Title: Back To Summer
Pairing: Fanxing
Genre: romance
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 2.5K
Summary: It takes Kris hundreds of sleepovers, dozens of crayons and the whole of college to realize the one he loves is right there. 

Summer. 

Their friendship began like many others. Bare feet skidding along the poolside as laughter echoed into the chlorine filled water; empty jam jars filled with softly glowing bugs; scratches and bruises with band aids and kisses to make them better. 

Sleepovers consisted of a mandatory pillow fight, forts and pizza. The CD for whichever Disney movie Yixing wanted to watch at the time would slide into the device with a soft whirring sound and the two six year old boys would huddle together on the couch, blankets pulled up to their chins as a forgotten fort toppled over on the side. 

They day before school was spent mourning the lost of free time and excitement bubbling up their throats, resulting in joyous shouting and annoyed neighbors. "Lets have an adventure," Yixing had said and Kris nodded without any hesitation. Nightfall found the two boys wandering around the woods, Yixing slumped over Kris's shoulder in fatigue. Even then Kris had been the taller of the two and Yixing was the one with the ideas. 

The first week of school resulted in new friends named Luhan, Tao, Xiumin and Chen. The first week of school meant homework and crayons and Kris's new obsession with colored pencils. The first week of school meant Kris noticed the small dents on Yixing's cheeks. This resulted in Kris dragging Yixing to the nurse's office, solemnly telling the elderly nurse that Yixing's face was broken. 

The first month of school ended with Kris's drawings pasted all over his refrigerator and the refrigerator at Yixing's house too. 

The second month of school started with Minzy stealing Yixing's first kiss and the flood of tears that came from both boys afterwards. Yixing cried because he was saving his first kiss for Mulan and Kris cried because Yixing was sad. 

The end of the school year brought around new friends including a boy named Jongin who was almost as tall as Kris and a boy named Chanyeol who was even shorter than Yixing. The start of summer became trips to visiting circuses and fairs and Kris's newfound fear for clowns and Luhan's unwillingness of going on the rollercoaster. 

Yixing stayed behind during the rollercoaster rides since Chanyeol was too short to go and Luhan was unwilling. Kris found himself staying behind as well, clutching a stick of cotton candy with the excuse "I don't want to go," sitting on the edge of his tongue. 

As Yixing laughed to something Luhan said, his dimple flashing out, Kris wondered how he could have ever thought Yixing's face was broken. 

The pink cotton candy melted on his tongue as the sun baked the ground and Kris had never felt lighter. 

Fall.

Poolside parties became water polo at the deep end of the pool and Pokemon swim trunks morphed into flashy designer brands. Hunting for fireflies was exchanged for stargazing, lying on thin blankets spread out across the grass of Luhan's backyard. 

But some things never changed. Sleepovers were still just the two of them, huddled up in their larger, more stable pillow forts as yet another Disney movie played on the large screen tv. Midnight no longer arrived to find two small boys fast asleep, draped across one another; instead 3Am came to find the two boys huddled under Yixing's quilt whispering sleepily. 5Am ended with Yixing curled up against Kris's chest, his soft breathing muffled by Kris's solid shoulder. 

Kris managed to grow even taller, his body thin and lanky until his older brother began dragging him to the gym. The shortest of them all, Chanyeol, managed to grow inch by inch until he and Kris were the tallest of the group. 

Kris's love for art changed into a love for basketball, joining the junior varsity team, exchanging his colored pencils for a bright orange ball and sweaty basketball shorts. 

Yixing discovered a newfound love for music and joined the guitar club. The time they spent together became fewer and fewer inbetween as Kris found new friends on the basketball team and Yixing spent his days composing ballads on "Ace", his guitar. 

The third year of middle school ended in the biggest fight the two boys had ever had. Kris had forgotten Yixing's birthday for the first time since their friendship started years ago, and he went out partying with his basketball team. Like every single other year, Yixing didn't invite anyone else over despite protests from Luhan and Tao. They had always spent their birthdays together but that year Yixing had spent it alone, eating the large cheesecake by himself, slice by slice. 

"I'm sorry," Kris pleaded the next day, cornering Yixing beside his locker. Yixing just sent him a disappointed glance before walking away with Luhan. As they turned the corner, Luhan glanced back to give Kris a glare. 

Kris knew exactly what that glare meant. You ed up. 

Kris spent his birthday alone that November, rejecting his team's offers to get dinner together. He was sitting in the living room, nibbling on a piece of strawberry cake when there was a rapping on the front door. On the other side of the door was Yixing, a small wrapped box in his arms. 

The two boys stood awkwardly before Kris let his best friend in. 

