Title: Of Friends and Libraries (and Everything in Between)

Author: [Anonymous]

Prompt #: 27

Hyukjae is the famous jock, football player in the college whereas Donghae is the college beauty with lot of admirers but never dates because of his promise

Not to include in the final work: No violence, , or drinking and smoking

Prompt given by: [Anonymous]

Word Count: 6408

Rating: PG-13, some swearing

Author's Notes: The prompt was really fun to work on, and I really appreciated this event, because I've never been this determined to finish such a long fic! I apologise that this is 6k of just anticlimactic regurgitation of words...

Summary: "The college beauty, they say. Good luck if you're aiming to get into his pants."

"Jesus, thanks for ruining my self-esteem, you ,"

- Hyukjae -

It was a bright Autumn day when Hyukjae pushed the glass doors to the university library. The sky was clear and void of clouds, and Hyukjae had an inkling that something good was about to happen.

The cool breeze from the air conditioner hit his nape as he made his way through the library. When he brushed past a group of giggling students, a certain freshman came into his view, and Hyukjae waved at him, who stood behind the wooden library counter.

“Hey Hyukjae hyung. What brings you here today?” Was the greeting Hyukjae received from Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun was the part-time library assistant and friend of Hyukjae, who worked afternoon hours in the university library from Wednesday to Friday.

The hours where Kyuhyun had his shift were always decently crowded, frantic test reviewers running their pens through papers.

To say that the library was ‘vast’ was the understatement of time itself. Books after books after - what else, books - were lined up and neatly organised alphabetically, each in shelves that towered like skyscrapers in metropolitan cities. The carpeted floor and the curtains by the windows were of a rich navy colour, reflecting the school emblem. There were tables and benches alongside the luminous windows and at every empty space possible, a comfortable couch. Students occupied the couches, trying their best to fit as many of them on the fluffy furniture.

“Uh so -” Hyukjae started, glancing around nervously. He was here just to ask a question. How hard can it be? “H-How's the weather today?” He asked, fingers drumming atop of the library counter in an impatient rhythm.

Kyuhyun raised his eyebrow and slightly leaned back, as he raised a hand to run his fingers through his bangs. “Hyung,” Kyuhyun gave a skeptical look.

“You're the one who came from the outside, shouldn’t I be asking about the weather today?”

“I- It was a conversation starter, okay? Besides, you know that I'm never concerned with weather - you wouldn't be surprised if I came from the outside and was completely oblivious to it.”

“Isn't that the point? You're never concerned with the weather. Why would you ask? Obviously, you have something on your mind. Spit it out.” The younger stated sardonically.

“Fine, fine.” The older complied, his voice reaching a higher tone than usual. Hyukjae warily glanced around his surroundings - as if looking out for someone who could be listening in to their conversation - before he lowered his voice to a bare minimum, and murmured some words to the brunette standing behind the counter.

“I honestly cannot hear a word you're saying.” Came the short, blunt answer from the younger, whose fingers were grazing over the countertop and face soaked with amusement.

To top it all off, a smirk comfortably rested on Kyuhyun’s lips, one that Hyukjae would without a doubt describe as vexatious.

The nerve of this guy! Why am I still friends with this little…

“I said!” Hyukjae exclaimed, his face flushed with embarrassment. Words followed, but were again incomprehensible.

If possible, Kyuhyun’s smirk stretched even further, resembling the description of the Cheshire Cat that Hyukjae once read in his copy of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Kyuhyun let out a haughty chuckle and raised his eyebrows.

“Still can't hear you,” Kyuhyun adjusted his square-framed glasses on his nose as he mocked the older, voice in a sing-song tune.

Hyukjae, face showing that he was visibly irked, cleared his throat and started again, this time in a slightly louder voice.

“Well, there’s this boy who always comes here on Thursday afternoons wearing glasses and the same blue cardigan. He always sits by the third window from the door but I was wondering,” he took in a sharp breath, “if you happened to know his name.”

“Doing some stalking now, are we?” Kyuhyun replied to his senior. When the older flushed once again at Kyuhyun’s remark, the younger smirked and added, “I do know him though. Lee Donghae’s the name. And if this makes you feel any better, he has hoards of girls and boys targeting him ‘cause he won the Most Handsome Face of Minsoo University last year. The college beauty, they say. Good luck if you’re aiming to get into his pants.”

“Oh my god, shut up, will you?” Hyukjae scoffed. “I was just thinking that he looks like a good guy, you know, to talk to.”

Kyuhyun smugly responded, “At least if I ever have a crush, I might have a chance with them. He’s not the rumoured school beauty who doesn’t wish to date, like, at all.”

