It's been two weeks since the crazy accident and Kyuhyun's first meeting with Kim Kanghoon. The incident was solved rather smoothly despite the ridiculous cause it had; apparently, the building owner was storing some material construction at the rooftop, which he would later move to another building he was planning to renovate. So after getting a scolding and a fine, the owner stored the construction materials in a safer place. The shop got closed for a few days and, after a security revision for the whole building, it got open for the public again. Things are back to normal.

Or Kyuhyun wishes that's what have happened. Things have gone somewhat ty instead.

Being truthful to his words about being a regular, Kim Kanghoon has been coming to the shop almost daily. Multiple times per day, even. Kyuhyun doesn't see him everyday since he only works part time, but he's getting closer and closer to it. That fact in itself isn't bad, the guy is a good customer. It's nice talking to him, his weird stories are amusing, as well as his random behavior. And, as a plus, he usually buys lots of things. As said before, a good customer.

The bad thing is that he comes with his own set of problems.

In one out of every three days Kim Kanghoon visits the shop, Kyuhyun would get a vision of some crazy happening to him. Be it he getting assaulted while having to walk home through suspicious alleys because he forgot his wallet, he forgetting to tie his shoelaces and tripping to the road just when a car was passing, or he climbing a tree to save a kitten and falling straight in the concrete, Kyuhyun has seen all sort of stupid accidents happening to him. And everytime he gets a vision, Kyuhyun does his best to help to avoid them, subtly reminding the guy to make sure he hasn't forgotten anything, telling him his shoelaces are untied or just straight out explaining climbing trees is dangerous and to better call someone if he sees a cat stuck in one. Some weren't the best moves, but his advices somehow work. Unlike how most people would find Kyuhyun's behavior weird or uncomfortable, Kim Kanghoon doesn't think it's something odd and just thanks him for telling him, wearing a warm smile and sometimes winking at him, for some reason. Kyuhyun suspects it is because the man in question is... Unusual. There's nothing bad with that, it's helpful. Nice, even. But no one can deny this is a very weird situation.

Since the guy kept getting involved in some borderline mortal accidents, Kyuhyun considered the possibility of this being similar to Final Destination (yes, the movie); the threat of death following Kim Kanghoon due to the previous interruption of his fate. However, Kyuhyun discarded the idea almost immediately. The accidents aren't that dangerous most of the time (though some could have ended in very catastrophic ways hadn't Kyuhyun intervened) and they're caused in a 75% of the cases by Kim Kanghoon's carelessness. The other 25% is composed of bad luck, negligence of third parties and some other small variants. So no, there's no supernatural force scheming for Kim Kanghoon's death.

Kyuhyun is brought out of his thoughts when Heechul and the most recent source of his problems enter the shop, chatting about who knows what. Kyuhyun has foresight, not clairvoyance.

The pair greet him with a brief wave of hands and a knowing smirk from Heechul's part (for some damned reason) and direct to the staffroom after Kyuhyun greets them. They probably have some plans, but had to come here as Heechul ‘forgot something’, like it has been happening every Tuesday and Friday. The days Kyuhyun has the late turn.

This is anything but a coincidence. It's suspicious how often Heechul has been ‘forgetting’ things, especially when he started this just after the tubes incident. Kyuhyun has the theory Heechul is worried about another insane and/or dangerous situation happening while Kyuhyun is alone in the store. Heechul is a very protective hyung, after all. The one thing Kyuhyun doesn't understand is why Kim Kanghoon accompanies him. The only reason he has came up with is that Heechul doesn't want to be alone while he does his ‘babysitting’ (not that Kyuhyun thinks of himself as a kid who needs to be taken care of, but some of his hyungs think otherwise). The two of them are good friends, so it's natural Heechul would ask Kim Kanghoon's help.

