Yunho was the kind of person who thrived in the norm. Even doing something he hated as much as teaching became more bearable with time when everything fell into place for him – a settled routine, an exercise in repetition.

            After his outrageous dreams of fame and fortune had been squashed by the unfortunately very real trivialities of adult life, he had decided to settle for the exact opposite of what he spent his entire childhood yearning for.

            He would settle for the normal.

            Perhaps ‘settle’ wasn’t the correct word. Yunho wanted normalcy. He reveled in it. To perform the same exact duties every single day without fail was a luxury that many could afford, a luxury he had been fortunate enough to be included in.  

            He hated the unexpected. He hated anything he couldn’t predict.

            And he hated, more than anything, that the young boy at the back of the class was all it took to destroy his sense of ‘normal’.  

            “There’s been a change in the grading system on the website. We’ll be going over that now.”

            Yunho sat still as the school’s principal spoke at the head of the room, twiddling his thumbs to pass the time through the torturous meetings that the school had every week or so. Each one went on much too long for Yunho’s liking, each minute dragging for what felt like hours as Yunho tried to block out the monotonous drone of the principal going over things he had no interest in.

            “Hey.” His back shot up straight as he heard a voice whisper at his side, expecting a lecture for his quite obvious inattentiveness. But as he turned, he wasn’t met with an angry stare at all, or anything even resembling it. “Are you a new teacher here?”

            He watched her for a few moments in shocked silence, suddenly remembering how to speak after seconds of staring. “Y-yeah.” He managed to stammer out. He took a deep breath in hopes of composing his thoughts that seemed to have scattered in every corner of his brain.

            Her eyes were some of the brightest he had ever seen, shining strongly through her long, dark eyelashes that were meticulously coated with what looked like mascara, though Yunho was never too clear on the specifics of makeup. Her perfect teeth seemed to sparkle as she smiled sweetly at him, long light brown hair fluttering across her face as she leaned over to stare upwards into his eyes.

            She was absolutely beautiful.

            “Ah, I knew it. You didn’t look familiar.” She said, her smile making him shiver in his seat. She extended a hand, her skin smooth and flawless and her nails even more so. “I’m Jessica. I’m from the math department.”

            He settled his fingers into hers in a firm handshake, not missing for a moment how soft her skin felt against his own. “Yunho. I’m the new English teacher.”

            Her face somehow lit up even more than it had been before. “I’ve heard about you!” She said, voice clearly cheery despite the harsh whisper she could only speak in due to their inconvenient location. “It’s nice to have a teacher my age around here. Everyone else is so old, don’t you think?”

            Yunho laughed lightly. He couldn’t have agreed more. “So, any tips for the new guy?” He said, flashing his best smile in her direction.

            She placed a finger to her chin, letting a light hum vibrate in . “Stay away from the science department.” She advised after a momentary pause for thought. “They seem nice, but once you befriend them, they never leave you alone.”

            Yunho smiled once again. “Maybe they’re not used to having such a gorgeous woman working with them.”

            Jessica giggled, her laugh light and airy and utterly beautiful, a shocking contrast the dull drone of the principal at the front. She slapped his arm playfully, the soft touch making him shiver. “We’ve just met, and you’re already flirting?”  

            “Sorry.” He said, donning a wide grin. “I can’t help it. I guess I’m not used to it, either.”

            As they spoke in whispers throughout the duration of the meeting, Yunho couldn’t help but be reminded of his childhood, like two students whispering mindlessly at the back of the class while they avoided the penetrating stares of their teacher.

            Speaking with her like this, every word laced with an air of casual flirtation – it was normal.

            It was exactly what he needed.

            With Jessica’s help the meeting finished seemingly much faster than usual. It certainly was a relief having someone to talk to – at least, someone who wasn’t too busy up to their superiors to see what was going on around them.

            She was sensible. Far more sensible than any of his coworkers.

            She was normal.

            “So, new guy.” She said, pulling a piece of paper and a pencil from her bag. “If you need any help with anything…” She said, placing the paper on his arm and scribbling something down. “Here’s my number.” 

