The knocking at the apartment door managed to be heard through the teachers voice, Zitao tugging out the headphones of his phone. He'd used it to record all his classes, it allowed him to listen and rewind over sections he didn't quite understand yet. Notes were being jotted down in half Korean and half Chinese, as Tao hoped to better his Korean through use of the language. With his phone still in his hand, he opened up the door to meet the face of Lu Han who was soaked with rain and a stranger who was in the same state. It was only with the door open and his headphones out that he now heard the rain pouring down outside. 

"Is Sehunnie here?" Lu Han didn't greet the other, only posed the question wrung with anxiety.

Tao scratched his head a little and nodded. Sehun was in the bedroom, ice pack pressed to his side and currently in silent protest. From what Zitao had understood of the words the boy had said to him after he'd finished helping bandage and put on the cream. The other had fought for a while, giving up when the pain became too much and Tao thanked him for letting him help.

It didn't take long for Lu Han to pushed off his shoes, and begin to move past Tao. "Is he okay? Do you know why he isn't answering his phone?"

Why did Tao suddenly feel like he'd done something wrong? The continual ringing had bothered Tao and Sehun had said ignore it, so he'd turned it on silent and left it on the kitchen bench. Sehun probably hadn't even known it was ringing. But the boy didn't respond, instead Lu Han seemed to walk further into the apartment and soon found the other boys room.

"Sehunnie! Why didn't you answer your phone? I've been calling," Lu Han's voice made Sehun look up from the screen of his handheld game.

Sehun couldn't tell if his friend was annoyed or relieved, but the older male was definitely wet from the sudden rainfall. He was even wiping away the droplets from his shoulders and hair.

"Ask Zitao where it is? He won't let me leave this bed," the younger boy protested as the Chinese culprit stepped into the room. "He hit me with a stick and now he won't let me do anything."

The protesting and tattle tale-ing made pain stab violently from his ribs, and Sehun pressed his elbow against the ice pack at an attempt to numb away the pain with the cold. It didn't take much for the discomfort and pain to make Sehun regret almost everything he did. He couldn't even angrily huff out air or lie on his back. All he could do was crumble up on the side that didn't hurt, balance the ice pack on his sore ribs and control his breathing.

"What happened?" Lu Han's question was directed at both of the younger boys.

Zitao was the first to answer, the Chinese made Sehun cringe a little. It bothered him that he couldn't understand what the other was saying. Maybe it bothered him more because he wanted Lu Han to take his side. As childish as that was.

When movement caught the corner of Sehun's eyes, he glanced up to see a familiar face. "Minseok-hyung?" 

"Annyeong Sehunnie," the other greeted in an awkward manner from the doorway.

"Tao says you approached him while he was practicing and it was an accident," Lu Han's tone sounded like it was taking Tao's side. "And you wouldn't go to a hospital like he wanted, so he has to keep an eye on you."

"He should have been paying attention," Sehun pursed his lips and brought his hand to the ice pack, wishing it would ease the pain more. "And he stripped me twice, and touched me when I said no."

The words seemed to cause Zitao to get flustered and start insisting something in Chinese.

"He said he needed to make sure nothing was broken, and that it has nothing..." Lu Han faltered, and Sehun watched his close friend give the Chinese boy who had taken a position of hiding behind him.

Suddenly the two Chinese students were having a conversation amongst themselves, and Sehun's eyes flickered to Min-seok who was already straightening out things in Sehun's room. The cupboard where Sehun and Tao stacked their books was now neatly straightened out. Min-seok using his fingers to align them as he always did. One day Lu Han and Sehun had left Min-seok on his own while they rushed to get ice cream from the convenience store and Sehun came back to find Min-seok sorting out his collection of figurines.

"What are you doing here?" Sehun questioned, squeezing one eye shut as he shifted inches and lifted up the ice pack. It wasn't cold anymore.

"I drove Lu Han, and I closed the front door. Your friend left it open, I hope that's okay," Min-seok explained quickly tucking his hands to his side before he once more stood awkwardly. He didn't know where to stand or what to do.

Sehun laughed for a second, then in a breath sharply when pain throbbed unexpectedly. 

"Sehunnie," Lu Han seemed amused by something now. "I have to go. I just wanted to make sure you were still alive."

"But what about Zitao?"

"I have to go find Xing Xing, I'll text you. Tao will give you your phone back. He didn't realize," Lu Han spoke as he began ushering Min-seok out, the other boy just as confused as Sehun was. He heard them share words outside the room, but he couldn't hear it. 

There were loud goodbyes before the sound of the front door being opened and closed came from the other room. The two older boys had fled fast and Sehun felt suspicion grow. He dropped the handheld aside, and brought his hand to play with the ice pack.

