A/N: A relatively speedy update for ya. Enjoy :D

Kyungsoo met Jongin for the second time, properly, in the bubble tea place on campus. Mid-term week was over, and after that had been a winter break filled with so many Christmas dinners and New Year’s drinks that Kyungsoo had almost forgotten about the boy in the blazer.

Kyungsoo had stepped foot in the bubble tea shop maybe once before, with Baekhyun, who had invited him multiple times to go again. After the first visit Kyungsoo found it rather pointless and had always declined. If the café was good for anything, it would be relaxing, and that was rather impossible to do when Baekhyun was around. But he’d had an upsettingly social winter break. Maybe he would enjoy the peace and quiet.

This was quickly ruined in two ways. One, Kai was sitting at one of the café tables with his headphones on. The second would come later.

“Oh,” Kyungsoo sighed upon seeing the dancer, and then he promptly ordered a passion fruit yoghurt tea and sat down at the table across from him. “Hello,” he said complacently. From what he blurrily recalled from midterms week, he had seen Kai quite a few times on campus during exams and had received no recognition whatsoever despite what had happened at the club. Kyungsoo had pretended not to be hurt- it had just been a kiss after all, not a proclamation of love- but it had still stung. After consecutive drinks from Christmas and New Year’s the pain had dimmed, but seeing the dancer here was pulling dully at his heartstrings. It was probably a rash decision to confront him, but dammit he had wanted his peaceful bubble tea and here was Kai ruining everything.

But he would be civilized.

At his greeting the boy’s head snapped up, his mouth opening in an ‘O’ of surprise. Then, without much grace, he shifted to sit up and pushed his headphones off, avoiding eye contact at all costs. “Oh, um, hi,” he answered uncomfortably.

“I’m Do Kyungsoo,” Kyungsoo said evenly, in case Kai didn’t remember.

“I know,” the dancer smiled awkwardly. “I’m-”

“Kai. I know, too,” Kyungsoo broke in.

The other boy laughed softly. “Kim Jongin, actually,” he corrected. “Kai’s my stage name.” He peered out coyly from behind straight, dewy lashes, and it was obvious that he remembered everything that had transpired between them.

Kyungsoo’s eyebrows rose. “Jongin,” he repeated, the name at total odds from the dancer he had come to know and yet sounding very in tune with the boy who was here now. “Oh.”

“Yah,” Jongin smiled stiffly, still sort of avoiding looking at Kyungsoo’s face. “Until we perform again, you can just call me Jongin.” He paused, his fingers lacing around his headphones. “You’re Yixing’s roommate, aren’t you.” He stated it as fact rather than a question, like he’d known for a while.

“That’s right,” Kyungsoo nodded, gazing curiously at Jongin’s lips. He was biting them, which Kai had done too, and yet it was completely foreign on Jongin’s face. He was fittingly adorable chewing on his bottom lip, absentmindedly gnawing, while Kai had been ridiculously hot and staged. In fact, that seemed to describe Jongin perfectly- adorable - while Kai was…well.

 “So I won’t be seeing you dance for a while, I suppose?” Kyungsoo asked after a second, deliberately abstaining from mentioning their kiss. He had high doubts that this was even the boy he had kissed.

Jongin shrugged shyly. “Not until we get another gig.”

“Pity,” Kyungsoo replied honestly. “I liked watching you dance.”

Perhaps that was too bold, because Jongin seemed to sink into his seat, his eyes slipping away in a cute show of docility. Funny, when he had been around Kai, Kyungsoo had strongly felt the submissive one. But this seemed practically reversed now that he was speaking to Jongin, and the revelation left Kyungsoo at a loss for words. Out of sheer luck, before it got too awkward, the second way in which Kyungsoo’s quest for peace had been doomed conveniently appeared.

Baekhyun burst into the shop, laughing like a hyena.

“Kyungsoo!” He grinned in surprise, leaning over to catch his breath. And then, as he caught sight of Jongin, “Jongin-ah!”

For some reason this left an almost sour impression on Kyungsoo. To think that the boy he’d been infatuated with for the past two months had known Baekhyun all along! It shouldn’t be surprising; Baekhyun knew practically everyone, but it still somehow stung.

