-- Jongin’s POV --

It had been three months since they started going out and decided to give a big ‘ You’ to Kris and his bets and schemes.  They were so happy together, so cute, and every girl in the school just melted when they walked down the halls holding hands.  They had equaled each other out, neither one too outgoing nor too introverted any more.  They completed each other, and were probably soul mates.  They were inseparable. 

It had been three months since I realized I loved him and I have been in pain, such sweet aching pain, that wont ever go away.  I knew I needed to tell him, knew I had to get it off my chest or it would never stop hurting, but I didn’t want him to be pained or burdened by my unrequited love. 

During History class I passed him a note asking him to meet me behind the language portables for old times sake and because I needed to give him something.  I wasn’t sure he would actually come but I figured asking was better then suffering, so I just went for it.  History class ended, just before lunch, and I headed out to the language portables to wait for the boy I loved. 

“ Hey Jongin, its been a while eh?” Baekhyun, coming around the corner to meet me.

“ Yeah...” I was just awestruck at how pretty he was up close.  Although I could have remained friends and hung out with that group again, I had decided to avoid the pain and just hang out with Kibum and Co., as I liked to called them.

“ You said you had something to give me?” He asked with his head slightly cocked, bangs falling in his eyes and looking absolutely adorable. 

“ Kind of... more like something to tell you but its kinda giving you something too....” I just kinda stood there staring at the ground trying to word it properly in my head before I spoke for a long time and Baek was about to say something when I started, “ I love you... Like really love you.  I don’t even know how or why or when but all I know is when you and Chanyeol got back together I was happy for you and glad that you were happy but I still felt this pain in my heart and I haven’t gotten over it and it hurts me to even so much as look at you with him and I didn’t want to tell you because it would be a burden to you but I can’t live like that.  I’m giving you my heart Baekhyun.  I don’t expect you to take care of it, or reciprocate the motion, but please be kind to it.”

“ I... I don’t know what to do with it though...” Baekhyun almost whispered looking half defeated and half afraid.

“ Accept it.” I smiled at the older boy, the boy I loved, “ Then at least it can die content.” 

Baek smiled back at me and pulled me into a hug, “ Of course.” 

I felt lighter, happier, then I had in months when I woke up the next morning.  A ginormous weight had been lifted off my chest and I could breath again.  My morning was actually enjoyable and food started to taste good again.

As I entered the school, I felt oddly nervous because for the first time in a long time I actually noticed the people around me. “ Jongin!” someone called me and I turned to face the voice. 

I saw Luhan waving me over, but only really paid attention to the oddly smug expression on Baekhyun’s face.  “ Hey guys...” I mumbled shyly, glancing around the group. 

“ What happened to cocky Mr. Overconfident Kim Jongin?” Jongdae asked jokingly.

“ Oh, you didn’t hear?  He lost a bet and his planet-sized ego was mortally wounded and he retreated into hiding.” Junmyeon explained, causing laughter to erupt from everyone, including myself.

“ At least I’m not the one who got fined for streaking in the park...” I sassed back at the elder and everyone cheered.  Well, except for Junmyeon who looked like he was going to kill me, “ Anyway, what did you want, Luhan?” 

“ Oh! I wanted to introduce you to the new transfer student from China.  He’s an old friend of mine.” Luhan explained tugging on the arm of a boy who was practically hiding behind Sehun, “ This is Yixing, or Lay if you prefer.” 

Luhan then said something to the new student in Chinese and I though I recognized my name in and amongst the jumble of unfamiliar words.  

“ Hello... Umm... Luhan ge said you were a dancer...” Yixing mumbled in a thick accent that I found oddly endearing as he tried to figure out what he wanted to say.

“ Yixing really likes dancing, he’s been doing it since he was young.  I was hoping you would be able to help him find a place to dance thats nearby...” Luhan smiled and the boy next to him nodded along with him, “ I knew you took lessons so...” 

