Jonghyun was particularly misunderstood.

            His parents were the town’s most prestigious surgeons, collecting large sums of money as a monthly salary. Their house was grand, elevating two stories up and lined with the finest furniture and décor. With such a background, of course Jonghyun would have high expectations. Good grades, substantial amount of friends, a drive to follow his successful parents footsteps; Jonghyun tried to be what he was supposed to be. Because that was what was right.

            However, that wasn’t who he was.

            He knew that.

            After a long day at school of listening intently to the teachers’ long rants, chatting idly with his so-called friends during lunch, and working feverishly to finish his work on time, Jonghyun dropped into his usual seat on the bus with a sigh of relief. A wave of adrenaline pumped through his veins as the thought of going home soaked into his mind. Because at home was who he really was.

            Those short two hours where his parents were still locked up at the hospital, allowing him time to just be himself, away from others – away from judgment, namely – was his haven. Inside his walk-in closet, hidden in the corner behind a rack of jackets, was his lovely guitar. It was a simple acoustic with a light brown face, lined with dark stained wood – which Jonghyun had personally bought in secret after working at a book store that one summer. Even so, he loved his guitar with an outright passion. If only he could proudly display her like he so wished, propping her against the side of his bed in full view of the door, waiting to greet him every day after school.

            Jonghyun leaned against the wall of the bus, pressing his cheek into the cold glass of the window. His eyes watched the green scenery outside flash before him as his knee anxiously hopped up and down. People around him conversed happily, gossiping wholeheartedly. However, Jonghyun had no interest in such trivial things; he merely sat, waiting patiently – or so he told himself – for his stop to come.

            One by one, the other teenagers disappeared, getting off at their stops accordingly. Eventually, the bus came to a screeching halt, one more exaggerated than the rest. Jonghyun’s lips twitched into a small smile; he knew it meant that it was the last stop – his stop. He hurriedly grabbed his backpack, looping his arm through one of the straps. He didn’t bother with the other, just ran out of the bus like his life depended on it. Of course he offered a smile to the kind bus driver, who occasionally kept him company on the days that he decided to sit near the front, on his way out. However, that was it; he stopped for nothing else, continuing to run until he made it to his room.

            His backpack fell to the floor, plainly discarded on the side. Jonghyun’s attention was far from the homework that was neatly in his blue folder. He rushed to his closet, smiling with a sense of pride when he was greeted with the sight of his guitar.

            “Hey, baby,” he called sweetly as he approached her, gripping her firmly by the neck. “I missed you.” After receiving no reply – which was expected – he carried his guitar into his room, stopping by his desk to snatch his songwriting journal. With both items in hand, and a freshly sharpened wooden pencil tucked behind his ear, Jonghyun jumped onto his bed and out the window. Using his free hand – and immense upper body strength –, he hoisted himself and his possessions onto the roof. He rested his guitar in his lap and used his feet to scoot further in. His songwriting journal was tossed to lie beside him, and Jonghyun reached into his pocket to retrieve his favorite pick – which had a puppy design engraved on it, specially picked by his best friend, Key.

           His left hand ran over the fret board, carefully caressing the instrument before stopping to align his fingers in the position to start. Jonghyun reached over with his right hand to flip open his journal, skipping a few pages until he found the song he was looking for. With a smile, Jonghyun scanned over the notes he had written quickly before attempting to play the song with the same amount of passion he had when he originally wrote the piece. Slowly, the song came back to him, fingers now moving on its own. Each chord ringed out melodiously, flowing together quite well. A sense of pride washed over Jonghyun; just knowing that he had written this himself was worth whiles.

           When he finished playing all the parts he had written so far, his right hand threw the pick onto the notebook and grabbed hold of the pencil. The tip of the eraser tapped lightly against his bottom lip as he thought long and hard on the next few chords to play. He hummed the tune to himself softly, lips twitching into a small smile. Once an idea struck him, he immediately jotted it down and played it for good measure. When he deemed it worthy, he neatly added it into his song.

           Jonghyun continued to move from his notebook to his guitar, from writing notes to testing chords out. He managed to successfully finish the song, closing the notebook feverishly before his inner perfectionist found something wrong with it. He chuckled lowly to himself, thinking it was funny how he knew himself so well.

           “Jonghyun?” he heard his father’s voice call questioningly from below. Jonghyun muttered a curse under his breath before quickly gathering his things. He threw his guitar through the window as carefully as he could, praying that it would land safely on his bed. When he jumped through himself, he let out a sigh of relief when he saw his love was indeed safe.

