Kim Myungsoo is so cute Sungyeol thinks he could die. It doesn't help that they've lived next door to each other their whole lives. Which means he's had the chance to see the other grow from an impossibly cute child to an awkward adolescent to the absolutely gorgeous person he is now. And what's worse than that is Myungsoo doesn't just look cute, everything else about him is cute. The way he hugs his mom in the morning or the way he dotes on his brother or the way he laughs (scrunched up face and clapping like a seal) when Sungyeol sees him with his friends at school or the way his eyes light up when he's talking about one of his interests. It's all so cute and Sungyeol can't stand it.

In fact, he hates it. He used to hate Myungsoo himself (for reasons Sungyeol's not even sure of), but that hatred has shifted towards the stupid feelings he's developed for his neighbor. He doesn't want to like Myungsoo. He can't like Myungsoo. Of course, he has yet to come up with an actual reason for why crushing on the younger boy is not acceptable.

So Sungyeol continues to act like he despises Myungsoo even though all he wants to do is squish the other's cheeks and coo about how adorable he is. And it's worked fine for the past however long he's had this ridiculous crush. But the first chip in his self-control happens in one of his most vulnerable states.

He's just come out of the shower, barely drying his skin before wrapping the towel around his waist, when he opens the bathroom door and nearly walks right into none other than Kim Myungsoo. They both freeze. Sungyeol considers making a break for his bedroom (or even stepping back into the bathroom), but his body won't move. He stands incredibly still watching Myungsoo watch him. His eyes rake over the other's face; they take in the gaping mouth, wide eyes, and rising blush (especially the blush). He manages to suppress the shudder that threatens to overtake him at the thought that Myungsoo might actually like what he sees. Sungyeol has been growing more confident about his body since he's started building up his muscles. It's more for himself than anyone else, but the possibility of that being an appreciative look on the younger boy's face makes Sungyeol both proud and a little weak in the knees.

But Myungsoo doesn't need to know that.

Pulling on the mask of contempt he usually wears around Myungsoo, Sungyeol makes himself bite out, "What do you want?"

He would feel bad about treating the other so harshly if Myungsoo hadn't made it obvious that he hated Sungyeol right back. He thinks he should feel disheartened or whatever because there's no chance that Myungsoo would ever like him back. It should hurt, but it doesn't. Which is good, Sungyeol thinks, because he doesn't want Myungsoo to like him. (Except he kind of does wish the other felt the same way.)

It takes Myungsoo another moment to find his voice. When he does find it, Sungyeol just barely manages to keep his mask from slipping.
"I don't like you," Myungsoo says, his voice high and his face doing a terrible job at hiding how flustered he is. That's probably why Sungyeol doesn't take it to heart. The words lack their usual brusque edge. Myungsoo is just a red-faced young boy and Sungyeol has never liked him more.
He watches his neighbor scurry off to his brother's room and tries and fails to tamp down the hope burgeoning in a small part of his chest. So what if Myungsoo had stared at his bare chest for longer than can be considered appropriate? So what if he'd blushed and fumbled for words? That means nothing to Sungyeol. At least, that's what Sungyeol tells himself as he spends the rest of the day locked in his room. He's always been terrible at lying to himself.

The next time, it's not so much a crack in his self-control than it is a huge mistake. A week passes and Sungyeol has only managed to catch fleeting glances of Myungsoo. The other has been avoiding him out of, obvious, embarrassment after the incident at Sungyeol's house. Sungyeol doesn't blame him. He's almost thankful for it. Since then his feelings for Myungsoo have grown to the point where they're impossible to ignore (try as he might). So he feels rather relieved to not have to see the younger boy's face and be reminded of how far gone he is for him.

A week passes and Sungyeol thinks he's finally gotten a grip on himself. That when he and Myungsoo finally end up in the same room together he won't do anything incredibly stupid like confess to him. So when his mom asks him to take something over to Mrs. Kim he only hesitates for a second before agreeing. (Sometimes he thinks his parents and the Kims are still sure that he and Myungsoo will eventually like each other and so they take advantage of every opportunity to put the two of them together.)

Next door, Mrs. Kim greets him with a warm hug. He chats with her for a moment as she moves about the kitchen. Their conversation comes to an end when she holds out a tray set with a steaming bowl of soup and a cup of tea to him.

"Can you take this up to Myungsoo's room? He caught a cold on Friday and he's been trying to sleep it off. I want to make sure he eats so he can get better faster; even though I know he'd rather just sleep through the next two days."

Sungyeol hesitates. Sure, he's confident he can handle being in the same room as Myungsoo, but that doesn't mean he actually wants it to happen. He opens his mouth, an excuse to extract himself from the situation on the tip of his tongue, but Mrs. Kim speaks again before he can.

"It'll only take a minute. He's probably still asleep, so you can just put it on the bedside table." Mrs. Kim's smile is soft while her eyes hold the slightest bit of imploring in them and Sungyeol gives in without much of a fight. The older woman's smile grows as he takes the tray from her. (Now he's almost entirely sure their parents are plotting behind their backs.)

