(for everyone) Five Nights
For: Everyone
Title: Five Nights
Pairings: Kai/D.O.
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: ~4660
Summary: High School AU. Soccer star Kim Jongin is stuck at home with an injured leg. Class genius Do Kyungsoo is sent to tutor him so his grades don't fall behind. The two never speak, but the more time Jongin spends with Kyungsoo the more he realizes what he has been missing.
“Hello. My name is Do Kyungsoo. I’m from the same class as you.”
Kim Jongin stared at the unfamiliar boy standing in front of him at his doorway. He held on to his crutches firmly as he kept his balance steady. The injured boy frowned slightly trying to remember the smaller boy in front of him, but failed in doing so.
“Hi. I’m Kim Jongin,” Jongin introduced rather sheepishly.
“I know,” the smaller boy stared at him with soulless wide eyes. “I’m sorry about your foot.”
“It’s okay.”
“Do you mind if I come in?” Kyungsoo asked as he held his school bag tightly.
“Oh right, yeah, sure,” Jongin moved aside, allowing the other boy to enter.
“I can only stay for two hours a day, but I will do my best to cover all the areas we went over in class.”
Jongin let out a small sigh. He hated studying. He then responded with a weak dejected nod.
“Alright, let’s do this.”
It has been a week since Jongin’s last soccer practice. He was the star player of the school’s soccer team, but due to an unfortunate accident his right foot got severely injured. Luckily it was not broken, but the sprain was quite damaging. The doctors predicted that he would be able to heal within two weeks, however in order to expedite a speedy recovery he should avoid moving around so much.
Kim Jongin was on the road of receiving a full scholarship to a university. If he kept up with his grand performances on the soccer field, he would be able to fulfill his dream of becoming a professional soccer player. On top of being talented with his footwork, he was extremely popular and charismatic among all the students. He was extremely good looking, blessed with a handsome face, the perfect hair, and a well built body.
Do Kyungsoo was the smartest kid in school. Unbeknownst to most, he was the class president of his class and ranked number one on all the exams. He was shy and unsociable and mostly kept things to himself. However he did have friends in the computer science club where they would geek out over new technology or old soft wares. He was also in the art club as he developed a small passion to paint and draw during his spare time. He was short, had a slender figure, round wide eyes, and pink heart shaped lips.
If people witnessed Jongin and Kyungsoo standing next to each other, it would cause them to do a double take. The two were polar opposites of each other in every way, shape, and form. But there was a reason why these two different boys were brought together. Jongin’s soccer coach was concerned for Jongin’s grades in school. If Jongin fell below a C rank in class, his scholarship would diminish in a blink of an eye. His teachers gathered together and decided that the best thing to do would be to send the smartest kid in class to tutor him during his absence. Do Kyungsoo was the perfect candidate for the job. He was immediately nominated and sent in a heartbeat.
“Do you live alone?” Kyungsoo looked around the empty apartment.
“Yeah.”
“Where should we study?”
Jongin paused as he scanned his room. He never really took the time to actually set up a space to study. He’d often do his best to pay attention in school, go to soccer practice, come home, take a shower, eat, and go to bed.
“I have a small table in the living room,” Jongin gestured as Kyungsoo noticed how filthy the table was.
“Do you have any rags to wipe the table?” Kyungsoo asked.
“Yeah in the kitchen sink.”
Kyungsoo walked into the kitchen. He noticed a stack of unwashed dishes and an overfilled trashcan. He felt his nerves twitch as he had the desire to start cleaning but he had to remind himself that this was not his home. It would be rude and offensive if he started cleaning someone else’s home. Kyungsoo grabbed a cloth to what he thought looked clean as he rinsed it under the sink water. He immediately wiped the table as Jongin watched.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” Kyungsoo mumbled as he took a seat on the floor. He grabbed his notebook from his school bag as he looked up at the other boy who was still standing before him. “Please sit.”
“Sorry, I’m going to need you to help me,” Jongin pointed at his crutches.
“Oh.” Kyungsoo immediately got up as he grabbed one of the crutches. He then proceeded to allow the other boy to balance on his shoulder as Jongin comfortably sat on the floor.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
The two boys sat side by side. It was slightly awkward for the both of them. Jongin hardly recognized this guy let alone his name. In fact he had no idea that they shared the same classroom. He was often friendly with everyone so he was a bit disappointed in himself for not recognizing this one. Kyungsoo very well knew who Jongin was, but he never thought himself important enough to be noticed or known by someone so popular. But that never bothered Kyungsoo. He actually liked being invisible.
“What’s your worst subject?” Kyungsoo asked as he looked at the other boy. Jongin felt his soul being slowly taken away.
“Uh…I guess math.”
“We’ll start with math,” Kyungsoo began to jot down some problems. “Are you familiar with these formulas?”
“Uh…why are there letters? I thought math only had numbers,” Jongin frowned as he scratched his head.
Kyungsoo stared at the other boy.
This was going to be a long night.
+++
It was the second night of tutoring.
Kyungsoo took his shoes off as he entered the empty apartment. He noticed that the dishes were still undone and the trash was still full. Little things he had noticed the day before were just as they were. Jongin was already sitting on the floor watching television while eating a bag of chips.
“Hello,” Kyungsoo greeted.
“Hey,” Jongin responded rather nonchalantly as he turned off the television. He then wiped his greasy fingers on his shirt.
Kyungsoo took a seat as Jongin stared at the silent boy with slight interest. He took in the smaller boy’s feature as he noticed his squishy cheeks; his beautiful round eyes and of course his small full lips. The boy was actually rather handsome. Jongin wondered why he was so quiet and secluded himself from the other students.
“Why are you so quiet?”
Kyungsoo looked at the other boy in surprise. He was taken back by the random question.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean at school. I never heard about you until you showed up at my door front. But apparently you are the smartest kid in school. I asked all my friends about you and they just told me that you just never talk. Why is that?”
“Do I need a reason to stay silent?” Kyungsoo bit his lip slightly. “What I mean to say is, I just like keeping things to myself.”
