“I mean, even if I hadn’t dreamed his voice, I would still know- Oh my god there he is! Quick! Sit down before he sees us!”

 

“You know.. You wouldn’t be so obvious if you’d quit blushing so much..”

 

“I’m not blushing-” 

 

“Yes you ar~re, you cute puppy!”

 

“Shut u~pp!”

 

 

 

Chanyeol looked down at his hand gripping the tall coffee cup and rolled his eyes with a sigh. “Not again…”

 

Kyungsoo didn’t even look up from his crossword puzzle. “Don’t tell me. You hate pink.” he deadpanned.

 

“No..” The taller male whined. “I don’t hate the color. I hate what it means.”

 

His cousin scoffed and put his pencil down. “You mean you hate that it’s not happening because of you..” He picked up his own iced coffee and took a drink, then shivered. “These are really cold. Are you sure it’s not because of the temperature this time?”

 

Chanyeol lifted his other hand that wasn’t holding his iced latte and held it in the air with the fingernails turned outwards. All five nails were a pretty shade of magenta. The tall college student gave his cousin a straightforward deadpan look. “This hand hasn’t touched my drink. How else do you explain this?” 

 

Kyungsoo whistled lowly. “That’s even darker pink than before. Do you think that means they're blushing harder?”

 

Chanyeol whined more. “Shut u~pp..!” He shook his hands in frustration as he pouted. “I don’t want to even think about that.. It’s already not fair that I’ve not met them yet!”

 

“How do you know you’ve not met them? Maybe you already have and just haven’t realized it..?” his cousin asked.

 

The whining stopped with a huff. “Dammit Soo. You're not helping me cheer up here...”

 

“Hey, you’re supposed to be cheering me up, remember? I’m the one doing a crossword puzzle over here trying to get my mind off of someone that hates me.” Kyungsoo said with his own huff of frustration. 

 

“The same crossword puzzle that a certain handsome tanned basketball player from our school was trying to solve in the library yesterday..?” Chanyeol took a sip of his latte. “Listen, just because he didn’t say anything when you offered to help him solve it doesn’t mean he hates you-”

 

“He got up and walked away ! Before I even finished my sentence! What else am I supposed to think?? I finally worked up my courage to talk to him and he totally blew me off!” Kyungsoo whined and wiggled unhappily on his seat. This got the attention of some students sitting around them, and a couple of them gave him dirty looks. He blushed and ducked his head, looking pitifully at his cousin.

 

Said man grinned back. "Your skin matches my nails." Chanyeol chuckled.

 

Kyungsoo was back to whining again. "Shut uu~up!"

 

"Nope. You got lucky that all that happens when your soulmate is blushing is that your eyes get really dry. I'm the unlucky guy with the unintentional manicure when my soulmates blushes. So I should be allowed to pick on you!"

 

The smaller man grumbled and took a drink of his iced coffee then picked up his pencil and turned his attention back to the crossword puzzle. 

 

 

 

On the far side of the room two other men sat together, sending longing looks across the way. The taller of the two cooed and lightly whacked the other on the arm. "Did you see him? He looked so cute just then, wiggling on the seat like that!” 

 

The smaller rubbed his arm but grinned with a boxy smile. "Just like a cute penguin - No wonder you like him so much!" 

 

The tanned man blushed and shushed his friend but then began cooing more. "Now he's rubbing his eyes - oh my god you should have seen him last night at the library! He actually came up to my table and I was too flustered and scared to talk to him, but after I walked away I hid behind one of the shelves and the librarian tsked at me but I had to watch him and he was rubbing his eyes again and even took off his glasses to use eye drops. Oh, and he picked up the crossword puzzle I was acting like I was working on.”

 

“You were acting like you were working on a crossword puzzle?? Why would you do that?” the smaller asked.

 

“Because I knew he would be coming to the library to study like he always does on Thursday nights! I had to have something to help me look busy while I watched him.” 

 

“That’s some stalkerish thinking there my friend..” The guy’s boxy grin was sarcastic. 

 

“Baehh~hk!” The tanned man whined and whacked his friend’s arm again.

 

“Ni~ini..!” the shorter whined back, rubbing his afflicted arm more as his playful look turned accusing. “Quit hitting me - everyone’s gonna think you’re abusing me!” 

 

“Maybe Park’ll sweep in like your knight in shining armor to rescue you! Picking you up to drag you away and take care of such a poor puppy.” 

 

The shorter looked hopeful for a split second but then noticed his friend’s knowing smirk and looked down at the table to try to hide his blush. “Shut u~pp..”

 

 

 

Chanyeol looked at his fingernails again. “Dammit.”

