Yoogeun was lost in his thoughts as he sat at his desk. He didn't even really remember getting there. Crap! What had he said to Lauren before he went into class? He had no idea.

Usually he'd be catching a few Z's before class officially started but he didn't even feel like it today. He was a mix of confusion, shock and anger. Kyungsan liked Lauren? Like liked her? Since when the hell had that happened? He was going to confess to her on Valentine's Day? Then that would be before himself. Yoogeun had just come to terms with the fact that the special feelings he had for her were love and he didn't think he'd be ready to admit it for a couple more years. He wasn't ready to tell her.

However, the thought of her being swayed by Kyungsan's confession, of her being with another man, of having to see them kiss or hug in the hallways, of being the third wheel in their usual relationship....he hated it. He'd have to do something to stop it from going that far. Damn Kyungsan and his willful nature. How unfair of him to keep this all to himself, to threaten him this way, to challenge his hyung. Yoogeun had met Lauren first, he'd probably had feelings for longer, he was older, he wasn't a flirt, he could actually protect her.

He knew that they should be with each other. They were like the main characters of a romance manga. They just had to be—it seemed right, the universe spelled it out. Yoogeun was just expecting it all to happen slowly and naturally. He didn't expect to have to go through the embarrassing, nerve-racking act of confessing. His cheeks flushed and his hands balled on his knees just thinking of it. That image didn't suit him.

Dammit, Kyungsan, why her? He had a ton of girls he seemed interested in and that genuinely liked him but for Yoogeun and Lauren they'd only ever had each other. They were closest, the only ones each other could trust, the popular kids that no one truly knew, that were judged on their looks foremost and their questionable characters second. If Yoogeun didn't have Lauren, he had a fear he'd never have anybody in his future.

“Dude, are you okay? You're practically spitting sparks.” Mason apprehensively tapped his shoulder.

Yoogeun snapped out of his funk and turned to his friend who was leaning on the desk. “Huh?”

He sighed with a look of slight irritation at having to be concerned about him. “What's eating you? I know guys don't usually talk about their feelings and all, but since we've been friends since first grade I think it's alright for you to talk about what's going on if you need to.”

Yoogeun scoffed, not meaning to be rude. It was nice of Mason to offer—usually he didn't care about anything but himself or how his hair was placed every five minutes. It was just that he couldn't reveal this to anyone because it would get around like wildfire and that's not how he wanted Lauren to find out about his years of hidden feelings. He wanted to tell her directly in private, give her something, kiss her senseless or something memorable like that. Girls liked those kind of things—it swayed their hearts, right?

There was a way he could get help indirectly though. “So, hypothetically, if you were going to confess to a girl on Valentine's Day, what would you do?”

Mason gave him a bright, knowing grin, looking exceptionally interested in prying but holding back politely. “Hmm...I would buy her chocolates and a present.”

“Like what?” he asked curiously, thinking that was a good idea.

“Stuff girls like. Clothes, a purse, jewelry, a stuffed animal or something. Come on, man, you never bought a girl a birthday present before at least?”

Yoogeun let out a little grown as unpleasant memories flashed through his head. Every year he tried to pick something out for Lauren but he usually failed at it. She'd pretend that she liked it but he could tell she really didn't. Sometimes it had been so bad that his Taemin appa had stopped him from giving it and bought something himself. Those had at least been a bit successful in getting a genuine smile out of her.

“Anyway, so you bring that stuff, you take her somewhere you can be alone, then you tell her you like her and ask her out. Bam, easy as that.”

Yoogeun nodded absently, taking in the advice though he was still stuck on the details. He spent the rest of his class zoning out, completely ignoring the teacher even when he called on him or scolded him for not having his textbook opened. He was instead pondering over what he would do, overwhelmed to the point of freaking out, especially about this gift thing. Lunch flew by then practice as well and he spent much of it still absorbed in his thinking.

It wasn't until Yoogeun was out on the street after school was over and Lauren came up to him with a mischievous smile and attempted to scare him by acting like a tiger cutely that he completely snapped out of his funk. She was mid-snarl with open and teeth showing.

“What are you doing, dork?” He smiled in amusement and tapped his fingers on her forehead, pushing her back a bit.

She grinned widely, stood up straight and dropped her claw-like hands.

“You seemed really out of it, so I was going to have some fun.”

“You shouldn't take advantage of people like that. What if I had something really bad happen that I was worried about?” Yoogeun scolded coolly.

She looked immediately concerned though he’d meant it as a joke. “Oh, my gosh. What happened? Was it another F on your math test? Did you blow up anything in chemistry? Was the coach telling you off again for being lazy? Because if he was, I'm so going to go have a word with him...”

Yoogeun laughed in disbelief, holding his hands up to stop her rambling. “No! Nice to know how horrible a person you think I am though. Do you just keep a list of all my faults and failures so that you can whip them out and crush my confidence?”

“No! Oh, my gosh, did I do that? I'm sorry. I was just worried and got a little overexcited....” Her distressed, apologetic expression was cutened intenselly by a natural pout.

“I was just teasing you, Ren. I'm not mad, promise,” he comforted gently, giving her an affectionate pat on her head, then letting his hand linger on her feather-soft, sun-bathed hair.

Lauren still seemed subdued for awhile as they walked down the street together. Yoogeun mentally kicked himself for making her upset and spoiling the good mood they usually had together. This may be his only chance to go on a date with her before he confessed and so he wanted to make the best of it. He needed to find a way to turn this situation and his crush's mood around fast because every minute counted as a chance to woo her and show her he'd be a good man for her.

“So, where do you feel like going today?”

“How about that milkshake place on the corner? Or the one a couple of blocks down from that is good too....” She listed places, arguing with herself.

He couldn’t help but chuckle softly in amusement. The cutest thing about Lauren was her weird little quirks.

“How about I choose for you? Let's go to the one a few blocks down,” he suggested with a gentle smile.

She smiled back at him gratefully, blushing a bit in embarrassment at her own indecisiveness. He, on the other hand, was a person that decided instantly, stuck to that decision and followed it through, but he was okay with that. They complimented each other. He would always patiently wait for her then choose what would be best in the end. He knew that one was her favorite anyway even if it was the one that was most expensive.

He didn't usually like using his money, it was true, but for Lauren there wasn't a penny he wouldn't spend. Even if her impulsiveness—which was no joke—led her to want a whole ice cream store, he would buy it. But that was a secret he didn't want her to know of, learn his weakness, and take advantage of him. But with that mischievous smile she had sometimes, he was sure she already knew. That he was weak to her charms at least. What it really meant—that he had a huge crush on her –probably hadn't been translated completely.

For a while they walked in comfortable silence. Even though Yoogeun talked to Lauren more than he would with any other person, it still wasn't much on a normal person's scale. Either Lauren respected his wishes for quiet or she'd talk enough for the both of them and he'd just throw in an agreement or observation occasionally. Today it seemed like she was just going to let him be silent. He decided that he didn't want to though—again, he didn't want to waste valuable time.

“What's the best present you've ever gotten on Valentine's Day?”

“Hmm. I don't keep most of them...” she thought out-loud.

Yoogeun