Classes never were as easy in high school as they were back in kindergarten when Hyukjae would run around shooting spitballs into kids' hair and blame it on another guy for doing it. Life was better then. Hyukjae lived it freely and had everything a kid could have ever wanted. It would've been easier if Sungmin hadn't already developed a temper and socked one right on Hyukjae's jaw that one time Hyukjae accused him for stealing a girl's crayons.
 

He would rather get another bruised cheek than sit around in Precalculus learning about math induction. He didn't care if the statement had to be proven true by using a load of substitution or why n=1 had to be true for all the questions given, he wasn't going to be the leading mathematician in ten years so why the was he here. Why was he even taking Precalculus anyway, he should've stuck to Trigonometry and bathed in the glorious quadratic formula. It didn't help that he was the only senior taking Precalculus and the rest of the class was filled with juniors and maybe two sophomores. He felt stupid.


As Sungmin would say – once a always a . He sometimes had the urge to bite Sungmin. Oddly enough, Hyukjae missed his friend's less-than-nice remarks and squishing those cheeks while gushing baby-like to get him riled up. It wouldn't be too soon until they'd reconcile in English with Siwon tagging along for the ride.  


This was pointless. 


He should've skipped and went to the practice room to work on the routine. There was barely any time to dance with all the schoolwork and incoming midterms in two weeks. Plus his part-time job on the side that called for embarrassing hats and fake enthusiasm, both of which Hyukjae kept at home and got in trouble for countless of times. Not that it mattered. They'd be kissing his by the end of June anyway. 


This was endless. And Hyukjae was getting tired quickly. 


He began on the second problem that was given on the board when a small crumple of paper flew onto his desk. He stared at it dumbly and looked around the room, seeing no one else was paying attention to him and barely noticed the ball that flew over their heads. open it, it said, and Hyukjae complied. 


you're gonna do something for me.


He didn't know what this would be pertaining to, although knowing who this was, he hoped it didn't have to do with some research on ion that'd require actually going to some places. 


reply back to get the thing (forget what a synonym is for favor). 


He scribbled something on quietly and threw it across the room. It came back immediately. 


i have an art project due in the next few months and i need a model to get it done.


i'm flattered


ew, not you. i need someone else from your grade. 


who?


lee donghae.


Hyukjae frowned. 


why him?


because I said so.


you didn't answer my question


I don't need to. just tell him amber liu wants him to come to the library on thursday for the art thingy. 


you're so good with words. wait, i don't even know donghae like that. but why him?? why not use henry or something? 


Ms. Lim cleared visibly and Hyukjae drew a good-looking sigma. He threw the paper ball when she looked back down. 


Truth was, he did know Donghae. After the library incident a few weeks back, the guy took a liking talking to Hyukjae and hanging around him whenever Hyukjae would visit the library and take out another volume of a manga. Donghae was intrigued by Hyukjae, just Hyukjae, not his face or skill or some , but Hyukjae, and that was strange enough considering how many times Sungmin bit back that Hyukjae was as interesting as road kill on the side of a highway. Hyukjae was starting to think Sungmin had a crush on him. 


have you seen henry, he can't sit and in one place. and donghae might make my art project work, so ask him for me. please? 


why don't YOU ask him? holy did you just say please i'm recording this down


because i'm only a mere sophomore who doesn't deserve bothering upperclassmen who aren't you. 


i feel like such a princess


Ms. Lim tapped on her desk as Hyukjae blinked innocently at the board, copying the next question in his binder. 


ask him. 


but i don't know him well enough. i don't know how to get to his classes, i don't know which classes he has. 


you'll find a way. c'mon, i brought you out of your Great Inequality Factoring Depression back in November. help a sister ooooout. 


…fine. i want cupcakes and Twix after this + those chocolate cookies you brought in for Krystal's birthday 


at this point i'll even get you the ing bakery. thanks so much, hyukjae!  


