A:N/ OMG it is so hot today! Packed train, sun beating down...It's 32 degrees, the only relief comes from the occasional breeze and the $5 pocket fan I bought...Best investment ever. Isn't Australian spring fun?

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Despite having made friends with Chunji, L. Joe found that a lot of his day to day activities remained the same. Very little had changed despite the formation of their new friendship. It still felt like everything was in its tentative stages: still getting to know one another. Like they were still free to end the relationship, and walk away from one another with no hard feelings. Consequently, despite L. Joe's relative ease with speaking with Chunji, he didn't have the confidence to text him or call him, except in response to messages Chunji sent him first.

He couldn't bring himself to ask the other boy if he wanted to hang out or not, or to request from him, knowledge of events where he would be hanging out.

Consequently, L. Joe still found himself spending 90% of his time at university, all alone. Unfortunately, he realised things were going to start getting more complicated soon. With the way Chunji and he had been talking, it seemed almost inevitable that they would have to leave these tentative stages soon. He hoped Chunji would introduce him to his friends soon, so that he'd finally be able to make friends with his other idols, especially CAP, but the prospect also brought with it some awkwardness.

Because everything was more or less the same, and L. Joe was left to himself, whenever he wasn't in class with Chunji, he still tended to observe Chunji and his friends from afar. It had never mattered before because they were popular and cool. They had no idea he watched them about campus, and so it had never mattered. Even if they had known, they probably wouldn't even care.

Now that he was friends with Chunji, watching the other boy was begin to feel like an invasion of his privacy or something. He felt like he should look away from Chunji; like he shouldn't be admiring him like this, now that they were on speaking terms. If Chunji ever found out that he'd done it, he'd definitely think he was weird, and probably start avoiding him.

If that was how it would be with Chunji, he abhorred the thought of what might end up happening with CAP. Because he really looked up to CAP. He was like a shining example of everything L. Joe wished that he himself could be; everything he wanted to be like, and able to do. He wanted to be CAP. That sort of hero-worship would make any relationship they had strained and tense, and he'd probably never be permitted to make friends with the other boy as a result.

The thought saddened him. That he could make friends with his idol's best friend and be the closest he'd ever be able to be to making friends with the other boy. Situations like this presented themselves once in a lifetime. But the same reason he wanted to make friends with the other boy in the first place, would probably prevent them from ever being able to be friends.

Still, L. Joe found himself reluctant to give up watching the group. They were like his TV; his own personal drama, he could watch whenever he liked. They were his entertainment, when he had breaks or classes were getting too stressful. Losing himself, as he watched the friends joke around and play together, let him escape from it all for a little while.

So, with that thought in mind, he'd somehow ended up sitting on the side bank of the sporting field as he watched CAP at his soccer training. From what he could gather, CAP had joined the sporting team at the start of university, so now every Tuesday from 4-5 he'd see the group of boys running across the field. He wasn't sure how often they trained, or when their games were, but L. Joe didn't really care about the details. He wasn't exactly interested in the soccer.

Some of the members of the team would take of their shirts as they trained, waving to the girls sitting on the side lines to watch them. L. Joe wasn't sure whether they were friends, girlfriends or just passers-by that had stopped for a peek. He tried not to look at them, worried about the looks he'd find out he was receiving if he ever did.

He wasn't there for the same reason, even if he was there to watch CAP.

He may have worshipped the guy, but that didn't mean that he wanted to sleep with him, or go out with him or anything. He'd go along, and watch as CAP ran laps, back and forth, round and round, for an hour, marvelling at the other guy's speed and agility. He'd look at the way he moved so gracefully, and sigh to himself about how unfair it was that he was so graceless and slow. He'd watch him when he took off his shirt, full of envy at how muscled the other guy was, pondering just how he'd gotten the muscles he seemed so proud of. He'd observe the way that he would interact with the girls and guys that approached him during and after practice, longingly wishing that he could have people chasing after him like that.

He just wanted to be like CAP, and watching the other boy both showed him all that he aspired to become, and reminded him of how far from that ideal he really was.

He doubted that CAP had realised he was there, even once, despite the fact that he'd come every single week. They never spoke; they had never even had their eyes meet, despite how long L. Joe had sat there watching him, feeling sorry for himself.

“Well, I wasn't expecting to see you here, of all places.” a bright voice commented, amused as it's owner plopped onto the grass beside him, startling L. Joe, horribly. He rocked on his heels, having been perched to shift his body, to try and get the pins and needles out of his legs, before toppling backwards onto his bum, eyes flicking over to the person beside him, confused.

Chunji couldn't resist sending the other boy a bright grin, as he leant over rubbing his hair affectionately, only for L. Joe to groan in annoyance at the action, hands moving to flatten his hair down once again. “Don't. It took me 45 minutes to get it looking nice this morning, you'll ruin it.” he grumbled, more embarrassed than angry by this point.

