Living With The D.E.V.I.L. (2Jae)

• eight •

___

  Jaebum lay in his bed waiting for Youngjae to come home. He didn't. They hadn't run into each other anymore in the amusement park.

  He was getting worried, and right at that moment the front door unlocked, footsteps were heard, Youngjae's bedroom door was opened and closed, and faint shuffles of the blankets were heard before it became quiet again.

  Knowing that Youngjae was safe, he peacefully fell asleep.

  Monday's were Jaebum's least favorite days. He assumed it was everyone's least favorite.

  His heart dropped when Youngjae rushed out excitedly without saying a word. He hadn't even made him breakfast.
 
   "I'm screwed. Exams are next week," Yugyeom panicked.

  Oh god. Jaebum had completely forgotten about exams. He could not afford to fail.

   "Ask some hot smart chick to tutor you," Jinyoung suggested with a wink.

  "Tutor. That's perfect." Jaebum thought.

  Youngjae looked so happy. Usually in school, he looked down and ignored everyone, but today, it was different. He smiled and laughed with his friends. Jaebum was happy for him.

  Class went by slow as usual for Jaebum.

  He watched Youngjae smile at lunch for the first time.

  "So what's it like being the smartest guy in our class?" Bambam smiled.

   "Nothing special," Youngjae shrugged.

    "You must not be worried about exams? Everyone knows you'll ace it," Jackson teased.

   Youngjae thought of all the days and nights he spent studying for hours nonstop. Memories of him screaming in his pillow from frustration, and the only thing that could calm him down and make him somewhat okay was drawing. For him, drawing was a stress relief. Something that could take him to a different world.

  Art was his dream, but his parents thought that drawing wasn't good enough. Drawing didn't save people's life. Drawing wouldn't help keep a roof over his head.

  He wanted to start his own comic books. But that was a dream he needed to give up on because his parents want him to become a doctor. Do something that helps people.

  "Youngjae?" Mark's concerned tone brought him out of his thoughts.

   "S-sorry, I was just thinking."

   "Youngjae oppa!" a pretty girl with glasses stood by their table.

  He looked up confused and pointed at himself. Was a girl actually looking for him?

  She handed him a flyer. "There is an art contest. Winner gets a $10,000 scholarship. You need to enter!"

  Jackson snatched the flyer from him and squealed. "You would so win! He will enter."

   "No I'm not!" Youngjae quickly replied in defense.

  "Um, why not? You're so talented! The contest isn't for another month, so you have plenty of time to create a masterpiece," Bambam said and everyone nodded in agreement.

   Jaebum observed from his table. Youngjae looked nervous. He watched him excuse himself and head to the bathroom.

  He got up and followed.

  Youngjae saw him from the mirror and Jaebum noticed how he wiped away his tears.

  "Are you crying?" He asked concerned.

  "No," he looked down at the sink.

Jaebum walked towards and forced him to look at him. "You are crying, what's wrong?"

  "Please don't act as if you care."

  "I do care," he said genuinely. "If you don't want to enter the contest, you don't have to."

How did he know?

"I do, its just that I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because my parents expect me to go to medical school, not draw."

  "Screw them. Its your choice, if art is what you wanna do, then go for it."

  Youngjae looked at him surprised. Those words, he needed to hear those words.

  "I've seen your art, it's amazing. Don't let that talent go to waste."

  He'd never seen this side of Jaebum, but he really liked him this way.

  "Thank you. Really, it means a lot," he smiled at him.

  There it was. That smile. The smile that Jaebum longed to see directed at him. At that moment, he hugged him.

  He felt Youngjae tense up but then he felt his arms around his waist.

   He felt warm against him, he didn't want to let Youngjae go. This moment, he wished the world would stop so he could stay like that forever. But he had to let go. And so he did.

  "I should get back, thank you once again," Youngjae walked out.

  Jaebum stared at himself in the mirror, his stomach in butterflies. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but he felt something for Youngjae. Something he's never felt with anyone.
__

  He found warm food on the table when he got home. Youngjae was sitting on the couch hitting a pencil against his sketchbook while looking out the window.

  "Hey."

  He looked over and smiled.

That smile.

  "Hi, I made food if you're hungry."

  "What are you drawing?" he pointed at the sketchbook.

  "Nothing, I can't think of anything to draw. This usually doesn't happen," he frowned.

  "You have a month don't worry, I'm sure by then you'll be inspired to draw something."

  "Why are you being so nice to me?" Youngjae asked out of nowhere, but he needed to ask. Jaebum's change of attitude confused him.

  Jaebum looked away and sat down on the dining table. "What do you mean?

  "Well, you've been acting very different lately."

  "I just. . . I've gotten to know you better now. And you always cook amazing food," he laughed. That made Youngjae smile.

  He had a feeling that Jaebum would go back to his mean attitude tomorrow, because that's how it seemed to go, but he decided to just enjoy this version of him for as long as it lasted.

  "Look, I'm not the brightest student in the school, and exams are coming up. . . and I really can't afford to fail. What I'm trying to ask is, could you tutor me?"

There it was. Youngjae understood now why he had been so nice to him all day, because he needed a tutor. He wasn't nice to him because he actually cared, he just needed a tutor.

  "I should have known," Youngjae thought to himself.

  "Um, sure," he agreed anyways. Because that's just who he was. Even when people used him, he let them.