“Byun Baekhyun!” came a shout from the street, and then Jongdae entered the shop in an equally dramatic fashion, his wide glasses goofily crooked on his face. Baekhyun let out a snort at the sight, covering his mouth with one palm. Jongdae glared at him for a moment, but then unable to contain it, they both collapsed into laughter, trying desperately to catch their breath. Kyungsoo and Jongin exchanged uniform confused looks.

“Ha! Baekhyun is the winner again!” Baekhyun crowed in between gulps of breath.

“You could have at least told me where we were racing to!” Jongdae grumbled, his face still somehow split into a sunny smile as he said it. “Cheater,” he added playfully, and then looped an arm around Baekhyun’s shoulders. “Kyungsoo-ah! Jongin-ah!” he greeted them both. “Figure seeing you two here! What’s up?”

For a moment Kyungsoo was about to ask how the two even knew each other, but then he remembered Baekhyun’s social promiscuity. “Nothing,” he answered lamely, and Jongin gave a small noise of agreement.

“Sounds thrilling,” Baekhyun laughed. “Come on, hyung,” he added, pulling at Jongdae’s arm. “You're getting me a red bean with custard pudding!”

“Wait, I’m paying?” Jongdae's laughter halted, flabbergasted.

“Baekhyun’s chronically broke,” Kyungsoo told him flatly. “Get used to it.”

Jongin let out a cute giggle and Kyungsoo turned back to him, itching to ask him everything he knew about Baekhyun. How long had they been friends? Were they close? Did he call Baekhyun hung? He and Jongdae commenced another bout of raucous laughter at the till and Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. “Those two shouldn’t be allowed near each other,” he told Jongin with a sigh.

“I agree,” Jongin smiled, in a way that made it clear he knew the two well enough to identify their personalities. 

At this Kyungsoo told him abruptly,“I should get going,” knowing that if he stayed any longer he was going to end up full on interrogating the poor thing about his relationships with everyone else he knew. Oh gods, he had it bad. He stood, grabbing his bubble tea and giving a small wave of goodbye.

“Kyungsoo,” Jongin called out as he reached the door. Kyungsoo turned back, face rising in question. “It’s just…we still do weekly practices,” he said demurely, softly blushing. “Dance practices. I’m sure the others won’t mind if you come. To watch. If you want. You don’t have to. But. You can.”

Kyungsoo didn’t even try to stop it when his face broke out in a smile. “I’d like that.”

-

The following weekend Kyungsoo accompanied Yixing to the studio, set himself up quietly in the corner -corners were rapidly becoming his thing- and sat contentedly through the entire three hour practice.

It was almost amusing how quickly Kai returned. Kyungsoo had been purposely keeping a sharp eye on the transformation, fascinated with its inner workings, and when the shift had taken place it had been almost too fast to identify. The dancers started off free styling as a warm up, and by the end of the first song adorable Jongin had already disappeared, leaving a glistening, sensuous Kai in his place. Spectacular. The newly awakened performer acknowledged Kyungsoo only with a curt nod, the smiles they had shared in reserve for now.

  Three hours could not have gone faster. The dancers often stopped to take breaks, or alternate members running solos and duets so the others could rest. But it seemed like Kai was always dancing. Perhaps a second or two break for a drink of water, and then he was back on the floor, carelessly tossing his hair about as he moved.

He was not perfect, far from it. There were groups where he looked lost; certain movements were messy and too sharp or too soft. Yet he was entrancing, magnetic, ethereal under the studio lights.

Practice came to a close and there was a collective sigh of relief and satisfaction, the dancers all simultaneously reaching for their water bottles. It brought a smile to Kyungsoo's face; their teamwork and unconscious parallel tendencies. Kai took his time putting his stuff together, laughing and saying goodbyes as other members began to trickle out. Kyungsoo stayed in his corner, giving Yixing and Sehun a gentle dismissive wave when they turned in question, keeping his eyes trained on Kai. He was, Kyungsoo quickly concluded, still Kai. Even rearranging stuff in his duffel bag and looping a jacket around his shoulders, his body buzzed with a kind of seductive energy. Kyungsoo got to his feet silently in patience. Eventually, as the others trailed out one by one, the two of them were the only ones left in the studio. Kai turned with a resolved sigh, managing to further draw out the time it took to meet Kyungsoo’s eyes. He seemed almost on the defensive, not quite ready for whatever the other might say.

