Kai glanced around nervously, eyeing left and right whilst fidgeting with his fingers. All EXO members were enjoying themselves in Disneyland, California, due to the SMTOWN Live Tour taking place in LA. It was nearing the end of the day, and the members split in half. Kris, Lay, Chen, Xiumin, D.O and Tao went to go on more rides, whilst Suho, Luhan, Sehun, Baekhyun and Chanyeol stayed with Kai. 

The eldest of the lot Luhan, noticed how uneasy he looked.

“Kai? What’s wrong with you?” He asked, holding up Kai’s hands to show him how restless he was. “Care to share?”

“I’m waiting for someone.” 

“What you talking about? We’re in America; you don’t know anyone here apart from us. Who could you possibly be waiting for?” Baekhyun shook his head at how ridiculous it was that Kai was waiting for someone in a different country. He’d never even been abroad.

“Shut up, you guys. He’s having a hard time.” Suho patted Kai on the shoulder. “She’ll be here.”

“She? If manager-hyung finds out, you’re dead!” Baekhyun gasped dramatically, causing all the members to roll their eyes.

“It’s not like you didn’t meet with your girl last time during the sign event.” Kai’s eyes squinted as he retaliated.

“That’s different! One: we’re just friends, and two: SM doesn’t have their eyes glued on me 24/7.”

“I don’t agree with the ‘just friends’ part. You don’t fool me!” Chanyeol nudged him playfully. “But I do agree with the fact that SM pays a lot more attention on Kai. Is this girl who I think it is?” He pranced around the dancer, staring at him with his creepy round eyes.

“It is and, please don’t stare at me like that, hyung. It’s creepy how you can be so handsome and…creepy at the same time.” Kai scratched his neck innocently, trying his hardest not to sound rude whilst all his hyungs laughed. “I started contacting her again recently.”

“I don’t think you should take this too seriously. How old were you guys back then? Thirteen? She probably didn’t take you seriously.” Chanyeol sighed as he expressed his concerns. “How is a possible for a thirteen-year-old kid to understand ‘love’?”

“We obviously missed something. This was before our time.” Luhan giggled with Baekhyun. “Gonna tell us the story?”

Kai swallowed hard, thinking where his story should start. “Well, just before Taemin debut, we had a fight…”

“No you didn’t,” Sehun pouted whilst he ate his candy floss, resting his head on Luhan’s shoulder. “You’re scared of Taemin hyung, you’ll never fight him. I was there too you know.” Kai glared at the youngest and sighed in defeat.

“Fine, I ‘mentally’ fought him, ok?” He gazed towards Suho, Chanyeol and Sehun, who also entered the company in 2008. “I was meant to debut with SHINee at the time. I was supposed to be the one who debuted the youngest and fastest in SM.”

--------------

Year 2008

--------------

During dance practice, Jongin had injured his back due to overworking himself. It was so bad he had to rest every ten minutes, because it was so painful that he couldn’t move. Therefore the company decided to delay his debut by removing him from SHINee.

“It’s for your own good. You need to see a doctor.” They all said, but it wasn’t what he wanted. He disliked the fact that Taemin debuted before him, it felt as though he was inferior to him.  They were best friends, mainly because they were of similar age and both were good at dancing, so they often practiced with each other. Yet after this incident, Jongin distanced himself, and Taemin seemed to have noticed because it was apparent that he was trying to avoid any interactions with him as well. 

Fortunately, his back injury wasn’t anything fatal; however, he still couldn’t help but feel angry with himself. It was possibly one of the cruellest things that one could experience. They basically gave him a small glimmer of hope, yet fate had to destroy that ray of light right in front of him. Just the thought of it was tearing his mind to pieces.

He wandered around the company, arriving near a set of lockers and smashed his fist onto it, causing it to rattle in the vast room. To his surprise though, a high pitched screech followed. He jumped a little as a small figure emerged from one of the larger lockers, causing him to panic because he thought it was an alien.

“Why did you do that?” A soft female voice asked, allowing his heartbeat to calm down. She yawned slightly, giving him the impression that she’d fallen asleep in the locker.

“S-sorry that I woke you up.” Jongin bowed timidly.

“It’s ok. People don’t come here often, you know? It’s my special place.” She flashed him a wide grin that just seemed to lighten the burden on his chest. “You must be new around here.”

