"Fight!" some people yelled as they ran past you in the hallway.

Against your better judgment, you followed them, curious. The crowd was riling the fighters, and you fought your way through all the tall people to get a glimpse at who was fighting with whom. When you finally recognized the two figures, your blood ran cold. Choi Hyunwoo, the bully who always bothered you, was being held against a locker by Jung Daehyun, an old friend who had long grown distant.

"Stop! Stop it right there!" A teacher was making his way through, and the crowd hurried to disperse. But before you left, Daehyun straightened up and met your eyes, mouth twitching and bleeding. You hurried and left the scene before you got in trouble.

At the end of the school day, at your locker, you couldn't help but remember Daehyun's eyes as he looked at you. It was as if he'd been trying to tell you something, but you didn't know what. But when you closed your locker, as if called by your thoughts, Daehyun was there, bandaged up. You could hear others start whispering as they recognized him.

"Hey," he said, smiling, and then wincing.

You looked at him uncertainly. "Um, hi?"

"Do you still walk home?" he asked, tagging along as you walked through the hallways.

You gave him a weird look. How did he remember? And why would he ask? "Yeah, I do. Why?"

"Would you mind if I walk you home?"

You had exited the school and whirled around to face Daehyun. You hadn't realized how tall he'd gotten, after not speaking to him for years. "Yes, actually, I mind. I don't think I've talked to you since third grade; we're in high school now. And I hear you got into a fight at school today. So if you're going to start talking to me and trying to walk me home, why don't you tell me why first?"

Daehyun sighed. "You know Hyunwoo. He's a jerk. I finally got tired of the crap he was saying, so..."

"So you're saying you started the fight?!" You weren't sure why you were so surprised, but the thought of the gentle Daehyun as a child starting a fight didn't sit well with you.

He shrugged. "Anyway, are you going home, or...?"

"But you fighting with Hyunwoo has nothing to do with me. Why are you suddenly...?"

"I started the fight because he was saying things about you. I couldn't take it anymore. And he happened to mention that something might happen to you, so I just wanted to make sure that won't happen."

"Oh." You were numb. Daehyun and Hyunwoo had a fight over you?

"Right, so let's get going, shall we?" Daehyun looked uneasy.

You started walking, Daehyun right beside you. "Honestly, I don't know what you could possibly think would happen. I mean, the only thing Hyunwoo's ever done was say mean things. He's not the type to commit to violence."

"Yeah, well," he muttered.

You reached home; you lived relatively close. "See?" you said to Daehyun. "I'm fine. I don't think you really need to worry, Daehyun."

Daehyun looked slightly hurt, but gave a small smile. "Alright, then. See you tomorrow."

"See you." You headed inside, still confused.

That night, after finishing homework and showering, you climbed into bed, thinking about the day's events. You still didn't understand why Daehyun would start a fight with Hyunwoo, when the guy had been tormenting you since eighth grade. It wasn't anything new.

But the next day at school, Daehyun stuck by you whenever possible, bringing about even more gossip. Once during class, a girl walked up to you and asked if you and Daehyun were dating. "No," you'd replied, shocked. "Most definitely not."

"I heard he punched Hyunwoo because of you, though."

What? "What do you mean?"

"I heard that Hyunwoo and Daehyun were talking, and then Hyunwoo said that you were a...well..."

"Just tell me. It's probably nothing I haven't heard before."

"Well, he called you a . Among other things. Apparently Daehyun just up and punched him in the mouth. And," she said, leaning in closer, "he told Hyunwoo to leave you alone, because you were his."

"That makes no sense," you said, huffing. "We haven't talked in years."

She shrugged. "Maybe he likes you."

After school, Daehyun showed up out of nowhere to walk you home again. "What's this I hear about you calling me 'yours'?" you demanded.

To his credit, his ears turned red. "I was tired of Hyunwoo--"

"Please. Don't give me that. I haven't seen you do anything the past three years this has been going on."

"Yeah, well, this time he went too far." Daehyun refused to talk any further, creating an awkward, angry silence between the two of you. After a while, he said quietly, "But I did mean what he said to him. I told him to stop messing with you."

"Why, Daehyun?" you asked, exasperated. "Why do you care now?"

"I've always cared," he answered, sounding hurt. "I've liked you since forever. But then I hit that awkward phase in growing up where everything felt wrong, and then we just grew farther and farther apart. It's not like I didn't want to talk to you; I just didn't know how. And apparently Hyunwoo found out, and went up to me just to say horrible things about you to my face." He sighed.

"You...what? You say you've liked me all these years, but you couldn't at least say hi now and then?"

"I..."

"I liked you too, damn it! But then you were always with the other crowd..."

"But you were the only girl I ever paid any attention too!"

"Yeah? That didn't seen to be the case when I saw you at all the dances, going with girl after girl, dancing so close I wouldn't have been able to fit my hand between the two of you!" And then you realized that you were already home, and that you were shouting at him.

Daehyun, for once, was speechless. "Look, that doesn't mean anyth--"

"Forget it, Daehyun. Bye."

"Wait!" he cried, grabbing your hand.

You turned around to face him. "This isn't going how it's supposed to," he growled. "I was supposed to say hi and slowly grow close to you again, and buy some flowers and candy, and make it a nice confession. But then this..." He sighed. "Since I already said it, and you did too...look, I like you, okay?" He stared right into your eyes. "I was going to ask you to prom. Will you go to prom with me?"

You laughed despite yourself. "After this whole mess, you're seriously asking me this?"

Daehyun waited patiently for an answer, not saying anything.

"Alright, yes, Daehyun. I'll go to prom with you."

His eys lit up, and he smiled, then winced. "But you're going to heal up by then, right?" you asked.

"Of course! Prom is three weeks away. I should be fine by then. Meanwhile, you're going to actually dress up, right? I remember as a kid, you hated dresses. You hated makeup, and you--"

"Don't worry, Daehyun. I'm not a little kid anymore. Go home now, okay?"

"Okay." He started walking away, then turned back. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Hmm?"

"Since you agreed to go to prom with me...are we a thing?"

You resisted the urge to roll your eyes; sometimes he was still as clueless as ever. "Yes, Daehyun, we are a thing."

"Okay then," he said, walking back towards you in two steps. He leaned down and pecked your forehead. "See you tomorrow."

You didn't answer, speechless from shock, watching as he walked away whistling.

"Damn it, Jung Daehyun. What have you done to me?" you muttered under your breath, unable to hide the smile that crept across your face.

A/N: Wow. I'm so sorry about that super long hiatus. After next week, though, I'll be done with school, so I should have more time.

Also, really sorry about the way this turned out. So bad ugh, but I wanted to update quickly... (also unrelated but I think my titles are just getting worse and worse. I'm sorry)