"Strawberry cake?" Yixing turned, staring confusedly at the cake in the center of the table. "You hate strawberry cake."

"Its your favorite," Kris shrugged, trying to keep the misery out of his own voice. He looked up to find Yixing staring at him, a small smile tugging up the corner of his lips, that damn dimple flashing amusedly. 

"What," he snapped, taking another vicious bite of the slice of strawberry cake. 

"Nothing." Yixing grinned, walking closer to Kris, holding the small box out cheekily. "Happy Birthday Kris... I love you," he added as an afterthought. 

Kris snorted, tossing the small box onto the couch before pulling Yixing closer into a big hug. "I missed you," he mused as Yixing began whining, muttering, do you know how long wrapping that took, you , under his breath. 

Kris laughed for the first time in what seemed like forever, releasing Yixing and grabbing at the box excitedly. As his fingers tore through the wrapping paper, he looked up to find Yixing looking at him with an unreadable expression on his face. 

"What?" he mumbled, trying to wipe his mouth with the back of his free hand. "Do I have frosting on my face?"

"Nah," Yixing grinned again, the dazed expression going away for the time being. "Just happy birthday. I've missed you too."

Winter.

High school started nicely, lovely weather and good grades. Kris tried out for varsity basketball and made it in, filling his days with basketball practice and sweat. Yixing on the other hand joined the jazz band, being incredibly talented at both guitar and piano. Luhan, Sehun and Jongin all joined the dance team. "All the hot girls are there," Luhan argued back when questioned. 

"He pretends to stare at Jessica when we're there but he's really ogling at Sehun." Jongin whispers conspiratorially to Kris after class one day.

"That's ridiculous." Kris scoffed, only half paying attention as he dug through his locker for his gym shorts. "They're best friends."

Jongin shot Kris a look. "Exactly," he pointed out before shouting a quick, "see ya, hyung," and chasing after the new exchange student, Lily.

Kris was still musing over the fact Luhan liked Sehun when a hand clapped his shoulder, startling him and he cried out, "I like s!"

He turned around to find an amused Yixing staring at him. "That's great." Yixing exclaimed. "And I like ! Why are we shouting our ualities out loud?"

From the corner of the hallway, one of their classmates yelled, "I like noses!" causing Yixing to chuckle.

"You like guys?" Kris stood there staring at Yixing, gaping, mouth opening and closing repeatedly causing Yixing to laugh again. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Yeah, its been a while." Yixing dimpled as he threw a textbook that had fallen out back into Kris's locker. "You were busy."

"You should have told me," Kris tried to respond nonchalantly but he can hear the jealousy in his own voice. "I'm your best friend, right?"

"You haven't really been around" Yixing replied, somewhat haughtily before stepping away. "See ya later, Kris."

Sleepovers became hangouts since it was no longer cool to refer to them as such and even hangouts became fewer and fewer. Insults that used to be "I'll tell your mom" and "I don't want to play with you anymore" now become angry fists and hissed profanities.

Drawings that used to be hung on the fridge were taken down and put away by an angry Yixing the day Kris called him a and the cd containing the song Yixing wrote him for his birthday was put away in a secret box by Kris when Yixing punched him in the nose. 

When Kris kissed Tiffany near the end of their third year of high school, tears flooded both boys' pillows that night. Yixing cried because Kris was stupid and Kris cried because he wanted his best friend back.

High school started on a good note and ended on a bittersweet one. Yixing was accepted into Berkeley School of Music and he planned on traveling there at the beginning of August. Kris was accepted into Seoul University on a scholarship for basketball. 

Luhan finally got the balls to confess to Sehun and Jongin and the exchange student, Lily started dating. 

Kris still missed his best friend.

Spring

College days came and went, filled with morning lectures and nightly parties. 

Kris often found himself alone in his room, his roommate off at his girlfriend's flat, with his phone in his hand, finger poised above Yixing's contact number. 

He usually found himself hours later at some nearby frat party, grinding against a guy, seeing dimples and pretty, crinkled eyes. Sleepovers, turned into hangouts, turned into frat parties. 

All of his birthdays were spent alone; too tired to call Yixing and unwilling to spend the time with someone else. He didn't know that someone across the world was doing the same thing. 

"Yixing's doing great," Luhan would often tell him, giving him updates about the one graduate who decided to ship himself to America for college. "Heard he got a boyfriend."

Kris's lanky body grew muscular and his love for basketball never waned, though it stepped back a bit when Kris decided to try art again. 

"Draw something you love," the art teacher stressed after nearly weeping seeing Kris's last art project. "Draw something you care about. Your art doesn't give me a sense of passion. I want to see that you enjoy drawing this thing. I want to see your passion, I want to see your life."