“ Yeah no problem.” I said smiling, this new kid was awfully cute... “ Actually if your into it I was hoping to make a dance club here at the school... There have to be at least two students in charge so I wan’t able to do it until now because no one would help me...” 

He looked lost for a minute before what I said seemed to click and he smiled brightly, nodding.  I noticed the single dimple that sat on his right cheek.  My stomach flipped a little and I didn’t know why but he made me want to take care of him...

I had shown Yixing around the school, and sat with him at lunch, and had promised him I would show him the school I dance at.  The minute the bell rang I headed to his classroom and dragged him away from Luhan with some muttered excuse that we were going to dance class.  

The drive was awkward.  I liked to listen to hip hop and rap music, but he was more of a ballads guy and I could tell he was uncomfortable so I just shut it off and we rode in silence, which was probably worse.  When we got there I asked my instructor if Yixing could be part of my class today, seeing as it was a private lesson.  He said yes and told me to warm up so I lead us into the change rooms to get into the clothes I needed.  I had some extra shorts Yixing borrowed and we went to warm up.

It wasn’t that awkward in the beginning, because we were just stretching, but once I started actually dancing I could feel the tension in the room.  The worst part was that I wasn’t sure what was causing it.  It could have been his eyes on me, or the way I was watching him watch me through the mirror, or the fact that neither of us liked the music my teacher had given us to warm up to, but whatever it was the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife.  

The mood lightened up when my teacher came in and started working on a dance with me.  He liked doing covers of kpop group dances with me, especially SM Ent. ones.  We had been working on SHINee’s Lucifer for the past couple of weeks and he wanted me to teach it to Yixing.  Apparently it would improve my dancing to teach it.

We worked for a solid hour, with only short water breaks, and my lesson was over too soon.  I hadn’t even noticed the time go by.  I almost automatically invited Yixing back to my house to hang out afterwards, and couldn’t quite understand the little flutter my heart did when he gave me a lopsided, single dimpled grin and a cute ‘why not?’.  He was quiet, shy, cute and not at all confident, basically how Baekhyun was before he started dating Chanyeol for real, which I guess would explain it but I still refused to believe that I could like someone after knowing them less than 24 hours.

I was proved wrong when Yixing turned out to be an awesome cook and offered to help my mum with dinner.  Well, actually, he and my mum had a mini kindness war where he didn’t want to make her cook him dinner and she just continued insisting so eventually they settled on him helping and she just continually thanked him and he just blushed... Which was stunningly adorable if I must say so myself.

Sitting in the kitchen and watching him cook was oddly relaxing, and the little squeaks he let out when the oil splattered or when he flipped something were melting me.  He was wearing one of my mum’s aprons and it looked adorable on his slightly girlish figure.  

We sat and ate dinner together with my mum because, thankfully, my dad wasn’t home yet.  I was really hoping he wouldn’t come home before Yixing left, I didn’t want the poor kid I just met to have to deal with that.

The food was good and we made light conversation while we talked, my mum asking after Yixing and how we met, where he was from and other such trivial things.  After we finish I lead him up to my room and sat on my bed, beckoning him over to sit next to me.

We were comfortably silent for a few minutes before I decided to speak up, “ Hey do you want me to drive you home when you’re ready to go?”

“ No, its fine... thanks though.” He smiled with a slight sheepish blush.

“ I don’t mind at all... are you sure?” I insisted really just wanting an excuse to spend a maximal amount of time with him despite the fact that I would see him tomorrow at school.

“ The bus never hurt anyone, Jongin-ah, I’m sure I can manage a little public transit.” He reassured me, but I still wanted to drive him.

I opened my mouth to speak when I heard my dad stumble through the front door.  Yixing looked at me oddly for a second and I realized my face had probably turned white.  This wasn’t good.  I didn’t want Yixing to see this, hear this... witness how damaged and ed up it all really was.  He didn’t need to understand why my mother was so timid... and I really didn’t need the pitying looks  he would surely give me.

