Two years and five months later

The steps of the entrance of the faculty were a bit slippery because of the frost of the last days, so Minhyuk had to hold on to the handrail to avoid falling down.

His teeth chattered in the cold of February; he rubbed his arms covered by a green coat so he could warm up himself a little bit before entering the building. The aroma that greeted him was the coffee that the cafeteria gave off on the left and, inspiring the pleasant smell, he smiled broadly and walked through the corridors of the first year.

His eyes fell on the different doors and on the ex-students who, like him, had come on the last day of that school year to talk with the teachers, to meet their ex-companions, or simply to remember old times.

When he climbed the stairs and went to visit the fourth-year classrooms, some voices arguing in the corridor caught his attention; he stopped walking and listened to them from the corner of the wall, unable to avoid chuckling when he recognized them.

“How many times do I have to repeat it to you?” Kihyun said in a slightly annoyed tone, “Mr. Choi was the best economics’ teacher.”

"Yeah, well, he only passed the typical bookworms who went to all his boring classes," Hyungwon contradicted, “Oh sorry, you’re one of those bookworms, I forgot.”

“I'm not a bookworm! I just think that getting good grades is primordial for... hey!”

The scream caught Minhyuk's attention, who peeked out to see what was happening: Hyungwon was pinching Kihyun's cheek with a huge smile while the shorter one pushed his hand away in annoyance. He never got used to the fact that the hair of Changkyun's friend was no longer of that striking pink color, but a dark brown, almost black; it was probably his natural color.

“Why are you still a shorty?” Hyungwon asked in an attempt to annoy him, but his loving glance gave him away.

“Why are you still an annoying giant?” Kihyun countered, rubbing his cheek.

“I'm not an annoying giant, I'm just telling the truth. Your sad reality is that you didn’t drink enough milk as a child.” Kihyun sighed, looking down; his face showed sadness and Hyungwon realized that his jokes had offended him. “Kihyun?”

The brunette continued without looking up, and the slender boy put a hand on his shoulder, beginning to worry.

“Hey, I was just jokin-”

"At least, my lack of height is compensated by your lack of brain," Kihyun proclaimed, raising his chin with haughtiness. Then he snorted and went down the hall, leaving Hyungwon behind.

Minhyuk sighed shaking his head and finally came out of his hiding place, approaching the boy who now ruffled his hair in frustration.

"It didn’t go as planned, right?” he commented already being at his side. Hyungwon gave him a sidelong glance and leaned against the wall next to his old classroom.

"You'll never stop being a busybody," he answered, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, he found a big smile on Minhyuk's lips and he couldn’t help but smile too: his friend had a very contagious smile.

“Shouldn’t you follow him?” Minhyuk proposed, standing beside him on the wall.

"No," Hyungwon murmured, looking straight ahead, "it would only make things worse.

"Right..." muttered the redhead, pursing his lips thoughtfully. Both remained silent for a while, until Minhyuk couldn’t take it anymore and asked what he had been suspecting for some while ago. “When will you tell him that you like him?”

Hyungwon widened his eyes, totally shocked for the question he had just raised. Minhyuk watched him with a raised eyebrow and an amused smile, and giggled when his friend turned away his embarrassed face.

“I- I don’t like-”

"Sure, and I'm the president of Korea," he replied with obvious sarcasm.

"Look, it's..." Hyungwon tried to explain. "It's complicated.”

“And because it's complicated you're not going to do anything?” Minhyuk insisted, crossing his arms, standing in front of him. He was determined to make his friend fight for the person he liked. “If you don’t do something now, the years will pass and you’ll find yourself alone in your apartment, surrounded by cats.”

Hyungwon smiled faintly with a weary expression. “I would be surrounded by puppies, in that case," he said, putting his hands in the pockets of his long blue coat. Minhyuk rolled his eyes and lightly shook his arm, pouting.

“What do you have to lose?”

The dark haired boy lowered his eyes and, although a smile was drawn on his thick lips, his expression denoted melancholy.

"He’s not into boys," he replied simply.

Minhyuk's face froze and released his arm. The silence was present, being heavier as the seconds passed.

