A Learning Process [4/?]
Title: A Learning Process
Pairing: Yunho/Jaejoong
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, Humor
Summary: Jung Yunho was supposed to be the mysterious, indifferent, student council president. While he’d never stolen any minute of Kim Jaejoong’s attention before, he certainly was now.
Jaejoong pushed open the door to the principal’s office and coughed, immediately catching the attention of the principal’s assistant. He approached her and presented his excuse letter to her.
“It’s called a half day.” Jaejoong muttered rudely as he took note of the suspicious look on the face of the principal’s assistant. He sneezed, “I’m rather sick you see.”
The older woman took his excuse letter from his hand and ignored his rudeness, excusing it as just another Kim Jaejoong-ism. It wasn’t new behaviour after all. “I’m just surprised you still bothered to show up for school.”
“I’m reformed,” Jaejoong replied with a fake smile and an overly saccharine bubbly twinge to his voice, “I love school!”
“Save the lies for someone who wants to hear them Kim.” The elderly woman replied as soon as she finished his excuse slip. She handed the slip to him, “I’m going to be calling your mother later, this -“
“Is not forged -“ Jaejoong sneezed again, and he accepted the tissue the woman handed to him, “A little trust from you people would be appreciated. Just because I gave you a forged letter once or twice -“
“Try thirteen times last year.”
“Fine, thirteen times, it doesn’t mean the one I just gave you isn’t the genuine thing.” He sighed and tossed the tissue into the wastebasket next to his foot. Jaejoong glanced down at the woman’s desk, “Mind if I have some hand sanitizer? I have a date later.”
She picked up the dispenser and squirted some onto his palms, “You, a date? Somehow I doubt that.”
Jaejoong rubbed his hands together, “You don’t believe me?” he asked, “I’m hurt, again. I thought you at least believed in my ability to charm.”
“I’ve learned not to believe in the words that escape that mouth of yours.” The principal’s assistant replied with a smile as she placed the hand sanitizer back where it was originally, “Anyway, run along. It’s time for you to back to class. You might as well learn while you’re here.”
“Will do.”
He turned away, pocketed the slip and began to make for the door. As soon as he had his hand on the door knob, he looked back with a smile on his face, “Wish me luck? I’m hoping for a kiss later.”
She laughed and shook her head, “Good luck.” The elder woman smiled, “Make sure to attend your afternoon meeting with Yunho before you run off to that date of yours.”
Jaejoong smiled mischievously.
“Oh trust me - I definitely plan on attending my meeting with Yunho.”
o-o-o
As Jaejoong walked closer to the student council room, he could feel the faint symptoms of his fever returning. In fact - he wasn’t quite sure why he’d decided to ask his mother to let him go to school. He usually enjoyed any opportunity to stay home.
Unfortunately, it seemed like he was more attached to the student council president than he liked - the idea of missing one of their afternoon sessions had been enough to get his lethargic self out of bed.
Then a group text from a nosy classmate about Yunho and Ara being seen together during lunch had been enough to send him running out of his room to ask his mother for an excuse letter for his absence.
He gripped onto the door knob and coughed, covering his mouth with his other hand. The faint twinges of a headache were coming on, and he could feel a slight increase in his body temperature.
Well, he was already there anyway - there was no point going back home since the only reason he’d gone to school was to see Yunho in the first place.
When he opened the door, he let out a small sight of relief. Changmin wasn’t around. He smiled happily - the gods were smiling down on him for a change. It made him feel a whole lot better.
Yunho lifted his head, “You’re here? I thought you were absent.” He said with a frown as he scrutinized Jaejoong from his seat. “I asked Yoochun personally.”
“Did you miss me that much?” Jaejoong asked flirtatiously as he leaned against the doorway, not just in an attempt to look suave, but also because his legs were feeling unsteady.
The other student rolled his eyes, “No, it’s because Changmin was looking for you. He’s determined to punish you for ditching him last Friday.”
“Where is the lovely vice president?”
“Off on errands.” Yunho replied with a shrug, “It’s boring to explain. I don’t think you’d be interested in hearing about -“ he stopped mid-sentence and stared at Jaejoong. “You don’t look so good.”
Jaejoong ran a hand through his hair and chuckled nervously, “I’m fine.” He left the doorway and sat down. “I’m just tired.” He coughed, longer than he would’ve liked, and when he looked back up, Yunho’s eyes were still fixated on him.
“Why were you missing for most of the day?” the other asked, gaze unblinking and unbearably penetrating.
“You know...the uh, usual.” Jaejoong offered awkwardly, hoping that Yunho wouldn’t ask any more questions and would just let him sleep. “I didn’t really like feeling coming to school so -“
“So why did you come?”
A bead of sweat rolled down, and he laughed nervously, “What’s this? An interrogation? Aren’t you always complaining about how I ask too many questions? I could say the same for you right now.”
“I’m sorry.” Yunho shrugged, “I guess you’re right. I’ve been asking too many questions. Well, as long as you’re here, I suppose Mr. Kim will be pleased. You do know our afternoon sessions are going to end soon, right?”
