A/N: Prompt was "Jackson is a college student and he spots high school foreign exchange student Bambam touring his campus in a little group"

“And you know, I was starting to panic a little, ‘cause it was like, the first time the match had been drawn out so long, you know what I mean man?”

Mark only hummed in agreement half-hearted, swallowing back the resigned sigh that would undoubtedly send his friend into whining fit.

He’d only heard this story, oh, about a couple hundred times.

“Of course, I wasn’t too panicked,” Jackson was quick to add. “I mean, come on, I’m Jackson! So all I got was a little burst of adrenaline, and I lowered my stance…”

Mark allowed himself to release an exasperated huff as Jackson began to physically reenact the scene, despite the fact that they were currently walking across the courtyard in the middle of campus.

“…and he suddenly lunged but I was ready so I quickly backed out of the way while looking for an opening…”

Mark grudgingly came to a stop as Jackson danced backwards, and the fancy footwork would’ve been impressive if Mark hadn’t already been forced to play wowed spectator one too many times.

“Yah, you’re not looking!” Jackson hollered and Mark reluctantly turned around to fully face his friend, only to suddenly cry out in alarm.

“Jackson watch out!”

Unfortunately, the warning came too late as two bodies collided with a painful thud, a crash sounding as something heavy came into contact with the concrete.

“Oh my god are you okay?”

“Yeah, nothing this strong body can’t–” Jackson broke off with a frown as Mark rushed past him, completely ignoring his friend’s outstretched hand waiting for him to pull him up.

“I’m so sorry for that moron over there,” Mark apologized as he helped up the unfortunate kid who had happened to be in the way of Jackson’s path.

“Yah, who are you calling a moron you…”

Jackson slowly trailed off as he took in the sight of the dazed kid Mark was busy brushing off, gaze automatically sweeping up and down analytically. Slim, on the short side, and holy crap such a baby face…it only took Jackson a couple of seconds to reach the conclusion that he wasn’t a student. And if he was he had to be a freshman– the adorable fullness of his cheeks marked him as one who hadn’t quite finished crossing the threshold from boy to man.

All in all, he was a real cutie.

(And no, Jackson was NOT a pedo.)

 “No, no, I’m sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going,” the kid shook his head, looking embarrassed as he bent down to retrieve the map he’d no doubt been staring at when the collision occurred.

Jackson had been about to apologize, but was now suddenly taken aback by the foreign lilt to the boy’s voice instead. It was clear he wasn’t native, but Jackson couldn’t quite place his accent either. The ring to his words almost reminded him of his own native tongue, Cantonese, but that wasn’t quite right…

“Here,” Mark stooped over to pick up the boy’s backpack, handing it over to him carefully by the straps as he shot Jackson a dirty look.

“Oh, uh, sorry!” Jackson quickly stammered out, ruffling his own hair sheepishly as he finally snapped out of his musings. 

Mark rolled his eyes before turning back to the boy with a gentle smile.

“Hey I’m Mark, and the bumbling idiot over there is Jackson. Are you a student here? No offense meant, you just look a bit lost.”

“No, no I’m not!” The boy shook his head, placing an emphasis on his words that only made his accent stronger. “I’m from Thailand, I’m in high school, I’m on tour, my name is…” he rattled off the facts as if memorized from a textbook, but when he got to his name he paused, looking at them uncertainly.

Jackson raised an eyebrow teasingly, stepping closer.

“Did you forget your own name? Or are you scared we’re gonna steal your identity or something?” he joked.

“No no no no!” the boy denied vehemently, eyes wide. He’d clearly taken Jackson’s joke seriously. “No I don’t think that!”

“He wasn’t being serious!” Mark was quick to assure the poor kid, elbowing Jackson in the ribs sharply in reprimand. Jackson apologized with a laugh but didn’t look at all sorry, enjoying the kid’s flustered appearance.

“Oh…” the boy glanced between them uncertainly, as if still not quite sure who to believe. “Um, you can call me Bambam. My real name is hard to say.”

“Bambam, eh? That’s quite the name you’ve got there,” Jackson smirked, throwing a wink at the kid just for good measure. He earned a confused but tentative smile in response, as well as another jab and sideways glare from Mark.

“You said you were on a tour?” Mark quickly changed the subject.

“Ahh, yes!” Bambam’s cheeks flushed slightly, hands toying with the map in his hands as his gaze flickered up and down. “Ummm…”

“Well I don’t see a group of high school students around here, so Imma guess you’re lost,” Jackson guessed, suspicions confirmed when Bambam only flushed further.

“Um, yes, a little.”

