They train three days a week. Or at least that's how it is in the beginning. Lay says he has to go to work and he probably really has to. Kai asks him what he's doing with his life, besides dancing, that is, but as they are not exactly in the required terms of acquaintance to share such information, Lay doesn't answer and just shrugs shoulders while stretching his legs on the barre.

It's mostly sweat and heavy breathing and cold remarks between them and Lay honestly doesn't like Kai, not even one bit, but Kai is hell of a tutor, so he remains patient, albeit very reluctant so.

It's when their meetings increase not only by hours, but to five days a week when Kai insists to be informed what Yixing's occupation is. He is somewhat startled to find out the Chinese boy is majoring in sound engineering .

“How do you even survive with no money?”

They are resting on the floor, backs leaning onto the leather frame of the couch. Yixing hates feeling stinky and pressured to share personal stuff with people he barely knows at the same time, but Kai doesn't seem like he will stop with the interrogation any soon. How can a person be so thick-headed?

“I had a job, obviously. I worked in a library, but took a break so I could concentrate on dancing for some time. I asked my parents to support me during these few months.”

“So you keep in touch with them?”

“Not as much as I do with my grandparents. But yes, in general I do.”

Kai doesn't say anything and Yixing is left with nothing else but to go and change his clothes. He thinks trying to be mysterious and cold has to be a Korean thing because he can swear, in China when a person starts a conversation it doesn't, most of the times, begin and end so out of the blue like a fiction novel.

~

Once he understands the basics of Kai's exercise routine, Yixing quickly masters it and must, therefore, start a wholly new one. If he knew more about ballet, he'd figure out Kai was giving him some unnecessary instructions, but hence his illiteracy on the matter, all he does is trying his best to follow them. And at some point he himself starts noticing the difference. Funny thing it's not the difference in his own style that captures his attention, but the way Kai's attitude towards him is progressively changing. Before the tanned boy used to explain a lot and dance along with Yixing until perfection was reached or disdained at the end, depending on Kai's mood. Nowdays he just observes quietly from behind once Yixing has memorized the moves and it was up to the Chinese boy to clear his own mistakes and work on visualizing his performance. Rather than hating this method, Yixing is more concerned if it would actually help him do any better. He is here for the specified instructions after all, not for ballet itself.

“How can I learn if you just stand there?” - He asks when worry overtakes trust.

“I have showed you all you need to know. You are not an amateur to need constant repeat, Yixing. Just focus on repetition. You will see it'll be worth it.”

~

“That's enough for today. Let's go and eat, I am starving” - Kai says one day.

“Jongin, I came two hours ago, I've basically done nothing.”

But Kai isn't that stupid.

“By the way you shift your weight while dancing and your facial expressions I can see your leg is in pain. I don't know if you have wrenched it or it's something else, but you can't afford time to let it heal if it gets any serious. Take a rest and we'll continue tomorrow.”

Yixing can't say he isn't surprised by Jongin's empathy, or what looks like it, but he's also a little annoyed. So what if his leg hurts a little, he has trained every single day before with his waist aching to the point where all he could feel was a sharp pain running through his body and the wish to just quit, quit everything. If he hadn't done it back then why would he do it now when he could perfectly ignore the throbbing in his ankle?

“I don't want to stop, that's just a waste of time either. It doesn't hurt a lot an...”

“Let me paraphrase” - Kai cuts him off, throwing Yixing's towel at him, sharpness leaking through his features and wrapping up in his voice. - “I don't care what you want. As long as you come to my studio you will do what you are told. And now I am telling you to shut the up and go change your clothes. I am not going out with you if you look like that.”

Yixing does eventually go in the changing room and doesn't come a long time after. He knows Kai is waiting for him, but facing him right now would probably be a bad decision. Infuriated and humiliated and like crap, that's how Yixing feels although he doesn't get out of control easy, but he's afraid that he might just explode any second now and it won't do Kai justice if he does. Yixing takes his clothes off and goes under the shower, the hot water reddening his fair skin, washing his anger away and clearing his mind. He turns his face to the stream, staying like that for a minute with closed eyes.

~

“Well, it was about time. I thought we'd have eat dinner instead of lunch if you winded off much longer”- Kai dryly voices, hands crossed in front of his chest. He is wearing a denim jacket over simple white tank top, bleached skinny jeans wrapped up over his even skinnier legs.

“Why do you want to spend time with me anyway?” - Yixing asks, ignoring Kai's mourning completely.

“Just so. What's the big deal?”