Thinking about that made Kyuhyun remember the the first incident aftermath. When Heechul and his uncle came to the scene, it became obvious Kim Kanghoon knew Heechul and vice versa. They are, in fact, very close. As in calling each other with stupid names close. Kyuhyun discovered that Kim Kanghoon is Heechul's ever mentioned Rabid Dog, leaving him speechless. When Heechul talked about his short tempered and somewhat violent friend, Kyuhyun imagined some buff thug with scars in his face and arms, not someone as pretty as Kim Kanghoon... Objectively speaking, Kyuhyun can say Kim Kanghoon is pretty but handsome, everyone would think so, but that isn't important at the moment. There are more urgent matters to think of.

He had yet another vision of Kim Kanghoon's dumb accidents. At least this is a minor one. This time, Kyuhyun is more worried about the inventory than the accident itself.

The pair of hyungs get out the staffroom with no apparent forgotten object in sight while Kyuhyun thinks how to stop another silly happening in Kim Kanghoon's life. The unconsciously annoying guy goes to the shelves, probably to grab something to buy, while the purposely annoying one directs his attention to Kyuhyun.

"Hey, kiddo." Heechul puts and arm on Kyuhyun's shoulder. "How're sales going?"

Kyuhyun looks at Heechul with a grumpy face and moves away from his hold. "I'm not a kid."

"You're right, you're not a kiddo, you're a baby boy. Are you even old enough to drink alcohol?"

"Do you think people call me Drunkard Cho for drinking juice? You're just too old to properly perceive my age." Kyuhyun looks with mirth as Heechul expression loses the smirk he had. And to add fuel to the fire, he continues. "Age isn't treating you well, is it? At this point you'll just cause suspicion if you go to school. How come you're still on college when you're this old?" Kyuhyun knows it was a bad decision after seeing Heechul's expression, but he continues laughing despite the glare he's receiving from his hyung.

Heechul hits Kyuhyun's arm as he reprimands him. "Yah! Who do you think you're talking to!? You should have more respect for a great student like me. And I always look perfect, but you'll be the only culprit if I ever get a sole wrinkle in my beautiful face."

Kyuhyun rolls his eyes at Heechul self adoration and rubs his poor injured arm. "What's a degree in fashion design about anyways? Don't you just need creativity and bad taste to make those uncomfortable attires models use on runways?"

"You don't know a thing about fashion. Those ugly clothes you usually wear are proof." Heechul made a face after taking a look at Kyuhyun. That hurt Kyuhyun's ego a little. What's so wrong with using simple clothes? Kyuhyun knows he isn't the most fashionable guy out there and his current look isn't the best (the store uniform doesn't help), but he has good taste. Heechul seems to ignore this, though. "Of course you won't understand the difficult task that is creating art with fabrics."

Kyuhyun thinks Heechul is exaggerating, as he always does. But before Kyuhyun could respond,  an incoming Kim Kanghoon, who has been wandering through the store grabbing things, decides to grab their attention this time.

"Chullie hyung, which one do you prefer?" The man shows two brands of instant ramyeon.

"Leave that, we'll just order some takeout. I don't want to risk seeing my kitchen in fire again." Heechul's voice is serious.

"Hyung, don't exaggerate. I didn't burn anything. And this is instant ramyeon, everyone can cook instant things."

"Tell that to the pot you ruined last time you tried making instant food."

"It was an accident!"

"It was Hannie's favorite pot! Do you know how much I suffered because he got angry and didn't let me steal his food!?"

Heechul's dramatics seem to convince his friend, or at least make him feel guilty enough to relent. Kim Kanghoon pouts as he returns the instant ramyeon under Heechul's scrutinizing stare and Kyuhyun's confused glances. Who the hell does ruin a pot while making instant ramyeon?

Kyuhyun laughs at the level of clumsiness Kim Kanghoon can achieve, purposely ignoring the fact that he himself used to be way worse (almost burning the kitchen when trying to make tea.) It's only because his sister spent a whole month teaching him the basics in regards of cuisine that he didn't die of starvation (or intoxication, to be more accurate) in his first semester at university. Now he cooks decently enough, but it's undeniable how bad he used to be. Still, he internally judges Kim Kanghoon.

