Clack!

"Finished."

You looked up just as the boy before you dropped his notebook on the bed, his pencil lying limply upon the thick collection of paper.

"You’re lying."

"I’m not lying."

You glanced up at him. His legs were crossed, his elbow resting upon his knee as he leaned his head on the palm of his hand. He yawned, suppressing the stretch of his mouth as best as he could without having to cover his face.

"There’s no way." you grumbled, snatching the notebook from before him. You tossed the pencil aside, skimming through the contents of the paper. Perfect, evenly pressured black characters filled the thin blue lines, as if typed out mechanically. You flipped through the white sheets, counting to yourself.

"Two, three, four, five," you gasped sharply, "Five?! Five pages!"

The boy bit his lip, a chuckle resounding from within his chest. You tossed the notebook back to him, burying your head in your hands. “And your writing’s so tiny too!”

He closed the notebook, placing it to the side. “__________-ah, relax.”

You whined, “It’s not fair, Kyungsoo!”

You looked up from behind your hands, reading the numbers on his watch. “And it’s only been two hours! How do you do that?”

You buried your head once more, your loose hair falling over your face. You  groaned for a good five minutes longer, before breathing a sigh. You pulled yourself up, running your fingers through your unruly tresses. “Fine.”

The boy curled his hands around his ankles, a small smile playing across his pink lips. You pulled your legs up, wrapping your arms around your calves as you mumbled, “You can choose the movie.”

Kyungsoo laughed, receiving a bitter glare from your direction. His eyes wandered over the ceiling in thought. “How about…. Jumanji?”

You let out another exaggerated groan. “You always choose that. We’ve seen it a million times.”

He simply shrugged, stretching his arms out as another yawn fought its way out. “I finished first.”

You scoffed, muttering unintelligibly to yourself as you retrieved your notebook, lost within the folds of your quilt. You flipped to the page of your essay, and sighed, reading over the short page and a half you’d completed. Kyungsoo watched as you frowned at the pale sheets, a look of hopelessness darkening your features.

”_______-ah,” he spoke gently, “You know that wasn’t the point of the race. I was just trying to help you finish.”

You sighed heavily, tracing the red margins of the paper with your pencil. “I know.”

His eyes flitted between your hands and eyes. “Come on, you’re almost done. Three or four pages should be enough, right?”

You glanced at him, watching you intently, his wide eyes running over your features with concern. Your lips itched at the corners, a small smile curving them upwards. “Can’t you just let me use your essay?”

He chuckled, putting a hand on your arm, softly, “Yours is good already. Besides, what’ll you do when you have to write your essay for the end of year exams? This is good practice, ______-ah.”

You took a deep, burdened breath, pushing your hair behind your ear. “Fine, fine. Give me an hour… Actually, two. I’m not superhuman, like you.”

Kyungsoo bit his lip, smiling childishly. He rubbed his eyes, moving away to rest against the headboard. You chewed on the eraser of your pencil as you stared down at your paper, hoping the words might appear of their own accord. Silence fell throughout the room, the only sound you could make out being the scratching of Kyungsoo’s pencil against his notebook. You peeked up at him through the fringe of your lashes. He leaned against the headboard, his legs pulled up as he scribbled on his notebook, occasionally looking up at you.

"What are you doing?"

He turned his attention back to the paper, his lips. “Nothing.”

You tapped your pencil against the surface of your book. “Tell me.”

He shook his head, leaning in closer to his work. “It’s just a drawing. Finish your essay, _____-ah.”

You grumbled, looking down at your essay. With one last glance at the boy, you returned to your work, impatiently scribbling down whatever came to mind. Kyungsoo continued his sketching, his eyes fluttering between his paper and your countenance every few seconds. You chewed the inside of your cheek, the incessant scratching of his pencil invading your ears. You grit your teeth, attempting to mute it out with little success.

"Can you stop that?" you very nearly shouted, slamming your pencil down, "I can’t hear myself think, Kyungsoo!"

He looked up, his large chocolate eyes perfectly rounded in surprise. “What was I doing?”

"You tell me," you leaned forward, attempting to get a view of his paper. He moved it aside, smiling slyly.