“How come you’re so sure?” he asked as delicately as he could, being aware that it was a thorny issue.

"I just know," said Hyungwon, shrugging. “Believe me, I've known Kihyun for years. He’s just... not interested,” he explained when he saw the disappointed face of his friend.

“So what? You've also known me for years, and I don’t think you're sure that-”

“That you’re gay? I think I knew that from the first day I met you.”

Minhyuk was momentarily speechless.

“Okay, I may not be the best example.”

Hyungwon chuckled and shook his head.

"You're a pain in the ," he said, beginning to walk down the corridor, followed by the redhead. Minhyuk took his arm with a big smile.

“I am, that's why you love me so much.”

Those words came out of his lips naturally, but inside he knew they would have been risky to pronounce some time ago. The forgiveness of Hyungwon and the others wasn’t easy to achieve, and each time the memory of that cold morning in the park in front of Hoseok's apartment assaulted them, a wound they thought had been closed was reopened.

The bitterness of that day was still present in their lives, and it was impossible to erase it completely. Minhyuk did what he did, he accepted it, and the others eventually forgave him, because there was no point in holding on to the past, to a painful memory. They decided to give him a second chance, to start over, creating a new friendship.

Time helped to sweeten that bitter memory and, gradually, everyone managed to leave it behind, including Changkyun. And that was one of the many reasons why Minhyuk was tremendously grateful to him.

They continued walking through the different floors of the faculty, passing in front of their old classrooms, remembering funny anecdotes, talking about everything and nothing at the same time. When they spotted the now fourth-year boy next to Jooheon looking at a bulletin board on the floor below, Minhyuk couldn’t help smiling and calling with him with enthusiasm.

“Changkyun!” Immediately, the redhead went down the stairs with exaggerated little jumps and surrounded him by the shoulders. Changkyun looked at him with a smile and allowed himself to be embraced by him: he was already used to his expressions of affection and knew him, so there was no point in trying to get away from him because then he would cling more strongly. “Did you miss me?”

"Hyung... we saw each other two days ago," sighed Changkyun, remembering how all his friends had gone to see his latest piano recital. Before he started playing, Hoseok had made a heart shape with his arms as usual, Minhyuk shouted and encouraged him too outrageously with Jooheon and Kihyun scolded them to keep quiet. Hyungwon gesticulated a 'fighting' with his mouth while Hyunwoo only nodded as he lifted his thumb up.

Without a doubt, they always made a scene in his recitals.

"You're going to strangle him," Jooheon warned as he watched the force with which he squeezed Changkyun.

"It's not true," Minhyuk countered with a pout, giving him a sulky look.

The dark haired boy laughed lightly at the small discussion; he turned his gaze back to the green board in front of him and his expression suddenly fell.

“What are you looking at?” Minhyuk asked curiously. He noticed that the paper that captured the minor's attention was the one that announced his piano recital. “Ah... come on, Changkyun, it's not like it was the last time you're playing the piano," he tried to cheer him up without much success. Hyungwon finally reached them and placed himself behind the little boy, resting his chin on his head and watching the bulletin board.

"You did great," Jooheon said at his side, showing his dimples and tapping his arm. Changkyun forced himself to smile, looking down at his hands that were practically covered by the sleeves of his huge black sweater.

"You should be proud," Hyungwon added.

“I am. I just... I think I'm going to miss this.”

“Miss what?” Minhyuk asked, resting his head on his shoulder.

"All of this," Changkyun murmured, looking around. The three understood what he was referring to and remained silent for a while; in the beginning, Changkyun thought that, when finishing the university, he would have more clear what he would want to do in the future and he would leave determined towards adulthood without looking back. But the reality is that those four years of his life only confused him more. Changkyun wanted to hold on to the moments lived during that time, to his friends, and he felt a huge fear of what was to come.

All that mixture of emotions left him scared of his uncertain future, melancholy, sad and at the same time exited to discover what life had in store for him. Maybe his choice to study at a music conservatory on a far-away city was the right thing to do, or maybe not.

He still had to find out.

