“This is creepy.” Chanyeol commented offhandedly to his friend, the older boy hunched over his sketchbook as his pencil traced out the features of another across the room.


“It’s not creepy, it’s art.” Yifan defended, not bothering to look up from his book as his pencil scratched against the paper softly, making a note to shield it away from the younger's gaze. Not that it mattered; the subject of Yifan's images rarely ever changed.


“It’s creepy art.” the younger muttered, taking a leisurely sip from the bottle in his hand.


The elder frowned as he scanned over his sketch of a certain Kim Junmyeon, tilting his head as his gaze flitted from the picture to the subject across the room.


Yifan’s crush was no secret amongst his friends, the tall idiot having fallen for Junmyeon the minute he saw the younger in the lecture hall of their university for the first time. The soft, feminine features, the kind eyes, the gentle slope of his jaw- everything about Kim Junmyeon was perfect to Wu Yifan.


The tall boy smiled as his sketch came to life, Junmyeon's beautiful eyes shining even on the dark graphite of his picture. Chanyeol only sighed as he watched his friend, dumb smile written across his face as he looked between his drawing and its subject, wondering belatedly how his friend had fallen so hard for someone he barely knew.




~~~




The infatuation began months ago, with Yifan lounged across the sofa of their shared apartment, focused on the mess of lines and forms strewn across the sketchbook rested on his lap.


His art skills were something he was definitely teased for when he was younger (he admits now that his past abilities were... lacking to say the least), but as a student in his second year pursuing an art major, he's confident when he says that he's improved.


"That looks like a duck." Chanyeol interrupted his process, leaning over the armrest of the loveseat.


"It's not a duck, it's the representation of the human struggle-"


"Well, your 'human struggle' sure as hell looks like a duck."


"Don't be rude." Yifan muttered, returning to his sketch while Chanyeol peered over his shoulder.


"Just being honest, man."


Yifan sat up, making it a point to block the boy's view of his work with his large frame. "Don't you have better things to be doing than insulting my art?"


"Probably. But I always prioritize insulting your art because I care, Fan-Fan."


"I thought we agreed you wouldn't call me that."


"You agreed. I was only there as it happened."


"Have I ever told you how much I hate you?"


"Every other hour, my friend."


"Good. Because I hate you."


"Aww, Fan-Fan, I know you don't mean that." Chanyeol cooed, pressing his head onto Yifan's shoulder.


"Except I do." Yifan said, continuing to sketch through the younger's actions.


"All you do nowadays is doodle." Chanyeol pouted. "You never hang out with me anymore. You don't love me like you used to."


"That would require me loving you at all in the first place, Chanyeol.” Yifan sighed. "Don't you have a boyfriend you can be off bothering?"


Chanyeol only groaned. "No, Baek's in class right now. I’m all yours for now, Fan-Fan."


"Speaking of which, I should probably get to class too." the elder said, receiving a whine from Chanyeol.


"But you don't have class for another hour."


Yifan shrugged the younger off his shoulder as he rose from his seat, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Yeah, but I feel like you find too much satisfaction in bothering me."


"It's one of my few purposes in life. You signed up for this when we became friends, okay? It's too late to back out now."


"So you keep telling me. I'll see you after class, okay?"




~~~




Yifan settled into a seat in his lecture hall, leaning back in his chair and watching as lingering students from the last lecture gathered their things, barely anyone from his class present yet. He pulls his sketchbook out of his bag, continuing on his unfinished work from earlier. He sighed, turning the page around in his hands.


"Is it a duck?" a soft voice asks from behind him.


"It's not a duck, it's a representation of-" Yifan begins, annoyed as he turns to defend his picture from whoever was disturbing him. His words died in his throat the minute he laid eyes on the boy peering over his shoulder.


His features were soft, they were so soft they were almost feminine, kind eyes following his gaze with a soft smile playing on his lips. After a few moments of silence on Yifan's part, the boy shrugged, taking the seat next to the giant.


Yifan let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding, clutching his sketchbook a little tighter as his heart raced. He could only pray that his face wasn't as flushed as it felt. The other boy seemed not to notice, pulling out his supplies from his bag. No one spoke for a while, the classroom still in relative silence from the lack of people in it.


