SEO CHANGBIN, age twenty and a half, was not planning on spending all his savings at district nine the day he went to noni street. however, when he passed by and saw a skull muscle tee in the window, he knew he had to have it.

"minho, i think i'm gonna spend a couple of minutes in here," he said to his friend, who was casually strolling alongside him. the brunette simply nodded and continued on his way to who-knows-where— changbin didn't bother to ask, as he had already disappeared inside.

the best thing about district nine was the vastness of it. it was humongous and had just about every style you could think of: dark and emo, soft pastels, bright neon, and more. what was even better was that it was easy to navigate. for instance, instead of spending an hour looking for flannels in the midst of all the other clothes in there, changbin could just walk up to the giant wall that held all of the flannel jackets in the store and choose the one that he wanted.

he immediately went to the section in the back where the edgier clothes were kept and spotted the muscle tee he had seen in the window. however, there was a problem.

it was just out of reach.

on most occasions, changbin didn't let his height stop him from doing anything. although it was true he was much smaller than most men his age, it didn't make him any less intimidating; all he had to do was fix people with one of his signature glares and they would cower in fear. however, the fact of the matter was that he was short, and short people weren't able to perform certain activities; for example, reaching the top shelf in every store on noni street.

who the fuck allowed this? he thought angrily, withdrawing his arm when he realized that his efforts to reach it were futile. the tallness of these shelves should be illegal. whoever designed them can suck a dick.

changbin was growing desperate. he really wanted that shirt, so much so that he was willing to risk his dignity for it. he quickly looked around him to make sure that nobody was nearby before facing the shelf again. c'mon, changbin. this might be humiliating, but at least you're gonna look hella ripped in that shirt. so, swallowing his pride, changbin squatted slightly...

...and jumped.

and jumped.

and jumped.

"why the hell isn't this working?" he seethed after his fourth time jumping. he was sure he looked ridiculous— after all, he was a tiny guy hopping in place and waving his arms trying to reach a goddamn shirt— and that just fueled the fire within him.

fuck this bullshit! he thought, and prepared himself to jump higher than ever before. he shook out his limbs, squatted low, and...

"need some help?"

changbin whipped his head around to find a familiar brunette smiling at him, a glint of amusement in his eyes. lee felix. he was one of the surfers that jeongin had befriended, though changbin couldn't for the life of him figure out why. the freckled boy was a nuisance. he was constantly laughing and smiling and radiating light; it was far too much for changbin to handle. when he had been stuck with him the day prior, it was exhausting, and he ranted about everything to minho on the way home: how felix broke all of his boundaries; how felix never left him alone; and how felix had casually called him "binnie" as if they were longtime buddies or something. changbin was extremely irritated when he went to bed that night, but felt better when he remembered that the next day would be completely free of surfers.

or so he thought.

"what the hell do you want?" the biker growled. he hated looking foolish in front of people more than anything else in the world and quickly fought to cover up his embarrassment in the form of a dark glare.

felix's smile dropped but reappeared a millisecond later as if it had never left. "well, i saw someone struggling, so naturally, i came over to help." changbin watched as the freckled boy reached above his head, grabbed the shirt with ease, and held it out to him. "i didn't think it'd be you, though."

changbin snatched the shirt out of his hands and narrowed his eyes. "i didn't need help. i was doing perfectly fine on my own."

felix laughed. it was a bright and hearty sound. "sure, bin—" his eyes widened. "uh, changbin."

the biker didn't miss his slip up, and his eyes narrowed even further. "i thought i told you not to call me that," he muttered, shouldering past him and stalking off. where to? he had no idea. he just wanted to get away from the surfer.

however, a factor he didn't consider was that his legs were short— much shorter than felix's— so it didn't take long before the other boy caught up to him. "wait— changbin!" he laughed. "i'm sorry! come back!"

"no." changbin picked up the pace, weaving in and out of clothing racks in an attempt to throw felix off his trail. why is this kid so insistent on annoying me?

"i don't get why you don't like it," felix said as changbin swerved around a girl talking on the phone. "it suits you so well!"

"it's too cute. it ruins my image."

"what's wrong with being cute?"

"everything!" changbin snapped. when no response was heard, he turned his head to find that felix was nowhere to be seen. he frowned in confusion. what the hell? where did he go? wait— why should i care? he's gone, and that's what's important. however, worry sparked in the corner of his mind. maybe he got lost? the kid's a dumbass, after all. should i call for him? nah, that's stupid. he probably saw one of his friends and ditched me. 

changbin's frown deepened and he began walking away. yeah, that's probably it. i don't blame him. he'd be happier hanging out with someone who wasn't such a dick.

changbin paused to leaf through a rack of jeans when he heard footsteps rapidly approaching. at first, he didn't think about it and paid no mind, but when he heard a familiar deep voice yelling out his name, he quickly looked up.

"fe—" the freckled boy crashed into him before he could finish calling his name and wrapped his arms around him. "what the f—"

"i finally found you!" the surfer laughed, releasing the older male, who had gone stock-still under his touch. "i was looking all over for you! i was wondering where you went."

changbin's eyebrow rose. "i thought you had gone with your friends or something."

"huh?" felix looked confused. "why would you think that? i just stopped because i found some clothes that looked really cute."

a small bubble of satisfaction rose in changbin's chest. so he didn't ditch me for someone else after all. "i see."

"speaking of seeing, wanna see what i picked out for you?" felix asked. "i saw it and thought you would look really good in it, so i bought it!"

"you got me something?" changbin couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice as felix dug through his bag. he hardly received gifts since his friends were all little shits, so having someone just get something for him out of the blue was rather unexpected.

"yup!" felix said, and whipped the article of clothing out of his bag. "ta-da!"

changbin went silent. no expression was visible on his face as he stared at the gift felix had bought him. after about a minute of solid staring, he finally spoke. "...felix?"

"yes?"

"what in god's name possessed you to think that i would ever in my whole life wear a light pink sweater?"

"nothing! that's exactly why i bought it!" changbin immediately fixated him with a look that said are you shitting me which caused his smile to widen even further. "no, for real! you guys in the stray souls never wear anything unless it's black, grey, or dark white."

"dark white isn't even a—"

"so, i took it upon myself to broaden your clothing horizons!" he shoved the sweater into the biker's arms. "trust me, you'll look amazing in it. i already know."

"no way! i don't want this!" changbin objected, scrunching up his face in disgust. "i hate pink! and sweaters! i'm returning this."

felix suddenly pulled out his phone from his back pocket. "oops, someone's calling me!" he laughed. changbin hadn't heard a ring. "hm? channie? you want me to come over immediately? okay, if you say so!" he removed his phone from his ear and pressed the screen (which was dark), saying, "boop!"

"hang on, you weren't—"

felix (for what felt like the hundredth time that day) cut him off. "sorry, changbin, i'd love to stay and chat, but i've got to go. guess you're stuck with that sweater!" before the biker could protest, he promptly sprinted away, shouting, "no take-backs! no returns! you'd better keep it!"

"hey!" the shorter boy called, but it was too late: felix was gone. he sighed, glancing at the pink monstrosity in his hands. well, i guess i could take it home and burn it or something. yeah, that sounds good.

but when he got home later that day and bid farewell to his friends who all left to go do their own thing, he found himself sitting on his bed staring once more at the sweater in his hands.

what is wrong with you, changbin? stop being so nice and get rid of it! you normally have no problem doing stuff like that! why are you suddenly being soft?

as he was having an internal debate with himself, his door creaked open. "changbin? can you— wait, what's in your arms?"

changbin's eyes widened and he whipped around to find jeongin standing at the door. "jeongin, get the fuck out!" he cried, scrambling to hide the sweater under his blanket. he heard the younger boy stutter out an apology, and his door quickly slammed shut.

changbin sighed and slumped down onto his bed. that was a bit harsh, he thought. maybe i should apologize. i can't be rude to jeongin, anyway— he's our little baby.

"jeongin?" he called, and almost immediately the door opened just a crack. "...wait, were you just waiting out there for me to call you back in?"

"i knew you'd want to apologize."

changbin rolled his eyes as jeongin entered the room wearing a cheeky grin. "you little shit. you know me so well." he cuffed the younger boy around the neck and ruffled his hair despite his whines of protest. "you're lucky. you're the only one i'd be caught dead apologizing to."

jeongin laughed. "that's because you're too proud! i know you think it's lame, but you should give into your softer side once in a while."

"i don't have..." changbin trailed off when a thought popped into his head. "wait, jeongin, i have something important to ask."

"what is it?" the freshly-dyed redhead asked, sliding out of his arm and onto the bed.

i can't believe i'm doing this. "uh... well, if someone gives you something but you really, really hate it, do you throw it away or still keep it?"

jeongin shrugged. "i would still keep it. it would be rude to throw it away."

"but you don't understand," changbin continued. "normally i— uh, i mean, the hypothetical person in this situation— would have no problem burning it. but now the person is conflicted, which isn't like them at all." the male stared at his lap, shame creeping through him. he felt so vulnerable in front of jeongin, and he hated it. however, jeongin was the only one who had seen every side to him— not just the tough exterior he displayed in front of everyone else— so he trusted in the fact that the younger wouldn't judge.

jeongin was silent for a moment. "changbin," he started slowly, "do you have a crush on someone?"

"are you asking to get punched?"

jeongin waved his arms frantically. "no! it's just that sometimes people begin to change themselves when they like someone. i was just wondering." he peered at changbin. "so, do you?"

"in the twenty years i've been alive, i've only ever liked one person, and it was someone i'd known for years," changbin deadpanned. "i don't think i'm gonna start liking someone i've only known for four days."

jeongin nodded slightly. "understandable. well, do you know why were they giving you a gift?"

"...no," changbin responded, glossing over the fact that he had just openly admitted to the "hypothetical person" being him. "they were just doing it to...be nice, maybe? i dunno."

jeongin hummed. "well, if they were doing it out of the kindness of their heart, i'd say to keep the gift. giving someone something for no reason other than they wanted to is very meaningful. you wouldn't normally give someone a gift out of the blue, right?" changbin shook his head. "exactly. it would be extremely rude to disregard their feelings. i'd say to keep it."

changbin's eyes drifted to his dark sheets where the sweater lay hidden underneath it. "...even if i hate it?"

"even if you hate it."

changbin groaned. "fine. thanks for your help. now get out." he quickly shooed the younger out of his room and pulled the pink sweater out from its hiding place. i guess it does look kind of nice, he thought, although it doesn't suit me at all.

he sighed and walked to his wardrobe. whatever. he was being nice, so i guess i'll keep it. he ran his hand down the soft sleeve before hanging it up. it's kinda funny. it's the one splash of colour in the middle of all this dark. the pink stood out so much that it looked ridiculous among the black clothes that changbin owned, and he couldn't help but let the corners of his mouth twitch up ever so slightly at the sight of it.

but then he noticed something that he hadn't before. peering closer, the biker's eyes widened a bit as he thought:

how the hell did he know my size?