            She held the paper out to him between two slender fingers. He couldn’t help but smile as he stared into her eyes. They were the kind of eyes you could get lost in – dark and infinite in their depth. “Thank you.” He said, taking it from her hands and holding it up with pride. “I’ll be sure to take you up on that offer.”

            “You’d better.” She said. She her heels, waving over her shoulder as Yunho watched her leave, fingers roaming over the slip of paper he had been so lucky to receive.

            He nearly jumped out of his skin as he turned around, finding himself face to face with those eyes, those harsh eyes that had branded themselves into his brain from the moment he had seen them.

            Jaejoong stood, arms folded and face settled into a look of sheer anger.

            No matter where Yunho went, he seemed to just be minutes behind.

            Wherever he went, Jaejoong was just there.

            “She’s pretty.” He scoffed, his harsh tone making the kind words seem nothing like a compliment. Yunho inspected his eyes, trying to figure out just what the kid was getting at.

            “She is.” He responded. The two stared at each other for several moments, nothing but a dead silence in the empty hallways. He looked behind him, begging for someone to come along and break the charged air between them.

            Jaejoong gestured toward the paper in his hand. “Is that her phone number?”

            Yunho crammed it into his pocket, immediately becoming infuriated with himself for doing so. He had absolutely nothing to hide. “Why the hell do you care?” He hissed.

            He cringed as Jaejoong’s eyes studied every inch of his face. Something felt strange. Something felt different.

            The tension was stifling.

            “Give me your number, too.”

            Yunho nearly choked on his own tongue as he heard the words Jaejoong had so casually demanded. “Are you on drugs?” He scoffed, doing his best to keep his composure. “Absolutely not.”

            “Why not?” Jaejoong said, tilting his head to one side. “You’re going to call her, aren’t you?”

            “Yes.” Yunho stated plainly. He wanted to say he had no clue why he had said it so honestly, but that wasn’t true at all. He wanted to see how Jaejoong would react. He wanted to see that beautiful look of hurt spread itself across his face for him to see.

            He had been watching Jaejoong long enough to learn exactly how to make him angry. He wasn’t sure why, but it wasn’t ‘why’ that he needed to know.

            He just needed to know how.

            “Whatever.” Jaejoong scoffed. “I need a ride home.”

            “Why do you always need a ride?” Yunho growled. “I’m not here to give you rides all the goddamn time. I’m not your dad.”

            And there it was.

            Yunho had spent so long watching Jaejoong carefully, tracking every shift in facial expression to learn just what made him angry, what infuriated him enough to bring out that look of hatred that Yunho loved so much.

            He had become so attuned to every minute change of his features that he had learned to pick up on them with ease, to categorize what subtle movement corresponded with what emotion. It had become easy by this point, almost second nature.

            But this time as he spoke, Yunho saw a look flash onto his face that he had never seen before.

            He tried to remember just what he had said that had put that look on Jaejoong’s face so he could perhaps bring it up again in the future, but Jaejoong interrupted his train of thought.

            “I need a ride.” He demanded again.

            Yunho sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fine, fine. Just shut up already.” He said. It wasn’t that far out of his way. And he’d rather just do it and get the boy to stop talking.

            He patted his pockets, suddenly remembering he had left his car keys back on the desk of his room. “…” He muttered. He wasn’t in the mood to be slowed down anymore than he already had. He shoved his jacket and bag into Jaejoong’s arms. “Hold these. I’ll be right back.”

            He scurried off to his classroom, trying to speed up the already painfully slow process of getting out of the school. He could feel his heart pulsing in his chest, that look Jaejoong had worn becoming stronger and stronger in his mind.

            Jaejoong was, despite everything, still a complete mystery to Yunho. He didn’t know why he did the things that he did, he didn’t know why he was so defiant at every turn.

            But he had thought he had figured him out at least this much.

            He grabbed his keys, clearing his mind of every single thought relating to him. It didn’t matter. None of it did.

            He stepped out of the door to find Jaejoong crouched against the wall, bag clutched in his lap as he leaned his face against it.

            Yunho noted the much too large jacket that dangled off his shoulders and covered his hands with its sleeves. “Why are you wearing my jacket?”