"It-It's not a duck." Yifan stammered out at last.


The boy only smiled. "Then what is it meant to be?" he asked.


"A representation of the human struggle." he muttered, as he gave his drawing another glance. It did look like a duck.


"That's cool. Though I don't think ducks have contributed much to the human struggle." he said with a giggle, soft but melodious nonetheless. It was a sound Yifan never wanted to stop hearing.


"I'm Junmyeon." The boy said after a while, stretching out his hand for the taller to shake.


"Yifan." he said back, taking the small hand in his own giant one, marvelling at its softness before Junmyeon had pulled it away and the class had started.


Yifan doesn't remember much of that lesson, the name Junmyeon consuming all of his thoughts for the rest of that day and another year to boot.




~~~~~




"I feel like you actually have a problem sometimes." Baekhyun mused as he laid sprawled across the rug in Yifan's apartment. He flipped through the finished sketchbooks the elder had left around the living space, rolling around as his eyes grazed the sheets of paper. "Like, a serious problem."


Yifan only ignored the younger as he shuffled around the apartment, looking for his acrylics.


"How long did it take you to go through all of these?" Baekhyun asked, holding up a few sketchbooks.


The elder hummed. "Depends. Sometimes I'll have more time to finish drawings and other times I can only get rough outlines."


"It must take a lot of staring to get this much done then, huh?"


He shrugged. "It gets easier after a while."


"How many times have you drawn this dude?" he asked as he picked through the piles of books on the floor, all covered in drawings of the same person.


"How many sketchbooks do I have?"


Baekhyun whistled. "Fan-Fan's got it bad."


The elder rolled his eyes, pulling out a few tubes of paint from a shelf near the younger. "Like you're one to talk."


"Hey, at least I'm dating the guy I like." Baekhyun bit back, sitting up.


"Yeah, after you stalked him for months to try to figure out if he liked you back."


"Maybe if you were more proactive, you might get this Junmyeon guy to like you back."


Yifan stopped for a moment. "You know I can't do that, Baek."


"Can't, or won't?"


"Both? I'm fine where I am, I don't need anything else." he said with an air of finality. It wasn't the first time he's been asked and he knows this won't be the last. He’s been repeatedly pushed by them to speak to the underclassman, much to Yifan’s own refusal, the tall boy always insisting that stealing glances of him was enough.


After that day in class, Yifan had never spoken to the boy again. The next time he had entered that lecture hall, he was left with disappointment when his new seatmate, an apparent friend of Junmyeon's, had explained that the younger was only there for that day as he prepared to change courses.


It's a mere coincidence that Yifan sees him from across the school's courtyard during his spare period, the elder too afraid to approach the other in fear that Junmyeon wouldn't recognize him. Yifan seriously doubted that the underclassman remembered their exchange even though it had affected him so deeply, leaving him to steal occasional glances across the lunch area during their shared spare period.




~~~~~




The sketches themselves began as nothing more than a way for Yifan to fulfil sketchbook requirements, while at the same time, keeping him constantly drawing when he would otherwise be lazing around.


He supposed it could be seen as creepy, watching the younger boy from afar and copying his likeness on anything he could for himself to keep. The supposedly one-time occurrence soon became a regular one for the taller boy. Yifan spent his free time filling up sketchbooks with portraits of the small boy, a feat that would seem creepy to most, but that Yifan justified as a portrayal of his love (not that he’d ever profess his love, anyways).


His friends would always roll their eyes at the tall boy’s actions. They didn’t understand. They didn’t need to.


For now, all there was for Yifan was himself, his sketchbook, and Kim Junmyeon.




~~~~~




"Are you ever gonna introduce us to Junmyeon?" Luhan asked, fiddling with his pen.


"Yeah, I wanna meet this guy!" his friends chorused. Yifan glared at them.


"No. I won't have you idiots ruining my chances with him before I get the chance to."


"Wow, that's real uplifting, Yifan. You don't even end up with him in your fantasies."


The boy narrowed his eyes at his friends. "You get my point. You guys aren't gonna talk to Junmyeon."


His friends quieted down, all with pouts on their faces.


"No. I'm not letting you guys coerce me into ruining my chances with him by acting cute."


"But Fan-Fan-" Chanyeol began, voice slightly higher as he whined.


"No."


"You're no fun anymore." he said, jutting out his lower lip further.




