for the both of them. He won’t tell the stranger but he’s actually thankful, his right arm starting to get sore from the awkward angle.

The roof above them was heaven sent when they reached the stop, the shed empty aside from the two of them and the stranger closes the umbrella, shaking some of the water off of it before handing it back to Kyungsoo with a soft ‘thank you.’ Kyungsoo only hums in response, eyes already trained at the headlights approaching.

They board the bus silently, Kyungsoo clearing his throat awkwardly when he fails to find a vacant seat other than the one beside the stranger he’s shared a table and an umbrella with.

It’s on the fourth stop where Kyungsoo gets up, holding onto the chair in front as he waits for the bus to come to a full halt.

“Thank you…” the stranger says suddenly and Kyungsoo blinks in confusion when the other looks up at him hopefully. Oh.

“Kyungsoo.” He says without thinking much, his own lips curling upwards into a small smile. “You’re welcome…”

The stranger notices the same tone he used and he beams up at him before waving a hand and tilting his chin towards the doors. “Jongin.”

“Jongin.” Kyungsoo repeats with a smile before he’s turning around and walking out the bus.

Jongin follows him with his eyes until the bus zooms away and Kyungsoo’s back was tattooed on his brain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s nearing two weeks before Kyungsoo sees Jongin again.

It’s just after lunch time when he walks inside the campus’ library, Baekhyun tailing behind him with an equally bored Jongdae.

“This is extremely boring.” Jongdae drawls for the nth time the past hour but Baekhyun shushes him quickly.

“What? It’s not like something exciting will happen to Kyungsoo inside the library of all places.” Jongdae retorts dryly, eyes lazily scanning the rows of bookshelf. He sees three girls huddled up in a corner and he snorts weakly.

Jongdae’s about to say something along the lines of ‘The highlight of today’s adventure is a bunch of giggling girls’ when Kyungsoo stops at the end of the girls’ table, but he wasn’t particularly looking at them.

“Jongin?”

Jongdae raises a brow in confusion before walking forward until he’s beside Kyungsoo, staring at the same direction as his friend and he’s welcomed by a mop of blonde (or silver?) hair.

“Jongin?” Kyungsoo repeats again and the male stirs from his obviously comfortable sleep with a whine. Jongdae raises both eyebrows when Kyungsoo lets out a breathy chuckle, clearly amused.

“You go here?” Kyungsoo questions further, forgetting about Baekhyun and Jongdae and occupying the seat beside this Jongin. The sound of the books hitting the table seemed to do the trick and Jongin wakes up, lips pulled down into a pout. He doesn’t register who’s beside him and what’s happening until a few seconds later, hastily wiping the corner of his mouth making Kyungsoo smile even wider.

“What – K-Kyungsoo?” Jongin blurts out in confusion, still a bit dazed before his eyes drifts to Jongdae and then to Baekhyun then back to Kyungsoo. “What are you doing here?”

“I, uh, go here?” Kyungsoo replies, opening a book. Baekhyun nudges Jongdae on the side and they both shuffle forward to sit opposite the pair.

Baekhyun watches Jongin openly and the tanned male blinks.

“Are you after Kyungsoo’s pants?”

Kyungsoo and Jongin stared at Baekhyun, expressions mixed between disbelief and mortification while Jongdae just ducks his head down to hide his snicker.

“I don’t, I’m not – “ Jongin turns to look at Kyungsoo with a pleading face, clearly not sure of what’s happening and Kyungsoo doesn’t blame him one bit.

“He’s not after my pants.” Kyungsoo calmly replies, focusing on the words printed on his book in an attempt to fight off the blush threatening to show on his face. “And he’s also not my secret boyfriend.”

Jongdae closes his mouth at the last sentence.

Baekhyun clearly doesn’t want to let it go when he pouts and leans forward, elbows on the table as he practically invades Jongin’s personal space. “But he’s hot.”

Baekhyun’s not quite finished yet when Kyungsoo closes his book rather forcefully and all three heads turn to look at him. Kyungsoo ignores his friends in favor of standing, facing Jongin and suddenly bending down to bow in front of the tanned male. “I’m sorry for how they way my friends are behaving. We’ll go and leave you to your peace, okay?”

He lifts his head and flashes an awkward smile at Jongin before swiftly turning to glare at Jongdae and Baekhyun. “Well?”

“H-Hey,” Jongin’s voice was small compared to the firmness Kyungsoo displayed a few seconds earlier. He throws an unsure look at Jongdae and Baekhyun who simply shrugged and refused to move from their seats. “It’s okay. I wasn’t bothered.” Another glance at the two and this time Jongin saw them smile in triumph. “They’re actually quite fun.”