“Come on, cheer up that face!” Minhyuk suddenly exclaimed, causing the little boy to startle. “Today is the last day of classes, we have to go out and celebrate tonight!”

Changkyun sighed with a smile and nodded. Taking a last look at the bulletin board, he said goodbye to his three friends and left for the auditorium, probably to see his beloved piano for the last time. Minhyuk thought that, knowing this strange boy, maybe he would start talking to the instrument to say goodbye properly to it.

Jooheon told them he would go to the back wall of the faculty to check the status of his 'works of art', or rather the graffiti he painted on that wall when he skipped classes. Hyungwon patted Minhyuk on the shoulder and excused himself; most likely he would have changed his mind and left to look for Kihyun.

Now he was alone, and a painful memory flooded his mind. He had insisted to Changkyun that he should be happy on his last day in college, but the truth is that the last emotion Minhyuk felt on his last day at the university was happiness. His friends were still resentful with him at that time, rejection and loneliness hurt that day more than any other.

Although they had come to talk to him as a courtesy, he could still see a hint of mistrust on them; that hatred was still present in their eyes, and it didn’t fade away. He wished with all his might to erase the damage he had done to his friends, but he simply couldn’t. Guilt and remorse haunted him even after all this time, it was inevitable, and he had already learned to live with it.

His memories led him to walk towards the exit of the building; when he opened the door, the frozen air hit his face and he hugged himself. He decided to take a seat on the same step of the entrance where he had sat on that painful day and closed his eyes.

He remembered how miserable he had felt... and also someone who sat next to him on the stairs and who spoke to him for the first time that day. That person was a mystery to him, his robotic face never gave him clues to his emotions, and the fact that he had tried to cheer him up without barely knowing him had awakened in him an enormous feeling of gratitude and tenderness. There might be something else, but those feelings were hidden in his heart.

Suddenly, he noticed someone sitting to his right on the cold, wet steps and opened his eyes. He found the same person who, almost three years ago, had comforted him more than he liked to admit with the simple question: 'Are you okay?'

Minhyuk waited for Hyunwoo to say something, and as that moment didn’t come, he hugged his knees and started talking without looking at him.

“Aren’t you cold?”

The tanned boy hesitated a few seconds, contemplating his own long-sleeved shirt, before answering.

“No.”

Minhyuk laughed softly, causing the mist to leave his mouth and get lost in the environment.

“I'm wearing a coat and I'm freezing my out here, and you aren't cold?” he asked amused, finally looking at him without losing the smile. Hyunwoo just shrugged. “What are you, a human heater?”

“...No.”

“You still don’t know any other word besides yes and no?”

Minhyuk raised the question with a slightly annoyed tone, but it wasn’t his intention. He was just frustrated: he had known Hyunwoo for a long time, had gone out with him and the rest of his friends on countless occasions, and even then that person always answered to everything with monosyllables. Even over time, he had come to understand the strange personality of Changkyun, and yet Hyunwoo remained being an enigma to him.

“I...”

"Forget it," Minhyuk cut him off with a sigh. “I'll resign myself to you continuing to treat me with that coldness of yours," he added with a theatricality, trying to lighten the mood. After that, they fell silent, watching the snowflakes begin to descend from the sky and perch on the sidewalk and stairs delicately.

“Are you okay?”

Minhyuk's heart jumped at his question; he tried to hide his alteration with one of his bright smiles.

“You just said two words in a row? I'm flattered...”

The genuine concern with which Hyunwoo watched him made him swallow his words. His heart was pounding, maintaining eye contact and challenging him to look away first.

"Minhyuk..." he called with a warning tone.

"I'm perfectly fine," he answered softly; his eyes traveled to the other's beautiful lips and he swallowed hard. He had already accepted that he was attracted to the robot of the football team, and he had attributed it to his good physique; it would be hypocritical to deny it at that point, in his college years he would often stare at him when Hyunwoo didn’t realize: how to take his eyes off that when he ran around the training track?

But it was just that, a simple attraction. Nothing else.

Or that he liked to think.

Then, Hyunwoo began to lean towards him and his mind completely clouded. His heartbeat was deafening, and an exciting feeling of anticipation rose in his throat.