            Jaejoong shrugged, fixing the jacket as it slipped off his thin shoulders. “I was cold.” He admitted unapologetically. “And it looked comfortable.” Jaejoong tilted his head to the side and looked up at him with wide eyes. “Is that a problem?”

            Yunho scoffed, biting his lip and turning away from the boy whose face was drenched in innocence, yet whose words were laced with something else entirely. “Do what you want. I don’t care.”

            He his heels and walked briskly down the hall and out the door, knowing full well that Jaejoong was following behind him with his bag in hand.

            “Get in.” He demanded.

            He started the car and started driving, admittedly a bit too fast, in the direction of Jaejoong’s house.

            He was sick of this kid. Sick of his face, sick of his eyes, sick of his whimsical voice that was saturated with the most uncharacteristic of gentleness, that seemed to float among the air with every word that slipped from his full lips.

            He could feel the boy’s stare from his position in the passenger’s seat. Usually he’d ignore it – he’d almost become used to it by now, after all. But today, he just didn’t have the patience.

            “Jaejoong, why are you staring at me?” He hissed, trying not to meet the boy’s gaze out of the corner of his eyes.

            “No reason…” The boy muttered shyly. Now that was interesting. Shyness was something Yunho rarely saw from him. Anger and stubbornness was certainly more common.

            He knew he wasn’t supposed to look at him at all, but he couldn’t help but see the boy’s crooked smile creeping across his face as he pulled his knees to his chest.

            “You called me by my name…” He whispered.

            Yunho felt his heart seize up. He hadn’t even realized it. It had simply slipped from his mouth without a single thought.

            This was not defiance.

            This was acceptance.

            His walls were slipping.

            And he couldn’t let that happen.

            “Does it matter?” He grumbled, tapping his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel as he willed time to somehow pass faster.

            “It does.” Jaejoong muttered. He continued to watch him just as he had before, the stare making Yunho’s heart pound in his chest. He hated the way his eyes felt against him. “Did you just meet that woman today?” Jaejoong asked quietly after a few minutes of silence.

            “Why do you care so much?” Yunho snapped. Jaejoong seemed fixated on her for reasons he couldn’t quite understand. Even talking about her his voice seemed to change, the light tone turning pained with every word he spat out into the silence.

            “I’m just curious.” Jaejoong said. It was a lie, a quite obvious lie, but Yunho still couldn’t tell what the boy was covering up. “Hey, Yunho?” Jaejoong whispered.

            “What.”

            He heard Jaejoong sigh, a long, dragging exhalation that fluttered from his lips. “What do you think of me?”

            Yunho couldn’t help it this time. He averted his eyes from the road just to stare at Jaejoong in disbelief, to try and get some clue as to what he was even going on about.

            What did he think of him?

            Just what kind of question was that?

            “Why the hell are you asking me something like that?”

            “I’m just curious.” Jaejoong repeated quietly. His voice was so soft. Painfully so. “Do you hate me?”

            “I already said I didn’t. Let’s just leave it at that.” He growled. He felt his grip slacken on the steering wheel because his hands were actually sweating, his fingers sliding across the leather as his heart picked up pace in his chest, his brain spinning as he tried to figure out why his body was freaking out like this.

            There was something wrong about the whole situation.

            He stopped outside Jaejoong’s building, urging him to leave as he always did. “Wait.” Yunho said as Jaejoong attempted to slip out the door. “My jacket.”

            Jaejoong looked down, suddenly remembering what he had been wearing the entire time. It looked absurd on him – the sleeves covering his hands completely and the whole thing falling off at his shoulders. “But I’m cold.” He whispered.

            Yunho suddenly felt his cheeks surge with an emotion he couldn’t quite place, a voice in the back of his head screaming to just get out of the boy’s sight.

            “Fine. I don’t care.” He grumbled. “Just bring it back to school tomorrow, okay?” 

            Jaejoong nodded, smiling before burying his face in the collar of his coat. “Thank you.” He whispered, voice muffled by the fabric. “Bye, Yunho.”

