Head Down

◤thirty◢

"How the fuck are you asleep knowing that Mark is literally on your shoulder," Jaemin hisses, trying to keep his voice quiet so that he doesn't wake up the aforementioned boy.

"How eloquent of you," Jeno coos sarcastically, voice raspy from his short nap. He rolls his eyes and turns his face to look at Jaemin completely. "I'm trying to ignore it."

"Honestly, I'm impressed that you haven't shoved him off by now." The younger boy admits, stifling a yawn against the pillow he's holding to his chest.

"Don't tempt me. He's trying so hard for Donghyuck, I know I'm going to be seeing more of him in the near future. Might as well learn to get used to it."

Despite knowing how Jeno and Mark's relationship had started and progressed, Jaemin can't help but have his eyes soften at what the elder admits. His heart stutters in his chest as well, since it's not everyday he gets to see Jeno in his true nature: being the softest boy he's ever met.

Jeno seems so rough on the edges, seems so sharp tongued and cut dry, but he's not. Once you get to know him, once you tear past the facade he has on, you meet the real Lee Jeno. And the real Lee Jeno, Jaemin is so in love with who he is. A boy who cares, despite having a weird way of showing it. A boy who's patient with those he loves, despite having a low tolerance for anyone else. A boy who loves so passionately, despite his quiet exterior.

"You, my love," Jaemin starts, bringing a hand up and cradling half of Jeno's face. "Are so mature. So amazing." He whispers, smiling softly at the boy who's eyes disappear at the compliment.

"Thanks," Jeno replies, closing his eyes and relishing in Jaemin's attention. "I love you."

It's not often that Jeno is able to express his emotions, but whenever he does, Jaemin treasures the moment. Jeno isn't the best at handling his feelings, and Jaemin knows he's always trying. He always shows Jaemin that he loves him through gestures and actions more than blatantly saying it, and the latter is immensely thankful and recognizes all those actions and efforts. But he also knows that Jeno is trying when he says the words. That he's bettering himself for Jaemin, and himself, when those three words spill past his lips.

"I love you too."

On Jeno's other side, despite fighting the urge to throw up, Mark has the fight the grin making its way onto his face.

Perhaps Jeno wasn't the worst thing for Jaemin.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

despite popular belief, you're not perfect.
you have imperfections, lee donghyuck.
but to me, that's what makes you so much more attractive than any other boy i've ever met.
i'd rather the bumpiest road to happiness, than the smoothest highway to mediocracy.
i'd rather pick up your pieces, than be handed something whole.
i'd rather learn and listen, than watch and follow.
don't you see?
i want to be there for you.
be the ears who listen.
the eyes who see the same things you do.
the mouth who speaks comfort.
the hand who holds.
the person who you want to be there.
i'll be there, lee donghyuck,
if you'll have me.

"I can't have you if I don't know who you are," Donghyuck whispers to himself, folding the sticky note and pocketing it the same way he did the last one.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"What do you look like that for?" Taeil asks, stacking tests into piles. He attaches them all with a binder clip, looking up at Donghyuck who still hasn't answered his question.

"Taeil," he starts, tone seeming exasperated. He's biting the inside of his cheek, Taeil can tell, and he remembers Donghyuck only doing that when there's something gnawing at him. "I know you're a maths teacher, and they're so bad at literature—"

"Hey!" Taeil immediately interrupts, offended by what Donghyuck had said. "Was I not the dad who helped you with all your reading assignments?" He asks, acutely aware of that he had said after it had already left his mouth. Taeil feels his heart rate sky rocket at his own words, since normally Donghyuck is the one who makes comments like that. He doesn't know why he let something like that slip. He blames it on all the time he's been spending with Donghyuck recently.

The younger, however, doesn't seemed phased at all by what Taeil had said. He's used to things like this anyways.

"That was elementary level, Taeil. Anyways—" He continues, coming up to the teacher's desk. Taeil watches him rummage through his pocket, finally pulling out a white sticky note. He unfolds the note, then places it face up on his desk. "What does this mean?"

Taeil looks down at the note, reading the short poem.

There isn't much to it, he concludes.

"It means what it says, Donghyuck. This person seems to have strong feelings for you." He says honestly, pushing the note back to Donghyuck. "Do you know who it is?"

Donghyuck shakes his head, returning the note to his pocket. His mind has been replying the words he read on the note the entire day, and what bugs him is that there's no indication of who could've written it through the writing. There's always a touch of personality in everyone's writing, and Donghyuck practically knows everyone in this school. But he can't pinpoint the style or personality type of this writing to anyone he knows.

Then, that brings up the possibility of the writer being someone Donghyuck doesn't know. But if it were to be someone he didn't know, the writer wouldn't be able to write in such detail. With such raw emotion about him.

He doesn't know who's been leaving these notes folded on his locker door every morning, and it's killing him.

"Useless as ever, Mr. Maths Teacher. Should've went to the literature teacher instead of you."

"Hey!"

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

From outside the classroom, from the empty hallway, Youngho wills himself to walk away with a stoic expression on his face.

Why hadn't Donghyuck come to him about whatever he wanted to ask?