Jongin was intrigued. He had never met anyone like this. He was so used to being the center of attention, surrounded by friendly faces of people who all desired to get to know him and be his friend. For the first time in his life he had never met someone so apathetic and disinterested.
“Do you have friends at school?”
“Of course I do.”
“Who?”
“The computer science club.”
“What is that?”
“A club about computer science.”
“Oh, right,” Jongin scratched his head. He didn’t even know what computer science was. “So when was computer a science?”
Kyungsoo replied with a stare. Jongin felt uneasy as he immediately changed the subject.
“So what are we going over today?”
“Math.”
Jongin let out a loud groan.
“I know, but you still suck at it,” Kyungsoo took out his notebook. “I need you to get a passing grade.”
“I wish you can take the test for me.”
“I wish your foot would get better.”
Jongin looked at the other boy in surprise.
“All the teachers believe in you,” Kyungsoo said as he shifted slightly in his seat. “All the students believe in you.”
Jongin smiled.
“Do you believe in me?”
Kyungsoo took a moment to respond.
“I believe in you.”
+++
It was the third night of tutoring.
Kyungsoo found Jongin asleep on top of the table. Underneath his arms were notes and scribbles from the stuff they reviewed the night before. It seemed that the soccer star was going over his assignments before his tutor session. Kyungsoo smiled to himself as he grabbed a blanket from the bedroom. He wrapped it around the sleeping boy as he then proceeded into the kitchen.
Now he could finally deal with this mess that had been on his mind without feeling like he was imposing.
The first thing Kyungsoo did was to take out the trash. He refilled the trashcan with a new empty trash bag. He then proceeded to wash all the dishes in the sink. Knowing the fact that they had been sitting there for at least since the first day he had arrived, it made him feel better to finally wash them all.
He then opened the fridge. All he found inside was a bottle of cola, a bottle of hot sauce, and a box of take out that only god knows how long it had been in there.
Kyungsoo stared at the sleeping boy. He stared back at the fridge. He then proceeded to stare back at the boy.
“Jongin!” Kyungsoo sharply whispered out as he tried to get the other boy’s attention.
Jongin was unresponsive.
“Jongin!” Kyungsoo tried again.
The boy did not move a muscle.
Kyungsoo grabbed his wallet as he placed his shoes back on. He then took one last look at the sleeping boy before walking out the door.
He ran to the nearest grocery store.
Jongin whimpered slightly as his nostrils were filled with a delicious smell of Korean stew. It almost felt like he was back home waking up to his mother’s cooking. He was afraid to wake up. He didn’t want to lose the scent of his mother’s delicious food.
“Mom?” Jongin lifted his head as he turned to the kitchen. His vision was hazy as he noticed a petite figure moving about in the kitchen.
His vision finally became stable, as he was surprised to see his classmate in an apron.
“Kyungsoo?”
Kyungsoo stopped as he heard his name. He turned off the stove as he made his way towards the living room.
“You’re finally awake,” Kyungsoo wiped his hands on his apron.
“I’m sorry, I knocked out.”
“It’s okay. I kind of cleaned your house a bit, I hope you don’t mind…I’m just pretty neurotic when it comes to messes.”
“Oh no, I should be grateful, sorry it was a mess. It’s hard to clean when you can’t move around.”
“Understandable,” Kyungsoo then turned to the kitchen. “Are you hungry?”
“Starving.”
“I made something simple, I hope you like it,” Kyungsoo began to bring out the dishes one by one. He ended up cooking bean curd stew, sauté spinach, kimchi, and fried mackerel.
“It looks amazing.” Jongin’s face brightened at the food. It has been awhile since he last had a home cook meal.
“What do you live off of? You had practically nothing in the fridge,” Kyungsoo frowned slightly.
“Ah, I usually order take out…or just cook ramen…” Jongin smiled uneasily.
“That’s really unhealthy.”
“I know.”
“Doesn’t your girlfriend come and take care of you?”
“I don’t have a girlfriend.”
“Oh.” Kyungsoo took a bite out of his rice.
“We broke up a month ago,” Jongin took a sip of the stew. “Whoa, this is good!”
“I’m glad you like,” Kyungsoo continued to eat. “And I’m sorry to hear that…about your girlfriend.”
“It’s okay. I broke it off with her,” Jongin shrugged as he ate his fish.
“Why?”
“I realized that in order to take care of someone else I had to take care of myself first.”
Kyungsoo remained silent.
“Do you have a girlfriend?” Jongin asked.
Kyungsoo shook his head.
“You know, you’re a pretty handsome guy. You just need to smile more!” Jongin pat the other boy on the back. “Once you smile more all the girls will fall head over heels for you.”
“It’s too much of an effort,” Kyungsoo took another bite of his rice.
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t want to have to change my persona just to get people to like me.”
Jongin froze as he stared at the other boy. He then let out a small sad smile.
“You’re right.”
Jongin took another bite of his fish.
+++
It was the fourth night of tutoring.
Jongin was able to walk without his crutches. He got by with limping and using his arms for support. He sat at the table with his literature book open. Kyungsoo told him to read ahead so that they would be able to discuss themes when he got there. However Jongin found himself rereading the same sentence over and over again.
“Why can’t I get by this stupid sentence?” Jongin cried out in frustration as he looked at the clock.
Kyungsoo was running late today.
It seemed unlikely that the straight “A” student would be late to their tutor session, but Jongin could only assume something might have delayed him on the way. He didn’t think too much of it as he reattempted to read the passage he was assigned to.
Another half hour passed by. Something didn’t seem right. Jongin frowned slightly as he looked at his phone. He debated calling the other boy, however at that moment a loud knock was heard on the door.
Jongin limped over as fast as he could as he opened his front door. Kyungsoo stood at the doorway fully drenched from head to toe.
“What happened?” Jongin asked. “Why are you all wet? Are you okay?”
Kyungsoo looked as if he was on the verge of tears. However he willed himself to keep a straight face.
