Sulay

Suho’s POV

It was definitely not easy trying to get Yixing to open up. He was such a quiet boy that on good days, he would say about fifty words in total. He hardly talked, often just listening and nodding. The only time when I could actually get a glimpse of what was going on in his mind was when he danced.

The memory of the first time I saw him dance was forever etched in my mind. I would never forget that sight. I wasn’t born with the gift to dance. For me, the art of dancing was an art of learning and constant practice. I learnt each move step by step diligently. Being able to dance a full routine was never easy and it often took me a month to completely master a routine.

But Yixing…

He was a whole new different level.

His entire being defined dance.

It was as if dancing freed his soul as he executed each movement with such elegance and ease. He danced like light on water. The way his muscles flexed and relaxed was masculine and certain. The more I watched him dance to random music, the more I looked with all of me, not just my eyes, and eventually I understood the meaning of his dance. It was beautiful the way he expressed himself through dancing freestyle. I could see the insecurity and lack of confidence that led to his introversion. And I saw the way dance gave him strength and courage. Sometimes I wanted to stop watching because it was so sad, but I couldn't turn away because it was so breathtakingly beautiful. The more he dance, the more he became at ease with his insecurities, the more beautiful his movements became.

Then one day, I decided that the best way to approach him and get to know him better was through dance. While talking to him did allow me to know him better, it only peeled a few layers off his onion-like self. It was safe to say that out of the trainees, he was closest to me. But close wasn’t what I was aiming for. At the bare minimum, I wanted to be a friend for him, to be the person he would turn to when he had problems.

He could master dance routines in a matter of days so I figured he could tutor the slightly dance-challenged me.

And I was right.

Dance did bring us closer.

Although it took days for me to convince him to teach me some dance moves, he finally caved in. We bonded over dance, spending most of our days together. Often after a tiring dance session, I would bring him around Seoul and introduce him to the vibrant culture of my country. Slowly, very slowly, our friendship blossomed.

It completely warmed my heart the first time he spoke of his troubles to me. I had such a hard time trying not to grin while he was talking to me but I couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that he CHOSE me! I was ecstatic! The more he confided in me, the more I learnt about him. He listened to my problems as well naturally and often giving me objective and excellent advice. We soon became each other’s trusted confidante.

What started out as a friendship slowly developed into something more. I found myself slowly falling in love with him as I got to know his gentle and sensitive soul. I woke up every morning with eager anticipation for our dance session together. And when we were so tantalizingly close as he stood close to correct my moves, I couldn’t help but savour the feel of him against my body, the light scent of his cologne, the look in his eyes that told me that I was the centre of his universe. And I knew the feeling was mutual. It was a new and totally overwhelming experience.

I asked him out, three years after the day I first met him.

I first held his hand, half a year later.

I first kissed him, another half a year later.

I initiated most of the times but I didn’t bother me much. I never once questioned his feelings for me. The solid friendship we had before becoming a couple had allowed me to fully understand his personality. He didn’t often say words of endearment or initiate skinship but occasionally when he did do something, the impact was so unbelievable. Knowing his personality, I knew what it took for him to make those moves and it touched me deeper than any tangible gift he could give me.

But more than that, the look in his eyes was enough for me to know that he did love me. In the bedroom, however, he became a completely different person.

But I’ll leave that story for another time.

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Lay’s POV

He was very nice to me.

We became friends.

I taught him how to dance. He showed me how to be myself.

We slowly became more than just friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now I love him. So very much.

 

 

 

Because he loves me as me.

Because I am me when I am with him.

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Taoris

Tao’s POV

“NIHAO! My name is Zitao!” I bowed the moment I opened the door to the training room and greeted loudly.

As I straightened, I came face to face with five pairs of bewildered eyes staring at me incredulously. After a long pause, one boy, whose entire being seemed to scream ‘grandfather’, walked up to me. He held out one hand and patted me on my arm, saying something that I couldn’t understand. Must be Korean.

Another boy walked up to join him and spoke Chinese in a quiet, calm voice.

“He said you must be the new trainee. Welcome. His name is Suho. And mine is Yixing. Nice to meet you.” He held a hand out to me and I shook it with a huge grin. I was so excited to finally be here. This was the company that I had heard some much about! It had produced some of the most famous boy bands in Korea and I couldn’t wait to stand my idol career here as well.  The rest introduced themselves and I struggled to remember all the five names. Suho, Yixing, Jongin, Luhan and um… ah, Sehun. They all looked very nice and kind, I made the right decision to come here!