           “Jonghyun!” his father called more sternly. Jonghyun quickly grabbed his guitar, rushing to his closet to store it away. He lightly pecked the top of her, grumbling an apology before going back into his room. As soon as he closed the closet door, his bedroom door opened. His father peered in through the small crack he made, eyeing the room for a second before stopping at Jonghyun.

           “I called you,” he stated the obvious, eyebrows narrowing. Jonghyun swallowed.

           “Sorry, I was listening to music.” Jonghyun smiled solemnly, hoping his father would buy it. The older man stared at him intently, waiting to see if the boy would break underneath his intense gaze. When Jonghyun didn’t falter, he huffed.

           “Dinner is ready,” his father said before leaving, descending loudly down the stairs. Jonghyun sighed in relief. He glanced into his closet, smiling more profoundly when he saw his guitar. His right hand shot up to caress the back of his neck, rubbing it awkwardly as he went to exit his room.

           Jonghyun usually sat alone on the bus ride.

           There was something about the presence of other people during that time – where he sat there, looking like a nervous wreck as he waited for his stop – that threw him off. He felt like he would have to converse with them, have to listen to them rant about nothing in particular, have to act like he cared.

           However, when somebody particularly interesting plopped down in the seat beside him – followed by murmurs from the people around him – Jonghyun didn’t feel too bothered. The stranger smiled giddily to him, greeting him like he was a good friend. Jonghyun, however, merely sat there, staring at him in confusion.

           The stranger beside Jonghyun, otherwise known as Onew, had quite the background. He was much different from Jonghyun, what with his outrageous clumsiness, obsession with chicken and overall giddy outlook. However, the thing that stood out the most was the fact that he was openly gay.

           It wasn’t like Jonghyun really cared about his classmate’s uality, but he tended to avoid the older in worry that his parents would care. Yet now that he was here, sitting beside him on the fateful bus ride, Jonghyun completely forgot about his parents.

           “Hey,” he finally greeted the boy, smiling politely to his elder. Onew smiled back, happy to have received a reply.

           “Hello,” Onew said again, nodding. Jonghyun laughed to fill the awkward atmosphere that somehow surfaced.

           “Your name is Onew, right?” Jonghyun asked to make sure. Onew nodded again, smiling an even brighter smile – one that put the sun to shame – at the recognition.

           “Ye-“

           “Hey, Jonghyun,” Sekyung called, cutting off Onew’s response. She approached the pair’s seat, gripping the edge for support as she leaned in suggestively. Her wide v-neck greatly exposed her chest, causing Jonghyun’s stomach to churn in disgust. Onew looked down to his lap uncomfortably, not enjoying the position he was in since Sekyung was closer to him.

           “Hi, Sekyung,” Jonghyun said halfheartedly after refraining from letting out an exaggerated sigh. The girl giggled, leaning in closer.

           “Why are you sitting here with this kid?” she asked rudely, gesturing to Onew – whose cheeks flushed at the horrible mention. “If you’d like, you could sit with me.” Jonghyun stared blankly at her, overwhelmed with utter distaste. His eyes sneaked a glance at the boy sitting beside him, feeling his heart plummet when he saw how kicked and helpless he looked.

           “You know,” Jonghyun started before scooting closer to his seatmate, catching him and Sekyung off guard. He then threw his right arm over Onew’s shoulders, pulling the older even closer to him. “I’d actually like to stay here with Onew.”

           Sekyung was speechless; Onew was speechless. Hell, Jonghyun himself was speechless! He didn’t know what had come over him, but he immediately switched to prince mode when he saw how Onew was reacting to Sekyung’s merciless attacks.

           The girl scoffed nervously, trying to pick up what was left of her pride before leaving to her seat.

           Jonghyun didn’t release his grip on Onew, keeping the older pressed firmly against his chest. He muttered an apology to the older, ruffling his silky brown hair softly for reassurance. He didn’t notice how Onew quite literally melted under his touch, cheeks heating immensely and breathing faltering.

           “You didn’t h-have to do that,” Onew stuttered, pushing lightly on Jonghyun’s chest. The latter took it as a sign to free the older from his hold, allowing him to straighten up.

           “What do you mean?” Jonghyun asked, genuinely confused.

           “You d-didn’t have to defend me.” Jonghyun was taken aback by the small voice Onew spoke in, leaning in to peer at the elder’s face. His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates when he saw Onew crying.

