SM Boarding School - 1/22 - Eunhyuk x Donghae
Title: SM Boarding School
Paring: Eunhyuk/Donghae
Rating: PG-13
Genre: School life, romance, humor, angst
Chapter: 1/22
Warnings: Swearing, mention of sex and sensuality
Disclaimer: Nothing is mine except from the plot.
Summary: He stared at that big banner hanging over the gate entrance and read ”SM Boarding School”. The banner itself scared him. He inspected the school area carefully before starting to dig in his backpack.
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SM Boarding School
Chapter 1
His knees were shaking and he felt the warm sweat run down his forehead. He tried to tell himself the sweat was a result of the summer sun, even though that was a terrible lie. His heart was racing in his chest. Why was he so nervous? He wasn't on his way to save the world or anything; he was just going to start a new school. A different kind of school. In Seoul, far away from Mokpo. Just thinking about it made him miss his family already even though he just arrived. You can do this, Hae!, he told himself over and over again. He let out a heavy sigh before raising his head. He stared at that big banner hanging over the gate entrance and read “SM Boarding School”. The sign itself scared him. He inspected the school area carefully before starting to dig in his backpack. Before leaving his home in Mokpo the principal had given him the certificate of his scholarship along with other necessary things: a bunch of papers containing instructions and rules of his new home, one map of Seoul and another map of the school and dorms.
The first reaction he had when passing the gate entrance was to widen his eyes and drop his jaw. Everything was huge. The school area was surrounded by a black and long fence. The whole area was big as a city park, with its big lawns and high trees. In the centre of it all he saw a huge brown building. According to the map that was the main building. In Donghae's opinion, the long stairs with the big doors and windows made it look like a castle. A bit further away he saw four other buildings looking very like apartments. That was the dorms, two for the girls and two for the boys.
It was a pleasant surprise to see that the whole yard was empty. Even inside he didn't catch a glimpse of another student. It wasn't that surprising if he really thought about it, looking at the big clock on the main building he could easily guess that everyone was in class. The map in his hand was supposed to help him find the reception. Unfortunately, reading maps wasn't Donghae's greatest talent. With much struggle had had dragged his suitcases and bags up and down one too many stairs and run through what felt like hundreds of corridors in search for the reception. It took him forty minutes and a minor panic attack before he finally found it.
“Excuse me,” he said in a low voice when approaching the reception lady. She was an old chubby lady with big, round glasses. She seemed irritated when looking up from the newspapers in her hands. Donghae didn't continue because he was expecting her to say something. When she didn't, but just kept giving him that bored look, he spoke up again: “Uh, I-I was...” It was something with her eyes, Donghae thought. Something that gave him the creeps. She was looking at him as if she was judging him from head to toe. “I'm Lee Donghae.”
Her judgemental eyes spoke for themselves: “So?”. She didn't move a single muscle in her stone-cold face.
“I'm new here,” Donghae tried again.
Finally she spoke up: “You're the one from Mokpo?” She had a hoarse voice, just like Donghae had imagined it, like she had been smoking non-stop since the day she was born.
“I-I just wanted... Where should I...?”
She turned the office chair she was sitting on so she could type something on the computer to her right. When she was done she got up from her seat and walked out of sight. She returned with a key which she gave to Donghae. “Your room is 208,” she said, “Leave your bags there. When you're done go to your classroom. You're in class 4-C, classroom number 21. Walk up those stairs and follow the corridor. If you don't find it then that's your problem.” Without looking at Donghae she grabbed her newspaper again and made herself comfortable on her chair. “Class ends in 45 minutes.”
* * *
Having to carry his two suitcases and two bags all by himself, Donghae moaned in frustration because the dorms were too far away. Halfway there he dropped one of the bags. It fell to the ground, spitting out everything inside it. He moaned again, this time louder. But to his rescue he saw a boy much taller than himself, with short black hair, walk towards him. He hoped from the bottom of his heart the boy would stop and ask if he needed any help, because he knew he would be too shy to ask. And as if God had answered his prayer the boy stopped in front of him.
“Do you need help?” he asked and crouched down before Donghae had time to answer.
“Thanks.”