"First two problems on the board. Hyukjae, get up there. I want full work shown and the assumptions written out."  


i better gain twenty pounds in the next two months or this is a freaking joke




 

--

Finding Donghae was harder than Hyukjae thought it'd be. He assumed Donghae would be with the soccer team – wrong assumption. He wasn't. Hell, everyone he asked in the halls didn't know where Donghae had class or where he was or Who's Donghae? He would consider asking some of the girls he overheard talking about Donghae before but even they weren't in sight.


Hyukjae knew this was a bad idea. He didn't have a clue as to which classes Donghae was taking or what his lunch period was, and having to ask for a simple favor for a friend was much more difficult than Hyukjae initially believed. He almost regretted not asking about Donghae' personal life story at the library. What did they talk about at the library anyway? And why did classes not come up? On one hand, Donghae did try to ask him about some things. Like he was interested. He did seem interested. Right. 


From: Hyukjae 2:31 PM
hey, check if donghae is there 


From: Kyuhyun 2:31 PM
who
 

From: Hyukjae 2:31 PM
you know who you . check if donghae is there, lee donghae, if you need that much


From: Kyuhyun 2:32 PM
sorrrrry i can't disclose information about a student's whereabouts. it's a privacy matter 


From: Hyukjae 2:33 PM
how does that concern you? seriously, can you see if donghae is in the library or something i need it for someone 


From: Kyuhyun 2:33 PM
lemme check 


From: Kyuhyun 2:33 PM 
not there


From: Hyukjae 2:34 PM
i don't believe you


From: Kyuhyun 2:34 PM
then you shouldn't have asked me in the first place. asking me for service and then not taking my word for it wow okay best friends forever right


From: Hyukjae 2:34 PM
you didn't look did you 


From: Kyuhyun 2:34 PM
no


After Kyuhyun proved to be less than any help, Hyukjae continued to ask around but no one knew anything. One person said they saw Donghae in the boys' bathroom but that was in the morning. Another said he was in the library fifth period and Hyukjae cursed Kyuhyun under his breath. He did learn a few things along the way. People were more into their own worlds than having the need to know about their peers, which wasn't surprising. If someone asked Hyukjae about where anyone was he probably would've said he didn't know. Hyukjae barely knew anything in the first place but still, he was just saying. 


When he started getting desperate and exhausted, he went to Sungmin as a last resort. He didn't tell Sungmin he was the last resort, as that would've gotten him nothing but a headlock. But Sungmin didn't know. Siwon's incessant claims unfortunately didn't do so much either. 


Screw it. There was tomorrow and Hyukjae didn't have time to look forever. Amber said Thursday and it was only Tuesday. Mr. Choi's end of the semester project was piling up heavily, and on top of that was everything else, and he was damned if he was going to let Sora use the shower for a ing two hours if he didn't get there first. The perspiration from struggling with those math induction questions was starting to have quite an effect on Hyukjae. 


He took the way that passed the school's field, music blaring from the headphones around his neck as a yawn escaped his lips. The sun gently rested against the horizon, a bird flying past the oranges and pinks. Despite the month being close to January, the weather seemed to refuse from falling out of autumn, multicolored leaves twirling around Hyukjae as he made a stop near the fence. He looked out to the field and spotted the soccer team walking out to the grass, doing a few stretches and warm-ups. One of the guys yelled after a few minutes to get them gathered and all of them began to play, passing the ball to each other as Hyukjae continued to watch. 


A burn in his chest began to rise, a sudden contraction taking place until he averted his eyes elsewhere. No, that, he didn't have time for remorse. It was a stupid thing – his stupid brain. It made him appear like he wanted to go back, like as if he wanted to roll down his knee socks and soak up the sweat from hours out in the sun, putting on an equally as stupid grin and basking in the glory of scoring a goal and having the team slap him on his back as a good job Hyukjae, but no, but he wasn't like that anymore. There were other things now. Better things.


He forgot why he was still standing here, not on his way home when Sora would make a run for the shower as soon as she got in and he was not going to let that sing Phantom of the Opera today. He pulled on his bag and started to move out, almost hardly noticing the head poking out of the bleachers. "Hyukjae?"


