To Sir, With Love

Jongin pinches the bridge of his nose as Lu Han recounts Xiao Ling's parent-teacher conference schedule with him over the phone. There are too many details, too many room names, too many interactions with children he'll have to go through, and just the thought is already making his head ache. He wonders for the nth time that week why he hadn't drowned Lu Han in the sandbox when they were children. Or, why he hadn't refused when Lu Han asked him to look after his daughter, while he's away for some conference for a week.

"Jongin, are you listening to me?" Lu Han's voice sharply cut through his thoughts.

Jongin sighs insufferably. "Yes," he bites back. "PTC is at 10 o'clock, her teacher's name is Joonmyun and--"

"She doesn't have just one teacher, and Joonmyun isn't even her adviser," Lu Han reminds him. Jongin hears him sort of growl, which makes him very happy that they're miles and miles apart. "This is very important! You know how important it is that I know Ling's progress in school. I swear, Jongin, if you screw this up--"

"I get it," Jongin interrupts, rolling his eyes. Just then Xiao Ling comes out of her room, all dressed in pajamas, and carrying her favorite teddy bear. "I'll be there and I won't miss it."

Lu Han scoffs, but he sounds calmer when he says, "Okay. Is she there? Can I talk to her?"

Jongin hands Xiao Ling the phone. "Little deer wants to talk to little bell," he tells her. The little girl's nose crunches up. He chuckles when he hears Lu Han cursing him over the phone.



-



Jongin frowns at Xiao Ling as she giggles at him yet again, something she's been doing since she'd seen him in a formal suit that morning. Lu Han had mentioned this as something very important so he figured that he should at least dress like he was serious about it. Besides, Lu Han enrolled his daughter in one of the most expensive private schools in the country, and Jongin knows that such schools had some sort of dress code.

When they arrive at Xiao Ling's classroom, she immediately untangles her hand from his and runs inside towards where all her classmates and friends are. Jongin stands there, uncomfortable. After a short mental debate, he follows her into the room and finds that some of the other parents are there as well. He walks up to the front of the room, where the teacher's desk is. There's a small male, looking through some papers on the desk.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for the teacher," Jongin starts.

"Are you a parent?" he asks, not even looking up.

"Not exactly, but--"

"Well then, we only talk to the parents about the progress of the children, if you're--" The male then looks up at him with his wide eyes, one that Jongin thinks is very attractive, and blinks. Jongin tries hard not to smirk because it's the same reaction that everyone gives him when they get a good look at him.

"I'm here with Xiao Ling," Jongin tells him, glancing back at where Xiao Ling is playing her some of her friends. "I'm Kim Jongin. Her father, Lu Han, asked me to come in his place since he's out of town for business."

"Oh," he responds, suddenly flustered as was obvious with the way he's shuffling the papers on the desk. "Right. Just--just give me a moment."

"Are you the adviser?" Jongin asks.

"Yes, I'm Do Kyungsoo," he answers then pulls out a paper from the pile and hands it to Jongin. "Here's her progress report."

They discuss Xiao Ling, her grades, as well as her behavior in class. Jongin is listening, but really, he can't quite concentrate. He just can't help but notice how the teacher kept on looking away whenever their eyes met, his long lashes fluttering down his pinking cheeks. His hair was black and shiny and Jongin wonders how it would feel under his fingertips, whether they would curl if he ran his hands on them long enough. Then there were his plump lips and Jongin just wants to--has to--know how it would feel against his own. Maybe if he just--

"Sir, are you listening?"

Jongin blinks and swallows. "Yes," he weakly responds, nodding to confirm it. "I'll, uh, let her father know about... the things you said." He clears his throat. "Well, thank you for your time."

"Certainly," Kyungsoo nods, clearing his throat as well. "It's nice that Xiao Ling has an uncle who's willing to suffer through talking to his teachers."

"It's not so bad," Jongin admits, and he wants to say how meeting Kyungsoo is so worth all of the trouble. He bites his lips at this thought and mentally smacks himself. He's not supposed to be checking his niece's teacher out. Lu Han would fry him if he finds out. "It was, uh, nice to meet you."

Kyungsoo nods and smiles. "Likewise."

They stand there, not quite moving. They just look at each other as if waiting for something. Jongin keeps wondering whether he should make a move, any move, to let Kyungsoo know that he was interested. He thought about it then decided that Lu Han really was going to have his head on a platter if he finds out. Lu Han isn't quite keen on his dating track record and probably doesn't want any of his disastrous relationships to have an effect on his daughter and her schooling.

"Well, we should go," Jongin says, smiling at him. He turns and searches for Xiao Ling with his eyes. "Ling, let's go."

Xiao Ling disentangles herself from where she's been wrestling with her classmates, a trait that Jongin thinks is exactly like Lu Han's when they were kids, and runs towards Jongin, putting her hand in his.

"Let's go, uncle Jongin?" Xiao Ling greets. "Bye Mr. Do!" She smiles cutely and Kyungsoo chuckles.

"Thank you again," Jongin nods at Kyungsoo, whose smile disappears when he nods back stiffly.

When they're in the car, Xiao Ling carefully strapped in, Jongin tightly grips the steering wheel in indecision. He knows, just knows, that he should do--should have done--something. He takes a deep breath and turns to his niece.

"Uncle is going to go back and... get something," Jongin tells her.

"Did uncle forget something?" Xiao Ling wrinkles her nose.

"Yes," Jongin answers. "Stay in the car and uncle will be right back. Lock the door when I get out of the car, okay?"

Xiao Ling dutifully locks the car when Jongin shuts the car door. He sprints back into the school. As he turns a corner, he slams right into someone. He wraps his arms around the other person to make sure that they don't fall.

"Mr. Kim!" Kyungsoo wheezes when they pull apart. "What--?"

"I forgot something," Jongin says, suddenly awkward again. "I forgot to ask for your number." His face becomes heated because this is the most forward he's been to someone he's just met.

Kyungsoo's eyes are wide and Jongin just knows that he's going to be slapped or smacked. Instead, Kyungsoo's expression changes into a smirk. "Well, that's disappointing. I thought you were going to ask for something more," he says.

"What?" Jongin asks, confused. But then Kyungsoo is already stepping up to him, slightly tiptoeing, to meet his lips with his. "But we just met!" he blurts out just before they kiss.

"We're not in kindergarten, Mr. Kim," Kyungsoo's breath ghosts on his lips and he shoves down a shudder.

When they finally do kiss, Jongin feels a satisfied smirk on Kyungsoo's mouth, so he bites his lower lip for good measure.



-



Lu Han stares at him like he'd just grown four heads. "Let me get this straight," he finally speaks. "You want to drive Xiao Ling to school."

"Yeah," Jongin replies. "What's so wrong about that?"

"It's not wrong," Lu Han shakes his head. "But it's weird. You don't have to drive her, since I'm back and all." He narrows his eyes at Jongin. "You're up to something!"

"Jongin oppa and Mr. Do were kissing in the hallway and--"

Lu Han's eyes widen just as Jongin's hand covers . How the little brat found out, he'll never know. At the moment, he'll just have to escape Lu Han's wrath.