           “Oh God, are you okay?” Jonghyun exclaimed, engulfing the boy in a hug. He rocked them back and forth, rubbing small circles on Onew’s back. When the older merely released a few whines and cries, Jonghyun sighed, rubbing harder for emphasis. “I wanted to defend you, okay? Sekyung had no right to come over and verbally abuse you like that.”

           “It’s because I’m gay,” Onew grumbled into Jonghyun’s shoulder, nuzzling his nose into his neck slightly.

           “That is no reason to be bullied,” Jonghyun argued, pulling away slightly. His hands gripped Onew’s biceps, staring intently into his eyes. “There is nothing wrong with you, okay?” Onew’s eyes widened immensely before softening. His perfect smile shined through once again as he giggled softly.

           Cute. Jonghyun couldn’t help but think.

           “Thanks, Jonghyun.”

           Jonghyun didn’t usually have friends over.

           There were rare occasions where Key or Minho came over to play video games or something, but they didn’t ever stay long. Therefore, that explains why Jonghyun sat awkwardly on his bed, legs crossed as he stared intently at Onew who was observing his room.

           Jonghyun didn’t know when he and Onew had become such great friends. But after that bus ride home, the pair spent a little more time together than one would have expected. It was like Jonghyun had instantly felt a connection, something just felt so right.

           “Your room is much plainer than I first expected,” Onew deadpanned, voicing his opinions honestly with an innocent voice. When he turned around to face the younger, his naturally wide eyes and small smile that shaped his lips made Jonghyun think that he really was just that – innocent.

           “I don’t usually spend my time designing my room,” Jonghyun countered with a shrug, eliciting a giggle from the other boy.

           “I wouldn’t imagine so. Jonghyun is no interior designer.”

           Jonghyun smirked.

           “What am I then?”

           Onew tilted his head to the side, pouting slightly as he stared at Jonghyun in thought. The older walked over to the boy, sitting on the bed and studying his features. His hands grabbed Jonghyun’s, turning them over to examine his palms.

           “Hey,” Onew grumbled before looking up to meet Jonghyun’s eyes. “Do you play guitar?” To say Jonghyun was shocked was a bit of an understatement; he was downright flabbergasted, confused, taken aback. Not only did Onew blatantly ignore his previous question, he seemed to have figured Jonghyun out down to a tee. 

           “W-what makes you say that?” Jonghyun asked in a shaky voice, trying to maintain his façade. Onew didn’t say anything. He merely rubbed the tips of Jonghyun’s fingers as gently as possible.

           Calluses.

           That was what gave Jonghyun up.

           Onew had gone to his house practically every day after school and the occasional weekend. It had quickly become Onew’s second home since he was so comfortable and willing to lounge around casually like it was no big deal. It was four months into their friendship when Onew had stumbled upon his guitar. The older had asked Jonghyun to fetch him a glass of water, and when the latter came back up, Onew was sitting on his bed with his love in his lap.

           “I was right,” Onew greeted him with a smirk. “You do play guitar.”

           Jonghyun’s jaw met the ground.

           Onew went onto explain that he expected such a talent from the boy because of the rough calluses that littered his fingers. Jonghyun dumbly looked at his hands, and sure enough, the tips of his fingers were as coarse as sandpaper. He glanced up to look at the smiling boy, immensely shocked that he had found out his secret so easily.

           “Please don’t tell anybody,” he managed to choke out before averting his eyes to the ground.

           “W-what?” Onew asked, stunned by Jonghyun’s solemn attitude toward his discovery. “Did you not want anybody to know you play guitar?”

           Jonghyun shook his head slowly.

           “Why not?”

           “Because… nobody expects me to be a musician. They all want me to go be a doctor, just like my parents.”

“           Jonghyun,” Onew shook his head, jumping off of the bed to approach the shorter. He took Jonghyun’s hand, opening it slowly and handing him the guitar. “You are amazing just as you are.”

           Jonghyun gnawed as his bottom lip, staring down at his alter ego that hung from his right hand. His thumb nudged a string lightly, causing the instrument to ring out a note boisterously. Jonghyun smiled as his guitar sang happily, proudly.

           “Thanks, Onew,” he said softly before looking up at the older. His eyes widened slightly when he noticed the close proximity between them; Onew’s lips seriously looked like they were approaching his. A part of him didn’t seem to mind; in fact, it was practically cheering for their lips to meet. However, another part of him yelled for him to stop, that his parents wouldn’t approve of this, that this was wrong. Jonghyun was not expected to be gay.

           “Sorry,” Onew muttered, taking a heavy step back. He his lips softly before biting at it roughly. “I’m sorry.”