Kris ended up drawing on a full length canvas, a circus. The roller coaster rides, the clowns (which he was still afraid of) and then two kids. One boy was holding cotton candy and the other was smiling, a tiny dent on his cheek. They stood in the middle of the painting, holding hands.

"Good job," the art teacher praised, seeing the painting. "You really like circuses don't you."

"You could say that," Kris shrugged. 

College came to an end with high spirits and Yixing returning from America. "He didn't like it," Luhan explained while nuzzling against Sehun's neck.

"What about his boyfriend?" Kris managed to ask without sounding overly interested. Luhan shrugged, pulling Sehun closer to himself. 

"Didn't like him enough I guess." Kris nodded feeling faint.

The day Yixing arrived back in Korea, Kris went with Luhan, Xiumin, Tao and Chen to pick him up. The original 6 kids. That and the fact the car only held 6 people. 

Yixing walked out of the airport with reddish, blonde hair and sunglasses that covered most of his face. Luhan jumped onto him, screaming "you're back" for the whole airport to hear. Kris stood by the car watching the rest of his friends mob Yixing. 

Yixing pulled away from the group hug laughing and their eyes caught for a second before Yixing directed his gaze back towards Xiumin who was ruffling his hair. Kris couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth settling into his chest, seeing his best friend back.

Finally when they were all stuffed into the car, Yixing's suitcases danging out of the back trunk precariously, Kris finally spoke. "I'm sorry about your boyfriend, Xing."

Yixing turned to stare at him for a bit before answering, "Its okay. I really didn't care."

"Of course you cared," Kris retorted, swallowing the lump that got caught in his throat.

"Nah," Yixing replied carefully. "I've always been in love with someone else, really. So it didn't hurt me much."

Back at Luhan's apartment, Luhan kicked the both of them out explaining Sehun was living with him and "Sorry, Xing. Find somewhere else to stay for a bit." before winking grotesquely at Kris and slamming the door shut.

"You could always come to my place," Kris blurted out rubbing his neck in embarrassment. 

"Oh no, I wouldn't want to intrude on you and your girlfriend," Yixing smiled shyly. "Thanks though."

"I don't have a girlfriend," Kris yelped as Yixing began walking away, dragging his suitcase behind him. "I never did."

"Really." Yixing sounded disinterested as he continued to walk down the street and Kris scrambled to keep up with him. "Why not?"

"I've always been in love with someone else too." Kris mumbled out, grabbing Yixing's suitcase and spinning said suitcase and owner around. "Hey, Xing?"

"Yeah?" Yixing spluttered out at the close proximity, cheeks turning a brilliant shade of red. 

"Nothing," Kris said smiling. "I missed you. Welcome back. I love you."

"I missed you too," Yixing mumbled, face still red as he stared resolutely off into the distance. Kris placed a hand on his cheek, turning his face towards him. 

"I love you," Kris repeated and this time Yixing registered that last bit. "I love . No, I love your . Well, I've haven't seen it since we were 11, but I know for a fact its the I wa-mph." He was cut off by warm lips pressing against his insistently and a tongue swiped out to run across his lower lip. 

Kris chuckled into the kiss, his hands coming up to wrap around Yixing, holding his best friend in place as the shorter male explored his mouth with his tongue. Even now, he was the taller one and Yixing was the one with the ideas. 

Summer

"Do you know what song this reminds me of?" Yixing grins at Kris who's sprawled over the mattress, reading a book. Kris looks up and gives Yixing a grin. 

"What song?"

Yixing grins as he takes out his guitar and starts strumming the beginning to an eerily familiar song. "You ain't never have a friend like me," he warbles off tune and Kris shakes his head in amusement. 

"Can your friends do this, can your friends do that?" Yixing continues to sing, intentionally off key and Kris finally puts his book down and crawls off the bed to the chair where Yixing's sitting. Placing Yixing's guitar on the bed, Kris comes to shut Yixing's protests off with a kiss. As he pulls away, Yixing grins before retorting cheekily. "You've got to, kiss the girl," he croaks out before Kris comes back showering him with more kisses.

"You and your Disney," Kris groans later when Yixing is satisfied enough with the kisses so that he stops singing. 

"You love it," Yixing retorts before his face brightens. "Hey Kris."

Kris looks up to find Yixing grinning almost evilly and quickly shouts out, "no, Yixing, no!"

Yixing pouted, mumbling, "You have a heart of ice." Waggling his eyebrows as he walks away he starts singing again, this time on key. "The cold never bothered me anyways!"