012 Chase
Chase
PG-13 | EunHae | AU; Friendship, Fluff
Summary: In which they might try to solve The Great Ship Problem and Donghae’s lack of relationships.
A/N: This is for Farah (farahaehyuk) because she’s as sweet as the stuff she bakes and she’s lovely and it’s her special day. ^^ (Oh god I suck at fluff, I’m sorry. Well I suck at most things, anyway ROFLMAO)
3,919 words
--
Donghae
I was quite relieved that Heechul didn’t pick me to be on his team for dodge ball. My body never listened to me - if I tell it to dodge, it would probably do absolutely craptastic stunts to catch it. Of course, I wouldn’t catch it. Of course, by then, my body would be bent and disfigured in more ways than one and I would make a fool of myself yet again. Lee Donghae. The ultimate wimp.
In this school, my being physically the same as everybody else was a free pass to redemption. They didn’t bully me because I was okay-looking. I looked okay enough so they didn’t have to point out my acne or my lack of height. Somehow, someone had a worse case of a pimple breakout. And someone would find a way to be shorter than me. I looked plain enough so that I didn’t stand out enough for them to pick on me.
Also, I did okay in classes. I was in advanced classes in English and History, but I was pretty much the same with guys my age when it comes to bloody Math.
The walk to school was the most painful time of each and every day, not because my legs were too weak or too short for the job. It was because of the people you had to pass by as you walk from the gate to the main building. The courtyard was always filled with people, I didn’t understand why; but it had always been that way. People walked in groups and with their cliques. If you walked alone, you’d be an easy prey - people were going to make fun of you, whisper about you, or just make your morning miserable. And if they did once, they would probably do it the next day. Also, for the rest of your life. I doubted if they had proper reasons for doing so. Maybe it was because things had always been this way, too.
Nobody ever bothered me despite my being alone during my walks to the building.
Maybe having a brother who taught gym (and who punished the late kids) also had something to do with it. (Honestly, it was mostly the reason why the bad guys left me alone. Sometimes, I hated that he’s practically watching me while I should be having the time of my life as a teenager. It was like having a chaperone all the freaking time.)
I forgot how I got together with the collection of people I was always with. We were really strange. I mean, everyone (excluding me) was so strange in their own ways. Of course, when put together, we didn’t make any sense at all. But, well, we stuck together - Heechul, Siwon, Jongwoon and me.
--
Hyukjae
There were only three things I liked about the school - honors system (so I got my perks), library hours instead of homeroom (because I preferred books over long lectures on values and the human mind and shit), and its battalion of gorgeous people (because I liked looking at people who were pretty).
The things I hated were countless. Of course, I hated that they bullied other kids. They couldn’t touch me (they wouldn’t) because I was one of them. More specifically, I was friends with the guys who grew up to become bullies. Okay, so, let me repeat that. I hated that I didn’t stop them from bullying other kids.
It was easier during senior year since I could always tell them I had to prepare for something. I was always preparing for something, anyway. I had to design the whole backdrop for the Theater Club. I had to prepare the list of songs the band would play for prom. I had to submit the photos for this exhibit they were planning before Christmas break. I had become The All-Around Artistic Guy, The Creative Director for Everything, and since girls assumed I was gay, they would always ask my opinion on the dress they were going to wear, or the look they were currently sporting. But I always had the answers to every question they throw at me.
And I had always been like myself. And they still assumed I was gay.
It wasn’t really a problem since I didn’t like labels so much and it’s weird to stick to one gender when everybody was so gorgeous. And my friends (who were the bullies) were still my friends. Besides, they weren’t my type.
My type? This guy in my English class, Lee Donghae.
I didn’t know if he knew about my unrequited crush. He always wore outfits in black and white. Although, to say outfit might be an exaggeration. Most guys wore jeans to school, anyway. But Lee Donghae wore black shirts with white design or vice versa.
I didn’t notice him at first because he disappeared in crowds and was always missing during the highlights of our lives. But when I did (and he was sitting behind my parents in the auditorium, then) I almost forgot Romeo’s lines.
Of course, I played Romeo.
--
Donghae
The only place safe from all the drama was the library. It was also boring. But, there wasn’t really anything else to do outside where it was like a jungle and people were not-so-figuratively throwing themselves into the riot.
I started working on this math assignment and it was a disaster.
‘Ship 1 started sailing north 41º32’ east at the rate of 6mph while Ship 2 started from the same port going south 48º18’ east at the rate of 8mph two hours later. After how many hours will Ship 2 be exactly south of Ship 1?’
