a/n: Let's all pretend that they're all Koreans \(-_-)/

           It was another normal lunch break at school. At least that’s what he thought. As usual he sat there with Minseok and Kris. Minseok quietly munching his lunch while Kris had his earphone on and a book on his right hand, sipping a carton of milk, he was going to have a test after the lunch break.

            What not usual was he keep looking around the cafeteria, trying to find a certain someone. And as the said person entering the cafeteria, he straightened up a little. He was following him with his eyes and sipping his milk at the same time, when a little devil named Minseok decided to open his mouth,

            “You like him, don’t you?”

            He choked and coughed hard, but not before spit out his milk on Kris’s face.

            “What?” He half screamed before he grabbed a napkin, mumbling “I’m sorry Kris”, and helping the poor boy cleaning his face.

            “Your eyes keep following him since he walked through that door, beside, I was just asking, no need to wash Kris’s face with strawberry milk straight from your mouth.”

            “It was all your fault.”

            “Seriously? Was it my fault if you can’t keep your eyes to yourself?”

            “Whatever..”

            He bit his lips before he started to talk again.

            “Uh... Minseok..”

            “Yes?”

            “By any chance..”

            “Mhmmm...”

            “Do you know anything about him?”

            “Him?”

            “Him..”

            “Who?”

            “HIM!”

            “Did he has a name?”

            He sighed before saying “ZhangYixing” with the lowest tone he can do.

            Minseok smirked,

            “You really like him?” that was Kris who talks.

            “No! Just curious..” he tried to be as casual as possible, earning a chuckle from Kris.

            “Zhang Yixing, he doesn’t have a good reputation. He often skipped classes and he beats people. I heard he once slapped a girl who insisted to date him, I don’t know whether if that was true or not, but most students and teachers choose to not bothering him in any way or just avoid him as far as possible.”

            He nodded at Minseok’s explanation, “What about his friends?” he continued to ask.

            “Jongin is a famous street dancer at town, he won a lot of dance competition. Thus, he has a lot of enemies. Not enemies, more like people who don’t like him. He might seem harmless, but he made some people who tried to hurt him hospitalized. He knows how to protect himself.”

            “Oh, wow!” he thought. That was totally different from his first impression of that Jongin guy. He took a look to Jongin’s direction, the boy was laughing at something as he kept talking to his friends. Jongin has a really bright smile, he looks bubbly, who knows he can hospitalize someone.

            “As for Suho, I heard he came from a rich family, but his dad had an affair with another woman, and that was the end of his family’s happy life, and somehow, he ended up be friend with those two.”

            Now he looked at Suho, and a little bit surprised, he swore that that boy has different hair color every day. It was red the first time he saw him and then it’s black the other day, and now he has chestnut brown. He looked at him from head to toe, Suho indeed really handsome, he’s not really tall, but has slender body, with cute eyes and calming smile. He can see that Suho wearing a pair of shoes, which, he believes, expensive, and a watch that he might could never be able to buy.

            He continued his lunch with an occasional small talk battle with Minseok, earning a sharp “Shut up!” from Kris which they laugh at. If only he knew that Yixing had his eyes fixed on him for the rest of lunch break.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

            “Should I go there?” he talked to himself while walking back and forth in his room.  For some unknown reason he felt like he really want to met him again tonight. But what if Yixing thinks he’s a creep?

            “ it!” he thought. He changed into a pair of black jeans, a baby blue sweater and a dark blue padded jacket on top of it. He grabbed his phone and wallet before stepping out of his house.

            He stands in front of the convenient store for a few good minute before decided that he couldn’t stand the cold any longer. He pushed the store’s door,

            “Can I help.. oh, it’s you again” Yixing came out from the back of the store with a box in hand.

            “Hi!” he smiled at him.

            “Do you need something?” Yixing asked.

            “Uh.. I just... I... ” he really can’t think of a good reason.

            “Have nowhere to go?”