“I don't know. It's strange.”

“Not really, I am just trying to be friends” - Kai says like it's nothing but normal and it really is, only not for him. - “Besides, you are my hyung, aren't you? I can learn a lot from you.”

Yixing would laugh, but the blank look on Kai's face shows no sign of joking and his laugh dies at the back of his throat as he swallows uncomfortably.

“I thought I was the one who was learning.”

“That's only ballet. Because ballet is what I am good in” - Kai explains and a child-like smile creeps up it's way on his lips, the first sincere one that Yixing recalls to have seen on his face. He has to admit, this Jongin is handsome, furthermore, a likable one. Or at least more approachable than the perpetually serious one appears to be. Yixing could get used to his smile. - “And I need more decent friends anyway. I only have one I can't stand which is really sad.”

They walk side by side unmindful of the people who curse at them every now and then for being too slow. Yixing's ankle protests with every step he takes, the pain more define now like a reminder he has been careless again. At this moment, he is glad he is not alone for Jongin doesn't let him drown in his mind like Yixing usually does. Instead he pulls him on the shore with his constant questions and curiosities, making it quite obvious he's not prone to having a one-sided conversation. “Really, hyung, you have a very low concentration level, I wonder how the hell you memorize your name, let alone a whole choreography.” It's 2:45 when they reach a small bakery that Kai points wordlessly at. It brings a bubbly atmosphere with the little fruit decorations on the walls and colorful furniture, pop music blasting through the speakers. Yixing would think such place is way out of Kai's league.

“Shut up.”

“I haven't said anything!”

“You are thinking it. Stop analyzing me, Yixing. You can't analyze perfection.”

Yixing tries to cover a laughter with a convenient snort which ends up failing miserably into a deformed coughing slash choking on his own saliva.

“Just sit somewhere, okay” - Kai adds, irritated and plops himself in a purple wooden chair much more suitable for a high schooler and Yixing has to remind himself that Jongin isn't as old as he looks. He stares at him for a second, before taking his seat across of him.

“Strawberry flavored... no wait, actually banana flavored pancakes with mineral water, please”- Yixing orders as mid-aged waitress comes to their table and offers her a polite smile to which she just snorts like it's Yixing's and only Yixing's fault she is working her crappy low-payed job and how he even dares smiling at her like that?

“The same for me” - Kai laconic says as she turns to him, equally grumpy as the elder lady is, but his features soften as he turns to Yixing again. “What's with you and strawberries?”

Yixing shakes his shoulders “I am allergic, but I like them so I forget sometimes.”

“How do you forget something can kill you?” - Kai asks, somewhat accusing.

“I tend to forget a lot of things.” Like how I should not play with fire if I don't want to get burned.

“These ahjummas are so frustrating. There was a younger waitress before and she was totally different. And hot too” - Jongin changes the subject, alerted by the awkward air between them, attitude changing 360 degrees. “V and S line and all. Coming to think of it, it was probably due to plastic surgery but who cares, they all look the same when lights are out.”

Wrong – a voice in Yixing's head calls and he can't disagree. In a matter of seconds the Kai he knows transforms into a Jongin standing before him who is entirely different, superficial with the suddenness of his mood swings. He might prefer this Jongin for he sounds like a normal young adult – far more human than Kai is, but fooling himself he is real is way beyond his level of self-delusion capacity.

“You can stop now, Kai. You are not like this. Okay, if you want to be friends, let's be, but stop taking the piss. It's not even funny.”

Kai's face straightens somewhat with relief and bites on the still hot pancake the waitress brings him just then.

“I just thought you would appreciate a nicer me for once.”

“I would, except you aren't nice” - Yixing says and Kai raises a brow at him. - “What I am saying is, be who you are, at least that way I will know what to expect from you.”

But Yixing can't seem to get it, does he? Who cares what he expects when he has no control on this situation whatsoever.

One step, two steps and his leg stumbles in the trap.

Click and the trap is locked. What's left to do now?

A/N: Thank you all for the positive feedback TT.TT I love you more than Lay and Hoya love purple, guys <3
Erm... I also got a lot death threats *lol, just too* if I don't post again soon, so here I am ^^ ARE YOU HAPPY, YOU KNOW WHO YOU TWO ARE? 
Mmm, the truth is nothing much happens in this part, but there were some stuff that needed to be said for the sake of the rest of the story, so yeah, filling chapter ftw! :D
Bye for now and let's finish with a KaiXing gif that basically represents this fanfic: