Kai grudgingly watched as Chanyeol happily brought another basket out for the boys to wash. He hated that Chanyeol was in that small room with you, all by yourselves.

Already, he had tried several excuses to go to the backroom to check up on the two of you—he had to use the bathroom, had to make sure an even amount of clothes was divided between you both, check that Chanyeol hadn’t exploded the machines, make sure Chanyeol wasn’t sleeping on the job, check that you weren’t doing all the work and Chanyeol was just playing around, blah, blah, blah.

Whatever excuse came into his head, Kai would immediately tell the guys before rushing in and passing by the backroom.

Twice, he had seen you laughing at something Chanyeol said. Another time, he had caught Chanyeol trying to act all gentlemanly towards you. And four times, he had watched Chanyeol stare at you with goo-goo eyes.

*Bastard’s just faking it; he hasn’t expressed any pain since the day he actually fractured his wrist,* Kai thought bitterly. He watched Chanyeol happily skip back into the building.

*I’ll give him some real pain…* he couldn’t help irritably thinking.

Kai immediately felt his feet stand up to their own accordance.

“What is it this time, Kai?” Suho sighed, noticing Kai standing.

“I, uh, have to go… take a crap,” Kai bluntly said, not even caring anymore as his feet already started walking into the building.

“Okay, like I needed to know that,” D.O. muttered loudly, but Kai already disappeared inside.

Kai tiptoed near the backroom. If you had saw him past the doorway again, he knew you would start questioning him.

Silently, Kai peeked an inch inside the washing room.

“… supposed to be in the other washer, Chanyeol,” Kai heard you say.

“Oh, sorry,” Chanyeol said, scratching his head. “My brain’s a little off today.”

“You have no brain,” Kai couldn’t help muttering as he listened to you laugh. Making you smile and laugh was his job, not Chanyeol’s.

“Hey, _____,” Chanyeol suddenly said.

“Yeah?”

“I…” Chanyeol trailed off. Kai narrowed his eyes. Why was that idiot looking bashful all the sudden??

“What is it?”

“I was wondering… could I walk you home today?”

Kai’s eyes widened. What??? Walking you home was his job!!!

You only chuckled in response though. “I assumed you all were going to walk me home. You guys do live next-door to me now.”

“Oh. Right,” Chanyeol awkwardly chuckled. He cleared his throat. “Would you, um… would you mind if I walked by your side though—”

“NO WAY!” Kai shouted, jumping in front of the doorway. Immediately, realization fell on him as you and Chanyeol stared at him in shock.

“Uh, no way, I didn’t realize these walls were white,” Kai said, immediately patting the wall beside him.

You and Chanyeol gave Kai a weird face, making his smile become weaker and weaker.

Kai cleared his throat. “Chanyeol, Mrs. Lee wants to see you.”

“Oh, okay,” Chanyeol nodded. He took another glance at you before going out the door though, Kai noticed bitterly.

Kai watched Chanyeol disappear down the hall, knowing he’d be gone for a while; Mrs. Lee had gone to buy some lunch for all of you and Chanyeol would be too stupid to realize or ask Mr. Lee where she was.

He turned back to you, who had gone back to hanging up some dried clothes.

Scratching the back of his head awkwardly, Kai entered the room. He cleared his throat loudly in order to get your attention.

You glanced at him. “Yes, Kai?”

“I, uh, hope Chanyeol’s not overworking you too much,” Kai sheepishly said.

“No,” you tilted your head at him. “He’s actually done more than you ever have.”

“Hey,” Kai narrowed his eyes at you, making you laugh. Kai felt his narrowed eyes disappear as he melted into a smile; there was that laugh that belonged to him.

“Shouldn’t you be helping the others?” you asked.

“Huh?” Kai snapped out of his daze. “Uh, I am!”

“Really? And you standing here talking to me is helping them… how?”

“Chanyeol’s gone for the moment, so of course I have to help my dear co-worker,” Kai flashed a smile to you.

You rolled your eyes as you reached into the dryer for more clothes.

“And again, since when have you ever helped?”

“What are you talking about? I’ve always helped,” Kai insisted through a grin.

“Oh, really? Well then, why don’t you stop talking and start moving?” you stuck your tongue out at him.

Chuckling, he walked over to your side.

“Come on, _____,” he said, tossing in a basket of clothes into the washing machine, “Admit it. You miss working with me.”

“What would I miss?” you scoffed. “Chanyeol’s a far better partner than you’ve ever been; he’s always working, he never takes breaks, he knows how to keep the atmosphere light, and he doesn’t smell.”

Immediately, Kai turned and frowned at you.

“I don’t smell.”

“Uh, you do too.”

“Do not.”

“Do too.”

“Do not.”

“Have you ever smelt yourself, Kai? It’s not a pleasant smell,” you made a yucky face at him. You pretended to sniff him.

“Whoo! When was the last time you took a shower,” you said, exaggeratedly waving a hand in front of your face.

Truth was, though you’d never admit it, Kai actually smelled nice—like, really nice, considering that he now lived in a house of 13 boys; his scent was a combo of clean soap mixed with clean laundry and a hint of manly cologne.

Kai scowled at your over-exaggeration.

“I smell that bad, huh?”

“Yeah, you mind washing yourself with the other laundry out there too? It’d be beneficial to all of us.”

Kai pretended to pout before suddenly reaching over and pinching your nose.

“Yah!” you said, trying to move out of his grasp.

He just merely laughed when—

FLASHBACK

Kai heard the laughter of the girl fade away.

“What?” she asked, her smile still lingering. He felt his own smile drop the more he stared at her though.

“… I…” Kai felt himself trail off.

“You… you what?” she asked, slightly laughing. “You forgot how to be normal?”

Instead of laughing with her, his lips curved into a soft smile.

“I—”

END

“—love you.”

You slightly pulled away from Kai, your face confused. “Wait, what?”

Kai blinked. Did he just had another vision?

He blinked again and saw your face staring confusingly at him. Kai thought for a moment.

… Did he just say he loved you? Out loud?

Immediately, Kai felt all the blood rushing to his face.

“I, uh, love, um…” Kai quickly eyed around the room before grabbing the blanket on the basket.

“Blue! Yeah, I love blue!” he cleared his throat. “Uh, I love this blue blanket!”

“You… love our customer’s blanket?”

“Yeah!” Kai blurted again. He held it up and rubbed it against his cheek awkwardly. “Oh, so soft.”

Kai mentally slapped his forehead but made himself force a smile at you.

“Okay, sure,” you said, giving him a strange face though slightly laughing.

As you took the blanket from him to fluff it out, Kai mentally scolded himself.

The blanket? He loved the blanket? He might as well just go jump off a cliff now.

He scratched his head in half-frustration and half-embarrassment. Suddenly, he heard you start snickering.

He turned to you but your back was faced towards him.

“What?” he asked. You just continued laughing quietly to yourself, your shoulder shaking.

“Yah, what is it?”

You glanced at him, hesistating, before showing him the blanket.

“I had no idea you were a big fan of Hello Kitty,” you said, before bursting into laughter.

Kai’s face reddened even more. Of all the blue laundry, why did he have to choose that one??

“I-I—”

“Don’t worry,” you slightly leaned towards him, making his eyes widen.

“I won’t tell the other guys,” you whispered, grinning.

Kai froze, forgetting about the blanket. You were too close to him. His thoughts were now all jumbled and he forgot what the two of you were even talking about.

Your lips were smiling and fighting an urge to burst into another set of laughter. Kai found himself staring at your lips.

Noticing Kai’s failed comeback, your smile faded. He was just staring at you, which was getting kinda weird, even for him.

“Hello?” you waved a hand in front of him. “Kai?”

You snapped your fingers in front of his face and he awoke from his daze.

“Huh? What?”

“You okay?” you frowned.

“Uh, yeah!” Kai cleared his throat awkwardly, making himself take a step back from you. “Yeah, I’m totally fine.”

“Kai, you stinking liar!”

The two of you jumped and turned to the doorway. Chanyeol stood there, glaring at Kai.

“I looked ALL over for Mrs. Lee only to have Mr. Lee finally ask why I was looking under the table! He told me Mrs. Lee had gone to buy food!! You liar!” Chanyeol pointed at Kai like a kid. You tried to bite back another fit of laughter. They were way too much like a bunch of 4-year-olds.

“Oh, yeah. Guess I was supposed to tell you that message two hours ago,” Kai shrugged off.

“Well, now you can get out,” Chanyeol growled.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t throw a fit, princess,” Kai rolled his eyes. He started heading towards the door when his eyes unconsciously glanced back at you.

Feeling his eyes on you, you looked up at him and smiled.

He returned a tiny smile and brushed past Chanyeol, now feeling satisfied enough to work.

Chanyeol frowned in puzzlement as he watched Kai walk away with that stupid grin on his face. For a moment, it almost looked like Kai was…

Chanyeol shook his head. No way. Kai? Kai’s not that type of guy.

Then again… usually, after yelling at Kai like that, he would get all angry in response and they’d start fighting. Lately, he’s been more laidback for the past months.

Chanyeol looked suspiciously at Kai’s back and then back at you, who had returned to the drying machine.

… Maybe? It was possible. Now that Chanyeol thought about it, Kai was usually only in a good mood around you.

Hmm, interesting…

“Chanyeol?”

“Yes?” Chanyeol said, startled.

“You gonna just stand there all day?” you asked jokingly.

“Ah, right,” Chanyeol nodded, immediately heading to your side.

But as soon as you turned back to the clothes, he continued to frown, still thinking about Kai’s strange attitude lately. Kai, the most emotionless, indifferent demon… with you? Was that even possible for a cold-hearted demon like him?

Chanyeol looked at you and noticed you smiling as you folded a Hello Kitty blanket. Then he remembered Kai’s goofy grin as he left.

… If it was you… maybe it was possible…

--------

“… All right, I’ll see you guys tomorrow then,” you said, coming to a stop in front of your house. The boys had been practically glued to your side since you all left the laundrymat, surrounding you like a ring as the seven of you walked through the night.

Now that you were in front of your house, the circle had broken and you felt like you could finally breathe.

“Aren’t you going to pick up Yoogeun first?” D.O. tilted his head.

“BoA’s babysitting in my house today,” you explained. “Something about Yunho and Changmin needing to come in and out of her house a lot to get some stuff.”

“Oh,” the boys nodded, knowing the stuff was some sleeping material for them. You stood there for an awkward moment, waiting for them to leave. But they just continued to stand there, almost as if trying to avoid heading to Yunho and Changmin’s house.

“… Er, you can go home now,” you finally said. You slightly smiled, knowing why the boys were trying to stall time. “It won’t be that bad. You guys really should try to get along with the other guys though, okay? If not for my sake, then at least for Yunho and Changmin; they are letting you all stay in their house.”

Sighing, the boys mumbled in union, “Yes, we know.”

“Come on,” Suho muttered to them, finally heading towards Yunho and Changmin’s house.

“Night,” each said dully to you as they passed. You chuckled, a little too amused by how depressed they looked. Hopefully all the boys made it out alive by tomorrow morning.

You were about to start heading in when you suddenly realized Kai hadn’t moved.

“What?” you asked him blankly. Then you frowned, tilting your head. “Is everything okay, Kai?”

Kai’s emotionless face turned into a small smile; at moments like this, your tiny question of concernment for him made him forget about all his problems and brought his mind to peace.

“Yeah,” Kai nodded. “I just wanted to make sure you went in safely first.”

You gave him a look. “Kai, I’m like 6 feet away from my doorsteps. I think I’ll be fine.”

Kai only slightly shook his head in response, still smiling down at you.

You sighed.

“Okay, okay, I’m going,” you said, holding up your hands in surrender as you muttered, "Pushy weirdo."

Kai resisted the urge to break out into a full grin at your annoyed face.

Just as you turned around to open your gate, Kai felt his smile disappear at the sight of your back to him. Without realizing, he suddenly reached out and caught your forearm.