“ Hey umm... maybe you should go... wouldn’t want you to miss your bus...” I faked a smile but knew he could tell.

“ Jongin my bus isn’t for almost an hour...” Yixing said slowly, confusion written harshly over his features.

“ Ah... right.... Well, I’ll drive you then okay?  Let’s go, come on.” I scrambled for my keys, heading in the general direction of the door.

“ Yah!” He yelled at me, “ Do you really want me to go that bad?  Do you dislike my presence that much?” 

I could see how much pain he was in, how hurt he was, how confused.  His eyes were red rimmed, his jaw was tight, his face was flushed red and furled brow sat above pained and angry eyes.  The emotional whiplash I had just put him through made my heart stop and I really wanted to tell him to stay, but he had to leave before it-

The sound of a plate crashing accompanied by the loud yelling of a man flipped everything around.  His face softened with understanding, while mine filled with fear and pain.  I could hear the anger in my father’s voice as he screamed at my mother.  The slap could be heard from my bedroom and it felt like a knife in the heart.

‘He must be drunk,’ I thought, “ He only hits her that hard when he’s too far from sober to realize I can hear it.”

I practically fell to the ground when I heard my mum cry when he hit her again, the sound of the slap ringing through the entire house.  My knees were weak and tears streamed down my face.

I looked up at the boy in front of me and mumbled, “ I wanted you to go so you wouldn’t have to see this...”

My body retreated into fetal position as the shouting and slapping continued, the pain of knowing my mother was both miserable and scared hurt me so much, especially because there was nothing to do about it.  I laid there waiting for him to leave, waiting for him to walk out and not want to be around me anymore like my best fried in elementary school, Kyungsoo, had.  I waited for him to become too afraid of this house to never want to come back.

I kept waiting and waiting, but it never happened, and it was only when he pulled me into his lap to stoke my hair that I realized it never would.  His fingers ran gingerly through my hair humming a song softly and rubbing my back comfortingly.  Raising my head slowly, I stared at him, trying to figure out what it was that was so special about him, why he stayed when everyone else had left; my aunt, my uncles, my friends, my cousins.... everyone had left, but not him.

“ Why did you stay?” I choked out through my slowing tears. 

“ Because you made me feel safe in the place I felt most terrified, and you deserve the same comfort.” He explained softly, and when I looked confused he added, “ School... I’m absolutely terrified or new people and places, and you showed me around and stayed with me all day... you made me feel safe...” 

He bit his lip indecisively before leaning forward and kissing me through my tears and sobs.  It was only a soft touch of the lips but it was enough.  I didn’t feel bad anymore, it was like he had absorbed it.  A healing touch, some would say, and I pressed back into it, kissing his harder and crawling onto his lap, letting his arms surround me.

And that was when it clicked, that was when everything fell into place, that was when I realized that I was actually kissing him in my mind, not Baekhyun.  It was also when I realized why.

Even though we had just met, even though I barely knew him, we had seen each other at our most vulnerable, and still didn’t turn away or try to hand each other off for someone else to deal with.  We had grown so oddly close just due to that... it was surprising really.

The biggest thing though, was that no matter how special the small, eye-liner clad diva/music geek Byun Baekhyun was to me, Yixing was special because no matter how much Baek made my heart flutter and my breathing hitch, or my blood boil with jealousy when he was with Chanyeol, I felt loved, cared for, and comforted with my new friend.

But, above all, Yixing made me feel safe and at home in the terrifying and foreign place I lived in.

Hey guys! Apologies if the ending was oddly depressing yet fluffy... actually sorry for the fluff... ahaha anyway hope you all liked it :)

I was going to end it with Kaisoo but decided Lay worked better for the plot so I hope I didn't just ruin someone's OTP or something... T-T

Anyway, please comment and upvote, and thanks to all my new and old subscribers alike (and a special thanks to any future ones :P)

Thanks so much guys (AND PLEASE COMMENT!!!)

~ Jocelyn xoxo