Kyungsoo just looks at him blankly and Jongin was afraid he had said the wrong thing but then he sees the male sit back down and he unknowingly sighs in relief.

“So,” Jongdae starts again and Jongin glances at him nervously. “How did you meet our darling, Kyungsoo, here?” Jongin could feel the heat coming from Kyungsoo beside him and he’s very thankful he wasn’t born as Jongdae. “If you weren’t, you know, stalking him or something along those lines.”

“We shared an umbrella.” Kyungsoo replies for him and Jongin just blinks before nodding.

“Ah, how cute.” It was Baekhyun this time, a dreamy look on his face as he rests his chin on his hand. “You two just met and you already shared an umbrella. If it isn’t some kind of romantic drama then I don’t know what it is.”

“It’s called helping, Byun Baek.” Kyungsoo replies again, pointedly ignoring the gross sounds Jongdae was making in front of him. Jongin was almost sure Kyungsoo’s tone was on the verg eof whining. “It was raining and he didn’t have an umbrella so I did what any normal person would do.”

Jongin watches Kyungsoo exchange banter with his friends, a smile curling up his lips because he might just get used to this. He forgets he’s not actually Kyungsoo’s friend and that made him scrunch his nose in distaste.

“What year are you, Jongin?” Jongdae wakes him up from his thoughts. Baekhyun and Kyungsoo were still in the middle of bickering and Jongin was thankful for the distraction.

“First. My family just transferred here a month ago.”

“We're a year ahead of you.” Jongdae nods, glancing at Kyungsoo again before grinning at Jongin. “Kyungsoo’s cute, don’t you think?”

Jongin couldn’t help but glance at the older, still doubtful that he was actually older than him. The question unwantedly made his cheeks heat up and he quickly tries to look for anything interesting other than Jongdae smirking in front of him.

“Tell you what, I’ll hook you up with him if you promise to come hang out with us tomorrow evening.”

Jongin clears his throat at this, effectively catching Kyungsoo and Baekhyun’s attention. He shrinks back even further on his chair and Jongdae fist pumps mentally.

“What have you been telling him?” Kyungsoo asks Jongdae and Jongin chances a glance at him. Kyungsoo’s cheeks were slightly pink for a reason he doesn’t know, lips pulled into a pout and he quickly looks down at his hand again. He’s not too sure if it’s right because he thinks he likes the pink on Kyungsoo’s cheeks a little too much.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kyungsoo sighs first when he gets out of the classroom, eyes trained on the large window opposite of him because it’s already past seven and the sky isn’t just dark because it’s nighttime.

“It’s raining – again.” He whispers to himself.

He loosens the straps of his bag, turning it in front of him as he fidgets with the umbrella inside. Jongdae and Baekhyun should already be home by now and it having to walk alone – more because his shoes are going to get wet as well.

Making sure that his bag was closed, he lags behind the group of students sharing the same class. He knows them all inside the classroom but they’re not particularly close once classes are finished. He sees one girl glance back at him and he awkwardly nods his head. He gets surprised when the girl blushes (he thinks?) before returning the nod and suddenly walking much faster.

Kyungsoo doesn’t though, choosing to walk even slower until the group in front of him disappears far ahead. He eyes the window alongside the corridor, the rain staining the clear glass with tears. It isn’t pouring hard, just enough to soak through your clothes if you ever go out without an umbrella.

He could see the building’s entrance, black and cold all over the front and he dreads the time he steps out. Opening his umbrella, he says a quiet ‘goodbye’ to the friendly guard and stops just at the edge of the building’s shelter.

“Why must it always rain?” he whispers again.

“I agree.”

Startled, he quickly whips his head to the right, umbrella almost falling from his grasp if not for the extra hand suddenly darting to hold his hand.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Jongin’s sheepish smile greets him but he just stares back, mind still processing who was in front of him before he glances back at their hands. Jongin follows his gaze and quickly pulls his hand back when he catches oon. “Sorry.”

Kyungsoo coughs once then smiles after, mirroring the same sheepish expression Jongin is wearing. “Just finished?”

“Yeah.” Jongin exhales the word. “I swear our dance instructor plans on breaking all of our backs before the week ends.”

Kyungsoo smiles politely in response, glancing back at the gate which suddenly feels so far away. “Shouldn’t you be going home then?”