“Kai, that was incredible,” Kyungsoo told him earnestly.

And just like that, he was gone. The mention of his name and the boy’s demeanour completely reversed. “Jongin,” the dancer corrected him, a shadow passing over his face.

“Jongin,” Kyungsoo mended firmly, his mind lightly panicking at the sudden changeover. “That was incredible.”

“Thank you,” Jongin said softly, and motioned towards the door. “You didn’t get bored?”

“Not at all,” Kyungsoo commended. As they reached the exit he took a deep breath and then stepped ahead, stationing himself in front of the younger boy. He turned to face him resolutely. “Jongin, get coffee with me.”

It wasn’t a question, just a demand, blunt and unforgiving. The dancer froze for a moment, as if he didn’t really understand what had been said. He gave Kyungsoo a curious look, clearly not expecting his behaviour in the slightest.

Well, Kyungsoo hadn’t expected it either. He had never been the type to make the first move, to confront, or even to argue. It just wasn’t his nature. But he had been thinking about asking throughout the entire practice, and it was almost a relief to have it out there in the open. If his recent grades had been any indication, he was back to being obsessed with this dancer. Perhaps even more so than before now that he had formally met his cute counterpart. And he supposed it was time to do something about it.

 “I,” Jongin said carefully, still sounding a bit baffled. “Right now?”

“Yes,” Kyungsoo nodded, swallowing uncomfortably. Maybe he should have thought this over. He felt heat begin to creep up his cheeks and squeezed his fists, hoping he didn’t sound as awkward as he felt.

Jongin stared for a moment, looking equally awkward, and then slowly began to shake his head. “I…I can’t accept that, Kyungsoo.”

His world tilted for a second.

“What?”

Jongin shook his head again, this time firmer, and reached around Kyungsoo for the door. “I can’t,” he mumbled, staring towards the floor. “I’m sorry.”

“But why?” Kyungsoo blurted. He had gone this long waiting for this moment, and he wasn’t about to get rejected without an explanation. “Do you- did I not read this- do you not swing that way? Are you taken?” Suddenly words were just dropping from his mouth, desperate and quick. “I thought- Jongin-”

Jongin laughed quietly, somehow managed to open the door, and forced his way out. “Boys are great, and I’m very single.”

“Then why?” Kyungsoo practically begged, trailing him out into the street. “Jongin!”

“Because,” the dancer whispered softly, speed walking away and not looking back, “You don’t even like me.”

“What does that even-” Kyungsoo made a sound of exasperation and hurried forward to place himself in front of Jongin again. “Why would I ask you out if I didn’t like you, you idiot?”

“You don’t,” Jongin insisted, and stepped around Kyungsoo again. “You like Kai.”

And with those words he understood.

Kyungsoo blocked him with his body again, the two stepping side-to-side on the pavement. God, the dancer was delusional if he thought that it was only Kai Kyungsoo had been coveting. “Jongin,” he said softly, gritting the words out behind his teeth, “I like you. I’m asking you out. Now get coffee with me.”

“It would disappoint you,” Jongin sighed, finally slowing. It was clear he genuinely believed it. He gave a shake of his head, distaste and unhappiness in his eyes, and Kyungsoo realized that Jongin hated Kai just as much as he loved him. 

This revelation just made him more insistent. “There’s no way you could ever disappoint me. Now come on.” He grabbed for the taller boy’s arm, feeling sharp resistance slowly give way to reluctant meekness.

-

It was almost comical how well they fit together. Jongin, Kyungsoo discovered after they made it past the fifteen or so minutes of mindless small talk, was remarkably similar to him. When he opened up, it was like they were twins. Granted, this took quite a bit of time, but after half an hour they were chatting like old friends. Kyungsoo was vaguely shocked, but at the same time he supposed he had expected it.

Kai had been a far off dream. But Jongin.

Jongin was very real and attainable. Why else would Kyungsoo have found him so damn attractive if he hadn’t seen a bit of himself in there? It made sense that the two of them simply completed each other.

In the next hour and a half they covered a variety of topics from school (they were both there on scholarships and were ridiculously obsessed with grades) to family (Jongin had two older sisters while Kyungsoo had an older brother) to ice cream flavours (mint chocolate chip was the mutual favourite), and they had just got started on Kai’s dance when one of the baristas came by and placed a hand on Jongin’s shoulder, interrupting.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist,” the boy apologized gleefully upon seeing the pair’s alarmed faces.

