"How do you think those giraffes feel?" Junmyeon speaks up amongst the silence of the small group he had put himself in charge of. The six of them –Junmyeon, Jongdae, Baekhyun, Sehun, Kyungsoo, and Chanyeol– were looking across towards the giraffe exhibit. Junmyeon figured it was a good idea to get everyone out of the college dorms and plan an outing at the zoo.

"I don't know. Hey, Chanyeol, how do you feel right now?" Kyungsoo hollers from Junmyeon's right side at Chanyeol, who is standing on the opposite end of Baekhyun. Junmyeon, however, made the mistake of planning it right after Chanyeol and Kyungsoo had their usual morning arguments, but soon came to the solution of keeping them both as far away from each other as possible.

"Real funny, Kyung-so short he has to stand on his toes just to see my face!" Chanyeol shoots back at him and Junmyeon regrets ever offering to go out with this bunch. Kyungsoo lets out a loud scoff before turning his head over at Chanyeol with a glare. The four bystanders of the assault know exactly what's coming and start to hold Kyungsoo back as soon as he pushes past Junmyeon and attempts to lunge himself at Chanyeol. The latter flinches back in fear as Baekhyun and Jongdae stand in front of him while Junmyeon and Sehun try their best to keep Kyungsoo from attacking Chanyeol.

"At least I'm not gonna be the one having back problems when I'm old for always having to bend down just to hug someone!" Kyungsoo fights himself out of the two arms hooked around his own and manages to squeeze through the two beagle twins guarding Chanyeol. Kyungsoo then kicks Chanyeol in the shin, making him bend down in pain, before grabbing a fist full of the taller's collar and pulling his face up close enough for them to physically feel the glares they're giving each other.

"When will the both of you just stop!?" Junmyeon yells out and forcibly separates the two, catching more attention from passersby than they already had. Chanyeol and Kyungsoo talk over each other as they come up with a couple reasons as to why they can't stand each other, but are shut up by another yell from Junmyeon. "Why can't you two just get along? You guys haven't been this way forever, have you?"

"It's always been him since the start!" Kyungsoo blurts out, shoving a finger at Chanyeol, but before it can even graze the latter's shirt, Jongdae comes in and brings Kyungsoo's arm down with a slow shake of his head and shutting of his eyes. Kyungsoo's expression softens at that. His death glare towards Chanyeol turns into innocent big eyes following Jongdae's gentle gestures. Kyungsoo hears a scoff come from Chanyeol which only makes him dart his head back in his direction. "See! Always picking on me any chance he gets! He never knows when to stop!"

Chanyeol lets out a small laugh. "Can you believe this kid? Yelling at me just because of some cough?"

"Cough my !" Kyungsoo interrupts. He tries to advance towards Chanyeol again, but the tug at his arm makes him stop almost instantly..

"That's it! We're going back to the dorms!" Junmyeon calls out, grabbing onto Sehun and dragging him along. Despite Sehun being the youngest, he always was the most loyal –or at least he just acted that way to be rewarded with gifts later on. 

"Chanyeol's already home." Kyungsoo finally says, referring to the giraffe exhibition, before Jongdae pulls him away from the remaining two and towards the exit. Baekhyun takes hold of Chanyeol's hand and begins dragging him along as well, the taller's eyesight too focused on the giraffes to pay attention.
—

Junmyeon acted like the mother of the five of them even though they were just dorm neighbors and nothing more. The only two that were actually studying the same thing as each other was Baekhyun and Jongdae, everyone else was on their own. Nonetheless, Junmyeon dealt with the problem at hand like any other mother would: sitting down with them and sorting out their problems. Junmyeon sends his own roommate, Sehun, to Chanyeol's room where Baekhyun and Jongdae had been staying for the time being. He then locks the door behind him and sits Chanyeol and Kyungsoo down across from each other, Kyungsoo still glaring at Chanyeol as the taller tries to avoid any eye contact.

"We're gonna play a game!" Junmyeon announces and begins making his way over towards his desk. Kyungsoo breaks his glare to roll his eyes, Chanyeol seeming to do the same. If there was one thing the two had in common, it'd be their hatred for the way Junmyeon treated them like children.

"Junmyeon, this is useless–"

"Is it? Then tell me one thing you know about Chanyeol," Junmyeon interrupts Kyungsoo. "and it can't be an insult!" he reminds, knowing well that Kyungsoo would do anything to twist the rules. Kyungsoo glances at Chanyeol once before flashing a short smile up at Junmyeon.

"He's about 187cm tall." Kyungsoo says a little too confidently which earns a scoff from the other two.

"I mean something interesting," Junmyeon sounds annoyed, but he's determined to bring the two of them closer together. Kyungsoo's eyebrows furrow as he lets out a sigh, clearly annoyed, as well.