Surprised, you turned back with a question on your face, only to discover his smile replaced with an intense look.

As you stared into Kai’s dark eyes, you tried to ignore butterflies in your stomach; for goodness sake, he wasn’t even touching your skin! He was only touching your sleeve.

Yet, you still found yourself getting lost in Kai’s dark, unreadable eyes. At times like this, you didn’t see that tough-guy exterior he always wore around everyone else; instead, all you saw was… a guy who looked lost and vulnerable… his gaze was so intense, it was practically pleading you to not leave him.

Kai felt himself bite his bottom lip.

*What am I doing? What’s wrong with me?* Kai couldn’t help asking himself. He had unconsciously grabbed your arm, almost as if his body was unwilling to let you leave his side.

Kai continued staring deeply into your eyes, as if there was no end to the depths of them; as if he could find his answers within them.

*Why can’t I stop thinking about you, _____? Why do I always find myself relating everything to you?* Kai thought. *Everything about you… your stubbornness, your little temper, your loving motherly side, your smile, your laughter… I want to see it every day… Why?*

“Kai?” you finally whispered.

Kai’s lips parted slightly open. Instinctively, he felt himself slowly lean down towards you. Your eyes widened. He slowly tilted his head and kissed you softly on the cheek.

You felt your eyes close from the gentle touch of his lips against your skin.

FLASHBACK

“… and this is mine too,” Kai heard himself say, kissing the back of her shoulder.

“Stop,” she laughed, trying to pull away from his touch.

“Okay, okay, I’ll stop, angel,” he chuckled, taking her hand into his. He pulled her hand up to his lips and gave it one last kiss though.

She pouted at him, but he only smiled in return before glancing down at their intertwined hands. He stared at it for a moment before looking back up at her.

“I want to hold this hand… forever,” he whispered.

END

Kai’s eyes flashed open and he slowly pulled back from you. Crap. Another flashback? They seemed to be getting more and more frequent.

As Kai turned his attention back to you though, the flashback was forgotten.

Your eyes found his in the dark night. You looked surprised, confused, and breathless all at once. Kai was sure he probably looked the same, despite the fact that all he did was kiss your cheek.

“… Good night,” Kai finally managed to whisper, not sure if he was feeling more embarrassed, bashful, or incredibly joyful at the moment.

You stared at him, still stunned from his sudden cheek-kiss. You finally forced yourself to nod. “… Good night.”

Turning around, you opened the gate and walked to your doorway. As you opened the door, you glanced back.

Kai was still watching you. The corner of his mouth tilted up slightly when you met his eyes again in the light of the moon. You returned the same small smile before closing your door completely.

As soon as you shut the door, you leaned against it, letting out a big breath.

What the heck was that? You weren’t expecting that cheek-kiss at all! One moment, Kai was smiling at you then he turned all serious and then in the next moment, his lips were suddenly against your cheek.

Your hand unconsciously went up to your cheek where he had kissed you. It was still burning from Kai’s lips.

You felt your face go red at the thought of his lips against your skin.

Why... why did he kiss you? Did he…

No, that was impossible. Kai only saw you as a good friend… right?

You sighed. First Taemin, now Kai. These two boys were confusing you too much.

“_____? Is that you?”

BoA emerged from the kitchen.

“I thought I heard you come in. What are you doing?” BoA asked.

“Huh? I, uh,” you shook your head mentally. “I… was just thinking.”

“Oh. Well, hurry up, Yoogeun’s been waiting to eat dinner with you,” BoA said, heading back into the kitchen. You nodded before following shortly.

Meanwhile, outside, Kai was still standing there, looking dazed as he stared at your house. After a minute, he felt his lips curve into a smile; for whatever reason, Kai suddenly felt like he could lift the world at that moment.

Kai reached up and touched his lips.

He could almost imagine your skin against it again.

Smiling one more time, he took one last look at your house before walking away.

From the top window of Yunho and Changmin’s house, a pair of glaring eyes watched as Kai disappeared into the shadows of the house before pulling away from the window himself.

This was gonna be a long night.