“Yeah -“ Jaejoong held onto his forehead, his head was throbbing. He nodded furiously and averted his eyes, “I’m kind of tired so -“
“Oh, right. You can sleep.”
“Okay.”
Yunho gave him one last look before he looked away and began to return to his paperwork. Jaejoong let out a quiet sigh of relief and massaged his forehead for a few seconds. Barely a few seconds after he’d laid his head on the desk, he was unconscious and snoring softly.
o-o-o
Jaejoong awoke with a jolt, the feeling of Yunho’s hand pressing against his forehead startling him out of his slumber.
“You’re sick.” Yunho assessed after he’d withdrawn his hand and began to make his way across the room to get his bag, “Get up, we’re going to the clinic. You’re too warm. I don’t want you to die on your way home.”
“It’s nice to know you care that much.”
“You should be happy I care at all.” Yunho replied as soon as he’d made his way back. He picked up Jaejoong’s bag and ushered the other student out of the student council room so that he could lock the door.
Jaejoong took his bag away from Yunho, and they began to make their way to the clinic. His head was throbbing, and he wanted nothing more but to get back in his bed. It’d been a stupid idea to rush to school - and once again, he was paying the consequences for being so impulsive.
He glanced at Yunho out of the corner of his eye and bit his lip. He couldn’t think of anything witty to say to the other student despite the fact he’d been born with natural charm and a way with words. His head hurt too much, and the irritating fluttering in his stomach was making it harder than usual to think of something interesting to say.
“You should be sick more often,” Yunho commented as they approached the clinic. He glanced at Jaejoong, “I think I like you better when you’re silent.”
“How funny.” Jaejoong muttered before he pushed past Yunho and attempted to push the clinic door open. It refused to budge, and he sighed loudly and pressed his head against the glass. “Fuck my life.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m going home.”
Jaejoong walked away and as soon as he got out of the main building, it began to rain. He resisted the urge to shout at the heavens for being so cruel to him and ran to the closest means of shelter.
He shut his eyes and breathed slowly. He patted his pocket for his phone - he could after all, just call one of his sisters for a ride home.
He patted his pocket agan.
Fuck. He didn’t have it.
“Fucking -“
“Where do you live?”
Jaejoong’s eyes fluttered open, and he stared at Yunho in surprise. The taller student was standing right in front of him and under the rain, umbrella held in his hand and protecting him from what had become a steady downpour of rain.
“I -“
“I can’t let you walk home in the rain.” Yunho muttered, “It wouldn’t be right. Besides, it’s my fault for letting you stay late in school anyway. Come on, I’ll walk you home and I’ll buy you medicine on the way.”
“How will I repay this act of charity?” Jaejoong asked, his throat irritatingly dry and sore. He couldn’t even attempt to sound anything other than how tired he felt. “I don’t feel like spending more afternoons with you.”
“Since it’s charity.” Yunho replied, “You won’t have to pay me back. Now come on, I have to get home sometime too.”
Jaejoong complied and approached Yunho, taking shelter underneath the transparent umbrella. There was barely enough space for the two of them, but it was better than walking miserably underneath the steady downpour of rain.
He felt cold, miserable, and stupid. Jaejoong kept his gaze on the cement as they made their way to the drugstore closest to his house - he didn’t have anything to say, and it wasn’t like Yunho was making any effort to start up some sort of conversation.
Jaejoong sighed quietly to himself as he did his best to ignore the throbbing pain in his head so that he could sort through his jumbled thoughts. He couldn’t believe he went to school just to find out if Yunho really had spent his lunch period with Ara.
He was pathetic and he didn’t even know why he was acting so -
Realization dawned upon him, and Jaejoong stopped walking. Yunho took a few steps forward until he noticed Jaejoong had stopped. He quickly jogged back and placed the umbrella back over Jaejoong’s head.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
Shit.
He liked Yunho.
Jaejoong lifted his eyes of the sidewalk, and he met Yunho’s gaze. He shook his head and shrugged, “Nothing, I just felt dizzy.” He lied, quickly averting his eyes. “You don’t have to bring me to a drugstore; we’re almost at my house.”
“Are you -“
Before Yunho could get another word out, Jaejoong had already pressed his lips against the taller boy’s. The angle was awkward, and the movement was rushed, but Jaejoong didn’t care. It was an impulsive action, and they were in the middle of the sidewalk - anyone from their school could see them in plain day, but he just had to know.
He had to make sure it wasn’t his fever that was messing with his thoughts. He needed to ensure that it was his feelings that caused the fluttering in his stomach, the palpitations in his chest, and the constant blushing.
As soon as he pulled away, he was sure.
He liked Yunho.
“What was that?” Yunho questioned as he looked around. He had a deep frown on his face, but the expression softened after he was sure that no one had been around to see the kiss. “How much medicine have you been taking?”
“A lot.” Jaejoong replied honestly with a shrug, “I took a few pills before I left the house this morning, took a few more as soon as I got to school and -“ he stopped talking and glanced up at Yunho’s face, “I should go now. It’s not raining anymore.”