“I’m fine. Can I use your shower?” Kyungsoo clenched his fists tightly as Jongin could see the whites of his knuckles.
“Of course.” Jongin allowed the boy in as Kyungsoo headed straight towards the shower.
“I’m sorry to ask you of this, but do you have spare clothes I can borrow?” Kyungsoo peered from the bathroom door.
“I’ll set them aside for you.”
“Thanks.”
Jongin couldn’t help but stare at the other boy. He thought it was rather strange for him to come at his doorstep all wet when it hadn’t even rained that day. He could only assume that the boy either fallen in a pool or even worse, got hosed down by a bunch of bullies. Kyungsoo didn’t look stupid enough to fall in a pool.
The smaller boy wore Jongin’s oversized shirt and a pair of oversized sweats. His hair was still wet from the shower and he smelled of clean soap. Jongin couldn’t help but notice the nape of the other boy’s neck, which was usually concealed by his school uniform collar. Kyungsoo’s neck was very pale and feminine.
Jongin couldn’t stop staring.
“I liked what you wrote up until here, I don’t know how this statement can justify the theme that you pointed out here,” Kyungsoo turned to the other boy as Jongin’s paper was filled with red marks and scribbles. “You have to remember to tie back into your argument and make a complete full circle.”
“Okay, gotcha,” Jongin nodded as he continued to stare at the smaller boy.
Kyungsoo resumed back to reading the paper.
“Who did that to you?” Jongin asked.
“What?” Kyungsoo looked at the other boy, confused.
“Who hosed you down?”
“I didn’t get hosed down-”
“Bullshit,” Jongin shook his head. “I can tell.”
Kyungsoo shrugged as he stared off to the side.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters to me,” Jongin grabbed the other boy’s arm. “Who did this to you?”
Kyungsoo bit his lip slightly as he looked into the other boy’s eyes.
“Your ex girlfriend.”
+++
It was the fifth night of tutoring.
Jongin was taking the practice test that Kyungsoo made for him, but he was having a hard time concentrating. Rather than using the memorized formulas to solve the problems, he found himself constantly stealing glances at the other boy. Kyungsoo sat at the corner of the room; leisurely reading a thick novel that Jongin would never dare touch. He figured he would try to sit as far as possible from the test taking boy, but little did he know that it had been nothing but distracting.
Kyungsoo glanced at this watch.
“You have five more minutes.”
“Shit!” Jongin mumbled to himself as he forced himself to focus on the questions in front of him. He hastily solved the problems to the best of his knowledge.
“Time!”
Kyungsoo inserted a bookmark into his book as he placed his book aside. He then walked over and took a seat by the bigger boy.
“Let’s take a look at these…” Kyungsoo took out a red pen as he opened the cap with his mouth. The cap stayed stuck between his lips, as Jongin couldn’t help but stare.
The red pen moved down the sheet quickly as Kyungsoo’s eyebrows furrowed. His expression would shift from satisfied nods to deep frowns. He then finally reached the end of the paper.
“Wow, 7/10, I’m impressed,” Kyungsoo nodded approvingly as he used his mouth to close the cap. “Huge improvement from the first night.”
“Yay!” Jongin grinned. “Do I get an award?”
“Oh, um, do you want me to treat you to something? I can go to the convenience store-”
At that moment Jongin placed his lips over the other boy’s. Kyungsoo’s eyes widened in surprise as he quickly pulled away. He gently ran his fingertips over his lips.
“Sorry. That’s all I wanted,” Jongin bit his lip slightly.
“Why did you do that?” Kyungsoo’s eyes were wide.
Jongin smiled as he looked at him straight in the eye.
“It’s because I like you.”
“Why?”
“I like you because you are honest and I don’t have to try hard to be someone else when I’m around you.”
“Oh.”
Kyungsoo let out a small smile. He then began to gather his things as he placed them in his bag. As soon as he finished packing he got up from his seat.
“Good luck on the exams next week,” Kyungsoo smiled. “It was fun tutoring you.”
Jongin watched as the boy made his way to leave. He wanted to say something in return but he felt his throat get tied in a knot. He didn’t know what to say, but he did know that he didn’t want the other boy to leave yet. He knew that if he didn’t do anything, this would probably be his last time to speak with Kyungsoo.
“Wait.”
Kyungsoo stopped at the door as he turned to face the other boy.
Jongin froze as he made eye contact. Frustrated. He didn’t know what to say.
“I don’t want you to leave.”
Kyungsoo stared at the other boy in surprise.
“Do you mind staying?” Jongin looked at him with pleading eyes.
Kyungsoo slowly dropped his bag.
“Shall I cook something?” The smaller boy could feel his own heart beating.
Jongin shook his head. He got up as he walked over to the other boy. The closer Jongin got, Kyungsoo took slow steps backwards as he felt his back lean up against the wall. Jongin towered over him as he leaned one arm over the smaller boy’s head.
“Can we do this instead?”
Jongin leaned down as he kissed the boy on his lips.
Kyungsoo kissed back.
Jongin pushed the smaller boy up against the wall as he deepened his kiss. He ran his fingers down the other boy’s small waist as he hugged it tightly. Kyungsoo shyly wrapped his slender arms around the taller boy’s neck as he hung rather loosely, expecting the kiss to end any moment.
Jongin pulled away as he traveled down to the smaller boy’s pale feminine neck. He sucked lightly and playfully as the smaller boy let out a soft moan. Kyungsoo’s breaths excited Jongin as he sucked even harder making a trail of kisses down the other boy’s neck.
“Ahh…” Kyungsoo felt his face flush. He could not believe what was happening at the moment. All he could think was that he was making out with the most popular kid in school.
“Fuck…” Jongin breathed into Kyungsoo’s neck.
“I-I’m sorry…”
Jongin let out a small laugh. “No, it’s just that…”
“What?” Kyungsoo felt so embarrassed that he could die.
“I just really want you.”
Kyungsoo stared at the other boy with wide eyes.
“Is it okay to have you?” Jongin asked.