To that, Hyukjae’s expression faltered a little. However, that didn’t stop him from making a reply. “Jesus, thanks for ruining my self-esteem, you ,”

“Love you too, hyung,” the younger replied. As Hyukjae walked towards the library exit after a wave of hands, Kyuhyun suddenly added, “and! I'm looking forward to your next home game! Get me tickets, will you?”

Kyuhyun was answered with a brisk nod.

A single light flickered eerily in the dimly-lit gym locker room.

Hyukjae inched closer to the hooded figure as he reached for his pockets and carefully drew out two pieces of rectangular paper.

The hooded figure mirrored his actions, taking out two papers from their hood pocket.

“Here, front row tickets,” the hooded figure murmured, shoving the pieces of paper to Hyukjae.

Hyukjae grunted in response, and handed his papers as well. “Good seats,” he mumbled.

Both parties observed their papers as if checking for something, before carefully storing them in their respective pockets. Silence enveloped the two for some time, before being interrupted by a light cough.

“Tell me, why are we doing this again?” Hyukjae asked mockingly, staring right into the wavering eyes of the other.

“It's because we both want to see each other's games, and we had a mutual agreement,” the figure stammered, fingers suddenly fidgeting uncomfortably.

“Is that so?” Hyukjae raised an eyebrow, and continued. “Because I call that complete bull. If I remember, you just want an excuse for me to bring Kyuhyun, otherwise known as ‘Cho-that-I’ve-been-crushing-on-a-bit-too-much-that-I-may-have-broken-his-bones’ for you, to your games.”

The hooded figure visibly reddened, and averted his gaze from Hyukjae.

“Hey,” Hyukjae said. “Don't get me wrong - it's really fine, honestly. It's just kind of conflicting? Or confusing, I should say, to hear that you, out of all people, are interested in him! Besides, it's fun teasing you.”

The other fell silent again, as Hyukjae stared blankly at the wall behind them, remembering the first time the other told him about their infatuation with Kyuhyun.

“So,” the other started. “I need help,”

“Go on.”

“Can you, uh… Set me up with your library friend? If he’s not taken, that is.”

“Who…?” Hyukjae replied, confusion weaved into his voice.

“You know, the y library assistant with the glasses and everything. Tall. Korean.”

“Oh, Kyuhyun.” Hyukjae murmured absentmindedly. There was a short pause before a shout resonated throughout the locker room.

“KYUHYUN?” Hyukjae’s eyes were wide in disbelief, his mouth dropped open.

“Shh - someone’s gonna hear!” The hooded figure glared at the other, eyes sharp resembling ones of a fox.

“Sorry. But Kyuhyun? I mean, he’s a good friend, but he’s usually a snarky ,” Hyukjae slowly said as he inspected the other’s face. “And I wouldn’t call him… y.”

The hooded figure crossed their arms and huffed, “Don’t care, he’s my type.”

“Well, if you say so.” Hyukjae nodded as he spoke.

Chuckling, Hyukjae glanced over at the hooded friend, and smiled, a wonderful plan already forming in his head.

“So, how did your match go?” the soothing voice of Hyukjae’s mother filled his ears through the speaker on his phone.

“Oh, haven’t I told you it moved to next Saturday? We're going against the Oxens, but because we won league championships last season, captain says we should be good to go,” Hyukjae replied to his mother.

“Oh, the team captain! He's the very handsome one, isn't he? What was his name again?”

“You mean Park Jungsoo? He is good-looking. Has a fanclub and all.”

“Really? I’m not surprised.” Hyukjae let out a small smile as he heard the amusement in his mother’s voice.

His mother never failed to make Hyukjae feel less lonely in his apartment of his, away from home and away from the town he grew up in. He used to have a tricky relationship with his parents in previous years of his life, but after entering college, the irritation that he felt towards them gradually changed to admiration.

The conversation flew from his football match - from who had fanclubs and who didn’t (“no mum, I don’t have a fanclub for the nth time!”), to the university cafeteria, and somehow to the upcoming winter holidays.

“Oh Hyukjae, you will have such a wonderful time with Donghae!”

It came so suddenly that Hyukjae almost dropped his phone.

“Donghae…?” Hyukjae pondered aloud, forgetting for a moment that he was on the phone. Images of Lee Donghae at the university library flashed across his mind before he shook his head. His mother didn’t know about Lee Donghae, right? Perhaps it was another Donghae, his mind insisted, though he knew very well “East Sea” wasn’t a common name.

“Don’t you remember Lee Donghae? He used to live next doors when we were in Japan, remember?”

Hyukjae shook his head slowly before realising that his mother couldn't quite see him. “No…?” he carefully questioned.