~~~~~




Though it had taken up a fair amount of his time, Yifan didn't spend every minute of his day fawning over Junmyeon. The tall boy stretched out his limbs as he swung his legs over the edge of his bed, foul taste in his mouth. He had never been one for mornings, only waking up early when it was absolutely necessary.


Most weekends, he'd leave the grocery shopping to his younger roommate to do, but this weekend, the idiot had gone out for some ungodly reason, leaving the errand for Yifan to complete.


He yawned as he pulled his hood over his head and his face mask higher onto his face, squinting at the early morning sun even behind his sunglasses. He huffed as he spared a glance at the grocery list his roommate had provided him, the oaf even ending the handwritten message with a series of overly-cheerful emoticons. Yifan scoffed as he entered the supermarket near their apartment, grabbing a basket and trudging in.


The sheer amount of people awake and productive that early on a Saturday morning had Yifan baffled, to say the least. Why people would waste precious time for sleeping in being productive with their lives was a question Yifan may never have answered.


He glanced at his list as he traipsed through the aisles, throwing Chanyeol's snacks into the basket hanging off his arm. It's as he spares a look into the basket stuffed full of junk food that Yifan belatedly realises that a very small percentage of the list his roommate had compiled contained actual groceries. He made a mental note to talk to Chanyeol about his eating habits once he got back.


Yifan sighed as he rubbed his eyes, only half paying attention to where he was walking as he nearly crashed into a display of chips. He didn't have the time to care though, not when he met the gaze of his crush from a few metres away.


His heart almost stopped, and Yifan was suddenly thankful he decided to wear a face mask just large enough to cover his furious blush.


Junmyeon looked up at him with innocent eyes, sparing him a gentle smile with a slight wave before turning his attention to the shelf before him. The small boy looked even smaller wearing an oversized sweater as he inspected a can in his hand. Yifan swallowed hard. He took a few small steps backwards until he was hidden in another aisle, holding his free hand against his chest to feel his racing pulse.


How Junmyeon could be so effortlessly stunning was beyond the elder, walking back to peer back into the aisle the younger was in. He watched as the smaller huffed adorably before placing the can back on the shelf, turning and walking away to another section.


The giant stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do. He sighed, closing his eyes tightly as he mentally chastised himself for what he was about to do. He tried to walk quietly, hiding his large frame behind a display of chips, stalking his crush as he made his way through the grocery store.


If the younger had noticed him at any point, he certainly didn't make a show of it. Junmyeon sifted through the assortment of fruit in the produce section, seemingly unaware of the idiot trying to seem nonchalant near the selection of vegetables.


He's not sure how much time he wasted shadowing the smaller boy around the supermarket, completely enraptured by the younger's presence. A few times, Yifan was able to get close enough to hear the boy humming a soft tune under his breath, the sound making Yifan want to melt on the spot. He let out a wistful sigh before immediately silencing himself, hoping the boy didn't hear the sound.


Yifan smiled as he watched the small boy sift through the snack section of the store, trying to find the fullest bag of chips in the aisle. He could almost imagine spending his weekends with the younger, snaking his arms around his small waist as Junmyeon would grumble about how he refused to get ripped off buying a bag of air. He thinks he would wake up early any day if it was for Junmyeon.


He was so lost in his fantasies that he barely realised his phone was ringing against his thigh, obnoxiously loud ringtone blaring through the aisle. His attention was only drawn to it as Junmyeon tilted his head adorably to the side, scanning the surrounding area to find the source of the sound.


Yifan could feel his heart sink as Junmyeon turned to face him, the elder now fully aware of the incessant buzzing of his phone. His face turned a bright red, his hands diving straight for the phone as he ran from his hiding place.


"What?" he hissed into the phone.


"Whoa, no need to get all fussy on me." Chanyeol said too casually for Yifan's liking. "I was just wondering where you were. You've been out for like, over an hour. Is everything okay?"


"Everything was okay until you went and ruined it!"


"Yo, calm down man. What happened?"


"Kim Junmyeon happened." 


"What?"


