sophmore kyungsoo has crush on cute freshman library assistant jongin and decides to ask him out after his annoying cousin bugs the out of him
length: 2k
warning: fluff, lame humor, lamer title and unedited trash

Every Monday and Thursday after philosophy, Kyungsoo quickly packs his things at exactly 10:30 and heads over to the library to study. He walks up to the third floor instead of waiting for the elevator like everyone else (because the elevator is really slow and ty) and he heads to the north wing of the library. He settles down at the table right by the printing room and slumps into the orange and yellow checkered couch chair. He pulls out his laptop and notebook for biology so that he can review what he learned last class. He stretches his arms above his head and cracks his knuckles before getting to work when a tall handsome library assistant walks by him and greets him with a smile.

“Hey Kyungsoo hyung.”

“Hey Jongin.”

Jongin nods at him and then enters the printing room to check on the paper trays in the printers. Kyungsoo’s cheeks turn a light pink and he can’t help but smile to himself. He then studies until the afternoon in a good mood.

“God hyung, why don’t you just ask him out?” Sehun, Kyungsoo’s younger cousin who just so happened to get into the same college of him, asks in exasperation. “It’s so obvious you have the hots for him so why don’t you just ask him out on a date already? I’m sure Jongin would accept in a heart beat.”

“Shut up, Sehun,” Kyungsoo frowns as he looks over the choices of soups the deli has for the day. He grabs one of the little containers from the side and scoops some chicken noodle soup into it. “Besides, I doubt he even knows me.”

Sehun rolls his eyes dramatically as he chooses broccoli cheddar instead. “But I know Jongin and I’m telling you that he would say yes. Come on, stop being so stubborn and ask him out. Haven’t you been crushing on him since like last semester when you were in the same writing class?”

The elder’s face flushes and he angrily snaps the lid on his container of soup. “So what?”

“Plus, you go to the library every Monday and Thursday after your philosophy class just so you can see Jongin work during his shift instead of taking a nap, which we all know you would choose immediately if it weren’t for Jongin because you're so sleep deprived.”

“What if I’m there to actually study? Do you know how tough it is being a chem major who’s on a premed track?”

Sehun sighs as they walk over to the cashier. They place their soup on the counter and the younger pulls out his wallet. “Yes yes, it’s super tough being on the road to become a doctor but that doesn’t mean that you can’t ask him out! This isn’t rocket science, hyung!”

Kyungsoo grabs his soup after the cashier hands back change and free crackers to Sehun. “Thanks, by the way. And I just don’t want to! Look, I haven’t exactly been the luckiest in the dating department unlike you so maybe I’m satisfied with just admiring him from afar. Or from the table by the printing room.”

The brunet shakes his head as they walk out of the deli and head over to the table where their friends were sitting. 

“Wow, that sure took you guys a while,” Baekhyun says, eyebrows raised up.

They settle down in the red side chairs and Minseok smirks, “I bet Sehun was getting on Kyungsoo’s nerves by bringing up Jongin.”

Sehun points a finger gun at the elder and winks. “You know it,” he says in a teasing tone.

“Don’t encourage the ,” Kyungsoo frowns as he opens up his soup and starts to take small spoonfuls of it.

“Hey!”

“But honestly, Soo, you’ve pined after Jongin for like nearly half a year. Don’t you think you should make a move?” Baekhyun asks.

Normally Kyungsoo hates playing with his food or wasting it but he condones it this time when he flicks some soup at Baekhyun. “No and shut up.”

The elder looks at him in shock, some soup droplets rolling down his cheeks and the rest wetting his shirt. Sehun snickers and Minseok leans back against his chair with his arms cross over his chest. “Wow, if Kyungsoo was willing to play with his food to shut you up, he must be pissed.”

“Seriously, what the ? And we’re all just pointing out the truth. You’re just like those prisoners in the cave, man. Only believing what you want and not listening to others,” Baekhyun sniffles as he dabs fruitlessly at his shirt.

“Did you just use Plato’s allegory of the cave on me?” Kyungsoo gives him the stink eye.