The bigger boy flashed one of his signature smiles that would make any human weak in the knees. Kyungsoo felt affected, as he couldn’t resist Jongin’s handsome face let alone his perfect body. However he couldn’t help but feel so shy. He had never been in a relationship before, let alone with a guy.
“Are you sure you want me?” Kyungsoo asked rather pathetically. “I’m not popular or sociable, I’m rather dull and quiet. Would you still want to be with a person like me?”
“But that’s what I like about you,” Jongin wrapped his arms around the other boy’s waist. “I like the dull quiet side of you who likes computer science.”
Kyungsoo let out a small laugh as he leaned forward for another kiss.
+++
It had been two weeks since Jongin missed school. For some reason it felt as if he was gone for a month. There was something unfamiliar in the air as he walked his usual route to school. However the sky was the blue, the grass was green, and it looked as if it was going to be another beautiful day. His leg was fully healed and he felt no pain while kicking soccer balls at a local park.
Smiles greeted him all through out campus. Familiar faces hugging him and slapping him on the back, congratulating him on his speedy recovery. Jongin responded with grins and not so secret hand signals.
He finally reached his classroom. Room 3-6. For some reason he felt his heart skip a beat and that was because he would see the one person he had been longing to see all weekend. He took a deep breath as he opened the door only to be greeted with more familiar faces. Jongin looked around the classroom, but had difficulty searching for the one person he wanted to see.
“Jongin! I missed you!”
Jongin felt a female presence wrap her arms around his waist. He turned around only to see his dreaded ex girlfriend.
“Hey Minji,” Jongin gave a small smile. A group of people surrounded him as they all missed his presence.
“Nice to see you back Jongin!”
“Healed for the next soccer match?”
“We all missed you! The school felt so empty!”
“Finally a pretty face in the classroom!”
Jongin responded with smiles as he continued to look around the classroom.
“Hey guys, have you guys seen Kyungsoo?” Jongin asked.
“Who’s that?”
“Kyungsoo?”
“Do we have a guy like that in our class?”
“Jongin, why are you looking for him?” Minji frowned as she crossed her arms.
At that moment Kyungsoo appeared at the classroom door. The whole class stared at him as he stared back. He then quickly rushed to his seat.
Jongin noticed that the smaller boy didn’t have any shoes on.
Minji wrapped her arms around Jongin once more. “I missed you so much! We should go get dinner or we can do that thing you like-”
Jongin pushed Minji aside as he walked up to Kyungsoo’s desk.
“Kyungsoo, where are your shoes?”
Kyungsoo stared ahead as he avoided eye contact.
“I don’t know what you are talking about.”
“I’m not blind. I can see that you don’t have any shoes on,” Jongin looked at his classmates as he turned back to the smaller boy. “Who did this to you?”
Kyungsoo remained silent.
Jongin turned to the classroom.
“Who did this?”
“J-Jongin, why do you care?” Minji asked rather uneasily. “He’s always so quiet anyway and you never paid attention to him before-”
Jongin took off his own shoes. He then bent down as he gently placed them on Kyungsoo’s feet.
“You don’t have to do this,” Kyungsoo stopped the other boy.
“Don’t. Just wear these.”
“Why do you care about him so much? He’s just a nerd!” Minji cried out. “Do you like him or something?”
Jongin could feel his nerves twitch at the shrill of Minji’s voice. He wanted to ask himself why he even dated the girl in the first place.
“Yes, I do like him. Does anyone have a problem with that?” Jongin stared at all his classmates.
“Calm down Minji, don’t be so mean to the quiet kid.”
“Wow, Jongin is so nice to everyone!”
“He’s so perfect! I wish someone stole my shoes so he can give me his!”
“The next person to steal anyone’s shoes has to go through me, ok?” Jongin looked at everyone in the classroom.
+++
As soon as it was lunchtime, Jongin ran up to Kyungsoo’s desk.
“Hey.”
“Hi,” Kyungsoo looked up at the bigger boy as he took out his lunch box.
“Can we eat together?”
“But-”
Jongin grabbed Kyungsoo’s arm as he led the boy out of the classroom. The whole class stared as they watched the most popular guy in school leave with the most invisible.
“Jongin, everyone is staring!” Kyungsoo whispered loudly as he held onto his lunch firmly.
“Let them stare!” Jongin cried out.
“But!”
“I don’t care!”
The two reached the top of the roof, as they were secluded from the rest of the school. Jongin leaned against the railing as he stared at the view below. He felt the wind blow on his face and the sun shining brightly.
“How long?” Jongin asked.
“What?” Kyungsoo looked at the other boy, confused.
“How long have you been bullied?”
Kyungsoo stared to the side.
“I want to know.”
“It really doesn’t matter.”
“It matters to me,” Jongin tightened his grip on the railing. “Were you bullied when I was in class?”
Kyungsoo shook his head.
“Then how did it start?”
Kyungsoo took a moment as he stared into the sky.
“I painted a picture during art class. I got a lot of praise for it. Because of that painting, people began to notice me.”
“What was the painting of?”
Kyungsoo paused for a moment.
“It was a painting of you.”
Jongin felt his heart beat.
“I want to see it.”
“I will show you,” Kyungsoo smiled. “Jealousy is an ugly thing.”
Everything made sense. Jongin frowned at the thought but he now finally understood why people were attacking the smaller boy. He couldn’t help but feel so angry and frustrated.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“If only I was more attentive, if only-”
“Jongin. I’m so glad that I got to tutor you. Being given the opportunity to tutor you was probably one of the best moments of my life,” Kyungsoo smiled. “I’m glad to be able to fall in love with you.”
Jongin grabbed the other boy as he swallowed him into his arms. He held onto the smaller boy rather tightly as he never wanted to let go.
“Sometimes, as bad as this may sound, I thank God for spraining my leg and giving me a bad brain so he could bring you to me,” Jongin whispered into the smaller boy’s ear.
Kyungsoo shook his head as he let out a small laugh.
He grabbed the other boy’s tie as he leaned in for a kiss.
