"It is damn freezing out here, Jongin."

Saying that did as much good as it did the first three times already. Nothing. Too focused on his thoughts, Jongin just continued walking around the place, and ignored the other's comment completely. For the third time.

Needless to say, that did not make Luhan very happy. He was turning to a damn statue of ice there.

Honestly, Luhan was never very good chilly places. Ever since he was little, he was always on the smaller and thinner side than others around him, and that caused him to be much more sensitive to the temperature changes than everybody else was. When it was just chilly for others, for Luhan it was way too cold, and when it was pleasantly hot in summer, for Luhan it was a burning hell. It was just the way his body reacted to the temperature, and regretfully, he couldn’t do a thing to change that.

Furthermore, loyal to his character, Luhan neither bothered to hide his never-ending dissatisfaction. He was always open to declare his complaints, although they almost never received any kind of answer. Most people just instantly marked him as the y whiner, and didn't pay attention to whatever Luhan had to say- or, more likely, what he had to complain about.

But Jongin, Jongin was different. He was his closest friend, not to mention one of the kindest people Luhan knew. If anyone seemed to care for Luhan no matter what, it was him. 

But now, that no longer seemed to be the case. It has already been ten or twenty minutes since they arrived here, but Jongin still hadn't said a single word to his friend, not to mention even throw a look at him. No, he was all too immersed in his own business to care what Luhan was doing, or to ask, if the other was cold, hungry or whatever. 

Luhan just shook his head in disappointment, and silently turned around to leave. Jongin wouldn't notice his disappearance anyway. 

He wasn't going to stay, if Jongin was going to just leave him stand there, and freeze his off for no apparent reason.

But suddenly, as Luhan was walking towards the exit and murming curses to himself, a firm grip around his wrist abruptly pulled the blond boy to a halt. The other turned his neck in surprise.

"Sorry, Lulu." holding onto the shorter’s wrist, Jongin said with an apologetic smile.

How could someone be that beautiful, thought Luhan then . Seriously, smiling Jongin was the most beautiful thing in the world.

Not receiving any answer from the blond, but a stare, Jongin just smiled again, and clumsily ped his jacket. 

"Sorry. I forgot you're so scrawny even clothes cannot keep your little body warm. Just give me a sec, I’ll just-"

Gracefully, Jongin slipped out of his warm winter jacket, and before Luhan could say anything or even react to other’s actions somehow, the jacket was already wrapped around his own shoulders. The warmth, and a gentle scent of sandalwood that was always lingering around Jongin, all of a sudden engulfed Luhan from all sides. He didn't even make it to realize what happened, before Jongin pulled the zipper up, and tucked the blond up warmly in his jacket. And then pouted at the fact that it still hung on Luhan’s narrow shoulders quite sadly, even after he was done. 

Luhan squirmed in the jacket, all of a sudden feeling self-conscious because of his narrow frame.

"You can wait a bit more now, right?" Jongin asked him with a smile.

"Y-You idiot." Luhan stuttered in response, flustered at Jongin's unpredictable actions. "Do you think this helps anyone? You'll just be the one who catches a cold now!"

Jongin just laughed at that and shook his head.

"I'm not you, Lulu."

Having said that, the latter just winked at the disgruntled Luhan, and turned back around in signal that their argument was over. 

Not surprised at all by that reaction, that most of the people would have considered to be kind of childish at best, Luhan just rolled his eyes. It was just same, good old Jongin he knew. Nothing had changed.

They were freezing their souls off here on the roof for a reason, though. As Luhan was told, Jongin was planning to confess to Kyungsoo tonight, as soon as the school festival neared its end. And of course, he wanted to find the perfect place for the surprise he was preparing for his crush.

In the end, Jongin decided: what better place to confess could there be than the school's roof? None! 

So here they were.

"Fine, I decided!" excited Jongin exclaimed, looking back at Luhan with a wide smile plastered onto his lips. "Imagine this, Lulu. I'll place candles all over the roof, and make a circle out of them there, in the middle. I will take Kyungsoo to that circle, so that there would be candles all around us, and then confess! Doesn't it sound nice, Lulu?"

As he listened, something all of a sudden felt weird in Luhan's chest.

"Sounds like something you would do." he answered the other absent-mindedly, turning away.

Jongin just sighed, and turned away from him, too, not surprised at all by that reply. And seemingly not noticing anything weird in the other's actions. 

Standing with his back turned to Jongin, Luhan lifted his slender palm slowly, and touched the place where his heart was suddenly in discomfort. 

How weird. This had never happened to him before. 

"We can set it up, when everybody else will be in the festival." apparently deciding to ignore the latter's lack of emotion, Jongin continued his proposal. "Then I can call Kyungsoo, and ask him to come here. Or just invite him before, and then wait."