“Honestly, that was the only thing I remembered from class and it seemed appropriate to use as a comparison. You really are like the prisoners. I just hope you don’t kill me for trying to bring you into the light.”

“Believe me, I’m trying really hard not to right now."

Sehun looks back and forth between the two, a confused look on his face. “What the hell are you guys talking about? And seriously hyung, I think you should really go for it. I’m being sincere too and you know that rarely happens.”

Minseok chuckles and Kyungsoo manages to crack a weak smile. “Thanks, Sehun. I don’t know, I’m not ready to ask him out. Maybe after a little while?” He generously offers.

“That’s the spirit!” Baekhyun exclaims, throwing his fist up in the air. The people around them all laugh and he lowers his hand with a fake cough.

“Just know that we’re here for you if things don’t go well,” Minseok gently smiles.

“Thanks guys. And Sehun, you’re a .”

“Hey!”

It takes Kyungsoo about a month of convincing from friends and mulling and planning on his own before he works up the balls to ask Jongin out. He’s in the library Thursday morning after his philosophy class, all settled in his usual seat, when he starts to go over his plan.

“Okay, you can do this. Just ask if he has a minute to talk, pull him over to the book shelf, and do the deed. That’s it,” he mutters to himself.

Unbeknownst to the boy, Jongin makes his way to the printing room and greets him with the usual, “Hey Kyungsoo hyung.”

Kyungsoo doesn’t respond and Jongin frowns. He waves a hand in front of the elder’s eyes and luckily he snaps out of his daze.

“O-Oh, hey Jongin. I didn’t see you there.”

The freshman softly chuckles as he stuffs his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “I can tell. You must’ve been thinking about something really hard if you didn’t say hi back. Almost threw my whole shift off.”

The elder freezes for a moment. “Throw your whole shift off?”

Jongin shyly shrugs and he says, “I’ve just gotten so used to saying hi to you when my shift starts that if I don’t hear it, I’ll just feel weird. It was like that one time I didn’t see you a couple weeks back. It totally threw me off my game.”

Kyungsoo couldn’t believe his ears. Jongin, his super hot crush, needs to see him every time his shift starts in order to work properly? What were the odds that that would happen?

“Oh, I had a family emergency that day. It was on Monday two weeks ago right?”

“Yeah! I was expecting to see you sitting here at this table but when I didn’t see you, I couldn’t help but wonder if something happened.”

“O-Oh.”

The two fall into an awkward silence and Jongin breaks it by clearing his throat. “I, uh, better go check to see if the paper trays are empty. I’ll see you around?”

Kyungsoo nods. “Yeah.”

Before Jongin can turn on his heels, Kyungsoo grabs his wrist. The younger looks down at him with a surprised look and Kyungsoo musters up all of his energy to ask him what he has been waiting for.

“Do you have a moment to talk later?”

Jongin blinks and he smiles. “I’m pretty sure I have five minutes to spare once I’m done in the printing room.”

“Cool. I’ll see you then?”

“See you then,” Jongin gently laughs.

Kyungsoo lets go of his wrist and watches as he walks into the printing room. His heart is pounding and he lets out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding in. He pulls out his phone and sends Sehun a quick text.

To Sehun:
if this doesn’t work out, imma u up

From Sehun:
u gOT THIS HYUGN

Jongin doesn’t take long in the printing room, probably around half an hour, when he makes his way out of the room and taps Kyungsoo on the shoulder. He looks at him from behind his glasses and he gulps. He gets up from his seat and the two head to the back of the north wing of the library for more privacy.

“So, what did you want to talk to me about?” Jongin asks as he leans against the bookshelf.

Kyungsoo can feel his heart racing and his mouth growing dry. He pushes his glasses up his nose and he stutters, “U-Um, well—there’s something I want to ask you but I can’t quite phrase it.”

“Don’t worry, take your time. I can probably just tell my supervisor that I was helping someone with the printer. It can be kinda tricky when you use it for the first time,” he grins.

“Y-Yeah, I know. Anyways, I—uh—I wanted to know how your classes are going.”

Kyungsoo dies a little on the inside at his super lame excuse. He’s supposed to ask Jongin out on a date, not ask for an update on his academics.