“I’m sorry, what ship? I have so many ships!” I wanted to yell at my notebook. The only way a ship would be exactly south of another ship was if I liked the latter ship better. And that usually took two hours of browsing sites and forums. I thought that if the answer was actually two hours, I’d be answering all other Ship Questions this way.
I realized I was scowling at my notebook like a total idiot and I looked around to see if anyone could see. Of course, someone could and did. His eyebrow was raised and he looked at me like I was a weirdo. And I was! And I couldn’t believe that of all people, it had to be the most popular unpopular kid in the school. The Lee Hyukjae.
There was nothing left to do but to look away. The damage had been done and I tried consoling myself that, after all, it was just a face I was making. At my notebook. Which was completely weird. Gah!
--
Hyukjae
Lee Donghae looked absolutely adorable making at face. Of course, he looked ugly making that face. But it was weird! I never thought his face was capable of being ugly.
When I had managed to stop thinking about his being adorable and looked back at him, he was gone. But he had left his notebook. (I wondered if it was deliberate. I didn’t think so.) Okay, I thought, this was a legitimate reason to talk to him. I had to give him back his notebook.
Tomorrow.
Because, there was so much to see and discover with notebooks and what people scribble on their covers or at the last page or just between biology and chemistry notes.
I walked to his seat, took the notebook and read at the page where he left it open, ‘Ship 1 started sailing north 41º32’ east at the rate of 6mph while Ship 2 started from the same port going south 48º18’ east at the rate of 8mph two hours later. After how many hours will Ship 2 be exactly south of Ship 1?’
Well, I thought. If he was having problems with math, I’d be of ginormous help. I was, after all, The All-Around Artistic Guy, The Creative Director for Everything. Of course, I would be amazing at math.
I could almost cry. I wasn’t.
Math was my worst subject. It was the single threat to my perfect high school life. It was also threatening my college applications and my self-respect. I could do math, yes, but if you compared it with how amazing I was at science, or how good I was with literature, or how perfect my diving was, it was just a complete disaster. An ugly, dark smudge on my otherwise perfect face.
If this notebook was going to be the one way to Lee Donghae, it wasn’t going to be because of impeccable math skills.
--
Hyukjae
When it came to math, there was only one person to go to. Donghee.
I was certain he was at the gym, practicing hoops. I walked to there with Lee Donghae’s notebook in my bag, carefully wedged between my ancient copy of Snuff, my decaying Statistics workbook, and the track list for the play Sungmin wrote and was directing.
There was a lot of dragging and pleading that ensued as soon as I found Donghee all sweaty and stinky from basketball. He didn’t want to help me with my math homework; then, he did want to, but if I went with them to Jungsoo’s garage so they could ‘get-together.’ By ‘get-together,’ he meant get high and get wasted (which ever came first and which ever you preferred). Jungsoo was this college drop-out who’s almost always loaded with pot and alcohol. He looked and smelled like a drug dealer.
I said yes, fine, I would. Just answer the damn problem.
--
Donghae
I screamed when I got home. My brother came rushing to my room with a baseball bat, yelling about the burglar and 911. My room was thrashed and my things were everywhere and my notebook was missing. Shit. My math homework.
If it was my History notebook, I wouldn’t worry. I could easily ask Jongwoon because we were in the same class. If it was any other subjects, Heechul or Siwon would be there. But it was math! And I didn’t know a soul from that class. Of course, I knew their names and their parents and where they live, roughly, but I didn’t know have their emails or numbers or houses. Shit.
--
Hyukjae
There he was, wearing a hood over his head for the first time in ever. Was he trying to be mysterious? Well, he looked like a mushroom.
He was walking super fast to the building, it surprised me. I had planned on walking up to him so we could walk to the building together, which seemed impossible since he was practically running.
“Hey!” I yelled once I caught up with him to the corridors. He was walking to the lockers. Oh, so that was his locker? “Hey, you!” I didn’t want him to know I knew his name because that would be so uncool.
He looked at me for a second, asking in gesture if it was him I was calling after.
“Yeah.” I finally reached him, a little flustered and slightly out of breath (just slightly). “You left this yesterday, right?”
He audibly gasped (which was cute), and hurriedly took his notebook from my hands. “Thank you!”
I left him reunited with his notebook. I wasn’t going to smile or smirk (I was going to be super cool about things) but I couldn’t help myself. I walked away at once before he could look up and see the expression on my face.
For the rest of the day, Donghee et al. were trying to shake me out of smiling to myself too much. Lee Donghae’s surprised face was still vivid in my mind. And I caught a whiff of his scent (it smelled like peach, which was girly, to be honest, but I didn’t care too much).