And that feeling just wouldn’t go away.

"'We' again?" Luhan asked in a low voice, suddenly feeling unexplainable anger gather in the pit of his stomach. 

"Can you help me again, hyung?"

"Jongin, did you even let this thought of me, wanting to visit the festival, cross your mind?" 

"It won't take much of your time." not noticing Luhan's anger, Jongin quickly pleaded with a pout. "Please, Lulu. I won't make it in time if I'm alone." 

"No, Jongin."

"Please! I'll repay you!"

"And how are you going to do that?"

"One day, when you'll be confessing to someone, I'll help you out, too!" Jongin exclaimed, chocolate eyes shinning with sincere promises he really was going to keep. Luhan knew, that if he asked after twenty years, Jongin still would have said yes. He would've helped him confess.

Suddenly feeling down, Luhan just heaved a tired sigh and nodded. 

“Fine.”

"Thanks, Lulu!" Jongin instantly brightened up, and jumped towards the other boy to wrap his arm around his shoulders. "It's settled, then! We can go now!"

"Finally." Luhan murmured. Lost in thoughts, he let himself be dragged inside the building by his eager younger friend.

Luhan didn't really understand what was irritating him that much in this situation. He had always enjoyed teasing Jongin about confessing to Kyungsoo (or teasing him in general, to be honest), and even had told him several times to it up and just finally do it. But now, when Jongin was actually planning to do so, it felt kind of... unpleasant. Annoying. Like an unwanted outcome, that Luhan caused, but didn't want to happen anymore.

Or ever, if he was to be honest.

It felt even worse, when Jongin was dragging him into this. Of course, to him, helping a friend place some candles on the school's roof wasn't such a big of a request, but for Luhan it suddenly was. He felt mad for some reason. But it wasn't like he wanted to be there in Kyungsoo's place, and neither was it like he wanted that confession that was not meant for him.

At least Luhan said so to himself. 

But Jongin was always someone he found adorable in his own, special way. Okay, he seemed cool and handsome, and most certainly y for those who didn't know him any better, but in reality, Jongin was just a cute dork. He was shy, clumsy, and not very good at expressing himself to others, not to mention cutely awkward. And teasing him was mostly so enjoyable for Luhan because, doing that, he got to see so much of Jongin that nobody else saw. He grew to know his reactions to everything, to every word almost. He even knew the expressions of Jongin that were bound to come in different situations, before the latter actually did them. And that made Luhan feel kind of happy, because he felt like he knew Jongin a bit better than anyone else.

And why did Luhan want to know Jongin?

Simple. Because he liked him. Luhan liked Jongin, and more than he liked anyone else.

That realization was neither shocking nor frightening to Luhan. In the back of his heart, he already kind of knew it. He just never really told himself it in actual words.

But was that feeling going to change anything between him and Jongin? No, most probably not. Luhan had no intentions of ever telling him and even more so, when Jongin was already in love with someone else. All, that telling him would cause would be heart breaks. And a broken friendship. Luhan didn't want any of that.

So he decided to keep silent.

", he's there again." Jongin all of a sudden half-growled in Luhan's ear, and the other quickly gathered his thoughts back together. 

"Who?”  he asked.

Jongin just grumpily pointed at the blond male, who was currently talking to Kyungsoo.

"Oh." Luhan sighed. "Him again."

"You know what; I'm not going to just stand here this time." Jongin murmured angrily.

 And before Luhan could stop him, he was off, striding towards the two talking guys.

"Jongin, stop!" Luhan hissed, but the other didn't even turn to look back.

"Jongin ah!" Kyungsoo seemingly brightened up, seeing the taller boy approach them.

"What's up, prez?"

"Where did you go after math?" Kyungsoo instantly asked curiously, big eyes sparkling as he looked up at the other. "Did you forget to do your homework again?"

Not surprised at the nerdiness of that question, Jongin just rolled his eyes at it. 

"No, I didn’t prez. I just had... stuff to do."

"Are you friends with the class' rebels, Kyungsoo yah?" Jaebum asked, somehow putting himself back into the conversation. “I didn’t think you’d be, honestly.”

To Jongin's dismay, and Luhan's disinterest, the guy looked exceptionally good today. His hair was styled up perfectly, and he even had some eyeliner on, making his eyes look more mysterious and attractive. He probably prepared all of this for the festival, and, Luhan had to admit, it worked. He really looked great.

And that fact only was enough to ruin Jongin's good mood in a second. He stood there, face obviously grumpy, and fists clenched.