“Hey, wait -“
“Bye.”
Jaejoong crossed the street and slipped into one of the side alleys, easily escaping Yunho and the gravity of his feelings.
o-o-o
He and Yoochun were sitting outside on the balcony, the space becoming their own little world and escape from the party thrower’s irritating choice of music. Jaejoong sighed and leaned back, “I have something to tell you.”
Yoochun glanced at his friend, “What is it?”
Jaejoong looked around to make sure no one was around before he leaned closer to whisper into Yoochun’s ear, “I think I like Yunho.”
“Fuck - are you serious?” Yoochun asked, pulling away from Jaejoong, his eyes widened in shock. “Jaejoong, I...I didn’t know he was your type.” He frowned, “I didn’t think he was your type at all.”
“I know, and he isn’t.” Jaejoong muttered as he lied down flat on his back, arms outstretched. He stared up at the starry sky, “Well, actually no, he is. He’s quite good looking if you haven’t noticed -“
Yoochun laughed, “God, I thought you said he wasn’t interesting? Besides, isn’t he dating -“
Jaejoong sat up abruptly, “No, he’s not dating her! I swear, if I hear another person mention her name, I’m going to -“
“Sound even more jealous than you do now?” Yoochun questioned with an eyebrow arched in amusement, “You’re getting quite worked up about this. I guess you do like him somewhat.”
“You...suck.” Jaejoong finished lamely before he fell back onto the balcony tiles, “I think I want another drink. I don’t like talking about how pathetic I am.”
“You can have mine. I have a few more questions to ask you.” Yoochun handed Jaejoong his drink and glanced down at him, “First, when did you realize that you had feelings for Yunho?”
“Yesterday.”
“Yesterday? You mean the day you were practically high on flu medicine? Are you sure you like him Jaejoong? It could’ve just been the medicine talking.”
“I kissed him, I’m sure of it.”
“You what? Jaejoong -“
“I had to know!”
“You don’t just go around kissing people!”
“He does it all the time! Why can’t I?”
“He does what? Jaejoong, what haven’t you been telling me? I thought I was your soulmate! You don’t just go around not telling important things to your soulmate!” Yoochun pouted, “I’m hurt, so just because you like Jung now, you’re going to start ignoring me?”
“I’m sorry.”
Yoochun chuckled, “Whatever, it’s fine. I know now. So, what has been going on between you and the infamously cold student council president?”
Jaejoong thought for a moment, trying to think of the best way to start telling his best friend about his bizarre and complicated relationship with Yunho.
“Well, he ravished me against a bulletin board -“
“What?”
o-o-o
Yunho sneezed loudly, and Changmin immediately handed him a box of tissue. Jaejoong watched them guiltily out of the corner of his eye - he was fairly sure that it was his fault that Yunho had started to show signs of illness.
“This is all your fault!” Changmin said loudly, “If you hadn’t bothered to show up to school on Friday then -“
“Why are you blaming me? He could’ve caught the cold from -“
“Well, he was forced to spend time with you in this enclosed space! I highly doubt that he caught it from me since I’ve been perfectly healthy -“
“How do you know he didn’t catch it from someone on the street? I’m not the only person in Seoul with a -“
“Well you know what -“
“You’re so -“
Yunho coughed, “Would you two shut up?” he snapped irritably before he pulled another tissue from the box and began to blow his nose, “You two have been fighting for the past hour and -“
“I’m sorry Yunho.” Changmim apologized before he glared at Jaejoong, “But it’s not my fault that -“
“Why do you keep accusing me of -“
“Both of you stop it!” Yunho held up a hand to his forehead, “I can’t think with both of you arguing like this.” He shook his head and sighed, obviously displeased with his outburst of emotions, “Changmin, could you please get me water?”
“Okay.”
The vice president left the room, making sure to shove past Jaejoong on the way out, leaving only the two of them inside. Jaejoong huffed and brushed his bangs to the side before he made his way to Yunho and sat down.
He watched Yunho scribble on the paper for a few moments before he leaned in and propped his elbow on the table so that he could casually lean against the palm of his hand. “Thank you for last week.”
Yunho didn’t look up, “I didn’t do anything.”
“Well, you brought me -“
It was at this point that Yunho finally lifted his eyes off the paper and met Jaejoong’s gaze. “Why’d you run away?” he asked, “You just bolted.” He stared at the other for a bit longer before he returned his gaze down to the paper, “It seemed like uncharacteristic behaviour for you.”
“I...” Jaejoong tried to think of a lie, “I wasn’t feeling well you know, so I had to get home. I didn’t want to end up fainting on the sidewalk or throwing up on you, so I decided to get home as quickly as possible.”
Yunho stared at him for a bit longer, “Fine.” He pulled away from Jaejoong and sneezed. He muttered a few curses and accepted the tissue the other handed him, “Well, you owe me now -“
“I’m sorry.” Jaejoong muttered as he pulled back so that it would be easier to resist the urge to brush aside a lock of hair on Yunho’s face. “It’s my fault you’re sick, isn’t it?”