--
Donghae
I hurried to the library so I could finish my math homework only to see that it was already answered.
Lee Hyukjae had answered my homework. Figures and all. Wow.
I ran to class, my hoodie falling from my head, and was bothered the whole day. What should I do? Should I do him a favor? Because he did something for me. But walking up to him with cheesecake tarts would be so gay. And so scary. He was friends with Donghee and Kyuhyun and Youngwoon and it was scary. I had thanked him already, though. And I wondered if that was enough. Or should I say something more?
Gah!
To make matters worse, I seemed to always see him everywhere. Ugh, it was frustrating. I might have been seeing him before but not noticing it because my head was always down and I didn’t really pay attention to him because everybody was paying attention to him already.
But he disappeared quickly. He was just passing by me on his way to his class. Or he was just walking to his table at the cafeteria. Or he was rushing to the auditorium for rehearsals, maybe. Or he was walking to where his friends were. Or he was submitting his paper to the teacher’s desk. Wait, he was in my English class?
--
Hyukjae
I walked to the front of the classroom, asked for the teacher’s permission, and said, “In behalf of the Theater Club, I’d like to invite guys who would be interested with helping us out in Lee Sungmin’s production. We’re in need of people good at painting and people who play instruments. Please approach me or any Theater Club members. Thanks.”
Whew.
I walked back to my seat and waited.
After class, this girl approached me saying she’s good at painting so I got her name and contact details, scribbled at the back of my notebook. I told her Sungmin would be in contact with her tonight or tomorrow.
Some other guys told me they play drums and bass and other instruments so I just directed them to the auditorium because Lee Donghae was making his way over to my desk and wow. (I panicked, okay?)
“Excuse me,” he said.
I looked up at him from my seat.
“Would you need someone who can play piano?”
Of course! I would need someone who can play the piano or any other instrument as long as it’s you! It was hard to keep my composure. But I did. I was pro at this. “Yeah, do you play the piano?”
“Yeah,” he said quietly. “Do I go to the auditorium, too?”
No we stay here so I can squish your adorable face as soon as everybody’s gone away. “Yeah, yeah. Let’s go. I need to go talk to Sungmin anyway.”
--
Hyukjae
I didn’t need to convince Sungmin to keep Lee Donghae. He was amazing at the piano. I wanted to cry as he played this piece I wasn’t familiar with but Sungmin kept tapping his foot to. He said it’s a Paramore song (I thought Paramore couldn’t sound this romantic!).
So I was Musical Director. And he was going to play the piano. It was bound to happen, some time.
Sungmin shoved us into one music room so we could talk go through the tracks and edit it because he didn’t have time for mediocre, half-assed track lists. He eyed me.
--
Donghae
Well, this wasn’t what I had in mind when I volunteered my piano skills. I actually thought, ‘Well, this is a good way to finally pay back Lee Hyukjae so I wouldn’t feel indebted to him and I would stop seeing his face everywhere.’
Lee Sungmin pushed us inside a music room and Lee Hyukjae was telling me to be here as soon as the last period ends. Every other day. And I was like. No.
It was really uncomfortable being with Lee Hyukjae. He showed me this list and I took a picture with my phone because I wasn’t familiar with half the songs in the list.
He was serious, though, about the schedule and the amount of things we had to do. And he gave me a copy of the script when I asked for it, so I would know when the songs would play. And everything.
We were silent, save the sound of the piano.
--
Donghae
On the fourth day of rehearsing with Lee Hyukjae, I caught him looking at my notebook when I looked back after playing the last song. We were finished with the list and Sungmin had already approved it. Next week, I was going to rehearse with the cast. “My answer was correct,” he said.
“Yeah,” I couldn’t begin to get mad at him for looking through my notes. “Thanks, by the way.” It was my only perfect score in math class. My teacher looked at me funny when he saw it.
“You have a new homework,” he said and then read the problems aloud. There were five bloody bits of them. I nodded helplessly. “Do you need help?”
“It’s not due until next week anyway, it’s okay. I can do it.”
He laughed. “You can’t. I saw your other scores.” He was already putting the notebook carefully inside his backpack.
--
Hyukjae
He frowned and shoved me out of his way when he walked out. Shit. I shouldn’t have made fun of his scores.
--
Donghae
“Hey,” Lee Hyukjae was in my doorstep - I didn’t even know he knew where I lived. “Here.”
I took a notebook - which wasn’t mine, from his hands and opened it. It was his math notebook. And his scores were okay, but not soaring high. And he failed some of his exercises, as well. I laughed. His handwriting was different from the one in my Ship Problem. He wasn’t the one who solved it, obviously.