“About that,” Jongin glances at the gate as well before his hand comes up to rub at his nape, flush rising to his cheeks. “I don’t… have an umbrella.”

Kyungsoo looks up at him for a while before he realizes what Jongin’s trying to say. Oh. “You can share mine. Again.”

Jongin flushes darker this time and Kyungsoo laughs, holding the umbrella higher between them so Jongin could get under it as well.

“Hyung, um – “ Jongin starts, hesitantly glancing at Kyungsoo’s confused face before fingers gently pries the umbrella away from the elder’s hand. “Let me.”

He nods his head, a little bit dazed before turning to face the front again, heartbeat a little faster – a little louder. He’s scared Jongdae’s going to hear it and that doesn’t even make sense.

The walk was quiet, only the rain shattering the eerie silence of the otherwise empty street. There was the occasional howl from dogs and a drunkard going the opposite way (to which Jongin hastily nudges Kyungsoo to walk at the farthest part opposite the man) but that was all.

“Where do you live?” Kyungsoo questions, realizing they’ve been walking towards Kyungsoo’s house and totally forgetting that Jongin might live on a completely different direction of the neighborhood.

“We can see it from here.” Jongin replies happily, pointing at the house peeking from just behind the curve.

“Oh. So your family was the one that moved there.” Kyungsoo notes, remembering the amount of furniture the movers had to carry when he passed by one morning. “I live just a few houses down from yours.”

Jongin looks at him, footsteps stopping making Kyungsoo stop as well. Jongin’s smiling, eyes crinkling close from how wide it is and Kyungsoo couldn’t help but smile back. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing, hyung. Just realized something.” Jongin replies softly, beginning to walk again.

They stop next in front of Jongin’s house. Kyungsoo holds the umbrella this time, waiting for Jongin to step out from under it and go inside but the younger doesn’t make any move so he glances up at him. “Jongin?”

Jongin blinks, seemingly realizing that they’re in front of his house and he quickly stammers out an apology. Kyungsoo just laughs, waving him off and smiling as Jongin hesitantly goes inside.

Kyungsoo begins walking again, alone this time but it doesn’t last for long until he’s in front of his own home as well and his mother asks him why he was smiling when he came inside.

“Walking home hasn’t been this fun, that’s all.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

The music was loud, drowning out every word Baekhyun was saying and Kyungsoo never understands why he always goes along with whatever the older male would suggest.

He looks around, wondering where Jongdae is and just as he’s about to ask Baekhyun, he spots him entering the club.
With Jongin.

He knows his eyes had grown wider from the surprise, Baekhyun smirking when he follows his gaze.

“Sorry, it started raining when we were on our way and I just had to ask Jongin to stop because my shirt would get ruined if it got wet.” Jongdae greets as they reach Kyungsoo and Baekhyun’s table. Jongin flashes them both a smile and sits beside Kyungsoo making the two oldest males exchange knowing looks.

“Why didn’t you bring an umbrella?” Kyungsoo asks, tilting his head just the slightest to look at Jongin who was wearing a sheepish expression again.

“I figured it would totally ruin my look if I had to carry one. Or even a bag for that matter.” The younger admits, unable to look at Kyungsoo in the eye.

“But you always look good.” Kyungsoo says, not thinking about his words as he returns his attention to the glass of orange juice in front of him.

It didn’t take long for Baekhyun and Jongdae to disappear on them, the two suddenly in the middle of the group of gyrating bodies and Kyungsoo fake blanches.

“You should get used to it.” He says. “They’re always like this. I don’t even know why I bother coming with them when I would end up going alone.”

He turns to meet Jongin’s eyes, blinking at the look the younger was giving him. “But you’re not going home alone, hyung?”

Kyungsoo stops breathing, confused as to why his heart started beating faster again when all Jongin did was stare at him in genuine confusion.

He smiles in response, looking away and choosing to watch Baekhyun talking to a blonde girl and he grimaces.

The silence lasted for a few more minutes before a group of girls made their way into their table, skirts too short and giggles too loud.

“Hi.” One girls starts and Kyungsoo looks up but all of them were busy looking at Jongin. “Want to dance?”

Jongin spares him a glance and he sees worry in them. He smiles, shooing him off with a hand and Jongin hesitantly stands up. Or that was what he saw.

He finds himself following Jongin’s movements anyway. He’s dancing with the girl from earlier. They’re not in the middle of the dance floor but somewhere secluded and Kyungsoo suddenly finds it hard to breathe so he looks away, not wanting to see what he’s dreading – expecting?

“Hyung.”