Zitao had begun to pad after them slowly, but was stopped when Sehun called his name, the Korean boy looking up at him from the bed with an odd expression. The ice pack was in his hands as he played with the gel inside, shifting it from one hand to the other. It didn't look like it was frozen anymore. Tao scratched his neck. Had Lu Han told Sehun what he said? It'd slipped out while he was defending himself. 

'I didn't do it because I'm gay. It has nothing to do with liking him.' 

"It's not frozen," Sehun held out the ice pack, his face now showing confusion and apprehension. But his eyes shifted to the empty door way and then he shook his head. 

Tao understood the meaning with the ice pack being held out and the words he knew. With the ice pack in his hands, Tao was quick to flee into the kitchen. Even if Sehun didn't know what he said, Zitao had said it right in front of the other. What would Sehun think after what had happened? It was innocent. The Chinese boy had honestly only wanted to help, and to check the site of the bruising. To make sure the ribs weren't broken. But he'd been misunderstood before and that had no ended well for him. Then they had to share a room, and Zitao didn't want to make that an uncomfortable situation.

He'd kept his preference a secret, but he was never good with secrets. Enough pressure and he'd give out every detail.

The freezer was opened and Tao shuffled around the food, chewing on his lip and agitatedly moving his feet. There was no other ice pack. He didn't want to go back in the room yet either. His fingers curled at the back of his neck as he began to mutter to himself. Scold himself for having not control over his mouth and making a fool of himself. He'd told himself before he came to Korea, that he would focus on studying and do well. That he'd make friends and be warm and fun. He was told more than once that he could seem a little off-putting to people who didn't understand his personality.

But then Sehun had been there to pick him up at the airport.

They didn't get along well, and they kept misunderstanding one another. They couldn't communicate casually.

And Sehun didn't seem to like him much at all. A distinct vibe that Tao picked up whenever Sehun had to repeat himself or insisted on something that Tao didn't want to do because he wasn't sure about it. Although, Sehun seemed to be getting better, Zitao had only grown more hesitant. Why was Sehun being nicer? One hand held out to help meant a hand was behind Sehun's back doing something else. Or maybe Zitao was just too distrusting.

Too scared to let himself get close to Sehun because of how attractive the other was.

He's not attractive. 

Zitao shook his head as he pulled out what looked like a tray of ice and exhaled, trying to focus his mind on the task at hand. It would have to do. He replaced the tray of ice with the ice pack and turned to begin to the sink. It didn't take long to get out the ice cubes or to realize he had no idea what he could do or use to wrap around them. He couldn't exactly hand them over to Sehun. 

- - -

Sehun's eyes could only absorb so much of his bedroom before it got boring. Two cupboards with draws open and stuffed with any clothes that weren't handing from various corners or the back of the desk chair. A wardrobe cracked open, video games, books and Manga stacked up on various surfaces. Jewelry and belts spotted. If anyone saw the room, they could tell it was inhabited by males. He knew every time Min-seok saw the room, the older male probably died with despair. Even Lu Han had commented that Sehun was a mess. Zitao was actually pretty clean, his suitcases placed in the cleanest corner of the room. He seemed to take up as little space as possible. He hadn't even unpacked his clothes, despite Sehun saying he could. Tao even made his bed. It sat against wall behind Sehun, matching pair of Sehun's own bed.

Tao was taking what felt like a long time, and Sehun could the music still playing quietly under the sound of rain. It seemed like it had gotten heavier suddenly. The numbness that Sehun had associated with the cold ice pack was fading, and he could feel the irritation of pain returning. He shuffled some things around in an awkward manner, trying not to move much, but it still hurt when he found the source of the music. His handheld. The game still playing where he'd left it. There was not much else he could do.

When Tao returned to the room shirtless, Sehun was more than taken aback by his appearance. At first, he hadn't realized, his attention focused on the colourful screen of the handheld.  But now his eyes were firmly on the other male who held a wrapped up bundle in his hands and had no shirt. 

"Here," Zitao's Korean came with awkward pronounciation as he held out the bundle. 

Sehun couldn't help but notice Zitao's stomach muscles move and flew as he breathed. The blonde male blinked a couple times as he tried to take in the situation. But Tao didn't seem to want to wait, the male moving closer and soon nudging up Sehun's shirt. His fingers finding the tape they'd used to put down the edges of the bandage they'd placed over the bruising. 

Not again!

"Stop, what are you doing? Where's your shirt?" Sehun dropped the handheld, catching Tao's hands before the other did anything else.

The bundle Zitao had brushed over Sehun's skin causing him to shiver it was wet and freezing cold. Ice pack. Sehun found Zitao was looking away again. Like he had in the pharmacy. Was he feeling his way through? Sehun felt embarrassed and frustrated at the same time. Why couldn't the other have just said it was ice? Why couldn't he have just handed it to him? And why did his shirt have to come up again? 