Title: Five Nights
Pairings: Kai/D.O.
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: ~4660
Summary: High School AU. Soccer star Kim Jongin is stuck at home with an injured leg. Class genius Do Kyungsoo is sent to tutor him so his grades don't fall behind. The two never speak, but the more time Jongin spends with Kyungsoo the more he realizes what he has been missing.
“Hello. My name is Do Kyungsoo. I’m from the same class as you.”
Kim Jongin stared at the unfamiliar boy standing in front of him at his doorway. He held on to his crutches firmly as he kept his balance steady. The injured boy frowned slightly trying to remember the smaller boy in front of him, but failed in doing so.
“Hi. I’m Kim Jongin,” Jongin introduced rather sheepishly.
“I know,” the smaller boy stared at him with soulless wide eyes. “I’m sorry about your foot.”
“It’s okay.”
“Do you mind if I come in?” Kyungsoo asked as he held his school bag tightly.
“Oh right, yeah, sure,” Jongin moved aside, allowing the other boy to enter.
“I can only stay for two hours a day, but I will do my best to cover all the areas we went over in class.”
Jongin let out a small sigh. He hated studying. He then responded with a weak dejected nod.
“Alright, let’s do this.”
It has been a week since Jongin’s last soccer practice. He was the star player of the school’s soccer team, but due to an unfortunate accident his right foot got severely injured. Luckily it was not broken, but the sprain was quite damaging. The doctors predicted that he would be able to heal within two weeks, however in order to expedite a speedy recovery he should avoid moving around so much.
Kim Jongin was on the road of receiving a full scholarship to a university. If he kept up with his grand performances on the soccer field, he would be able to fulfill his dream of becoming a professional soccer player. On top of being talented with his footwork, he was extremely popular and charismatic among all the students. He was extremely good looking, blessed with a handsome face, the perfect hair, and a well built body.
Do Kyungsoo was the smartest kid in school. Unbeknownst to most, he was the class president of his class and ranked number one on all the exams. He was shy and unsociable and mostly kept things to himself. However he did have friends in the computer science club where they would geek out over new technology or old soft wares. He was also in the art club as he developed a small passion to paint and draw during his spare time. He was short, had a slender figure, round wide eyes, and pink heart shaped lips.
If people witnessed Jongin and Kyungsoo standing next to each other, it would cause them to do a double take. The two were polar opposites of each other in every way, shape, and form. But there was a reason why these two different boys were brought together. Jongin’s soccer coach was concerned for Jongin’s grades in school. If Jongin fell below a C rank in class, his scholarship would diminish in a blink of an eye. His teachers gathered together and decided that the best thing to do would be to send the smartest kid in class to tutor him during his absence. Do Kyungsoo was the perfect candidate for the job. He was immediately nominated and sent in a heartbeat.
“Do you live alone?” Kyungsoo looked around the empty apartment.
“Yeah.”
“Where should we study?”
Jongin paused as he scanned his room. He never really took the time to actually set up a space to study. He’d often do his best to pay attention in school, go to soccer practice, come home, take a shower, eat, and go to bed.
“I have a small table in the living room,” Jongin gestured as Kyungsoo noticed how filthy the table was.
“Do you have any rags to wipe the table?” Kyungsoo asked.
“Yeah in the kitchen sink.”
Kyungsoo walked into the kitchen. He noticed a stack of unwashed dishes and an overfilled trashcan. He felt his nerves twitch as he had the desire to start cleaning but he had to remind himself that this was not his home. It would be rude and offensive if he started cleaning someone else’s home. Kyungsoo grabbed a cloth to what he thought looked clean as he rinsed it under the sink water. He immediately wiped the table as Jongin watched.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” Kyungsoo mumbled as he took a seat on the floor. He grabbed his notebook from his school bag as he looked up at the other boy who was still standing before him. “Please sit.”
“Sorry, I’m going to need you to help me,” Jongin pointed at his crutches.
“Oh.” Kyungsoo immediately got up as he grabbed one of the crutches. He then proceeded to allow the other boy to balance on his shoulder as Jongin comfortably sat on the floor.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
The two boys sat side by side. It was slightly awkward for the both of them. Jongin hardly recognized this guy let alone his name. In fact he had no idea that they shared the same classroom. He was often friendly with everyone so he was a bit disappointed in himself for not recognizing this one. Kyungsoo very well knew who Jongin was, but he never thought himself important enough to be noticed or known by someone so popular. But that never bothered Kyungsoo. He actually liked being invisible.
“What’s your worst subject?” Kyungsoo asked as he looked at the other boy. Jongin felt his soul being slowly taken away.
“Uh…I guess math.”
“We’ll start with math,” Kyungsoo began to jot down some problems. “Are you familiar with these formulas?”
“Uh…why are there letters? I thought math only had numbers,” Jongin frowned as he scratched his head.
Kyungsoo stared at the other boy.
This was going to be a long night.
+++
It was the second night of tutoring.
Kyungsoo took his shoes off as he entered the empty apartment. He noticed that the dishes were still undone and the trash was still full. Little things he had noticed the day before were just as they were. Jongin was already sitting on the floor watching television while eating a bag of chips.
“Hello,” Kyungsoo greeted.
“Hey,” Jongin responded rather nonchalantly as he turned off the television. He then wiped his greasy fingers on his shirt.
Kyungsoo took a seat as Jongin stared at the silent boy with slight interest. He took in the smaller boy’s feature as he noticed his squishy cheeks; his beautiful round eyes and of course his small full lips. The boy was actually rather handsome. Jongin wondered why he was so quiet and secluded himself from the other students.
“Why are you so quiet?”
Kyungsoo looked at the other boy in surprise. He was taken back by the random question.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean at school. I never heard about you until you showed up at my door front. But apparently you are the smartest kid in school. I asked all my friends about you and they just told me that you just never talk. Why is that?”
“Do I need a reason to stay silent?” Kyungsoo bit his lip slightly. “What I mean to say is, I just like keeping things to myself.”