Is he going to kiss me? And why am I closing my eyes? I'm not supposed to give in this easy, I shouldn’t...

Suddenly, he felt a warm surface touch his hands and opened his eyes suddenly.

“Here.” He looked down and saw that Hyunwoo was offering him a can of green tea. He felt somewhat stupid for thinking he was going to kiss him, even disappointed. Although, what was he expecting? “This always cheers me up.”

Minhyuk accepted the drink with tight lips and, after struggling to open it, took a sip of the liquid. He didn’t know if it was green tea or Hyunwoo's company, but he felt better. Much better.

"Thank you," he murmured, holding the can between his cold fingers. He stared at the snowflakes with the intention of not thinking about the fact that his shoulders were touching, and that simple touch was enough to make him nervous. However, when he felt his big hand caress his hair, he was surprised and looked at him.

"Call me or send me a message whenever you want, okay?” he said with a smile that showed his teeth. His smile made him look like a beaver, and Minhyuk couldn’t help but think that it was adorable; he was speechless, something unusual in him, and merely nodded weakly.

Hyunwoo got up from the seat and climbed the stairs to go back into the building. Minhyuk turned around, touching the hair that had just been caressed, and a giggle escaped from his lips when he saw that the tanned boy had a dark stain on his from sitting on the wet steps.

He, too, had probably gotten soaked, but he was too aware of the warmth in his chest to think about it.

♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫

Changkyun took a deep breath with his eyes closed before pushing the door of the assembly hall. The old, threadbare red carpet he walked by was familiar to him, as were the chairs he passed his hand through as he moved toward the stage. The small stairs to the right creaked as he climbed them, and the musty smell on the backstage flooded his nostrils.

He never thought he would miss such an unpleasant scent.

Changkyun activated the buttons on the electrical panel and, when the spotlights illuminated the piano in the center of the room, he swore he had momentarily ran out of breath.

With hesitant steps, he approached the instrument and laid a hand on the dark wood; it was cold, and yet he could feel how life and music flowed through his arm and filled him completely.

He would miss that old piano.

Changkyun took a seat on the bench and ran a finger along the keyboard, feeling every little slot between each key, brushing its surface with extreme delicacy. It was in these moments when he realized that music was his future. There were moments when he hesitated, in which the bittersweet feeling that the piano left him took a long time to vanish and tried to persuade him to give up.

But in the end, Changkyun always went back to music. It was part of his being, of his identity.

He settled down and, although he didn’t have any score to read, put on his glasses; he was so ingrained in him to play with that pair of glasses in his eyes that it was very strange to do it without them.

After all that time, he felt that without those glasses he wasn’t no longer Lim Changkyun.

He began to play the scale from the note Do to Sol to warm the fingers. First he did it with one hand, then with both; he ended up creating a simple melody with those notes. With a smile, he began to move his head to set the pace, at the same time he stepped on the pedal.

So many classes and musical analysis exercises made him forget how much fun it was to play the piano.

Suddenly, someone behind him removed his glasses and he immediately stopped playing. He the bench and found Hoseok, who was watching him with an amused smile.

"Hello, puppy," he greeted him cheerfully. Changkyun rolled his eyes at the nickname he refused to stop using after all that time; then Hoseok put on his glasses and grabbed his own chin with one hand. “What do you think?” he asked, posing for him.

"They make you look smart," Changkyun replied, trying to suppress a smile.

Wonho pulled his cell phone out of the back pocket of his jeans and looked at his reflection. The small boy watched as he ran his fingers through his brown hair, now combed back, revealing his delicate eyebrows. The glasses, next to his white shirt, gave him a more mature aura.

Changkyun sighed and turned back to the piano, shaking his head.

"Show off..." he murmured, caressing a key with the tips of his fingers.

“What did you say?” Wonho snapped.

“That you look handsome.”

Hoseok gave a satisfied giggle at the compliment and sat on his left on the bench, offering him his glasses.