"... Kim Kanghoon-ssi is pretty clumsy, isn't he?" Kyuhyun couldn't help the snort that he let escape.

"Yah, that isn't the way to talk about someone older than you." Heechul smacks Kyuhyun's head with his hand as he reprimands him.

"I used honorifics with his name."

"You know what I'm talking about. And it sounds more like you're trying to keep a distance rather than wanting to be respectful."

"I'm keeping a respectful distance."

"The way you look at him is anything but respectful. You look at him as if you want to cage him somewhere away from all dangers in the world."

Kyuhyun got nervous (and weirded out) with the comment. Does Heechul suspect something? Kyuhyun hasn't told anyone except his sister about his powers, but Heechul has this sixth sense that allows him to know everything. Kyuhyun can see the future, it wouldn't be weird if someone has telepathy. Still, knowing his personality, Heechul would have already said something if he knew about his powers, so Kyuhyun tries to act naturally. And to come up with a reasonable explanation to why he is so engrossed in someone he barely knows' wellbeing.

"I'm just making sure he isn't getting himself in danger." Kyuhyun says while mentally asking Heechul if he can read his mind. His hyung answer proves the telepathy theory wrong, but gives Kyuhyun another kind of shock.

"If you want to do that, you'd have to put a leash in him."

"I'm not going to do that!"

"Of course you're not, you're too vanilla for that. You'll just keep staring at him to then ‘respectfully’ ask him out, smooch him and get into his pants. Respectfully, of course."

It takes a while for Kyuhyun to process Heechul's words. Such bull is difficult to comprehend. But now that he does, he looks at Heechul as if he grew two heads. "What the heck are you talking about!?"

At first, Heechul thought Kyuhyun was playing dumb, but seeing the real confusion in his face makes him think otherwise. The smirk Heechul wears morphs into the expression a teacher uses when they can't believe the idiocy in a student's answer. "You're serious." He sighs. "Heck. And here I thought our Rabid Dog was the dense one."

"Dense? What do you mean... Do you think I have a thing for Kim Kanghoon-ssi?"

Heechul claps his hands mockingly. "Bravo, you figured it out! At least that big brain of yours still works." His voice is so sarcastic it's annoying Kyuhyun to the core. But as the sometimes patient person he is, Kyuhyun subdues his need to kick Heechul, as hard as it is.

"I'm not into him. I don't know where you got that idea from, but—" Kyuhyun's phone rings, making him wince. He would have ignored it if the melody ringing wasn't the one specifically chosen for his his sister.

"Answer. I don't want to be harassed with multiple calls because one baby brother doesn't respond."

"I'm not a baby." Kyuhyun grumbles while taking his phone out. Heechul gestures him to go to the backroom, whispering he's going to look after the counter. Kyuhyun is uneasy as there's still the accident yet to happen, but he trusts Heechul to make sure nothing goes wrong. He closes the door once he's in the staffrroom and answers the call. As soon as it's connected, a cheerful voice greets him.

— Captain Cho! How's my baby brother doing? — Why has he been called baby today so many times? — What a surprise for you to answer this quickly. — She's, of course, being sarcastic.

Kyuhyun sighs.  "Noona, I'm working. Can you be fast and tell me what's up?"

— I see you're excited to talk with your sister.

"I'm busy. I'll hang up if you don't talk."

— Aish! Fine. I wanted to make the call lighter before telling you, but it seems my efforts are meaningless. — Kyuhyun rolls his eyes as he hears her. There are some background noises filling the wait. The sounds make him feel uneasy until Ahra talks again. — I got the job!

"What, really? Does that mean you'll buy me a new game as celebration?"

— Use your own money if you want one.

"Stingy. And here I am doing all sort of favors to you. Should I tell mom about that time you skipped school and—"

— I'll pay your tuition. Is that enough?

"Deal."

They'll talk for a little more before Kyuhyun hears some yelling. He tells his sister he has to go as he realizes the shouts get louder. He then remembers Kim Kanghoon dumb accident and hurries to see what's going on. Kyuhyun was so engrossed in his talk with his sister that he ended up forgetting to check on the man.