“Sorry,” he said. And he looked sincere. I noticed how thin he was against the loose shirt he was wearing. I noticed how his pants contrasted the bagginess of his shirt. “And thanks for helping me out with the songs.”
I nodded and smiled. He smiled and nodded and was starting to move back. “Would you like to come in?” He eyed the house, obviously worried about how Coach Lee would kick his ass or something by barging in. “Nobody’s going to break your neck if you come in.”
--
Hyukjae
Studying math together on a Saturday afternoon wasn’t part of my plans. I was supposed to go to Jungsoo’s garage with the guys. But who cares. I quickly tapped a message to Kyuhyun (because he had the most brain) saying something came up and I couldn’t make it.
We were in the kitchen, and I could see the stairs from where I was sitting. I wondered what his room looked like. I wondered if it smelled like peach, too. I wondered how much time he spent in the kitchen because it didn’t smell like him.
He said something about the play and I couldn’t focus on his words because his lips were thin and pretty. I gulped. He really smelled like peaches.
When he had finished answering his problems, he asked if I wanted to stay for dinner. I said yes. I had no plans, anyway.
I didn’t realize, however, that by dinner, he meant with his parents and his brother and that maybe he was just being polite to ask me and it was him asking me to leave. I had been there for too long. (It was only three hours.)
He started doing things in the counter top, though (and by things, I meant food-related things like chopping vegetables and turning on the stove). And I was just staring at him. He looked nice in pastel blue. He should wear colors more often.
--
Donghae
After preparing the food, I asked him to clear the table, to move our things to the living room. He did as told - which was nice of him.
When he finished, we sat back down in the kitchen. The pasta was cooked and in the oven so it won’t cool down too quickly. The vegetables were ready, too. I offered him juice and we were just sitting. It was the first time we were not speaking and not doing anything at the same time.
His hand was against my palm, all of a sudden.
--
Hyukjae
I placed my hand on his and it felt cold. It laid flat on his lap but it jerked every once in a while under my touch. My fingertips studied the contours of his palm, the shape of his fingers, the softness of his skin, the crevices and curves. It was so soft and lovely. I could almost hear my heart as it beat nervously against my skin.
--
Donghae
I couldn’t move. His fingers were dancing on my palm, and I was unresponsive the whole time - I was so embarrassing! But it felt so nice. His skin was soft and gentle and I could feel my hand twitch when his thumb smoothed over my palm.
--
Hyukjae
“I was just about to go,” I dumbly told his mother when she walked in on us kissing (more like me eating his face).
She smiled and Donghae ran to take the bag of groceries on her arms. “Why don’t you stay for dinner?”
I eyed Donghae as she unloaded the contents of the bag on the counter, her back turned to us. I really couldn’t stand eating with his family when I had just practically kissed the life out of their Donghae’s lips.
“He’s having dinner with his parents,” Donghae said in my behalf and I began to calm down. “We can invite him some other time, right, Mom?” (Okay, so he was doing a better job at pretending nothing happened.)
She turned to us and nodded. She was beautiful and she looked kind. “Don’t I get to know his name, though?”
Donghae gulped visibly and I extended my hand (the one which kneaded Donghae’s palm) to her, “My name is Hyukjae. We go to school together.”
“Ah, Hyukjae,” she shook my hand. “What a nice name. And what a handsome boy you are.”
“Thank you,” I said as I felt myself blush (If that was possible. I could still feel the heat on my cheeks when I kissed him).
“You should walk Hyukjae out, Donghae. Before it gets too dark outside.” She looked at me after closing the refrigerator door and said, “I’ll see you some other time, Hyukjae?”
I looked at Donghae and he was looking at his mother nervously. I turned to her, “Well, I’ll ask Donghae if I can come back.”
She laughed. And I almost thought she knew what was going on (She saw me kissing Donghae, for god’s sake! Of course, she knew!). “He’d say okay,” she said knowingly.
--
Donghae
“Sorry about that,” he said. We were walking on the sidewalk and he was a step ahead of me, to the left of my house. I didn’t know where he lived.
“My mom’s so embarrassing,” I told him. “Don’t mind her.”
He took my hand again. This time, my fingers gripped loosely against his. It felt really, really nice.
--
Hyukjae
“Donghae,” the two syllables rang perfectly in my ears. I loved how it sounds when I say it, like a mantra. Or a battle cry.
He looked at me and I noticed how he was blushing, and nervously biting at his lower lip (which was adorable and attractive, by the way).
“I like you,” I said before I could stop myself.