“Are you done with your morning shift?” Changkyun asked, putting on his glasses, receiving a nod in response. When Hoseok finished college, he began working seriously at his mother's establishment, and also worked at a kindergarten near the cafeteria as a part-time caregiver. Having two jobs left him exhausted, but he always found time to visit Changkyun from time to time, sometimes coming to pick him up in his car to take him to the residence.

And Changkyun’s last day of classes couldn’t be the exception.

He noticed the dark circles that decorated Wonho's tired eyes and bit his lip. It always hurt to see him like that, but it hurt more those last few days. Even though he supported him on his decision of studying music abroad, Changkyun knew he was suffering a lot. Hoseok’s mom had told him that he was often sad, more tired, and that she even heard him cry alone in the kitchen, when his shift was over.

And, even so, Wonho always kept a warm smile for him. Seeing that always made him want to cry.

The older boy let out a sigh and rested his head on his shoulder, taking Changkyun out of his reverie, before speaking.

“Play something for me.”

Changkyun raised an eyebrow and looked at him from above.

“What do you want me to play?”

The brunette pursed his lips thoughtfully.

"Something happy," he finally declared, standing up with a smile.

After mentally reviewing the melodies that he learned when he should be practicing for his recitals, he came up with one that Hoseok might like.

"Your wishes are orders," he said with conviction, doing a couple of finger stretches and winning a giggle from his boyfriend. Then, he started playing 'I love you baby', by Frank Sinatra. At first, the careful observation of Wonho made him nervous, but as the song progressed, his confidence increased. When the chorus arrived, he exaggerated his movements to make his particular listener laugh and, of course, he achieved his purpose.

Hoseok sang some lyrics of the song with the best English accent he could, making even more evident the lisp that Changkyun considered adorable. When the piece ended, Wonho clapped in fascination and his hair proudly.

“Ah... my Changkyunnie is so cool.” The pianist pressed his lips in embarrassment at the compliment and looked away. “I wish I could play like you.”

“Do you want me... to teach you?” he asked, glancing at him. Hoseok's face lit up and when he rolled up his shirt to the elbows, Changkyun knew his answer. “But only the chorus," he clarified with a smile as he saw the enthusiasm of his new student. Wonho nodded several times and, imitating the dark haired boy, stretched out his fingers and placed them on the piano, looking at Changkyun expectantly.

The professor sighed and took his right hand to place it in the proper position.

"The song is in Fa's key, so you have to put your hand like that," he said, gently stretching his fingers and placing them on the correct keys. “Now press this one, and then this one.”

The two notes that came out of the piano were those that a set of cheerful trumpets and trombones played in the chorus of the song. With extreme concentration, Wonho repeated the same two notes first slowly and carefully, as if he were going to hurt the instrument, and then faster and with greater ease.

“Good, now play these other three notes after the first two.”

Hoseok did as he was told and, seeing that the melody was beginning to take shape, he got excited and smiled as he continued to press the keys.

“Look, Changkyun, I'm playing!” he exclaimed very happy. He looked like a small child in the eyes of the youngest. The auditorium was a cold place, and yet the warmth flooded them; they both smiled and had fun together, and Changkyun thought that this moment was something he should never forget.

Then, some out of tune notes came out of the piano and Wonho stopped playing, biting his lip and looking at him guiltily, as if he had done something wrong.

"You have gone too fast," Changkyun explained, unable to hide the tender smile that decorated his thin lips. “Start again with the first two," he continued, taking his soft, pale hand into the correct place.

Hoseok started again with greater caution. He played the first two notes over and over again until he felt confident enough to keep moving forward; and, again, a few squeaking notes resounded in the auditorium. The apprentice ruffled his hair in frustration, and Changkyun patted him on the back to comfort him.

"Don’t worry, if you keep practicing, you'll do better," Changkyun said, rubbing his back delicately.

That seemed to cheer him up a bit, even though he kept watching the keys with a pout; now, the strands of his brown hair fell over his forehead, practically covering his eyes. That was how he wore his hair when he went to college, and Changkyun couldn’t help but chuckle, remembering those old times where Hoseok was the mad attractive, heart-breaker guy of the campus. He still was, but just for him.