 

Kyungsoo grinned as he looked up from the crossword puzzle. “At least it’s not as dark this time… What shade would you call that? Light fuchsia?”

 

“Ha ha. Very funny.” the taller deadpanned. “Haven’t you finished that crossword yet?”

 

“Two words left..”

 

“Good. You can bring it to the game tonight.”

 

“Chan! I can’t give it to him there with everyone looking!” The smaller hissed, looking appalled.

 

“So.. what? You gonna fold it into an airplane and fly it across the library next time you see him?” the tall man snickered. 

 

Kyungsoo rolled the newspaper into a baton, leaned over the table and bonked his cousin on the head.  

 

Neither noticed a joint squeal that came from two men sitting across the room.

 

 

 

 

At the ordering counter two other men were leaning over the edge of the countertop, observing both tables, looking back and forth almost like it was a tennis match. 

 

“Ugh. This is so painful to watch.. Do you think they’ll ever figure it out?”

 

The man with a cat-like grin leaned in, nudging the other with his shoulder. “C’mon Min. You know we were just as bad.”

 

The older snorted, wrinkling his button nose. “Yeah. But we didn’t have everyone watching how oblivious we were.” 

 

“Hey, we figured it out tho..” 

 

The older man rolled his eyes with mock frustration as he tried to hide a grin. “Jongdae, the only way we figured it out was after Chanyeol told me his tutor had mentioned having the same last name as me, and I confronted you because I had assumed that meant you told him we were married!”     

 

The younger man grinned back at the older affectionately, even as his voice rose in protest. “Kim Minseok, you knew I had the hots for you! You just jumped to conclusions that I was telling folks we were hitched before we even had our first date!” 

 

“Um.. Excuse me..?” a new voice broke into their mock quarrel. The two men looked up to see the basketball player standing at the counter.

 

The younger barista smiled expectantly as he the salesman charm. “Oh, I’m sorry. How may we help you today?”

 

 “I’d like to order a latte with a specialty drawing.” The tanned man said with a small smile.

 

“Min here is the coffee-artist..” the man with the cat-like grin said proudly as he indicated with his head towards the other barista. “What would you like drawn?” 

 

The customer looked hopeful. “Can you do a penguin? And.. I’d like to write something on the cup sleeve myself, if that’s ok...”

 

“Certainly. What name should we put on the cup?”

 

The basketball player looked around nervously, but when his eyes met his friend, the shorter made a shoo-ing “go-on” motion with his hands. The basketball player then leaned in towards the counter to speak a little quieter. “Please put ‘Kyungsoo’.”

 

The baristas exchanged a knowing look, both smiling widely. Then the younger began putting the order into the register as the older turned around to the coffee machine. After taking the basketball player’s payment, the barista wrote the desired name on a cup lid, placing it on the counter. He then slid a pen and a cup sleeve over to the tanned man and winked at him. The basketball player blushed as he picked up the pen and began to write.

 

 

 

Chanyeol sipped his ice coffee as he watched his cousin. Finally he commented, “It’s not that dry in here..”

 

“I can’t help it.” The smaller continued rubbing his eyes. “They suddenly feel dry for some reason..”

 

The taller slowly lowered his drink. “..Wait..” 

 

“No, don’t say it-”

 

“KYUNGSOO~!” the younger barista warbled from behind the sales counter.

 

Both men whipped their heads towards the counter in confusion. The other barista was setting down a fresh cup of coffee.

 

Kyungsoo stopped rubbing his eyes, shocked at hearing his name called out. 

 

His cousin turned back to look at him. “Did you order something?” the taller asked.

 

Kyungsoo shook his head to the negative. He furrowed his eyebrows at the two baristas that by now were looking directly at him. He stood up, half expecting to see someone else with his same name walking up to the counter to pick up the coffee, but none of the few other customers in the place seemed to be heading that direction. Sighing in defeat, he went over to the counter, retrieving the coffee cup. As he walked back over to his table, the door to the coffee shop jingled loudly, signalling that whoever went through had closed it in a hurry. 

 

Kyungsoo sat down at the table, looking at the drink in his hand. “Hey Chan, I think your name is written on the cup sleeve..” 

 

The taller hummed distractedly as he turned back from where he had been looking. “Hey did you see those two guys running out the door just now? I think that shorter guy was that cutie I pointed out to you before.. You know, the adorable one from my Biology lab class.” 

 

“I know who you mean but I wasn’t looking..” Kyungsoo slid the cup sleeve off the coffee cup and laid it out on the table between them. “Anyway- Look at this and help me decipher this writing. Whoever wrote this has horrible penmanship..!” He took the lid carefully off the cup to take a drink but whatever else he was going to say turned into a squeak. 