Mark bit his lip, glancing down as his watch.

“We’d help you find your group but we’ve got class soon, do you know where they were headed? We can probably give you directions.”

Bambam looked a bit crestfallen, but nodded thankfully.

“Yeah, they said we were going to see the freshman dorms.”

“Ahh, that’s pretty far from here. Here, let me see your map,” Jackson said, and Bambam obediently handed it over.

“Oh nuh-uh I’ll be giving the directions, the poor kid would end up on the exact opposite end of campus if he tried following your instructions.” Mark deftly snatched the map out of Jackson’s hands. “I think we’ve long established that fencing is your only talent.”

“Hey, that’s not fair!” Jackson protested with an exaggerated pout, earning a tiny giggle from Bambam at his expression.

“Ummm, what’s ‘fencing’?” Bambam asked timidly, turning the foreign word around in his mouth awkwardly.

“It’s what the moron was doing when he ran into you,” Mark rolled his eyes, flipping the map around to orient it properly.

“A-Ah,” Bambam nodded, but his expression was still uncomprehending.

“Here, I’ll show you!” Jackson said eagerly, immediately dropping down into his “ready” stance. Mark let out a groan but Jackson ignored him, bouncing lightly on the balls of his heels as he jabbed forward. “Fencing, fencing!” he shouted as he demonstrated.

“Ahhhhh!” Understanding finally dawned on Bambam’s face, and it was clear he was impressed. “That’s really cool!” he said excitedly.

“You bet it is!” Jackson boasted, pleased with the reaction he received. “And I’m on the Hong Kong national fencing team, too!”

“Really?” Bambam’s eyes widened, awe evident in his voice.

“You mean, you were–” Mark’s words were cut off as Jackson slapped a hand over his best friend’s mouth. Bambam looked confused again by this action, but Jackson quickly shot him a reassuring smile.

“Yep! I won at the junior Olympics too!” Jackson declared confidently as Mark managed to pry his hand away from his mouth. He shook his head lightly in disapproval, but didn’t try to interrupt again and turned his attention back to the map.

Jackson exhaled in relief. He hadn’t lied, not really. He did win at the junior Olympics in fencing, and he was on the Hong Kong national team. Except, emphasis on the past tense of was, not is. It wasn’t a big deal to say so, but for some reason Jackson really wanted to impress this young high schooler, and the admiration in his eyes was something Jackson couldn’t help but bask in.

“Wow, then you’re like, kind of famous, right?” Bambam asked reverently.

“Heh, kinda.” Jackson finally had the decency to look somewhat sheepish at this question, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Enough about you, Jackson, let’s get you back with your group, Bambam.” Mark couldn’t stand it any longer, sidling up to Bambam to show him the map and effectively ending Jackson’s bragging session. “We’re right here all you have to do is keep going this way…” he trailed his finger lightly along the route, explaining the directions carefully as he pointed.

“Ah, I think I’ve got it!” Bambam smiled gratefully, taking the map back from Mark. “Thank you so much!”

“No problem, kid!” Jackson grinned, automatically reaching over to ruffle his hair affectionately.

“You didn’t even do anything,” Mark grumbled, shaking his head resignedly at the shy wonderment in Bambam’s smile at Jackson.

“I should go find my group now, but thank you! Really, a lot!” Bambam bowed at the two of them, beaming as he slowly backed away.

“Have fun on your tour! This is a great place, especially since I’m here!” Jackson waved. Bambam laughed, waving one last time before turning to jog away.

As soon as he was out of view, Mark jabbed Jackson in the stomach.

“OUCH! What was that for?!” Jackson doubled over, letting out an exaggerated groan of pain.

“You deserved it,” Mark responded. “You’re not on the fencing team anymore.”

Jackson straightened, quickly dropping his pained act as he chuckled, embarrassed.

“Eh, it’s not like I made anything up. I just…omitted the fact that I already left.”

“Sure Jackson sure,” Mark deadpanned, turning to continue walking to class.

“Really! If anything it’s a white lie!” Jackson said defensively, falling into step next to Mark. “Besides, we’re probably never gonna see him again anyways; the kid’s from Thailand, what are the chances he’s actually gonna end up coming here?”

“That’s true…” Mark finally conceded.

It wasn’t usual for Mark to give in to Jackson’s arguments, and such occasions usually deserved cheers of celebration and lots of rubbing-it-in-Mark’s-too-handsome-face. But this time Jackson found himself frowning instead, a strange form of regret twisting in his stomach.

Mark didn’t notice, only swearing colorfully when he checked his watch again.