He opens the door hurriedly and sees everything happen in slow motion. He sees as a new customer, possibly drunk and in turn problematic, yells at Heechul, who is doing the same thing while pointing at the door, probably telling him to go. The man then kicks a box in anger, perfectly aiming to the direction Kim Kanghoon uses to get closer to the scene.

And it happens.

The box, that is full of carbonated drinks, explodes as the liquid bursts out of the recipients holding them back. Beverages with translucent shades of orange, brown and yellow reach a high height as the bubbles pop and the mix of liquids lands on Kim Kanghoon, drenching him.

Everyone still as they see the surreal scene unfold, too shocked by the absurdity of the event. A deathly silence surrounds them while they try to process what they just saw. It isn't until moments later that they're brought out of their stupor by someone's voice.

"Good night. We received a report about a drunkard making troubles here..." An official asks while looking at the scene in confusion.

***

"Here." Kyuhyun hands some clothes to Kim Kanghoon as the latter dries his hair with the towel Kyuhyun lend him. When he woke up that morning, he had the feeling he would need a change of clothes and a towel at some point of the day, so he packed a t-shirt and some pants. He thought it was going to be needed after a sudden rain, but after having his vision right after arriving at the shop, he knew it was for Kim Kanghoon... At least Kyuhyun isn't the one who got drenched.

"Thanks." Kim Kanghoon takes the clothes, to which the younger only nods.

Kyuhyun put his backpack in his locker once again, making sure to put his padlock. There was one time he didn't put it and then Heechul messed up with his things in revenge for a petty prank he did. He hasn't done anything to annoy his hyung recently, but being cautious never hurts. He finishes and turns to get out of there, but what he sees makes him open his eyes widely. Kim Kanghoon is changing right there in front of him, being completely shameless and exposing his (sightly toned) bare chest. The man uses the towel to dry his torso and Kyuhyun can only stare absentmindedly. He freezes, but his senses are back to stop Kim Kanghoon just before he takes off his underwear.

"What the heck are you doing!?"

Kim Kanghoon frowns as he answers calmly. "I'm not going to go around with sticky underwear. I'll wash it before returning it, so don't worry."

"I don't care about that! Well, I do, but that's not the point! You can't just undress like that in front of people!" Kyuhyun says as he avoids looking at Kim Kanghoon. He have had enough with Heechul's exhibitionist behavior, he doesn't want to add someone else to the list of ‘people I've unwillingly seen .’

"We're both men, it's not big deal." Kim Kanghoon is clearly confused by Kyuhyun's prudishness. But who enjoys seeing a practically stranger doing a strip show in a convenience store staffroom? Kyuhyun doesn't, even if the stranger has an attractive figure. How does Mr Careless have such a nice body, anyways? Is the adrenaline of being in accidents enough for him to build muscle? Damn him.

"It may not be for you, but it's different for other people!" Kyuhyun covers his face as he starts to get frustrated and embarrassed by how worked up he's getting. But you can't blame him, exhibitionism is just bad for his mental health, just like dealing with Kim Kanghoon. Even he doesn't understand why he's so flustered. Should he take off his glasses for automatic censorship?

"I didn't..." Kim Kanghoon starts and stops, leaving it a mystery what he was planning to say. There's some rustling sounds before the man's voice is heard again. "I'm sorry, I was being inconsiderate with how you feel."

Getting an apology wasn't Kyuhyun's goal, but he isn't going to complain, even when the ‘how you feel’ part sounds off. He lowers his hands a bit to peek at Kim Kanghoon, noticing the man is now wearing the shirt lent to him and the towel as some impromptu skirt, an enough decent attempt to cover his manhood. Kyuhyun lowers his hand completely, but he still avoids Kim Kanghoon's eyes. "It's fine, it's actually not a big deal..."

"It's important to you, so it's a big deal." Kim Kanghoon's answer confuses Kyuhyun. There's this something telling him they're not in the same page, but there's a something else making him think the guy is just a good person. Weird and troublesome, but good.