“Ah, yes. Hi, I’m Kim Jongin. It’s a pleasure to meet you!” He smiled at the thought that he was finally able to practice his greeting the company had taught him. She laughed slightly at his enthusiasm, and in turn greeted him in the same manner.

“So you’re that amazing rookie everyone was on about; debuting only coming in the company for 2 months.”

“It’s not going to happen though.” His voice lowered, discontent lingered in his voice.

“I heard that too.” Her back leaned against the lockers, making herself comfortable, signalling that she was ready to hear him out.

“I don’t know what to do anymore. I don’t feel that I could continue training knowing that there’s a possibility that I may never debut.” Jongin sat on the bench near the lockers and she joined him too, but flicking his forehead playfully before she sat down.

“Are you stupid?” Her eyes squinted mischievously, causing him to feel uneasy. “Did you join this company thinking you’d fail?”

“W-well, no.”

“So why would you think you’ll fail now? You were so close! Closer than me, at least! Is that the extent of your passion for being an idol?! No one said being one would be easy, but isn’t it our dream?”

He stared at her, admiring the profoundness of her words. “How old are you?” He couldn’t help but ask. Judging by her height, voice and face, he was sure that they were the same age.

“Twelve, but I'll be thirteen soon. I’ve been training here for two years.” She glanced down shyly; possibly embarrassed since he had the chance to debut when he only entered the agency for two months. “I can’t dance well, although I love dancing more than singing. Every time I dance, I feel so happy.” That caused him to crack a smile on his lips, because he was the exact opposite; he actually preferred singing over dancing, yet it was made clear to him that he couldn’t sing.

Then, a thought popped into his head. Although logic suggested that it was inappropiate, considering how they only just met, he wanted to take her to a special place.

“I know a place you’d like.” He grabbed her hand, taking her out of the building. Obediently, she followed him even though she remained suspicious of his intentions. It was already evening and the sun was setting, tainting the clouds with vivid shades of red and yellow.

Soon, they arrived at the fairground.

Vibrant colours illuminated above their heads, greeting them like frozen fireflies. A cheerful melody was playing, making all the children excited and playful. Various rides took place in different areas, but whilst she was still admiring the beauty of the fairground, Jongin had pulled her towards the spinning teacups.

The teacups spun elegantly as though they were dancing together on the colourful stage, where lights continued to flash; making the whole ride appear magical.

“You know, most people won’t understand because they don’t have the same desire to sing and dance; but I think you’ll understand.” Jongin flashed a bashful grin on his innocent face before pulling her towards a teacup. “Have you been on rides like these before?”

She merely shook her head and told him how she was frightful of how others might see her in such a childish ride.

“Don’t be embarrassed,” he sung whilst placing his hands on the metallic wheel. “It’s fun. Once the ride starts, just spin this wheel round. The faster you spin this, the faster the teacup would spin.” She bobbed her head up and down as a small smile crept onto her lips, showing signs of excitement on her face.

He bit his lower lip to contain himself. It was a little secret he’d kept to himself for years. The childish ride they were experiencing together was the ride that he would go on whenever something troubled his mind. It was so silly that he kept it to himself, but something in her eyes told him that she would understand.

The melody played and the ride commenced. The two of them spun the wheel around as fast as they could, causing the speed to accelerate to the extent they didn’t know it was possible for a children’s ride. Streaks of colours blurred in the background, yet the image of each other remained clear. Blissful laughter dispersed into the air, creating the light-hearted atmosphere. The scent of candyfloss reached their noses, enhancing the delightful mood.

“I think I know!” She screamed so he could hear. “The feeling when you perform!”

He laughed out loud at her answer, nodding fiercely. He felt butterflies in his stomach. It felt like it was the first time he was accepted for who he was. Before entering SM, most people laughed at him for dreaming to be an idol. Often people would put him down by destroying every ounce of hope he created in his mind. Although he knew not everyone was like that, he was afraid to open up to others.

Once the ride stopped, they both hopped off and went on the miniature Ferris wheel. He noticed how she was shivering slightly, so he wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her hands together with his to keep them warm. He felt responsible to look after her, seeing how he was the one that dragged her out and being a few months older than her. 

“Thanks for today. It was really fun.”