"I bumped into him at the grocery store and everything was going great until you called and ruined it all!"


"What'd you say to him?"


"What'd I- what?"


"What'd you say to him? You did talk to him, right?"


Yifan stood silent for a moment. "Well, uh..."


"Dude."


"What? I panicked, okay?"


Chanyeol scoffed. "Whatever man, just get home soon, I want my chips." 




~~~~~




"You should go talk to him." Chanyeol prodded, leaning back against the bench.


The elder turned to the boy with wide eyes, shaking his head vehemently. "No, no, no no nonono you very well know I can't do that what will happen if I mess up-"


"I should just call him over now and give him your sketchbook." Chanyeol mused, taking another slow sip of his drink. "God knows how many pictures of him you've drawn since you first developed this crush."


Yifan held the book closer to his chest. "He'll think I'm creepy and then he'll run away from me and never talk to me again!"


"Junmyeon!" Chanyeol called, the small boy perking up from across the area Yifan slapped his friend hard on the arm, causing the giant to wince.


"What are you doing?" YIfan whispered furiously, his face already beet red.


"If you're not gonna take initiative and talk to him, maybe you just need a push in the right direction." he muttered to his friend before waving the small boy over. Yifan let out a high pitched squeal as he scrambled out of his seat, barely having the time to sling his bag over his shoulder before he ran in the opposite direction, nearly tripping over his feet.


"Is he... alright?" Junmyeon asked as he reached Chanyeol, concern written across his face.


"Yeah, he should be fine. I should probably go find him, sorry for the trouble dude." Chanyeol said as he stood, grabbing his bag and taking off in the direction his tall friend had left in.


The small boy frowned as his eyes landed on the abandoned book on the table, picking it up. "Your book..." he muttered as he looked up, Chanyeol already out of his sight. He shrugged, holding the book up against his chest as he walked back to his friends.




~~~~~




"I knew you didn't wanna talk to him, but I didn't think you were this against it." Chanyeol huffed as he finally caught up to his friend. Yifan scowled.


"What have you done?" Yifan breathed out. "He probably thinks I'm some weirdo now, oh my god."


"He seemed more concerned for you, than anything. At least you know he cares~" the younger singsonged the last part, earning himself a glare from the elder.


"I hate you."


"You love me."


Yifan sighed, leaning against the brick wall of one of the stores. They stand in silence for a few moments as they catch their breath.


"You know you won't get anywhere with him if you don't at least try, right?" Chanyeol asks quietly after a while. "I don't want you to waste this chance because you're afraid of rejection."


"Easy for you to say, your crush followed you around for months before asking you out."


"Isn't that exactly what you're doing with Junmyeon? Following him around everywhere?"


"Yeah, but when Baek did it, you thought it was cute. If Junmyeon saw me doing it, he'd probably think I'm some stalker and file a restraining order against me!"


"You don't know that. Maybe Baek is to me what you are to Junmyeon. You just need to give it a chance." The younger smiled sympathetically. "You won't know if you never try. If you get rejected, you can move on and find someone who deserves you. If he likes you back, then that's the end of your problems, right?"


Yifan sighed again. "Yeah, I guess. But what am I gonna do about all the sketches? What if he thinks they're creepy?"


"If he likes you enough, he'll overlook it- he might even think it's romantic."


"And if he doesn't?"