"I was exaggerating, just forget it..." Kyuhyun says, waving his hand dismissively.

"...If that's what you want."

They stay in silence for some time, no one knowing how to continue. Kyuhyun peeks at his interlocutor, realizing he's still in precarious clothing. "I'll go and let you finish..." Wanting to avoid the sudden awkwardness creeping up, Kyuhyun leaves the room.

Now back to the front, Kyuhyun encounters an annoyed Heechul just returning from his talk with the official.

", I can already hear my uncle nagging me all day because of the lost merchandise." Heechul complains as he enters the shop. He takes note of Kyuhyun, then turns to the disaster left and finally back at Kyuhyun. "That's part of your job."

Kyuhyun sighs, knowing his fate. "I'll go get the mop." He turns to head back to the room he has just left, but stops in his tracks as he remembers there's someone inside. Specifically, there's a troublesome live form in the room. Going back means going back to the awkwardness, something he doesn't need at the moment.

Heechul notices his hesitance and looks at him with an arched eyebrow. "Is a monster in there or what?"

"Huh?"

Heechul shrugs. "You look terrified to enter in there." Kyuhyun frowns, he surely doesn't look scared in the least. If anything, maybe a little conflicted.

"I'm not scared, I'm just being a decent person. Kim Kanghoon-ssi is changing in there."

"Oh, so there's a monster indeed. You know, the one he has between his legs."

"Hyung!"

Heechul laughs at his expense. "My AB brother wouldn't mind if you enter."

"Well, I would."

"Right, someone has a crush on him." Heechul smirk grows as he hears Kyuhyun's angry noises. When is Heechul going to forget about that stupid idea? Apparently, never.

"Don't you have better things to do? You know, telling your uncle about this all?" There's no use in telling Heechul he's wrong, so he changes the topic.

Heechul clicks his tongue, knowing that's in fact something he has to do. Still, he teases Kyuhyun a last time before going outside to call his uncle and telling him what happened.

It just takes a few seconds for Kim Kanghoon to get out of the staffroom, perfectly timed to avoid Heechul's indiscreet comments. Kyuhyun could have found it suspicious, but seeing Kim Kanghoon fully dressed with his clothes distracts him. The sight makes Kyuhyun feel oddly smug, probably due to the reaffirmation that he's taller than the man. Kyuhyun may have the body of a sedentary university student (unlike damn Kim Kanghoon's lean but well built musculature), but he can proudly say his height is superior.

Before he stares for too long, Kyuhyun looks for a mop and starts his cleaning mission. Everything is normal until someone joins him in his quest, a someone called Kim Kanghoon.

"You helped me lending me these, let me give you a hand."

Kyuhyun weights his options. In one hand, having Kim Kanghoon as cleaning assistant could be awkward. Even if they can entertain some friendly bantering, being with the man somehow becomes awkward at some point. In the other hand, his help would result in finishing earlier and hey, he wouldn't have to do all the work by himself. So, with some minor reluctance, Kyuhyun accepts and shows his teamwork skills by cleaning with Kim Kanghoon.

It results being less stressful than he thought it would be.

They chat and make some jokes as they clean, transforming the task into something oddly pleasant. Kim Kanghoon has a weird sense of humor, but even if he tells some lame jokes, he still makes Kyuhyun laugh amusedly. Probably due to the straight face he keeps despite saying the most ridiculous things. The strange awkwardness vanishes and Kyuhyun feels comfortable enough to tease and be sarcastic. Kim Kanghoon has the best reactions Kyuhyun has ever found, so he can't help the smile in his face nor the urge to keep teasing him.

Time pases and they finish cleaning, but they continue talking until Heechul returns. Apparently, Kyuhyun shift ended without him knowing. It's the first time it happens, but Kyuhyun reasons it's because there were various things happening, distracting him from checking the clock.

Kyuhyun changes his uniform and takes his backpack. He says bye to an arriving Youngwoon, the guy with the night shift, and leaves the store. He finds Kim Kanghoon outside, apparently he was waiting for him.

