Title: Firefly

Pairing: Sehun/Krystal; Sehun/Sulli

AU; University Life, ~5,200K

Because for Soojung, love has different definitions: for her, love is crush and longing combined.

Krystal loves to play the piano. It makes her remember of childhood, of her mother playing it with their relatives at the back, her little self at her mother’s side, too young to understand what a G Clef means, her sister Jessica singing along with her mother’s music, and her dear father at their right, smiling and proud of the family.

“I’m pretty sure I have learned this last summer. I shouldn’t be as bad.” She complained, slamming the keys as she finally gave up. Her fingers weren’t as practiced as it were before. She was unfortunate for not being the gifted daughter of a talented pianist. But Krystal tried.

“It will come back to you naturally, Krystal. Don’t worry. You just need to make it remember.”

“Well, I do hope it would, Sulli.”

Krystal decided to give it a shot next time, to play with the old piano at her home which has been unused for months now. Krystal thought forcing herself to play it this time would just make everyone in the practice room suffer from the horrible music she is making. And so, Krystal and Sulli decided to return back from practicing the dance number the class had been preparing since this morning for this weekend’s event in the college.

They were already half way done when Krystal heard it. Sulli asked what is wrong but Krystal was already gone.

“Wow. I didn’t know you know how to play the piano.”

Krystal was smiling when he looked up, with his spectacles on and awkward tie. Oh Sehun was in most of her classes, they got the same course anyway and it is just obvious the two of them would have the same subjects together. But they were far too different from each other. Krystal came from the city, outgoing and vocal while he came from the province, quiet and reserved and somehow that is how usually students are. They were never introduced but Krystal knows him, of course she knows him even it had been only two months when freshmen life started. He stands out a lot, or so in Krystal’s vision.

“Go on. I’ll just watch if you don’t mind, Sehun.”

Sehun hesitated at first, his fingers on top of the keys, wanting to play his favorite piano piece. “I just learned this one by ear though so don’t expect much.”

He smiled and Krystal accepted it.

Krystal loves to play the piano as much as she loves listening to it. The music felt like heaven in her ears, soothing her heart and making her feel so protected, so safe. Every note was medicine and Krystal likes to feel better.

He missed a note and for a moment, he hesitated and then, he continued. Krystal remembered then that Oh Sehun has a lot of flaws. Her friends pointed out how awful his province diction is every time he talks in front of the class, they would giggle and sometimes Sehun would catch her, Krystal would feel more embarrassed. He also doesn’t have a very good fashion sense and he talks about saving the environment most of the time, saying it has been his lifelong dream which he might not probably be able to achieve because his parents are against this ambition, that it is just a waste of tuition money. And then, Krystal’s friends would agree with his parents behind his back, nodding and saying it to use brown papers in groceries.

Oh Sehun has indeed a lot of flaws that Krystal knows of even before actually knowing him. But all of those seem to back away as he played the piano with his heart guiding him all throughout the piece, his fingers moving perfectly along the melody of his soul.

Krystal wasn’t sure if she was falling for his music or for Oh Sehun, the boy with so much flaws she didn’t bother much even at the beginning.

Krystal became sure of her feelings during the first week of Arts month, a number of weeks later that piano incident. It was when their professor asked Sehun and her to get the two boxes of art stuff on her table inside the faculty room. It wasn’t like Krystal, the class representative, had a choice (not to go) anyway so she went, Sehun trailing behind her. The faculty room was located at the other building so Krystal expected it would take them time. The piano incident was the last time they had talked and Krystal knew a conversation isn’t going to happen this time.

It was not until then when Krystal (and Sehun, she just knew) noticed a senior who knew both of them. The Senior probably had thought there is something going on with the two of them because she actually smiled at them in a teaseful way as if asking them when “it” had all started. Krystal blushed though she kept her face on the empty space in front of her. At her side, she felt Sehun shrugging, smiling sheepishly towards the senior as if saying it is not possible. Krystal thought it was cute.

The way towards the faculty room was slow and quiet. Probably, Krystal was just imagining it but to her, it felt like the gods had played stop and go with her because each step she takes seems like forever. She could also feel her heart beating, hard enough for her to hear it loud and clear. Thud, thud, thud. At least, she knew she is still alive.

The silence was killing her and it just made the situation a lot worse so Krystal started with, “Our Arts subject , don’t you think?”

“Yeah. I think it does.”

Krystal walked side by side with him this time and she just noticed that he got lisp. She thought it was cute and pretty weird that her friends never pointed it out to her. They probably had never noticed it, too.

Another dead silence and the awkward atmosphere started to fill in again. Krystal was wondering if Sehun felt the same awkward feeling, too. She wanted to ask but of course, she didn’t. Who would want to ask someone if you are feeling awkward like it is a normal thing?

