"Teach"

8

Along with the weekend came a sickness that had Jinyoung almost literally stuck to his bed.

All week he had felt a bit off, but it really hit him on a Friday, so instead of taking a small personal break from work, he stayed home to try and convince himself that it was nothing.

As the day went on, it got nothing but worse. He was constantly hot and cold, only hungry enough for a couple of nibbles of food, with body aches and terrible fatigue. As Saturday came along, he couldn't even pull himself out of bed.

Though, he was less worried about his sudden illness and more so about the meeting with Jackson that he'd agreed to. He tried waiting to see if he felt even a little better to force himself out of bed, but the sweat spot he wallowed in for hours since he woke up indicated that he was most likely not going to make it to their scheduled session.

He felt his chest tighten as he picked up his phone and searched for Jackson's contact, reluctantly typing out his message.

Jinyoung: I'm really sorry, I have to reschedule...

To his surprise, Jackson read the message in less than a minute. He grew anxious, hoping that the bad news would go over well. He never usually felt so terrible for cancelling on a student, but for some reason, this time felt a bit different.

His reply came just as quick.

Jackson: what?
Jackson: what do you mean

Jinyoung: I can't come today... sorry...

Jackson: what????

Jinyoung didn't know how else to say it, he felt terrible about it and couldn't tell by Jackson's reaction how he took it, but so far it seemed not so good. He grew more anxious as more time passed and Jackson had stopped typing, he felt like he should say something but he wasn't sure what.

He almost jumped out of his skin when his phone started to buzz; Jackson's name illuminating his screen.

He cleared his semi-sore throat before tapping the screen, bringing his phone to his ear.

"Jackson, I--"

"Is this you protecting your job? You promised to meet with a struggling student and then bail on him!?"

"Jackson it's nothing personal--"

"Last time we met--!" The latter faltered; Jinyoung could hear his breaths and what sounded like wind through the phone. "L-Last time... I really enjoyed you teaching me! And I still need you to help my grades, and you cancel on me because a student and a teacher meeting outside of class is unprofessional!"

"Look it's really nice to hear you be invested in your education but, it's more than just the unprofessionalism. People can make assumptions if they find out. And--" Jinyoung paused, allowing himself to let out a few coughs before continuing. "...and I want to protect my job and protect you."

"You should be here protecting my grades. You gave me your number so I could reach out, and now you're pulling away." Jackson huffed in aggravation. "Like most people do..."

Jinyoung frowned at the fact that Jackson said 'here'; implying that he was already at their designated meeting spot. "W-Wait Jackson, you're there? But... it's an hour early--"

"I told you I wasn't gonna be late this time!" He retorted. "I brought my stuff and-- whatever... doesn't matter."

Jinyoung both felt horrible and flattered at the same time-- the fact that Jackson went out of his way to keep his promise, only to be canceled on. It's not like it was his fault, but he wished this sickness had picked a less crucial time than this one; he always intended on being there for his students and it preventing him from doing so was really irritating.

"Jack--" He could barely get the latter's name out before erupting into a fit of coughs. He had difficulty pulling himself together considering how unwell he was.

"Teach?" Jackson called in a concerned tone after calming himself a bit. "You okay?"

Jinyoung cleared his throat, his voice coming out a bit shaky. "I'm fine, just a little under the weather."

"You looked like you were a bit off the last time I saw you..." He heard Jackson mumble, the student then gasping in realization. "Did you come down with something? Is that why you can't meet me?"

Jinyoung hesitated to answer; he didn't want to make Jackson worry too much after going through all the troubles he already had for their meeting. "It's just a little cold or at worst, the flu, but it happens, I'll be fine--"

"And you let me yell at you while you were sick!?" The man exclaimed through the speaker.

"...You're still yelling now..."

"Send me your address."

"Huh?"

"Text it to me." Jackson demanded. "I'm not letting this day go to waste. You're gonna teach me and I'm gonna help you. It's only fair."

Jinyoung blinked, his heart thumping hard against his chest in both excitement and anxiousness. "I-I don't think that's appropriate..."

"Do you still take me as the type who cares about what's appropriate or not?" The latter asked, not even waiting to receive an answer. "We're just moving our meeting to a better-suited place. It will still be strictly academic."

"But, m-my house?"

"See you soon." 

Jackson hung up, the phone beeping until Jinyoung left the call.

He hesitated, his fingers hovering over the screen as he stared at his and Jackson's chat. It really wasn't appropriate to invite a student to his personal home...

 He quickly tapped in the address, hitting send before he could second guess it. This was just... an accommodation in place of their initial plans; their meeting will still be 100% academic, nothing else.

Jinyoung let out a soft sigh as he dropped his phone on his chest filled with butterflies.