He spends his spare time in class writing line after line of his thoughts onto perfectly square, delicate, sheets of paper. Whether it’s just a single sentence written while the teachers copying more text to the chalkboard silently; or in-between answering questions on a sheet of class work, he makes sure each spare second isn’t wasted. Page after page, the sheets fill up; even faster than one would expect, as he never writes on both sides. Sometimes he’ll only write a single line in the dead center of the pristine white, other times, he’ll write so small and so much that the words are nearly illegible. He does this because he’s nervous. He does this because its habit. He does this because he’s afraid to think.

                        When he’s filled up all of the square pieces of paper he was able to stuff gingerly into his bag, or class is over for lunch break or even between classes. His fingers go through the practiced movements of folding each one into a different shape or animal. His desk fills up with the small paper creatures, each one made with smooth folds and gentle imperfections. Do Kyungsoo finds immense pleasure and calm in the way his fingers so effortlessly create each origami piece to quirky perfection.

                        Kyungsoo has contradictory thoughts during these ordeals, he feels both invisible and on display. He feels like his classmates are simultaneously ignoring his existence and judging all of him, from his unusually large, owl-like eyes and his smooth full lips, to his messy, dark hair and short stature. He feels anxious all the time; his paper creatures, each holding a precious thought or secret, soothe his nerves. It gives Kyungsoo a way to deal; sure, it probably makes him look strange in the eyes of his peers, but he doesn’t care so long as he can continue on this way. After all, he really loves to make the cranes most of all.

                        Kyungsoo comes off as oblivious, seemingly not completely aware of how people normally respond and interact. If one were to confess more than friendly feelings, Kyungsoo’s lips would quirk into a nervous, but none-the-less gentle smile; sweetly saying he liked the metaphorical person too. Seeming to never truly get the deeper meaning the other was hopelessly trying to convey.

                        However this is not the case; the problem with Kyungsoo is he knows human’s habits too well. He knows that if he were to let someone in, someone his age, but not nearly as observant and cautious as he is, his heart could be broken. Worse yet, he could experience the disappointment he’s desperately running from.

                        Besides, Kyungsoo’s content with writing secrets on origami paper, folding them up and keeping them safe in a physical form that he can’t get anywhere else due to his own cowardliness. At least he keeps telling himself he’s content, he doesn’t need the interaction everyone else seems to need; he almost convinces himself that he believes it up until the moment Kim Jongin strides carelessly into his life knocking everything he thought and believed askew.

                        Jongin is a sophomore, tall, mysterious, and cool at first glance. Dark hair falls into even darker eyes; skin a light tan, face blissfully blank with a smooth, deep voice that resonates seductively in his chest. He immediately makes Kyungsoo feel on edge; it’s pure chance that they meet, and things like chance and luck always upset Kyungsoo to the point of obvious, nervous fidgeting. They meet because Kyungsoo’s day has been overly stimulating; he wasn’t paying attention. They meet because Kyungsoo bumps into the younger, yet taller male causing him to utter a low ‘Oh.’ And stop mid step to glance subconsciously at what jostled him.

                        “Oh-! Uh, I. I’m sorry.” Kyungsoo stutters out awkwardly, his eyes widening to a comical size, his fingers tremble so hard he rips the half finished paper star he’d been working on nearly in half. Someone shout’s Kim Jongin’s name in an attempt at his attention, but Jongin’s gaze focuses onto Kyungsoo immediately, sharp and dark; he gives a curt nod and it’s enough to send Kyungsoo scurrying down the hall, the long strip of paper fluttering forgotten to the ground, instead the younger males name is carved deeply into his thoughts to replace it. Kyungsoo’s so caught up in escaping the judgmental eyes that aren’t really there, that he fails to notice the small smile that twitches itself forcefully onto Jongin’s full lips. He misses the other smoothly picking the secret ridden strip off the floor, misses him glancing over two neat rows of characters, before sliding it just as effortlessly it into his blazers pocket. Kim Jongin schools his expression, stuffs one hand in his pocket, and continues to his class as if the insignificant moment had never happened.

“If you earnestly wish and wish…”

“Will it come true, like the fairytales?”