“Crap, we’re late. We need to book it.”

Mark pulled Jackson into a sprint but Jackson’s thoughts were elsewhere, not at all concerned with facing the wrath of their professor.

For whatever reason, he wished Mark hadn’t agreed with him this time.

~~

Jackson sighed wistfully as he stared at the familiar building in front of him. Class would be starting soon, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to step inside.

It was his own fault, really. He should’ve taken this class freshman year, but he’d decided to push it off to sophomore year, procrastinating since it was one of his least favorite subjects. But that hadn’t been the end of the world. What he really should’ve done, was not skip class so much and not fail the class.

But because he was young and stupid and did both of those things, here he was, taking the same class again his junior year. Better yet, he’d be stuck with bratty freshman who’d probably all think he was stupid.

Great. Just peachy.

Jackson had been so caught up wallowing in self-pity, he nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

“Oh my god you almost gave me a heart attack!” Jackson exclaimed as he spun around. Expecting Mark or one of his other friends, his brow furrowed slightly as came to face an unfamiliar figure. It was a boy slightly taller than him, sporting a sly smile and bright blond hair.

“You’re Jackson, right?”

“Yes…” Jackson affirmed, eyes narrowing as he continued to analyze the boy in front of him. Why did he seem kind of familiar…?

“So, I heard you’re not fencing anymore?” the boy’s smile twisted into a teasing smirk, and that’s when it clicked.

“B-Bambam?!”

The boy’s face split into a familiar grin at being recognized, and Jackson had no more doubt.

“Oh my god it’s really you!” Jackson stepped back with his jaw dropped, appraising the now-college-freshman with disbelieving eyes.

The shy teenage boy had grown quite a bit and was now visibly taller than he was, a fact that Jackson tried to ignore. Besides the obvious change in hair color, Bambam had also lost most of his baby fat, jawline and cheekbones much more prominent than a year ago. However, Jackson could still detect a trace of the extra fluff still clinging to the corners of his mouth, not yet ridding him of his baby-face. But the biggest difference was that his eyes now shone with a teasing confidence, mischievous instead of lost and confused.

No wonder Jackson couldn’t recognize him.

“You remember me!” Bambam exclaimed, pleased. His voice still held that foreign lilt, but the words came out much smoother, more fluent.

“Of course!” Jackson said proudly, pulling the younger into a quick hug when he finally got over his shock. “I’m so glad you decided to come here after all!”

“I almost didn’t,” Bambam hugged Jackson back, but cocked an eyebrow when Jackson finally released him.

“Why?” Jackson asked, perplexed.

Bambam didn’t respond, only smiling knowingly as he waited for Jackson’s mind to catch up with his words from before.

I heard you’re not fencing anymore?

The blood drained from Jackson’s face.

“A-Ah! That!” Jackson’s expression turned stricken as put two and two together. He fumbled to explain. “L-Look, about that…”

To Jackson’s surprise, Bambam only laughed, amused by Jackson’s panicked expression as he waved dismissively.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” he giggled.

“Yah, you scared me,” Jackson let out a sigh of relief as Bambam’s giggles continued. He ran a hand through his hair, face now turning annoyed as he frowned petulantly. He didn’t like this new mischievous Bambam.

“Sorry, I couldn’t resist,” Bambam continued to giggle. To placate Jackson, he added, “But you really did leave quite an impression that day. To be honest,” he paused, hesitating, “you’re a big influence on why I chose this school.” Bambam admitted. His smile turned slightly bashful.

A thought suddenly struck Jackson.

“Wait…if you know I’m not fencing anymore…does that mean you looked me up?”

Now it was Bambam’s turn to become flustered, cheeks tinted with red as he shook his head in denial. But the act was unconvincing, and Jackson thought he could see a hint of that same shyness and admiration from a year ago.

“Come on, let’s get to class,” Jackson decided to be merciful, not pressing the subject any further as he slung an arm around the younger’s shoulder and tugged him forward. He couldn’t help the small satisfied grin though, at the thought of Bambam being curious enough about him to do research.

“Ugh math…” Bambam groaned loudly, quickly latching onto the change in subject gratefully.

Jackson stopped walking.

“Bambam…this is the science building.”

Jackson guffawed as Bambam turned beet red, stammering as he flipped through his books, looking for his schedule and map.

“Lost again, huh?” Jackson ruffled Bambam’s hair fondly while the other cursed loudly in Thai.

Bambam might’ve grown up a bit, but he really hadn’t changed at all.

A/N: Crappy ending is crappy....sorry >.<

/whispers please still do comment though

/shot