“Hey mom, I’m heading over to Kai’s again to work on our project,” Kyungsoo stepped into the living room to inform his mother.

Looking up from her book, she responded, “The handsome boy from the other day, right?”

“Yeah mom, him,” Kyungsoo responded, blushing slightly.

“I thought you disliked him sweetie, you’re certainly spending quite a bit of time over at his house.”  The look in her eyes was that of every knowing mother.

“I really don’t like him, mom. No need to go reading into things that aren’t there, we just have to spend a lot of time together for this assignment.  All the other kids in the class are doing the same.”

“Uh huh,” was his mother’s disbelieving reply.  She didn’t press the matter further, however, instead turning back to the book she had been reading, leaving Kyungsoo the opportunity to make his escape.

When Kyungsoo got to Kai’s apartment, the door was opened before he even had the chance to ring the doorbell.

“Soo, sweety, you’re here!  Perfect timing, I was just headed out to pick up some groceries.  Kai’s in the shower, but he should be out in a few minutes.  Why don’t you go on ahead and wait for him in his room?”

“Yes Mrs. Kim,” Kyungsoo bowed in greeting.  “Have a good shopping trip.”

“Thanks dear. Is there anything in particular you want to eat for dinner? Just let me know and I’ll make sure to pick it up.”

“No thank you, Mrs. Kim.  Whatever you want to cook is fine with me.”

“Such a sweet boy,” she responded, affectionately cupping his cheek as she stepped past him and out the door.

When she shut the door behind her, Kyungsoo made his way over to Kai’s room.  He was a little uncomfortable about being there without Kai, so instead of sitting awkwardly, he busied himself with looking through Kai’s bookshelves.

Kyungsoo had noticed before how many books Kai had on his shelves, and was glad for the opportunity to finally be able to look through the titles.  Kyungsoo was a firm believer that you could find out more about a person just by knowing the kinds of things they liked to read.

Kai’s shelves were filled with fantasy and science fiction novels, along with a large selection of more classic literature.  There weren’t any books of nonfiction, nor were there any fictional stories that mimicked everyday life, leaving Kyungsoo to wonder just why Kai was so desperate to escape reality.

Before he was given much of a chance to ponder this question, however, his attention was caught by a sound at the door.  Kyungsoo whipped his head around to see what the source of the noise was, and instantly regretted his decision.

Kai was standing in the doorway with a towel wrapped around his narrow hips, drops of water running down his skin and pooling in his collarbones.  The damp hair was sticking out in every direction, but that did not serve to lessen his attractiveness even a little bit, actually serving to intensify it.

Kyungsoo had always known that Kai was in fantastic shape, but actually seeing the dancer’s exposed torso, Kyungsoo realized just how much he had underestimated Kai’s physique.

Kyungsoo blushed furiously and looked away as Kai cleared his throat uncomfortably.

“Um, do you mind waiting in the living room while I get changed?” Kai asked, clearly more than a little uncomfortable.

“S-sure!” Kyungsoo squeaked, hating himself for the stammer and vivid blush painted across his cheeks.

Great, now that er is going to think I was checking him out…er.

Kyungsoo scuttled through the door and out into the living room where he deposited himself on the couch and began frantically fanning his face, trying to cool himself down.

I do not like him, mother, Kyungsoo internally assured her. It is only natural to admire such a nice physique.  You can say someone is good looking without meaning you’re attracted to him. That er.

In an attempt to calm himself down a little more quickly, Kyungsoo stood up to look at the pictures in frames on the top of the piano.  They were nice photos of Kai and his family, mainly of his mom and him, smiling brightly into the camera.  Kyungsoo was struck by how similar the two of them looked, but no matter how much they looked alike, they were not nearly as similar as the two boys together in another frame.

There was only one picture with this other boy in it.  It was a candid shot of he and and a much younger Kai smiling into the camera that the other boy was holding and pointing at them.  He was remarkably similar to Kai in appearance; he too had tanned skin, thick lips, and beautiful features.  There were only a few discrepancies, such as his thinner frame, his narrower eyes, and most importantly, his bleach blonde hair.

As Kyungsoo looked at the picture and wondered who this boy was, Kai finally came out of his room, fortunately fully clothed in loose sweatpants and a Digimon t-shirt.

“Hey, sorry about that, I was planning on being out of the shower before you got here.”

“It’s okay…I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable.  Hey Kai?”

Kai looked at him in confusion, “Yeah?”

“Who is this other boy in the picture?”

Kai’s jaw tightened, as did the rest of his body when he responded with a hard look in his eye.  “That’s my h-hyung.  We’re twins, I’m sure you’ve heard of him.”

Suddenly it clicked in Kyungsoo’s head.  He had heard about Kai’s twin, but had completely forgotten about him, as idle gossip wasn’t really anything he ever had much interest in, even if it was relating to his story’s main antagonist.

“Oh yeah, I remember now.  He’s studying abroad in America now or something, isn’t he?”

“Yeah,” Kai responded stiffly.