However, his smile faded as soon as Wonho opened his mouth to speak.

"Please..." he murmured, staring straight ahead. He turned his neck slowly towards Changkyun before continuing, “...don’t go.”

His heart skipped a bit, as he thought that Wonho was begging him not to follow his dream of studying music. Changkyun said nothing, his mood dropped at that possibility; they had already talked about it, he supported him on his decision, how could he ask him not to go now?

But no. Wonho would never do that.

However, as soon as a mischievous smile appeared on his rosy lips, Changkyun’s cheeks turned red. He knew exactly what Hoseok was doing, and it wasn’t funny.

"Stop..." he demanded with annoyance, but without finding the strength in his voice to show how upset he was. The brunette ignored him and began to lean towards him.

“My heart...”continued lowering the tone of voice, “...beats fast when I'm with you.”

"Hoseok," he called with warning. His heart beat uncontrollably against his chest; he knew that Wonho was just playing at repeating the lines of script he heard him recite when they met, and still he didn’t want to hear him say the words that followed.

“I love you.”

There was a moment of silence in which they stared at each other, Wonho with a big smile on his face, and Changkyun with cheeks as red as tomatoes.

It wasn’t the first time he told him those words. Wonho said those to him on their awful first date at the amusement park, while he cried like a baby on the Ferris wheel because he was scared of heights, clinging to his jacket and yelling that he loved him and that he didn’t want to die. Still, Changkyun didn’t like that he said them so lightly, as if they were a joke to him.

"You're an idiot," the dark-haired boy mumbled, completely embarrassed. Hoseok continued to approach, without being offended by the term with which he referred to him.

“Oh, you love this idiot.”

Changkyun felt like he was getting breathless and remained motionless. He cursed himself for, after almost three years of relationship, still falling to the charms of Shin Hoseok. Only when Wonho brushed his nose against his, a trembling sigh left his lips.

“Are you going to run away, like that day?” Wonho asked amused, raising his hands to remove his glasses slowly. Changkyun swallowed loudly and noticed how his mouth was drying as he watched as he left his glasses on the keyboard; he simply couldn’t resist him, no matter how hard he tried. He shook his head weakly, earning a smile from Hoseok. “You were so scared," he murmured before giving him a soft kiss on the cheek. He dragged his lips across his skin and left another kiss on his forehead and then on his other rosy cheek, “like a cute puppy.”

Changkyun recalled the day they met, and how he ran away after his glasses broke, without even telling his name to Hoseok. That day he was a coward, and his pride wouldn’t let him admit it.

“I- I wasn’t scare-" he tried to defend himself, but Wonho's lips rested on his, interrupting his unconvincing justification.

"Don’t lie," Hoseok whispered against his lips, giving him a kiss even slower than the previous one, running his fingers up his leg. Changkyun trembled under his touch and, instinctively, raised his hands to grab hold of his strong shoulders.

"Stop playing around..." he muttered, almost out of breath, totally hypnotized by the soft kisses of Wonho and the warmth of his skin under the thin white shirt he was wearing.

The elder parted a little to look him in the eye. Those brown orbs always watched him with an overwhelming intensity that made his heart shrivel.

"I'm not playing around," he declared with great seriousness.

"You're saying embarrassing things just to annoy me," Changkyun explained, trying to sound angry, struggling to concentrate and stop thinking about their breaths mixing into one.

"I'm telling the truth," Wonho answered, his eyes narrowing and catching his lips again in a kiss, this time opening his mouth with his and gently caressing his tongue. Changkyun closed his eyes tight and clung to his shirt, totally lost in its sweet and intoxicating taste. “And I want..." he murmured between the kisses "to hear you saying it too.”

The black haired boy pulled away from him with a heavy breath and looked away, knowing what he was asking. Changkyun didn’t have the same facility to express his feelings with words; Hoseok was able to shout from the rooftops that he loved him, while Changkyun showed him his affection with small actions.

Wonho tucked a strand of hair behind his ear to catch his attention again, and Changkyun found him pouting.