He looks up, eyes getting wider when he sees Jongin sitting down beside him again. “What are you doing here?”

Jongin looks at him funny, taking a sip from his own drink and making a face. “I guess I wasn’t really in the mood for dancing.”

Kyungsoo doesn’t say anything; did not know what to say so he opted for sighing (in relief). They chattered the night away until the time blurs to eleven and they both get up, shaking their heads because Baekhyun and Jongdae really didn’t come back.

The soft sound of the rain hitting the pavement greeted them as they stepped outside. Kyungsoo picks up the umbrella he left at the guard and stares at Jongin in amusement.

“What?” the younger pouts, kicking his foot against the pavement and looking away.

Kyungsoo shrugs, smiling even wider as he steps beside Jongin and nudges him. “Let’s go?”

Jongin squints his eyes at him, which lasted for a whole two seconds before he’s taking the umbrella from Kyungsoo’s hand and leading the way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The day blurs into weeks and Jongin seems to have fully settled on Jongdae and Baekhyun’s company. A lot of things have changed except for the constant teasing Kyungsoo still gets from his best friends and the rainy weather.

It’s been two months since he met Jongin and two months of constant raining but Jongin would always forget his umbrella and they always end up cramped under Kyungsoo’s small one. He wonders when is Jongin’s birthday because he might just give the younger exactly that as a present.

It’s quarter past seven when Kyungsoo left the school, Jongin in tow again when they decided to have their dinner outside. They were so absorbed with talking so when the soft sounds of the rain reached their ears, both male stared out the window.

Kyungsoo shook his head, getting up and walking out of the restaurant. He opens his bag, fumbling inside to get his umbrella but after a minute of searching, he realizes it’s not there.

“Oh crap.” He whispers although Jongin still managed to hear him.

“What is it?”

“I think… I forgot the umbrella at school.”

He looks up worriedly and is met with Jongin’s blank face. It honestly made him feel guilty because it’s already become a habit for him to be the one bringing an umbrella. When Jongin still continued to stay silent, Kyungsoo opted to push him gently with a whine.

Jongin just pulled himself back and then started laughing, arms moving on their own to wrap around Kyungsoo’s shoulder.

“Let’s walk, hyung.”

“Yeah, right.” He replies dryly, looking back outside but when Jongin doesn’t say anything in response, he looks up again with wide eyes.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.” Jongin says before pulling Kyungsoo and stumbling outside of the restaurant, rain immediately greeting them along with Jongin’s laughter and Kyungsoo’s shrieks.

“Jongin!” he yells, water getting inside his mouth and Jongin just laughs harder, arm on Kyungsoo’s shoulder sliding down to hold his hand as they ran in the middle of the empty street. Stares were thrown at them from people taking shelter inside stores, making Kyungsoo blush but just fueling Jongin further.

His cheeks are red from embarrassment (and totally not from the hand still on his) but he smiles, small bouts of laughter finally coming out as the rain soaks his shirt completely.

“You’re an idiot!” he says but Jongin seems to not understand because the younger’s staring at him in confusion. He leans forward and Jongin automatically bows down. His nose is touching Jongin’s ear as he repeats his words. “You’re an idiot!”

He waits for Jongin to turn around, his own mouth forming a grin which quickly disappears when Jongin faces him, their noses touching as a reminder of how close their proximities are.

Jongin is grinning, not caring at all as he bumps his forehead on Kyungsoo’s and then he’s pulling away again, hand still warm around the elder’s as they ran towards the his house.

Jongin’s mother greets them as they walk inside, her own lips quirk up in an amused smile as the two of them leave a wet trail up to Jongin’s room on the second floor.

“I can’t believe you got me wet!” Kyungsoo complains, pulling a part of his shirt that’s clinging on his skin. He freezes immediately after, looking up and laughing awkwardly as he waves a hand in front of him. “Totally meant that in an innocent way, of course.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything.” Jongin replies, wiggling his eyebrows before stripping his shirt in front of Kyungsoo.

“Hey!” he throws a pillow hitting Jongin’s face directly. “Don’t just strip in front of me!”

“What’s wrong with it? This is my room!” Jongin whines, throwing his wet shirt on Kyungsoo in retaliation. Kyungsoo just shrieks, ducking down and glaring at Jongin after.

Jongin hands him a plain white shirt and a sweatpants which is rather large for him – along with a pink floral printed boxers.

“What… is this?”  

Jongin blushes, ing it back to Kyungsoo and looking away. “It was a gift, okay?”

