Personal Sunrise

First Sight

Taemin's POV

"Taemin-ah! Wait for me!"

I smiled when I heard Minho's voice from the other end of the hallway. I turned around and stuck my tongue out at him, taking long, exaggerated steps toward the cafeteria.

"You better hurry~," I sang.

He laughed lightly and ran down the hallway, shoving me playfully when he reached my side. "The food's not going anywhere. There's plenty for everyone." He ruffled my hair and I scowled.

"Nuh-uh, hyung! The main dish today is teriyaki chicken. Chicken. Onew hyung will be on the warpath. There might not be any left for me..." I pouted.

"Well, in that case..." Minho smiled and grabbed my wrist, pulling me through the crowd and past the cafeteria entrance. His years as a basketball player had turned him into a people-dodging machine, and we were able to snake through the crowd in thirty seconds flat.

Within five minutes we had snagged our plates and taken our places at the table. Onew and Jonghyun took their seats seconds later.

"Oh, dearest chicken," Onew chanted, picking up a small square with his chopsticks. "How I love thee."

"Cut it out, Jinki," Jonghyun grumbled, eyeing his plate with distaste. He stuck his tongue out as he swirled mysterious vegetables around with his chopsticks. "I don't even think this is real chicken." He picked up a limp, purple vegetable and made a face. "What is this?"

Minho reached over and pushed Jonghyun's chopsticks toward his mouth until he was forced to eat the strange food.

"It's this or nothing, hyung." He said calmly, sprinkling soy sauce over his meal. "You don't get to be picky."

"But I want to be picky~," Jonghyun whined, draining his water bottle in an effort to wash away the taste. "I deserve better than this, you know!"

"Says who?" I teased, making an exaggerated show of eating my chicken.

Jonghyun scowled and pushed his plate toward Onew. Onew glanced up, his mouth full of food.

"Y'aren't gonna eat it?" He asked, eyes wide.

"No, hyung. Happy birthday."

Onew smiled and proceeded to transfer the chicken to his own plate. I laughed to myself as I finished my food. My hyungs could be so silly sometimes.

"Yah! Jonghyun," Minho called. I glanced up to see him looking at Jonghyun with a puzzled expression. "What are you staring at?"

Jonghyun shook his head slightly and focused on the rest of us. "Who's the new kid?" He asked, jerking his head toward the next table over.

We all glanced toward the table and saw a boy eating alone. His metallic silver jacket shone in the bright cafeteria lights. His head was bent over his plate as he calmly ate his chicken, and the dark hair that fell into his eyes was brightened by multicolored highlights.

Minho shrugged. "I've never seen him before."

"Neither have I," Onew mumbled, focusing on his chicken.

I stared at him, trying to determine why he held my attention. There was something about him... He seemed so... sad. Like he desperately wanted to find happiness again, but didn't know where to look.

"He looks like he needs a friend," I said sadly, resting my chin in my hand.

Jonghyun blinked several times and tore his gaze away from the lonely boy. "He's got a weird sense of style..." He said distractedly, glancing down at the table.

I saw the boy smile slightly as he stared down at his plate. My eyes widened. Was he listening to us?

I smirked. "Well, I think his sense of style is amazing," I said, rather loudly. The others looked at me, Minho with a small smile, and Jonghyun with a thoughtful expression.

"I think so, too," Jonghyun said, looking at the boy again. "It's...different. I like it." His eyes widened and his face went red as he realized that he had spoken his thoughts aloud. I laughed and patted his blond hair.

"It's okay, hyung. I like it, too." I grinned.

The fashionable boy was definitely smiling now, and our eyes met as he glanced toward our table. I looked away, embarrassed, and I thought I heard him laughing.

Key's POV

"Oh, dearest chicken. How I love thee."

The strange boy sitting at the next table over picked up a piece of chicken and gazed at it in wonder. I raised an eyebrow and looked away. The kids at this school were definitely a bit more...unique...than those at my old school.

Sitting next to the chicken maniac was a boy with a disgusted look on his face. His hair was brown at the top, but it slowly faded until the hair spilling across his forehead was a bright yellow. I couldn't help but smile as he picked some food from his plate and eyed it suspiciously. I had had the exact same reaction when I bought my plate.

The boy sitting across from the chicken maniac reached over and pushed on the blond boy's chopsticks until he was forced to eat the vegetable. His hair was dark and fell to his shoulders in feathery waves. He calmly spread soy sauce around his plate and told the blond boy that he couldn't be picky.

"But I want to be picky!" The blond boy whined, pulling a face and downing his water bottle quickly. "I deserve better than this, you know!"

I laughed and returned to my food. They seemed like a playful bunch. I could tell from one glance that the boy with the long hair was madly in love with the young red-headed boy who sat beside him. I wondered if the others knew it, too. The blond boy was definitely high-maintenance, but in an adorable sort of way. He seemed nice enough. And the chicken maniac was definitely entertaining.

"Who's the new kid?"

I peeked at the other table out of the corner of my eye. The blond boy was staring at me with a curious expression. I looked away quickly.

The others answered with quick comments about how they didn't know who I was.

Of course they didn't know. And they probably wouldn't make an effort to know, either.

"He looks like he needs a friend," The young red-headed boy said sadly. I shut my eyes. Was it really that obvious?

"He's got a weird sense of style," The blond boy muttered, looking away.

I bristled. Weird? Weird? This jacket is designer, you jerk.

"Well, I think his sense of style is amazing," The red-head chimed in, a bit too loudly considering the distance between him and his friends. I laughed softly. So he had noticed my eavesdropping.

The blond boy glanced at me again. "I think so, too," he said softly. "It's...different. I like it."

I grinned to myself. Take a good look, boys. It's time for your daily dose of fabulous.

I smirked and stood up, picking up my plate and throwing it in a nearby trash can. As I walked past their table, I caught a glimpse of the blond boy watching me from the corner of his eye.

"Like what you see?" I whispered as I passed behind him.

His eyes widened and he spun around in his seat, staring at me open-mouthed. I smirked and waved to him as I walked out of the cafeteria.

*Snaps in 'Z' form* YAASSS KEY U BETTA SLAY!!!