"Sometimes, we just gotta take risks for love."




~~~~~




The pair was in their apartment when Yifan first realised he didn't have his sketchbook on him.


"C-Chanyeol?" he stuttered as he dug through his bag. "Do you have my sketchbook?" he asked with a lump in his throat.


"Your sketchbook?" the younger parroted as he checked his own bag. "No, I don't."


Yifan blanched. "Are you sure? Y-You're just playing- you're playing a prank on me again, right? Right?"


"You know I wouldn't touch your sketchbook even if I was playing a prank on you."


For a moment, the taller could've sworn his heart stopped.


"When did you see it last?" Chanyeol asked.


"When we... When we were eating... Eating lunch." he said slowly.


"You didn't take it with you when you ran away?"


Yifan shook his head. Chanyeol cursed under his breath.


"Okay, don't panic, don't panic- maybe we can check the lost and found and see if someone gave it in." Yifan spoke, words coming out a mile a minute. "We can try asking some people around. Maybe- maybe we can-"


"Yifan..."


"Maybe you can go back to check the lunch area and I can check my bag again-"


"You've checked your bag at least 30 times already, it's not in there."


"But- But maybe if I- Maybe we can-" he said before letting out a sigh. "I'm ruined, aren't I? I'm so terribly ruined."


"Don't say that."


"But it's true! If that sketchbook gets into the wrong hands- they'll- I'll-"


"Any hands that aren't ours are the wrong hands to you, Yifan."


"What if Taeil from my Monday lecture took it? I know he's jealous of my height! What if he shows Junmyeon and ruins things or uses it to blackmail me or something?"


"Because you're taller than him?"


"Well... It's a possibility!"


"Look, we can go back to the lunch area and go see just in case it's still there." the younger said calmly, slipping on his shoes. "Come on, we'd better hurry if we wanna find that thing."




~~~~~




To their disappointment, their usual lunch table was empty by the time they got there. Chanyeol winces as he sees the empty table, preparing for the worst from his tall friend.


"I'm dead." Yifan deadpans.


"Don't say that... We can still-"


"I'm. Dead."


"I can call Luhan and ask if he saw it after-"


"I'm dead."


"Yifan..."


"I'm dead." Yifan said again, bursting into a fit of crazed giggles.


"We're not gonna get anywhere if you keep-"


"I'm dead and I'm never gonna find love!" he said, laughing harder, attracting the attention of confused passersby. Chanyeol sighed, taking out his phone as his friend braced himself on the table, laughs increasing in volume.


"I'll call Tao over to bring you back home, I'll keep looking around here, alright? I'll keep looking around."


His words fell on deaf ears as Yifan sprawled his large frame across the diameter of the circular table. The younger dialled anyways, quickly explaining the situation to a confused Tao who had to wrap his arms around the eldest to support him in his fit of laughter when he arrived.




~~~~~




When Chanyeol arrived back after an unsuccessful search, he finds his older roommate locked away in his room. The younger sighed, knocking on the door experimentally. When he receives no response, he figures it would be better to leave his roommate be.


Yifan manages to stay inside the confines of his bedroom for the next three days after, leaving Chanyeol both worried for Yifan's wellbeing and concerned for his hygiene.


"Yifan?" he called tentatively.


A groan.


"You know you're gonna have to come out eventually, right?"


A longer groan.


"You can't keep missing class."


Silence.


"You're going tomorrow. I don't care if I have to knock this door down and dress you myself. You're going to class tomorrow."




~~~~~




Thankfully, by the next morning, Yifan is showered and dressed to leave the house, though still grumbling under his breath.


He couldn't focus in his morning lecture anyways. He dreaded eating lunch the most, terrified that he'd arrive with Chanyeol only to find Junmyeon and his group of friends sending not-so-subtle glances to their table, snickering as they laughed at how much of an idiot stalker Yifan was.


He groaned, burying his head in his hands. Yifan swore all of this stress was gonna give him an aneurysm.


It felt like almost an eternity before the class ended, the giant trudging out of his class. He hesitated for a moment as he walked out the doors, unsure of whether he should meet Chanyeol at their usual spot or forgo lunch on campus altogether.




He set his lips in a tight line as he takes his phone out, sending a quick text to his friend before he makes his way home.




~~~~~




They continue like this for another few days. Chanyeol makes sure Yifan goes to his classes and Yifan goes home the minute they're over. Yifan sees Junmyeon so little that he begins to worry less about his problem.


It's as his Monday lecture ends, along with an entire hour of him giving Taeil dirty looks, that he leaves the lecture hall with his bag slung over his shoulder. He shoulders the door open, taking the stroll across campus to his next class when he's stopped on the way.


"Yifan!" a soft voice called. He stopped in his tracks, chills running down his spine. No. "I've been looking for you for days, I'm so glad I saw you!" Junmyeon called as he came closer, a large smile on his face.


"J-Junmyeon... Why-"


The younger beamed up at him, reaching into his backpack. "You forgot something the other day." he
said as he pulled out the very sketchbook Yifan had been searching for.


"B-But... H-How did you-" Yifan stuttered as the underclassman slipped the book into his open hands.


His heart dropped for a moment. "You didn't happen to... Look inside, did you?" he asked, voice shaky.


Junmyeon chuckled. "I tried my best not to, but I couldn't resist a peek or two."


"I-I can explain!"


Junmyeon's smile only widened.




