The only advantage to a lecture at seven in the morning was that no one showed up, giving Mingyu the option to sit anywhere he wanted. That advantage was nowhere near enough to compensate for the inconvenience of such an ungodly hour. He picked a spot somewhere at the side of the middle corridor, too sleepy to scoot in any further.

Just as the professor entered, somebody poked Mingyu in the shoulder. With a deep voice – probably his morning voice - the new arrival said “Hey, can I sit next to you?”

Barely able to keep his eyes open, Mingyu moved one seat and went back into a vegetative state while the lecture began. Until he realized that the unknown boy had chosen to sit next to him in an almost empty auditorium. He looked over to inspect the stranger closer and immediately regretted not having spent more time fixing his hair that day.

The other boy was gorgeous, even in his obviously tired state. A little shorter than Mingyu – making him fairly tall still – and with a slender figure clothed in a casual style somewhere between emo, nerd, hipster and this-just-happened-to-be-in-my-wardrobe. His black hair was half covered by a beanie – more decorative than functional.

The boy with the beanie noticed the stare and felt the need to explain himself. “I had to sit next to someone because I have to take this class and I can’t fall asleep. It’s a compulsory lecture for me. If I nod off, can you just tap me back to life?”

Mingyu, who had to tear his eyes away from Beanie’s stunning face, mumbled a confirmation and they returned to silence.

This lasted for about ten minutes in which Mingyu failed to retain anything lectured and kept sneaking glances. Because he had to make sure Beanie wasn’t falling asleep, of course. The other boy had even more trouble staying awake then Mingyu, closing his eyes every now and then for a few seconds before jolting up again. And when he wasn’t half asleep he looked completely spaced out like nothing in life could bore him more than being where he was right then.

Another ten minutes in, Beanie started preparing a mixture over his notes. At first Mingyu thought he was pulling a caffeinated drink from his bag, but that was only the beginning.

Beanie poured a deep black substance from a thermos into a plastic cup. The strong scent of coffee soon carried over to Mingyu. This was followed by a Monster Energy and a Red Bull, both of which were added to the brew.

With heavy eyes, Beanie turned to Mingyu. “Please resuscitate me if I die.”

“Erm, this sounds like a terrible idea, don’t you think?”

Beanie sighed deeply. “Caffeine does nothing to me. I have to overdose or I might as well drink water.”

“O…kay?”

There was a terrible fascination in watching Beanie gulp down the caffeine bomb, not unlike watching a train wreck in slow motion. But nothing bad happened for the next minute. And the one after that and the next one, too…

After a while of intently side-eyeing the attractive stranger, Mingyu surmised that there was no significant danger of Beanie falling asleep - or croaking - and gathered the strength to focus on the lesson presented.

Towards the end of the lecture Mingyu felt a slight tap on his shoulder. It was no hand, thought. It was a head. Beanie had – somehow – found his way into dreamland and was now breathing rhythmically and slowly with his head having slid onto Mingyu’s shoulder. He looked positively angelic, his eyelids fluttering lightly, his jaw hanging open, his lip quivering. Perhaps he was about to drool.

Mingyu wouldn’t have minded letting the cute boy’s saliva drop onto his sweater – he knew he had rubbed enough sneeze phlegm into other people’s clothes when they weren’t looking. But he had promised to wake him up if this precise situation occurred.

But… Beanie boy looked to cute.

At least Mingyu could take a pic. Just to show the stranger how he looked sleeping later. Not to be a creep or anything, he lied to himself.

First he had to pull his phone from his pocket which wasn’t easy as he tried his best not to disturb the shoulder-slumberer. Next he made sure the sound was turned off to avoid the shutter noise. And then he raised his arm into position.

He used the back camera, since it was better quality. This however didn’t allow him to see the screen and subsequently he didn’t know where exactly he was aiming at. He brought the camera as close to the stranger’s face as he dared.

Moving his hand over to activate the button on the side caused his shoulder to make the slightest disturbance to Beanie’s sleep.

The boy woke up, his eyes shooting open just as Mingyu pressed the button down. It turned out that the shutter sound was not the only thing Mingyu should have been concerned about.

The flash went off.

And Mingyu’s world ended.

He jolted back into a vague listening position, hoping to high heavens that Beanie wouldn’t be able to figure out what had happened. Refusing to look over to the side, Mingyu sensed the other boy rub the sleep out of his blinded eyes, his pupils certainly having been shocked into submission by the intense close up flash.

“Did you just… take a pic of- ?”

There was no way Mingyu was going to answer any question from the boy with the beanie. He grabbed his stuff and stood up, his notes crumpling in his shaky hands.

“I have to go. Let me out please. Bye. See you.”

Almost throwing the other boy off his seat as he rushed by, Mingyu left with huge steps.

Outside the door to the lecture hall Mingyu dropped his things and shoved them in his bag, doing his best not to let his internal screams out. Seconds later he heard the rustle of a dozen or so students from inside beginning to leave. He had walked out about ten seconds before the end, adding a public embarrassment to his personal one.