It seemed that getting caught wasn’t the only danger that came with staring.

Taekwoon was staring at Hakyeon in their math class, as he had done many times. He was being careful this time - he didn’t let himself space out, so if Hakyeon showed any signs of glancing his way, he was ready to quickly look away. He just stared from the corner of his eye as he pretended to take notes.

Hakyeon looked as alert and diligent as always, his back straight and eyes glued to the teacher or the notebook lying on his desk. His hair was a little tousled, as though he had woken up that morning in a rush and gave up on taming it. The messy appearance of it was adorable. His lips were glossy with lip balm and Taekwoon found that his gaze fell to Hakyeon’s mouth more than once. There wasn’t much students could do with the uniforms they had to wear, but Hakyeon always wore jewelry to change it up a bit. His fingers were covered with black and silver rings that would clink on the wood of the desk every now and then.

The class ended faster than he had expected, and the sound of the bell caused him to tear his gaze away from Hakyeon and gather his books. The last thing he wanted was to be caught staring, especially after the incident in the classroom the week before. It was already embarrassing enough just wondering what Hakyeon must think of him.

Although, the other boy had smiled at him when he spotted him in class the day after the incident. Taekwoon was still too embarrassed to even speak to Hakyeon, but he still appreciated that smile being directed his way.

He took one last glance at Hakyeon as he made his way toward the exit, his attention being drawn to the sound of Hakyeon’s laughter. He didn't let his gaze linger for much long though, and directed his eyes back to the exit he was heading for and-

BAM

He stumbled back in shock, and clutched his nose, which was now throbbing painfully. He realized quickly that he had run into the door, but was too disoriented to take in much else aside from the snickering of his classmates and sound of chairs scraping against the floor. The first thing he registered when the room stopped spinning was the sight of Hakyeon’s concerned expression. The other boy was standing right in front of him, hands reaching out, “Oh my god, are you alright?”

When had Hakyeon even approached him? Had he rushed over that quickly or was Taekwoon just more disoriented than he thought?

“You’re bleeding,” Hakyeon said, taking his wrists and pulling his hands away from his face to inspect his bloody nose. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.”

Taekwoon didn’t think he could embarrass himself any further around Hakyeon - he thought the universe had done it’s worst - but he had apparently been very wrong. Would he ever catch a break or would he eventually have to just hide away in a hole so he wouldn’t risk running into any more doors or getting locked in another classroom?

Before he could say a word, Hakyeon took him by the wrist and lead him out of the classroom. He felt like he was stuck in a shocked daze through the experience. He said nothing as Hakyeon led him to the bathroom and began wiping away the blood on his face with a damp paper towel, fretting over him the entire time. It was hard to pay much attention to anything the other boy was saying when his hands were all over Taekwoon’s face. Hakyeon’s hands were so soft, his fingers gentle as they gripped his chin or rested on his cheeks. It was almost pleasant enough to completely distract Taekwoon from his embarrassment.

“…shouldn’t have the door closed in the first place. It’s meant to be kept open, especially between classes-“

This probably wasn’t the time for Taekwoon’s admiration, but he couldn’t help but think Hakyeon looked absolutely adorable like this. He mumbled to Taekwoon about how students shouldn’t be closing the door behind them, eyebrows drawn together in his concern and frustration, and his mouth even in a bit of a pout.

“Do you need an ice pack? We could go to the nurses office and get one,” Hakyeon threw the bloody paper towel in the trash and turned to the sink to wash his hands.

“Ah- no- I’m alright. It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“Good,” Hakyeon gave a small smile. “We can go to office and explain what happened so we can get a late slip. We have another class together, right? P.E.?”

Taekwoon nodded, and Hakyeon didn’t hesitate to grab him by the wrist again. As he walked a step behind Hakyeon, he stared down at the gentle grip the other boy had on his wrist, blushing furiously. Hakyeon definitely wasn’t shy about physical contact with people he hardly knew, but Taekwoon had figured as much long ago. It was different actually experiencing Hakyeon’s boldness himself, though.

“Oh!” Hakyeon halted and turned around to glance at him. “I guess you’re going to need a new shirt,” he gestured to drops of blood on Taekwoon’s collar. “I have an extra uniform shirt in my locker. We can grab it on the way.”

“Oh- well, thank you…You really don’t have to, though. It’s just a little blood.”

Hakyeon waved it off and turned back around to continue walking. “Nonsense. You can’t go walking around with blood on your shirt.” Hakyeon glanced behind him again, his eyes studying Taekwoon for a moment. “I’m not sure how well my shirt will fit you, though. I think I’m a size smaller.”

Hakyeon was right, of course. The sleeves of the shirt ended up being a little too short, and it was uncomfortably tight around his shoulders. But he spent the rest of the day smelling of Hakyeon’s strawberry shampoo and the fresh scent of his cologne, so he wasn’t about to complain.