Of Stubbornness and Courtships [2/ ?]
Title: Of Stubbornness and Courtships
Author: shohai_mizuki
Pairing: Junseung (Junhyung/ Hyunseung), Dooseob, Kiwoon, others
Other Groups: Big Bang
Rating: PG-13
Summary: These days, courting seems as easy as counting 1, 2, 3. But not for a certain individual. Because, unfortunately for him, he falls for the secretive and stubborn Jang Hyunseung who has a reputation for being unresponsive to the most romantic of courting. You'd wonder what exactly he has up his sleeve to get this elusive doe-eyed doll.
Author's Notes: I don't know about this chapter. I really don't. Haha! As usual, comments, criticisms and suggestions are much appreciated. Hope you enjoy! :)
Previous Chapters: [0] [1]
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The day went by fairly well, normal in fact. Hyunseung had to struggle keeping his attention on the teacher when the subject got too boring. He also had lunch with Jiyong and the others who thankfully hadn't questioned him about Junhyung, except for the occasional outburst of Seungri and the lame jokes from Daesung that is. And now, it's time to go home.
He reaches out for his bag and the doll sways about. His eyes instantly brighten and he delicately places a finger on the doll, tracing the name plate. A smile blooms upon his lips but he quickly erases it. He fixes his things, unaware of his surroundings. Until a bag is suddenly brought down roughly beside his. He looks up to see a smirking Junhyung leaning on his desk. He raises an eyebrow which only makes Junhyung's smirk widen.
"Let's go home together."
Both his eyebrows shoot up and his eyes widen. He stares incredulously at Junhyung. "What?"
"You heard me. I'll take you home. Come on." Junhyung slings his bag over his shoulders.
"What makes you think I'm agreeing to this?" He zips his backpack with a snap and stares challengingly at Junhyung.
"Because we're going the same way?" They locked eyes for a moment before he shrugs.
"Do whatever you want."
"Now see here, that's a statement you shouldn't really say. Because what if I wanted to kiss you? Since you allowed me to do whatever I want, I can kiss you despite you wanting otherwise." Junhyung raises an eyebrow at him with a matching smirk and eyes sparkling with mischief. His mouth is hanging open and there isn't a coherent thought in his brain. All that's swimming up in there are images of Junhyung kissing him. A blotch of red adorns his cheeks slowly.
Junhyung chuckles and flicks his forehead, effectively waking him up from his reverie. He frowns at Junhyung and takes his bag, walking away. He couldn't trust his mind with what he might say. He hears footsteps behind him and he knows Junhyung is following him. He grumbles under his breath about nosy, obnoxious courters and stupid body reactions.
Silence envelopes them in their walk to the bus stop with Junhyung simply following behind him. It doesn't necessarily irritate him but it gets him on edge. This is why he nearly freaked out when Junhyung suddenly speaks.
"You should try reading Sophie's World sometime. It's actually nice. Probably the only book I'll ever have the patience to read 'til the end."
He turns around to face Junhyung, planning to question him about the sudden talk. But he pushes it away and instead replies, "I might try reading it or I might not." But his interest on the book has already been piqued. A book that can get Junhyung's attention. That might be something worth looking into. He faces the front and walks again.
"I know you like to do pleasure reading sometimes so I thought I'd recommend it to you."
"Are you a stalker?" He throws a questioning,weary glance at Junhyung.
"No. I just tend to notice more things about you than about other people." Junhyung shrugs. He, in turn, scowls and furrows his brows to hide his embarrassment.
"If you think flattery will make me say yes to you then I'm telling you right now, it won't."
"I never said anything like that. Besides, flattering you isn't part of courting you. It's just me stating facts." Junhyung falls into step with him and he looks at the other from the corner of his eye. "Like say, I think you're beautiful but I won't say it to you because I know you don't like being called beautiful or pretty."
He purses his lips and narrows his eyes before speaking. "There you are again with those stalker remarks."
"It's not a 'stalker remark'. It's a well-known fact that you don't like being told that you're beautiful." Junhyung glances at him. "Although I can't see why since it's the truth."
He stops from walking and Junhyung looks back at him. He sends a glare to the other. "I'm a guy! Guys aren't supposed to be 'beautiful' or 'pretty'!"
"I don't see why guys can't be pretty like girls." Junhyung merely brushes off his outburst which grates on his nerves.
"Let's see how you feel when you're told that." He mutters darkly.
"I'd be thankful. It would only mean that I'm so handsome, I'm pretty." Junhyung smirks and he wants to laugh at the silliness of Junhyung's logic but it actually does make some sense.
"I still don't like being called those words." He walks past Junhyung and hurriedly sits on the bench at the waiting shed. He's quite impressed time still flies by quickly with Junhyung who sits by beside him. He places his backpack on his lap and the doll once more claims his attention. "Hey...how did you get this?"
He turns his head toward Junhyung who is staring at the sky up above them. "Hmm? I paid someone to make it. Why?"
