From: Mochi
Okay, the speaker on the train started talking in a different language...!
Quiiiick, Soo, what about that survival tips you promised me??

"And because beauty marks were a sign of royalty, people started to paint them into their faces themselves."

To: Mochi
I asked Amber, who's currently in the Netherlands as well, but she's still at work. Not everyone can be a hobo like you! :P
You'll survive for another hour or so!

"It was a rather short fad, but during that time, people would draw not only dots, but also little stars, squares or similar shapes - sometimes even in various colors like green, yellow or blue."

Kyungsoo scrunched his brows, fingers hovering over all the active chats he was currently managing. He looked up, regarding the bored sea of heads that were either hanging low or aimlessly staring ahead like Bom did to his right. He nudged her ever so slightly.
"Did she just say that people drew yellow stars on their faces?" he whispered mildly incredulously. Bom lazily blinked, fake eyelashes fluttering heavily.
"Huh? Yeah, so?"
...right, why was he even bothering. He turned to Dara instead.
"Am I the only who finds this a strange thing to do in a time where people were all frills and laces?"
Dara barely spared him a glance, too preoccupied with writing everything down word for word. If he squinted closely, he would probably be able to see the 'uhhhs' and 'you knows' their teacher would fall into, whenever she was missing the word in her non-native language.
"Hmmm?" Dara asked distractedly, and Kyungsoo gave up. Heck, at this point their teacher could tell them about the beauty marks being inspired by UFO's and no one would bat an eyelash.
With a small shake of his head, he looked down at his phone again, deciding to mentally check out of the lesson.
There was a vague on and off conversation with Yifan (consisting of them mutually replying way too late, but not minding it), a surprisingly active one with Sehun (because for some reason, the quiet photographer really seemed to have taken a liking to him), and... an unsettlingly quiet Beagle Beagle ▽・ω・▽group chat.

[13:23]
From: Soo
Guuuys? I can basically see the dry bush thingy rolling through here.

No reaction. No know-it-all Chen correcting him on the name of those things, pretending he hadn't just looked it up. No Baekhyun writing odd onomatopoetic whistling sounds to accompany the image.

[13:25]
From: Soo
What's up?

It was almost immediately read by both of them, and Kyungsoo scoffed. Of course they had no real life, none of them had.

[13:30]
From: 100<3snsd
Nothing
Class

Kyungsoo grimaced. If Byun Baekhyun was straying from his firm belief in the lapslock style and didn't put in the effort to correct his phone on automatically capitalizing the first letters of a message, something was definitely off. It was rare to see him being not in the mood for shenanigans. And Chen had yet to reply. He was probably still exactly where Kyungsoo had left him off earlier (buried under his blanket), with the only difference being the glass of Nutella joining him with a knife stacked on top, ready to prepare as many slices of bread as needed to survive.
He sighed. It was already bad enough that Chen and him were both all gloomy and down. Kyungsoo had told him about his situation with Chanyeol, but he wasn't going to whine and rub it in when his friend was feeling so ty himself. And Chen, in turn, saw no point in whining about things he had mentioned previously already - he wasn't that type of person.
But if even Baekhyun was down...

[13:35]
From: ChenChen
same~

...okay, that was it. It shouldn't be like this. Kyungsoo decided that it was time to do something, and maybe it was his turn for once.

[13:36]
From: Soo
Guys, we gotta go out today. I'm craving good food and Karaoke!

At the same time, he shot Chen a private message, asking him how he dare send him the impersonal 'I'm pretending to be happy and energetic while actually feeling like throwing the phone out of my window' tilde - that one was clearly reserved for people whom he hadn't told the secret meaning to.

[13:38]
From: Soo
Don't even pretend not having seen this
Byun Baek, your notifications are ON
and I know exactly that you scanned the screen without opening it, Chen!
We are going out today, don't pretend you're busy

[13:40]
From: ChenChen
I don't know man
I'm not a lot of fun today

[13:40]
From: 100<3snsd
I'm tired tho

[13:41]
From: Soo
Baekhyun, PLEASE. That is the lamest excuse ever since

"Kyungsoo?"
Kyungsoo looked up at the teacher.
She looked expectant and mildly accusing.
Kyungsoo looked perfectly blank. He blinked. Once. Twice.
Two seconds of silence.
The teacher shook her head and moved on. Kyungsoo wished he could move on that easily in every aspect of his life.