“Do you miss him? I hear twins are supposed to be really close and can sense when the other’s in danger, no matter how far apart they are.  Is that true?” Kyungsoo was curious about the inner workings of twin telepathy.

“I don’t know, my brother and I aren’t very close.  Let’s work on our project.”

Kyungsoo was a little taken aback by the abrupt change in conversation, but followed Kai into his room nonetheless.

It was funny, Kyungsoo found himself thinking while they were working, when the two of them were involved in the project, it was as if all of the negativity between them had never existed, and it was just an exchange of ideas between two equal minds, and two equal individuals.

It was actually a little exhilarating.  Kyungsoo loved Jongdae, he was his best friend, but Jongdae wasn’t very interested in reading, and definitely not interested in discussing literature, so if Kyungsoo wanted to talk books, he would have to go to his parents.  He loved his book discussions with his parents, they were one of his favorite things, but to talk about books and ideas with someone his own age was something he had always silently yearned for.  It was a shame that in a week and a half once this project was over, he would have to go back to talking with only his parents.

“I’m sorry, what?” Kyungsoo was shaken out of his reverie by Kai calling his name.

“I asked what you thought about my idea?” Kai looked at him as if he had grown another head.

“Oh, right.  I think it’s pretty great, I myself was thinking along the same lines.  But what if we…” And just like that, Kyungsoo threw himself back into the project.

About twenty minutes later, Kai suggested they take a break.

“Great idea, I need to plug my computer in anyway, it’s just about dead.”

Kai merely stretched out over the back of his chair as Kyungsoo began digging around in his bag for his charger.  Clutching it in his hand, he bent down to plug it into the outlet.  As he reached across the desk to plug the other end into his computer, he accidently brushed against Kai’s shoulder.

Kai flinched away violently from his touch, a shudder running visibly down his spine.

“Sorry!” Kyungsoo spat out angrily.  He had thought that they were past this.  “I forgot that you were worried about my gay germs infecting you!”

Kai felt horrible about the hurt that was clearly visible behind Kyungsoo’s eyes.

“Kyungsoo, it’s not that,” Kai began softly.

“Then what the hell is it? I’m ing sick and tired of you, Kim!”

“Kyungsoo, I’m sorry, it really has nothing to do with you.  It’s just, I really hate to be touched. By anyone, actually.  My mom is the only one that I feel comfortable touching me.” Kai looked truly apologetic, and Kyungsoo’s anger quickly drained.

In an equally soft voice, he inquired, “Why?”

Kai looked away, and then down at his hands.  “I don’t really want to talk about it.  It’s my business.”

“Okay,” Kyungsoo decided not to push it, at least not today.  “How about I go make us some tea before we go back to work?”

Kai laughed, “Kyungsoo, this is my house, don’t you think I should be the one making us tea?”

“Did you – did you just laugh?”

Kai looked like a deer in the headlights for a split second before he smiled and shrugged. “Huh, I guess I did.  Now back to the matter at hand, what kind of tea would you like?”

“Um, Orange tea would be great if you have it, if not, I’ll just take black.”

“Orange tea it is!” And with that, Kai walked out of the room, leaving Kyungsoo to contemplate what just happened.

Kai had not only smiled, but laughed, in his presence.  Kyungsoo was flabbergasted.  How could Kai go from hating his guts and calling him a every chance he got, to smiling and laughing almost comfortably around him?  Kyungsoo wasn’t sure what to make of this change, and he certainly had no idea why it was making his chest feel tight.

What the hell is going on?

Before Kyungsoo could work himself into a tizzy, Kai returned to the room, two steaming mugs of tea in his large hands.

“Here,” he said amicably as he handed Kyungsoo his mug.

Kyungsoo didn’t know how to deal with this suddenly nice Kai.  He was used to Kai insulting him, and then him lashing out with his acid tongue, not Kai making him tea and smiling.

“Kai, what the hell is going on?”

“What do you mean?” Kai looked suddenly bewildered.

“I mean, why the hell are you suddenly being nice to me?  This isn’t some elaborate bullying tactic, is it?  I mean, you’re not suddenly going to start being a to me again with the plan that your sudden bullying juxtaposed against your current niceties are going to make them hurt that much more? Because if that’s the plan, then you Kai, you.”

“Kyungsoo, I swear that’s not what I’m trying to do.  Like I said, I feel awful about the way I treated you before.  It’s kind of like those SPCA commercials; they show you the wounded animal to make you feel the reality of the situation.

“Before, I knew how much I was hurting you, but I didn’t really know it, didn’t really feel any empathy, until I saw you break down in tears in front of me, and then again when you yelled at me at your house.  Now though, well, I don’t want to be the cause of your pain again.  I’m not a bad person, I’m really not.  I don’t like hurting others.”

“Then why do you always act that way towards me?  Will you please tell me what I ever did to make you hate me?”

“I – I can’t,” Kai turned away to stare into his steaming mug.  “Please don’t ask me again.”

Kyungsoo felt that he had hit a sensitive topic.  “Okay, I’ll drop it for now, but don’t think I’m going to leave it alone forever.  I deserve to know why it is you treat me that way.”

