(( A/N A few hours early, but of well ^^ I'm hoping that seeing this get views will pull me out of my writer's block spell.

How's everyone liking the story so far? I know it's really slow at first, but things should start to pick up in a few chapters.

If any of you have any requests, like something you wanna see a pairing do for a date, something you've got a thing for someone having as a kink, please feel free to say something! Either on here via pm or comment or send an ask here :3 ))

Chapter Five:
Delicately Complex

Junmyeon took a deep breath, holding it as Kyuhyun walked beside him up to the teacher’s desk, each setting a thin stack of papers on it before starting towards their desks.

“I hope she just grades us on the fact that we turned something in.” Junmyeon said with the held breath, looking at the other. “I had no idea what we were supposed to be-“ His comment was cut off when his shoulder bag collided with the arm of a blond, his chin being knocked from where it had been resting in his palm. Junmyeon looked at him as the other looked up at him and he stopped walking. “S-sorry. I wasn’t paying attention.” He said and the other gave him a small smile, the dazed look leaving his eyes.

“I wasn’t either.” He replied and Junmyeon stared back at him until Kyuhyun tugged his arm and they started for their desks again.

“You were saying?” Kyuhyun prompted.

“Right. I didn’t have a clue as to what we were supposed to do. I could never understand poetry.” Junmyeon said, taking his seat.

“I can’t help you there, I’m not good at this either. Why are you an English major again?” Kyuhyun laughed and Junmyeon shook his head as class began.

A confusing hour and a half later Junmyeon was packing his things and following Kyuhyun towards the door, managing to not bump into the other blond this time.

“Junmyeon” Called the teacher and he stopped, looking back to where she sat at her desk. “Can I talk to you for a minute?” Junmyeon cringed a little, and then nodded.

“Want me to stay back?” Kyuhyun asked and Junmyeon shook his head.

“No, go on. I’ll meet you in the library after.” He replied and Kyuhyun left the classroom. Junmyeon took a slow breath, tentatively stepping up to her desk.

“About the assignment you turned in…” she trailed off, sifting through the pile of assignments for the one that had his name on it. “Did you not understand the instructions? I thought they were clear enough.” Junmyeon shifted his weight to the other foot as she looked up at him.

“I haven’t been able to… really understand any of the instructions that you’ve given us.” He admitted. She frowned, her eyebrows knitting together.

“So rather than asking for help, you’ve been working on assignments while completely confused for the near month since this quarter started?” She asked and Junmyeon sheepishly nodded, his stomach knotting up when she let out a sigh.

“K-kyuhyun has been trying to help me with what I don’t understand.” The teacher looked up at him, a faint smile in her eyes.

“I would suggest not following his advice. He’s close to having this very conversation himself.” She mused, looking down at his assignment, falling silent for a few moments. She looked back up and past Junmyeon, towards the door.

“Yixing,” Junmyeon followed her gaze, seeing the blond he had bumped into stop in the doorway and looked back at them. Their teacher waved him over and he smiled at them as he did. “This is Zhang Yixing. He’s going to tutor you and make sure you understand the assignments. I would hate to have to fail you and make you retake this class for your degree.” She said, meeting Junmyeon’s gaze before she turned her attention to Yixing. “Please prove to me he isn’t hopeless.” She said and Junmyeon frowned. Useless seemed harsh, didn’t it? Yixing nodded, looking to Junmyeon.

“I have a class in a few minutes, if you’re free after four we could meet somewhere.” He said, his voice higher than Junmyeon was expecting, and he nodded.

“I should be in the library still at four.” He said and Yixing pulled out his mobile, holding it out for Junmyeon after a few moments of messing with it.

“Mind if we trade numbers? I can text you and see where in the library you would like to meet.” Yixing suggested and Junmyeon took the offered phone, typing in his name and number before handing it back to him. Yixing messed with it once more and Junmyeon felt his own mobile vibrate in his bag. “I’ll talk to you in a bit.” Yixing said, offering another smile before he left the classroom, Junmyeon not far behind him.