Tao must have noticed Sehun's reaction, as he soon began to force Sehun's hands open and placed the cold bundle in them, even curling Sehun's hand where he had had his before. That's when Sehun realized the fabric was soaked wet, and very cold.

And Tao's shirt. Why had he used his shirt?

But Sehun could see his question wasn't going to be answered, as Zitao soon leaned away and headed to his corner. Like he always did when he was getting changed or dressed. Nothing said, just the sound of zippers and shuffling of items packed in the suitcases.

Sehun kept hold of the bundle, still not quite caught up with what was happening or what he was meant to do. 

With a shirt on, Zitao soon stood in front of Sehun again and motioned to his side. Like he was playing a game of charades with dazed Sehun.

The blonde boy watched the other do the movements again, and he felt the cold liquid run down his arm. Tao wanted him to put it on his side, but he must have done something wrong. Because as soon as he placed the cold bundle to his sore ribs, Zitao shook his head and tugged at his shirt before he spoke.

"It'll get wet."

Sehun lifted up the bundle, to see the wet patch that had already formed in the fabric of his shirt. That was why Zitao had been lifting up his shirt. To keep it from getting wet. Curse words came from Sehun's lips and he exhaled too sharply; hot pain radiated through his body. He put the bundle back down and pressed the make-shift ice pack down to ease some of the pain. It was colder than the one before, or maybe it was because it was wet. The shivers were involuntary and caused a slight pain which made Sehun cringe a for a brief moment. 

"Swelling?" Zitao paused with a breath and moved his hands a little. He seemed to doubt his wording when confusion creased his face.

As soon as Sehun slid his hand under the bundle, pressing his fingers lightly to his ribs and biting his lip in pain, Tao seemed to assume he was correct.

"It'll get better," Tao spoke with an amount of certainty and Sehun realized that the other had been pretty sure of himself through the whole ordeal. But then, Sehun couldn't help but assume it had to do with the fact that Zitao clearly knew some form of combat.

- - -

While Sehun played his game, he sometimes glanced up at Zitao, who had headphones in his ears and a textbook in his lap. He was diligently studying even when Sehun's mother returned home from work to cook dinner. The woman was surprised to find her son curled up in bed in pain, and while being given the story she couldn't help but comment that they shouldn't be fighting. Sehun got the brunt of the scolding, his mother telling him to be more careful and that he should have known better. She even asked to examine the bruising, but Sehun only just managed to avoid being checked over by his mother. A scene Sehun would have died of, if he let it happen. He was a university student, not a five year old. Not that the huff of breath truly helped his case.

Zitao didn't leave Sehun's side very often, he sat on the floor between their beds, his back against the frame of his own so he could keep an eye on Sehun. Not that the boy would have known that was the reason. The only time he got up was to get anything Sehun asked for, to change the ice pack and when Sehun's mother called both their names. They'd left their bags in the kitchen. The Chinese boy apologized as he gathered up his and Sehun's bags, and was about to turn and leave when he heard his name again. Sehun's mother smiled at him as she placed the phone in his hand and nodded her head. 

"Xiexie," he thanked her, arms truly full and carefully made his way to Sehun's room.

He handed Sehun his phone, placing the Korean boys bag at the end of his bed and then his own bag at the end of his own. A strange noise came from Sehun before a small laugh. There was a glance over at the injured boy on his bed, and Tao caught sight of what looked like pictures of kittens on Sehun's phone. The boy was flicking through them and Tao tilted his head. Yixing was in the pictures with the kittens. 

"What's that?" Zitao spoke Korean again.

"Yixing brought home kittens. They sent me photos," Sehun smiled happily as he shifted his body a little; the pain had faded a small amount after a few hours. "See?"

Sehun had an impartial and complete fondness for kittens. It'd been like that since his teen years, but his parents never allowed him to have one. He his lips, biting back the smile when he realized Zitao didn't quite seem to understand why the pictures had made him so happy. In fact, Tao studied him with the most curious look. 

The Korean boy faltered a little, suddenly self-conscious. 

- - -

Zitao couldn't help but think that Sehun was more handsome when he was smiling happily.

It was a feeling that he liked and hated at once. He was trying so hard to not be attracted to Sehun, and he seemed to have suceeded in making the other dislike him. If only his own feelings were easier to alter. He was already starting to find Sehun's annoyance cute, and that was a bad sign.

"You must like dogs," Sehun spoke in a disgruntled fashion before he shifted away from Tao, deciding to keep the pictures to himself instead.

Tao soon sat back down next to his discarded text book and phone. It was almost too easy to make Sehun dislike him.