"Curious. I'm curious. Didn't this cost you a lot of money?" He begins to worry that Junhyung courting him with these gifts will cause him financial burden.
"Not really. The maker is a friend of my parents so I got it cheaper than the usual price." At this time, Junhyung spares him a glance, giving a small smile before looking up once again. He couldn't breathe. Junhyung's smile is so beautiful. He mentally slaps himself for being a hypocrite, calling another guy beautiful when he himself doesn't like it. But it really is beautiful. And now, he knows how other people feel when they want to tell him he's beautiful.
"I know this will sound extremely cheesy but I wouldn't mind spending money on you." He is taken out from his internal battle when Junhyung speaks. He blinks, slowly registering the words. He grips his bag tightly and huffs.
"There you go again with that flattery. It's going to get you nowhere."
He hears a chuckle and he looks at the other, only to find that Junhyung is a mere few inches away from his face. "On the contrary, I think it does."
Smirking, that's probably Junhyung's skill. Because he swears no one looks so good smirking like that. It kind of irritates him because he can't do it. How is everyone going to take him as a guy when he couldn't even look that manly? He feels a sudden pain on his cheek and realizes that Junhyung is pinching him. He glares at the other and his cheek is released. "That hurt you know."
"Well, your mind was somewhere else so I thought I'd bring it back to earth. The bus is near." Junhyung looks to the side where indeed, the bus is slowly coming closer. Junhyung stands up and waits for the bus to arrive in front of them. He simply sits and waits for the bus while staring at the sidewalk. He decides not to let himself get lost in his thoughts right now so that Junhyung wouldn't need to snap him out and so that Junhyung wouldn't tease him about not being aware of his surroundings anymore. His lips turn into a pout at the last thought.
He glances up just in time to see the bus stop. He grabs his bag and stands up. Junhyung walks in front of him and is first to get in. As he fishes out his wallet, Junhyung already pays for both of them. "Hey! Quit paying for my ride."
Junhyung merely walks to the back seat as if not hearing him. He scowls and almost stomps his way to the back. He plops down the seat with a huff and glares at Junhyung with all his might. Junhyung just sighs and turns to look at him with an almost impassive look.
"I'm not a frigging girl so would you stop paying for my ride?" He spats out.
"This will be the last time then." Junhyung shrugs nonchalantly. He is taken aback but then nods.
"Good!" He settles down on his seat and relaxes. Before he could stop himself, he begins to speak, "You know, I don't like being treated like a girl."
"But you do appreciate stuff like flowers and cute key chains." Junhyung smiles at him. He dumbly nods.
"Y-yeah."
"That's good." Junhyung holds a smug air and he couldn't help but laugh slightly. He stops though as soon as the laughter starts and he puts a hand to his mouth. He looks away from Junhyung and pretends to be interested at the view outside the window. He jumps slightly when Junhyung suddenly whispers at his ear.
"I like your laugh. But I like it more that I'm the one who caused it."
He turns to Junhyung and punches his shoulder. He doesn't look at the other's face and merely stares at the space between them.
"Ow. I'll have to remember you pack one hell of a punch." At this, he looks up and sticks his tongue out at Junhyung. He turns to the window and perks up.
"We're near." But then he stops. Did he just assume Junhyung's going with him? He mentally smacks his forehead. What is happening to him? He looks at Junhyung who is smirking at him, probably thinking along the same line. "I meant, my stop is near."
"I'll walk you home." He glares at Junhyung despite the butterflies in his stomach.
"What did I tell you?"
"That you don't like being treated like a girl. I know." Junhyung looks at him sternly. "I'm not treating you like one. I just want to walk you home."
They looked at each other until they're already at his stop. He stands up and gets down from the bus. He turns around and Junhyung is right behind him. He glares before briskly walking away. He hears hurried footsteps. He is startled when Junhyung suddenly grabs his arm and drags him to who know where.
"Yah! Yah! Let me go! Just because you're courting me doesn't give you the right to take me somewhere without consent!" Junhyung stops and faces him. The grip on his arm is loosened.
"We're going to the little playground near your house. Do you want to come or not? I swear I'll take you home before your parents arrive."
He takes a deep breath, thinking of the offer. It wouldn't hurt to go with Junhyung. He doesn't know why but he trusts the other. He just feels that he can trust Junhyung. Besides, Junhyung has been nothing but accommodating to him. When he tells Junhyung he wants to pay for his ride, Junhyung understands, unlike his previous courters. When he tells Junhyung he wants to know where they're going and that he hasn't agreed to going anywhere, Junhyung stops and asks him and tells him, unlike his previous courters. He pouts, muttering "Fine. Let's go."
Junhyung smiles at him and he stares again. "Come on. I know your parents will arrive about an hour from now."
He laughs at Junhyung. "You are seriously a stalker, you know that? You even know the time of my parents' arrival at home."
"No not really. I just assumed they'd be there by that time. All I know is what time they get off from work." Junhyung starts walking, no longer grabbing his arm. He places a hand over the place where Junhyung's grip was and it feels warm.