[13:41]
From: Soo
Baekhyun, PLEASE. That is the lamest excuse ever since... whatever I was going to write before I was interrupted.
Anyway!
We're going out, and that's final.

He minimized the chat before the other two had a chance to protest, and texted Jongin. He, too, was about to decline the offer of joining them (and probably due to justified reasons, too), so Kyungsoo had to use his secret weapon.

[13:50]
From: Soo
Baekhyun needs you. He feels like .

"So... you have any ideas for your collection yet, Soo?"
He blinked up at Chaerin, who had draped herself over the table in an open display of 'I need holidays', and noticed that the room was almost empty. Oh, right, they had a free period now. Free meaning that they had Fashion Design, where you ought to work on your collection. Meaning that 80% of the students did just about nothing during the first weeks. Dara had already scampered off to find their teacher (who was traditionally late for up to half an hour, since barely anyone needed her anyway), and Minzy was sketching, with her headphones plugged in.
Kyungsoo threw a last look on the phone that read Jongin's defeated 'fine', before placing it down to lean back in his chair and take a bite out of the croissant he'd bought himself earlier.
"Hmm... Maybe. Kinda. You?" he asked, to gain more time dedicated to his food. Chaerin hummed in discontent, wriggling in her chair.
"I don't knooow... I got no inspiration at all. I wanted to go for something related to the cruiser I was on, but I don't know. Like, it's all high society and expensive and clear lines, bright colors... but I don't really have the spark, you know?"
Kyungsoo nodded. If your approach was too systematic, the result would become kinda soulless. It was something that worked, but where was the fun in that? After all, they might end up in boring jobs like that soon enough, so who wanted to waste his time on something boring in university already?
"What about you?" Chaerin asked back, and Kyungsoo fished out a sheet from the back of his map. It showed a vague sketch of a man wearing a long, loose T-shirt with the number 12 written all over it and casual, calf-length pants. Next to him was a girl wearing the same thing.
"I went to this rap performance during our off time," he began, vaguely pointing out the lines of the clothes, "and I kinda found it interesting, so I wanted to go into this direction. But I wanna combine it with something completely different, something dream-like or fantasy-ish, with vibrant colors."
With a knowing hum, Chaerin nodded.
"Of course you would. Whatever else would you do. And it's uni?"
"Yeah. For practical reasons, though I'll come up with some bull reason for the teachers."
"They'll love it," Chaerin said with a shake of her head, and Kyungsoo could only agree. Being a little pretentious usually brought advantages, whatever profession you were in.
"Let's hope they'll also approve of the sketches. I'll only show them later, when I have more of them and a few fabrics, too."
"Maybe you should shorten the pants or something though. Doesn't look all that Spring/Summer to me just yet," Chaerin suggested and with a hum, Kyungsoo scribbled down a note on his sketch.

 

It had been a rough and slightly awkward start, with Kyungsoo's thoughts still lingering on the way Chanyeol had squeezed his shoulder the day before, when they had parted after their visit at the library, and both Baek and Chen being gloomy. It was obvious how Jongin was fighting the urge to turn all quiet and shy at the current atmosphere, but he was trying, for Baekhyun's sake. They strolled down the streets, looking for a nice restaurant, and when Jongin enthusiastically petted a stranger's dog which all but mirrored Jongin's eagerness, Baekhyun and Chen finally cracked a first smile. Kyungsoo used the chance to jump in and make it a competition, trying to pet as many animals as possible. Dragging Chen with him, they both explored the streets, on the constant lookout for dog owners, so Kyungsoo could pester his friend to ask them for permission (because he looked friendlier and could show vivid enthusiasm) - they came up with the most ridiculous approaches they didn't go through with, and in time, Chen found himself hyper enough to do go through with some of them. Before Kyungsoo knew it, it was Chen bugging him to do certain things, to talk to people and ask whether they could pet their dog, because apparently Kyungsoo had the sweet and quiet charm.
They ended up with a good number of petted dogs (and a stray cat they found in a nearby park), and two actual phone numbers (however that had happened).
It wasn't too surprising that they lost against the KaiBaek team, since Baekhyun was a social force to be reckoned with when warmed up. But the way it resulted in team ChenSoo treating them to pasta, had Kyungsoo smile in silent content, because right now, no one was thinking about anything too gloomy. His eyes did flicker to the counter of the Karaoke bar when they stepped inside a couple hours later, but Chanyeol wasn't there, and Kyungsoo decided not to think about him for now. Worrying all the time was pointless, and wasn't it nice to spend time with your friends, too? Just watching Baekhyun jump and dance on the narrow couch as he belted suggestive lyrics, tumbling into Jongin all the time? Having Chen nudge him so they could both laugh at Baekhyun, since they actually understood the English lyrics? Whatever happened in the future, Kyungsoo could always return to this, and that was just an almost overwhelmingly nice feeling.
"I won'tt biteu - unless sat's what yu like!" Baekhyun belted with determination, and Chen translated into Jongin's ear, who turned fairly red at this, slapping Baekhyun's thigh repeatedly. Undeterred, Baekhyun continued to sing "Boy, putt youa hands on mih!", and Kyungsoo just laughed. At Baekhyun's clueless attempts to dance lasciviously to the lyrics he didn't get at all, at Chen yelling something about needing more alcohol, at Jongin knocking Baekhyun down so he would stop jumping around, sending his voice to tumble with them, displaying an odd ladder on the screen recording them. At the whole situation, really. He laughed and laughed, until the muscles in his cheek hurt.