“Of course it is.” Yunho snapped as he pulled tissues out of the box, “It’s not like I’ve been kissing anyone else, and the people I hang out with are all healthy, so you’re the obvious cause for my current state.”
Jaejoong pouted, “Don’t be mean.” He perked up considerably when he realized what Yunho had just said. “You haven’t been kissing anyone else?”
Yunho stared at him disbelievingly, “What do you think of me?”
“I don’t know.” Jaejoong nudged him, “So do you like kissing me?” he pointed at his lips proudly, “People say my lips are one of my best features -“
“Kissing you is the reason I’m sick,” Yunho interrupted, “You do realize that, right?”
Jaejoong nodded, “Yes, and when you’re better, feel free to kiss me again.” He laughed and leaned against the palm of his hand, “Are you going to miss me tomorrow?”
Yunho sneezed, “Probably not.”
“Not even a bit?”
“I doubt it.” Yunho placed the papers inside a folder and looked up at Jaejoong, “I still want to know why you ran away from me last Friday.”
“I told you, I wasn’t feeling well. Besides, you ran away from me before. Why aren’t I allowed to make a tactical retreat once in awhile?”
“You’re too forward for tactical retreats.”
“If I told you I felt like throwing up after the kiss, would you stop asking questions?”
Yunho frowned, “I’d feel insulted.”
“Why?” Jaejoong mulled over his words until he’d realized the other meaning. He laughed and smiled, “I’m sorry. Kissing you doesn’t disgust me. As soon as you’re better, I’ll be sure to -“
“No thanks.”
“You liked it - I’m sure you did!” Jaejoong argued, “You know, a romantic kiss underneath an umbrella with the steady downpour of rain as the background music. It’s perfect and -“
“You felt like throwing up afterwards.”
“Not because of you!”
Yunho shook his head in mock disappointment, but Jaejoong could see the amused smile that had crept across the other’s face. Yunho sneezed, and he handed him a tissue from the box.
Changmin came inside and frowned.
“You should stay away from him.” He muttered as he approached the two of them. He handed Yunho the water bottle and glanced at Jaejoong, “I don’t want you infecting Yunho any further.”
“With what? I’m not sick anymore. What would I infect him with?”
“Your stupidity.”
o-o-o
Changmin left the room first, leaving Yunho and Jaejoong in the room together. Yunho began packing his things, and Jaejoong did so as well. As soon as they had both finished preparing their stuff, they left the room together.
Jaejoong watched as Yunho locked the door. “Make sure you get a lot of rest tomorrow. I don’t want to spend more than one afternoon session with Changmin.”
“Don’t worry about me.” Yunho replied as he turned away from the door and faced Jaejoong, “I’ll be fine. Just make sure you get along with Changmin tomorrow, and don’t ditch him again.”
“I’ll try not to.” Jaejoong shifted and ran a hand through his hair, “Well, I guess I should go now. I’ll see you on...Wednesday?”
“Yeah, Wednesday.”
“Okay.”
They stared at each other for a bit longer, and Jaejoong bit his lip. He averted his gaze but quickly returned his attention back to Yunho. “Well, are you walking home today?”
“Yeah.”
“Me too.”
“Do you have an umbrella this time?”
“Yes.” Jaejoong pulled out the small umbrella from his bag, but it got caught on a strap and fell to the ground. They both reached for it, but Yunho was quicker and picked it up off the floor before Jaejoong could.
He handed it to Jaejoong, and their fingers brushed against each other. A blush rose to his cheeks, and the familiar stirrings came about, but the feelings were not unwelcome or bothersome.
Jaejoong took his eyes off the object and confidently met Yunho’s gaze. He could do this - his feelings were easy enough to manage. A smile flittered across his face as he thanked Yunho.
He wouldn’t run away again.
< >
Author’s Note: I’ve finally managed to write something after a long bout with writer’s block, I’m not so confident about it seeing as I haven’t written in quite a bit. This is well, an important chapter. The first time I wrote it, it ended up kind of dramatic on Jaejoong’s part, and I didn’t like it at all, so I ended up rewriting most of it. I think this story’s progressing at a good enough pace, and I hope you all feel the same. I couldn’t let Jaejoong do the whole, ‘What am I feeling? Do I like him?’ act since to be honest, I tend to get irritated with those kind of developments and because Jaejoong’s characterization here has him as a quick thinker and he’s often quite sure of what he feels, not to mention unafraid to act on those feelings. Not as much Changmin here, a bit of Yoochun, and...I’m still thinking of when Junsu can pop in. XD It’s raining in this chapter since it’s been raining a lot over here, so I decided to incorporate that into the story. ^__^ I hope you all liked the chapter, and please do comment! I enjoy comments greatly, and if you have the time, please do check out my other stories - I updated For You last week, just in case any of you didn’t get to see it since LJ was quite chaotic during that time. I also tweaked my introductory post a bit, so if you’re interested in finding out more about me, feel free to check it out. ^__^ Once again, thank you for reading! :)
Pairing: Yunho/Jaejoong
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, Humor
Summary: Jung Yunho was supposed to be the mysterious, indifferent, student council president. While he’d never stolen any minute of Kim Jaejoong’s attention before, he certainly was now.