”________-ah, you’re too easily distracted. Do you want me to leave?” He covered his mouth as another sleepy yawn escaped his lips. “I can go wait in the living room ‘till you finish.”

"No, don’t." You sighed heavily, "I can do this."

You leaned over the side of the bed, searching through your book bag, eventually coming back up with your iPod in hand. Kyungsoo glanced as you fit the headphones in before returning to his notebook. You shuffled through your playlists, selecting a long classical piece. As the music began to crescendo, you turned back to your essay, continuing where you’d left off.

You wrote continuously for another hour, stopping only to read over and correct your errors. However, your inspiration soon came to halt as your mind wiped itself clean, your train of thought well beyond reach. You stared blankly at the page before you, humming absentmindedly to the melody of your music as you attempted to come up with what to say next. You glanced up at Kyungsoo, quickly turning back to the paper upon meeting his eyes, staring bluntly in your direction.

 You curled in your lips and cautiously looked back. Sure enough, there he was, his cocoa eyes focused intently on you. His legs remained pulled up, his arms folded over his torso. His notebook was nowhere in sight as he seemed to target you with his gaze. You wandered over the walls of the room awkwardly, all the while, feeling his eyes boring through you. You tapped your pencil rapidly against the book, trying to ignore him to no avail.

"What are you doing?" you asked, pulling the headphones out of your ears.

Kyungsoo blinked, “What? Nothing.”

"Can you stop staring?"

"I’m not staring."

You narrowed your eyes at him, gritting your teeth. “Yes, you are. You’re staring.”

He leaned forward, crossing his legs, resting chin in his hand. “I’m not staring, _____-ah. Why don’t you finish your essay?”

" Fine." You scoffed, shutting your notebook petulantly and tossing it to the side. You turned to face him, mimicking his posture. "Two can play at this game."

He chuckled softly, arching a brow. “What are you doing?”

You ignored the boy, moving closer, staring at him square in the face. Kyungsoo grinned, resting his hands in his lap as he straightened up. “________-ah, are you really going to do this?”

"If you can, why can’t I?" you shrugged, looking up at him.

"I already finished my essay." he retorted, "Besides, I was just looking at you."

You frowned. “You were staring into my soul, Kyungsoo. You don’t just look at anyone.”

"And you’re going to try to out-stare me?" he asked sarcastically.

You smiled. “You want to bet I can?”

"Bet what?"

You hummed in thought. “I’ll bet that if you blink first, I win and I get to choose the movie we watch.”

Kyungsoo let out a laugh, “Okay, fine. And what if I win?”

"I don’t know. What do you want?"

His eyes flickered between your own as he bit his lip. “You have to make us dinner for the next movie night.”

"Why? I can’t even cook."

He shrugged, “I think it’d be nice. A real dinner, too, not frozen pizza, _____-ah.  And you have to wear a dress. One that I pick.”

You flushed, sputtering a response. “W-wha-“

"Is it a bet?"

You glared up at him, running a hand through your hair. “Fine. But then you have to take me to bakery down the street too, if I win. Okay?”

"Okay."

"Alright. On the count of three, then. Ready?" he nodded. You tapped your hand against a textbook lying on the sheets. "One…two…three!"

You pulled your knees in, wrapping your arms around them as you stared into the boy’s eyes, deep and rich in their mahogany hue. You rested your chin on your kneecaps, completely absorbed in his gaze, the dark coffee colored speckles in his irises glistening against the light.

"Aren’t you getting tired?" he asked after a few minutes had passed,  his voice low and smooth, as if talking were forbidden in the battle as well.

You shook your head. “Not at all. Are you?”

He shook his head, smiling softly. The room fell silent, as the two of you gazed on intently. You would occasionally squint, not completely shutting your eyelids, but providing enough relief to allow your dry cornea to moisturize. Kyungsoo, on the other hand, remained completely at ease, his lids resting gently over his pupil, the desire to blink apparently unknown to him. You could see a smile spreading across his lips through your peripheral.

"What?" you inquired, refusing to look away.

"Nothing," he rolled his shoulders, "You just look pretty."

You felt your cheeks burn. “Are you trying to fool me, Kyungsoo?”

He bit his lip, stifling a burst of laughter. “Of course not. Can’t I say that?”

You squinted, fighting the urge to close your eyes. “You’re just trying to make me blink.”

