Equation²⁰

Key's P.O.V

Key looked up from his homework, as a knock could be heard on his door. He looked up, as he ran a hand through his hair.

He had been locking himself up in his room for a few days, as he wanted to avoid certain roommates - and questions.

"Who is it?" He asked loudly enough for the person on the other side of the door to hear.

The door slowly opened as Onew's head popped up through the small opening, he had made with the door.

"May I come in?" Uncertainty were written all over his face, as he nervously looked over his shoulder to make sure, that no one were following. Talk about being paranoid.

Sending his hyung a quick certain nod, Key closed the book in front of him, and he quickly took a final look at the title. 'Differential Equations.'

"What is it?" He turned around in his chair so he faced Onew, who had just found a comfortable way to sit in his rock hard bed. You should think, that such a prestige college would use some money on some good beds - but no.

"It's just..." distressed Onew played with Key's pillow, which he had picked up, when he sat down, "it's about yesterday - the pink notes."

It seemed like, it had been a huge relieve to Onew just telling Key, what it was about, so Key kept quiet, as Onew went on: "The truth is - they're not from me."

"I know."

"And I just-" Onew looked up in surprise, as he abruptly changed the topic, "you knew?"

Key sent the two pink notes he had hanging on his notice board a glance, before he gave Onew a knowing look making Onew shift uncomfortable in the bed.

"How stupid do I seem?"

"But how did you figure it out?" Onew asked stupefied, as it seemed like, it had been a waste trying to help his friend.

"First of all - it's not your hand writing," Key slowly started stating the facts, as he held up a finger for each fact, he told his hyung, "second, the notes are about math, which I'm pretty sure, that you wouldn't use to confess to someone. Third, Jonghyun's reaction pretty much gave him away - and I've been teaching him math."

"But why didn't you say anything then?" Key only shrugged at Onew's question, as he really didn't understand it himself, but Jonghyun had just seemed so scared and lost, when Key had asked, that he just had kept quiet.

It also explained why, he had been locking himself up in his room, as he didn't have a clue how to act in front of Jonghyun.

"I don't know," he said in a muffled voice, as Onew hadn't spoken up by then.

"He really likes you," surprised Key looked up to study Onew's facial expression. He was waiting for a smile, a smirk - maybe a loud laughter? Anything, which would tell him, that it was a huge joke, but it never came.

"Yeah," Key nodded slowly, as he trailed on his words, "I kind of figured."

Once again he looked over at the pink notes.

"Please don't hurt him."

A frustrated sigh escaped Key's lips, as he once again ran a hand through his hair. "I really don't understand, what's going on anymore, but please don't tell Jonghyun, that I know, okay?"

Onew gave Key's shoulder a comforting squeeze, as he stood up getting ready to leave the room, but he remembered to reprimand Key once again, before he left.

"I won't, but please don't hurt him."

The door closed after Onew and Key smacked his head down at the table to let the cool surface help him think clearer - but nothing helped.

Why couldn't he just be liked by a normal girl like every other guy at his age? Why did it have to be so complicated? Why was he even doubting himself, as he was thinking this? Did he really like Jonghyun?

Another knock could be heard on his door, and annoyed he sat up. When had his room turned into a freakish traffic jam?

"What?" It came out more diva-ish, than he wanted, but he just wanted to be left alone with his thoughts for once.

"Am I interrupting something?" This was the first time Key had thought Jonghyun looked small. Not that he hadn't noticed, that Jonghyun wasn't that tall - cause he wasn't - but it was the first time, he had thought, that Jonghyun also could be weak sometimes - but he always seemed so sure of himself.

"No..." Key trailed off interrupted by his own thoughts.

"It's just..." Jonghyun also trailed off, as he blushed up a little. Had Onew already gossiped to Jonghyun about their conversation? It couldn't be, could it?

"What?" Key blurted out the question, as he couldn't take the tension between them anymore. How he just wished, that they could go back to before.

Jonghyun quickly gathered his courage, as he saw Key's curious expression. "It's because, I have this huge math test on Monday, and I wondered, if you would help me study for it?"

"Of course," relieved by the fact that Key could get his wish about going back in time fulfilled so fast, he agreed right away.

"But..." 'Of course there's a but', Key thought to himself, as Jonghyun continued, "I have a tiny little bit of a problem."

"Which is?" Key tapped the table impatiently, as he waited for Jonghyun to stop beating around the bush.

"I have to go home this weekend," Key raised an eyebrow at this, but Jonghyun quickly interrupted him, before he had a chance to say anything, "but I wondered, if you would like to go with me home, so we could study at my place?"

Key gave it a bit of thought, before he found his phone in his pocket. Without saying a word to Jonghyun, he dialed his grandmother.

"Hi grandma!" Key chimed happily into the phone, as Jonghyun saw him lit up right away, "do we have anything planned for this weekend?"

Sending Jonghyun a knowing look, Jonghyun waited patiently, as Key tried to find out, if he was available.

"It's because a friend of mine asked, if I would come to his house and help him study," silence filled the air, as words were muttered at the other end of the phone line, "oh okay, I love you grandma!"

Ending the call Key looked over at Jonghyun. "It's a deal - but you're going to buy me ice cream!"

Written by MapiHyperMonkey

A/N: Hi everyone~ :D Once again we would like to thank you for all you encouraging messages - they're seriously making us happy that so many are enjoying our story.

On a short notice we would like to remind you, that this story has two authors and not one, if you haven't noticed :D Once again - thank you!