On the other hand, Krystal was thankful she never had encountered with some people she knew or else they would start at how she and Sehun looked together or worse, they are going to tease them as couple. She just knew what would happen. And so she was thankful for that.

Just when the awkward feeling was eating her up, the fattest boy in their school who is friends with everyone and who everyone calls Fat Jorge because he wants (them) to, appeared in front of them.

“Hey, Fat Jorge.” Both of them greeted him. Fat Jorge probably do not know either of them but still he smiled, slapping his belly as what he usually do when he meets people who call him Fat Jorge. It became his habit. And this is the reason why he was popular around the university.

Krystal laughed, shaking her head as they passed through Fat Jorge.

“Have you seen his shirt? He was wearing a statement t-shirt.”

“Yeah, it was in foreign language though. Have you understood it?”

Sehun shook his head and Krystal laughed as she felt the same way, too. The conversation of Fat Jorge continued and Krystal was somehow glad that he showed up because Fat Jorge actually eased the atmosphere between them. The awkward silence was gone since then and Krystal thought the world went back to normal after that.

After putting down the big box each of them carried from the faculty room back to their Arts Class, Krystal resigned to her usual seat with a small smile on her face only she would notice and understand.

Because of that small walk she just had with Sehun, Krystal realized she really is starting to fall in love.

Krystal and her friends never bullied anyone in school. Or so, that’s what she thinks. Her friends are just probably the type of persons who love to point out the flaws in other people and laugh at those and sometimes copy it especially if it is a weird gesture or out of habit. Krystal never thought this as mean. They are her friends, of course she never thinks of them that way. But also because her friends never came to the point of actually embarrassing a person, they would never do that.

She was already in her second year in college. As a civil engineering student, Krystal found it hard coping up fast lessons and more maths and maths and maths. She would spend most of the nights writing notes and reading them after. And it’s not even an exam week she is owling for. She just felt the need to keep up with this hell of a course because she never wants to fail any of her subjects and eventually disappoint her parents.

It was half past two in the morning one time. She was in the middle of memorizing some formulas when the thought of Sehun came across her mind. It happened in a pop, she wasn’t expecting it. She was, after all, memorizing some sines and cosines, and okay, it’s all because she remembered the stare both of them shared earlier in the day, by the corridor on her way to canteen for lunch.

Sehun and she never talked even from the fact that they both are in the same degree, Civil Engineering. They almost had the same schedule because of the major subjects. Almost the same schedule except for PE2 since Krystal got football while Oh Sehun got Ballroom Dancing. Sulli told her one time that she had seen Oh Sehun lead the class one time, showing the class a dance move in front, on stage. Krystal scowled at it, saying he’s gay for it, and hiding the fact from everyone, including her best friend, that she likes him bit and more.

She felt guilty, of course. But it’s not a reason enough for her to tell them.

Third year of being a Civil Engineering major had come so fast. Krystal had decided to dye her hair blonde this time, some sort of protest. She was by the stairs, just at the side so students can still pass without disturbing her. She was busy writing, typing a letter for the college secretary. Her decision was final and even when she doesn’t want to disappoint her parents, the letter will be sent.

Half of their sophomore year, her best friend Sulli whispered to her ear during their study break at the library that she likes Sehun, yes the one with the flaws her friends pointed out for her. Krystal was really surprised she nearly got reprimanded by the librarian, who was unfortunately arranging some stacks of books nearby. She covered as more expressions of shock were coming out of . And it did continue until they went down, with Sulli only laughing and holding in her stomach.

Her crush for Sehun was a secret she had been holding in since the day her heart confirmed it. She was cautious not to get caught by her friends whenever she steals glances at him whenever he passes by their table during lunch or when Krystal accidentally mentions his name out of nowhere during silence or when her voice seems pitchy whenever he is nearby as she talks with her friends. Her friends hadn’t noticed any of this and she was overwhelmed for not being found out but with this news, what with Sulli having a crush on him and deciding he is hot after watching him dance in a certain dance sport in school last month, Krystal just couldn’t handle the surprise it gave her.

“I think Oh Sehun likes me back.” Sulli laughed. Krystal knew it’s not impossible to ever happen. Choi Jiri is a popular kid in school. She wasn’t that smart but she’s really tall and she’s pretty and she has a nice skin. Everyone likes to be with a jolly kid like her because she is always fun to be with. Unlike Krystal, Sulli is not boring, not even once in a million time, and she talks of sweet things that would make you want to hug her and just stay with her. Nobody, as in not a single living person can stand Choi Jinri’s aegyo and she always has the chance of getting away with whatever she wanted. And so, Krystal thought it is of no wonder that Oh Sehun l