"And how would you know that?" He falls into step with Junhyung. He knows he's slowly opening more to Junhyung. And it scares him. But there's just something about the other he couldn't quite tell.
"Our parents work together. They're friends actually. Slightly more of acquaintances but they do talk to each other more often these days." He sees Junhyung put his hand in his pocket and adjust the bag on his shoulder. His mind is slowly registering the fact that their parents know each other.
He looks at Junhyung with wide eyes and Junhyung laughs. He blinks in wonder because it sounds wonderful. "Wh-I didn't know that."
"This is why I tell you to pay more attention to your surroundings. I'm betting the money I have right now that your parents have talked about mine but your mind was floating somewhere in la-la-land." Junhyung pokes his forehead.
"Hey. Quit abusing my forehead. You keep on flicking and poking it." He rubs his forehead gingerly. "...probably."
"Probably meaning I'm right?" Junhyung smirks at him. He furrows his brows.
"Would you quit smirking? And yes, you're probably right, I don't know. Just quit smirking!" He flails his hands in the air. But it only makes Junhyung's smirk widen. The next thing he knows Junhyung's smirking face is inches from his again.
"Why should I?"
"Cause...cause...it's irritating!" He makes a face and Junhyung laughs.
"You're cute when you do that. And sorry. I'm not going to stop smirking. Don't you know? This is one of my assets."
"Assets? Pssh!" He rolls his eyes, ignoring the comment of him being cute. He walks ahead of Junhyung as he tries to recover from his rapid heartbeat. As expected, Junhyung falls into step with him.
"Hey, we're here."
He smiles and walks to the swings. Ever since he was a kid, he loved playing on the swing. He loves the feeling of the air brushing against him as he goes higher and higher. He puts his bag to the side and sits down, kicking back and forth. Suddenly, there were hands on his back, pushing him. As he swings up, he turns his head to look at Junhyung and smiles slightly. Junhyung continues to push him higher and higher. He couldn't help laughing and grinning because he is just happy, simply happy.
"Stop! Stop! Ok. I'm good." He yells at Junhyung and then the swing stops. He looks at the hands on the swing, somewhere above his. And he couldn't help but think how it would feel like to have them around his. They disappear from view and he looks to the side to find Junhyung sitting on the swing beside his. "Hey, is your house far from here? You shouldn't have gotten off the bus if it is."
Junhyung looks at him and smirks. His eye twitches but he ignores Junhyung's smirk. "Not really. I could walk from here. Might take more time than if I hadn't gone off the bus but it's worth it."
He catches on what Junhyung means and he looks away, hiding his reddening face. "Stop doing that."
"Doing what? Saying cheesy lines?"
"Yes!" He exclaims exasperatedly. He hangs his head low still adamant at not letting Junhyung see his face although he has finally calmed down somewhat.
"I'll tell you a secret." He perks up at that line. What secret would Junhyung tell him? Junhyung trusts him. He feels elated. "I'm cool."
His hopes crash down and he rolls his eyes but before he could retort, Junhyung continues. "So it's totally out of character that I keep on saying these things. And as much as this would sound as cheesy as the others, you're the one making me say them. And they're all true. Believe it or not."
Junhyung shrugs, giving him a sideway glance with a matching smile. He grips tighter on the swing. Junhyung's smile is as disarming as his smirk. It's just a simple quirk on one side of his lips. "No. I don't believe it. You've probably used that line on some other girl...or boy."
He pats himself on the back mentally as he regains his impassive nature. He looks at Junhyung challengingly. Junhyung stares back at him and soon lets out another laugh. "Are you jealous?"
He raises an eyebrow at the other. "And pray tell, why would I be? No. Wait. Don't even answer that." He narrows his eyes at Junhyung who was grinning. "No. I'm not jealous so stop grinning. It's kind of creepy. Besides everyone know Yong Junhyung is the guy who always gets the girl...or boy for that matter. Sorry to say, I have quite a reputation for turning all my courters down. What makes you so different?"
Junhyung shrugs, looking up at the half-red orange, half-dark blue sky. "I don't care about our reputations. But it's kind of funny to think about it, really. And for your question, I don't know. What makes me so different? I don't think Ive done anything different from all the guys and girls who wanted to be your lover. But I've accomplished something they haven't and wouldn't accomplish for probably a long period of time."
He looks at Junhyung questioningly. "And what's that?"
Junhyung takes his eyes off the sky and into his. "Getting you to be more open to me."
He swears his heart stopped beating for a second there. The way Junhyung has said those words and the look in Junhyung's eyes, he couldn't take it. He becomes frantic. He doesn't know what to do at this kind of situation. What do you do when you're heart is beating rapidly and you feel warm all over and your head feels so light? Probably go to the nearest hospital. But he couldn't. He stays glued to the swing, staring at Junhyung who is just staring back at him. He is scared because it's true. And because he doesn't want it to be. He's not ready to take all this on.
He wracks his brain for something to say, anything to say. He abruptly stands, making the swing hit his leg painfully but he doesn't mind. He grabs his bag and blurts out, "My parents are going to be home any minute. I should go."
He breaks into a run. His heart is pounding so hard that it's all he could hear. He doesn't hear Junhyung running after him. He just wants to go to the safety of his bed, under his blankets. He runs to his home and sits on the front porch. He pants heavily and tries to regain his breathing. He rummages through his bag for his keys when heavy footsteps stop in front of him. He feels a shiver run down his spine and slowly looks up. He isn't surprised to see a sweaty Junhyung half-heartedly glaring at him. He stands up and backs away. He's still scared as much as he trusts Junhyung.
"You should probably go home now. Your parents might get worried."
"I know you're scared."
He is taken aback by Junhyung's blunt statement. Is it so evident? Is he so readable? Why does Junhyung seem to always know all about him and his feelings? "No I'm not."
"Yes. You are. Quit being so damn stubborn, Hyunseung."
"That's how I am. Deal with it."
"You think I'm not trying to deal with it? I'm trying to get some emotion out of you little by little. That's about all I'm asking for right now. For you to trust me with who you really are, what you're really thinking and feeling." Junhyung's eyes are filled with intense determination that his knees are growing weak. He mentally chants to himself to be stubborn and impassive but he couldn't help but feel so giddy with all of Junhyung's words shooting straight at him.
"Well, you're gonna have to try harder. And you've got to have more patience because I'm not going to quit being stubborn soon. If you really want me to be your lover, fine. Let's see if you can handle me." He mentally slaps himself. Those words aren't want he wants to say. They just flowed out of his mouth. He was supposed to crush all of Junhyung's hopes down not challenge him.
Now Junhyung is smirking at him again. "I know I can."
"Arrogant." He makes a face at Junhyung and finally grabs hold of his keys from his bag. "Well, you've walked, or ran, me home. So goodbye now. Or are you saying you're waiting for a goodnight kiss?"
Junhyung laughs at him. "I wouldn't count on you letting me do that even if I really do want to right now."
He could feel his cheeks getting warm again and a little voice telling him that he does want it too. He punches the living daylights out of that annoying voice. "Good because I really wouldn't. Now shoo."
Junhyung turns around and he feels a slight disappointment. But then Junhyung quickly faces him and pulls him close, kissing his forehead and hugging him loosely. He is stunned to say the least and couldn't move. He remains stiff in his place even as Junhyung pulls away. "See you tomorrow, Seung-ah."
He sees Junhyung smirk before waving goodbye and walking down the road. He stares at the retreating figure, slowly raising his hand to his forehead. He could still feel Junhyung's lips and his warmth. It sends a delightful shiver through his body. He couldn't think straight and couldn't place the key properly in the keyhole for a few tries. Finally, he does and he closes the door behind him, bag in hand. He takes off his shoes and goes straight to his room.
He plops down his bed, placing his bag beside it. For the first few moments, he merely stares at the ceiling, a lot of thoughts swimming in his mind. He turns to the side and the Junhyung's gift, the doll, comes to his sight. He smiles. Junhyung is really something. His thoughts are interrupted by the vibration of his cellphone. He takes it out of pocket and looks at the unknown number.
"Hello?"
A raspy, odd voice comes from the other line. "I know where you live."
He shoots up to a sitting position and he couldn't think straight. A stalker? A killer? A thief? "Wh-who are you?"
Then the voice becomes oddly familiar. "You're scared."
He takes a few seconds before he screams at the other person. "Yong Junhyung! I hate you! Did you know how scared I was?! How the hell did you get my number?! Stalker! I hate you! I so damn hate you!"
He hears a laugh from the culprit and he glares at his phone as if Junhyung could die by him doing so. "Hey, chill. I got your number from Yoseob. And sorry. I couldn't resist not teasing you."
"It's not funny." He pouts. "And what the hell? Yoseob? You know Yoseob? And I'm seriously going to kill him for giving you my number!"
"Yeah. He's a friend of mine and I know you're friends with him too so I asked if he knows your number and after a few prodding, he gave it to me."
"I'm still going to kill him."
"Be my guest." They both laugh. And then he hears the front door open and his mother calling for him, telling him that she and his dad are home. "You should go. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye, Junhyung. Stop being such a stalker. If you somehow get the password for my email, I'll kill you too."
Junhyung laughs. "Don't worry. I won't do that. Bye, Seung-ah."
Before he could complain about being called that way twice, Junhyung hangs up. He stares at his phone and rolls his eyes. He saves Junhyung's number as "My Stalker" before heading out to greet his parents and eat dinner with them.
As the day ends and he's about to sleep, a text message is sent his way. He tiredly gets his phone and looks at the message and laughs, knowing he'll indeed have a good night's rest.
From: My Stalker
Seung-ah. Seung-ah. Seung-ah.