“Wait.” Kyuhyun started, holding his hands up. “So you’re telling me that the space-cadet from our class is now your tutor?” He asked.

“That’s what she said.”

“So basically you so much that someone who doesn’t pay attention does a better job on the assignments than you do?” Kyuhyun continued, snickering and receiving an eye roll from the blond.

“I wouldn’t be laughing if I were you. She told me to stop listening to your advice when it comes to the assignments.” He stated, opening his chemistry book, starting the homework he had been assigned earlier that day.

Junmyeon had switched between his chemistry homework and math and back to chemistry by the time his mobile buzzed again and he finished balancing the equation he was on before he picked it up. Unlocking it he selected his message line, reading over the text.
 

Unknown: This is Yixing (14:24)
Unknown: I’m in the library. Where are you at? (16:07)
 

He sent a reply saying he was on the second floor in one of the study rooms, then added the other to his contacts. He heard a knock on the door a few minutes later and looked up to see Yixing open the door and Kyuhyun started to gather his books. Junmyeon looked to him and rose an eyebrow.

“I put him in your able hands.” Kyuhyun said, smiling at Yixing before he left the pair in the study room and Yixing took Kyuhyun’s seat across from Junmyeon.

“So, what do you not understand?” Yixing asked, pulling out the assigned book.

“It’s too flowery.” Junmyeon relied, opening his own book. “I don’t understand what kind of image they’re trying to put into my mind.” He explained, looking at Yixing’s book to open to the same page.
 

They continued like this, meeting twice a week after what Junmyeon learned to be Yixing's piano class for three weeks without much of a change.

Junmyeon had a fist full of his own hair as he stared down at the passage on the latest assigned page. Weren’t short poems supposed to be easier? His fist tightened and he was surprised to feel a hand on his wrist, giving a light pull. He released his hair, lifting his head to look at the other. Apparently Yixing had moved from across the table, where he usually sat, to beside Junmyeon while he had been glaring at the words on the page until they burred.

“Let’s take it slowly, okay?” Yixing asked and Junmyeon leaned back in his chair with a sigh and a nod. Yixing offered a smile, which Junmyeon had come to learn was the one he gave to try to encourage someone, and then looked over the poem. Junmyeon watched the other, the way his lips moved as he silently read the poem before looking up at Junmyeon again.

“What part is making it hard for you to understand?” He asked and Junmyeon looked back at the poem.

“All of it. I don’t get what the author is even talking about. And I’m pretty sure they used the wrong word here.” He added, pointing to the second line. “Soul symbol?  Think it would make more sense as sole symbol, meaning the only symbol, wouldn’t it?” he frowned, looking to Yixing who was reading over the lines again.

“I think the author means it’s the symbol of their soul.” He stated. “The rest of the poem goes into saying they don’t feel worthy of the vague praise they receive by someone they think the highest of. That is also present in the opening line, saying they don’t deserve whatever the symbol is, and later say it’s a symbol of their faith.” Junmyeon nodded when Yixing peaked up to see if he was following the explanation.

“Okay, so it’s like a cross?” Yixing nodded, his smile reaching his eyes.

“A cross is a good example, and I would agree that’s what they’re talking about.” He said, looking back to the poem. “What are they expressing about this ‘cross’?” He asked. Junmyeon read the next four lines several times.

“They don’t feel… Like it’s something they should have?” Junmyeon said slowly, watching Yixing’s face closely for hints that he was completely off the mark. For once he didn’t see any.

“Right.” Yixing said, nodding. “If you look at the next few passages, the author doesn’t agree with the positive way someone talks about them. It’s probably safe to assume they don’t think highly of themselves. They talk about someone comparing them to a diamond, and then describe themselves as a broken mirror.” He explained, pointing to the lines he was talking about as he spoke.

“But what does that have to do with a cross?” Junmyeon asked and Yixing smiled, shaking his head.