“But I bet you don’t know that I’m even more thankful.” He chuckled, staring into her dark brown pupils that seemed to have the ability to devour him whole. “I can’t believe I thought of giving up just because I couldn’t debut this time round. It’s so silly, but you reminded me how much I wanted to be an idol.”

“The spinning teacups; was that special to you?”

“Not really, but it’s my favourite ride. It might be a kiddy ride, but every time I go on it, I relive that feeling I had on that stage. I love that feeling so much, I want to experience it every day. So, when I’m not on the stage, I’ll go on the teacups, but I always did it alone. It’s the first time going on it with someone.”

“I'm the first?" His silence replied to her question. He seemed incredibly shy for someone who was passionate to perform. "I’m surprised. I thought someone who could debut so quickly would be overly confident, but you’re so insecure about yourself.” She said in a bashful manner, guilt evident in her voice.

“I’m actually not ready to debut. They’ve told me this before, that if I weren’t so close to Taemin, I wouldn’t have been considered. I’m not that great.” He sighed as he glanced up towards the sparkles dangling on the vast navy canvas above their heads. “Although they’ve praised me on my dancing skills, they also mentioned how I’m incapable of singing.”

“Singing isn’t that hard at times, you know? You don’t need to be the best singer, yet you could still get appreciated as long as you connect with the song well. If that song is special to you, someone out there would be able to see that. Try singing a song that means something to you, or try singing it for someone, because that way you’re putting your heart into it.” She poked his chest lightly, pointing to his heart. He rubbed the position she poked at, pretending that he was hurt, causing her to roll her eyes. “When you want to connect with your audience, you need to use that. It’s not the voice that causes people to admire you, it’s the heart.”

“Are you sure you’re twelve?” Jongin teased, poking her forehead. “You sound like our singing teacher; constantly giving me lectures, but you’re cuter. How about this, I’ll teach you how to dance, and in return you teach me how to sing?”

She agreed to the deal, anticipating on their lessons with each other. Whilst Jongin was still glancing up at the sky, she secretly nuzzled closer to him, pretending that she also wanted to see the sky as well. She felt comforted being with him, as he was a lot more tolerable in comparison to most trainees in the company; reason being that most of them were extremely obnoxious. Just because they were in SM, they would boast to the outsiders how they often saw the SM artists and pretend they would debut in a few weeks.  

Yet Jongin was nothing like that. Just like her, he was weary of his future and were afraid to lose this dream.

-

It was their first ‘lesson’ together, and Jongin was the first to teach. She observed her surroundings curiously before asking him where they’d be practicing.

“We’re practicing here.” He tilted his head innocently, with the expression that seemed to say ‘isn’t it obvious?’

“But, there are no mirrors.”

He walked up to her, so close that he was able to look down at her. “There are no mirrors on stage.” He grinned, making him look slightly less intimidating. “I’ll be your mirror, so don’t worry. When you dance on stage, it’s a completely different feeling!”

He pushed her to the centre of the stage. Instinctively, her fists clenched to suppress her feelings of being insignificant and exposed on the stage.

“Hey, hey, hey!” He pulled her wrists, loosening her fists. “You’ve sung on a stage before, right?”

“The stage wasn’t this big, and I’m more confident with singing! There was a microphone I could hold and...I often close my eyes when I sing.”

“Look, no matter what performance you give, you need to feel that you belong on the stage. The stage is like your best friend. Relax, or otherwise no matter how well you dance, people will still see you as awkward.”

She sighed heavily, feeling the stress getting to her already.

“You look like a lost puppy when you’re worried.” He teased as he begun to show off some of his dance moves. His movements were fluid even though no music was played. “The music is inside. You move because you feel it. The techniques come after. I’m sure you know the techniques, but you’re just not getting the rhythm right, and rhythm isn’t something you hear, it’s something you feel inside.”

To that she nodded solemnly, diverting her gaze away from him because it appeared that he could see straight through her. Yet at the same time, her eyes kept going back to him. It was like his movements placed a spell on her, causing her attention to remain fixed on him. She admired his every movement. Swift and precise, she noted. He finally broke her from her trance by putting some music on via the CD player.

“Come on, let’s dance.” He said; jumping up excitedly like a rabbit once the song Yeah by Usher started to play.

