More Than Strangers
More Than Strangers (Oneshot)
Jongup looked up from his notebook and carefully ran his eyes over the male standing in front of the class as the boy introduced himself. Jongup barely caught those lips pronouncing the name, but once he heard it, it was stuck in his head.
Daehyun.
He wasn't sure why teacher told the transfer student to sit next to him, but he rarely paid attention to anything other than his studies and grades, so he didn't bother to get involved. He just hoped that Daehyun wouldn't be much of a burden, because the boy who was sitting with him previously was such a playful loud mouth that he soon couldn't concentrate on what he was told to do.
However, even though Daehyun looked really calm and collected, an hour of silence in class except for pens scribbling on paper seemed to have driven him crazy. As soon as the bell rang, Jongup's new classmate leaned back in his chair and started chatting with anyone around him, trying to befriend all the people at once.
What a loud mouth, he thought.
"So hey, since we're now sitting together, how about we eat lunch together, too? You look like the person who gets pampered by his parents with a lot of yummy food, and I love eating more than breathing," Daehyun beamed at Jongup and the younger male slowly turned his head to look at the boy in disbelief. Suddenly Daehyun seemed like a much worse case than his previous classmate had been.
He shook his head without a proper answer and stood up, walking out of class with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He barely heard Daehyun ask someone whether Jongup was asocial or something and for a second he wondered if the older male was really that dumb or just acted like it.
The next time they met was on the school's roof where Jongup was trying to gather the courage to tell his parents that his grades had dropped a bit due to a new hindrance in class. It was that moment when Daehyun came to bother him again and Jongup couldn't resist the urge to roll his eyes.
"Don't look at me like I'm about to push you off the building. I just want to be friends with you and so far you're the only one who's about to miss the chance. Why?" Daehyun asked as he caught Jongup's elbow and tugged him back, not letting the younger male leave him alone once again.
Jongup turned around rather slowly and yanked his hand from the older's grasp, frowning at him.
"I don't need friends. Especially those like you," he mumbled and turned to go, but Daehyun didn't seem to give up just yet.
"Wait."
The younger boy stopped in his tracks when he felt arms wrap around his waist and he widened his eyes in surprise. He wasn't sure what Daehyun wanted from him, but every action of his drove him to even more confusion than he could take.
"It's silly, I know," he heard Daehyun mumble against his back and for that lone moment Jongup decided to just stay silent and listen. "I must be dumb and loud, and you probably think I'm a bastard, but forgive me. I can't seem to find any other way to approach you, you always look so lonely and sad- or sometimes even blank. Like you're in a completely different dimension. I just... want to drag you back to the reality and show you that not all the things here are bad."
For a few seconds Jongup just stood like that, frozen on the spot, confused and surprised. He was slowly repeating the words in his head and trying to take in the meaning behind them. However, as hard as he tried to understand Daehyun's intentions, he just couldn't see the point in doing so.
Jongup carefully pried the older male's hands off his waist and let out a sigh before stepping away from him.
"I'm not some kind of a strange child that you imagine me to be, I just don't get involved with the cool kids, as they call themselves," he responded silently and turned around on his heel, walking off with his hands in his pockets. Once again, Daehyun was left to watch the younger boy's back slowly fading into the distance.
For the following weeks, Jongup felt a bit empty and bored, because Daehyun had given up on trying to befriend him and the younger boy felt bad about telling him straight that he didn't like loud mouths. In fact, he did like people who were friendly and nice, but he was being so careful not to get attached in order to stay the genius he was that he gradually stopped feeling happy about getting the best grades in class. Every time his classmates would congratulate him and his parents would tell him how smart he was, he just didn't feel like responding with his usual smile anymore. Sometimes he just wanted to be dumb and fool around like Daehyun who looked like he didn't have any worries. Jongup was envious.
