Serendipity | SunKi Au

21: Celebrate

Riki isn't entirely sure how they ended up here, in this awkward atmosphere. On second thought, he does know... and it is entirely his fault. 

Maybe he shouldn't have invited Kim Sunoo to come to karaoke with them to celebrate and they wouldn't be in a car--or more like limousine--awkwardly sitting side by side with the older boys in front of them shifting around uncomfortably in the thick tension. He just wanted to be a nice person and when they passed by him as they headed to the first floor he casually asked him if he wanted to come. It just seemed like the right, nice thing to do at the moment but when he saw the panic in the other faces and the smirk in the questioned boys' he knew he had fucked up. Just a little bit. 

"So..." he began, attempting to create a conversation as it was obvious the others wouldn't even try. "Do you guys know each other?" He asks, making eye contact with the oldest who slightly glared at him. Riki tried his hardest to say sorry through his eyes which seemed to work since the others' eyes soon softened up.

"Our dads are friends, you can say we know each other. Acquaintances at least," he explains, nodding slightly.

The rest of the ride stayed quiet for the bigger part, by choice. Ni-Ki could see there was some type of tension between Sunoo and Jay so he thought it was best to stay quiet. While the other three were focused on their phones, he found himself looking out the tinted window, his mouth slightly parted as he looked at the unknown streets.

"Close your mouth, a fly will go in there," the boy beside him mutters, his eyes still pasted onto his phone. As if on reflex, Riki quickly closes it shut with a slight blush spreading through his cheeks due to embarrassment. The other two boys seem to not have noticed as they both had AirPods on both of their ears, full volume up to tune everything else out.

Soon enough, the car came to a halt and Riki almost let out a sigh of relief. The other three went out first nonchalantly but before he went out, he made sure to bow with a smile to the driver who seemed surprised but nevertheless shot the boy a smile with a grateful nod. He could tell that for the other three, it was some type of nature. Being taken care of, being driven around, having everything in their hands, telling everyone what to do, and getting it done. As for him, he never got that treatment. Maybe once or twice he had gotten to ride a limousine with Yuta when he was younger and even Yuta only sometimes said thank you. He didn't blame them or judge them, of course, it wasn't their fault but rather the ones who raised them. Or rather didn't.

"Riki how many hours?" Jay asks, diverting his eyes from the female cashier to the younger one who stood behind him.

"As long as you guys want," he answers with a smile, his eyes traveling to the other three.

"Is three hours good?" Sunghoon questions. "Or is it too long?"

The 15-year-old nods with a smile, "That's all right."

They get escorted to their room, Sunghoon and Jay leading, having a conversation between the two. Ni-Ki following, his eyes going from door to door as if it were some new world. And Sunoo 3 steps behind, arms crossed over his chest, eyes in front. 

"Okay! Who goes first?" Sunghoon asks enthusiastically, putting his gym bag on one of the couches with a wide smile. "Riki! You should go first!" He exclaims, handing him the controller.

Riki tenses up, nervousness filling his body, as he shakes his head, waving his hands left and right. "You guys should go first. I'll join later," he assures.

Sunghoon was about to retort when Jay put his hand on one of his shoulders, giving the younger a smile, "Sure, we'll go first. You can join in when you feel comfortable."

Ni-Ki nods with a grateful smile, turning around to take a seat next to Sunoo who was already distracted on his phone. As he watches his friends sing, on a rather professional level than playfully, he takes several glances at the silver head. He glances at his phone too, only seeing him scrolling through Instagram with the common subject of cats, idol singers, and magazines appearing on the screen. He sniffles a laugh that such a cold guy would have such a cute feed, seeing a kitty in there once in a while. 

He focuses his gaze back onto the two who were immersed in singing to 'Rollin' by Brave Girls as they did the dance along with the lyrics. He laughs as Sunghoon does a step of the dance at the wrong time, Jay doing his job as his best friend and teasing him about it even after a minute was gone. 

He turns back to check on Sunoo only to see his gaze already on him. The older moves his eyes quickly, putting them back onto his phone. If Riki didn't know any better, he would have thought he saw a blush on his cheeks but he knew better than to fool himself.

"Sunoo-Hyung," he calls out, just loud enough for the other male to hear.

Sunoo raises his head, a raised eyebrow on his face, an amused smirk dancing on his lips.

Ni-Ki quickly widens his eyes, his hand coming to cover his mouth in embarrassment and his own shock. He had just called him Hyung. Moreover, ha had called him by his name. Probably the first time since they met.

"I- I'm sorry," he mumbles after recovering, clearing his throat slightly.

"You can call me Hyung," the older states, looking directly into his eyes. 

Riki was surprised at the statement without a doubt but knew better than retort so instead, he nods as he moves his eyes back to the front where his friends were now singing 'I' by Taeyeon with overdramatic emotions.

"What were you gonna ask?" The voice behind him asks, making him look back.

"Huh?" 

"You called for my attention for a reason, didn't you?" He asks, both his eyebrows up.

"R- right, um," he cursed at himself for freezing up for no reason. He had spoken to him before but their conversations were never long, he was just feeling flustered. "Aren't you going to sing something?" He finally gets out.

Sunoo glances to the front, the two other boys faking weeps which made him roll his eyes. "I think they're having the time of their lives like that. Wasn't this to celebrate you?"

He nods, smiling, looking back at the two oldest, "Yes, and this is the best way to celebrate."

"I don't see it."

The younger looks back at him, the smile not disappearing, "It's best to see the ones that I'm close to happy. It makes me happy."

Sunoo looks at him with a confused expression, as if he didn't understand what the blond was saying. Instead of trying to understand, he shakes his head and looks back down at his phone. Riki finally takes courage, standing up from his seat and going to talk to his other friends, soon enough taking the mic and starting to jam to the songs that were played.