long update. the next update is tomorrow, guys! sort of edited (but i think there's still mistakes. im a baaaaad beta. anyway, expect more embarassing moments, oh and a cuuuuuuuuute jongin)

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Alright, play it cool. Stay calm. Be one with the lockers. Do NOT fret over the thought of talking to Jongin again. He's a cool guy. You're a cool guy. These lockers are cool too -- , what am I saying?! Ok, Do Kyungsoo, it's fine. You're fine. Put away all worrisome thoughts and think about Yixing's dimples.They're beautiful. No wonder Jongdae's crazy about him. Then again, he's always been crazy; totally different from Jongin. Jongin's a sweetheart, and no one knows that. It's because you stalk him -- you creepy piece of -- but the world doesn't need to know that. Jongin doesn't need to know that. You're a pro at this. You're too cool to be noticed. Be invisible... like these lockers. Be the lockers. Wait, what? No, don't be the lockers. Just be cool. You got this, Do Kyungsoo. All you need to do...

...is ask him to the prom.

They're monologues inside Kyungsoo's head, yet his mouth are moving along to it, as if he's reading a script. Standing alone in the locker room, in the darker corners which smells strongly of male pheromones and sweaty socks, he paces back and forth while the words run through his mind like a mantra; words he's been meaning to ask Jongin, but he couldn't because he's a coward. A big fat coward.

"It's fine Kyungsoo. You like him so you should man up, isn't it?"

He doesn't hear the door opening because he's too messed up in the head at the moment. Doesn't hear the sound of shoes squeaking against the tiled floor as it approaches the spot where Kyungsoo's standing.

"Do Kyungsoo, why do you always make it so hard to just ask him to the prom? I mean, what's the worse that could happen? It's either he'll say no, or he'll kiss you. Wait... no, he won't kiss you. He'll probably think you're disgusting or something." Kyungsoo sits down with a fhump, hiding his face into the palm of his hands because whatever he says to assure himself will probably end up being a complete waste of time and breath. There's no way he could ask Jongin out to prom.

It doesn't take one drunken, embarassing conversation, one bloody training incident, and another sober but mundane conversation to make a guy fall in love with a weird, gay-creep like Kyungsoo. Jongin would definitely turn him down and prom's in two weeks - more or less. It wouldn't surprise Kyungsoo if Jongin already has a date - probably a hot chick with fake tatts and excessive make-up. Those kind of stereotypical queenkas have always been running the school, even before Kyungsoo enrolled there.

He takes a deep breath, wondering how his friends are, when his ears perk up to the sound of footsteps in the background. Is someone in the locker room with him? Fear spreads across his body at the thought that someone could have heard everything he said earlier. Nervously, he calls out, "Hello? Is someone there?"

When no one answers after a few minutes, he lets out a relieved sigh. That's when one of TVXQ's songs suddenly blare out through the intercom in the locker room, catching Kyungsoo's attention immediately. "Hell yeah! This is my JAM!" Those PA nerds must have gotten tired of club music or something. Kyungsoo's body naturally flows along to the music, knowing all the dance moves to Mirotic by heart - his eyes closed, lips curved up into a smile, limbs moving along to the beat with amazing precision.

The sight of him dancing is enough to melt the heart of the guy standing just a few feet away. Yet he hesitates to stop Kyungsoo. It's quite unfortunate that he came in a few minutes ago, discovering a familiar voice talking to himself at the back of the locker room, and the first thing he heard was, 'it's fine, Kyungsoo. You like him so you should man up, isn't it?' 

Who is it that has stolen Do Kyungsoo's heart?

When the song ends, Kyungsoo stops with a chuckle, opening his eyes once more. He may have bumped against the nearby bench a few times, but bruises on his knees are nothing compared to the satisfying thrill he felt while he was dancing. Yeah, TVXQ will never fail to take his breath away. He almost falls over in surprise, however, when he finally notices Jongin standing just a few feet away.

"Hey Kyungsoo," the tanned male says.

"Hey back to you." Kyungsoo blushes, nervously fidgeting in his spot. In his head he's thinking 'oh man, why do I always run into Jongin when I'm doing something embarassing?!' "Uh... w-weren't you supposed to be in the field right now, getting ready for the high jump?" 

"Yeah, I was, but then I noticed you weren't anywhere around so I got a bit worried."

"W-worried? Over me?" Kyungsoo stutters.

"Yeah." Jongin says with a timid smile, much closer to the personality that Kyungsoo knows than the one Jongin usually wears as a facade in school. "Why are you here instead of cheering for your friends out there?"

"I-I have a lot in mind, I guess..." Kyungsoo trails off, looking down at his feet.

Jongin doesn't poke him about it. Instead he says, "I also came to take my gloves actually. Can't jump without em. It's a good thing I ran into you too. Yixing hyung had been asking for you."