Chunji seemed to have a habit of catching him off guard. Chunji fluttered his hands away, pseudo-apologetically, gaze drifting over to the field, thinking. The hand he'd been withdrawing, quickly latched onto L. Joe's shoulder, as Chunji pulled himself closer, so that his head hovered over L. Joe's shoulder, their faces both facing towards the field.

The close proximity and quick movement, sent Chunji's hair splaying wildly, and a pleasant scent wafted into L. Joe's nose. He thought it was probably a bad idea to breathe through his nose, and yet he hadn't really expected Chunji's odd movement, bringing them so close together, so he couldn't help smelling the other boy.

A number of different smells assailed his nostrils, too quickly for him to be able to work out what they actually were. The other boy seemed to treat his hair with a lot of different products, like L. Joe did, so it was anyone's guess how many of those smells belonged to products such as those. Then there was deodorant and any cologne he might use, not to mention soap and some other smell, that had probably only been hinted at, that belonged to Chunji himself.

Still, the combination was very pleasant. L. Joe found himself wondering vaguely, whether Chunji would smell this pleasant, all the time, before he mentally smacked himself. That was definitely an odd thought, one he shouldn't be having about his new friend.

“Now do my eyes deceive me or are you staring at CAP?” Chunji questioned, amused, as he resettled himself, further away from L. Joe, though his hand remained wrapped around the other boy's shoulders. “No you were correct. I was staring at CAP.” L. Joe answered simply, his heart racing as he attempted to find a way out of this situation.

He'd been caught, and this would only make things awkward. Chunji would probably freak out and think that he was a freak or something. He was gawking at his best friend! Openly! And he'd been caught in the act, by his friend. What would CAP think if Chunji told him? Was Chunji the type to tell? What would Chunji think of him now? Would this be the only thing he thought of whenever he saw him? Could he kiss their friendship goodbye at this rate?

“Why would you be doing a thing like that, then?” Chunji questioned, lightly, sounding curious, though L. Joe suspected that he was just pretending. Situations like this, there really wasn't much of a misunderstanding going on, now was there? His intent might've been misunderstood, but his actions could not, and really they were the creepy part of the whole thing, anyway.

“Because he had possession of the ball.” L. Joe spluttered, without really thinking about it. He wasn't even sure if that was true, it was just the first thing that had popped into his head. But judging by the way Chunji let the matter go to rest, he supposed that he must've made a correct guess. Or else, Chunji now thought that he was insanely stupid.

Chunji made no moves to respond to his awkward, rushed words, and so L. Joe found himself scrounging around for something to say to the other boy. He was hopeful that if he changed the topic, then just maybe Chunji would forget all about what he'd witnessed, and they could both pretend it had never happened. Somehow L. Joe doubted that he was lucky enough that things would work out so favourably for him, and yet he still tried to speak all the same. “What are you doing here?”

Surprisingly enough Chunji answered him, a smile present on his lips, that didn't quite seem to reach his eyes, making L. Joe doubt it's sincerity. “CAP's been having....issues with his car, so he asked me to pick him up from soccer training.” he explained, fiddling with his keys uncomfortably. L. Joe couldn't help wondering whether he was uncomfortable being with him, or if it was to do with that hesitation in the way he spoke, or the tiredness in his eyes.

“It's really nice of you, to come get him. You're a good friend.” L. Joe commented, easily, surprised to see the way Chunji's smile suddenly became more natural, like his words had genuinely made him feel happier. “That's a very sweet thing for you to say. But it's nothing really, considering everything CAP does for me, in return. Whatever I can do to help.”

L. Joe couldn't help feeling curious when Chunji said that but he didn't want to try asking, worried that Chunji would think he was prying into his personal business. But his interest must have been written across his face, plain as day, because the next thing he knew, Chunji was telling him how adorably cute he was, with a laugh before explaining, “He let me come stay with him, back in first year. Without him, I'd be homeless.”

L. Joe found the words very jarring, but he only nodded, trying very hard to keep any questions he had to himself this time. He had a feeling that the details around that situation were probably very personal, and he didn't want to find out something Chunji wanted to be kept a secret. But he couldn't help wondering how someone as amazing as Chunji ended up nearly homeless. He was so attractive, cool, smart and kind. What wasn't there to like about him?

“Ah... I...” L. Joe began, hesitantly, not feeling comfortable leaving Chunji's initial question unanswered, as embarrassing as his answer was, after Chunji had opened up about something that must've been so troubling. Compared to that, his concerns were trivial. “I... You were right... I was staring at CAP, but don't misunderstand me, it wasn't for the reason that you might think...” he began, nervously, watching Chunji for any signs of what the the other boy thought of what he was saying. Chunji's face remaining blank, only served to make him feel more uncomfortable about what he was saying.