It was late when the tumbled out of the room, way too late, actually, but most of them were quite content and pleasantly buzzed (except for reasonable Jongin). Kyungsoo felt the urge to go home, wrap himself up in his plush blanket and do nothing but sleep so he could deal with all his problems tomorrow; a fresh start, so to say. Unfortunately, conflicts usually didn't abide to schedule, and so they found Chanyeol at the counter, who greeted them cheerfully. Being aware of the whole situation, Jongdae remained a little guarded, but it didn't do much, since Baekhyun happily skipped towards him and all but raked himself over the counter.
"Hiii there, hot plumber...!" he sing-songed, and Jongin was face-palming behind him, hiding his face in shame. If Chanyeol's fellow colleague Leo was here, he would probably kick them out right about now. As it was though, Chanyeol smiled politely, indulging the hyped up guy.
"Hi Baekhyun. ChenChen, Jongin, Kyungsoo-" their eyes met, and Chanyeol hesitated for a split second, before the smile was back in place, "hi to you, too. What brings you here?"
Oh. Okay.
Had he expected anything else? Maybe. But it would have been awkward to just hug or kiss in front of his friends, right?
"Girl's night!" Baekhyun happily provided, and Chen half-heartedly nudged his shoulder.
"Earth to Baekhyun. Too gay to function," he provided in a routinely scolding tone, and Baekhyun made a show of giggling, just to make it all worse.
"A girl has to forget all the boy trouble once in awhile!" he claimed while flipping his hair, and though he was still smiling, Chanyeol's eyes remained trained on Kyungsoo, as if he was searching for something. Kyungsoo tried to look nonchalant.
"As if you had any boy trouble, please. If any, you're the one causing trouble!" Chen protested and Baekhyun dramatically gripped at his heart.
"How would you know? I'm offended and hurt!"
Chanyeol subtly bit his lip, restlessly looking across the noisy guys, shifting in his place ever so slightly.
"Last time I checked you were pining after a foursome, not after a relationship!"
"Why would one exclude the other? Jonginnie here promised me a foursome if I ever find a partner-"
"I most certainly didn't!"
"Hey, Kyungsoo," Chanyeol mumbled, and when Baekhyun perked up, Chen forcefully squished his face to keep his attention away from them. Kyungsoo blinked up at him, feeling slightly wary.
"You got a moment? It won't take long, just..." he trailed off, nodding towards a vague direction to his right. Kyungsoo nodded, and ignored both the wolf whistle as well as the yelp of pain from Baekhyun, as he followed Chanyeol to the back. A few narrow rooms flashed by in a whirlwind of dark and subdued colors, before they were inside a cheaply lit changing room. Before he got a good look at the sparse lockers, Chanyeol had enveloped him in a bear hug, knocking the air out of him. He should probably feel conflicted, and he did, but not the point of pushing him away, because this was nice. Maybe the beer had gotten to him already. His hands came up to comfortably settle on Chanyeol's shoulder blades and with a sigh, he relaxed.
"Sorry for pulling you away from your friends," Chanyeol mumbled into his neck. It tickled.
"But I really wanted to do this."
With a chuckle, Kyungsoo nosed along his neck, and maybe he really was buzzed, because somehow, he felt rather light and daring right now.
"You could've done so in front of them. Make Baekhyun a little jealous, god knows he deserves it," he hummed, a light joke wrapped around the fact that Chanyeol's hesitance made him anxious, too. He felt the other's hand cup the back of his head, fingers carding through the inky strands.
"I wasn't sure whether you told them already. Sorry."