"I forgot to tell them... uh, yeah. Anyway, let's get back out there." It's not the right time to tell Jongin yet, not when he's supposed to jump in a few minutes. "Did you get your gloves?"

"Got it here." Jongin replies with a grin. "Oh, by the way, those were some killer dance moves you got there. I didn't know you could dance so well! You should totally join the dance club. I could sign you up, and it wouldn't be so awkward during the first meeting because Yixing hyung is there...uh, and me too." He adds chirpily.

Kyungsoo thinks that joining the dance club is just another step closer to digging his own grave. He doesn't think he could survive being around Jongin for more than a few minutes, so to see the lanky male dancing ily before him would probably be an overkill. He gives Jongin a weak smile anyway, promises of tomorrow hanging in the air.

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So, two days later, he's sitting beside Yixing in the dance club's meeting room. The other members are warming up to some k-pop song that Kyungsoo knows very well (it's not TVXQ but he's too kpop trash to ignore other groups). His body is itching to join along, feet already shaking along to the beat. "Jongin signed you up, huh? I'm surprised he even knew you could dance. As far as I know, you don't do dancing in public, expecially with kpop."

Kyungsoo dances in his room, sometimes with Yixing and Jongdae as audience. They're the only ones who know about his fanatic love for kpop. 

"Speak to no one about my obsession, gege. The only thing you know about my taste for music is that I enjoy classic rock like Led Zeppelin and Metallica. I just switch back and forth with kpop sometimes."

"Most times."

"Sometimes."

"Mm hmm."

"Don't give me that look, hyung."

"What look?" Yixing feigns innocence. "Anyway, Jongin doesn't usually turn up so early, so I allow you to unleash your inner squishiness in the meantime. Go do your thing, dongsaeng." Kyungsoo's face lightens up considerably, quickly joining the other club members.

He tells the Chinese male to warn him when Jongin finally shows up. He doesn't want to look like a fool again. The tanned male turns up eventually, having met with his best friends first before coming for practice. Kyungsoo doesn't usually stalk Jongin when he's out with his buddies, fearing that one of them would notice him. He pretends to not care upon Jongin's entrance, though his eyes can't quite ignore the obvious display of lithe body, back muscles, and six packs peeking through the thin fabric of Jongin's white shirt - damn you Jongin for not wearing your gym clothes. Those s are way too obvious to ignore. It's just... out there!

"You're drooling, Soo. How subtle." Yixing says with a hint of sarcasm.

Kyungsoo quickly wipes away his drool, a sense of horror spreading through his body when he could literally feel Jongin eyeing him the whole time while he shamelessly stared. Play it cool, Do Kyungsoo, you're just imagining stuff.

"Alright, let's take it from the top again, guys." Yixing tells the rest. "Jongin, why don't you take the lead in the front? Kyungsoo, you could take the back. Try to follow as best as you could. We're doing hip hop today."

Kyungsoo could do hip hop. Yeah he totally could.

An hour later, however, it seems as though his future is bleak when it comes to dancing. He simply can't remember any of the moves he learned earlier. Hip hop is just way too hard for him to learn. There's too many steps that require body popping and locking, and smooth transitions where one turns into a jellyfish for a moment before coming out strong and fast again. He's more of a pop dance kind of guy, an easy '1, 2, 3 step' moves that repeat itself every chorus.

"Here. Drink some water." Jongin offers, kindly handing him a bottle before crouching before him . Kyungsoo could see the other club members staring at them weirdly, wondering why the great Kim Jongin is suddenly talking to a nobody.

The smile on Jongin's face, however, becomes the reason why Kyungsoo chooses to ignore these judgmental idiots. "Thanks Jongin."

"You worked hard today. It's okay. I'm sure you'll get it sooner or later. It's always hard the first time."

"That's what she says." Kyungsoo doesn't mean to blurt out such words, but old habit dies hard it seems. Jongdae loved to say that phrase a lot the first time Kyungsoo moved into the dorm, so he might have picked up the habit. Jongin would probably think he's a ert now. "U-uh... what I mean is that... I mean, I'm not actually t-talking about what you think what I would think when I s-said that b-because in my mind what I think is different from what you think I would think w-when I said that..."

Word vomit. Stuttering. It feels like dejavu.

Jongin starts laughing after that when he couldn't hold it in anymore. "Gawd, Kyungsoo, do you have to be adorable all the time? Yeah, I'm pretty sure I get what you think."

"N-no, you shouldn't get what I think. It's not what you think I'd be thinking about and --" A finger flies to his mouth in that instant, effectively shutting Kyungsoo's word vomit from erupting once more.

"Yes, I know. You don't have to explain yourself." Kyungsoo thinks that Jongin's finger is warm, wondering if those plump lips would feel the same too. "Anyway, here's what I think about you. I think we need to go out for some coffee."

...coffee?