Kyungsoo stopped mid-sentence, looking first to the boy’s hand on Jongin’s shoulder and then up at his elfin, pale face.

“Luhan, hyung,” Jongin laughed awkwardly, “Now is really not the time.”

“Well,” the boy said with a sweet, mischievous smile, “When will be the time? You two’ve been talking for nearly two hours and my shift ends in five minutes. I had to say hi before I left!” He gave Kyungsoo another cheeky grin. “Please don’t take this out on Jongin, I swear that I just have curiosity issues.”

“I second that,” Jongin said calmly, and his mouth twitched into a grin when he saw Kyungsoo’s expression. “Luhan’s the biggest gossip I’ve ever met.”

Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow, looked up at Luhan’s pretty face, and decided that this was just too good to pass up. “I know someone you should meet,” he told Luhan dryly, and pulled out his phone to find Sehun’s famed instagram. “Interested?”

“Oh, he’s hot,” Luhan exclaimed in appreciation upon viewing the endless selfies. He seemed to forget his company for a moment and continued scrolling, his pink lips parting in amazement. Kyungsoo shot Jongin a look, seeing if he approved of his matchmaker skills, and Jongin couldn’t help but burst into giggles.

At this Luhan straightened, hastily handing Kyungsoo his phone back. “Oh, yeah, I came here to ask about you guys!” He ruffled a hand carelessly through Jongin’s hair and grinned. “So…?”

“We’re on a date,” Kyungsoo informed his new acquaintance, and Jongin nodded weakly.

“You didn’t tell me you had a boy toy!” Luhan reprimanded Jongin playfully.

“I…” Jongin replied, seemingly speechless.

“Has he seen you dance?”

“Yes,” Kyungsoo and Jongin answered immediately, and then exchanged sheepish glances.

“He’s really something, isn’t he,” Luhan smiled adoringly, and Kyungsoo could only nod vigorously in agreement as Jongin’s face went an adorable shade of pink. “Well, you treat my dongsaeng well,” the pretty boy told Kyungsoo earnestly. “Anyway, it was nice seeing you, Jongin, and…” he paused, looking to Kyungsoo questioningly.

“Kyungsoo,” Jongin supplied in place for him, and Luhan grinned again.

“Kyungsoo. Pleasure meeting you. Now, I’ve really got to go, Minseok’s been waiting for me in the library for the past ten minutes.” He gave one last wide smile and ran for the door, but then at the last second turned back. “Somebody text me that instagram boy’s number! I won’t rest until I’ve met that cutie!” And then he was gone, leaving in his wake the laughing couple.

-

Their discussion over Kai was short and sweet.

“I can’t even stop him anymore,” was Jongin’s sad explanation. “He’s just there.”

Kyungsoo took his time looking for the right answer to this, stirring his teaspoon in his empty coffee cup. Eventually, he asked curiously, “When did he first appear?”

“Well,” Jongin frowns, his nose wrinkling charmingly, “I used to dance only when I was extremely emotional- sad, angry, frustrated…I was fuelled on such a dangerous balance of chemicals. I wasn’t myself. And eventually I noticed that I couldn’t really dance unless I brought that out. They gave me a stage name, Kai was born, and I knew right away. I would never be able to get rid of him. And…” he breathed in a sweet long breath and continued, “I love it. Dance. But Kai is dance. So in saying that I love dance, I’m saying that I love Kai.” His face screws up for a moment. “And I do, sometimes. He’s everything I’ve always wanted to be- confident, appealing, talented…but...”

“But sometimes you hate him,” Kyungsoo completed emphatically.

“Yes. I do.”

And that’s that.

Kyungsoo will always be infatuatedly obsessed with Kai, the performer who stole his breath and hid it away somewhere irretrievable the first time he laid eyes on him. But he will love the boy in the blazer.

He decides there’s a huge difference between the two. 

A/N: So that's that! As I mentioned this is my first fic in this fandom so I hope it went over well :). I has another story in ze works right now so we'll see when I can get that one up. In the meantime I hope you liked this lil two-shot and please review! Love ya <3