 

Chanyeol looked up. “What..?”

 

Kyungsoo smiled widely as he carefully slid his cup towards the center of the table to let his cousin see without messing up the art. 

 

The taller leaned over the table and cooed at the penguin. “That’s cute…” He leaned back, squinting at the cup sleeve in his hand. “Oh my god..” 

 

“What?”

 

“You are not gonna believe what’s written on this...”

 

The smaller raised an eyebrow expectantly as he lifted his coffee and sniffed the contents.

 

Chanyeol lifted the cupsleeve up and began reading as though he was reading an official proclamation from the king. “Please come to the school basketball game tonight. Number 88 will be looking forward to hearing you cheer for the team. P.S. Make sure to bring Chanyeol with you. He will have special company for the game.”

 

The smaller spluttered around the sip of coffee he had just taken, looking at his cousin incredulously. “It does NOT say that..!”

 

“It does! I swear!” Chanyeol had his own amazed expression as he turned the cupsleeve around to show his cousin. “That's my name!”

 

“I know that’s your name .. I’m more worried about the rest of the note!”

 

The tall man scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. “Why?”

 

“Chan... 88 is Jongin’s number.” 

 

Chanyeol’s expressive eyebrows moved up his forehead as his eyes opened widely. “Jongin- as in, the basketball player you like?!” 

 

Kyungsoo nodded, mute as he looked down in wonder at the slightly distorted penguin still floating at the top of the open cup.

 

His cousin smirked. “Yeah I guess you would know his number. Since you’ve been stalking him and all...” 

 

Once again the sound of the tall college student being whacked by a rolled up newspaper could be heard in the little coffee shop, but this time it was accented by the sound of Chanyeol’s laughter and the snickering of two baristas. 

 

 

 

 

 

Later that evening as the crowd began to fill up the seats in the school gymnasium, the tall college student and his cousin had found seats for themselves about half-way up the bleachers. The smaller squirmed a little as Chanyeol tried to calm him down. “Soo, chill! Your guy will be out on the court all night so you’ve got nothing to worry about. I don’t have a clue who’s gonna be joining us, and we don’t want to make them uncomfortable with your fidgeting!”

 

“The note said you will have special company. Meanwhile Jongin is gonna be expecting me to yell for him. So I have every right to fidget thankyouverymuch!” Kyungsoo glared at his cousin.

 

The taller glared back. “Actually, the note said he wants you to cheer for the team. So all you gotta do is yell every time one of our guys does something good and you’re off the hook. I’m the one stuck with whoever it is that- What? Why are you gripping my arm?” While he was ranting, the smaller had grabbed Chanyeol’s arm and was now trying to get his cousin to turn around. The sound of a throat being deliberately cleared could be heard beside them and the tall man finally turned to see who it was.

 

Standing beside the empty seat next to Chanyeol was a cute guy with fluffy dark brown hair, a button nose, and slightly downturned eyes. The guy seemed to be a little nervous. “Um..Is it ok if I sit.. There?” He pointed at the empty seat beside Chanyeol. 

 

Chanyeol gawked, speechless until his cousin elbowed him sharply in the ribs, making him gasp as he responded. “Ye-Yeah..sure! I mean- No- wait..”  It was Kyungsoo’s turn to gawk as the tall man continued. “We’re expecting someone, so.. Sorry.”

 

Kyungsoo facepalmed then hissed at Chanyeol. “Idiot! That’s the cutie you said you were crushing on from your class! Let him sit down!” 

 

The cute guy obviously understood what had been said, and he blushed. Chanyeol stared at the cutie but Kyungsoo stared at his cousin’s hands. “Chan.. Your fingernails..”

 

“Uh.. huh?” the tall man said eloquently.

 

“I like your nail polish..” the cute guy said as he sat down in the seat. “It’s an interesting choice, but it suits you.”

 

Chanyeol blinked and looked down at his hands but quickly looked back up again. “Oh.. It’s.. not actually polish.” he said as he stared at the cutie. 

 

“It’s not..?”  The guy tilted his head in confusion and Chanyeol almost had a heart attack at the cuteness. 

 

Kyungsoo leaned over his seemingly frozen cousin to speak to the cute guy. “His nails do that when his soulmate blushes because of something someone else says. It’s our family trait to have a physical reaction caused by our soulmate’s blushing.” 

 

“Family… Oh, so you’re kin to each other?” For some reason the cute guy suddenly looked a little more confident and very pleased.

 

“Yeah, we’re cousins. Right, Chan?” Kyungsoo elbowed the taller in the ribs to try to get him to say something.