"I think I want us to get to know each other better, because I don't know anything about you, Kyungsoo. I want us to be friends. The only thing I know is that you're my classmate and we've never talked before but then I heard your pororo imitation --"

"Dear gawd."

"-- and I wanna know what else you could imitate. I think you think that I think you're invisible, but I do notice you hiding in the background sometimes. I could see your reflection through the windows, Kyungsoo, and our school has a lot of windows."

"Too many mirrors too." Kyungsoo says, as an afterthought. Jongin simply smiles at that.

"Also, I'm curious as to what you wanted to ask me back at Yixing hyung's party. I recall that you didn't finish your question before you burped into my face."

"Kyungsoo, you burped into his face?" Yixing repeats, out of amusement.

"It's a memory that should never be spoken of." Kyungsoo states. "And Jongin, I didn't think you would remember anything."

"That's because it's what you think, not me. I remember everything perfectly, word by word. Just so you know, I was sober at the time."

Damn.

"I also think that you were cheering for me the whole time during the 100m sprint."

"Uh uh, that's where you're wrong. I did cheer for Yixing too. In fact, about 60% of the time."

"Oh really?" Jongin's giving him one of those godly half smirks that could shoot arrows through Kyungsoo's heart. He wants to squeal so bad, but he refrains from acting like lovesick fanboy. The only visible reaction he could muster is a tick at the side of his mouth. 

"You know what I think right now... I think you're flirting with me." Kyungsoo then says, because Jongin's doing a great job of slowly killing his insides.

"No , sherlock." Yixing comments, snickering at the side.

"Xing ge, stay out of this. Why are you watching us as if you're watching a football match anyway?"

"It's so interesting how intense the atmosphere is between the two of you. It's like you're literally making out in the middle of dance practice, only that it lacks physicality." Kyungsoo then notices how the other members are also eavesdropping into the conversation, scooting closer and closer by the minute. All eyes are on Jongin and him.

Jongin lets out an airy laugh, a set of perfectly white teeth glistening visibly between soft, plump lips. Kyungsoo wants to kiss those lips. "Do you really think I'm flirting with you right now, Soo?"

Soo.

He calls Kyungsoo by a nickname. Kyungsoo could just die in happiness right then, right there. "I think... I need to barf." It's the chicken he ate this morning, for sure! His stomach's suddenly twisting in an odd and painful way that tells him it's time to visit the boys' room. He gets up in a hurry, almost causing Jongin to fall back. 

"Soo, are you alright?" Yixing yells out to his dongsaeng worriedly after Kyungsoo pushed past him.

When Yixing and Jongin check in on the smaller male later, Kyungsoo looks deathly pale leaning against the sink counter. "Chicken," is all he says to make Yixing understand. Jongin, however, seems worried and puzzled.

"What's making him sick?"

"We had a friend over at Kyungsoo's and Jongdae's dorm last night, so we ordered some chicken. I guess the chicken must have gone bad this morning when Kyungsoo had it for breakfast. It's a good thing Jongdae doesn't do chicken in the morning. Do you know Im Hyunsik?"

"Hyunsik's the guy who's in Sehun's and Taemin's class, right?" Jongin begins to wonder if Kyungsoo is close with that guy. Wait... is that the guy which Kyungsoo possibly has a crush on? He curls his hands, eyes narrowing at the thought of Kyungsoo getting all chummy with Hyunsik. "Are they close?" He asks, rather bitterly.

"Hyunsik was supposed to be in our 4 x 400m team two days ago, until Kyungsoo had to forfeit for health reason. We started training together for a week after we met him at my house party. He's a cool guy."  Yixing explains.

It doesn't stop Jongin from feeling extremely jealous right then; wondering when and why he's suddenly so affected with Kyungsoo's life. Two weeks ago, they've only just started conversing for the first time. Two days ago, Jongin couldn't even keep his heart from beating so fast when he sees the smaller male dancing in the locker room. It's crazy how his feelings could evolve so fast. It's scary, even.

To think that he might actually fall for someone like Kyungsoo. Someone with large doe-like eyes, flushed cheeks, pink lips, dark hair, and a perfect figure. He's been watching Kyungsoo for some time, even before they started talking, but it's always so hard to spot the smaller male. It's like he's constantly hiding away from Jongin, sometimes appearing in the form of a shadowy silhouette outside the windows of his house, making Jongin think that he might as well have gone crazy; so crazy until he could hallucinate about Kyungsoo.

Crazy.

And shy. He's too shy to approach the smaller male; too afraid to take the initiative. Yixing's words may have speared through his heart two days ago, when the Chinese hyung inquired why he hadn't ask Kyungsoo out to prom yet.  

Someone snaps him out from his reverie when Yixing suddenly calls for help. "Hey, help me carry him back to the dorm, will ya? Jongdae's at some club meeting right now, so he'll come home later. You've got nothing planned for tonight, right, Jongin?"