"I wasn't sure whether I had anything to tell," Kyungsoo said before he knew it. Instant regret washed over him as Chanyeol withdrew himself, looking at him in worry.
"What? Why?"
Yeah, why? Why did Chanyeol look like a kicked puppy now? That was Kyungsoo's part, wasn't it?
"I mean," Chanyeol began, hands slowly sinking from Kyungsoo's shoulders to his side, "if you wanna wait a bit, see where it goes, that's fine, I guess-"
"I thought you were the one who wanted to wait!" Kyungsoo protested, unsure whether he was beginning to feel angry or just confused. Chanyeol shook his head almost frantically.
"Nooo, no! No. We're together now! At least, if you ask me. I wouldn't just go around and kiss you if I didn't mean it," he reassured him, hands shyly coming up to rest on Kyungsoo's upper arms, testing his reaction. Alright, now Kyungsoo was pretty certain he was mainly confused. Sensing this, Chanyeol grimaced and squirmed like a scolded child.
"You're angry, right? I'm sorry I had to go to work yesterday, and I'm sorry for acting all weird in front of Sohee... I didn't know how to break it to her, and I panicked. I don't even know whether she's aware that two guys can date, and I can't expect you to tell everyone when I haven't even told my sister and- really, I'm sorry."
Kyungsoo, who had wordlessly taken in the frantic apology, finally huffed out a breathy chuckle, fighting the small grin that was already tugging at his lips.
"How is it your fault that you gotta work?" he simply asked, and in a fit of bravery, he stood up on his toes to press a quick peck to Chanyeol's unsuspecting lips. The way he blinked in confusion and instinctively moved forwards in an attempt to catch his lips again had something stir inside Kyungsoo. Something fluttery, something nice.
He still looked a little wary and guilty, so Kyungsoo reached around to hug him, placing another peck to his cheek.
"We'll figure out how to tell her. I'm not angry, I was just... awkward," he muttered into his shoulder, and with a sigh, Chanyeol reciprocated the hug, leaving apologetic, firm kissed on the side of his face.
"Seriously, don't be awkward, you're just amplifying my natural awkwardness!" Kyungsoo half-heartedly accused him, before Chanyeol's insistent kisses reached his lips. He was being a bit bolder than the day before, and it left Kyungsoo's head spinning. It was a mutual feeling, it seemed, for the moment their lips parted, Chanyeol's voice was low, and a tiny bit scratchy.
"I'd love to go back to the front and repeat this, to give your friend something to whistle about," he whispered against Kyungsoo's lips, and he shuddered, fingers digging into the fabric of his dress shirt, "but my boss won't be too amused about seeing it on camera later, I think."
Kyungsoo hummed helplessly, and still felt a little wobbly when he followed him back to the front, fingers intertwined.

They let go when Chanyeol jumped forwards in shock at the sight of Baekhyun and Chen standing behind the counter, wrestling each other for the customer's attention while an overwhelmed Jongin tried to man the till. Kyungsoo didn't mind though, because his lips and fingers were pleasantly tingling.


 

All those people you probably forgot all about at this point...! They're still around! :D
The song Baek sings is "Hands On Me", another English song by Namie Amuro, becaaause... party!
Namie Amuro - Hands On Me
 

Fashion Dictionary Entry #I-totally-lost-count: Juun.J
Juun.J is one of the most well-known Korean brands - you have probably seen many of his outfits in the Hunger games, worn by the rebels and such.
Those pictures are from an older collection, though, the S/S 14 one~

Love,
Sugar-and-Salt ♥

P.S.: Don't you think it's been pretty quiet on AFF lately...? Maybe I'm not following enough stories, care to recommend me anything?