Kyungsoo teases him all throughout his stay until he says goodbye to go back home with a promise that he’ll come back soon to chat more with Mrs. Kim.

It’s comfortable.

Too comfortable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Why do you have a cold?” Baekhyun demanded as soon as he was seated beside Kyungsoo during lunch. Jongdae and Jongin are still in class and Kyungsoo sighs because no one else is there to distract Baekhyun from him.

“Am I not supposed to get a cold?” he asks, sneezing immediately after and not failing to see Baekhyun scrunch up his face.

“You don’t get a cold, Kyungsoo.” The older retorts, squinting his eyes at him and Kyungsoo could actually see the gears turning inside Baekhyun’s brain.

“Baek – “

“Did you walk under the rain? Without an umbrella?” Baekhyun gasps, placing a hand over his mouth for added effect.

“Yes.” Kyungsoo answers tastelessly.

“But you don’t do that!” Baekhyun slams his hand on the table, catching the attention of several first years. “In the past six years that we have known each other, you never let yourself get wet from the rain!”

“I just did, okay?” he says, intent on not looking at Baekyun in case he spurs the older on more.

“Hi guys.” Jongdae slides on the opposite chair and Baekhyun immediately reports his findings to the older.

“Really?”

“What’s up?”

Jongin has a thing for arriving during awkward situations.

“Kyungsoo’s got a cold!” Baekhyun points at him.

Jongin glances at Kyungsoo worriedly to which the older just shakes his head. He knows Jongin’s going to apologize but it isn’t really his fault when Kyungsoo didn’t even say anything against it.

“He never gets a cold.” Jongdae explains much calmer this time. “The only explanation is he probably walked under the rain without an umbrella. And that never happens.”

Jongin glances again at Kyungsoo only to see him shooting pleading looks at him so he stays quiet and confused.

“And he won’t tell us why he did that!” Baekhyun practically wails, dropping his head on the table and childishly stomping his feet. “He never does that when we beg him to play with us in the rain.”

Jongin flushes this time, fighting the urge to glance again at Kyungsoo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Hi.”

Kyungsoo looks up at the person beside Baekhyun, blinking because the male is pretty.

“Guys, this is Luhan. He just transferred from China and I thought he could use some friends to make him feel better.” Baekhyun introduced, smirking at them and for a second, Kyungsoo felt sorry for the new student.

When the introductions were finished, Baekhyun ushered Luhan to sit on Jongin’s other side. He watched as Jongin smiled at Luhan and immediately chatting up the transfer student.

He looks away, pretending to be busy with his food even when his appetite is no longer there. His mind constantly thinking about how pretty Luhan is. How he’s not even close to Luhan at all.

“Are you okay?”

He stares at Jongin and smiles, nodding his head. He waits for Jongin to bug him like usual but he’s met with silence, Jongin’s voice far away as he immerses himself back on his conversation with Luhan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Hyung, he dances!” Jongin says excitedly when they’re walking home, the weather is cold, the clouds dark and heavy hanging above them and the smell of rain just lurking around the corner. But they were dry for the moment and he’s thankful for that.

“Hyung, are you even listening?”

“Of course, I am.”

Jongin looks at him suspiciously so he forces himself to roll his eyes; forces himself to act natural when he’s not.

“So I told him to join the dance troupe and he said yes and hyung, he dances great!” Jongin continues, rambling more and more about Luhan. Kyungsoo traps his lower lip between his teeth, ignoring the voice inside his head.

You can’t dance like Luhan.

He waves his goodbye to Jongin outside the younger’s house, the younger frowning because it’s the first time in a long while that Kyungsoo isn’t going inside with him.

“Where’s Kyungsoo?” his mom asks as soon as he enters the kitchen, eyes idling on the door because Kyungsoo would always be following Jongin whenever his son comes home.

“He went home.” Jongin says, sitting in front of the table and yawning.
His mom frowns,

“Did you two get in a fight?”

“Mom!” Jongin whines, pouting at the lady. “He just wants to go home early, that’s all.”

His mother just squints her eyes at him, not saying anything else as she hands him his dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jongin takes him to his dance practice the next day.

He grins at Sehun when he walks inside, the younger male waving back enthusiastically. He knows he should’ve expected it but he still gets surprised when he sees Jongin jog towards Luhan, the two immediately laughing at something.

It makes him want to shrink on the very spot he’s standing but Sehun’s quick to pull him back, gently pushing him to sit on the floor beside him.

“What’s wrong, hyung?” the younger asks and if Kyungsoo didn’t know Sehun, he would assume the younger was just making small talk because of his blank face. But he knows Sehun isn’t like that.