"Nope. I'm good."

"Then help me take care of Kyungsoo for a while after we drop him off. I've gotta attend for dinner because my grandma came all the way from China today. She won't be happy if I'm not there on time."

"Sure thing, hyung." Jongin swallows the lump in his throat, suddenly nervous about being alone with Kyungsoo in his dorm. They carry him back with much difficulty, because Kyungsoo could barely stand upright, and he keeps threatening them for moving too much. His stomach is still twisting oddly, passing out wind without even realizing it because the pain's too excruciating for him to notice, and Yixing tries not to snicker. Jongin has an unreadable expression.

After a lot of stumbling and cursing up the two flights of stairs leading to Jongdae's and Kyungsoo's room, the trio eventually reaches in front of Room 210. Some guys living in the next few dorms are hanging about outside, asking if Kyungsoo's okay. 

"How bout you try getting food poisoning if you wanna know how bad I'm feeling, bloody ers! Why the would I be okay when you could tell I look like ?!" Kyungsoo yells back, out of annoyance. His temper is just all over the place by then, in desperate need of his bathroom so he curl up in the tub and weep like a baby. This is the second time in life he has ever suffered from food poisoning. "Xing ge, could you bring my bed to the bathroom?"

"I'll put some pillows in your tub then." Yixing says.

After making sure Kyungsoo has taken some pain medication and is comfortable in the tub, Yixing then tells Jongin to stay for a while because Jongdae will only come home at 9. Jongin assures him that everything will be okay. When Yixing finally leaves, the tanned male then whips out his phone to call his mum. Fortunately, his mum understands the situation so Jongin has the green light to stay until 9, as long as he comes home straight away after that.

Kyungsoo's groaning and tossing in the tub when he eventually checks on the smaller male, whining about the end of the world and how chicken would eventually be the death of him. Jongin honestly feels like crying when he sees Kyungsoo's face scrunching up to bear the pain a minute later. He helplessly paces around the bathroom before settling down in the tub with Kyungsoo. The space is too small for the both of them, but he thinks that Kyungsoo would need someone to hold him and give his tummy a massage. 

All the while, while Kyungsoo's whimpering in his arms, tears staining those flushed cheeks he's grown to love, Jongin assures him that the pain will go. The pain will stop. The medicine will kick in. Food poisoning isn't something that could disappear within one toilet trip, after all. It might take a few hours, depending on the individual. Jongin holds his hands when he has to go again, not bothered over the smell or whatever. 

In order to distract the smaller male after some time, Jongin tells him more about himself. They try to talk about anything under the weather. Jongin learns more about Kyungsoo too; about his music preferences, his favourite food and favourite drama series, his pet dog named Nini back at home in Daegu, his older brother Seungsoo who's always too bossy and too prefect, and generally about everything that Kyungsoo likes and does. Jongin tells him about his family, a little surprised when Kyungsoo says that Jongin's sisters are really pretty. When asked how Kyungsoo would know about his sisters, the smaller male begins to stutter like an idiot.

Jongin thinks he's cute. 

"Is the coffee thing still on?"

"I'm too embarassed to answer that right now. I mean, going out for coffee means you have to see my face again, and honestly, would you go out with a guy who's been pooping and crying in front of you for the last few hours?"

"I would."

"You're lying, Kim Jongin."

"No, seriously, I would."

"Then you're the weirdest kid I know."

Jongin simply shrugs back. "At least there's someone from school who thinks differently of me. I'm tired of always being the... cool, handsome, and y one. Girls look at me like they want to eat me. I swore some guys look at me the same way too. It's kinda scary at first because I'm not like what they think, but after a while I got so used to it that it's becoming dull. I mean, it's nice to be one the popular kids in school, but I can't be myself when I talk to anyone."

"I know, Jongin. I'm glad you chose to talk to me as yourself." Then, in a quiet voice that is barely audible, Kyungsoo adds, "I actually like the real you even before we started talking."

Jongin freezes for a second, staring down at the face that's only a breath away. He could see Kyungsoo's cheeks turning red a little, lips slighty parted and eyes glossy after all that crying. Jongin has never someone so beautiful in his life at that moment, so it's out of urge when he leans down to brush their lips together. It only lasts for a second before Kyungsoo's pushing him away, feeling the dreaded taste of bile rising up his throat. He lets it all go into the toilet bowl, flushing right after, while Jongin could only rub his back to comfort him.

Kyungsoo slips into unconciousness a minute later, unable to hold back his exhaustion anymore. 

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This chapter is the longest! Food poisoning is really bad. You'll be in pain for hours, getting the toxic out of your system and all you can do is poop, vomit, whine, and repeat cycle. Any sort of pain medication only works for a short time. Your will feel like it's on fire and you'll be completely drained by the end of it.