“It’s likely that the cross was given to the author by the person who is calling them a diamond.” He said. “But they don’t agree with being called a diamond because diamonds have value, where a broken mirror is believed to be bad luck and of no value.” Junmyeon felt his head start to throb.

“So they don’t think they’re worth a cross because they don’t think that they have any value?” Yixing straightened his eyes lighting up.

“Yes!” Junmyeon rested his face into his hands heaving a sigh.

“Then why didn’t they just say that in the first place?” He groaned and Yixing laughed.

“Because then the poem wouldn’t really be much of a poem, just a statement of low self-esteem.” He said, the words barely passing his lips before his phone began to ring. He turned his attention to it, picking it up and answering the call. Junmyeon wasn’t exactly able to catch what Yixing said as the other slipped into Mandarin for the duration of the call- but his expression showed that it wasn’t good news. The called ended and Yixing’s smile returned, though it seemed forced this time.

“I have to cut our study session short today. I hope that’s alright.” He said, closing his book.

“No problem. I was about done with this for today anyway." Junmyeon offered a small smile of his own, and Yixing stood, gathering his notebook and text book, slipping them into his back pack. He offered his thanks before he hurried from the study room and Junmyeon watched after him for a few moments before he gathered his own things and headed to his apartment.

“Maybe his mom got hurt.” Kyuhyun mused after Junmyeon had told him what happened on the way to poetry two days later, and the blond shook his head.

“Don’t even joke about that.” He said, feeling some relief when they entered the class and Yixing was at his desk, the zoned out expression on his face as usual. He sat beside Yixing, having forced Kyuhyun to join him in moving to Yixing’s table in the front row from the one in the back that the other preferred- ignoring the other’s attempts to change Junmyeon’s mind every class. Yixing snapped back into reality when Junmyeon say beside him and he looked to the pair with his usual smile. Junmyeon offered one of his own, and the class passed quicker than it had before he and Yixing had started their study sessions together.

A few hours later the pair of blonds were in the study room as usual, about an hour into their study session before Junmyeon remembered how the last had gone. He looked over at Yixing, who had taken the spot next to him again, but from the start of the session this time.

“Hey Yixing,” He started and the other met his gaze. “Last time you left in a hurry all of a sudden. Is everything okay?” He asked and Yixing gave a slow nod, looking back down at his book.

“Yeah… My roommate just got expelled so I had to get started on packing up my things and apartment hunting, since I can’t afford the rent where I’m at right now on my own.” Yixing replied as if it was nothing. When Junmyeon fell silent he looked up and saw the other’s wide eyed expression.

“Your roommate got expelled?” Junmyeon asked and Yixing nodded. “For what?”

“Drug possession on campus.” Junmyeon stared at him for a long moment and Yixing shook his head. “I can assure you I didn’t have anything to do with it. I knew he had it, but never thought he would get caught.” Junmyeon shook his head, trying to get rid of the shock.

“So you’re trying to find somewhere to you rent that you can afford?” He asked and Yixing nodded.

“It’s not as easy as I was hoping, but then again it was hard enough paying rent and food at the apartments that offer a discount to students that attend here.” Yixing mused.

“Why don’t you move in with me?” The words left his mouth and Yixing was giving him a mildly surprised and confused look before he realized what he had just said. “I-I mean until you find somewhere to can move into. My apartment’s big enough for you to stay until you find a new place, and rent won’t be a problem.” Junmyeon said, trying to make his comment sound less weird as he looked anywhere but at Yixing.

“You feel it too, huh?”

Junmyeon finally turned his attention back to Yixing, met with an expression he hadn’t seen before. The other’s eyes were soft as a smile danced across his lips, the closest expression he could think to label it as was affection and even then that didn’t feel right. Not with the way he felt pulled towards the other, how he could tell the other was about to open the door to the study room even without hearing any sound that would give the other away.

He replied with a single nod, returning Yixing’s smile.


 

(( I absolutely loved writing this chapter, I dunno why, but I did x3 I hope you all liked it~ Till next time ^^ ))