The two of them quickly managed to pick up Donghae's stuff and Donghae couldn't help but feel embarrassed when exposing his cheap things; his non-designer clothing, old second-hand cellphone that almost didn't work and papers showing that he entered this school almost for free. Even so, the other didn't seem to care.
“Are you the new guy?” he asked instead.
Donghae nodded.
“You're in room 208, right?”
Donghae raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Yes” he said and picked up the last stuff that was left. “How did you know?”
“I'm your new room mate,” he said and smiled, small dimples visible on his cheeks. “The principal said you'll be arriving today”. He extended a friendly hand, “I'm Choi Siwon.”
Donghae smiled back at him. “Lee Donghae,” he said and for just a second he didn't feel as nervous anymore.
* * *
Siwon sure had a lot of money - it was so obvious it was almost painful. When arriving at their common room, Siwon's side of the room forced Donghae had to make a conscious decision to not let out an audible and embarrassing "wow". Compared to Donghae’s side Siwon’s side had an expensive laptop, a little television, a new desk, and an armchair. Everything looked so expensive and it was so clean that for a second Donghae was too scared to live here. What if he breaks something? He nearly died of shame when comparing his things with Siwon's; cheap clothes and papers. Did everyone in this school have these things?
“You want to unpack?” Siwon asked.
Donghae shook his head fast. He laughed nervously. “I-I’ll do that later... Let’s just go to class. I’ll change into the uniform.”
It was easy to engage in a conversation with Siwon. He was polite and talkative, the two of them talked a lot when heading back to the main building. According to Siwon he asked for permission to leave the classroom to help the new student, since they would be sharing room. Donghae couldn't be more thankful Siwon was the first person he met in this scary place.
* * *
When standing in front of the door to classroom 21 Donghae’s heart started to beat faster again, like it had when he first sat his foot in this place. His knees started to shake and some sweat drops were visible on his forehead, just like before. Siwon didn’t fail to notice and placed a cheerful hand on the nervous boy’s shoulder before opening the door. The first person Donghae saw was a tall, thin man in glasses. He was probably in his early forties and looked pretty nice, unlike the grumpy receptionist. He looked kind of dorky. The man, his Korean teacher, smiled at him.
“I see you brought the new student safely,” he said and with that the whole class was staring at them. Donghae tried to force a smile. “Everyone, this is our new student.”
“The scholarship-guy?” someone said in a low voice, but loud enough for everyone to hear. Everyone giggled. Donghae blushed and the teacher glared at the boy who said that before offering Donghae gentle smile.
“Introduce yourself,” he said
Donghae didn't wish for anything other than for the floor beneath him to swallow him whole and make him disappear from the surface of the earth. Today was his doomsday, he was sure of it. He regretted ever leaving Mokpo more than anything. Not even a nice person like Siwon could make him want to stay. He wanted to go home.
“Hello,” he said politely with a shaking voice and bowed. He could swear he still heard some giggles, “I’m Lee Donghae.”
The teacher told him to sit down on the empty seat which was, to his luck, beside the only person he knew.
Something made him feel uncomfortable. Well, he had felt uncomfortable ever since he entered this damned school, but now it was different. He felt like someone was watching him. He tried to ignore it at first but when that feeling still didn’t disappear, he couldn’t help but turn his head a little to look at the people behind him. And yes, someone was watching him; a short haired brunet. His uniform wasn’t put on properly - some buttons were unbuttoned, exposing a part of his pale collar bone and the black tie was just hanging loose around his neck. When their eyes made contact the brown haired boy lingered his eyes on him for half a second before looking at the teacher. At first Donghae thought they made eye contact by coincidence. But when Donghae turned around again only moments later, the boy was still looking at him. And again, when the boy got caught staring at Donghae, he lingered his eyes for a while before once again going back to look at the teacher. He looked so relaxed and unaffected it made Donghae nervous.
Why was he staring at him like that? Did he have something in his hair? Was his uniform dirty on the back? Questions like that made it impossible for Donghae to concentrate on whatever the teacher was saying. When turning around for the third time the boy wasn't looking at him anymore, the one looking at Donghae this time was his neighbour; a boy with a baby face. However Baby-Face didn't look at Donghae as intensely as the brunet had.
And then, Baby-Face grinned. A mocking, sly grin.
What the...?
Baby-Face whispered something to the brunet, which made the young boy smile and let out a soundless chuckle. Donghae got a feeling Baby-Face said something Donghae should be happy he didn't hear.