           Jonghyun didn’t bother to assure the boy that it was okay. Because he himself didn’t know if it was okay or not. He merely took his guitar to the bed, strumming a melancholic tune that filled the room.

           “I like to sing,” Onew confessed as he and Jonghyun were lying on their backs, carelessly watching the clouds pass by. Jonghyun turned his head to look at the older, watching as the latter followed suit.

           “You do?” Jonghyun asked though he was honestly not too surprised. Onew had this feel to his voice, this spark, this lusciousness that screamed ‘I am a singer’.

           “Mhmm,” Onew hummed, turning back to face the clouds. “But I’m not very good.”

           “Nonsense,” Jonghyun called bull to the preposterous statement.

           “It’s true,” Onew argued, whining slightly.

           “You have the voice of an angel when you talk. Don’t tell me that isn’t the same for when you sing.” Onew’s cheeks flushed at the compliment.

           “Whatever,” he grumbled. “I bet you sing better than I do.”

           “I sing like a dying walrus,” Jonghyun harshly criticized himself as he sat up. Onew laughed in defiance.

           “I highly doubt that.”

           “It’s true!” Now it was Jonghyun’s turn to whine. To prove his point, he reached for his guitar – which he had rested beside him along with his songwriting journal. His hand instantly went for his puppy pick and began strumming; playing the song he had been working on for so long.

           “Time,” he started, purposely hitting a sour note. He coughed artificially, hand holding his throat. “Oh God, did you hear that? Man, I .”

           “Jjong, stop faking,” Onew pouted, arms crossed over his chest. Jonghyun swore his heart skipped a beat a second there. Cute.

           “Fine.” Jonghyun quickly cleared his throat, preparing himself carefully. After taking a deep breath, he began again. “Time passes by hectically. Will we get so used to our fluttering feelings, that we’ll feel them as a definite thing?” Onew smiled softly, listening intently to Jonghyun’s singing voice.

           “So beautiful,” he murmured under his breath.

           “Shut up,” Jonghyun grumbled, lightly slapping his elder’s bicep.

           “It was though!” Onew defended, placing a reassuring hand on his knee. “You sing so well.”

           Jonghyun’s face heated tremendously at the compliment. “You’ve heard me play guitar and sing, so now it’s your turn.”

           Onew sighed. “Hand me your journal.” Jonghyun complied, scooting the notebook over the older. Onew carefully scanned the lyrics, humming the tune to himself softly.

           “You are going to sing my song?” Jonghyun spluttered, shocked. He suddenly felt embarrassed, worried, and yet he wasn’t entirely sure why.

           “Yeah, could you play this part for me?” Onew asked, pointing to said part in the journal. Jonghyun nodded slowly, positioning his fingers carefully. When Onew gave him a nod of approval, he began playing, waiting patiently to hear Onew’s voice.

           And then it came. And Jonghyun was utterly speechless because he was right. Onew did sing like an absolute angel. In fact, with how he was positioned, the sun was shining down on him, causing him to glow. At that moment, Jonghyun was sure that Onew was indeed an angel sent from Heaven above.

           “Stop staring at me,” Onew grumbled, embarrassed. His cheeks were rosy, lips shaped into a pout. He reached his hands up to his face, attempting to hide himself. However, Jonghyun pulled them away, shaking his head.

           “Don’t cover yourself.”

           “It’s embarrassing,” Onew whined. “I sang horribly.”

           Jonghyun leaned forward, pressing his forehead against Onew’s. “It was perfect.”

           Onew looked up into Jonghyun’s eyes, cheeks still flushed. Jonghyun felt his heart begin to race, breath faltering slightly. When Onew’s gaze dropped down to stare at his lips, Jonghyun swallowed harshly.

           “Is this okay?” Onew whispered, hot breath hitting Jonghyun’s lips. Jonghyun froze and stared wide eyed at Onew’s now lidded ones. A sudden war broke out within him as he thought of what he was about to do. A part of him thought, yes, this was okay. Jonghyun wouldn’t mind at all if Onew kissed him. However, another part of him was worried, scolding him for going against his parents’ expectations. Maybe his parents really wouldn’t want him to be gay. Maybe they’d view him as an utter disappointment if he were to even simply accept a kiss from this beautifully adorable boy in front of him.

           Jonghyun snapped out of his daze to truly look at Onew. With his eyes closed, lips slightly puckered, cheeks rosy, Jonghyun couldn’t help but think he really was the cutest thing ever. Furthermore, this boy was the one of the only people to find out about who he really was and accept him.

           Jonghyun closed his eyes hastily.

            it.