He scoffed, “I’m being serious, ________-ah. Your hair looks nice. And your skin.”

You remained silent, feeling your cheeks burn scarlet. Kyungsoo grinned playfully, poking your cheek with a slender finger. “You’re blushing.”

You pushed his hand away, staring persistently into his eyes. “Cut it out, Kyungsoo-ah!”

The boy obeyed, folding his arms once more, yet remaining unblinking. You cleared your throat, mumbling beneath your breath, “You’re good at that, you know.”

"Good at what?"

"Flattery."

He smiled, curling his lip in. “That wasn’t flattery.”

"Whatever."

Kyungsoo leaned forward, resting his weight on his hands. His eyes remained focused on your countenance, taking in the cloudy texture of your irises, the jet black color of your hair, framing your face messily, the  pink of your cheeks, almost as vivid as the hue of your lips, hanging slightly open in concentration. He held in a breath.

"How’s your essay going?"

You gazed between the two of his eyes, almost zoning out. You replied tiredly, “Alright. I’m stuck on this one part though.”

"What is it?"

You  rolled your shoulders, “I have to give an example of one of the perspectives of Time.”

Kyungsoo hummed in understanding, yet remained quiet. You continued to stare at him, although, by now, you found yourself unable to clearly grasp what exactly it was your eyes fell upon. Your mind wandered elsewhere, dwelling on little thoughts of nothingness, skipping between ideas transiently.  Every now and then, you would return to the present, your mind suddenly wrapping itself around the image of one of Kyungsoo’s features. His ivory skin, his burgundy curls, his full, pillow lips. You mused over his countenance, unconsciously chewing upon your lip, until his voice brought your out of your thoughts.

"I’ll love you, dear, I’ll love you.
 Till China and Africa meet.
And the river jumps over the mountain,
And the salmon sing in the street.
I’ll love you till the ocean, is folded and hung up to dry.
And the seven stars go squawking, like geese about the sky.
The years shall run like rabbits,
For in my arms I hold the Flower of the Ages
And the first love of the world.”

You blinked, your face tainting crimson as you stuttered, “W-what?!”

Kyungsoo grinned as a look of realization dawned upon your face. You grimaced, glaring up at him. “That didn’t count!”

He laughed, the sound deep and rich to your ears. “You lose, _______-ah.”

"That’s hardly fair! I zoned out!" You felt your cheeks burn hotter as you looked away, "How can you expect me to keep a straight face when you say something like that anyways?"

Kyungsoo bit his lip, fighting back a smile as he watched you fidget nervously. “I was just trying to help you.”

You scoffed.

"It was a verse from the poem, _______-ah. The perspective about Time. I was trying to help.”

You sighed heavily, pressing your hands against your cheeks, hoping the cold touch of your fingers might hide your blush. “Whatever. You win. We’ll watch Jumanji.”

Kyungsoo sighed, watching as you searched for your notebook, your lips protruding in a bitter pout. He took a hold of your hand, lacing his fingers between his own. You kept your eyes down, avoiding those cocoa colored orbs you would surely fall victim to, were you to meet his gaze. He called your name, his voice soothing and gentle as his touch.

”________-ah.” he leaned in closer, “It was just a game. You don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to.”

You glanced up at him before looking away towards the wall. “Fine. I’ll watch Jumanji tonight if we go the bakery after.” 

He took ahold of your other hand, resting his forehead against your own. You closed your eyes, feeling his breath, soft and warm against your cheek. He stared at your lips, tinged red as you bit down upon them and smiled childishly. “Fine.”

Kyungsoo leaned in closer and closed the gap between the both of you, gently molding his lips to yours. You held in a breath, your heart palpitating as he let go of your lips, only to return to their embrace a moment later, as if unable to keep away. His arms slid around your waist, pulling you into his chest. It was only once your lungs felt as if they would disintegrate that you pulled away.  The boy held you within his arms, brushing your hair behind you ear as he met your eyes, smiling to himself  upon noticing the rosy pink shade of your cheeks. You cleared your throat, looking away timidly.

"So," you mumbled, your lips still burning from the warmth of his touch, "When are we going?"

He smiled, biting his lip.

"As soon as you finish your essay."