Sungyeol drags his feet as he makes his way upstairs. Apprehension settles in his stomach, sweat forms on his palms. He has no reason to be nervous; he wasn't the one who embarrassed himself the last time he and Myungsoo spoke. And yet he's desperately hoping Moonsoo will pass by so he can rope him into this task and avoid the inevitable encounter.

It's the first time he's ever been in Myungsoo's room. The first time he's even seen what it looks like. The curtains are drawn and, although black, are sheer enough to let in the afternoon sunlight that brightens the room. His eyes roam the room, taking in the bookshelves lined with novels and comic books (upon closer inspection he realizes those are actually shoujo manga), the dark-colored clothes scattered on the floor, and lastly the bed with Myungsoo's head poking out from the layers of blankets in which he's wrapped up.

Sungyeol approaches the bed slowly. He places the tray on the nightstand, careful of the camera and cat-shaped alarm clock occupying the space. Despite his better judgement (he's done what Mrs. Kim asked of him; he doesn't need to be there anymore), he kneels down beside Myungsoo's bed to bring himself face-to-face with the sleeping boy.

Myungsoo isn't any less attractive despite the paleness of his skin from his cold. Sungyeol doesn't let himself think about how creepy he's being as he reaches out to brush his fingers along the smoothness of Myungsoo's cheek.

"How can you be so cute?" Although whispered, Sungyeol's voice fills up the silent room. He had meant to just think it, but somehow the words had come falling out of his mouth as his fingers travel down to the corner of Myungsoo's mouth.

The last thing Sungyeol expects is for Myungsoo's eyes to fly open. So when they do he ends up on his after jumping back in surprise. His arm narrowly misses overturning the bowl of soup. He wastes no time stumbling to his feet and fleeing the room.

With his face burning up, Sungyeol doesn't even bother saying goodbye to Mrs. Kim. He probably wouldn't be able to anyway. He doesn't think the embarrassment Myungsoo felt is even half of what he feels at the moment. He can never show his face in that house again. He can never be anywhere near Myungsoo again. Which must be the best and worst thing that could happen to him.

Naturally, Sungyeol does everything in his power to avoid Myungsoo. He refuses to step foot in the Kims' house no matter what. He walks to school alone long after Daeyeol and Moonsoo have left with Myungsoo tagging along as usual. (He could also go in earlier, but that would mean waking up earlier and, yeah, that's not gonna work.) At school, he makes sure to be quick about stopping at his locker and walking to his classes. He and Myungsoo have never shared any of the same classes or friends; they've never paid attention to each other save for exchanging glares while passing each other in the halls. But after living next door to the other for so long (and being forced to interact with him), Sungyeol is subconsciously aware of Myungsoo's behavior and thought process. So much so that he knows the younger boy will want to confront him about what he said. And that's definitely not a conversation he wants to have.

His friends aren't very helpful. Dongwoo, ever the optimist, tells him that this is a good thing. He's always rooted for Sungyeol and Myungsoo (despite Sungyeol telling him there's nothing to root for), probably more so than their parents.

"Don't you want the guy you like to know that you like him," Dongwoo asks after Sungyeol explains his predicament. The taller boy can only sigh.

Sungjong, on the other hand, is completely straightforward. He tells Sungyeol to grow a pair and confess to Myungsoo. Or at least tell him he doesn't hate him.

"I doubt he's losing sleep over whether I hate him or not," Sungyeol argues. That earns him a flick on his forehead and a stern "just talk to him" from his younger friend. But Sungyeol wouldn't be Sungyeol if he actually listened to his friends. So he continues avoiding Myungsoo like his life depends on it. And he gets pretty good at it. And then the unforeseeable happens.

Sungyeol has always liked walking through the school after hours. The hallways are empty and everything is quiet and contrary to popular belief, he prefers it that way. As it is, he's leaving a meeting for the school newspaper when he finally comes face-to-face with Myungsoo after a week and a half-long disappearing act. The other is exiting the staircase just as he goes to open the door. He hesitates, panic making him take a few steps back.

It's only weird if you make it weird, Sungyeol tells himself. Despite all of the evidence against him, he doesn't want Myungsoo to think he affects him in any way. He keeps a stony expression on his face and returns Myungsoo's stare, although not with as much intensity. (It sends a thrill of excitement through him to have all of the other's attention on him like that--not that he would admit it.)

"Excuse me." He gives himself a mental pat on the back for managing to sound haughty. He wants nothing more than to run away, but that's not an option right now.

Myungsoo crosses his arms, a small smirk pulling up a corner of his mouth. "No," he says and he sounds so incredibly pleased with himself (and Sungyeol's pain). "Not until you admit you think I'm cute."

There's very little stopping Sungyeol from pushing past the younger boy or even turning around and making a break for the staircase at the other end of the hallway. But all he can do is stare incredulously. Since when was Myungsoo so forward? Though not introverted, Myungsoo has always seemed rather timid. Especially when it comes to dating. Not that Sungyeol has been paying attention to the other's romantic relationships (much).