And one day, when he was sitting at his desk, staring mindlessly at his finished homework, he decided that he would try to change himself for the better. He would apologize to Daehyun and ask him to be his friend. Then they could fool around together and be best friends or something. But also, he was afraid. He was afraid that he would be scolded by his parents constantly because of his grades. And he was afraid that Daehyun wouldn't want him as his friend anymore. He did tell him that the boy was about the miss his chance. Maybe he already had.
The next day, Jongup came to school a bit earlier than usual and waited for Daehyun in front of the gates, looking around every once in a while and biting his lower lip nervously. Even though Daehyun always seemed so nice to others, he wondered if that wouldn't change once he asked for another chance to become friends. Maybe even kids like Daehyun had limited patience with others. He didn't know, but he was willing to try despite all the embarrassment that might come with it.
He waited until the bell rang, but Daehyun was still nowhere to be seen. For a moment he wondered whether the boy was sick today. Shrugging off his worries and deciding to try the next day, Jongup made his way back to the classroom quickly and stopped right after entering the room. His eyes were glued to Daehyun who was sitting at their desk and looking at the board without any interest.
"Moon Jongup, you're already late. Could you please sit down so that I could continue with my lesson?"
The boy quickly turned his head towards the teacher and bowed slightly, slipping to the back of the classroom where his desk was located. He sat down with a huff and took out his books, sometimes glancing at Daehyun who looked like he was sleeping with open eyes. A sigh slipped past his lips as Jongup decided not to bother the sleeping beauty.
However, after five minutes Jongup couldn't suppress his curiosity to hear the other boy's answer to his request, so he tore a small piece of paper out of his notebook and scribbled some words on it before passing it to Daehyun and nudging the older male. The boy looked down at the note and picked it up, his eyes widening suddenly.
"Yah! You must be kidding!" Daehyun shot up from his seat and waved the paper in his hand excitedly, not even bothering to look at the fuming teacher in front of them. Jongup lowered his head in an attempt to hide his embarrassment, but a small smile was dancing on his lips.
"Jung Daehyun!" the teacher yelled at him and Daehyun blinked his eyes in confusion, suddenly realizing that he was still in the middle of class.
He quickly apologized for disturbing the lesson and sat down again, holding a hand over his chest and smiling like an idiot. Jongup kept staring at the male beside him, his own smile eventually growing in size. He was happy, because he knew the chance was still there, waiting for him to embrace it.
They finally had a chance to talk as soon as the classes were finished and both of them skipped happily to the roof. Daehyun sat down on the ground and pulled Jongup with him, resting his shoulder against the other male's. The strange kind of happiness was visible on his face as he couldn't take that playful smile off his face.
"What made you change your mind?" Daehyun asked out of blue, turning to look at Jongup and slipping his hand into his before giving it a tight squeeze.
Jongup looked up at the bright sky and let out a hum, not really sure how to answer the question. He didn't think much about it. He just knew he wanted the boy by his side, no matter how loud and annoying he was. No matter how much louder and annoying his parents would be after seeing his grades.
"I don't know," he replied sincerely.
Daehyun took out the note from his pocket and held it before his eyes, smiling at the writing before reading it out loud.
"I hope we can still be more than strangers."
A light blush creeped up on Jongup's cheeks and he shoved Daehyun's shoulder, pouting at the snickering male.
"Don't do that, it's embarrassing," he whispered, but Daehyun refused to listen to him. He kept on repeating the words until Jongup grabbed the paper from him and stuffed it back into the boy's pocket, sending him a rather playful glare. "Don't."
"Oh, but Jongup, everything is going to be embarrassing with me from now on. I'm going to keep this note as a proof that you agreed to be as dumb as me from now on. No way back, got it?"
Jongup shook his head, but not to show that he was against Daehyun's conditions, it was just that everything about the older male seemed funny in ways he couldn't put into words. He found himself liking the boy's company and silly laughter that constantly rang in his ears. Just like the name that was stuck in his head for days to pass and come.
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