"Pretty please?" he said very quietly, giving him the puppy dog eyes. The little boy didn’t know what to do and he felt cornered. It was too embarrassing to tell him, he didn’t know if he could do it, but he couldn’t say no to that pleading look.

With his cheeks burning, he tilted his face and played with the sleeves of his black sweater.

"I..." he began, swallowing hard. He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes; maybe that would help him in the process. "Iloveyoutoo," he mumbled very quickly and in an almost inaudible tone of voice.

With shyness, he opened one eyelid and found that Hoseok had a big smile decorating his lips. Had he heard him?

"You'll have to forgive me, but lately I don’t hear very well..." Wonho explained, pointing to one of his ears full of piercings. “Would you mind repeating it?”

Changkyun clicked his tongue and hit his arm: it was obvious that he had listened to him and was only teasing him. Wonho let out an exaggerated groan and rubbed the sore area.

“Hey! You can’t hit your elders.”

"I don’t know if I can consider you as one," Changkyun replied shrugging, reaching for his glasses and putting them on again.

“Why not?” he asked with a frown. Changkyun ignored him and took his hand, replacing it on the keyboard.

“Come on, I'll keep teaching you.” Wonho withdrew his hand from the piano and pulled the sleeve of his black sweater with a pout.

“Why am I not your elder?” he insisted, shaking him slightly. Changkyun sighed and shook his head, knowing that he wouldn’t like his answer.

“Because you have the mental age of a three-year-old child.” Hoseok stood petrified, looking at him with wide eyes and a hurt expression. It was the pure truth, and even so Changkyun felt guilty. It wasn’t his intention to make him feel bad. “But don’t worry, it's a good thing, a philosopher once said that the most immature people are the happiest.”

“For real?” Wonho asked a little downheartedly. Changkyun smiled at him and nodded. “And what philosopher was that?”

The boy was thoughtful for a few seconds, trying to remember some name he had learned in high school, but none came to mind. He cleared his throat nervously and finally answered.

"A really, really wise one," he finally replied, hoping it had sounded convincing enough. For his luck, Wonho seemed to believe it and smiled satisfied, placing his fingers again on the keyboard, ready to pick up with the classes.

His teacher continued to teach him patiently, laughing softly every time Hoseok failed and put the blame on the piano.

Changkyun knew that no philosopher had said such a thing, or maybe one did, and a small part of his being believed in it. Wonho seemed happy, and that simple fact made him happy.

For a time he was insecure and he was afraid that what they felt for each other would fade, be lost over the years.

But with each passing day, his feelings were getting stronger and stronger. When he thought he couldn’t love more this flashy boy, full of piercings and charming smile, Hoseok sang along with him, bringing out his lisp. He held his hand as they walked down the street and giggled. He forced him to go shopping together to ask if he looked good on the clothes. He came to the faculty to pick him up and spent the afternoon together in his mother's cafeteria to talk about how the day had gone. He supported him on his decisions, even if that meant being away from each other for a long time.

He was smiling with him, and that was all he needed. Everything that mattered.

Who would have told him that he would end up completely and hopelessly in love with Shin Hoseok? Nobody, of course. And, in case that someone had warned him years ago, he would have laughed at the bad joke.

Life took a lot of turns, and in Changkyun's, all the possible routes leaded to the person who was at his side at that moment... and with whom he would stay together for a long, long time. It didn’t matter that Changkyun were going to study music in far away city, because they’d find a way to make things work. They loved each other, and those strong feelings would never die, they would tie them together until Changkyun came back from studying abroad, with a huge smile running through the airport to hug tightly his sobbing, also smiley boyfriend.

Maybe, years later, they would live in a flat in the city, and the members of their small family would grow little by little. They’d have a daughter and a son, since Wonho adored children, and he’d teach his husband to make his voice less scary. A little puppy would join the family later, because the two of them loved the idea of walking him together, and because Wonho was allergic to cats. While their little girl would have her godfather’s passion for theatre, their little boy would maybe be as awesome as Changkyun playing the piano, and his two proud dads would attend every single one of his recitals.

Maybe Changkyun wouldn’t be as bad a father as he thought at first.

But those were details that the two would discover in due time.

THE END