His eyes flickered towards Jongin and Luhan and Sehun suddenly makes a sound of understanding before he’s grinning and nudging Kyungsoo’s side.

“Is Kyungsoo hyung jealous of the attention Jongin’s giving to Luhan hyung?” Sehun sing songs, Kyungsoo pinching the younger’s side and earning a yelp. Jongin glances at the two of them before turning back to Luhan, expression turning a bit sour.

“You shouldn’t be though, hyung.” Sehun manages to say after getting away from Kyungsoo’s fingers. “No one will ever replace you in Jongin’s life.”

“That is so dramatic, Sehun.” He says dryly, making the mistake of glancing back at Jongin to see him whispering with Luhan.

Sehun follows his gaze, making a face before standing and tugging Kyungsoo up as well. “Let’s grab some snacks, hyung.”

Kyungsoo thanks Sehun as they walk out of the dance studio.

“What? I’m just really hungry and you’re going to treat me.” Sehun replies childishly.

Kyungsoo laughs this time, smacking the younger’s arm as they walk towards the canteen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Why are you suddenly so close with Sehun?” Jongin asks one night when they’re inside his room, the television playing some cartoons about cars.

Kyungsoo looks at him weirdly, fighting back the urge to say anything about Jongin and Luhan’s relationship. “We’re just hanging out, that’s all.”

Jongin pouts, throwing a popcorn on Kyungsoo’s direction. “Hanging out, my .”

Kyungsoo laughs and Jongin blushes, realizing how horrible that sounded. “I didn’t mean it that way!”

“I know.” Kyungsoo says between laughs and Jongin tackles him back to his bed, smothering him with his pillow but it only makes Kyungsoo laugh harder.

He doesn’t notice when Jongin stops hitting him, the silence reigning over when he stops laughing as well.

Jongin’s sitting beside him, face turned towards the room’s window.

It’s raining, Kyungsoo notices. He sees Jongin smile softly so he quirks his brow. “Why are you smiling?”

“Because it’s raining.” Jongin says simply.

Kyungsoo snorts, sitting up and blinking as the rain splattered on the window. “So?”

“So we met when it was raining.” Jongin says again this time and he says it so simply making Kyungsoo look at him, cheeks dusted a soft pink. “If it weren’t for the rain, we wouldn’t have met hyung.”

Kyungsoo doesn’t say anything – can’t say anything and he wishes Jongin won’t turn around to see his moment of dazedness. But everything seems intent on mocking him because not a second later, Jongin turns his head to stare at Kyungsoo.

He doesn’t say anything else as well, simply content with staring at Kyungsoo. The older breaks the trance by clearing his throat, pulling his gaze away from the magnet that is Jongin.

“I better go home.” He says softly and Jongin just nods.

Kyungsoo goes home with his heart beating three times faster than usual.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Luhan’s going to be singing with us on the Christmas program!” Baekhyun announced one day at lunch. Kyungsoo’s heart drops along with his fork.

“What?”

“Mr. Jung heard him sing during one of our class and he told me that Luhan would be perfect to sing the song with us!” Baekhyun answers a tad bit too excited. Jongdae just grins, high-fiving Luhan and sharing Baekhyun’s excitement. Beside him, Jongin’s laughing and mouthing something to Luhan. Kyungsoo looks around the table, in a breath because everyone’s too caught up on Luhan, Luhan, Luhan.

“Excuse me.” He whispers, Baekhyun looking at him before he’s sliding off his chair and walking back to his class.

He sees Sehun coming his way and he quickly sags his shoulder, Sehun running up to him and he sags under Sehun’s comfortable presence.

“Hyung?”

“Don’t ask, Sehun.” He whispers, closing his eyes and willing himself to relax.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s only a few weeks before the program and Kyungsoo’s gotten used to seeing Luhan everywhere he goes.

He’s there when they’re practicing their song; when Jongin’s rehearsing for the dance troupe’s number and when they’re having lunch.

It’s unfair because he’s the only one feeling like he’s left out and it’s even more unfair because he can’t hate Luhan when all he keep doing is smiling at Kyungsoo.

“Ready to go home?” Kyungsoo asks, fixing his bag and then looking hopefully at Jongin. His expression quickly falls down though when he sees the guilty look Jongin was giving him.

“Can’t hyung. We still have to practice since we’re doing two acts on the program and the dance is way far from being finished.” Jongin says in a small voice.