“Sungmin-shi,” their teacher suddenly said. The whole class turned to look at Baby-Face. “If you have something more important than me to say, then please say it out loud.”
The boy named Sungmin stared at the teacher, his eyes saying “how dare you?”. He offered the teacher a cocky fake smile which made the teacher glare at the disrespectful brat. Donghae saw the boy beside Sungmin chuckle again.
* * *
“What’s with his attitude?” Donghae asked Siwon during their break. Since their break was only fifteen minutes long, they had decided to go outside and sit on one of the benches, enjoying the nice weather.
“He’s a prince,” Siwon sighed. Donghae almost gasped out loud. Siwon laughed, “Or he would like to think so. Of course he’s not actually a prince.”
“Hey, just look at this school. This is the kind of school a prince would go to!”
They laughed together, but suddenly Siwon immediately went serious. He wasn’t looking at Donghae, but at something behind him. When Donghae turned around he saw a group of at least ten student walk towards them, half of them clearly being older. None of the students had put their uniforms on properly and they all seemed to walk with a huge ego on their shoulders. Donghae felt a hard tap on his knee and when he turned to face his friend Siwon looked at him with warning eyes.
“What?” he asked, but Siwon didn't respond.
The students walked past them without offering them a single glance. Donghae realized one guy - the guy with his hands in his pockets - was walking in front of the others, as if leading them. He was tall, very thin and had big brown eyes. His brown hair, almost down to his shoulders, was styled in a way that indicated he took his time in front of the mirror every morning. His cocky walk made Donghae think this guy was not completely unknown in the school.
“Who were they?” Donghae asked when they were too far away to hear their conversation.
“Did you have bullies in you previous school?” Siwon asked. "Bastards who thinks they rule the place?"
Donghae nodded and Siwon pointed discretely with his head.
“Who was the guy walking in front of them?”
“Kim Heechul. He's eighteen, so he's in his last year,” Siwon looked at Donghae with that warningly face again, “And if you have something called 'common sense' you won't go near him.”
Donghae looked at them again. They were far away now, sitting down on the grass talking to each other and laughing loudly, but he could still see Kim Heechul. He was handsome and didn't look very dangerous, probably because he was so thin. But he did look somewhat scary.
“Why?” Donghae asked.
“Just stay away from him,” Siwon had a dead-serious face when speaking and Donghae knew he meant what he was saying.
When looking at them again two other students from before caught Donghae's attention: the cocky boy from before and they guy with the intense staring. “Isn’t he that Sungmin-guy?” he asked. “From our class?”
Siwon nodded.
“Who’s the one beside him?”
“That’s Eunhyuk. He was sitting beside Sungmin during class.”
“Eunhyuk?”
“His name is actually Lee Hyukjae, but to you he’s Eunhyuk.”
Something told Donghae that Siwon would rather not talk about them, but Donghae was too curious for his own good, “Why? Is he also someone I should stay away from?”
Siwon nodded again and, like Donghae, looked over to the group of boys. He looked bothered, the happy atmosphere from before seemed to have disappeared completely now. Donghae decided to cheer up the mood a little.
“What if I don't want to?” he asked with a provocative voice, like a child who didn't want to obey his parents.
The taller one sighed, “Then you'll only have yourself to blame. But I promise I'll wait for you with a blanket and some hot chocolate when you return all beaten up.”
Donghae laughed. “Don't worry.” he said and smiled. “I get the feeling that he doesn't even like me.”
“Probably,” Siwon said honestly. “He’s just....” A sigh. “Let’s just say the school would be better off without him. And without his friends.”
Donghae kept watching the group. “They don't look any different from the other students though,” he insisted.
“Listen,” Siwon said and looked Donghae in the eyes, “they aren't your average bully, who push people in the corridors and stuff. They're dangerous. Just stay away from them, alright?”
Donghae nodded, not really understanding Siwon's sudden overreaction. It's not like they were criminals or anything. Donghae had more questions he wanted answered, but Siwon’s eyes made it clear this conversation was over. So he stayed silent and just watched them from a distance. He saw Lee Hyukjae, or Eunhyuk, laugh at something they guy named Heechul said. He sure had a special smile.