Jaejoong pushed open the door to the principal’s office and coughed, immediately catching the attention of the principal’s assistant. He approached her and presented his excuse letter to her.
“It’s called a half day.” Jaejoong muttered rudely as he took note of the suspicious look on the face of the principal’s assistant. He sneezed, “I’m rather sick you see.”
The older woman took his excuse letter from his hand and ignored his rudeness, excusing it as just another Kim Jaejoong-ism. It wasn’t new behaviour after all. “I’m just surprised you still bothered to show up for school.”
“I’m reformed,” Jaejoong replied with a fake smile and an overly saccharine bubbly twinge to his voice, “I love school!”
“Save the lies for someone who wants to hear them Kim.” The elderly woman replied as soon as she finished his excuse slip. She handed the slip to him, “I’m going to be calling your mother later, this -“
“Is not forged -“ Jaejoong sneezed again, and he accepted the tissue the woman handed to him, “A little trust from you people would be appreciated. Just because I gave you a forged letter once or twice -“
“Try thirteen times last year.”
“Fine, thirteen times, it doesn’t mean the one I just gave you isn’t the genuine thing.” He sighed and tossed the tissue into the wastebasket next to his foot. Jaejoong glanced down at the woman’s desk, “Mind if I have some hand sanitizer? I have a date later.”
She picked up the dispenser and squirted some onto his palms, “You, a date? Somehow I doubt that.”
Jaejoong rubbed his hands together, “You don’t believe me?” he asked, “I’m hurt, again. I thought you at least believed in my ability to charm.”
“I’ve learned not to believe in the words that escape that mouth of yours.” The principal’s assistant replied with a smile as she placed the hand sanitizer back where it was originally, “Anyway, run along. It’s time for you to back to class. You might as well learn while you’re here.”
“Will do.”
He turned away, pocketed the slip and began to make for the door. As soon as he had his hand on the door knob, he looked back with a smile on his face, “Wish me luck? I’m hoping for a kiss later.”
She laughed and shook her head, “Good luck.” The elder woman smiled, “Make sure to attend your afternoon meeting with Yunho before you run off to that date of yours.”
Jaejoong smiled mischievously.
“Oh trust me - I definitely plan on attending my meeting with Yunho.”
o-o-o
As Jaejoong walked closer to the student council room, he could feel the faint symptoms of his fever returning. In fact - he wasn’t quite sure why he’d decided to ask his mother to let him go to school. He usually enjoyed any opportunity to stay home.
Unfortunately, it seemed like he was more attached to the student council president than he liked - the idea of missing one of their afternoon sessions had been enough to get his lethargic self out of bed.
Then a group text from a nosy classmate about Yunho and Ara being seen together during lunch had been enough to send him running out of his room to ask his mother for an excuse letter for his absence.
He gripped onto the door knob and coughed, covering his mouth with his other hand. The faint twinges of a headache were coming on, and he could feel a slight increase in his body temperature.
Well, he was already there anyway - there was no point going back home since the only reason he’d gone to school was to see Yunho in the first place.
When he opened the door, he let out a small sight of relief. Changmin wasn’t around. He smiled happily - the gods were smiling down on him for a change. It made him feel a whole lot better.
Yunho lifted his head, “You’re here? I thought you were absent.” He said with a frown as he scrutinized Jaejoong from his seat. “I asked Yoochun personally.”
“Did you miss me that much?” Jaejoong asked flirtatiously as he leaned against the doorway, not just in an attempt to look suave, but also because his legs were feeling unsteady.
The other student rolled his eyes, “No, it’s because Changmin was looking for you. He’s determined to punish you for ditching him last Friday.”
“Where is the lovely vice president?”
“Off on errands.” Yunho replied with a shrug, “It’s boring to explain. I don’t think you’d be interested in hearing about -“ he stopped mid-sentence and stared at Jaejoong. “You don’t look so good.”
Jaejoong ran a hand through his hair and chuckled nervously, “I’m fine.” He left the doorway and sat down. “I’m just tired.” He coughed, longer than he would’ve liked, and when he looked back up, Yunho’s eyes were still fixated on him.
“Why were you missing for most of the day?” the other asked, gaze unblinking and unbearably penetrating.
“You know...the uh, usual.” Jaejoong offered awkwardly, hoping that Yunho wouldn’t ask any more questions and would just let him sleep. “I didn’t really like feeling coming to school so -“
“So why did you come?”
A bead of sweat rolled down, and he laughed nervously, “What’s this? An interrogation? Aren’t you always complaining about how I ask too many questions? I could say the same for you right now.”
“I’m sorry.” Yunho shrugged, “I guess you’re right. I’ve been asking too many questions. Well, as long as you’re here, I suppose Mr. Kim will be pleased. You do know our afternoon sessions are going to end soon, right?”