"That guy is as tall as a giraffe what isn't-" Chanyeol leans over and tugs on the end of Kyungsoo's shirt. The action is meant to be done naturally, but Chanyeol's lanky body doesn't stop Junmyeon from noticing. Kyungsoo, who seems to have lost his train of thought, turns his head slightly toward Chanyeol, his facial expression softening. "Let's just play the damn game." Kyungsoo grumbles. Junmyeon sits down in front of the two, the index cards from his desk now placed in his hand.

"This game is supposed to help you two become closer," Junmyeon starts, eyeing the two players in front of him. "I'm going to ask a question and you'll have to answer what you believe the opposite player's answer would be to the same question." Junmyeon explains and Chanyeol furrows his eyebrows at the older's awkward way of explaining things. "Got it?" he asks and the two nod their heads in understanding. "We'll start with a simple one," Junmyeon begins shuffling the cards and picks out one he believes is simple enough for the two airheads in front of him to answer. "Kyungsoo!" Junmyeon calls out making the two of them jump. "What is your favorite color?" he asks and Kyungsoo scoffs.

"I'm supposed to say Chanyeol's favorite color, right?" Kyungsoo clarifies and Junmyeon nods his head. "Easy," he darts his eyes towards Chanyeol. "Blue."

"Wrong!" Chanyeol exclaims almost immediately after Kyungsoo’s answer. "Electric blue." he clarifies, which makes Kyungsoo jump up from his spot. Junmyeon pulls on Kyungsoo's legs making him fall back down before he could get any closer to Chanyeol.

"That's basically the same thing!" Kyungsoo argues at Junmyeon. "You better give me that point or I'm calling bull!" Junmyeon gives Kyungsoo the point out of fear. The latter smiles in triumph as he scoots back into his original seat.

"Chanyeol?" Junmyeon questions, which catches the attention of said person. "Your answer to the same question?" He asks and Chanyeol is left in a short state of thought. He makes eye contact with Kyungsoo for a short second and raises his eyebrows up in a way to signal that he isn’t too sure of his answer. Kyungsoo looks away, not bothering with Chanyeol’s suffering.

“Uhm,” Chanyeol begins. “Black,” He guesses and watches as Kyungsoo shakes his head. Junmyeon waits for Kyungsoo to reveal the right answer, preparing himself for any attack towards Chanyeol for getting the wrong answer.

“Give it to him,” Kyungsoo shortly says to Junmyeon who quietly sighs in relief for both himself and Chanyeol. Chanyeol’s eyes shift awkwardly, knowing well that his answer had been wrong, but not complaining about his earned point.

“Next question,” Junmyeon says, shuffling through the cards once more, a smile forming on his lips as he finds one. “Kyungsoo!” He tries to hide his smile as Kyungsoo picks up his head in response. “Tell me something you learned about Chanyeol today.” Junmyeon reads the question aloud which has Kyungsoo sighing. He takes a moment to close his eyes and go through the events of the day, trying to come up with an answer. He then opens his eyes and directs them over to Chanyeol who is secretly smiling to himself. 

“Chanyeol wishes to bleach his hair one day,” Kyungsoo responds, turning to face Junmyeon. Chanyeol can’t help but burst into a laugh as he remembers the exact event that took place earlier. “He told me this morning while  we were washing up,” Kyungsoo explains, Junmyeon still a little lost. “He must’ve thought I wasn’t in there. We were both taking a shower and I suddenly hear Chanyeol say that he wants to bleach his hair in the stall over. He must’ve been half asleep or something, I’m not sure.” Kyungsoo further explains and Chanyeol can’t seem to stop his laughter. Junmyeon laughs shortly to himself as well, scratching the back of his neck, wondering whether or not to give Kyungsoo the point for giving him a less sincere answer than he would’ve liked.

“Okay,” Junmyeon lets out another short laugh. “Point for Kyungsoo,” He says and Kyungsoo smiles in triumph yet again. “Now, Chanyeol. Something you learned about Kyungsoo today.” Junmyeon asks and Chanyeol’s laughing comes to a stop, his face becoming a bit serious as he looks over at Kyungsoo. Both Kyungsoo and Junmyeon anticipating his answer.

“Kyungsoo has a crush on Jongdae,” Chanyeol immediately responds, making Kyungsoo’s eyes widen. Junmyeon follows in suit, not bothering to question why Kyungsoo hasn’t attacked Chanyeol for such a comment. “I saw it in his eyes,” Chanyeol’s own eyes only looking at Kyungsoo’s, not even Junmyeon’s warning for him to stop making him flinch away. “When we were arguing and Jongdae placed his hand on Kyungsoo’s, it’s like he completely forgot what he was mad at me for and just stared at Jongdae with those innocent, love-stricken eyes of his.” Chanyeol looks down at his own hands for a quick second before directing them back up at Kyungsoo, who had turned to face the wall, avoiding any of Chanyeol’s sad looks.