~~~




"How do you have a crush on a guy you've only met once?" Kyungsoo asked as he picked at his lunch, Junmyeon stealing glances at the giant and his friend from across the courtyard.


"Haven't you ever heard of love at first sight?"


Kyungsoo scoffed. "Yeah, I get that. What I don't get is why you have a crush on this guy when he's a 6-foot tall idiot."


Junmyeon scowled, smacking his friend lightly on the arm. "He's not an idiot!"


The younger rolled his eyes. "Yeah, what I meant was you're the idiot. You forget, I went to high school with him, and he's every bit as stupid now as he was in high school. He was the basketball star everyone had their eyes on. No one really had a crush on him because of his academic brilliance, Myeon."


"Maybe something's changed from then."


"We've gone to the same school for four years and had more than 10 classes together yet he still asks me for my name every time we see each other. He's a lost cause, Myeon. You could do so much better."




~~~




Junmyeon sighed as he laid in his bed. Kyungsoo was probably right.


Even if he wanted to approach Yifan, it's not like the elder would even recognise him. After all, they had only exchanged greetings and a short conversation about Yifan's art. He honestly doubted Yifan would even know who he was. They had only shared one class that Junmyeon didn't stay in for longer than a day- there was no way he could go up and talk to the upperclassman like they knew each other.


And on the off chance that Yifan did know him, it's not like he'd have any interest in him. The taller was the epitome of handsome, sculpted jaw and defined features making him look like a model on their campus, he was the star of the basketball team, the multitalented upperclassmen with crowds of people fawning over him while Junmyeon was just the lame underclassman who spent more time buried nose deep in his books than he did anything else.




He's had friends tell him to go and talk to the upperclassman and friends tell him to stay away at all costs, but either way, all Junmyeon could do was steal glances at the tall boy and hope he wouldn't notice.




~~~




He's had sneaking suspicions that the elder reciprocated his feelings, but he could never discern whether they were genuine or if he was trying to trick himself into believing he had a chance with the tall boy.


It began with the not-so-subtle glances Yifan would send him during their shared spare period. He initially didn't think much of it, thinking he was probably just trying to identify Kyungsoo like he did every time they crossed paths, but when it continued even through the week that his younger friend was sick at home, Junmyeon got curious.


The morning they met inside of the grocery store was merely a coincidence, Junmyeon mentally slapping himself for looking like such a slob while Yifan looked so effortlessly attractive even in a large hoodie and face mask. He could only wave and smile awkwardly at the taller before turning back to the selection of cans he was looking at previously, hiding his red face because he probably thinks I'm some gross weirdo that only eats gross canned foods because I don't leave the house and that’s why I have so much acne I bet he never gets acne on that annoying beautiful face oh my god he's probably judging me- 


His thoughts were racing a mile a minute, hand frozen on the can in his hand as he stared down at it. He let out the breath he didn't realise he was holding, putting the can back on its shelf and continuing through the store.


What he didn't expect, though, was the giant trailing him throughout the store, hiding his large frame behind small displays that didn't cover most of him. He found it cute that the elder thought he was being discreet, the younger trying his best to pretend like he didn't notice him for Yifan's sake. He had to suppress a laugh when he heard Yifan's phone ring in the middle of the store, seeing the giant scramble for his phone in the corner of his eye.




~~~




"You have a problem, Myeon." Jongdae said as he stole pieces of Minseok's lunch. "Like, an actual problem."


Minseok swatted the boy's hand away from his food. "Do you ever plan on talking to the guy, or are
you gonna just stare at him all day?"


"You guys know I can't just go up and talk to him."


"You're never gonna get him if you don't just talk to him first."


Junmyeon sighed. "I know... I'm just afraid, you know? He-"


"Junmyeon!" a baritone voice called from across the courtyard, causing the boy to jump. He looked over in the direction the voice came from, seeing Yifan furiously slapping Chanyeol, the latter waving him over. Junmyeon stayed seated for a moment, unsure of what to do.


"What are you waiting for? Go over to them!" Jongdae said, nudging the elder out of his seat.


"I don't know about this-"


"They're calling you over, this is your chance!"


Junmyeon gave them an unsure look but stood nonetheless, taking a deep breath before walking over to their table. To his surprise, the moment he got close enough, Yifan sprung from his seat, bolting in the opposite direction.


"Is he... alright?" Junmyeon asked as he reached Chanyeol.


"Yeah, he should be fine. I should probably go find him, sorry for the trouble dude." Chanyeol said before he left after his friend.


Junmyeon couldn't help but feel more than a little dejected, deflating a bit before his eyes landed on a lone book left on the table. He wanted to call out for Chanyeol, but he was already out of sight. The short boy only shrugged, picking up the book and holding it against his chest as he returned to his table.