* * *
When finishing Donghae's first (and last) lesson, Siwon helped Donghae unpack. Donghae was thankful Siwon didn't point out or mention anything about the things Donghae brought with him. He tried hard to not feel embarrassed, telling himself that he hadn’t done anything to be ashamed of - quite the opposite, he should be proud he was here because he deserved it, not like some people who ended up here because they happened to have a lot of money.
“Money doesn’t matter,” Siwon suddenly said, as if he was reading Donghae's mind, “you’re here because of your brains, not because of your parents' wealth.”
Donghae smiled. It felt like that was all he needed to hear.
* * *
They had already finished packing and Siwon was sitting at his desk studying. Donghae was feeling less productive, lying on his new bed inspecting his room mate and new friend. There was something he knew he needed to tell Siwon if they were going to share this room from now on. The only problem was, he wasn't sure how to say it. He wasn't even sure Siwon would still want to be his friend after he would tell him. Then again, the sooner he says it the better.
“Siwon-shi,” he started and Siwon laughed.
“You don't have to be so formal,” he said without looking up from the book on the table.
“I really want to be friends with you,”
This time, Siwon raised his head and looked at him. He offered him a friendly smile. “Yeah, of course,” he said but before he had time to turn his attention back to the book Donghae spoke up again:
“So I think there’s something you should know.”
Siwon didn’t say anything but just patiently waited for Donghae to continue. Donghae took a silent deep breath.
“I like guys,”
Siwon's eyes widened in a split second and both his thick eyebrows immediately shot up. “Oh?”
“Yes.”
“You mean like... like you’re...”
“A homosexual, a fag, queer, gay - yes. All of that.”
Siwon went silent. Donghae had a feeling he wasn't sure what he was supposed to say, which was understandable.
“Is that okay with you?”
“Yeah, of course,” Siwon’s eyebrows fell back into place again, but he still looked shocked. “I just didn’t... expect you to say that.”
“I won’t hit on you,” Donghae joked, “I promise.”
Siwon laughed and fortunately it sounded genuine. “Does your family know?”
“My mum and my hyung does.”
“And your dad?”
Donghae’s expression suddenly changed. He smiled sadly. Something told Siwon he shouldn’t wait for an answer.
“And your friends?” he asked instead.
“Yes, most of them. And now you know too.”
There was a moment of silence, Donghae was giving Siwon a few much needed seconds to process what he had just told him.
“Can I ask you something?” Siwon suddenly said, curiosity taking over.
Donghae nodded.
“Don’t get me wrong,” He added. “I’m just curious. You don't have to answer if you don't want to.”
Donghae nodded again and Siwon took a silent deep breath.
“Have you ever... you know... been with... a guy?”
Donghae stared at him and for a moment and Siwon was sure he had offended him. He raised his hands and shook them, a gesture to apologize for the question, and widened his eyes again in that special way of his. Donghae was sure he was the only one able to do that. Siwon was about to take back what he just had said when Donghae suddenly laughed.
“Are you sure you want to know that?” he asked, still laughing. “You don’t ask me how many siblings I have or why I changed school - instead you ask me if I’ve slept with a man!”
“I’m sorry,” Siwon hurried to say, "I shouldn't have-”
“It’s okay,” Donghae smiled, “I’m not offended or anything. I think it’s funny.”
Siwon offered him half a smile. A somewhat uncomfortable one.
“I’ve only been” he emphasized that word, “with one guy before. My first love.”
Siwon wasn't sure what he should reply to that. He wasn't even sure why he asked that in the first place.
“Awkward?” Donghae smiled, making Siwon laugh. It was a little awkward but it didn’t matter; they still felt comfortable with each other. It was a comfortable awkwardness, if that even made any sense. “Now it's your turn: have you ever been with a girl?”
Siwon’s face immediately reddened. Donghae laughed even more.
“I’m just kidding,” he said. He raised himself from the bed and grabbed Siwon’s wrist. “Now, let’s go buy something to eat! I’m hungry.”
As they left the room Donghae felt that maybe this school wouldn’t be as horrible as he first thought.
♥ | next
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A/N: This fic is a result of my school uniform-fetish I don’t think all Suju members will be in this fic. So, to the oppas that won’t participate: Sori~ ♥
Anyway, I hope you liked it~ :3