“Enough of that,” Junmyeon stops Chanyeol directly, placing a hand on his knee and giving him a warning glare to stop before Kyungsoo went off on him. Instead, Kyungsoo gets up from his spot on the floor. “Kyungsoo, I’m sure Chanye-” Before Junmyeon can finish defending Chanyeol, Kyungsoo walks out of Junmyeon’s room with a slam to the door. Junmyeon, left quite shocked at Kyungsoo’s reaction, looks over at Chanyeol whose eyes seemed shinier than usual. “Chanyeol, are you okay?” Junmyeon asks, flustered by the sudden situation at hand. Instead of giving Junmyeon an answer, Chanyeol gets up and follows in suit after Kyungsoo. As Chanyeol takes his first step out of the room, he feels a hand wrap around his wrist before he’s pulled down the hall. It’s Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo’s the one who’s leading him to who the hell knows where, but Chanyeol doesn’t stop him, nor does he stop the tears from streaming down his face. Once they reach the emergency stairs doorway, Kyungsoo doesn’t hesitate to open the door and pull Chanyeol inside and letting go of him before shutting it closed.

“You can’t tell me what I said wasn’t true, Kyungsoo,” Chanyeol speaks up first, not bothering to wipe away his drying tears. Kyungsoo refuses to turn to face him, his hand still tightly griped on the doorknob as his head rests against the door, trying to hold in his own tears. “I saw it with my own eyes, Kyungsoo! Why?” Chanyeol raises his voice. Without any response, Chanyeol walks over to Kyungsoo and places a hand on his shoulder. Almost immediately, Kyungsoo turns around and pulls Chanyeol down by his neck, capturing his lips with his own. Kyungsoo roughly kisses Chanyeol as his hands travel down his body before he separates them just as quickly as he pressed them together, and buries his face in Chanyeol’s chest. 

“I’m sorry,” Kyungsoo softly says, choking on his short sobs. He wraps both his hands around Chanyeol and begins to cry into his chest, his shoulders shifting up and down with each hiccup. “I know how much you hate it whenever I compare you to a giraffe and I didn’t mean to look at Jongdae in such a way, so I’m sorry,” Chanyeol can barely understand exactly what Kyungsoo is saying with his muffled and shaky voice, but he wraps his arms around the shorter in a tight embrace, feeling a bit sorry for having been rough on him. “You know I only do that to protect us, right?” Kyungsoo pulls away, his tear stricken face looking up at Chanyeol. The taller quietly nods his head and pats Kyungsoo’s head back down into his chest, before kissing the top of his head, assuring him that it was okay.

“I didn’t mean to be so harsh,” Chanyeol’s voice cracks, his eyes starting to shift back and forth, nervously trying to focus his vision on a set object. “I just,” Chanyeol chokes back on his words, his eyes b up with tears as he thinks about it. He takes a moment to stare off before he laughs harshly to himself. “I don’t remember the last time you’ve ever looked at me that way,” Chanyeol’s tears slowly make their way down his face and drip onto Kyungsoo’s hair. Kyungsoo stiffens up at the comment, gently pushing back, away from Chanyeol’s embrace. 

“Chanyeol I-” Before Kyungsoo can explain himself, he feels the door knob shift behind him. His eyes widen as Chanyeol pulls Kyungsoo closer to him and watches as the door swings open, revealing a wandering Jongdae. Kyungsoo tries to push his way out of Chanyeol’s grasp, but the older simply waits for Jongdae to turn around and look at the two in each other's arms with wide eyes.

“Are you two okay?” Jongdae questions both the scene of Kyungsoo struggling to get out of Chanyeol’s embrace and their tear stricken faces.

“Kyungsoo and I are dating.” Chanyeol comes clean, much to Kyungsoo and Jongdae’s surprise. Kyungsoo stops his shoving and stares up at Chanyeol, a flustered expression on his face. Then with one strong push to the older’s chest, Kyungsoo manages to separate himself from Chanyeol. Jongdae still watching with wide eyes as Kyungsoo glares at Chanyeol with disgust.

“Right. And it rains in the desert.” Jongdae sarcastically responds, finding Chanyeol’s confession hard to believe. Chanyeol hopes for Kyungsoo to speak up and tell Jongdae the truth, but all the younger does is stay silent. Chanyeol’s eyes swell up with tears once more before he scoffs at the younger and pushes past both him and Jongdae, leaving the cramped staircases and heading back to his dorm.

“Why are you here, Jongdae?” Kyungsoo’s voice nearly cracks as he feels his face heat up and his eyes begin to water. Jongdae diverts his attention back over to Kyungsoo after watching Chanyeol pass by and turn the corner at the end of the hallway.

“Junmyeon told me you guys were in a sticky situation and he sent me to go look for you two,” Jongdae explains and Kyungsoo only nods in response, refusing to look up at Jongdae, his mind still going wild with what Chanyeol had said. “Mind explaining what that was all about?” Jongdae asks, referring to the sudden confession. Kyungsoo takes a deep breath and shakes his head before looking up at Jongdae, his eyes shining and his lips curved up into a small, weary smile.

“It’s nothing, don't worry about it.”