"Hyukjae, are you gonna come hang out with us at Sungmin's place after school?" Junsu asked even though he already knew what Hyukjae would say. 

"I'm sorry, Junsu-ah. I can't. Not tonight." Hyukjae quickly packed up his things and sent him an apologetic smile. "I promised Sora noona I'd help her with something today. Maybe next time."

Hyukjae then tried to walk past Junsu but the latter was quick to catch his arm and pull him back. 

"What's going on?"

Hyukjae tried to look innocent as he shook his arm free. "What are you talking about?"

"You're acting weird."

"No, I'm not. I'm just really busy." As soon as Hyukjae said those words, the front doors of the classroom opened and Donghae entered. Junsu's head was facing towards the new intruder that he missed Hyukjae widen his eyes and run for the door. "I'll talk to you later!"

"Wha- YAH!" Junsu quickly turned when he heard Hyukjae bid goodbye but was too late. He was already out the door and out of sight. Junsu sighed and shook his head in defeat. It's been two weeks since they got back to Japan and Hyukjae's still acting weird. 

"Still no luck, huh?" Donghae asked while packing up his things. 

"No," Junsu paused then walked closer to him bringing their faces close as he stared at him with like a detective interrogating a suspect. Donghae pulled back a little and sweatdropped when Junsu got just a little too close for comfort.

"W-What are you doing?"

"You know something." Junsu stated. "I'm not sure what it is but you definitely did that to him."

Donghae frowned and crossed his eyebrows together. "What are you talking about?"

"Lee Donghae, what did you do? He's been avoiding you since Japan."

"No, he hasn't." Donghae retorted. "It's all of us!"

"No," Junsu insisted. "He's avoiding you." As to further prove his point, Junsu started listing his examples. "I know he's not avoiding me because he talks just fine when we have lab and soccer together. Sungmin hyung said Hyukjae's fine with him too in their Math class and whenever they talk on the phone at night Hyukjae sounds like himself."

"They talk at night?"

Junsu disregarded Donghae's question and just kept going. 

"Which means, he is avoiding you because as annoying as you two are together, it's even more annoying when you two are apart." Junsu crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at him. "He would always find a reason to leave whenever he sees you in the room or start stuttering whenever we mention your presence to him. So, what the heck happened between you two in Japan that's got him acting like that?"

"How the heck do you observe all that and still fail half your classes?"

"Donghae!"

"Okay!" Donghae raised his hands in defeat and to make sure that Junsu doesn't just attack him out of nowhere. "W-Well, I guess...it started when I accidentally read his diary."

Junsu's eyes widened and immediately hit Donghae's arm. "You did what!?"

"Ow!" Donghae rubbed the spot aggressively. "Not on purpose! It just sort-of happened."

"How do you accidentally read someone's diary?!"

"W-Well, I was just, you know- I was mad. And-And I didn't know it was his diary!" Donghae explained frantically. "It was that ratty old notebook he always carries around and draws in. I knocked over his bag and it fell...then...then I sort-of just saw the inside of it. I swear!"

Junsu was still scowling and looking at him disapprovingly but decided to keep his mouth shut for the mean time. "And? Don't tell me he's acting like a high school girl because you read his diary. You two share everything with each other. Heck, you're his walking diary."

Donghae pouted a little at Junsu's scolding tone but then when he remembered their moment at the spa, he felt his face flush a little and looked down on the floor suddenly feeling abashed about the whole thing. Junsu saw the change in his demeanor and rolled his eyes due to his impatience. 

"Yah, hurry up and tell me."

"W-Well...I...I c-co-confessed to him," Donghae stuttered his voice weak from shyness.

"What?" Junsu asked annoyingly. "Can you speak more clearly."

Donghae scowled knowing Junsu was making fun of him and repeated his words louder and more clearly for him to hear. "I said I confessed that I love Lee Hyukjae!"

As soon as those words left Donghae's mouth, the classroom door opened once again revealing a smiling Sungmin and a semi-tied up Hyukjae with a gag over his mouth. Donghae's eyes widened at the scene in front of him and immediately looked at Junsu with a what-the-hell expression. Junsu just shrugged his shoulders innocently before grabbing his own back pack. 

"I figured something like that happened but we just wanted confirmation." He then face Sungmin and held out right hand. "That'll be fifty bucks. I win!"

"What are you talking about?" Sungmin asked a little piqued at Junsu's smug expression. "Donghae confessed first so that means you owe me!"

"Yeah, but he wouldn't have confessed if he didn't read Hyukjae's lame notebook so that counts as Hyukjae doing it first."

"Does not!"

"Does too!"

"HHMMMPH!"

Sungmin and Junsu paused from their arguing and looked at Hyukjae who was still gagged and glaring daggers at both of them. 

"We'll talk about this later." Junsu said before walking out the back door. "Good luck, Donghae! I'll see you at Sungmin's later!~"

Sungmin rolled his eyes but did the same thing backing out the way he came in. "Talk to him, Hyuk. It's not as bad as you think it is." Sungmin winked at him before leaving and chasing after his fifty bucks from Junsu. 

Hyukjae could only look at the door helplessly before he was left all alone in the classroom with Donghae. Neither one of them knew how to approach the other or how to even take the first step of breaking the awkwardness between them. Donghae observed Hyukjae for a while then took a deep breath as he decided to take the first step of closing their distance. Hyukjae heard his footsteps and stilled. He wasn't entirely if he should look at Donghae or if that would make things more awkward between them. 

The closer Donghae got the faster Hyukjae's heart beat went. He was almost forgetting to breath, and as soon as his peripherals caught sight of Donghae's feet, he closed his eyes tight, not wanting to see what the other would do. For some reason, he was feeling really anxious even though he knows he was not in any danger around Donghae. He almost wanted to hit himself over the head for overreacting but then, he felt his hands behind his head and a tug at the cloth Sungmin wrapped around his mouth. Ten seconds later and his jaw was free to move from its former restraints. 

"I can't believe you let Sungmin hyung catch you like that," Donghae said while gettting in front of Hyukjae and undoing the rope from his arm. He grunted and struggled a bit from the knots since Sungmin was a really good tie-knotter. "You weren't even gone for that long. How did he do this that fast?"

Hyukjae chuckled seeing Donghae struggle like that with a pout. "Top boy scout, remember?"

"Yeah, but still. This is ridiculous." Donghae then brought his lips around the knot trying to use his teeth to loosen it that caught Hyukjae once more. Totally oblivious at the the change in Hyukjae's demeanor, Donghae continued to chew through the rope and only pulled away when he felt it loosen a little. "Finally!" Donghae's fingers then quickly undid the tie and smiled in victory when it completely went loose from Hyukjae's hands. He looked up at Hyukjae with a bright smile which quickly fell seeing him look at him with unreadable eyes. 

Donghae thought Hyukjae was still upset with him so he cleared his throat to try and shake some of his nervousness away before looking down. "I-I guess I should leave you now..." Donghae made a move to go back to his seat where he left his bag when Hyukjae stopped him by grabbing his wrist. Donghae stopped before he slowly looked back at him. Hyukjae was biting his lower lip nervously and Donghae can feel his hand shaking against his skin but also his grip tightening. He tried not to smile at the cute display