                        It’s not so insignificant, because all Kyungsoo can think about for the next week is Jongin’s piercing gaze, radiating intelligence to the point of making Kyungsoo feel dull and weak minded in comparison. All he can think about is messy bangs and full lips that are so much more attractive on the other than they are on Kyungsoo. All he can think about is the goose bumps that spread across his skin like wildfire the moment Jongin mumbled out a noise of surprise. Kyungsoo’s mind is a mess; he’s felt detached moments of attraction before, but this is different. Kim Jongin is beautiful and Kyungsoo wants nothing more than to crawl under the others tan skin, Kyungsoo wants to pick him apart; and it scares him more than anything else has in his entire life.

                        At first he tells himself he’s not looking for Kim Jongin among the other faceless teenagers shuffling against each other, an odd sort of flux and flow in the small space of the hallway. Kyungsoo tells himself he’s not looking for messy hair, dark eyes, and broad shoulders. Within minutes, Kyungsoo regrets trying to fight the obvious because his lack of focus leads him to knocking into quite a sum of people. He hasn’t even stepped foot into the classroom for his first period class and he’s already fidgeting with nervous agitation, the paper balloon in his hand creasing with each shiver. His eyes burn and water with the discomfort of being so widely opened, but it’s not something he can help.

                        Kyungsoo calms when his classroom is in sight, however the relief flooding his body is cut short as he’s stopped by an extremely tall someone stepping in front of him. He can’t help the startled yelp that bubbles from his lips, nor the way his eyes try to widen even more with shock. Adrenaline spikes through his body with an electric thrum while his fingers twist desperately into the fabric of his loose fitting uniform slacks. The deflated paper balloon flutters from fingers now occupied with cloth to the ground, immediately forgotten despite the secrets folded inside.

                        “Whoa; Jongin was right. His eyes are HUGE!” The inhumanly tall person says, his deep voice resonating through the hall. Kyungsoo’s eyes snap into focus on the giant’s face, and he feels a spark of surprise in the back of his mind at how childish the other looks.

                        “Park Chanyeol! Back up, your insane height is obviously freaking him out.” Another male, around Kyungsoo’s own height bumps the apparent Park Chanyeol back with a playful elbow to the stomach, his tone teasing as he speaks.  The new comer’s voice is surprisingly raspy and male considering how pretty his facial features are.

                        “Baekhyun! I’m not insanely tall; everyone else is just freakishly short, okay.” Park Chanyeol says in his deep timbre, a pout slipping onto his lips; it such a huge contradiction that Kyungsoo doesn’t even know what to do with the image.

                        Kyungsoo’s mind is completely scattered; the two in front of him bicker good naturedly, seeming to forget he’s there. He can feel his body shaking and the creeping of panic trying to smother rational thought. He’s ten seconds from fleeing when Chanyeol’s face suddenly twitches into an odd expression, one eye scrunches up, and his mouth stretches into a twitchy smile that looks forced and uncomfortable.  Chanyeol’s eyes flood with distaste and embarrassment and that’s all it takes for Kyungsoo’s lips to widen into a small, understanding smile, a bit of his own discomfort seeping from his body as he realizes that Park Chanyeol isn’t so different from him.

                        He watches the way Baekhyun slides his delicate fingers between Chanyeol’s own lanky digits and squeezes. There’s a rather fierce, protective look on Baekhyun’s pretty face as he stares Kyungsoo down, daring him to say a word about the muscle spasm contorting Chanyeol’s childish face. Kyungsoo feels his nerves mellow in a way that he’s never achieved by anything but making folds in pristine white paper. He shakes his head to reassure Baekhyun; Kyungsoo can almost feel the way his gaze shifts from cold shock into warm understanding.

                        “Hello. I’m Do Kyungsoo.” He says quietly with his small, but uncharacteristically warm smile; he can tell it catches the other two off guard. Despite this, he bows politely then tilts his head slightly to the side in a subconscious move of curiosity.

                        “Did you need something from me?” He asks a little bit louder, Kyungsoo’s wide eyes flit from Chanyeol’s now shocked face, as the tic had worn off, to the somewhat relaxed Baekhyun and back.

“I dream about sterile white sheets, about dripping white paint. I dream about colorless rooms and faceless people.”

“Sometimes I forget when I’m sleeping and when I’m awake.