Kyungsoo just nods in understanding and Jongin smiles in relief. He lets the younger ruffle his hair before he’s running back to the practice room, Luhan and Sehun shouting for him to hurry up.

Kyungsoo goes home alone that day.

And the next day.

And the following days.

It’s been two weeks since he last went home with Jongin and Kyungsoo quickly opens his umbrella, stepping out into the rain because he’s sure Jongin’s going to have to stay back again. But he gets surprised when another figure squeezes under with him.

“Got room for one more?” Jongin asks playfully and Kyungsoo smiles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Do I look okay?” Luhan asks him backstage. The curtains are heavy in front of them and the air suffocating as he peeks outside, hundreds of people in varying shades seated and waiting for the program to start.

Kyungsoo looks Luhan over and he’s reminded of how pretty Luhan is. Again.

“You look great.” He says, fixing Luhan’s collar and smiling. Luhan gives him a grin before whispering a soft ‘good luck’ just as one student calls for them to get ready.

The four of them lined up – Baekhyun, Jongdae, Kyungsoo and Luhan – before their names were being called and they stepped out into the stage. The lights were blinding and Kyungsoo quickly looks down, blinking once when he sees Jongin seated in front and smiling.

The first note from the piano startles him and he almost misses his line. He looks up, not wanting to look at Jongin anymore because he thinks he might just forget the next words.

The music flows smoothly after that, the whole place silent as the four of them sang. When Kyungsoo finishes the last note, the silence shattered with the resounding applause for the audience and he sees Jongin clapping his hands enthusiastically but he wasn’t able to stare any longer before he’s being ushered back by Jongdae.

Luhan grins at them before running to one of the dressing rooms and changing for his other acts. Kyungsoo slumps on the wall but he’s not given much time to rest before someone’s hugging him.

“You did so great, hyung!” the voice whispers and he grins, wrapping his arms around Jongin. He pats the younger’s back once before he’s wiggling himself out of Jongin’s hold.

“Go change.” He says, smiling encouragingly at him and Jongin nods determinedly, running to where Luhan went a moment ago.

Kyungsoo sighs, running a hand through his hair before going back out and sitting on one of the chairs reserved for the performers. He watched three more acts pass by but he only every pays attention when Jongin’s name gets called along with the other members of the dance troupe.

He holds his breath when Jongin dances, Luhan and Sehun dancing beside him. They were all great but he couldn’t tear his gaze away from Jongin, his whole attention captivated by the young dancer.

He catches Jongin’s eyes for a second and he felt his heart beating unnaturally fast again. For the remainder of the song, he kept his eyes on Jongin’s feet, not wanting his heart to jump again if he ever meets the younger’s eye for the second time.

It was his turn to run back and congratulate the younger but he realizes he came at a bad time when he sees Jongin and Luhan hugging. His heart does jump again, but in a different way. He looks away and walks back outside, hand on his chest.

He doesn’t like this feeling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was almost midnight when the program ended and Kyungsoo watches the audience slowly dim in number. It was a slow count, the rain outside startling the people and making everyone scramble for an umbrella.

He swings his bag on one shoulder, looking back at the dance troupe’s dressing room and sighing. He’s been waiting for Jongin to come out ten minutes ago.

When the door opens, it was Sehun who walked outside together with two more dance troupe members. He groans, walking up to him and looking over his shoulder.

“Where’s Jongin?” he asks, still looking at the closed door.

“I thought he left already with you?” Sehun asks back, bewildered. “He went out with Luhan hyung a while ago.”

Kyungsoo freezes at that, staring up at Sehun before turning around and running towards the entrance.

He stops in the middle of it, breath heavy and heart squeezing when he sees two figures sharing an umbrella in the middle of the rain. Jongin’s facing Luhan and they’re smiling.

Kyungsoo’s heart breaks the same time the thunder strikes.

 He bites his lip, rubbing his eyes because it's getting incredibly warm. He doesn't think of anything when he runs outside, the rain pelting hard against his back. He doesn't look when he passes by Luhan and Jongin, blindly running as far as he can go. He doesn't hide his eyes because it's raining, and the rain was enough to hide the tears running down his cheeks.

He stops in an empty parking lot a few blocks away from their neighborhood and he quickly rests his back on the wall of the building beside it. He slides down, the cement cold against his skin but not as cold as the rain still pouring torrents on him and the whole place.

He tries to block the image of Jongin and Luhan under the rain; tries so hard to think of anything else other than Jongin smiling at Luhan but he can't.

And it hurts.

He buries his face on his arms, feeling the rain still pouring down on him.

