It was ten minutes into tutoring and Jonghyun was already fast asleep, head on desk, and snoring.

“So then you take the present ‘nous’ form and add the imparfait ending – oh, are you kidding me!” Onew slammed the notebook onto the table, waking Jonghyun up in a confused jolt.

“Huh, what - what were you saying?” Jonghyun wiped some drool from the side of his mouth. 

Onew stared at this boulder-of-a-man looking like a lost child, sparkles in his still-dreaming eyes and copper-coloured hair curled like that of bow-and-arrow-wielding cherubs. No doubt Jonghyun was the sweetest creature Onew knew, but the child-man couldn’t study to save his life, and there Onew thought he’d help him, and here Jonghyun was letting him down. Again.

“Forget it.” said Onyu, packing away his things into his pencil case. “I’m done.”

“No, no, no, no –“ Jonghyun grabbed Onyu's arm to stop him from picking up his mini toast-shaped eraser. “Please! I need this…”

Onew’s stern mouth creased impatiently. He had very little mercy in his appearance, looking like the devil himself this fine afternoon, as he wore all black, his floppy dark fringes grazing his thick dark eyebrows and his glasses flashing as he pushed the circle rims up the bridge of his pointy nose. “Do you really? You’ve slept through every session. Why are you taking French anyway? You clearly aren’t interested and it’s an elective.”

Jonghyun’s eyes formed what Onew recognized as the feel-sorry-for-me look Jonghyun was so good at forming with his big round eyes.

“Chaerin loves French… and I… love her.” 

“Well, that just about does it.” After having snatched his arm away to pack up his eraser, Onew grabbed his bag and pencil case and got to his feet. He was just leaving when he was stopped abruptly by a heavy weight tugging on his right leg: Jimbo was clinging to his foot.

“How can you be so cruel?!” Jonghyun cried. “Won’t you let us lovers communicate in the language of romance?!” He attempted a grossly-emphatic French accent on the final word which made Onew grimace in second-hand embarrassment.

“First of all, you aren’t lovers: she doesn’t even know you exist –“

“Don’t say that!”

“It’s the truth. And if you’re just doing this to impress her you might as well start juggling fruit and join a circus; I’m not wasting my precious time on your pathetic pursuit – let go of my leg!”

“No, you cruel and horrible person! You don’t deserve to walk with ease – you’ve ruined my one chance at love!”

“Yeah, alright, join a theatre club. Jonghyun, I swear to god, if you don’t let go of my leg I will tell Chaerin that you’ve been stalking her these past two years.”

Jonghyun gasped, releasing Onew’s leg in surprise.

“And I thought we were friends!” he whispered fiercely as one betrayed.

“Oh, don’t go there…“ Onew’s eyes narrowed mercilessly at the puppy-eyed Jonghyun. 

“I have an essay to work on,” Onew declared and bounded from the room with Jonghyun calling his name and crying, “Don’t leave me!”

"I’m in the next room!” Onew screamed back. “...And I’m changing so don’t come in.”

Jonghyun frowned. His housemate sure was a jerk.

“Are you sure we can’t start over?” Jonghyun asked five minutes later.

“You lost your chance,” replied Onew through the paper-thin walls they often complained about, but which now seemed to come in handy for closed-door communication.

“I’ll buy you food…” mumbled Jonghyun.

“Forget it.”

“Chicken?” 

“No.”

“Pizza?”

“Quit it!”

“You never loved me!” cried Jonghyun like the dramatic he was.

“Oh my - god!” Onew visibly tried to compose himself, eyes closing in vex as his fingers and thumb massaged temples. He exhaled sharply. “Fine – dammit – fine! ” He burst back into Jonghyun’s room. “Ten more minutes. And if you fall asleep one more time you are paying this month’s rent by yourself.”

Jonghyun’s jaw dropped.

“What, is ten minutes too long a time to spend awake in my presence?” said Onew through gritted teeth.

“No…” Jonghyun twirled his fingers around each other.

Onew narrowed his piercing-dark eyes. “Get out your textbook and turn to chapter 6.”

“Okay!” Jonghyun clapped his hands.

And there they were again, their fifth attempt after four failed sessions. Jonghyun was the kind of guy who needed all the chances he could get and Onew was his perfect, although blunt, best friend.

--

Just some Jongyu silliness. I do miss them. And dramatic Jonghyun is the best Jonghyun.