“I just think he's really cool, and since I need to kill an hour before my next class, I figured why not watch, you know?” L. Joe finished, shifting uncomfortably, the weight of Chunji's arm around his shoulders, feeling heavier all of a sudden. He wasn't sure if he should be trying to start running away now, since Chunji would probably think he was really weird now, and want nothing to do with him anymore.

But Chunji just grinned, a disappointed look marring his features for a moment, like he couldn't believe his own forgetfulness. “That's right, you said that you liked CAP, didn't you? I should introduce you now, since you're here.” Chunji began excitedly, moving to stand, and wave CAP over.

L. Joe grabbed Chunji's hand, yanking the other boy back down to the ground harshly, alarmed at the other boy's attempt to follow through on his word. “What? You can't do that!” L. Joe hissed, horrified. “Why not?” Chunji questioned, confused. “I thought you'd like to be introduced to him. I mean I see the way you watch us all the time. You seemed to admire us so much, and CAP in particular, don't you want to meet someone you admire?”

L. Joe's cheeks turned a dark hue. “You've seen me watching you guys?” he asked, not daring to look at Chunji as he nodded his head in response. He couldn't help feeling even more embarrassed at the knowledge that they'd known he was watching them. “How long have you known?” he asked, barely able to breathe as he spoke.

“Since we started talking I suppose.” Chunji answered, rubbing the side of his head, not really sure of the answer himself. Clearly he hadn't paid the matter much attention. L. Joe groaned covering his head with his hands to try and hide his clearly flushed cheeks, in the hopes that it might lessen his embarrassment. “You must think I'm so weird!”

“Nah, not really. I mean, yeah you'd watch us but there was just something about the way you look at my friends and I.... You look like you wish you were part of it all. There's nothing wrong with wanting to be able to have fun with friends, right?” Chunji stated. “Hence why we need to get down there and introduce the two of you to one another.” Chunji chirped, standing up, giving L. Joe a firm pat to his shoulder, trying to encourage him to get up.

“No way! I can never look him in the eye, let alone speak to him now. He knows! That means he'll probably be able to figure out what I'm doing here! That would be so humiliating, he'd never speak to me again because he'd think I'm some weird creepy stalker or something!” L. Joe exclaimed, morosely. Chunji just shook his head with a laugh, waving to CAP to get him to come over to them, before L. Joe could notice.

When CAP got part way up the hillside, Chunji bounced over giving the taller boy a light hug, before turning slightly, and gesturing over to L. Joe. “Hey, CAP. I want you to meet my new friend L. Joe. He's the one I've been ditching you for in our Musicology tutorial.” Chunji stated. His words jolted L. Joe, forcing him to stand hurriedly brushing at the back of his pants, barely daring to raise his head to meet the other boy's eyes.

He was so surprised and nervous at the unexpected encounter, that he felt his palms starting to become sweaty, realising that the dirt he'd been attempting to brush off his pants, was now getting a slightly muddy texture to it, as it coated his fingers. He tried to discreetly rub his hands, but he couldn't shift the dirt, so he forced his hands to stay at his sides, to try and stop the other boys from noticing too.

CAP eyed L. Joe for a moment, confused, before turning back to Chunji. “What's he doing here?” he asked, his flat tone, making L. Joe's heart rate triple in an instant.. “He's keeping me company while you chat it up with everyone instead of coming over to the car. If you want a lift, you should be more prompt.” Chunji reprimanded lightly.

“I'd be more than happy to drive myself.” CAP stated tersely, before nodding at L. Joe distractedly, gesturing over to the nearby car park. “I take it you parked over there? I'll meet you at the car.” he stated. Chunji pouted slightly, looking apologetically at L. Joe. “Sorry. CAP's not exactly the easiest person to get to know. He's pretty quiet. But every encounter helps, and besides he already likes you I'm sure.”

“Ah it's okay. I should probably be going now anyway. I have another class today.” L. Joe explained, shuffling uncomfortably. “Oh? Unlucky. Would you like a lift home or something? I could come back to get you if you'd like.” Chunji suggested, but L. Joe hurriedly shook his head. “No. No. That'd be too much. I'll be fine, I promise. Besides you should probably get back to CAP” he stuttered, feeling uncomfortable at the prospect of getting Chunji to do him such a big favour.

“Ignore him. He'll do as he's told. But if you're sure... Call me if you change your mind, okay?” Chunji offered, looking at L. Joe with concern, that L. Joe tried to wave off. He waved Chunji off, making his way to go up the last bit of the hill, so that he could walk to his next class, but his shoe slipped on the loose dirt, and his leg gave out, so that his knee hit the ground hard as he fell.

He gritted his teeth, suppressing the immediate tears threatening to spill down his cheeks. Chunji seemed to have noticed something was up, given the way he was looking at him with worry, but he waved him off again, forcing a smile to mask his suffering. No need to worry Chunji. But the knowledge that he'd been seen in one of his clumsy moves again, made him flush unhappily.

His knee should stop throbbing in a second, but it'd probably bruise from that.

Great.