And then it stops, but the rain was still loud on his ears so he looks up.

And sees Jongin looking down at him, an umbrella covering both of them.

"Are you trying to get sick?" Jongin scolds him, squatting in front of him and Kyungsoo looks away from the frown marring the younger's handsome face.

"Do Kyungsoo." Jongin tries again and he flinches, not used to hearing Jongin say his full name. "Why are you doing this?"

Still Kyungsoo doesn't say anything, head tilted to the side.

Jongin purses his lips, contemplating before he leans forward, pressing his lips on the elder's cheek and wincing because Kyungsoo's skin is cold.

"Hyung, look at me." he whispers, nudging his nose on the elder's cheek. Kyungsoo does look at him this time, eyes wide and confused.

"Are you jealous?" he asks softly, searching Kyungsoo's eyes for something -  anything that would tell him what he wants.

 "What?"

Jongin frowns at how croaky Kyungsoo's voice sounded but he ignores it for now. "You saw me and Luhan hyung, right? Were you... jealous?"

Kyungsoo opens his mouth, no words coming out so he tries again and fails.

"You were jealous, right?" Jongin presses on and Kyungsoo looks down, nodding in shame.

But Jongin grins, his whole face lighting up before he's hugging Kyungsoo awkwardly, both their knees in between them. The umbrella topples to the side and within seconds, Jongin's just as soaked as Kyungsoo is.

"You don't have to get jealous, hyung." Jongin whispers, pressing his face on Kyungsoo's wet hair. "I only look at you."

He feels Kyungsoo tensing against him so he hugs him tighter. "I only like you."

Kyungsoo takes a moment but he eventually sags under Jongin's weight, shaky arms finally wrapping around Jongin as he hugs him back.

Jongin just grins like an idiot, savoring the moment but he breaks it before he gets too comfortable.

"Let's get us home, yeah?"

 

 

 

 

They're both inside Jongin's room, Kyungsoo wearing a white shirt and sweatpants from Jongin's closet as he dries his hair with a towel. They're both stealing glances, too shy to say anything else.

"I should get home." Kyungsoo sighs, standing up and putting the wet towel on Jongin's laundry.

Jongin panics, dropping his towel and running towards Kyungsoo. The older looks surprised when he sees Jongin in front of him, expression desperate as he looks at Kyungsoo.

"It's still raining." Jongin says softly, hesitantly catching Kyungsoo's hand on his. "Just stay for a few more minutes."

Kyungsoo nods in a daze, lets himself be dragged towards the bed. They sat down, facing each other but not saying anything. It was Jongin who broke the silence first.

"I meant it." he says, fiddling with his fingers as he looks at Kyungsoo worriedly. "I like you."

There it was again, the pounding inside Kyungsoo's chest.

He's vaguely aware of Jongin coming closer, not until he felt himself being kissed.

He reels back, lets himself be kissed and when Jongin's about to pull back, sure that Kyungsoo doesn't want him, the older tugs on his shirt, lips slowly moving against him.

Jongin takes in the change with welcome, sliding his mouth over Kyungsoo's and cupping the elder's cheek with both his hands. "I like you. I like you so much." he whispers against Kyungsoo's lips. They fall down on the bed, Jongin's lips sliding down to trail kisses down to his jaw then to his neck and back to Kyungsoo's mouth again. "Really do."

Kyungsoo smiles, closing his eyes and nodding because everything is too much to take in right now but he doesn't mind so much when it includes Jongin.

"I like you too."

 

 

 

 

 

 

"You are idiots." Jongdae says, glaring at Kyungsoo and Jongin after the two were admitted to the infirmary. "You thought it would be sweet to confess under the rain, huh? Guess what? You both are idiots."

"Hey! Hyung isn't an idiot!" Jongin whines, turning on his side and hugging Kyungsoo. The older sniffs and winces when Jongin sneezes against him.

"I'm sorry, hyung." Kyungsoo says, smiling sheepishly at Jongdae before the oldest scoffs and goes out.

Baekhyun welcomes him outside before the both of them were screaming.

"They're so cute!" Jongdae hits Baekhyun, grinning so hard and Baekhyun pushes him away.

"! It's my turn to see them now!"

Kyungsoo sighs, the shouts from outside loud. He smiles down at Jongin and touches his nose against his. "Is your fever gone?"

Jongin smiles, nodding and stealing a kiss from Kyungsoo. "I really like the rain, hyung."

Kyungsoo laughs, kissing Jongin longer this time and ignoring the chances of getting even more sick. "I really like it too, Jongin."