Jongin was intrigued. He had never met anyone like this. He was so used to being the center of attention, surrounded by friendly faces of people who all desired to get to know him and be his friend. For the first time in his life he had never met someone so apathetic and disinterested.
“Do you have friends at school?”
“Of course I do.”
“Who?”
“The computer science club.”
“What is that?”
“A club about computer science.”
“Oh, right,” Jongin scratched his head. He didn’t even know what computer science was. “So when was computer a science?”
Kyungsoo replied with a stare. Jongin felt uneasy as he immediately changed the subject.
“So what are we going over today?”
“Math.”
Jongin let out a loud groan.
“I know, but you still suck at it,” Kyungsoo took out his notebook. “I need you to get a passing grade.”
“I wish you can take the test for me.”
“I wish your foot would get better.”
Jongin looked at the other boy in surprise.
“All the teachers believe in you,” Kyungsoo said as he shifted slightly in his seat. “All the students believe in you.”
Jongin smiled.
“Do you believe in me?”
Kyungsoo took a moment to respond.
“I believe in you.”
+++
It was the third night of tutoring.
Kyungsoo found Jongin asleep on top of the table. Underneath his arms were notes and scribbles from the stuff they reviewed the night before. It seemed that the soccer star was going over his assignments before his tutor session. Kyungsoo smiled to himself as he grabbed a blanket from the bedroom. He wrapped it around the sleeping boy as he then proceeded into the kitchen.
Now he could finally deal with this mess that had been on his mind without feeling like he was imposing.
The first thing Kyungsoo did was to take out the trash. He refilled the trashcan with a new empty trash bag. He then proceeded to wash all the dishes in the sink. Knowing the fact that they had been sitting there for at least since the first day he had arrived, it made him feel better to finally wash them all.
He then opened the fridge. All he found inside was a bottle of cola, a bottle of hot sauce, and a box of take out that only god knows how long it had been in there.
Kyungsoo stared at the sleeping boy. He stared back at the fridge. He then proceeded to stare back at the boy.
“Jongin!” Kyungsoo sharply whispered out as he tried to get the other boy’s attention.
Jongin was unresponsive.
“Jongin!” Kyungsoo tried again.
The boy did not move a muscle.
Kyungsoo grabbed his wallet as he placed his shoes back on. He then took one last look at the sleeping boy before walking out the door.
He ran to the nearest grocery store.
Jongin whimpered slightly as his nostrils were filled with a delicious smell of Korean stew. It almost felt like he was back home waking up to his mother’s cooking. He was afraid to wake up. He didn’t want to lose the scent of his mother’s delicious food.
“Mom?” Jongin lifted his head as he turned to the kitchen. His vision was hazy as he noticed a petite figure moving about in the kitchen.
His vision finally became stable, as he was surprised to see his classmate in an apron.
“Kyungsoo?”
Kyungsoo stopped as he heard his name. He turned off the stove as he made his way towards the living room.
“You’re finally awake,” Kyungsoo wiped his hands on his apron.
“I’m sorry, I knocked out.”
“It’s okay. I kind of cleaned your house a bit, I hope you don’t mind…I’m just pretty neurotic when it comes to messes.”
“Oh no, I should be grateful, sorry it was a mess. It’s hard to clean when you can’t move around.”
“Understandable,” Kyungsoo then turned to the kitchen. “Are you hungry?”
“Starving.”
“I made something simple, I hope you like it,” Kyungsoo began to bring out the dishes one by one. He ended up cooking bean curd stew, sauté spinach, kimchi, and fried mackerel.
“It looks amazing.” Jongin’s face brightened at the food. It has been awhile since he last had a home cook meal.
“What do you live off of? You had practically nothing in the fridge,” Kyungsoo frowned slightly.
“Ah, I usually order take out…or just cook ramen…” Jongin smiled uneasily.
“That’s really unhealthy.”
“I know.”
“Doesn’t your girlfriend come and take care of you?”
“I don’t have a girlfriend.”
“Oh.” Kyungsoo took a bite out of his rice.
“We broke up a month ago,” Jongin took a sip of the stew. “Whoa, this is good!”
“I’m glad you like,” Kyungsoo continued to eat. “And I’m sorry to hear that…about your girlfriend.”
“It’s okay. I broke it off with her,” Jongin shrugged as he ate his fish.
“Why?”
“I realized that in order to take care of someone else I had to take care of myself first.”
Kyungsoo remained silent.
“Do you have a girlfriend?” Jongin asked.
Kyungsoo shook his head.
“You know, you’re a pretty handsome guy. You just need to smile more!” Jongin pat the other boy on the back. “Once you smile more all the girls will fall head over heels for you.”
“It’s too much of an effort,” Kyungsoo took another bite of his rice.
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t want to have to change my persona just to get people to like me.”
Jongin froze as he stared at the other boy. He then let out a small sad smile.
“You’re right.”
Jongin took another bite of his fish.
+++
It was the fourth night of tutoring.
Jongin was able to walk without his crutches. He got by with limping and using his arms for support. He sat at the table with his literature book open. Kyungsoo told him to read ahead so that they would be able to discuss themes when he got there. However Jongin found himself rereading the same sentence over and over again.
“Why can’t I get by this stupid sentence?” Jongin cried out in frustration as he looked at the clock.
Kyungsoo was running late today.
It seemed unlikely that the straight “A” student would be late to their tutor session, but Jongin could only assume something might have delayed him on the way. He didn’t think too much of it as he reattempted to read the passage he was assigned to.
Another half hour passed by. Something didn’t seem right. Jongin frowned slightly as he looked at his phone. He debated calling the other boy, however at that moment a loud knock was heard on the door.
Jongin limped over as fast as he could as he opened his front door. Kyungsoo stood at the doorway fully drenched from head to toe.
“What happened?” Jongin asked. “Why are you all wet? Are you okay?”
Kyungsoo looked as if he was on the verge of tears. However he willed himself to keep a straight face.