 

“Yeah.. cousins..” Chanyeol was still in a bit of a daze that his crush was sitting next to him.

 

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes at his cousin then stuck out his hand to the cutie. “I’m Kyungsoo. And Shakespeare here is Chanyeol.” He gestured to the tall man who was now blushing brightly.

 

The cute guy giggled as he shook the offered hand. “I’m Baekhyun.” He looked shyly up at Chanyeol, who’s dazed look was turning enamoured as he continued to stare speechlessly at his crush who continued. ”I’ve seen you in class… Biology can be challenging, so if you want, we can study together sometime..?” 

 

Chanyeol began to smile and nodded eagerly. Baekhyun grinned but then looked at Kyungsoo worriedly. “What’s wrong?” The other had begun to squint his eyes suddenly and even reached a hand up to rub them.

 

Chanyeol looked at his cousin. “Whoa. Wait- Do you reckon..?” He looked over across the court and saw the basketball team standing next to their bench. 

 

Baekhyun giggled again. “Looks like the guys found out Nini finally asked Kyungsoo to come watch him play!” he said, grinning and pointing. Sure enough, a few of the team members were gathered around the tanned basketball player and it was obvious they were teasing the blushing man. 

 

Kyungsoo rubbed his eyes harder. “Dammit, I forgot my eyedrops. And I think the dust in here is making it worse.”

 

Baekhyun jumped up and looked across the court. “NINI!” he yelled loudly, making Chanyeol jump.

 

Jongin looked up from the group and saw the fluffy-haired guy gesturing wildly for him. The basketball player jogged over and came up the bleachers to them. “‘Ssup Baek?”

 

“Kyungsoo badly needs eye drops or his eyes will become infected.” Baekhyun unexpectedly leaned over and tugged Kyungsoo’s arm, causing him to go pitching forward on the bleachers. Jongin caught him as Baekhyun continued his suddenly bossy rambling. “Take him back to the locker room and help him use the eye drops in the first aid kit! Hurry!” 

 

Before Kyungsoo realized what was happening, the basketball player had taken his hand and pulled him down the few steps to the gym court floor. Chanyeol watched in astonishment as Jongin proceeded to drag the dark-haired guy to the locker room at the corner of the gymnasium. 

 

The taller’s view of the strange event was interrupted as the cute guy from his Biology lab leaned into his line of sight.  “Um.. So.. Your nails change color because of your soulmate..?”

 

Chanyeol startled briefly but caught himself and smiled weakly. “Uh.. Yeah..” he returned.

 

“Do..you.. know who your soulmate is?” Baekhyun asked cautiously. 

 

Chanyeol took a deep breath as he looked down at the fading pink on his nails. “I can wish.. but, no. Do you?”

 

The cute guy fidgeted a little. “I do now..” 

 

Chanyeol looked up, his eyebrow lifted in question, but kept quiet. Baekhyun continued. “You’re not the only one with family traits that help discover soulmates. In my family, at random times after our 16th birthday we start dreaming of our soulmate's voice.” 

 

Chanyeol raised both eyebrows in his surprise. “That’s fascinating..!” he said genuinely.

 

Baekhyun shivered for some reason and looked down at the large hands with the now only slightly colored fingernails. “I finally heard the voice from my dreams during the second week of this semester’s classes,” he said.

 

“Really?” Chanyeol’s heart sank but he tried not to show his disappointment. “Um.. When- I mean- That’s great….?” 

 

“Yeah.. it’s amazing that the tall, handsome, quiet guy I’ve been crushing on in my Biology lab class turns out to have the same voice as the one in my dreams…” The cutie looked up through his eyelashes shyly.

 

Chanyeol ignored the way his heart suddenly leaped in hope and tried to sound nonchalant. “Oh..?” 

 

Baekhyun fluttered his eyelashes. “And now I found out that he has been crushing on me too… At least, I think that’s what I heard your cousin saying earlier..?” 

 

Chanyeol stared at the cutie, his eyes wide and a small smile on his face as he let the warmth from the previous hope spread through his chest.

 

 

“QUIT STARING AT HIM AND JUST KISS HIM ALREADY!” Chanyeol jumped as Jongin yelled up from where he was now standing at the bottom of the bleachers. 

 

Baekhyun promptly blushed scarlet at his friend’s words. 

 

Kyungsoo was standing next to the basketball player, holding his hand with their fingers intertwined.  The dark-haired boy grinned widely as he yelled up at his cousin. “Hey Chan... NICE MANICURE!”

 

A single middle finger with a pink nail was all that stuck up in the air as Chanyeol happily wrapped his arms around his blushing soulmate.

 

 

 

🤭💅