Suddenly the door swung open and a super tall guy stepped in.

With every step he took, he emanated power and authority simply by his charisma and force as he strode into the trainee room. Right from the get-go, I was awe-struck by this divine heavenly being that had just entered the room. My jaw dropped and I stared shamelessly at the impossibly handsome face. I had never seen anyone this good-looking in my life and coupled with those long endless legs, he looked out of this world. To be honest, he looked even better than many of the idols who had already debuted. Instantly, I had idolised him and made him my personal life aspiration. He was the kind of guy that I wanted to become, oozing with overflowing charisma, making girls swoon with just one look.

Yes. Definitely the right decision.

He gave me an once-over before turning to one of the guys, Luhan I think, and asked, “Who is this?” His voice was so attractive!

“NIHAO! My name is Zitao!” I bowed again and enthusiastically repeated my greeting.

He turned to glance at me once more before turning away again and walking over to Jongin.

Suho walked up to me and spoke to me in awkward Chinese, “He, um, is Kris. He is a trainee here too.”

“Kris,” I let his name roll off my tongue.

Even his name was charismatic and y.

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Kris’s POV

Apparently the new boy had taken a liking to me.

It was hard not to notice when he followed me around everywhere like a little puppy. I ignored him most of the time but every time I looked up, somehow without fail, our eyes would meet. It was part annoying, part flattering. Though he kept his distance, he was constantly watching me.

One day, he was trailing behind me as usual as I was making my way back to the dorm that SM had provided for the Chinese trainees. Since Luhan stayed with Sehun and Yixing stayed behind to train with Junmyeon, it was just me and him walking back every night. I generally just ignored him and he would follow me quietly like a shadow. But this night was going to be somewhat different from other nights. Some commotion in a dark alley caught our attention and before I knew it, I felt a rush of air swept past my body as Zitao flew past me and headed straight into the dark alley. Worry coursed through my veins. This boy. He was still relatively new to the country, but didn’t he know how dangerous Korea’s alleys were? They were filled with gangs and tattooed men that screamed danger and yet he just ran straight into an alley?! I wanted not to care but somehow my paternal instincts ignited. As an older hyung, I felt like I had a responsibility to him and to the company to protect him.

So after a moment of hesitation, I sprinted after him. What a sight greeted me. One man was spawned on the ground, . Sehun and Luhan were there too! They were huddled together against the wall with their faces covered in cuts and bruises. And Zitao was fighting off other guys. The situation finally dawned on me as I rushed into the fight to assist him. He must have saw Luhan and Sehun and rushed in to protect them. With our height to our advantage and the agility gained from our dance training, the two of us easily subdued the attackers, working together as a team to throw out punches and kicks.

From that day onwards, my admiration for his loyalty and strong sense of comradeship grew. The way he stepped into protect a fellow trainee was a trait that I truly respect. Of course, I didn’t tell him that, let alone show that I was impressed by him. But I did open up to him. Talking to him, striking up a conversation with him.

“Tao, no.”

“Tao, no.”

“Tao, no.”

But that was how our conversations mostly were on my side. He was still young and extremely curious, always wanting to try this or do that, just like a little kid. I often felt like a father trying my hardest to discipline and teach this playful curious youngster. But there were times when I did cave in. Buying him Gucci was one of them. I used it in a reward system, buying him a branded bag when he reached a new level of dancing or when his rapping had improved. That meant about one bag every few months. It served as an encouragement, a motivation, to give him something to ease the long trainee years.

I didn’t know when it all started but he took his idolising of me to another level. One day, it became apparent to me that he was beginning to imitate me. The way I dressed, the way I walked, the way I spoke. At first I thought that it was just a harmless phase that he was going through. But as time passed, I saw that it was becoming more and more serious. I had been meaning to sit him down and talk to him about it but I didn’t really have a chance.

One day, I just came out of a horrible session in the recording room. My rapping had just hit an all time low and I just couldn’t up my game. I felt so frustrated and irritable so when I saw Zitao walk into the room wearing the exact same outfit as me just in a different colour, I lost it.

“Who said you could wear the same outfit as me?” I growled.

“But…” His eyes widened in shock at the sudden hostility in my voice.

“But what? Stop copying me. I hate it!” The words just blurted out of my mouth and immediately I felt the remorse and guilt creep in. But my pride stood in the way of me trying to retract my words. Instead I stood there and glared at him. His eyes brimmed with tears as he took in my words. And then he his heels and darted out of the room.

I stood at the same spot, unmoving for a while before my eyes scanned my surroundings. All the other members were staring at me with such accusing eyes as if I had just committed a murder.