“I’m fine. Can I use your shower?” Kyungsoo clenched his fists tightly as Jongin could see the whites of his knuckles.
“Of course.” Jongin allowed the boy in as Kyungsoo headed straight towards the shower.
“I’m sorry to ask you of this, but do you have spare clothes I can borrow?” Kyungsoo peered from the bathroom door.
“I’ll set them aside for you.”
“Thanks.”
Jongin couldn’t help but stare at the other boy. He thought it was rather strange for him to come at his doorstep all wet when it hadn’t even rained that day. He could only assume that the boy either fallen in a pool or even worse, got hosed down by a bunch of bullies. Kyungsoo didn’t look stupid enough to fall in a pool.
The smaller boy wore Jongin’s oversized shirt and a pair of oversized sweats. His hair was still wet from the shower and he smelled of clean soap. Jongin couldn’t help but notice the nape of the other boy’s neck, which was usually concealed by his school uniform collar. Kyungsoo’s neck was very pale and feminine.
Jongin couldn’t stop staring.
“I liked what you wrote up until here, I don’t know how this statement can justify the theme that you pointed out here,” Kyungsoo turned to the other boy as Jongin’s paper was filled with red marks and scribbles. “You have to remember to tie back into your argument and make a complete full circle.”
“Okay, gotcha,” Jongin nodded as he continued to stare at the smaller boy.
Kyungsoo resumed back to reading the paper.
“Who did that to you?” Jongin asked.
“What?” Kyungsoo looked at the other boy, confused.
“Who hosed you down?”
“I didn’t get hosed down-”
“Bullshit,” Jongin shook his head. “I can tell.”
Kyungsoo shrugged as he stared off to the side.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters to me,” Jongin grabbed the other boy’s arm. “Who did this to you?”
Kyungsoo bit his lip slightly as he looked into the other boy’s eyes.
“Your ex girlfriend.”
+++
It was the fifth night of tutoring.
Jongin was taking the practice test that Kyungsoo made for him, but he was having a hard time concentrating. Rather than using the memorized formulas to solve the problems, he found himself constantly stealing glances at the other boy. Kyungsoo sat at the corner of the room; leisurely reading a thick novel that Jongin would never dare touch. He figured he would try to sit as far as possible from the test taking boy, but little did he know that it had been nothing but distracting.
Kyungsoo glanced at this watch.
“You have five more minutes.”
“Shit!” Jongin mumbled to himself as he forced himself to focus on the questions in front of him. He hastily solved the problems to the best of his knowledge.
“Time!”
Kyungsoo inserted a bookmark into his book as he placed his book aside. He then walked over and took a seat by the bigger boy.
“Let’s take a look at these…” Kyungsoo took out a red pen as he opened the cap with his mouth. The cap stayed stuck between his lips, as Jongin couldn’t help but stare.
The red pen moved down the sheet quickly as Kyungsoo’s eyebrows furrowed. His expression would shift from satisfied nods to deep frowns. He then finally reached the end of the paper.
“Wow, 7/10, I’m impressed,” Kyungsoo nodded approvingly as he used his mouth to close the cap. “Huge improvement from the first night.”
“Yay!” Jongin grinned. “Do I get an award?”
“Oh, um, do you want me to treat you to something? I can go to the convenience store-”
At that moment Jongin placed his lips over the other boy’s. Kyungsoo’s eyes widened in surprise as he quickly pulled away. He gently ran his fingertips over his lips.
“Sorry. That’s all I wanted,” Jongin bit his lip slightly.
“Why did you do that?” Kyungsoo’s eyes were wide.
Jongin smiled as he looked at him straight in the eye.
“It’s because I like you.”
“Why?”
“I like you because you are honest and I don’t have to try hard to be someone else when I’m around you.”
“Oh.”
Kyungsoo let out a small smile. He then began to gather his things as he placed them in his bag. As soon as he finished packing he got up from his seat.
“Good luck on the exams next week,” Kyungsoo smiled. “It was fun tutoring you.”
Jongin watched as the boy made his way to leave. He wanted to say something in return but he felt his throat get tied in a knot. He didn’t know what to say, but he did know that he didn’t want the other boy to leave yet. He knew that if he didn’t do anything, this would probably be his last time to speak with Kyungsoo.
“Wait.”
Kyungsoo stopped at the door as he turned to face the other boy.
Jongin froze as he made eye contact. Frustrated. He didn’t know what to say.
“I don’t want you to leave.”
Kyungsoo stared at the other boy in surprise.
“Do you mind staying?” Jongin looked at him with pleading eyes.
Kyungsoo slowly dropped his bag.
“Shall I cook something?” The smaller boy could feel his own heart beating.
Jongin shook his head. He got up as he walked over to the other boy. The closer Jongin got, Kyungsoo took slow steps backwards as he felt his back lean up against the wall. Jongin towered over him as he leaned one arm over the smaller boy’s head.
“Can we do this instead?”
Jongin leaned down as he kissed the boy on his lips.
Kyungsoo kissed back.
Jongin pushed the smaller boy up against the wall as he deepened his kiss. He ran his fingers down the other boy’s small waist as he hugged it tightly. Kyungsoo shyly wrapped his slender arms around the taller boy’s neck as he hung rather loosely, expecting the kiss to end any moment.
Jongin pulled away as he traveled down to the smaller boy’s pale feminine neck. He sucked lightly and playfully as the smaller boy let out a soft moan. Kyungsoo’s breaths excited Jongin as he sucked even harder making a trail of kisses down the other boy’s neck.
“Ahh…” Kyungsoo felt his face flush. He could not believe what was happening at the moment. All he could think was that he was making out with the most popular kid in school.
“Fuck…” Jongin breathed into Kyungsoo’s neck.
“I-I’m sorry…”
Jongin let out a small laugh. “No, it’s just that…”
“What?” Kyungsoo felt so embarrassed that he could die.
“I just really want you.”
Kyungsoo stared at the other boy with wide eyes.
“Is it okay to have you?” Jongin asked.