--
PG-13 | EunHae | AU; Friendship, Fluff
Summary: In which they might try to solve The Great Ship Problem and Donghae’s lack of relationships.
A/N: This is for Farah (farahaehyuk) because she’s as sweet as the stuff she bakes and she’s lovely and it’s her special day. ^^ (Oh god I suck at fluff, I’m sorry. Well I suck at most things, anyway ROFLMAO)
3,919 words
--
Donghae
I was quite relieved that Heechul didn’t pick me to be on his team for dodge ball. My body never listened to me - if I tell it to dodge, it would probably do absolutely craptastic stunts to catch it. Of course, I wouldn’t catch it. Of course, by then, my body would be bent and disfigured in more ways than one and I would make a fool of myself yet again. Lee Donghae. The ultimate wimp.
In this school, my being physically the same as everybody else was a free pass to redemption. They didn’t bully me because I was okay-looking. I looked okay enough so they didn’t have to point out my acne or my lack of height. Somehow, someone had a worse case of a pimple breakout. And someone would find a way to be shorter than me. I looked plain enough so that I didn’t stand out enough for them to pick on me.
Also, I did okay in classes. I was in advanced classes in English and History, but I was pretty much the same with guys my age when it comes to bloody Math.
The walk to school was the most painful time of each and every day, not because my legs were too weak or too short for the job. It was because of the people you had to pass by as you walk from the gate to the main building. The courtyard was always filled with people, I didn’t understand why; but it had always been that way. People walked in groups and with their cliques. If you walked alone, you’d be an easy prey - people were going to make fun of you, whisper about you, or just make your morning miserable. And if they did once, they would probably do it the next day. Also, for the rest of your life. I doubted if they had proper reasons for doing so. Maybe it was because things had always been this way, too.
Nobody ever bothered me despite my being alone during my walks to the building.
Maybe having a brother who taught gym (and who punished the late kids) also had something to do with it. (Honestly, it was mostly the reason why the bad guys left me alone. Sometimes, I hated that he’s practically watching me while I should be having the time of my life as a teenager. It was like having a chaperone all the freaking time.)
I forgot how I got together with the collection of people I was always with. We were really strange. I mean, everyone (excluding me) was so strange in their own ways. Of course, when put together, we didn’t make any sense at all. But, well, we stuck together - Heechul, Siwon, Jongwoon and me.
--
Hyukjae
There were only three things I liked about the school - honors system (so I got my perks), library hours instead of homeroom (because I preferred books over long lectures on values and the human mind and shit), and its battalion of gorgeous people (because I liked looking at people who were pretty).
The things I hated were countless. Of course, I hated that they bullied other kids. They couldn’t touch me (they wouldn’t) because I was one of them. More specifically, I was friends with the guys who grew up to become bullies. Okay, so, let me repeat that. I hated that I didn’t stop them from bullying other kids.
It was easier during senior year since I could always tell them I had to prepare for something. I was always preparing for something, anyway. I had to design the whole backdrop for the Theater Club. I had to prepare the list of songs the band would play for prom. I had to submit the photos for this exhibit they were planning before Christmas break. I had become The All-Around Artistic Guy, The Creative Director for Everything, and since girls assumed I was gay, they would always ask my opinion on the dress they were going to wear, or the look they were currently sporting. But I always had the answers to every question they throw at me.
And I had always been like myself. And they still assumed I was gay.
It wasn’t really a problem since I didn’t like labels so much and it’s weird to stick to one gender when everybody was so gorgeous. And my friends (who were the bullies) were still my friends. Besides, they weren’t my type.
My type? This guy in my English class, Lee Donghae.
I didn’t know if he knew about my unrequited crush. He always wore outfits in black and white. Although, to say outfit might be an exaggeration. Most guys wore jeans to school, anyway. But Lee Donghae wore black shirts with white design or vice versa.
I didn’t notice him at first because he disappeared in crowds and was always missing during the highlights of our lives. But when I did (and he was sitting behind my parents in the auditorium, then) I almost forgot Romeo’s lines.
Of course, I played Romeo.
--
Donghae
The only place safe from all the drama was the library. It was also boring. But, there wasn’t really anything else to do outside where it was like a jungle and people were not-so-figuratively throwing themselves into the riot.
I started working on this math assignment and it was a disaster.
‘Ship 1 started sailing north 41º32’ east at the rate of 6mph while Ship 2 started from the same port going south 48º18’ east at the rate of 8mph two hours later. After how many hours will Ship 2 be exactly south of Ship 1?’