“I know, and I’m sorry, I really am, I just can’t tell you.  Not now, not ever.”

Kyungsoo sighed, but was saved from having to think of an answer by the sound of the front door opening.

“Boys!  I’m sorry I took so long at the store, I got stuck talking to Kai’s old babysitter!”

Kyungsoo chuckled.  “You had a babysitter?”

“Oh like you didn’t when you were younger too.  Everyone gets babysat, get off my case.”  Kai grumpily folded his arms across his chest and pouted at Kyungsoo.

“Are you pouting right now?  Is the always cool Kim Kai pouting like a two year old right now?  Are you sure you don’t still need that babysitter?”

Kai threw an eraser at Kyungsoo’s face where it bounced off to the floor after making a solid slapping sound against his forehead.

“Whatever, Do Kyungsoo.  We can’t all be little old men inside like you are.”

“Hey!” Kyungsoo exclaimed, “I’m a little old woman inside, thank you very much.  I’m much more caring than your typical, grouchy old man.”

Kai looked at him askance briefly before smiling again.

“You’re not half bad, Do.”

Kyungsoo blushed more furiously than he would care to admit, and the embarrassment he felt at his red face just caused it to get even more red.

“Is the impenetrable Do Kyungsoo blushing right now?” Kai asked mockingly.

“No, I am not.”  Kyungsoo took a leaf from Kai’s book and crossed his arms across his chest, planting a pout on his face.

“Hey, if you’re going to tease me about my pout, which I see you are now doing as well, then I’m sure as hell going to tease you about your blush.”

“Hey, I hardly think that’s fair!”

“Kai! Come set the table!”

“Mom, I have a guest over, that means I don’t have to do anything!”

“Kai!”

“Mother!”

Kyungsoo smiled to himself.  It was cute to see Kai acting like any other kid with his mom, and truthfully, it made him feel good that Kai seemed to be comfortable enough around him now to act like himself.

Looking again at Kai’s petulant expression, Kyungsoo got up to go help Mrs. Kim in the kitchen.  Seeing Kyungsoo setting the table, Mrs. Kim called to Kai, “What a nice boy your guest is! You could learn a thing or two about politeness from him, Kim Kai!”

“Whatever,” Kai grunted as he shuffled in the kitchen to help Kyungsoo set the table.

At dinner, conversation was light-hearted, and it made Kyungsoo feel unreasonably happy.  The topic of conversation never became anything more serious than Kai’s retelling of how he had accidentally knocked Kyungsoo unconscious during dodge ball.

“You can’t honestly expect me to believe that was an accident, Kim Kai!” Kyungsoo exclaimed in jest.  “I know for a fact that that ball was intended for my pretty little head.”

“Yeah, but not that hard!”

“Kai, did you ever properly apologize to Kyungsoo for almost giving him a concussion?”

“No, Mrs. Kim, he didn’t,” Kyungsoo interjected smugly.

“Kai, I want to hear an apology right now.”

Sighing, Kai turned to Kyungsoo.  “I feel like I’ve been apologizing to you a lot lately.”  Kyungsoo just looked at him with a sly expression on his face.  “I’m sorry I hit you in the head with a dodge ball.”

“You are forgiven.  And I’m sorry I hit you in the head with a Frisbee.”

“What?”

“Nothing mom.”

Dinner continued on in this way until they were all full, and it was time for Kyungsoo to leave.

“Kai, say goodbye to your friend and then get to work on these dishes.”

“But mooommm,” Kai whined.

“Don’t you ‘but mom’ me, just do as I say.”

Kai shot her a death glare, but did as he was told without any further complaint, which caused Kyungsoo to smile quietly to himself again.

As he was putting his shoes on in the foyer to leave, Kai’s mom approached him.

“Kyungsoo, I wanted to ask you something.”

“Of course, anything Mrs. Kim,” Kyungsoo replied distractedly, trying to wedge his foot into his shoe without having to undo the laces.

“How does Kai treat you?”

“What do you mean, Mrs. Kim,” Kyungsoo cautiously inquired.

“I know that he can be a little…prickly to say the least.  I just wanted to make sure he’s not being too difficult for you.”

“Honestly, he used to be really mean to me,” Kyungsoo said, causing her face to fall.  Hating what his words did to her expression, he kept talking.  “But recently he’s been really nice to me, and we are getting along comfortably. There’s nothing for you to worry about, Mrs. Kim, your son is a good kid.”

She wrapped Kyungsoo into a warm embrace before speaking again.

“Thank you, Kyungsoo, for being honest with me.  I’m glad you two got paired up for this project, I really think you’ll be good for him.  He’s had a rough life.”

“What do you mean?” Kyungsoo asked curiously, pulling away from her hug to look up into her face.

“Nothing that’s my business to tell.  Goodbye Kyungsoo, get home safely.  Text Kai when you get there so I know you made it back okay.”

“Yes Mrs. Kim,” Kyungsoo responded, slipping out the door and walking out into the night.