~~~




He tried his best not to peek, but what he saw when the book opened to a random page from its fall from his coffee table caught his attention.


It was a rough sketch of himself. He could tell it wasn't completely finished, some parts of the face better constructed, more shaded than others, but the subject was unmistakable.


The messy scrawl in the corner was dated from almost a week ago, a small note on the bottom. 'Even if the world ends, I'll follow from behind so please don't go out of my sight.'


He turned the pages, finding another sketch of himself.


This one had more detail, complete with intricate designs and flowers around the sketch from two
weeks ago.


'You came to me and bloomed, my pretty single stemmed rose."


Another was much more simple, his smile caught in a single image.


‘If you smile at me like that, it's hard for me not to feel anything. Are you still going to be pretty no matter how much I look?’


He turns the page again, another portrait, another caption. Another page, another portrait, another caption.




Junmyeon's face flushed red as his heart began to beat faster. He closed the sketchbook and held it close to himself. A smile snuck its way onto his face as he hugged it closer.




~~~




It took him a few days to work up the courage to speak to Yifan, the boy ready to ask the upperclassman out the next day during their shared spare, but saw nothing but an empty table when he made it to the courtyard. It took him a few days of waiting around before he takes the initiative to find the giant right after his class, calling out his name the moment he saw his head peek out from the rest of the crowd's.




~~~~~




"Okay I- I promise I'm not a stalker- I- We met in that one class and- I saw you in the courtyard and it happened and-" Yifan sputtered out,


"They're beautiful."


"They're... What?"


Junmyeon grinned. "They're beautiful. You have a talent for drawing. It's a big improvement from your ducks from last time." he said with a quiet chuckle.


"I- uh... It was a representation..."


"Of the human struggle. Still looked like a duck to me. I'm happy I don't look like a duck to you." he joked. Yifan's face turned red.


"I- I don't get it... Why aren't you... Why aren't you calling me a creep or a stalker or-"


Junmyeon pursed his lips. "I guess you could qualify as both. But I'll let it slide on one condition."
Yifan swallowed hard but nodded.


"Go on a date with me."


"You wanna... What?"


"Go out with me."


"But- But-"


"You're tall, you're handsome, and you're talented, but you're also dorky, sweet, and sincere. I was always afraid to approach you, but your sketchbook gave me all the answers I needed. Go out with me, Wu Yifan."


Yifan frowned. Junmyeon's confidence wavered.


"Unless I'm completely misreading the situation and making a fool of myself." he said meekly, shrinking back. Yifan's frowned deepened as Junmyeon began to back away. He took the smaller boy's hand in his own, drawing him closer.


"It's not that I don't wanna date you. I just... I imagined this situation a whole lot differently." He said looking down at his feet. "I was supposed to be the one asking you out." he said with a pout that made Junmyeon giggle.


"How about a do-over?" Junmyeon supplied with a wide smile. Yifan nodded, straightening out his back as he held onto Junmyeon's hand a little tighter.


"Junmyeon, I've liked you since the first time I saw you and I've filled sketchbooks with pictures of your face-" Yifan began before shaking his head violently. "No, wait, that sounds creepy- uh..."


The small boy laughed at the flustered giant.


"You're just so smart and beautiful and amazing and..." Yifan sighed. "Do you wanna go out with me?"

Junmyeon beamed.




"I'd love to."