“I’m sorry, what ship? I have so many ships!” I wanted to yell at my notebook. The only way a ship would be exactly south of another ship was if I liked the latter ship better. And that usually took two hours of browsing sites and forums. I thought that if the answer was actually two hours, I’d be answering all other Ship Questions this way.
I realized I was scowling at my notebook like a total idiot and I looked around to see if anyone could see. Of course, someone could and did. His eyebrow was raised and he looked at me like I was a weirdo. And I was! And I couldn’t believe that of all people, it had to be the most popular unpopular kid in the school. The Lee Hyukjae.
There was nothing left to do but to look away. The damage had been done and I tried consoling myself that, after all, it was just a face I was making. At my notebook. Which was completely weird. Gah!
--
Hyukjae
Lee Donghae looked absolutely adorable making at face. Of course, he looked ugly making that face. But it was weird! I never thought his face was capable of being ugly.
When I had managed to stop thinking about his being adorable and looked back at him, he was gone. But he had left his notebook. (I wondered if it was deliberate. I didn’t think so.) Okay, I thought, this was a legitimate reason to talk to him. I had to give him back his notebook.
Tomorrow.
Because, there was so much to see and discover with notebooks and what people scribble on their covers or at the last page or just between biology and chemistry notes.
I walked to his seat, took the notebook and read at the page where he left it open, ‘Ship 1 started sailing north 41º32’ east at the rate of 6mph while Ship 2 started from the same port going south 48º18’ east at the rate of 8mph two hours later. After how many hours will Ship 2 be exactly south of Ship 1?’
Well, I thought. If he was having problems with math, I’d be of ginormous help. I was, after all, The All-Around Artistic Guy, The Creative Director for Everything. Of course, I would be amazing at math.
I could almost cry. I wasn’t.
Math was my worst subject. It was the single threat to my perfect high school life. It was also threatening my college applications and my self-respect. I could do math, yes, but if you compared it with how amazing I was at science, or how good I was with literature, or how perfect my diving was, it was just a complete disaster. An ugly, dark smudge on my otherwise perfect face.
If this notebook was going to be the one way to Lee Donghae, it wasn’t going to be because of impeccable math skills.
--
Hyukjae
When it came to math, there was only one person to go to. Donghee.
I was certain he was at the gym, practicing hoops. I walked to there with Lee Donghae’s notebook in my bag, carefully wedged between my ancient copy of Snuff, my decaying Statistics workbook, and the track list for the play Sungmin wrote and was directing.
There was a lot of dragging and pleading that ensued as soon as I found Donghee all sweaty and stinky from basketball. He didn’t want to help me with my math homework; then, he did want to, but if I went with them to Jungsoo’s garage so they could ‘get-together.’ By ‘get-together,’ he meant get high and get wasted (which ever came first and which ever you preferred). Jungsoo was this college drop-out who’s almost always loaded with pot and alcohol. He looked and smelled like a drug dealer.
I said yes, fine, I would. Just answer the damn problem.
--
Donghae
I screamed when I got home. My brother came rushing to my room with a baseball bat, yelling about the burglar and 911. My room was thrashed and my things were everywhere and my notebook was missing. Shit. My math homework.
If it was my History notebook, I wouldn’t worry. I could easily ask Jongwoon because we were in the same class. If it was any other subjects, Heechul or Siwon would be there. But it was math! And I didn’t know a soul from that class. Of course, I knew their names and their parents and where they live, roughly, but I didn’t know have their emails or numbers or houses. Shit.
--
Hyukjae
There he was, wearing a hood over his head for the first time in ever. Was he trying to be mysterious? Well, he looked like a mushroom.
He was walking super fast to the building, it surprised me. I had planned on walking up to him so we could walk to the building together, which seemed impossible since he was practically running.
“Hey!” I yelled once I caught up with him to the corridors. He was walking to the lockers. Oh, so that was his locker? “Hey, you!” I didn’t want him to know I knew his name because that would be so uncool.
He looked at me for a second, asking in gesture if it was him I was calling after.
“Yeah.” I finally reached him, a little flustered and slightly out of breath (just slightly). “You left this yesterday, right?”
He audibly gasped (which was cute), and hurriedly took his notebook from my hands. “Thank you!”
I left him reunited with his notebook. I wasn’t going to smile or smirk (I was going to be super cool about things) but I couldn’t help myself. I walked away at once before he could look up and see the expression on my face.
For the rest of the day, Donghee et al. were trying to shake me out of smiling to myself too much. Lee Donghae’s surprised face was still vivid in my mind. And I caught a whiff of his scent (it smelled like peach, which was girly, to be honest, but I didn’t care too much).