           His left hand shot out to caress Onew’s cheek, pulling him closer to press their lips together.

           And as cliché as it sounds, Jonghyun swore he felt the sparks. Electricity shot through his system as his lips moved against Onew’s passionately. His hands dropped to hold Onew’s waist firmly as the older threw his arms around his neck. After they broke away, panting slightly from lose of breath, they stared lovingly into each other’s eyes.

           “Jonghyun,” Onew gasped, smiling softly. “I love you.” Jonghyun ducked down to peck his plump lips gently before returning the smile.

            “I love you too, Onew.”

            Jonghyun was particularly misunderstood.

            By most people.

            However, there was one person who understood him completely.

            Who knew him better than himself sometimes.

            “Kiss,” Onew demanded, looking up expectedly. He was lying down peacefully on Jonghyun’s bed, hand rubbing the younger’s knee soothingly. Jonghyun chuckled at his boyfriend’s antics before obliging, shifting his guitar to his side to lean down and peck Onew’s lips.

            “Happy?”

            “Mhmm,” Onew hummed, smiling giddily. Jonghyun shook his head teasingly at the older before going back to his guitar, flipping through the journal beside him.

            “Play me a song,” Onew requested,

            “Bossy today, aren’t you?” Jonghyun joked, playfully scowling at his boyfriend.

            “Please?” Onew cooed, pouting cutely.

            “Only if you sing with me.” Onew’s cheeks reddened slightly, and he turned so his back was facing Jonghyun. “Oh, don’t be like that.” Jonghyun smiled at Onew’s cuteness, hand pulling on his arm to turn him back around.

            When Onew didn’t budge, Jonghyun let out a small huff, arms folding over his guitar. He stared at his boyfriend’s back patiently, hoping he’d look back. Onew, however, only buried his face into a pillow, hiding himself further.

            Jonghyun knocked his knuckles against the face of his guitar to grab Onew’s attention before reaching to grab his pick. He took a glance at his songwriting journal before strumming the song carefully, eyelids fluttering shut and lips twitching into a smile.

            “You understood me better than myself,” Jonghyun sang softly, conveying his feelings. “When I was on the verge of breaking down, seeing you having a harder time than I did made me cry like a child.”

            Onew flipped over before sitting up, blush still evident on his face along with a wide smile. His arms wrapped tightly around Jonghyun’s neck, tugging softly and kissing his lips fully. Jonghyun’s heart leaped out of his chest as he wrestled with his guitar, trying to throw it off his lap so he could pull Onew closer. Once he managed to get his guitar beside him, he s his arms around Onew’s waist, stretching forward to lean over the boy.

            Onew moved away, chest heaving as he breathed heavily. “I love you.”

            Jonghyun stared longingly at his beautiful boyfriend, scanning from his honey golden locks, down to his shining glazed eyes and rosy cheeks, and settling on his plump red lips. The corner of his lips curved upwards as he marveled at the sight. He is so perfect.

            “I love you too,” Jonghyun returned wholeheartedly, capturing his boyfriend’s lips hastily. The two fell back; Onew lying on his back with Jonghyun hovering over him. Their lips moved together, fitting perfectly like two puzzle pieces. Onew let out a small squeal when Jonghyun teasingly nipped at his bottom lip. The latter tilted his head, gaining better access to Onew’s perfect lips.

            “Jonghyun,” Onew gasped for air, pushing against the younger’s chest. His cheeks heated even more after the feverish kiss, and his lips were parted temptingly.

            Jonghyun’s hands roamed down Onew’s side, feeling his figure profoundly. His eyes stared proudly into the Onew’s, feeling slightly possessive of the cute boy. Onew pulled Jonghyun to lie beside him, and they cuddled together, snuggly.

            “I love you,” Onew repeated, arms tightening around Jonghyun’s waist as he looked up. Jonghyun pecked the elder’s forehead gingerly, smiling happily.

            “You are so perfect,” Jonghyun complimented, telling the boy his exact thought a few minutes prior. Onew’s face now rivaled a tomato, and he quickly buried it into Jonghyun’s chest. The boy let out an embarrassedly whine, arms tightening even further.

            Jonghyun smiled as he weaved his fingers through Onew’s hair. If loving this beautiful boy is wrong, then I don’t ever want to be right.

-----

Author’s Note: first oneshot: done! This is really my first attempt at doing a oneshot, so I hope it is okay. Please tell me how it was. :) The song Jonghyun was writing was in fact Honesty, and the lyrics just fit so well! I got the idea for the story when I looked up the English translations. :) Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed it. <3

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