Good night.
I know you'll dream of me. Kkkk.
Author: shohai_mizuki
Pairing: Junseung (Junhyung/ Hyunseung), Dooseob, Kiwoon, others
Other Groups: Big Bang
Rating: PG-13
Summary: These days, courting seems as easy as counting 1, 2, 3. But not for a certain individual. Because, unfortunately for him, he falls for the secretive and stubborn Jang Hyunseung who has a reputation for being unresponsive to the most romantic of courting. You'd wonder what exactly he has up his sleeve to get this elusive doe-eyed doll.
Author's Notes: I don't know about this chapter. I really don't. Haha! As usual, comments, criticisms and suggestions are much appreciated. Hope you enjoy! :)
Previous Chapters: [0] [1]
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The day went by fairly well, normal in fact. Hyunseung had to struggle keeping his attention on the teacher when the subject got too boring. He also had lunch with Jiyong and the others who thankfully hadn't questioned him about Junhyung, except for the occasional outburst of Seungri and the lame jokes from Daesung that is. And now, it's time to go home.
He reaches out for his bag and the doll sways about. His eyes instantly brighten and he delicately places a finger on the doll, tracing the name plate. A smile blooms upon his lips but he quickly erases it. He fixes his things, unaware of his surroundings. Until a bag is suddenly brought down roughly beside his. He looks up to see a smirking Junhyung leaning on his desk. He raises an eyebrow which only makes Junhyung's smirk widen.
"Let's go home together."
Both his eyebrows shoot up and his eyes widen. He stares incredulously at Junhyung. "What?"
"You heard me. I'll take you home. Come on." Junhyung slings his bag over his shoulders.
"What makes you think I'm agreeing to this?" He zips his backpack with a snap and stares challengingly at Junhyung.
"Because we're going the same way?" They locked eyes for a moment before he shrugs.
"Do whatever you want."
"Now see here, that's a statement you shouldn't really say. Because what if I wanted to kiss you? Since you allowed me to do whatever I want, I can kiss you despite you wanting otherwise." Junhyung raises an eyebrow at him with a matching smirk and eyes sparkling with mischief. His mouth is hanging open and there isn't a coherent thought in his brain. All that's swimming up in there are images of Junhyung kissing him. A blotch of red adorns his cheeks slowly.
Junhyung chuckles and flicks his forehead, effectively waking him up from his reverie. He frowns at Junhyung and takes his bag, walking away. He couldn't trust his mind with what he might say. He hears footsteps behind him and he knows Junhyung is following him. He grumbles under his breath about nosy, obnoxious courters and stupid body reactions.
Silence envelopes them in their walk to the bus stop with Junhyung simply following behind him. It doesn't necessarily irritate him but it gets him on edge. This is why he nearly freaked out when Junhyung suddenly speaks.
"You should try reading Sophie's World sometime. It's actually nice. Probably the only book I'll ever have the patience to read 'til the end."
He turns around to face Junhyung, planning to question him about the sudden talk. But he pushes it away and instead replies, "I might try reading it or I might not." But his interest on the book has already been piqued. A book that can get Junhyung's attention. That might be something worth looking into. He faces the front and walks again.
"I know you like to do pleasure reading sometimes so I thought I'd recommend it to you."
"Are you a stalker?" He throws a questioning,weary glance at Junhyung.
"No. I just tend to notice more things about you than about other people." Junhyung shrugs. He, in turn, scowls and furrows his brows to hide his embarrassment.
"If you think flattery will make me say yes to you then I'm telling you right now, it won't."
"I never said anything like that. Besides, flattering you isn't part of courting you. It's just me stating facts." Junhyung falls into step with him and he looks at the other from the corner of his eye. "Like say, I think you're beautiful but I won't say it to you because I know you don't like being called beautiful or pretty."
He purses his lips and narrows his eyes before speaking. "There you are again with those stalker remarks."
"It's not a 'stalker remark'. It's a well-known fact that you don't like being told that you're beautiful." Junhyung glances at him. "Although I can't see why since it's the truth."
He stops from walking and Junhyung looks back at him. He sends a glare to the other. "I'm a guy! Guys aren't supposed to be 'beautiful' or 'pretty'!"
"I don't see why guys can't be pretty like girls." Junhyung merely brushes off his outburst which grates on his nerves.
"Let's see how you feel when you're told that." He mutters darkly.
"I'd be thankful. It would only mean that I'm so handsome, I'm pretty." Junhyung smirks and he wants to laugh at the silliness of Junhyung's logic but it actually does make some sense.
"I still don't like being called those words." He walks past Junhyung and hurriedly sits on the bench at the waiting shed. He's quite impressed time still flies by quickly with Junhyung who sits by beside him. He places his backpack on his lap and the doll once more claims his attention. "Hey...how did you get this?"
He turns his head toward Junhyung who is staring at the sky up above them. "Hmm? I paid someone to make it. Why?"