            He shut the door, and this time Yunho wasted no time in speeding away. His brain felt like it was a mess, his mind churning and whipping around with a thousand thoughts he couldn’t even make sense of.

            And for once, it was not the boy’s piercing eyes that stuck in his head. It was his smile. His innocent, painfully naïve smile that he just couldn’t make go away.

            He entered his own building with heavy steps, waiting impatiently for the elevator to reach his floor as he rubbed his tired eyes.

            When he entered his apartment, he was greeted with the familiar sight of Yoochun asleep on the couch. He sighed, approaching the fridge and whipping up something for the two of them to eat. Food was the easiest thing to do to rouse Yoochun from his slumber without a swift punch to the face.

            Within minutes of completion, sure enough, Yoochun slowly got up from the couch and walked over to the table that had already been set for the two of them.

            “What’s for dinner?” He grumbled.

            “Does it matter to you? You’ll eat anything.” Yunho responded.

            “…Oh yeah.” Yoochun replied, sitting back and dishing himself a large portion. Yunho took a seat and did the same.

            “So is that all you did today? Nap?” Yunho asked. Knowing Yoochun, it probably was.

            “Actually no, you little smartass.” Yoochun scoffed. “I got a job, thank you very much.”

            Yunho’s eyes widened. “Is that so?” He asked in surprise.

            “Mmhmm.” Yoochun responded through a mouthful of food.

            Yunho didn’t bother to ask what job Yoochun had gotten. You didn’t have to live with him for very long to learn that Yoochun was weird. Anyone who willingly employed him must have been even weirder. Yunho was probably better off not knowing. “So I won’t have to pay your rent anymore is what you’re saying?”

            “Yes, .” Yoochun spat. Yunho smiled. Though their relationship was bizarre, it was always relaxing to poke fun at him.

            “I got a movie for us to watch.” Yoochun said, eyes curving in his strange smile.

            “Which one?”

            “Well, it’s a documentary.” He admitted. “The one about Mount Everest.”

            Yunho sighed. “What is with you and that movie?” He mumbled, stabbing at his food with his fork. Although he had started cooking the moment he had gotten home, he really didn’t have much of an appetite.

            “No, Yunho, you don’t understand.” Yoochun insisted. “This thing will change your life.”

            “Were you high when you watched it?” Yunho asked. Yoochun scoffed like it was the most ridiculous question he had ever heard. “Well were you?”

            Yoochun chewed slowly, quite obviously avoiding Yunho’s eyes. “Well, yeah, but that has nothing to do with it.”

            Yunho sighed. No matter what he said, there really was no arguing with Yoochun. He picked up their plates when they had finished eating, knowing full well by now that the job wouldn’t get done unless Yunho was the one doing it.

            They made their way to the couch after cleaning up, or after Yunho had cleaned up, rather, while Yoochun made comments from his seat at the table.

            Yoochun wasn’t quiet once the entire duration of the movie. He kept elbowing Yunho to make sure he was watching, yelling his own sound effects over the narration, and cracking up at parts that weren’t even remotely funny. Yunho couldn’t for the life of him figure out how he could find something to laugh about in a documentary, but Yoochun was just the kind of person who would.

            “I met a girl today.” Yunho chimed in, decided to just ignore the movie altogether. He wasn’t catching a single word of it, anyway.

            Yoochun sat up and crossed his legs on the couch, bouncing up and down in place in excitement. “Oh, really?” He said, a shy smirk spreading across his face. “Who is she?”

            “One of the math teachers. The only teacher my age, actually.” Yunho said.

            Yoochun giggled, a ridiculous sound that was made even weirder by the fact that he was, or was at least supposed to be, a completely grown man. Though recently Yunho had been having his doubts about that. “She hot?” He snorted.

            Yunho scoffed. “Yep.” He said, recalling her gorgeous eyes that seemed to sparkle every time she looked at him. “I got her number.”

            “No way.” Yoochun said. “I never thought you had it in you.”

            “Oh shut up.” Yunho said. Yoochun only laughed again, leaning back and forth as he always did on the couch. It seemed that Yoochun acted drunk even if he wasn’t.