The bigger boy flashed one of his signature smiles that would make any human weak in the knees. Kyungsoo felt affected, as he couldn’t resist Jongin’s handsome face let alone his perfect body. However he couldn’t help but feel so shy. He had never been in a relationship before, let alone with a guy.
“Are you sure you want me?” Kyungsoo asked rather pathetically. “I’m not popular or sociable, I’m rather dull and quiet. Would you still want to be with a person like me?”
“But that’s what I like about you,” Jongin wrapped his arms around the other boy’s waist. “I like the dull quiet side of you who likes computer science.”
Kyungsoo let out a small laugh as he leaned forward for another kiss.
+++
It had been two weeks since Jongin missed school. For some reason it felt as if he was gone for a month. There was something unfamiliar in the air as he walked his usual route to school. However the sky was the blue, the grass was green, and it looked as if it was going to be another beautiful day. His leg was fully healed and he felt no pain while kicking soccer balls at a local park.
Smiles greeted him all through out campus. Familiar faces hugging him and slapping him on the back, congratulating him on his speedy recovery. Jongin responded with grins and not so secret hand signals.
He finally reached his classroom. Room 3-6. For some reason he felt his heart skip a beat and that was because he would see the one person he had been longing to see all weekend. He took a deep breath as he opened the door only to be greeted with more familiar faces. Jongin looked around the classroom, but had difficulty searching for the one person he wanted to see.
“Jongin! I missed you!”
Jongin felt a female presence wrap her arms around his waist. He turned around only to see his dreaded ex girlfriend.
“Hey Minji,” Jongin gave a small smile. A group of people surrounded him as they all missed his presence.
“Nice to see you back Jongin!”
“Healed for the next soccer match?”
“We all missed you! The school felt so empty!”
“Finally a pretty face in the classroom!”
Jongin responded with smiles as he continued to look around the classroom.
“Hey guys, have you guys seen Kyungsoo?” Jongin asked.
“Who’s that?”
“Kyungsoo?”
“Do we have a guy like that in our class?”
“Jongin, why are you looking for him?” Minji frowned as she crossed her arms.
At that moment Kyungsoo appeared at the classroom door. The whole class stared at him as he stared back. He then quickly rushed to his seat.
Jongin noticed that the smaller boy didn’t have any shoes on.
Minji wrapped her arms around Jongin once more. “I missed you so much! We should go get dinner or we can do that thing you like-”
Jongin pushed Minji aside as he walked up to Kyungsoo’s desk.
“Kyungsoo, where are your shoes?”
Kyungsoo stared ahead as he avoided eye contact.
“I don’t know what you are talking about.”
“I’m not blind. I can see that you don’t have any shoes on,” Jongin looked at his classmates as he turned back to the smaller boy. “Who did this to you?”
Kyungsoo remained silent.
Jongin turned to the classroom.
“Who did this?”
“J-Jongin, why do you care?” Minji asked rather uneasily. “He’s always so quiet anyway and you never paid attention to him before-”
Jongin took off his own shoes. He then bent down as he gently placed them on Kyungsoo’s feet.
“You don’t have to do this,” Kyungsoo stopped the other boy.
“Don’t. Just wear these.”
“Why do you care about him so much? He’s just a nerd!” Minji cried out. “Do you like him or something?”
Jongin could feel his nerves twitch at the shrill of Minji’s voice. He wanted to ask himself why he even dated the girl in the first place.
“Yes, I do like him. Does anyone have a problem with that?” Jongin stared at all his classmates.
“Calm down Minji, don’t be so mean to the quiet kid.”
“Wow, Jongin is so nice to everyone!”
“He’s so perfect! I wish someone stole my shoes so he can give me his!”
“The next person to steal anyone’s shoes has to go through me, ok?” Jongin looked at everyone in the classroom.
+++
As soon as it was lunchtime, Jongin ran up to Kyungsoo’s desk.
“Hey.”
“Hi,” Kyungsoo looked up at the bigger boy as he took out his lunch box.
“Can we eat together?”
“But-”
Jongin grabbed Kyungsoo’s arm as he led the boy out of the classroom. The whole class stared as they watched the most popular guy in school leave with the most invisible.
“Jongin, everyone is staring!” Kyungsoo whispered loudly as he held onto his lunch firmly.
“Let them stare!” Jongin cried out.
“But!”
“I don’t care!”
The two reached the top of the roof, as they were secluded from the rest of the school. Jongin leaned against the railing as he stared at the view below. He felt the wind blow on his face and the sun shining brightly.
“How long?” Jongin asked.
“What?” Kyungsoo looked at the other boy, confused.
“How long have you been bullied?”
Kyungsoo stared to the side.
“I want to know.”
“It really doesn’t matter.”
“It matters to me,” Jongin tightened his grip on the railing. “Were you bullied when I was in class?”
Kyungsoo shook his head.
“Then how did it start?”
Kyungsoo took a moment as he stared into the sky.
“I painted a picture during art class. I got a lot of praise for it. Because of that painting, people began to notice me.”
“What was the painting of?”
Kyungsoo paused for a moment.
“It was a painting of you.”
Jongin felt his heart beat.
“I want to see it.”
“I will show you,” Kyungsoo smiled. “Jealousy is an ugly thing.”
Everything made sense. Jongin frowned at the thought but he now finally understood why people were attacking the smaller boy. He couldn’t help but feel so angry and frustrated.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“If only I was more attentive, if only-”
“Jongin. I’m so glad that I got to tutor you. Being given the opportunity to tutor you was probably one of the best moments of my life,” Kyungsoo smiled. “I’m glad to be able to fall in love with you.”
Jongin grabbed the other boy as he swallowed him into his arms. He held onto the smaller boy rather tightly as he never wanted to let go.
“Sometimes, as bad as this may sound, I thank God for spraining my leg and giving me a bad brain so he could bring you to me,” Jongin whispered into the smaller boy’s ear.
Kyungsoo shook his head as he let out a small laugh.
He grabbed the other boy’s tie as he leaned in for a kiss.