He turned back, finding Donghae staring fixedly at him, a confused expression playing on his face. There were earphones dangling from his neck. "Oh hey, it is you. What're you doing here?" He paused for dramatic effect. "Don't tell me you've fallen for me already."


Well me over twice, Hyukjae thought. He was with the soccer team. "I was looking for you." The whole freaking day and it was like you were a goddamn specter. And no, why would I even.  


He didn't have a chance to say why when Donghae suddenly began to grin, teeth and all, like he was genuinely happy Hyukjae threw his back to find him and chances were he was. "You were looking for me?"

Hyukjae tried not to percieve all the joy Donghae started to excrete, and it was weird to say the least. He also began to wonder why in the world Donghae was here when he wasn't on the soccer team anymore. Apparently he cut ties with the team, mind the few that were in his classes, but other than that Donghae didn't keep in touch with much of anyone. That's what rumors held but Donghae could've also easily killed the President of the United States and smoked weed with a mountain tribe. Both of which could seem believable to an extent. 


"I have a friend that wants you to do something for her." 


Donghae's expression changed slightly. "Oh." 


"It's for her art class. She wants to use you as a model. Which is an honor by the way, she's really good. And she rejected me. Consider yourself lucky." 


"I do," Donghae said, smiling for emphasis. He looked down for a moment and then back up. "When do I see her?" 


"She said you could meet her at the library on Thursday. Oh, and her name's Amber Liu, just in case you needed it. Okay, well, you do need it, and I, uh. Yeah. You have to go." An uncomfortable silence picked up in the wind. "Okay. See you whenever." 


"Are you gonna be there?" Donghae asked, and Hyukjae turned around again. 


"Sure? I mean I'll have to be, if I want to get the next One Piece volume before someone else takes it." A dark cloud surfaced in his mind, thinking back to the time Kyuhyun let someone just take Volume 37. "I never let the latest releases leave me." 


"I'll probably need your phone number," Donghae said, and smiled awkwardly when Hyukjae stared at him in silence. "You know if something goes wrong and I might have to cancel. I don't know who Amber is personally so I could just tell you. If that's okay with you, I mean." 


Hyukjae could only question and stare but then realized he might as well. Donghae was just weird. "I guess. Okay." Bound to happen some time in their lives. He walked towards the bleachers, finding an entrance at the end of the fence. When he came closer, he heard Bohemian Rhapsody playing from Donghae's earphones. He retracted his body slowly, waiting for the other to finish punching in digits. When he was done, Donghae smiled again – Hyukjae thought there were only so much Donghae teeth a person could take. 


His eyes glanced back to the field but he decided to not say anymore. It wasn't his business to interfere in people's lives and again, if he wanted to know about Donghae's personal life story then he should've done so at the library. "So Thursday. If you don't come she'll kick my . And I swear to God I'll kick yours twice as hard." 


Donghae looked insulted. The corner of his lips turned upwards. "I'll see you then." 


Hyukjae waved once and left him in the bleachers, passing through the exit. He pulled the headphones from his neck onto his head and listened to Freddie Mercury sing about good times and supersonic men, a quiet  leaving Hyukjae's lips when he realized it was past 4:30 and Sora was definitely already on her way stripping out of her clothes. He broke out into a run, wanting to scream at Sora not to get in, don't ing get in, no no no, , and could only hope his prayers would be answered by the time he reached home. 


He didn't get to see the smile that appeared on a boy's lips behind him, who sat in the bleachers and watched Hyukjae sprinting into the sun. 


And maybe this had been the start of a wonderful friendship that they both hadn't envisioned, didn't dream of before.  


Right. 
 

so i can see donghae being a queen fan idk LOL. this is so bad wow i'm sorry. i'm also sorry for not being able to update sooner! it won't work with me. i don't know how long this will be, but i'm thinking this'll be more of ten-twelve/maybe fifteen chapters kind of thing? more than that will ultimately be bad for me OTL. so if things look like they're being rushed i apologize profusely. i'm really rusty in terms of chaptered writing ): again, sorry, and thank you to those who have read, commented, and subscribed! <3