“Yeah -“ Jaejoong held onto his forehead, his head was throbbing. He nodded furiously and averted his eyes, “I’m kind of tired so -“
“Oh, right. You can sleep.”
“Okay.”
Yunho gave him one last look before he looked away and began to return to his paperwork. Jaejoong let out a quiet sigh of relief and massaged his forehead for a few seconds. Barely a few seconds after he’d laid his head on the desk, he was unconscious and snoring softly.
o-o-o
Jaejoong awoke with a jolt, the feeling of Yunho’s hand pressing against his forehead startling him out of his slumber.
“You’re sick.” Yunho assessed after he’d withdrawn his hand and began to make his way across the room to get his bag, “Get up, we’re going to the clinic. You’re too warm. I don’t want you to die on your way home.”
“It’s nice to know you care that much.”
“You should be happy I care at all.” Yunho replied as soon as he’d made his way back. He picked up Jaejoong’s bag and ushered the other student out of the student council room so that he could lock the door.
Jaejoong took his bag away from Yunho, and they began to make their way to the clinic. His head was throbbing, and he wanted nothing more but to get back in his bed. It’d been a stupid idea to rush to school - and once again, he was paying the consequences for being so impulsive.
He glanced at Yunho out of the corner of his eye and bit his lip. He couldn’t think of anything witty to say to the other student despite the fact he’d been born with natural charm and a way with words. His head hurt too much, and the irritating fluttering in his stomach was making it harder than usual to think of something interesting to say.
“You should be sick more often,” Yunho commented as they approached the clinic. He glanced at Jaejoong, “I think I like you better when you’re silent.”
“How funny.” Jaejoong muttered before he pushed past Yunho and attempted to push the clinic door open. It refused to budge, and he sighed loudly and pressed his head against the glass. “Fuck my life.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m going home.”
Jaejoong walked away and as soon as he got out of the main building, it began to rain. He resisted the urge to shout at the heavens for being so cruel to him and ran to the closest means of shelter.
He shut his eyes and breathed slowly. He patted his pocket for his phone - he could after all, just call one of his sisters for a ride home.
He patted his pocket agan.
Fuck. He didn’t have it.
“Fucking -“
“Where do you live?”
Jaejoong’s eyes fluttered open, and he stared at Yunho in surprise. The taller student was standing right in front of him and under the rain, umbrella held in his hand and protecting him from what had become a steady downpour of rain.
“I -“
“I can’t let you walk home in the rain.” Yunho muttered, “It wouldn’t be right. Besides, it’s my fault for letting you stay late in school anyway. Come on, I’ll walk you home and I’ll buy you medicine on the way.”
“How will I repay this act of charity?” Jaejoong asked, his throat irritatingly dry and sore. He couldn’t even attempt to sound anything other than how tired he felt. “I don’t feel like spending more afternoons with you.”
“Since it’s charity.” Yunho replied, “You won’t have to pay me back. Now come on, I have to get home sometime too.”
Jaejoong complied and approached Yunho, taking shelter underneath the transparent umbrella. There was barely enough space for the two of them, but it was better than walking miserably underneath the steady downpour of rain.
He felt cold, miserable, and stupid. Jaejoong kept his gaze on the cement as they made their way to the drugstore closest to his house - he didn’t have anything to say, and it wasn’t like Yunho was making any effort to start up some sort of conversation.
Jaejoong sighed quietly to himself as he did his best to ignore the throbbing pain in his head so that he could sort through his jumbled thoughts. He couldn’t believe he went to school just to find out if Yunho really had spent his lunch period with Ara.
He was pathetic and he didn’t even know why he was acting so -
Realization dawned upon him, and Jaejoong stopped walking. Yunho took a few steps forward until he noticed Jaejoong had stopped. He quickly jogged back and placed the umbrella back over Jaejoong’s head.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
Shit.
He liked Yunho.
Jaejoong lifted his eyes of the sidewalk, and he met Yunho’s gaze. He shook his head and shrugged, “Nothing, I just felt dizzy.” He lied, quickly averting his eyes. “You don’t have to bring me to a drugstore; we’re almost at my house.”
“Are you -“
Before Yunho could get another word out, Jaejoong had already pressed his lips against the taller boy’s. The angle was awkward, and the movement was rushed, but Jaejoong didn’t care. It was an impulsive action, and they were in the middle of the sidewalk - anyone from their school could see them in plain day, but he just had to know.
He had to make sure it wasn’t his fever that was messing with his thoughts. He needed to ensure that it was his feelings that caused the fluttering in his stomach, the palpitations in his chest, and the constant blushing.
As soon as he pulled away, he was sure.
He liked Yunho.
“What was that?” Yunho questioned as he looked around. He had a deep frown on his face, but the expression softened after he was sure that no one had been around to see the kiss. “How much medicine have you been taking?”
“A lot.” Jaejoong replied honestly with a shrug, “I took a few pills before I left the house this morning, took a few more as soon as I got to school and -“ he stopped talking and glanced up at Yunho’s face, “I should go now. It’s not raining anymore.”