Jongin gives him a surprised look but answers nonetheless. “They’re pretty good. My chem professor kinda but I have the best stats professor. He lets us make formula sheets for every quiz and test we have so that’s a bonus.”

“That’s awesome,” the elder says weakly, giving him a small fist pump.

“Yeah. Is this what you wanted to talk to me about?”

“Yes—I mean no!” 

Kyungsoo lets out a gasp at the sudden spike in volume and looks around to see if anyone’s around the area. He lets outs a breath and drops his head. “This was easier in my head,” he mutters.

Jongin bends down to look at him and asks, “Are you okay, hyung?”

He looks up and see the younger’s face just centimeters away from his. He looks into his coffee eyes and feels his resolve crumbling. 

“I can’t do this,” he shakes his head as he tries to escape from the little corner he and Jongin were in.

“Hyung!” Jongin grabs his wrist before he can get anywhere and gently tugs him back. He looks at him worriedly and says, “Was it something I said? Did I upset you or something?”

“No, it’s not you, it’s me! Look, I’ve had a crush on you since we sat next to each other in writing last semester and the only reason why I come to the library every Monday and Thursday at 10:30 is because that’s when my philosophy class ends and that’s when your shift starts and I always sit by the printing room because you always head there first and that’s where I can see if you’re coming into the north wing or not. So to put it simply, I really like you and I wanna go out on a date with you but it’s okay if you don’t want to because—“ Kyungsoo rambles at record speed.

“Hyung!” Jongin interrupts. Kyungsoo looks up at him, cheeks red from having spilled the beans when he didn’t mean to.

The younger has a soft smile on his face and he says, “I really like you too.”

Kyungsoo stares at him in disbelief. “Wait, what?”

Jongin does a one sided shrug. “I thought it was kind of obvious that I like you but I guess it wasn’t.”

The elder can’t help but gape like a fish out of water and Jongin’s sudden confession.

“I liked you since last semester as well. When I found out that Sehun was your cousin, I kept on bugging him during dance club to tell me your schedule for this semester so that I could make my work schedule coincide with your breaks. I never really thought that you would show up in the library but you did and I thought it was because of Sehun telling you that I liked you,” Jongin continues, cheeks growing redder with each word.

Kyungsoo can’t believe his ears and he stares at Jongin. The younger shuffles uncomfortably under his piercing gaze and he mumbles a shy “hyung?”. He shakes his head and he looks up at the boy. “Wait, let me get this straight. You liked me since last semester as well? And you only start at 10:30 on Mondays and Thursday because you knew that was when my philosophy class ended and that I would probably be in the library?”

Jongin meekly nods and lets out a squeak when Kyungsoo yanks him down by his lanyard and connects their lips together.

Fireworks go off in Kyungsoo’s mind because god his lips feel so soft it’s just like I imagined.

They pull apart and Jongin rests his forehead against Kyungsoo’s. “Wow. That was just—wow,” he breaths.

Kyungsoo lets out a breath as pushes his glasses back up his nose. “I know.”

Jongin breaks out into a smile. “Yes.”

The elder stares at him in confusion. “Yes to what?”

“Yes to that date. Maybe as boyfriends though.”

Kyungsoo breathily chuckles as he tugs at Jongin’s lanyard once again. “I’d really like that.”

Jongin’s lips ghost over his but instead of kissing him, he whispers, “Let’s save this for another time. I’m still working right now.”

The shorter boy reluctantly lets him go. “Right, I forgot you were working. Guess I’ll see you around?”

“Yeah, see you around. I might have to go to the info desk on the fourth floor but I’ll see you during my break and after my shift ends.”

“That would be nice.”

Jongin grins as he presses a quick peck against his cheek before jogging back to circulation. Kyungsoo smiles to himself and when remembers what Jongin told him earlier, he takes out his phone to send Sehun another text.

To Sehun:
ur a piece of

From Sehun:
jongin told you???

To Sehun:
yea he did

From Sehun:
don’t kill me?

To Sehun:
for now

From Sehun:
i luv u