"Teach"

17

Jinyoung found himself pacing, unable to relax with Jackson gone.

He thought he did his best to get Jackson to understand his perspective of things considering his job, yet they seemed to be back at the same misunderstanding that they began with. He just wanted Jackson to understand that as a professor, it was difficult to see a student as a romantic partner, but he took things too personally again.

He let out a frustrated sigh, glancing around his empty living room. He suddenly didn't enjoy behind home alone. He kept imagining Jackson sitting on the couch typing away at his laptop, or swiveling in the chair by his work desk.

He shouldn't be this caught up over a student, this was exactly why he was afraid of continuing such a dangerous relationship. What if everything between them from now on is tense and impacts both of their respective careers as professor and student? He didn't want to be the reason why Jackson despised coming to class; he'd already experienced the latter's tendency to disappear when upset by something.

Though, the idea of distancing himself from Jackson gave him an uncomfortable feeling in his chest. It was unsettling to the point that he didn't even want to consider the possibility anymore despite it being one of the only possible solutions.

It felt like a headache was coming on as he thought over everything-- he needed to go lay down to either figure things out or to clear his head of this mess.

He shuffled to his room, flopping himself on his unmade bed, face buried in the pillows. He took in a deep breath, almost following it with a sigh until he registered the scent in his nose. This scent that he'd smelled so intimately all night, reminding him of the warmth and closeness of another body against his. He felt his cheeks flush red from the memories rushing back to him as he breathed in another whiff of Jackson's lingering presence. 

He couldn't get enough of those hands against his skin, and that voice in his ear, and the way his body naturally relaxed against Jackson's-- a response that was not at all influenced or impacted by their professional relationship. Everything they did last night, and the sweet comfortable energy between them in the morning; all of it came naturally between them. It would've been the same even if Jinyoung wasn't Jackson's professor-- even if they had widely different occupations and somehow met one another through completely different means; they would have still been drawn to one another and completely entranced by their relationship.

Jinyoung felt his heart throbbing hard against his ribcage. It was difficult to ignore it any longer.

He didn't want to lose Jackson. 

Regardless of his job, he'd come to care so much about another person and thought he could willingly let him go in the name of professionalism. It was stupid, no matter how much he tried to justify it, he was stepping all over his own feelings and unintentionally stepping on Jackson's too. 

He couldn't let the student get away, that was the last thing he ever wanted. All he truly wanted was Jackson back in his arms, making him laugh and blush and melt into a sappy pile of putty. Nothing else mattered.

Jinyoung frantically sat up, searching for his phone. He found it on his nightstand, fumbling with the device in his butterfingers as he pulled up Jackson's contact. He decided to start off with a simple text, but if it went unanswered, he planned on calling the latter until he picked up.

Jinyoung: r u hom3 yet?

To his surprise, Jackson began his reply immediately. Jinyoung watched the three little bubbles at the bottom of the screen, anticipating his response.

Jackson: that's a terrible looking text coming from a writing professor

The latter scoffed, his lip curling into a smile filled both with impatience and amusement.