"Curious. I'm curious. Didn't this cost you a lot of money?" He begins to worry that Junhyung courting him with these gifts will cause him financial burden.
"Not really. The maker is a friend of my parents so I got it cheaper than the usual price." At this time, Junhyung spares him a glance, giving a small smile before looking up once again. He couldn't breathe. Junhyung's smile is so beautiful. He mentally slaps himself for being a hypocrite, calling another guy beautiful when he himself doesn't like it. But it really is beautiful. And now, he knows how other people feel when they want to tell him he's beautiful.
"I know this will sound extremely cheesy but I wouldn't mind spending money on you." He is taken out from his internal battle when Junhyung speaks. He blinks, slowly registering the words. He grips his bag tightly and huffs.
"There you go again with that flattery. It's going to get you nowhere."
He hears a chuckle and he looks at the other, only to find that Junhyung is a mere few inches away from his face. "On the contrary, I think it does."
Smirking, that's probably Junhyung's skill. Because he swears no one looks so good smirking like that. It kind of irritates him because he can't do it. How is everyone going to take him as a guy when he couldn't even look that manly? He feels a sudden pain on his cheek and realizes that Junhyung is pinching him. He glares at the other and his cheek is released. "That hurt you know."
"Well, your mind was somewhere else so I thought I'd bring it back to earth. The bus is near." Junhyung looks to the side where indeed, the bus is slowly coming closer. Junhyung stands up and waits for the bus to arrive in front of them. He simply sits and waits for the bus while staring at the sidewalk. He decides not to let himself get lost in his thoughts right now so that Junhyung wouldn't need to snap him out and so that Junhyung wouldn't tease him about not being aware of his surroundings anymore. His lips turn into a pout at the last thought.
He glances up just in time to see the bus stop. He grabs his bag and stands up. Junhyung walks in front of him and is first to get in. As he fishes out his wallet, Junhyung already pays for both of them. "Hey! Quit paying for my ride."
Junhyung merely walks to the back seat as if not hearing him. He scowls and almost stomps his way to the back. He plops down the seat with a huff and glares at Junhyung with all his might. Junhyung just sighs and turns to look at him with an almost impassive look.
"I'm not a frigging girl so would you stop paying for my ride?" He spats out.
"This will be the last time then." Junhyung shrugs nonchalantly. He is taken aback but then nods.
"Good!" He settles down on his seat and relaxes. Before he could stop himself, he begins to speak, "You know, I don't like being treated like a girl."
"But you do appreciate stuff like flowers and cute key chains." Junhyung smiles at him. He dumbly nods.
"Y-yeah."
"That's good." Junhyung holds a smug air and he couldn't help but laugh slightly. He stops though as soon as the laughter starts and he puts a hand to his mouth. He looks away from Junhyung and pretends to be interested at the view outside the window. He jumps slightly when Junhyung suddenly whispers at his ear.
"I like your laugh. But I like it more that I'm the one who caused it."
He turns to Junhyung and punches his shoulder. He doesn't look at the other's face and merely stares at the space between them.
"Ow. I'll have to remember you pack one hell of a punch." At this, he looks up and sticks his tongue out at Junhyung. He turns to the window and perks up.
"We're near." But then he stops. Did he just assume Junhyung's going with him? He mentally smacks his forehead. What is happening to him? He looks at Junhyung who is smirking at him, probably thinking along the same line. "I meant, my stop is near."
"I'll walk you home." He glares at Junhyung despite the butterflies in his stomach.
"What did I tell you?"
"That you don't like being treated like a girl. I know." Junhyung looks at him sternly. "I'm not treating you like one. I just want to walk you home."
They looked at each other until they're already at his stop. He stands up and gets down from the bus. He turns around and Junhyung is right behind him. He glares before briskly walking away. He hears hurried footsteps. He is startled when Junhyung suddenly grabs his arm and drags him to who know where.
"Yah! Yah! Let me go! Just because you're courting me doesn't give you the right to take me somewhere without consent!" Junhyung stops and faces him. The grip on his arm is loosened.
"We're going to the little playground near your house. Do you want to come or not? I swear I'll take you home before your parents arrive."
He takes a deep breath, thinking of the offer. It wouldn't hurt to go with Junhyung. He doesn't know why but he trusts the other. He just feels that he can trust Junhyung. Besides, Junhyung has been nothing but accommodating to him. When he tells Junhyung he wants to pay for his ride, Junhyung understands, unlike his previous courters. When he tells Junhyung he wants to know where they're going and that he hasn't agreed to going anywhere, Junhyung stops and asks him and tells him, unlike his previous courters. He pouts, muttering "Fine. Let's go."
Junhyung smiles at him and he stares again. "Come on. I know your parents will arrive about an hour from now."
He laughs at Junhyung. "You are seriously a stalker, you know that? You even know the time of my parents' arrival at home."
"No not really. I just assumed they'd be there by that time. All I know is what time they get off from work." Junhyung starts walking, no longer grabbing his arm. He places a hand over the place where Junhyung's grip was and it feels warm.