“Hey, wait -“
“Bye.”
Jaejoong crossed the street and slipped into one of the side alleys, easily escaping Yunho and the gravity of his feelings.
o-o-o
He and Yoochun were sitting outside on the balcony, the space becoming their own little world and escape from the party thrower’s irritating choice of music. Jaejoong sighed and leaned back, “I have something to tell you.”
Yoochun glanced at his friend, “What is it?”
Jaejoong looked around to make sure no one was around before he leaned closer to whisper into Yoochun’s ear, “I think I like Yunho.”
“Fuck - are you serious?” Yoochun asked, pulling away from Jaejoong, his eyes widened in shock. “Jaejoong, I...I didn’t know he was your type.” He frowned, “I didn’t think he was your type at all.”
“I know, and he isn’t.” Jaejoong muttered as he lied down flat on his back, arms outstretched. He stared up at the starry sky, “Well, actually no, he is. He’s quite good looking if you haven’t noticed -“
Yoochun laughed, “God, I thought you said he wasn’t interesting? Besides, isn’t he dating -“
Jaejoong sat up abruptly, “No, he’s not dating her! I swear, if I hear another person mention her name, I’m going to -“
“Sound even more jealous than you do now?” Yoochun questioned with an eyebrow arched in amusement, “You’re getting quite worked up about this. I guess you do like him somewhat.”
“You...suck.” Jaejoong finished lamely before he fell back onto the balcony tiles, “I think I want another drink. I don’t like talking about how pathetic I am.”
“You can have mine. I have a few more questions to ask you.” Yoochun handed Jaejoong his drink and glanced down at him, “First, when did you realize that you had feelings for Yunho?”
“Yesterday.”
“Yesterday? You mean the day you were practically high on flu medicine? Are you sure you like him Jaejoong? It could’ve just been the medicine talking.”
“I kissed him, I’m sure of it.”
“You what? Jaejoong -“
“I had to know!”
“You don’t just go around kissing people!”
“He does it all the time! Why can’t I?”
“He does what? Jaejoong, what haven’t you been telling me? I thought I was your soulmate! You don’t just go around not telling important things to your soulmate!” Yoochun pouted, “I’m hurt, so just because you like Jung now, you’re going to start ignoring me?”
“I’m sorry.”
Yoochun chuckled, “Whatever, it’s fine. I know now. So, what has been going on between you and the infamously cold student council president?”
Jaejoong thought for a moment, trying to think of the best way to start telling his best friend about his bizarre and complicated relationship with Yunho.
“Well, he ravished me against a bulletin board -“
“What?”
o-o-o
Yunho sneezed loudly, and Changmin immediately handed him a box of tissue. Jaejoong watched them guiltily out of the corner of his eye - he was fairly sure that it was his fault that Yunho had started to show signs of illness.
“This is all your fault!” Changmin said loudly, “If you hadn’t bothered to show up to school on Friday then -“
“Why are you blaming me? He could’ve caught the cold from -“
“Well, he was forced to spend time with you in this enclosed space! I highly doubt that he caught it from me since I’ve been perfectly healthy -“
“How do you know he didn’t catch it from someone on the street? I’m not the only person in Seoul with a -“
“Well you know what -“
“You’re so -“
Yunho coughed, “Would you two shut up?” he snapped irritably before he pulled another tissue from the box and began to blow his nose, “You two have been fighting for the past hour and -“
“I’m sorry Yunho.” Changmim apologized before he glared at Jaejoong, “But it’s not my fault that -“
“Why do you keep accusing me of -“
“Both of you stop it!” Yunho held up a hand to his forehead, “I can’t think with both of you arguing like this.” He shook his head and sighed, obviously displeased with his outburst of emotions, “Changmin, could you please get me water?”
“Okay.”
The vice president left the room, making sure to shove past Jaejoong on the way out, leaving only the two of them inside. Jaejoong huffed and brushed his bangs to the side before he made his way to Yunho and sat down.
He watched Yunho scribble on the paper for a few moments before he leaned in and propped his elbow on the table so that he could casually lean against the palm of his hand. “Thank you for last week.”
Yunho didn’t look up, “I didn’t do anything.”
“Well, you brought me -“
It was at this point that Yunho finally lifted his eyes off the paper and met Jaejoong’s gaze. “Why’d you run away?” he asked, “You just bolted.” He stared at the other for a bit longer before he returned his gaze down to the paper, “It seemed like uncharacteristic behaviour for you.”
“I...” Jaejoong tried to think of a lie, “I wasn’t feeling well you know, so I had to get home. I didn’t want to end up fainting on the sidewalk or throwing up on you, so I decided to get home as quickly as possible.”
Yunho stared at him for a bit longer, “Fine.” He pulled away from Jaejoong and sneezed. He muttered a few curses and accepted the tissue the other handed him, “Well, you owe me now -“
“I’m sorry.” Jaejoong muttered as he pulled back so that it would be easier to resist the urge to brush aside a lock of hair on Yunho’s face. “It’s my fault you’re sick, isn’t it?”
