He leaned backwards in his chair in order to place his bare legs on the table. Absentmindedly he stared at his friend without thinking. Aron was reading a little anonymously looking book while he chewed automatically at his lunch for the thirtieth time at least.

“Hey space-case. Are you ever going to swallow that thing or do you want the poor piece of bread to suffer between your teeth for eternity?”
“I’m sorry, what?”

Aron looked confused at Jonghyun as if he hadn’t got the faintest idea of what was happening around him. The sun was playing with the shades in his brown hair when he raised his head to properly look at Jonghyun, who was staring back at him with an amused grin.

“You really love those books, don’t you?” He couldn’t help but smile when the slightest touch of pink turned up on Aron’s face.

“I guess I do…”
“Why?”
“Reading helps me keep my mind off things, you know, the real world and stuff…” He hesitated a bit. “It’s easier to dwell in dreams sometimes”.

“You mean it’s easier to just forget that you’re head over heels in love with…”

Aron quickly cut him off by jumping off his chair, smashing both hands over Jonghyun’s mouth before the name left his lips.

“Have you lost if, what if someone heard you?!”

The answer was nothing but a somewhat displeased mumble and Aron quickly removed his hands again. Jonghyun shook his head with a tragic sigh.

“What’s your problem Casanova, normally you don’t care who hears you? If you did I would be a lot less traumatised. What makes this one so different?” The younger one examined Aron carefully as he spoke. “I mean, I know he’s totally gorgeous and all, but still… You haven’t even spoken to him yet. I’m not trying to say that you should go faster, but honestly, if you keep approaching him with the speed of a snail the course will be over and he’ll go home. And you will never ever see him again”.

It shocked him a bit to see the brunette’s face turn genuinely sad.

“I know… And you’re right, I’m acting like a complete fool”. He frowned slightly and started to study the edge of the table when he continued. “This time it’s just different, okay? I want him more than I can bear, it’s driving me nuts… But I don’t know if he would be able to want me back”.

“What, you mean you don’t know if he’s…”
“Yeah… He could be as straight as an arrow, I have no idea. It’s frustrating!” Irritated he ran his fingers through his thick brown locks of hair. “I’ve never come across someone whom I couldn’t see right through. And I won’t lose my cool by confessing to him if I’m not entirely sure I’ll have a chance, okay?”

“Fine…” Jonghyun swung his legs from the table and smiled. “Then how about finding out? He’s right behind you now”.

Aron almost jumped in his chair and turned around a bit just in time to see the tall skinny model enter the cafeteria, closely followed by his blonde friend, who as always looked as if he had stepped right out of some Pre-Raphaelite angel painting. They would have lit up the entire room with their beauty, had they not been looking down in attempt to avoid being seen. With hasty movements they chose the table in the corner farthest away from the rays of sunlight coming from the windows.

“Oh sure, he really looks like someone who wants to be questioned about his uality” Aron muttered and continued to eat with a meek expression, almost as if he was a candle someone had put out. “As if he would want me to come any closer…”
“Actually, I think that’s just what he wants” Jonghyun said abruptly, his eyes widening as he looked to their table.

“What?”
“Look”.

Aron turned around once more and immediately felt as if a wild animal was trying to violently force its way out of his stomach.

Gathered around the table in the corner stood five boys; one of them was pressing the target of Aron’s love against the wall to prevent him from interfere while the others had closed in around the small blonde. Even across the noisy cafeteria both of them were able to tell that he was about to burst into tears.

One of the five boys apparently said something, probably an order, for the others laughed and grabbed the blond boy’s arms, who struggled to free himself.

Jonghyun and Aron couldn’t hear the exact words, but they definetely didn’t have to be geniuses to see what was happening. The blonde let out a hysterical cry when the four boys with slow mocking movements tried to lift off his shirt. It was clear to anyone that he had reached a state of pure panic. He was twisting in their grip to try and get away, his eyes wide open in fear.

By the wall, the tall brunette was desperately trying to push the one holding him off as well, looking utterly helpless and enraged at the same time.

“Leave him alone!” His words were so loud Aron could hear them from where he stood. “Stop it!”

“No ing way I’m just standing here any longer” he hissed through his teeth. With the attitude of an angry tiger he marched through the cafeteria, pushing everyone in his way aside.

“Move!”

The first thing he did when he had reached the corner was to grab the nearest of the five boys, a black-haired one, dragging him a couple of steps away from the blond, who hadn’t been able to keep his tears from running.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

“I could ask you the same, who are you supposed to be? His boyfriend?”

The other four laughed at his comment, but Aron didn’t as much as flinch. Instead he forced his voice calm when he answered.

“Let go of them, now”.

“I don’t really feel like it though” he sneered, straightening his back to let it show how much taller than Aron he was. “We’re five to one, what are you going to do?”

“Nothing. But I can’t speak on behalf of my father”. He crossed his arms with a confident smirk in the corners of his mouth.

“Your father?”

“Oh, didn’t he mention?” Jonghyun had joined him, struggling not to laugh. “This is Aron Kwak, the principal’s son you know… I’m pretty sure you were doing something against the rules, but heck, if you want to fight instead just bring it on. I wouldn’t mind beating the guts out of a bunch of twats like you”.

They had let go of the blonde’s skinny arms and he had silently collapsed on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably with his face hidden in his hands.

“What do you say?” Aron took a step forward, making the boy in front of him back away, unwillingly. “Jonghyun’s right, nothing would make me happier than to feel your nose break.”

Just as the boy had opened his mouth to sneer back, the door to the cafeteria was opened and three of their teachers entered the hall. Obviously it had been the black-haired boy’s intent to take on the fight, but none of them were stupid enough to do it in front of a teacher so instead he just frowned and turned around.