"Kim Kanghoon-ssi? Didn't you have plans with Heenim?"

Kim Kanghoon sighs. "Yeah, but he was abducted by one of his teammates. It seems they have problems with their project, but I don't know the details."

"Oh, so that happened... Then, why are you still here?" The man in front of him shrugs.

"Heechul hyung said we use the same bus stop, so I thought we could go together."

"Ah, I see." Silence surfaces for some moments until Kyuhyun has enough of it. "So... Shall we go?"

Kim Kanghoon nods and they start the journey. They walk quietly for a few minutes until Kim Kanghoon turns to look at Kyuhyun. "You know?, there's no need to be so formal. The whole ‘Kim Kanghoon-ssi’ is too much."

Using his whole name is amusing, but Kyuhyun knows there's no need to be so distant with him. Still, he feels something will change if he calls Kim Kanghoon differently. "Then... Kanghoon-ssi?"

"That's practically the same! Since we're getting to know each other, I want you to be comfortable talking with me." Kyuhyun is sure there's something odd in  Kim Kanghoon's speech, but he can't pinpoint it. But well, there's always something weird involving this man, so he just forgets about that.

Kyuhyun searches for a better way to refer to him when an idea crosses his mind. He's unsure at first, but since the guy requested less formalities, he's going to get just that. The pensive expression in Kyuhyun's face morphs to a devious smile. "Kanghoon-ah!"

"... What?"

"That should be less formal. Right, Kanghoon-ah?" The smile in Kyuhyun's face makes it obvious he's playing around, but that doesn't stop Kanghoon from pinching his cheek.

"Yah, I'm still older than you!"

"Okay, okay! I won't do it." Kanghoon releases him and Kyuhyun takes the chance to put a safe distance between them. "Do you prefer Kangie, then? Hoonie?... Honey! That's a good one, should I call you that, honey~?" Kyuhyun shifts to avoid Kanghoon's hand threatening to hit him.

"Aish, this punk, really." Kanghoon's voice would be more threatening if he weren't smiling, but that's the reason Kyuhyun's feeling comfortable playing around like this with him. They both end up laughing after a short chasing game.

Trying to be serious, Kyuhyun tries to suppress his laughter a bit. He thinks for a moment before talking. "Then... Hyung? Can I call you Kanghoon hyung?"

A sweet smile appears in Kanghoon's face, making Kyuhyun's heart flutter. Damn that pretty face. "I like that one. Let's get along, Kyuhyun-ah." They share a handshake before realizing they have almost reached the bus stop.

Kyuhyun's bus is already there, so they bid farewell. However, before Kyuhyun runs to get on the bus, he leans towards Kanghoon and whispers something.

"I'll still call you honey."

He runs away as Kanghoon yells at him, practically jumping to get into the public transport unit. The bus has very few occupans, so he can easily choose one of the seats near the backdoor. He opens the window, kneels in his seat and takes his hand out to wave at Kanghoon just as they pass him.

"Byebye, honey!"

"Yah! Cho Kyuhyun!"

"I'll also miss you~" He says mockingly, chuckling at the face Kanghoon makes. The older yells something else, but they're already too far for Kyuhyun to understand. He laughs again as he seats properly. The guy may bring a big set of problems, but it's been a long time since Kyuhyun has come across someone as funny as Kanghoon.

Being close to him isn't as catastrophic as Kyuhyun initially thought.

_______________

Author's notes: Chapter kept getting longer and longer.

Okay, if you wonder what took me so long to update, the answer is a Kyurick fanart. It seems someone is very obsessed with Phantom.

I actually want to make a KyuSung/YeKyu version of Phantom, but the historical research is tiring... It's fun, but I keep getting sidetracked... Now I know some things I was better not knowing.

On other note, I noticed I forgot to say this before, so I'll add it here and in the foreword: a friend helped me with creating this fic's name (thank you a lot, Yue 💙)

Anyways, I hope you have a good day, byebye! (Don't forget to drink water) 💙