“What?!” I said, raising my chin slightly.

Even the normally non-judging Yixing was shaking his head in disappointment. Junmyeon just said, “Must you be so harsh towards him?” I knew I was harsh and I didn’t need to hear it from them so I just angrily walked out of the door and entered another empty training room. In there, I paced and stewed and second-guessed myself for another forty minutes, all the while keeping my ears perked for any sounds that indicated his return. None. I paced for another ten minutes before I grabbed my car keys and dashed out of the room.

I checked the whole SM building and he was nowhere to be found. He had left the building. Where would he go?! I searched the streets, driving around the area, keeping my eyes peeled for the tall boy. But I just couldn’t find him! Worry turned into panic as I frantically drove around searching for him. I kept calling Junmyeon to see if he had returned to the building but the answer was always no. Eventually I stopped the car at a secluded road and raked my brain. Where would he have gone?!

Suddenly it dawned on me.

I started the engine once more and zoomed off.

 

 

 

 

And I was right.

There he was, huddled with his face pressed against the glass.

 

 

 

The glass of the storefront of Gucci’s Korean flagship store. 

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Tao’s POV

Staring at the Gucci bags on display comforted me.

Just a little. Because they reminded me of him.

But it was better than nothing at all.

It was so late at night that there was no one on the street. The shop had been closed for a long time now. There was no one to stop me from sitting here on the pavement and staring at my bags. Kris’s words resounded loudly in my head. And it stung badly. Still did. I had been nothing but a burden and a nuisance to him all this while. So that was how he felt. All I wanted was to be like him. All I wanted was to mean something to him the way he meant to me. I just wanted to be someone in his eyes. I just wanted to have a hyung like him. Why couldn’t he see that? Was I too clingy? Was I wrong to want all that?

I was so deep in thought that I hardly registered that a car had pulled up beside me.

“Get in.”

A familiar voice pulled me out of my thoughts and I slowly turned to face the owner of that voice.

What was he doing here?

“Get in. Don’t let me repeat myself again.”

I was so exhausted I could barely walk but I stood up anyways. My legs had fallen asleep from sitting so long and it was all I could do to move in a straight line. Nevertheless, I got into the car and he stepped on the pedal the moment I put my seatbelt on. Silence filled the car as neither of us spoke. Darkness had descended, and only brief flashes of light from street lamps and other vehicles illuminated the interior of the car.

I settled an unsure glance at his sharp profile which was washed with a green glow from the dash. I couldn’t decipher his expression and he kept his eyes on the road. Then he reached back to grab something before handing it to me. 

“Here, eat this.”

I looked down and saw a burger. “No.”

“Tao,” he inserted, “You’ve eaten absolutely nothing since noon. If you don’t eat this, you’ll make yourself sick.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Stop being so childish and just eat. Pride isn’t going to fill your stomach.”

And at that very moment, my stomach had to let out a loud growl. Flushing with embarrassment, I snatched the burger out of his hand as dignified as I could and slowly ate it.

“Listen, Zitao.” His voice softened. “It’s not that I hate it when you copy me. That was just my irritation speaking. It is an honour that you want to copy me. It’s just that soon you’ll be debuting, you’ll be an idol. So it is important for you to have your own style. It is important to have your own colour. I never told you before but the way you so readily stepped in to protect Sehun and Luhan in the alley that day was really cool and I truly admire you for that. You may think that I am cool, but you’re pretty cool yourself. Be yourself. When you debut, debut as yourself. Do you get where I am coming from?”

I wanted to disregard his words but I knew that they held some truth.

“And I am very sorry for the words I said to you today. There were mean and completely uncalled for. I am sorry.” The remorse shone in his eyes though they remained on the road. The sincerity in his voice made me stop eating midway to stare at me.

Even when apologising, he seemed so manly and charismatic.

“Are you listening?” He turned to look at him. When our eyes met, I turned away in embarrassment and quickly nodded. He continued, Heat rushed up to my face as I kept my eyes fixed on the buildings outside. My heart was pounding so hard that I could almost hear it. What was this feeling?

Admiration? No, it felt different.

Gratefulness? Nope.

Shock? Maybe.

 

Love?

Ah.

 

 

 

 

I was falling in love.

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A/N: here's some Sulay and Taoris, to tide you guys through (though it was more for me though, waiting for the concert is killing me.WHEN is that concert gonna air? GAH!)

Those who asked for Taoris, fpower, nicolebunnykpop and dragonxpanda, hope you like it ^^