                        Later when Kyungsoo has shifted into his desired classroom, and both Chanyeol and Baekhyun have gone off to their own first class. Jongin slides out from the small groove in the wall he rested in while comfortably watching the exchange between other three, and walks the few steps to the somewhat crinkled and dirtied paper balloon. There’s a pregnant pause after he picks up the abandon thought, then, gently, he inflates it, uncaring of the dirt sticking stubbornly to the sides. He stares into the small opening, reading the neat handwriting locked inside, a soft smile stretching across his lips shyly. Jongin feels a shock of something warm flooding him when he folds the paper into a square and tucks it into his blazer pocket to join the neatly taped half finished lucky star.  Even when he slides quietly into the class across the hall, his smile is still in place.

He likes the thought of him breathing life into the words Kyungsoo’s never said out loud.

                        Kyungsoo is exiting his final period before lunch, a familiar white slip of paper in hand, only marred by a small splotch of words. He’s halfway down the hall and adding the last fold to the little envelope when he’s suddenly sandwiched between two overly excited teenage boys. His frayed nerves relax because for the past two days, Chanyeol and Baekhyun have managed to squirm deeper into his heart than he thought possible.

                        As they continue down the hall, Kyungsoo’s attention shifts to the conversation while his fingers clumsily try to tuck the envelope into his pocket. It’s inevitable that it slips from his hands unnoticed once again. It falls to the ground in a gentle swirl; not seconds later a familiar tan hand picks the precious creation up and cradles it in his hands, revealing the uncharacteristically messy handwriting within the folds.

“I’ve been soiled by a chance meeting. Unrealistically, I feel as if it’s different.”

“I want to know you.”

                        It’s the first time Jongin actually joins them at the table Kyungsoo now shares with Baekhyun and Chanyeol for the second day, (Kyungsoo likes it better than sitting alone in the class room at his paper filled desk). Baekhyun is in the middle of trying to follow the verbal instructions Kyungsoo’s giving him on how to make a simple origami fish when Jongin sidles up behind the struggling male. He pauses, staring the badly folded piece of paper. Finally Jongin moves, leaning down over Baekhyun’s shoulder, startling the seated boy slightly, and finishes the fish deftly.

                        “That one is definitely not rocket science, Hyung.” There’s a smirk on his face when he shifts into the available seat across from Kyungsoo, ignoring Baekhyun’s huffy pout and Chanyeol’s boisterous laughter. Kyungsoo blinks wide eyes at Jongin when he settles a slightly crinkled origami crab on the table between them. The paper is a baby blue and Jongin’s lingering smirk shifts into a smile. Baekhyun’s expression changes and he opens his mouth to properly introduce the two, not completely certain if they exchanged names in their brief meeting that Jongin had mentioned.

                        “This is-“

                        “Kim Jongin.” Kyungsoo interrupts innocently, blinking at Baekhyun’s slightly stunned face. Kyungsoo’s thoughts are in overdrive, but years of cold acquaintanceships make it easy for him to hide what he’s really feeling. Jongin’s smile turns shy; nervously he shifts to cradle his cheek against the palm of his hand, while Kyungsoo’s neck and ears flush faintly at his slip up, contrasting with his innocently blank expression.

                        Confused conversation on how Kyungsoo knew Jongin’s name begins and Jongin remains quiet through it all. He keeps his silence through Baekhyun stealing bites of the homemade food in Kyungsoo’s lunch, and when Kyungsoo smacks Chanyeol’s hand for trying to do the same, resulting in Chanyeol whining for at least 5 minutes over Kyungsoo being biased. Lunch is nearly over when Jongin shifts out of his seat, and slides the small paper sea creature closer to Kyungsoo.

                        “You should use colored paper some times, Do Kyungsoo. It’s no wonder you dream about white, when you surround yourself with it.” Jongin’s voice is quiet, but manages to gain the attention of the other three. Dark eyes twinkle mischievously when Kyungsoo splutters, eyes wide while splotches of red fill his cheeks. Kyungsoo watches with startled confusion as Jongin flutters his fingers at Baekhyun and Chanyeol in farewell, then saunters off.

                        That night Kyungsoo sifts through his piles of origami, searching for ones he must be missing. He thinks hard about the splashes of excitement in his usually dull life, he thinks about times where he could’ve lost one of hi s precious creations and remembers. He remembers dropping the half finished star after he bumped into Jongin for the first time; he remembers dropping the paper balloon when Chanyeol and Baekhyun had intercepted him on his way to his first class. That balloon, he remembers clearly, was the piece that corresponded with Jongin’s response. Kyungsoo sat there for a long time, an angry red splotching the back of his neck and pale white cheeks. Around him, piece after piece of folded paper judges him in a stifling silence.