--
Donghae
I hurried to the library so I could finish my math homework only to see that it was already answered.
Lee Hyukjae had answered my homework. Figures and all. Wow.
I ran to class, my hoodie falling from my head, and was bothered the whole day. What should I do? Should I do him a favor? Because he did something for me. But walking up to him with cheesecake tarts would be so gay. And so scary. He was friends with Donghee and Kyuhyun and Youngwoon and it was scary. I had thanked him already, though. And I wondered if that was enough. Or should I say something more?
Gah!
To make matters worse, I seemed to always see him everywhere. Ugh, it was frustrating. I might have been seeing him before but not noticing it because my head was always down and I didn’t really pay attention to him because everybody was paying attention to him already.
But he disappeared quickly. He was just passing by me on his way to his class. Or he was just walking to his table at the cafeteria. Or he was rushing to the auditorium for rehearsals, maybe. Or he was walking to where his friends were. Or he was submitting his paper to the teacher’s desk. Wait, he was in my English class?
--
Hyukjae
I walked to the front of the classroom, asked for the teacher’s permission, and said, “In behalf of the Theater Club, I’d like to invite guys who would be interested with helping us out in Lee Sungmin’s production. We’re in need of people good at painting and people who play instruments. Please approach me or any Theater Club members. Thanks.”
Whew.
I walked back to my seat and waited.
After class, this girl approached me saying she’s good at painting so I got her name and contact details, scribbled at the back of my notebook. I told her Sungmin would be in contact with her tonight or tomorrow.
Some other guys told me they play drums and bass and other instruments so I just directed them to the auditorium because Lee Donghae was making his way over to my desk and wow. (I panicked, okay?)
“Excuse me,” he said.
I looked up at him from my seat.
“Would you need someone who can play piano?”
Of course! I would need someone who can play the piano or any other instrument as long as it’s you! It was hard to keep my composure. But I did. I was pro at this. “Yeah, do you play the piano?”
“Yeah,” he said quietly. “Do I go to the auditorium, too?”
No we stay here so I can squish your adorable face as soon as everybody’s gone away. “Yeah, yeah. Let’s go. I need to go talk to Sungmin anyway.”
--
Hyukjae
I didn’t need to convince Sungmin to keep Lee Donghae. He was amazing at the piano. I wanted to cry as he played this piece I wasn’t familiar with but Sungmin kept tapping his foot to. He said it’s a Paramore song (I thought Paramore couldn’t sound this romantic!).
So I was Musical Director. And he was going to play the piano. It was bound to happen, some time.
Sungmin shoved us into one music room so we could talk go through the tracks and edit it because he didn’t have time for mediocre, half-assed track lists. He eyed me.
--
Donghae
Well, this wasn’t what I had in mind when I volunteered my piano skills. I actually thought, ‘Well, this is a good way to finally pay back Lee Hyukjae so I wouldn’t feel indebted to him and I would stop seeing his face everywhere.’
Lee Sungmin pushed us inside a music room and Lee Hyukjae was telling me to be here as soon as the last period ends. Every other day. And I was like. No.
It was really uncomfortable being with Lee Hyukjae. He showed me this list and I took a picture with my phone because I wasn’t familiar with half the songs in the list.
He was serious, though, about the schedule and the amount of things we had to do. And he gave me a copy of the script when I asked for it, so I would know when the songs would play. And everything.
We were silent, save the sound of the piano.
--
Donghae
On the fourth day of rehearsing with Lee Hyukjae, I caught him looking at my notebook when I looked back after playing the last song. We were finished with the list and Sungmin had already approved it. Next week, I was going to rehearse with the cast. “My answer was correct,” he said.
“Yeah,” I couldn’t begin to get mad at him for looking through my notes. “Thanks, by the way.” It was my only perfect score in math class. My teacher looked at me funny when he saw it.
“You have a new homework,” he said and then read the problems aloud. There were five bloody bits of them. I nodded helplessly. “Do you need help?”
“It’s not due until next week anyway, it’s okay. I can do it.”
He laughed. “You can’t. I saw your other scores.” He was already putting the notebook carefully inside his backpack.
--
Hyukjae
He frowned and shoved me out of his way when he walked out. Shit. I shouldn’t have made fun of his scores.
--
Donghae
“Hey,” Lee Hyukjae was in my doorstep - I didn’t even know he knew where I lived. “Here.”
I took a notebook - which wasn’t mine, from his hands and opened it. It was his math notebook. And his scores were okay, but not soaring high. And he failed some of his exercises, as well. I laughed. His handwriting was different from the one in my Ship Problem. He wasn’t the one who solved it, obviously.