"Jongin is not a rebel." Kyungsoo shook his head quickly, defending Jongin himself. "He is actually really-"

"Forget it, prez." Jongin shushed Kyungsoo, draping an arm over the shorter's shoulders. "So what if I'm a rebel?"

He threw a confident smirk at Jaebum.

"My prez over here is more than enough to control me. If you know what I mean."

And, with an ulterior motive that only Jaebum and Luhan were able to see, Jongin reached out to hold Kyungsoo's hand. Raising it up for Jaebum to see what he wanted him to see.

There, on one tanned slender finger and one small and pale one, laid two exact replicas of the same silver ring. A clear sign of possessiveness to a stranger's eye.

Jaebum's eyes narrowed.

"Jongin ah?" Kyungsoo looked at Jongin, puzzled by the other's weird actions. 

"It's nothing, prez." Jongin smirked like a contented cat, and turned his attention back to Kyungsoo. "Buy me food!"

And without another word, he dragged the owl-eyed boy away from the others to the canteen. 

"He's such a brat." Jaebum scoffed, shaking his head judgingly. "Immature prick."

"That’s one of his many charms." Luhan answered.

Of course, the other couldn’t understand what that answer was about. That was because he had never spoken to Jongin, and wasn't his friend. But without any other word to the puzzled other, Luhan just turned around and walked away, leaving Jaebum stand there alone and think whatever he wanted. 

Meanwhile, in the canteen, Jongin was trying to convince Kyungsoo to buy him two sandwiches. 

"You won't be able to finish two." Kyungsoo argued, eyebrows furrowed at the ridiculousness of Jongin's request. "And it's not healthy to overeat."

"But I'm really hungry today!" Jongin pouted at the shorter pitifully. "Really really hungry."

"Either way, one is enough." 

"No, it's not!"

"Jongin ah." Kyungsoo tilted his head, obviously feeling lost. Jongin was acting especially weird today.

"It will only be enough if you promise me something." Jongin suddenly changed his pleading tone to a sneaky one. 

Taken by surprise at the sudden change of the topic, Kyungsoo tilted his head in question.

"Huh?"

"Promise me you will come to meet me on the school's roof at 9 PM today." Jongin asked quickly, hopeful eyes glued to Kyungsoo. "I have something to say to you."

"What are you planning now, Jongin?" Kyungsoo instantly scolded eyes wide with evident worry. "You know students are not allowed on the roof, especially when a festival is going on!"

"Just come there, okay?" Jongin asked, with a smile that he hoped Kyungsoo just couldn't say no to. "I'll be waiting. Come no matter what, and don’t worry about breaking the rules. I’ll take the blame for the both of us."

"But Jongin ah-"

"No matter what." Jongin reached out to ruffle Kyungsoo's hair affectionately. "I'm taking this as a promise, prez. Keep your sandwich."

And with those words, he was gone. Kyungsoo could just gape in disbelief, as he watched Jongin run out of the canteen like he was crazy. Well, maybe he was.

"He's going to get us both into trouble." the owl-eyed boy sighed, but deep in his heart, he couldn't help but feel slightly excited already. He wondered what Jongin was going to say to him.

And more importantly, why on earth did it have to be said on the roof, of all places.

For Jongin, the day went by amazingly quickly. He went to his classes, not focused on them at all, mostly scribbling in the corner of his notebook all the time. Then he went to give some help for the people preparing school's festival, sometimes catching a glimpse of Kyungsoo running around like a busy bee, and then worked on some class' decorations. And when his help was no longer needed, Jongin silently disappeared to do what he planned before.

He had bought a lot of candles. Lots and lots of them. In his head, he already saw how Kyungsoo's eyes would sparkle, when he will see the sea of little lights Jongin had prepared. Jongin wanted to, even if he would be rejected, make this night into a night to remember for Kyungsoo. Make it at least a beautiful memory that they both could share.

So, even if it was cold outside, Jongin spent hours placing and re-placing the candles all over the roof until they were formed perfectly. Luhan had only helped for an hour, and then left, because he couldn't stand the terrible wind anymore. But Jongin stayed. His hands got so cold that his skin seemed to lose color with every passing second, but Jongin continued either way. He had his first confession to make, and he was going to make it perfect.

Time passed, and the hour on which Kyungsoo had to appear was coming closer. Jongin sat there, counting the last minutes. And when not much time was left, he started to light up the white candles one by one. Lighting one, lighting another, all over the place. Every single one had to get a touch of Jongin, in order to shine in the darkness of the night. 

And when he was done, Jongin stood there, looking at his work and admiring it silently.

It was beautiful. A sea of little lights, just like he imagined. Just like he wanted everything to look.

Perfect.

All of a sudden, J