“Oh, don’t you remember? The Donghae that you were best friends with when we were in Japan. You know, all the crying you did when we had to move back to Korea.”

Hyukjae furrowed his eyebrows. “Mum, I was five. Do you expect me to remember such trivial things?”

“Come on, don’t you remember the airport? All that sobbing? And, according to you mister, you guys promised that you would be best friends. Forever.” His mum asked, a mild mirth in her voice as she spoke.

“Best… Friends… Forever…” Hyukjae’s mind blanked at the thought. No wonder Lee Donghae seemed so familiar, he was my freaking friend 15 years ago!

Hyukjae, still holding his phone, squinted at the distance, as if trying to remember a segment of his childhood from the spiral of memories.

Two children stood at the crowded airport. People moved and shoved past each other, each respectively trying to get to their destinations. However, to the two, there were the only two in the vast airport terminal.

Hyukjae sniffed. “Donghae,” he called to the other.

Donghae looked up with equally teary eyes. “I don’t want you to go back to Korea.”

“Me neither,” he replied. “Hey… Promise me we’ll be friends when we meet again?”

A warm pair of arms wrapped around Hyukjae’s skinny shoulders in a tight embrace.

“I promise.”

“Hello? Hyukjae? Earth to my Hyuk!”

Hyukjae blinked rapidly to shake off his hazy memory from long ago.

“Y-Yeah, I’m listening,” he replied implausibly.

“Anyways, I heard from his mum that you and him go to the same college? Can you, perhaps, tell Donghae the details about this winter? If you know him, that is.”

He replied with a short, “sure” and commenced on writing down the details of the “Lees’ Holiday Plan” - as his mother called it.

When the call ended - Crap, was that really 30 minutes of phoning my mum? - Hyukjae sent a short text to Kyuhyun if he happened to know Donghae’s room number.

Kyuhyun’s reply came after an excruciatingly long 20 minutes: “Look, you creep. I’m not helping you get into his room at night just because you may or may not want to be something more than a random nobody, okay? … Although I will help your miserable self if it doesn't include creepy stalking.”

Hyukjae rolled his eyes and leaned back on his bedpost. “That .”

The audience roared with excitement, giving the team members encouragement and uplift to their morale. The stadium lights illuminated the field in the dark of the night and with the loud squeak of the referee's whistle, the two teams aggressively, yet gracefully, started their match.

A good thirty minutes into the match, Hyukjae saw the perfect opportunity. He moved left to right, swiftly moving up to the ball while avoiding the Oxens’ team members.

He passed the ball to another teammate - Kangin - and seeing that the ball safely landed between the goal posts, he pumped his fist up in the air, shouting a little “Yeah!” out of triumph.

As the sharp whistle of the referee acknowledged the end of the game, he rushed over to the centre of the field where all the others were huddled up in a victory circle. He was instantly caught in a headlock by several of his teammates, and laughing, he looked up to glance over at the audience, flashing his signature grin.

Hyukjae remembered that he saw a mop of familiar brown hair whilst during the game, but when he looked around, he was only greeted with a range of colours throughout the bleachers, unable to find the person he was looking for.

Who the hell was he kidding? Of course Lee Donghae isn't there, you . Stop being delusional - just because your friend has gone crazy head over heels in love with your ‘library friend’ as they called him, doesn't mean you have to do so too!

However, the rapid beating in his general heart area and the thumping in his ears kept present until later on in the day, and Hyukjae couldn’t quite make himself believe that it was because of the match.

The next time Hyukjae saw Lee Donghae was the Thursday after his first match. Donghae was in his usual seat beside the windows in the library.

However unlike usual, Hyukjae saw that Donghae had his chin rested comfortably on his arms, earphones nesting in his ears, and eyelids closed.

Hyukjae smiled a little to himself, and took out his writing utensils to start his letter to Donghae. He would just give the letter here. How hard can it be?

He gripped his pen once more, twirling it around his fingers nimbly as he pondered. Hyukjae bit his tongue as he lowered his pen, ink crafting smooth letters following the lines of the letter paper.

“Dear Lee Donghae…

Hey, I'm Hyuk! Do you remember me?”

After a tiresome hour or so, Hyukjae finally finished his letter. He carefully slipped the letter inside the envelope, and sealed it shut with tape. He got out a box of cookie from his backpack, and put both the letter and the cookies in a brown paper bag.

He looked over to see the seat that Donghae was sitting, only to find it empty. Donghae had left while he was busy writing the letter.

Hyukjae face palmed himself, and packed his stuff, knowing that he had to move to his next plan. Halfw