Request made by: --darkestsweetdreams

Genre: fluff, school!AU

Rating: PG

The first note was taped onto Luhan's gym locker, right above the tiny 'LH' that he'd etched during freshman year.

'183' was all the paper said; a number written in cursive with a purple Sharpie.

"What in the world? Minseok!" the soccer team vice-captain called, "Why're you messing with my locker?"

Said senior merely looked up from his ritual cleat cleaning and scrunched his eyebrows in confusion.

"What? I don't think....Hey Yixing, did you already spray Han's locker?"

Yixing shook his head, also confused, and fished out a suspicious looking black can.

"Nope," he said, "I was gonna do it during practice. Did someone beat me to it?"

"No, it's ju-wait, what were you going to do?!"

His best friends shrugged noncommittedly, flashing him innocent grins. Bull. Yixing stealthily tossed the can to Minseok, who caught it and shoved it into his bag in record time. Joonmyeon sighed, walking past them with his nose buried in the team inventory.

"They were planning to cover your locker with skunk spray." he murmurred without even looking up.

Jongdae made a face as he entered the changing room.

"I just heard 'skunk spray'. Why and where did you get it?" he asked as he strode to his own, note-free locker.

The team captain grinned before finishing his cleat polishing.

"I know a guy."

~

The second time was after a particularly brutal match against the Apgujeong Highschool Tigers. The Bangbae Dragons had lost, 5-1, and somewhere in between flirting with the stoned-looking kid in the sidelines and actually playing, Zitao had managed to sprain his ankle.

"You're an idiot," Luhan groaned as he looked over the injury, "Maybe you should've paid more attention to the damn opponents instead of getting into that sophmore's pants."

The younger winced as he tried to move his foot.

"Sehun has the nicest ," he whined, "I can't help myself!"

An exasperated look and a few smacks later, Zitao was on a stretcher being overdramatic about how he couldn't "bear the pain and oh God, I need some comfort!"

When Luhan went back to the bench for his towel, a second note was there, taped to his seat. This time, it was just a plus sign, written on the same type of paper with the same purple marker. The man looked around for any possible witnesses.

Since it was the end of a rather unsuccessful game, most of field's occupants had cleared out. It was mostly the team that was left.

Jongin and Yixing were busy stuffing food into their mouths, courtesy of Jongin's boyfriend and the team's unofficial cook, Kyungsoo. Chanyeol was drilling a little more with Baekhyun and Jongdae. The loss of the game had definitely taken a toll on them. The stress was evident on their usually carefree expressions.

Yifan and Joonmyeon stood by the cooler, talking quietly with the captain. As the team manager and not an actual player, Joonmyeon wasn't required to wear the uniform, so he usually wore his school uniform or one of his oversized knit sweaters. Like always, he had his handy clipboard in his hand and was reading it so intensely like he could see tomorrow's lottery numbers on it. Luhan walked over to the trio and instictively slung an arm around the manager's small shoulders.

He felt the other tense and a frown graced Luhan's face, for Joonmyeon wasn't usually like that. The fellow senior's thick glasses were drooping down his nose and the vice-captain reached to adjust it. Joonmyeon immediately avoided his touch.

"I...erm...need to talk with the coach about um....budgets and stuff. Catch you guys later?" he coughed, running back into the building without waiting for  a response.

Luhan frowned slightly.

"What's up with him?" he asked the others.

Yifan shot him an unreadable look as Minseok just sighed something akin to 'idiot'. Only after everyone had left did Luhan realize that Joonmyeon had dropped his trusty purple Sharpie.

~

The third note was the first one written in black. The paper was the same, but the color of the marker had changed. Luhan just shrugged it off, and ripped the note off his uniform, freshly washed and neatly folded. As Jongin entered the team lounge, the elder caught his arm.

"Hey, kkamjong, whose turn was it to wash the uniforms?" he questioned.

The sophmore furrowed his eyebrows for a moment before nodding to the sleeping Baekhyun, who was stretched out on the couch.

"I think it was Byun Baek, but I can't be sure. Maybe one of the hyungs?" Jongin offered, "Why?"

"Oh...Nothing. I just found something strange."

The note in his hand was just as simple as before. The number '303' was written on it.

When he was alone, Luhan placed the three notes before him.

'183'

'+'

'303'

The sum was 486. Completely confused, the soccer player tossed the papers back into his folder and groaned, stretching out on the ottoman himself.

~

It wasn't until lunch a week after that Luhan finally found out what 486 meant. He'd searched the web a hundred times, even confided in his worthless best friends-who had been no help what so ever-but to no avail. Yixing had merely yawned in indifference as Minseok giggled like a schoolgirl.

"You're getting so worked up over a bunch of numbers? Really?" he teased.

Luhan growled, glaring at him weakly, but he gave up quickly.

'I really shouldn't be focusing so much on some stupid notes. Rather, I should be trying to recover what little friendship that I have left with Joonmyeon.' he thought to himself.

Joonmyeon had been ignoring him for a while now and refused to even look at him, much less be anywhere near him unless mandatory. It broke his heart to see such a good friend shy away, but it also churned something inside him that Luhan didn't recognize. Something much different than a platonic emotion, but he kept it buried deeply, unable to face it.

"Hey, Joonmyeon," Luhan called as he strode to the younger-buried in papers as usual, "What are you looking at?"

The other's eyes grew wide as he quickly packed up his bag. He stood awkwardly, making a move to leave.

"N-Nothing," he said quietly, avoiding his friend's gaze, "It's nothing. Can you move over? I promised to tutor Taozi and I'm going to be late."

Looking back now, Luhan doesn't understand what happened after Joonmyeon said those words. He thinks that it was the way that Joonmyeon said the nickname so fondly. Maybe it was the jealousy he felt. But loneliness and the feeling of abandonment was probably it. Joonmyeon had always been there for him with a small, shy smile or a celebratory hug after a game. Joonmyeon was always his.

Luhan needed him.

He need Joonmyeon to nag at him for leaving his uniform anywhere. To laugh whenever he made a bad joke. To lend him a shoulder when the stress of being Chinese-born, Korean-naturalized, supposed-to-be-perfect, soccer star Luhan became too much. To cry for him when he was hurt. He just...he just needed Joonmyeon to be here with him, not with Zitao.

Something snapped in him as he grabbed the other's wrist and gripped it tightly. Luhan's eyes were dark with anger, which never occurred. Ever.

"No, I won't. I won't let you go until you tell me what's wrong!" he shouted, feeling slightly guilty as Joonmyeon flinched.

Silence. It pained Luhan more. Suddenly, all the hurt, need, and most of all, love flowed into his veins as he did something crazy.

Rough, strong hands still holding onto the younger, Luhan leaned in to capture Joonmyeon's lips in a kiss.

When the manager tensed, but responded to his kiss, everything clicked.

The notes.

The marker.

The shyness.

The numbe-oh, the numbers!

4 for 사 (sa)

8 for 랑 (rang)

6 for 해 (hae)

I love you.

When the two broke apart, Luhan fished out the purple marker from his pocket and scribbled something on Joonmyeon's pale forearm.

'I love you too.'

~

Years later, when Luhan and Joonmyeon's son is the captain of the Bangbae Highschool Dragons and he comes home with a confession about how he thinks he likes his best friend, the team manager, the two will grin and place a hand on his auburn locks. Luhan will cough and shoot his partner a playful wink before sitting his son down.

"Hanjun, what do you think about secret admirer notes?"