"And how would you know that?" He falls into step with Junhyung. He knows he's slowly opening more to Junhyung. And it scares him. But there's just something about the other he couldn't quite tell.
"Our parents work together. They're friends actually. Slightly more of acquaintances but they do talk to each other more often these days." He sees Junhyung put his hand in his pocket and adjust the bag on his shoulder. His mind is slowly registering the fact that their parents know each other.
He looks at Junhyung with wide eyes and Junhyung laughs. He blinks in wonder because it sounds wonderful. "Wh-I didn't know that."
"This is why I tell you to pay more attention to your surroundings. I'm betting the money I have right now that your parents have talked about mine but your mind was floating somewhere in la-la-land." Junhyung pokes his forehead.
"Hey. Quit abusing my forehead. You keep on flicking and poking it." He rubs his forehead gingerly. "...probably."
"Probably meaning I'm right?" Junhyung smirks at him. He furrows his brows.
"Would you quit smirking? And yes, you're probably right, I don't know. Just quit smirking!" He flails his hands in the air. But it only makes Junhyung's smirk widen. The next thing he knows Junhyung's smirking face is inches from his again.
"Why should I?"
"Cause...cause...it's irritating!" He makes a face and Junhyung laughs.
"You're cute when you do that. And sorry. I'm not going to stop smirking. Don't you know? This is one of my assets."
"Assets? Pssh!" He rolls his eyes, ignoring the comment of him being cute. He walks ahead of Junhyung as he tries to recover from his rapid heartbeat. As expected, Junhyung falls into step with him.
"Hey, we're here."
He smiles and walks to the swings. Ever since he was a kid, he loved playing on the swing. He loves the feeling of the air brushing against him as he goes higher and higher. He puts his bag to the side and sits down, kicking back and forth. Suddenly, there were hands on his back, pushing him. As he swings up, he turns his head to look at Junhyung and smiles slightly. Junhyung continues to push him higher and higher. He couldn't help laughing and grinning because he is just happy, simply happy.
"Stop! Stop! Ok. I'm good." He yells at Junhyung and then the swing stops. He looks at the hands on the swing, somewhere above his. And he couldn't help but think how it would feel like to have them around his. They disappear from view and he looks to the side to find Junhyung sitting on the swing beside his. "Hey, is your house far from here? You shouldn't have gotten off the bus if it is."
Junhyung looks at him and smirks. His eye twitches but he ignores Junhyung's smirk. "Not really. I could walk from here. Might take more time than if I hadn't gone off the bus but it's worth it."
He catches on what Junhyung means and he looks away, hiding his reddening face. "Stop doing that."
"Doing what? Saying cheesy lines?"
"Yes!" He exclaims exasperatedly. He hangs his head low still adamant at not letting Junhyung see his face although he has finally calmed down somewhat.
"I'll tell you a secret." He perks up at that line. What secret would Junhyung tell him? Junhyung trusts him. He feels elated. "I'm cool."
His hopes crash down and he rolls his eyes but before he could retort, Junhyung continues. "So it's totally out of character that I keep on saying these things. And as much as this would sound as cheesy as the others, you're the one making me say them. And they're all true. Believe it or not."
Junhyung shrugs, giving him a sideway glance with a matching smile. He grips tighter on the swing. Junhyung's smile is as disarming as his smirk. It's just a simple quirk on one side of his lips. "No. I don't believe it. You've probably used that line on some other girl...or boy."
He pats himself on the back mentally as he regains his impassive nature. He looks at Junhyung challengingly. Junhyung stares back at him and soon lets out another laugh. "Are you jealous?"
He raises an eyebrow at the other. "And pray tell, why would I be? No. Wait. Don't even answer that." He narrows his eyes at Junhyung who was grinning. "No. I'm not jealous so stop grinning. It's kind of creepy. Besides everyone know Yong Junhyung is the guy who always gets the girl...or boy for that matter. Sorry to say, I have quite a reputation for turning all my courters down. What makes you so different?"
Junhyung shrugs, looking up at the half-red orange, half-dark blue sky. "I don't care about our reputations. But it's kind of funny to think about it, really. And for your question, I don't know. What makes me so different? I don't think Ive done anything different from all the guys and girls who wanted to be your lover. But I've accomplished something they haven't and wouldn't accomplish for probably a long period of time."
He looks at Junhyung questioningly. "And what's that?"
Junhyung takes his eyes off the sky and into his. "Getting you to be more open to me."
He swears his heart stopped beating for a second there. The way Junhyung has said those words and the look in Junhyung's eyes, he couldn't take it. He becomes frantic. He doesn't know what to do at this kind of situation. What do you do when you're heart is beating rapidly and you feel warm all over and your head feels so light? Probably go to the nearest hospital. But he couldn't. He stays glued to the swing, staring at Junhyung who is just staring back at him. He is scared because it's true. And because he doesn't want it to be. He's not ready to take all this on.