“Sorry,” he said. And he looked sincere. I noticed how thin he was against the loose shirt he was wearing. I noticed how his pants contrasted the bagginess of his shirt. “And thanks for helping me out with the songs.”
I nodded and smiled. He smiled and nodded and was starting to move back. “Would you like to come in?” He eyed the house, obviously worried about how Coach Lee would kick his ass or something by barging in. “Nobody’s going to break your neck if you come in.”
--
Hyukjae
Studying math together on a Saturday afternoon wasn’t part of my plans. I was supposed to go to Jungsoo’s garage with the guys. But who cares. I quickly tapped a message to Kyuhyun (because he had the most brain) saying something came up and I couldn’t make it.
We were in the kitchen, and I could see the stairs from where I was sitting. I wondered what his room looked like. I wondered if it smelled like peach, too. I wondered how much time he spent in the kitchen because it didn’t smell like him.
He said something about the play and I couldn’t focus on his words because his lips were thin and pretty. I gulped. He really smelled like peaches.
When he had finished answering his problems, he asked if I wanted to stay for dinner. I said yes. I had no plans, anyway.
I didn’t realize, however, that by dinner, he meant with his parents and his brother and that maybe he was just being polite to ask me and it was him asking me to leave. I had been there for too long. (It was only three hours.)
He started doing things in the counter top, though (and by things, I meant food-related things like chopping vegetables and turning on the stove). And I was just staring at him. He looked nice in pastel blue. He should wear colors more often.
--
Donghae
After preparing the food, I asked him to clear the table, to move our things to the living room. He did as told - which was nice of him.
When he finished, we sat back down in the kitchen. The pasta was cooked and in the oven so it won’t cool down too quickly. The vegetables were ready, too. I offered him juice and we were just sitting. It was the first time we were not speaking and not doing anything at the same time.
His hand was against my palm, all of a sudden.
--
Hyukjae
I placed my hand on his and it felt cold. It laid flat on his lap but it jerked every once in a while under my touch. My fingertips studied the contours of his palm, the shape of his fingers, the softness of his skin, the crevices and curves. It was so soft and lovely. I could almost hear my heart as it beat nervously against my skin.
--
Donghae
I couldn’t move. His fingers were dancing on my palm, and I was unresponsive the whole time - I was so embarrassing! But it felt so nice. His skin was soft and gentle and I could feel my hand twitch when his thumb smoothed over my palm.
--
Hyukjae
“I was just about to go,” I dumbly told his mother when she walked in on us kissing (more like me eating his face).
She smiled and Donghae ran to take the bag of groceries on her arms. “Why don’t you stay for dinner?”
I eyed Donghae as she unloaded the contents of the bag on the counter, her back turned to us. I really couldn’t stand eating with his family when I had just practically kissed the life out of their Donghae’s lips.
“He’s having dinner with his parents,” Donghae said in my behalf and I began to calm down. “We can invite him some other time, right, Mom?” (Okay, so he was doing a better job at pretending nothing happened.)
She turned to us and nodded. She was beautiful and she looked kind. “Don’t I get to know his name, though?”
Donghae gulped visibly and I extended my hand (the one which kneaded Donghae’s palm) to her, “My name is Hyukjae. We go to school together.”
“Ah, Hyukjae,” she shook my hand. “What a nice name. And what a handsome boy you are.”
“Thank you,” I said as I felt myself blush (If that was possible. I could still feel the heat on my cheeks when I kissed him).
“You should walk Hyukjae out, Donghae. Before it gets too dark outside.” She looked at me after closing the refrigerator door and said, “I’ll see you some other time, Hyukjae?”
I looked at Donghae and he was looking at his mother nervously. I turned to her, “Well, I’ll ask Donghae if I can come back.”
She laughed. And I almost thought she knew what was going on (She saw me kissing Donghae, for god’s sake! Of course, she knew!). “He’d say okay,” she said knowingly.
--
Donghae
“Sorry about that,” he said. We were walking on the sidewalk and he was a step ahead of me, to the left of my house. I didn’t know where he lived.
“My mom’s so embarrassing,” I told him. “Don’t mind her.”
He took my hand again. This time, my fingers gripped loosely against his. It felt really, really nice.
--
Hyukjae
“Donghae,” the two syllables rang perfectly in my ears. I loved how it sounds when I say it, like a mantra. Or a battle cry.
He looked at me and I noticed how he was blushing, and nervously biting at his lower lip (which was adorable and attractive, by the way).
“I like you,” I said before I could stop myself.
--