He was so energetic; bringing various genres of dances to the stage, yet all seemed to flow. Soon, he started dancing Girls’ Generation by SNSD, so she could copy. The aim was to fit the dance moves into a different song and still make it as though the choreography was made for the song.

It was probably one of the most awkward combinations, but they had so much fun. It was probably due to the silliness of the whole experience that the stage felt a lot less intimidating to her.

-

“Hello my lovely teacher!” He smirked cheekily once he turned up for her ‘lesson’. It had already been a week since their previous lesson, due to their busy training schedules. Fortunately, they were always able to catch each other during break, so they got to know each other really well. “But before we start, can you sing me a song first? I haven’t heard you sing yet.”

She rolled her eyes before standing up; holding the water bottle in her hand, pretending it was a microphone and started to sing Dancing by Elisa. (A/N: I recommend listening to the lyrics if you love this couple :D)

She sung passionately as she focused on her one and only audience, pouring all her emotions into the sung whilst she reached those high notes. Deep inside, she prayed that the words would reach him. She wished that he understood the meaning behind song, yet a small part of her told her not to doing anything irrational, because it would only make things even more difficult than it already was. 

He applauded sincerely the moment she gave her cute little bow. His smile shined like no other, showing how much he appreciated her performance. 

'Even if I can't debut, why would it matter? At least he appreciates my voice, isn't that already enough?'

“What was that song about? It was so beautiful! You were singing that to me weren’t you?”

For the first time, her face flushed to a bright shade of red; what was even worse was that he noticed it.

“It was, wasn't it?! What was the song about?! Tell me.” He whined childishly, clinging onto her arm.

“It means…my eyes only see you when you are dancing. It’s all your fault for being so good at it!” She was lying, and he knew it; but he decided not to bother her since there was no way he could prove it. There was too much English in the song for him.

“Well, I couldn’t stop staring at you when you were singing either. You were so pretty, did you know that? I was completely hypnotised.” He leaned closer to her, tucking her loose strands of hair behind her ear.

Her heartbeat raced like it never had been before. Even when she’d been dancing for six hours straight, never had her heart been pounding so frantically to the point she could barely breathe.

“Stop staring at me. Close your eyes.” He demanded in his adorable voice, causing butterflies to fly everywhere in her stomach.

“W-what?”

Just when she was least expecting it, he pressed his lips against hers.

It happened so quick that she didn’t know how to respond and found herself blinking constantly, not knowing if the scene before her was just her imagination. Her mind was having a mental war, arguing whether it was right for her to let the kiss continue. After all, she just turned thirteen, so it couldn’t possibly be love between them, could it? However, if it wasn’t love, why did she enjoy the kiss?

Although her brain was desperate for an answer, she allowed her eyelids to close once she felt him deepening the kiss. Undeniably, it was a moment she wanted to savour, especially knowing that their time together wouldn’t last.

--

‘Let me have this moment. Let me be bad this one time and I promise I’ll be good in the future; because after this, I know I’ll be able to leave comfortably.’ 

--

"Now, I'll sing you a song." 

To be continued...

Author's Note: Remember how I claimed this would be a one-shot? Well I got carried away, and I think it's going to be a two-shot because it's getting so long T_T

It was either splitting the chapter, or you guys would get something like a 10+ page chapter in word >_> 

So I've planned something slightly different for this couple, unlike my Lay & Baekhyun one-shot, these two are more 'lovey-dovey' and mature. *stares at Baekhyun in particular* 

Also, I've been reading your comments, and some people wanted a 'sequel' from various one-shots. Now, I'm thinking, would anyone read a long chaptered fic featuring all these couples? It would be like a set of series of what actually happen to these couples, so the one-shots are like prequels/side stories to the new fanfic. Would you guys read that? And if I do make one, do you guys have any specific requests? Like, would anyone have a problem if I add mature content in? (just asking xD)

Or...should I just stick to my one-shots? I mean, I've thought of quite a few...but quite frankly, I never thought my brain would get this active with the EXO one-shots >_> (So I'm so sorry that I'm starting so many fics here...)

Comment, tell me what you guys think please, and subscribe for part two :D

Oh, and...I HAVE FANS? asasdfghjk!!!!!

I <3 you guys 

[gif not mine]

Thank you for reading ^_^

//ShadowYin