            “I guess..” he finally spoke as he looked down to the floor.

            “Coffee?”

            “Yes, please..”

            And there they were again, sitting on the stools inside the store just like the previous night.

            “What are you always doing around here alone at night?” Yixing broke the silence.

            “Avoiding my parents fight. I can’t stand them, that’s why I always walk around here alone. I just want to stay away from my house at least until the fight stopped.” He smiled a bitter smile.

            “Sorry to hear that” Yixing said.

            “Where did you live by the way?”

            “There’s a room on the back of this store, that’s where I stay, this store’s owner is really nice. He let me stay there for free.”

            He nodded, 

            “Where’re you parents?” he suddenly asked and regret it right after he finished his sentence. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to..”

            Yixing chuckled, and he thought his heart was going to explode when he heard his chuckle.

            “It’s okay, I have no parents. I was raised in an orphanage since I was a little, and adopted at age 6, but they always beat me, so I ran away from home when I was 15 and live alone since then. I try my best to continue my study, so at least, later, I can get a proper job and have a decent life, but I often skipped classes when I got extra job, I need to live too, however.”

            Yixing lowered his head and smiled, a sad smile, more to himself.

            “That’s not what I hear..” damn, he needs to learn how to shut his mouth.

            “What did you heard about me?” Yixing asked

            “Just some things.. not important..”

            “That I beat people and stuff?”

            “Yeah..”

            Yixing laughed, hard. “Seriously, I mean, I know how to fight, but it’s not like I was a part of a gang or something. And I bet you also heard a rumor about me slapped a girl or something?”

            He nodded,

            “That girl still butthurt about me don’t want to be her boyfriend isn’t she? She made up that story,” he ended his sentence with a faint laugh, and continued, “But I think it’s a good thing, so people wouldn’t try to bother me.” Yixing smiled again.

            He thought that was the most beautiful smile he ever seen in his life. And he found himself smiling too.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

            The next night he was standing in front of the store again, holding some books on his chest, and a bag on one of his shoulder. He was about to push the store’s door when someone pulled the door from inside, revealing Yixing with something like a trash bag on his right hand.

            “They’re fighting again, and I need to do my homework, can I....”

            “Come in!” Yixing said with a smile before he finished his sentence making him smile.

            “You can use my room, it’s not fancy, but it’s better than nothing.” Yixing said and proceeded to the back of the store with him trailing behind.

            Yixing’s room was just a small room, but it’s pretty nice. It’s clean, there’s a bed in the corner, and a table in the middle of the room with some of his school books on top of it, he even have a small TV which he placed on a small table on the foot of his bed. There are some boxes where he put his clothes. At least, this room is quite.

            “I still need to work for another hour, so I have to leave you alone here.”

            “It’s okay, it wouldn’t take that long to finish my homework”

            “Okay then, if you need something, you can ask” Yixing said before closed the room door.

            And since that day that’s how he spent his night. At Yixing’s place. He would do his homework or just watching TV there. And after Yixing closed the store they would have a dinner together, sometimes they would buy some take outs, and they would have ramen for some other day.

            They would talk about just anything, school and stuff, sometimes they would study together. He helped Yixing with his homeworks and study for tests.

            There are some nights when he can’t visit him because his friends are there, and at night like those, he felt time moving too slow for his standard.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

            “You look happier these days.” Kris said when they spent their time at his house doing homeworks.

            “Really?”

            “Yea, you look like someone in love. Have you met a nice girl? Or boy, whichever you prefer.”

            “No.” he said still refused to lift his face from his paper.

            “So?”

            “Nothing.” He finally lifted his head and gave his friends the best assuring smile he can manage to do and batting his lashes as cute as possible.

            Minseok snorted and exchanged glance with Kris before Kris patted his head. As long as he’s happy, his friend wouldn’t complain.

            That’s how his and Yixing’s relationship. Outside the store, they are strangers. Not even once they greeted each other at school. They didn’t know why, they just do.