            “So…?”

            “So what.”

            Yoochun exhaled sharply. “So are you gonna call her?”

            Yunho shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

            Yoochun sighed loudly and flopped backward on the couch, extending his arms over his head and shoving his feet into Yunho’s face, much to Yunho’s annoyance. “Ah, so lucky!” He yelled, squirming around on his back. “Introduce me to a cute high school girl, will you?”

            “Yoochun, stop being gross.”

            Yoochun only laughed, lying on his side and focusing his attention on the movie once again. He suddenly jerked upward. “Ah, something’s vibrating.” He said, patting the couch with his hands in search. “Oh, it’s your phone. You got a message.”

            Yunho raised an eyebrow. He very rarely texted people, if at all. He only received the occasional one from his mom or dad, or most often a mess of letters and smashes of keys from a drunk Yoochun, begging him to come pick him up.

            He flipped it open, becoming even more confused upon seeing an unfamiliar number on the screen.

            From: 555-0126

            Hi.

            He stared at the screen, muttering the number to himself again and again to no avail. It wasn’t familiar in the slightest.

            To: 555-0126

            Who is this?

            He shut the phone and pressed it to his lips, looking over and noting with absolutely zero surprise that Yoochun had fallen asleep sometime during the movie. He exhaled loudly, now completely used to his roommates beyond lazy behavior.

            For some reason he felt his heart picking up speed in his chest. He just couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen.

            He twitched suddenly when his phone vibrated once again in his hands, the sound rather loud in the midst of the silence of the room, the sound of the TV reduced to a dull background noise.

            His heart dropped into the pit of his stomach as he read the answer.

            From: 555-0126

            It’s Jaejoong.

            He could feel his hands shaking as he held the phone. His body felt like it was seizing up, his heartbeat pounding in his brain as he tried to figure out what the hell was happening.

            To: 555-0126

            How the hell did you get this number.

            He pressed the send button with trembling fingers. This was a problem. This was a serious problem.

            From: 555-0126

            I sent myself a message from your phone when you were in the classroom.

            Yunho threw his phone into the couch, standing up and running his hands through his hair. His breathing felt heavy, his lungs felt tired, his heart felt like it would burst out of his rib cage and flop to the ground in a bloody heap.

            What was this kid doing?

            What the hell was he thinking?

            Breathing harshly he ran the bathroom, turned the water on in his shower just a bit too hot and stepping in. He let the water scorch his back, the pain rather pleasing, almost numbing, as he stood there for what felt like hours.

            There was something dreadfully wrong about this boy – no, this whole situation.

            This wasn’t what he wanted.

            This wasn’t the normal he craved.

            He stepped out of the shower and dried himself off, jumping into a pair of pajamas and walking out into the living room. He lifted a sleeping Yoochun and pulled the phone from the cushions, stomach sinking as he realized he had a new message waiting for him.

            He dragged his heavy limbs to the bedroom, flopping on the bed and opening his phone with shaking fingers.

            From: 555-1026

            Goodnight, Yunho.

            He could feel his heart against his ribcage, the sounds clear and pounding and probably audible across the room.

            His walls weren’t slipping – that wasn’t at all accurate.

            They were crumbling.

            They were being destroyed piece by piece, inch by inch falling away and plummeting to the earth, the once great shield slowly diminishing to useless rubble in the dirt.

            He was breaking them down. Standing there with a hammer, pounding away until the chips turned to cracks, the cracks turned to gaping holes.

            He was making them fall apart. He was to blame.

            And once he was done, there would be nothing left. 

-----------------------------

A/N: Hey guys! Hope you all survived the blackout! D: 

It deleted a lot of my comments and I lost quite a few subs... It even deleted an entire chapter on my 2min story... *sob* I'm most upset about the comments it deleted, I really love hearing from you guys D:

Well here's the next chapter! Hope you guys like it :D Jaejoong is a little weirdo. 

Rawr I can't wait to be able to update this twice a week! Once 2min is over, this fic will update more often. Whee!

Feel free to ask me stuff on tumblr!

See you guys on Sunday!

GELISI OUT