He wracks his brain for something to say, anything to say. He abruptly stands, making the swing hit his leg painfully but he doesn't mind. He grabs his bag and blurts out, "My parents are going to be home any minute. I should go."
He breaks into a run. His heart is pounding so hard that it's all he could hear. He doesn't hear Junhyung running after him. He just wants to go to the safety of his bed, under his blankets. He runs to his home and sits on the front porch. He pants heavily and tries to regain his breathing. He rummages through his bag for his keys when heavy footsteps stop in front of him. He feels a shiver run down his spine and slowly looks up. He isn't surprised to see a sweaty Junhyung half-heartedly glaring at him. He stands up and backs away. He's still scared as much as he trusts Junhyung.
"You should probably go home now. Your parents might get worried."
"I know you're scared."
He is taken aback by Junhyung's blunt statement. Is it so evident? Is he so readable? Why does Junhyung seem to always know all about him and his feelings? "No I'm not."
"Yes. You are. Quit being so damn stubborn, Hyunseung."
"That's how I am. Deal with it."
"You think I'm not trying to deal with it? I'm trying to get some emotion out of you little by little. That's about all I'm asking for right now. For you to trust me with who you really are, what you're really thinking and feeling." Junhyung's eyes are filled with intense determination that his knees are growing weak. He mentally chants to himself to be stubborn and impassive but he couldn't help but feel so giddy with all of Junhyung's words shooting straight at him.
"Well, you're gonna have to try harder. And you've got to have more patience because I'm not going to quit being stubborn soon. If you really want me to be your lover, fine. Let's see if you can handle me." He mentally slaps himself. Those words aren't want he wants to say. They just flowed out of his mouth. He was supposed to crush all of Junhyung's hopes down not challenge him.
Now Junhyung is smirking at him again. "I know I can."
"Arrogant." He makes a face at Junhyung and finally grabs hold of his keys from his bag. "Well, you've walked, or ran, me home. So goodbye now. Or are you saying you're waiting for a goodnight kiss?"
Junhyung laughs at him. "I wouldn't count on you letting me do that even if I really do want to right now."
He could feel his cheeks getting warm again and a little voice telling him that he does want it too. He punches the living daylights out of that annoying voice. "Good because I really wouldn't. Now shoo."
Junhyung turns around and he feels a slight disappointment. But then Junhyung quickly faces him and pulls him close, kissing his forehead and hugging him loosely. He is stunned to say the least and couldn't move. He remains stiff in his place even as Junhyung pulls away. "See you tomorrow, Seung-ah."
He sees Junhyung smirk before waving goodbye and walking down the road. He stares at the retreating figure, slowly raising his hand to his forehead. He could still feel Junhyung's lips and his warmth. It sends a delightful shiver through his body. He couldn't think straight and couldn't place the key properly in the keyhole for a few tries. Finally, he does and he closes the door behind him, bag in hand. He takes off his shoes and goes straight to his room.
He plops down his bed, placing his bag beside it. For the first few moments, he merely stares at the ceiling, a lot of thoughts swimming in his mind. He turns to the side and the Junhyung's gift, the doll, comes to his sight. He smiles. Junhyung is really something. His thoughts are interrupted by the vibration of his cellphone. He takes it out of pocket and looks at the unknown number.
"Hello?"
A raspy, odd voice comes from the other line. "I know where you live."
He shoots up to a sitting position and he couldn't think straight. A stalker? A killer? A thief? "Wh-who are you?"
Then the voice becomes oddly familiar. "You're scared."
He takes a few seconds before he screams at the other person. "Yong Junhyung! I hate you! Did you know how scared I was?! How the hell did you get my number?! Stalker! I hate you! I so damn hate you!"
He hears a laugh from the culprit and he glares at his phone as if Junhyung could die by him doing so. "Hey, chill. I got your number from Yoseob. And sorry. I couldn't resist not teasing you."
"It's not funny." He pouts. "And what the hell? Yoseob? You know Yoseob? And I'm seriously going to kill him for giving you my number!"
"Yeah. He's a friend of mine and I know you're friends with him too so I asked if he knows your number and after a few prodding, he gave it to me."
"I'm still going to kill him."
"Be my guest." They both laugh. And then he hears the front door open and his mother calling for him, telling him that she and his dad are home. "You should go. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye, Junhyung. Stop being such a stalker. If you somehow get the password for my email, I'll kill you too."
Junhyung laughs. "Don't worry. I won't do that. Bye, Seung-ah."
Before he could complain about being called that way twice, Junhyung hangs up. He stares at his phone and rolls his eyes. He saves Junhyung's number as "My Stalker" before heading out to greet his parents and eat dinner with them.
As the day ends and he's about to sleep, a text message is sent his way. He tiredly gets his phone and looks at the message and laughs, knowing he'll indeed have a good night's rest.
From: My Stalker
Seung-ah. Seung-ah. Seung-ah.
Good night.
I know you'll dream of me. Kkkk.