Red.

Red is the undertone of Jaejoong’s skin when he emerges from the classroom an hour later, Yunho in tow. A dazzling smile is carved onto his face and he cannot help the feeling of butterflies in his stomach and his heart doing backflips in his chest.

Pausing, he turns around and frowns at Yunho’s appearance. Tutting slightly and giggling at Yunho’s confused expression, he reaches up to fix his hair and straightens the pair of rectangular, black, thick-rimmed spectacles that are perched on his nose. He frowns a little as he studies Yunho once again, just to make sure that there was no evidence of their recent adventure in the empty classroom.

There must be no evidence.

Nobody can know. Nobody will understand. As long as both Jaejoong and Yunho know, and understand, everything will be fine. Nobody needs to know.

In the end, love will conquer all, but for now, theirs is best kept a secret.

At least, that’s what Jaejoong tells himself every day when he has to think of more ways to hide what they have from the world.

Jaejoong doesn’t miss the way Yunho’s eyes flash when he fixes his hair. He knows what it means. Jaejoong knows that Yunho doesn’t want to hide anymore. In fact, he knows that he never wanted to in the first place. Jaejoong also knows that Yunho is a hopeless romantic, and this clouds his judgment when it comes to their relationship.

Jaejoong thinks he knows best, no, he does know best. He sees that people will not accept them, and so for now, they must not make their love public.

Society will not know what to think. Two perfect sons, from perfect families, with perfect childhoods, having studied in perfect schools all their lives under the perfect education system, with perfect attendance at church and perfect futures ahead of them. The only imperfection is that they are in love, and that they are determined that their future will be with each other. Even so, this imperfection, as people would see it, is perfection to the two of them.

Jaejoong misses, however, the slight tensing of Yunho’s jaw as they head to Biology. The small action that signifies Yunho’s newfound resolve as he sees one option left for himself and his beloved, Jaejoong.

Jaejoong is too busy thinking of ways to strengthen the wall the two of them have built between themselves and everyone else, because he has to protect Yunho. No matter what it takes, he has to protect Yunho from society and its messed up way of thinking.