“Of course it is.” Yunho snapped as he pulled tissues out of the box, “It’s not like I’ve been kissing anyone else, and the people I hang out with are all healthy, so you’re the obvious cause for my current state.”
Jaejoong pouted, “Don’t be mean.” He perked up considerably when he realized what Yunho had just said. “You haven’t been kissing anyone else?”
Yunho stared at him disbelievingly, “What do you think of me?”
“I don’t know.” Jaejoong nudged him, “So do you like kissing me?” he pointed at his lips proudly, “People say my lips are one of my best features -“
“Kissing you is the reason I’m sick,” Yunho interrupted, “You do realize that, right?”
Jaejoong nodded, “Yes, and when you’re better, feel free to kiss me again.” He laughed and leaned against the palm of his hand, “Are you going to miss me tomorrow?”
Yunho sneezed, “Probably not.”
“Not even a bit?”
“I doubt it.” Yunho placed the papers inside a folder and looked up at Jaejoong, “I still want to know why you ran away from me last Friday.”
“I told you, I wasn’t feeling well. Besides, you ran away from me before. Why aren’t I allowed to make a tactical retreat once in awhile?”
“You’re too forward for tactical retreats.”
“If I told you I felt like throwing up after the kiss, would you stop asking questions?”
Yunho frowned, “I’d feel insulted.”
“Why?” Jaejoong mulled over his words until he’d realized the other meaning. He laughed and smiled, “I’m sorry. Kissing you doesn’t disgust me. As soon as you’re better, I’ll be sure to -“
“No thanks.”
“You liked it - I’m sure you did!” Jaejoong argued, “You know, a romantic kiss underneath an umbrella with the steady downpour of rain as the background music. It’s perfect and -“
“You felt like throwing up afterwards.”
“Not because of you!”
Yunho shook his head in mock disappointment, but Jaejoong could see the amused smile that had crept across the other’s face. Yunho sneezed, and he handed him a tissue from the box.
Changmin came inside and frowned.
“You should stay away from him.” He muttered as he approached the two of them. He handed Yunho the water bottle and glanced at Jaejoong, “I don’t want you infecting Yunho any further.”
“With what? I’m not sick anymore. What would I infect him with?”
“Your stupidity.”
o-o-o
Changmin left the room first, leaving Yunho and Jaejoong in the room together. Yunho began packing his things, and Jaejoong did so as well. As soon as they had both finished preparing their stuff, they left the room together.
Jaejoong watched as Yunho locked the door. “Make sure you get a lot of rest tomorrow. I don’t want to spend more than one afternoon session with Changmin.”
“Don’t worry about me.” Yunho replied as he turned away from the door and faced Jaejoong, “I’ll be fine. Just make sure you get along with Changmin tomorrow, and don’t ditch him again.”
“I’ll try not to.” Jaejoong shifted and ran a hand through his hair, “Well, I guess I should go now. I’ll see you on...Wednesday?”
“Yeah, Wednesday.”
“Okay.”
They stared at each other for a bit longer, and Jaejoong bit his lip. He averted his gaze but quickly returned his attention back to Yunho. “Well, are you walking home today?”
“Yeah.”
“Me too.”
“Do you have an umbrella this time?”
“Yes.” Jaejoong pulled out the small umbrella from his bag, but it got caught on a strap and fell to the ground. They both reached for it, but Yunho was quicker and picked it up off the floor before Jaejoong could.
He handed it to Jaejoong, and their fingers brushed against each other. A blush rose to his cheeks, and the familiar stirrings came about, but the feelings were not unwelcome or bothersome.
Jaejoong took his eyes off the object and confidently met Yunho’s gaze. He could do this - his feelings were easy enough to manage. A smile flittered across his face as he thanked Yunho.
He wouldn’t run away again.
< >
Author’s Note: I’ve finally managed to write something after a long bout with writer’s block, I’m not so confident about it seeing as I haven’t written in quite a bit. This is well, an important chapter. The first time I wrote it, it ended up kind of dramatic on Jaejoong’s part, and I didn’t like it at all, so I ended up rewriting most of it. I think this story’s progressing at a good enough pace, and I hope you all feel the same. I couldn’t let Jaejoong do the whole, ‘What am I feeling? Do I like him?’ act since to be honest, I tend to get irritated with those kind of developments and because Jaejoong’s characterization here has him as a quick thinker and he’s often quite sure of what he feels, not to mention unafraid to act on those feelings. Not as much Changmin here, a bit of Yoochun, and...I’m still thinking of when Junsu can pop in. XD It’s raining in this chapter since it’s been raining a lot over here, so I decided to incorporate that into the story. ^__^ I hope you all liked the chapter, and please do comment! I enjoy comments greatly, and if you have the time, please do check out my other stories - I updated For You last week, just in case any of you didn’t get to see it since LJ was quite chaotic during that time. I also tweaked my introductory post a bit, so if you’re interested in finding out more about me, feel free to check it out. ^__^ Once again, thank you for reading! :)