“You’re going to pay for this, Aron” he spat as he and the other four left the cafeteria, the fury almost touchable around them.

Jonghyun had kneeled next to the blond boy, gently helping him getting his shirt to cover up all of his upper body, then putting both arms around him to help him get on his feet again.

“Everything is going to be all right, okay? Come, you can sit with us”. With the kindness of a lover he escorted the still weeping boy back to his and Aron’s table and made him sit down on the chair next to himself. “Here, dry your eyes”. He handed the blonde a handkerchief from his pocket and watched him wipe his sad eyes from tears.

“Th-thank you…” he stuttered, handing back the handkerchief with a shiver running through his arm.

“No problem”. Jonghyun smiled and brushed away a white tress that had been sticking to the other boy’s pale face. “What’s your name?”

“Minki…” His plump lips were shivering, too.

“I’m Jonghyun, nice to meet you”.

“You, too…” Minki blushed and placed his gaze at his hands, which lay restlessly on the table. He looked as if he wanted to say something more, so Jonghyun just waited until he had found the courage to do so. “Thank… Thank you for helping me…”

“Sure thing. We couldn’t just watch as they did whatever, you know what I mean?”

“But you shouldn’t have…”
“Of course we should”. Jonghyun found himself placing one hand on Minki’s. “You were obviously really frightened. What did they say to you?”

Minki bit his lip and slowly it in between his teeth.

“They just… they like teasing me because they think I… I look like a girl. And so they say that I shouldn’t be here, I mean… this summer school is an all-boys school, right? They…” He nervously chewed on his lip and tears started to well up his eyes again. “They wanted to see proof that I’m not a girl… I just… I can’t stand people looking at me… S-Sorry…” His voice fell apart and he couldn’t help but set free another little stream of tears. Jonghyun instinctively squeezed his hands a bit.

“It’s all right, I understand. You don’t have to apologise. They should be the ones apologising to you”.

His insides made a strange turn as he watched the other one cry, feeling more helpless than ever.

“I’m sorry I’m like this” Minki managed to whisper between his sobs. “You just saved me and I’m acting completely ungrateful and… spoiled. I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry…”

Jonghyun reached out and lifted Minki’s head by the chin, sighing in compassion.

“I just said you don’t have to apologise, didn’t I?” He smiled and wiped Minki’s tears with his hands. “If you want to cry then go ahead. But I’m thinking more of finding Aron and your friend, who suspiciously enough haven’t returned yet, and then go outside in the sun for a while. The next class is cancelled anyway and I could imagine you’d want to get away”.

If he thought his words would calm Minki down, he was wrong. Minki started to cry even harder, desperately trying to stop at once.

“Why are you so nice to me? You don’t even know me”.

He wasn’t sure if he would make everything worse by answering right away, so he waited a few minutes until Minki had gotten himself somewhat under control, before he smilingly said: “well, I could get to know you. Then I’ll be able to decide for myself whether I should be nice to you or not, okay?”

The blonde looked totally astonished when Jonghyun made him get on his feet and dragged him out of the cafeteria.

“Come on. Let’s find Aron”.

As soon as Jonghyun and Minki were out of earshot Aron cleared his throat and the boy who had haunted his most intimate dreams for more than three weeks turned around with a cold, yet innocent look in his eyes.

“What is it?”

“Are you okay? They didn’t hurt you?”
“No, I’m… I’m fine”. His expression turned into a look of surprise, as if he suddenly realised that he was talking to his rescuer. “I just got a small scratch, that’s all, they didn’t… Oh, you have got to be kidding me!” He drew an irritated sigh when he eyed his hand, which had been pressed roughly against the wall earlier.

“What is it?”
“I’m bleeding”. Another sigh. “Guess I have to go see the nurse after all…” Aron caught a sight of the other one’s hand. There was a scratch the size of a pea, extremely close to not bleeding at all.

“Are you sure? I mean…”
“You don’t have to tell me it doesn’t look too bad, in an hour or so it will”. He smiled bleakly and headed out of the cafeteria, but Aron didn’t intend to let him go, not now when he had finally got enough spine to talk to him.

“What do you mean it’ll look bad later?”

It was impossible to tell whether the model was annoyed or amused.

“I have got haemophilia. It means I won’t stop bleeding like I should, every time I get a scratch, even a tiny one like this, I have to go see a doctor so that they can fix it. It’s quite tiring actually”.

“Sounds like it”.

“By the way, I never even asked your name. I guess a proper introduction and a thank you would be suitable?”

“Aron”.

“Minhyun… And thank you. I don’t think Minki would ever have gotten over it if they had succeeded”.

He really sounded genuinely worried about his friend as he spoke. It was impossible to not like him, Aron thought as they walked down the hallway together. Until now he had admired Minhyun’s dazzling appearance, his slender limbs and almond eyes and thick, lush hair. But as he listened to his voice he came to love the words it formed as well.

When they finally reached the nurse’s office he was on the verge of going mad with desire, but somehow he managed to hide it, though it definetely required more self-control than he felt he possessed.

“Thank you again. I’m truly grateful that you helped us… Normally people just ignores it. I guess it’s easier to pretend  not to notice. I feel like that myself most of the time… It’s easier to dwell in a daydream than to look the problem into its eyes”.

He shrugged with a shy smile, leaving Aron breathless for several seconds.

“I know. Reality just isn’t always as fun as the dream”.

“Exactly.” They stood in front of the door for a while, none of them knowing what to say. Then Minhyun awkwardly curled his lips, attempting to smile again. “I guess I’ll see you then.”

“Uhm, yeah, I guess so, definetely”.

He forced out a laidback smile, that didn’t match his insecure jumble of words at all, before they parted, but as soon as Minhyun had left the hallway he had to lean against the nearest wall, trying to catch his breath again.