He narrows his eyes at Myungsoo, accepting the challenge of not being the first to break. Sungjong's command to just talk to him echoes in his head, but he pushes it away. He doesn't want to give in that easy. He can't. Not when the boy in front of him has that -eating grin on his face.

The hallway is empty and completely silent. Neither of them make a sound as they continue to stare at each other. And then Myungsoo decides to cheat. (In Sungyeol's opinion, at least.) He takes one step and then another closer to Sungyeol. The smile on his face turning genuinely sweet.

Sungyeol raises an eyebrow as if to say is that the best you can do? On the inside he's panicking, but he does his best to look unaffected.

A couple more steps bring Myungsoo eye-to-nose with him. The distance between them (or lack thereof) has Sungyeol holding his breath. This is the second time they've been so close to each other. If this were several months ago, he would've shoved Myungsoo out of the way a long time ago. But at the moment all he really wants is for the other to be even closer.

At some point in their staring contest, Sungyeol finds that he's leaned close enough to Myungsoo that their noses are almost touching. He debates with himself about closing the distance before deciding it's worth a shot. He leans down to press his lips against Myungsoo's. The other goes stiff almost immediately, but Sungyeol waits a couple more seconds before breaking the kiss. When he pulls back and opens his eyes, Myungsoo is looking up at him in shock.

"I do think you're cute," he admits. He hesitates, unsure if he should confess everything. "And I, uh, I like you." He tries to hold Myungsoo's gaze to show that he's being serious, but the other avoids his eyes.

"Oh," Myungsoo says quietly. He looks down at his feet, a blush rising high on his cheeks. Sungyeol waits for him to say something else (like I like you too), but he stays silent, his hands clasped tightly in front of him.

"Well, this has been fun," Sungyeol says in a forced casual tone. "But I have places to be." He wishes he could take back his confession. It won't make him feel any better if Myungsoo just says he doesn't feel the same way. But the silence stings more than the words could. It makes the rejection even worse knowing that Myungsoo won't even tell him that he's not interested. Like he doesn't even have the words to describe how unappealing the idea of the two of them being together is. (In the back of his mind there's a voice telling him that he might be misunderstanding things; that maybe the other's silence means something else, but that voice is easily overshadowed by the much louder one that says he's obviously being rejected.)

He steps around Myungsoo, almost certain he'll bolt down the stairs when he gets to them.

"Wait." Myungsoo reaches out to grab Sungyeol's arm, but stops short. He rubs his neck instead, his eyes still trained on the ground. "I don't hate you. I've never hated you. I mean, I didn't really like you when we were younger, but that was because you were mean to me. And it pissed me off that you didn't even try to get to know me; you just decided right away that you wanted nothing to do with me. And then..." He glances up at Sungyeol briefly. "And then it was like we had this thing. We were mean to each other and said rude stuff, but I kind of liked it. I would always watch you to find something to make fun of and I guess somewhere along the way I started to pay more attention to you and eventually kind of like you. I never thought to say anything because, well, it didn't seem like you would ever feel the same way. But I guess that doesn't really matter now. So the point of all this is that I like you too."

Sungyeol isn't sure what he's feeling by the time Myungsoo's finished talking. It could be relief; it could be happiness; or he could just be tired. But he has never been one for sappy moments, so he takes a hold of Myungsoo's hand (his stomach flips at the feeling of their fingers sliding against each other) and says, "I hope you know how annoyingly proud of themselves our moms are going to be."

Myungsoo looks down at their joined hands and then up at him, a shy smile forming on his face and bringing out his dimples. The sight is almost too cute for Sungyeol. He leans in to press their lips together again and is treated to a surprised squeak from Myungsoo at the contact. The other ducks his head when it's over, but the huge grin on his face tells how much he enjoyed it.

"But seriously," Sungyeol continues as he heads towards the staircase. Myungsoo nearly trips over his own feet following behind him. "I bet you anything they won't stop talking about how right they were for the next twenty years."

They walk down the stairs slowly, letting their interlocked hands swing between them. The smile never leaves Myungsoo's face and Sungyeol knows it's probably because he's reliving the kisses.

"So you're walking me home now," Myungsoo asks when they reach the first floor.

Sungyeol looks at him blankly. "We live right next to each other." He's being cute again, he thinks as Myungsoo pouts up at him.

"I know that. But if you walk me to my door--"

"And kiss you goodbye," Sungyeol interjects, but Myungsoo continues like he never said anything.

"--before you go home, then it counts."

They exit the school, blinking at the bright sun. The courtyard is empty by now. All of the other students and most of the teachers have already gone home. Sungyeol marvels at how quickly they've gone from the worst enemies to the best of friends (more than that, actually). But it feels natural. Like it's always been that way. He smiles to himself and moves just the slightest bit closer to Myungsoo, who looks nothing short of ecstatic. He turns to him as they walk through the school gates.

"But I'll still get to kiss you, right?"