                        The next morning, Kyungsoo’s usual sterile white is replaced with splashes of blue, in so many different shades it nearly makes him dizzy. Once seated, Kyungsoo doesn’t do anything unusual; he continues normally, doesn’t say a word to his classmates who gingerly eye him with curiosity. At first, he continues to write calmly, no hint that he acknowledges the change in his routines. Right when everyone was beginning to think he just ran out of his usual paper; in the room that is uncharacteristically silent, he does something different.  Kyungsoo glances at the crab he’d situated on the corner of his desk before settling, and startles those who’re watching when he smiles softly.

“In the back of my closet, in a dusty box, there are packages of origami paper.”

“There’s every shade of the rainbow in there. However, I haven’t touched them in years.”

“The world faded to monochrome long ago. You’re like a splash of color on an empty canvas.”

                        Subtle things change in Kyungsoo routine, things that despite being small, can’t be ignored. It’s not just Baekhyun and Chanyeol following him every which way. It’s the way he brings less paper every day, it’s the way they change colors every morning, it’s the way he smiles politely at his classmates when he makes eye contact, and bows in greeting every morning.

“Blue reminds me of your true deposition.”

“It’s silly, but I like to think my pristine white is the clouds to your gentle blue sky.”

                        Two weeks after Kyungsoo’s first step towards change, Jongin finds Kyungsoo in an empty hall and curls a hand around his. He squeezes gently and tells Kyungsoo about watching him for weeks, for months. Jongin talks about how beautifully sad Kyungsoo was; he talks about how he itched to splatter color over everything in Kyungsoo’s life.

                        He tells Kyungsoo about begging Baekhyun and Chanyeol to talk to him at least once. To give him a chance because if someone would’ve just tried before, they’d have known how precious Kyungsoo really was. He talks about Baekhyun and Chanyeol teasing him for it all after they did what Jongin asked; how Chanyeol begged him in return to just tell Kyungsoo how he felt.

                        Finally, Jongin pulls each piece of origami Kyungsoo lost out of his pocket with trembling hands and tells Kyungsoo how much he likes him. How much he wants to make him smile. How much he wants to brighten Kyungsoo’s world with color and happiness.

                        “I think I probably love you.” Jongin’s voice is muted with emotion, angry scarlet muted by tan skin. Kim Jongin isn’t like the rumors; he isn’t charismatic, or level headed. He’s shy, and in love; all he wants is to keep Kyungsoo happy. All he wants is for Kyungsoo to be free, for Kyungsoo to breathe, and feel without discomfort. He wants to be Kyungsoo’s pillar.

                        “And if you let me, I can be your color.” He finishes, letting his dark eyes finally rest on Kyungsoo’s face, instead of the wall far above the older males head.

                        Kyungsoo’s eyes twinkle with laughter, despite the tears streaming down pink cheeks. His mouth is curled into a bright smile. Kyungsoo can’t help it, he laughs, and laughs. He’s crying for all the times he felt alone, he’s crying for all the times he craved conversation, but was too frightened to search for it. He’s crying because Jongin is nothing like he seems, Jongin is nothing but awkward emotions and a gentle warmth that Kyungsoo craves.

                        “You’re kind of creepy, you know.” Kyungsoo hiccups in the middle, drawing a sheepish smile onto Jongin’s lips, the younger males eyes flash with heavy nervousness. Kyungsoo can’t help but take pity on him when Jongin s for words, and empties out his pockets. Small cranes and lucky stars flutter mutely to the waxed floor.

                        “Every one of those says I love you.” Kyungsoo mumbles bluntly. Standing on the tips of his toes, he slides his hand from Jongin’s weak grasp; curls it commandingly into messy locks, and smothers Jongin’s response with a warm, forceful kiss.

~x~

I'm more than a little displeased with this, but it cant be helped. I lost the original second half because of a power outtage, and the second is almost never as good as the first. It's lost the feeling I had at the beginning so I apologize for this not being as good as it was to begin with.

Nonetheless, I hope it was well enough to satisfy.

Edit: I've combined both chapters so its a full oneshot like I originally planned. c: