"Say, what would you do if you experience this like- I don't know, comfort? With someone you were told to befriend with? I mean like- I clearly don't acknowledge..that as a friend but this.. friend does" Jake scrambles, looking down at the neon yellow highlights scattered around his book while his eyebrows held a frown.
"What does that mean, Jungwon?" Jake looks up at the round eyes beside him who bursts out in a silent fit of laughters. A small sound coming from his throat eradicates his emotions to subside into annoyance.
"Bro, that's a crush dude!" Jungwon exclaims, rather harsh for the ears of the other students as Jake feels the burning glars cut down his spine.
"Hush Jungwon!" Jake grits, setting one of his highlighters in between his textbook before closing it to fully face the younger who has subsided his laughter.
"What? Like- when was the last time you fell in love?....right kindergarten! And you're a senior my friend! Of course I would be amused" Jungwon explains, resting his chin on his right palm.
"But it's not love Jungwon, I don't feel anything romantic. Whatever bullshit those romance novels have- I don't get them..." Jake babble, trying to make the other understand the message yet here he was, still engrossed with the idea of an infatuation with someone.
Jake thinks that he'll just drop everything now, sooner or later maybe this guy in-front of him would be some help and maybe he didn't lose to the thoughts of expressing such thoughts to him.
"I guess I just feel comfort with them, nothing else, nothing else" Jake bites the bottom of his lip, "But the thing is... it's in the middle of a family kind of comfort and a friend kind of comfort" Jungwon gapes at the words, blinking his round eyes slowly before his mouth closes.
"Hmm, well, I suggest letting you find it out yourself. It wouldn't hurt to push through your own buttons, would it? Find it out yourself, hyung... Find out the kind of comfort you get with them. And I'm sorry for a while ago, I was just- shocked from what I heard" Jungwon explains, finding words by looking somewhere, anywhere, everywhere around the huge expanse of the school's library.
"It's fine, Jungwon. Thank you for the advice and the reaction, I guess...."
"It's all good, hyung. I may not be the best person in giving advice but I'll always be here for your help" Jungwon smiles, tapping quiet sounds on a grayish page of his book.
"Thanks, won" Jake warmly smiles at the assurance given to him. Grabbing another textbook from his bag, continuing his study but in another subject.
----
"Why are you ignoring me, Hoon" Jake scurries, trying to catch the younger from the crowded hallways. He manages to get a grip on the fabric of his hoodie near his right shoulder, allowing him to pull the younger near him and on the same time pull himself closer.
"We are in good terms, right?" Jake asks despite the cold stoned face in-front of him who still walks yet slower than the pace he had before Jake took a grip on his hoodie.
Sunghoon nods at the question, still not bringing his eyes to meet Jake's.
"But why are you avoiding me? Is something wrong?"
That.
That statement halts the younger from his walks, causing the other to stumble on his steps.
"Ah-" Jake falls, ready to feel the hard slam of his body on the dirty cement floor. Closing his eyes at the impact, he feels a hand coming in contact with the back of his head before he feels the pain on the back of his torso.
Jake did fell.
Jake did felt the hard slam of his body on the ground.
Yet his head wasn't touching the ground.
Furthermore, he doesn't even feel the ache on his head, despite the fact that he's falling head first.
Jake opens his eyes.
There he sees Sunghoon on top of him, crouching on his right side while he has his hand on Jake's head, avoiding it from hitting the floor.
Jake feels the aches in his body, yet he doesn't know how and why does the heat on his cheeks occupy his senses. There he sees Sunghoon eye-to-eye. Sunghoon who looks at him with his jaw clenched, eyes cold enough to freeze him, a slightly tight grip on his puffy hair.
"Come with me" Sunghoon grits, staring at the parted lips of the older, who closes his mouth before he situates his hands on the ground, bringing himself to stand up despite the little aches on his elbows from the fall.
Jake feels nothing but panic creep into his veins.
----
Jake didn't even bring himself to such scenario like this.
Running- Chasing Sunghoon like he'd forgot his waterbottle in class.
Jake didn't even know why he had to do that. Why would he if he doesn't even consider the younger as a complete friend.
Jake tried to erase the thoughts of Sunghoon in his mind, memories, and thoughts. Looking elsewhere as he say beside other students instead of beside him.
'This is not an attachment issue'
It was just a day! A day where he experienced someone else admiring the same thing he admires, get the same thoughts like he does, and receive the reassurance he could only give and never get.
Something that others say that Jake just wants, but to Sunghoon, it was something he deserves.
"Jay" Jake taps on the shoulder beside him, who had his eyes fixated on the notes he's currently making.
"What happens if I just back out?" Jake inquires, staring into nothingness.
"Back out from where, Jake? Studies?" Jay mutters, confused.
"No- Not that- The deal" As the words leave his mouth, his voice dies down till his mouth utters no words but just air.
"B-But you said that you were already friends?" Jay was even more confused, why would he suddenly ask that? Weren't they already on good terms now? He just needs to make his brother change his mind.
"No I-" Jake cuts off, the dryness on his tongue evident as he gulps for a bit. All of a sudden, he feels the overwhelming, familiar taste on his tongue. Seriously, why is he suddenly nervous?
"I- I just thought about it...for a while because I don't really know a lot about befriending?"
Jay frowns, "How so?"
"You know, they just come to me and like- I don't have a choice but to accept them in my life" That was partially a lie.
Jake befriended Hwan first, claiming that they would find some stupid treasure chest in the sand pit, suprisingly that friendship lasted longer and they might still be in search of some other treasure now.
But then, there's Jungwon who he met in one of the clubs he joined and he was super friendly, Jake had no choice to allow him in his small world.
It was just Hwan and Jungwon. That's it.
Yet there were the brothers that are right now tangled in his locks.
He knew that they just came, and he knew that it was all just connections with Hwan. So it was really something that would make sense.
"Ok, that would make sense" Jay confirms his thoughts, rather loudly for him. Jay chuckles at the expression of the younger
"But he already thinks your friends with him. What are you gonna do now?"
Jake shrugs, mind nothing but hazy.
"Oh well, I'm already there, Jay. Plus, we're just trying to make him and Hwan realize what they've been doing wrong" Jake accepts his defeat and what fate sets him up in. The bitter taste on the tip of his tongue reminds him the bar that he sets for himself and that he could never bring it back again.
"Well, you could always come to me if you want, just tell me then I would confront my brother about it. You are undoubtedly also my friend after all" Jay assures, looking down at the hand that slightly became a fist on top of the desk. Jay takes a hold of the younger's hand, looking around before whispering something to the other's ear.
"What's the name of that cute friend of yours? Y-You could also ask him though.....heh"
Jake widens his eyes from shock, looking at the other before a laugh escapes his lips. Slapping the other's arm from the intensity of his laughter.
"Stop, Jongseong. Stop it! He's still a child!" Jay rises his brow at the exclamation. Either from his korean name or from the overall reaction of the younger before a silly smile appears on his face.
"He's just cute, Jake" Jake cringes at the eyes of the older. It was just like those cheesy highschool romance books!
It was hilarious to witness someone to be this mad in love with their crush. Jake suddenly thinks what kind of face would he make once he finally meets 'the one'. Funny enough, Jake's face morph into something in the middle of a smirk and a face of disgust.
"Yuck, he will surely cringe at that face" Jake mutters, giggling as his shoulders shake for a while before his laughter dies down and he focuses back on his supplies laid out in-front of him.
Maybe Jake was too engrossed about the silly and slight confession of Jay, because someone else was too engrossed glaring daggers on his brother.
----
"Sunghoon stop, you're hurting me" Jake tugs on his arm, trying to free himself from the harsh pull on the other.
"I can fucking walk on my own, Hoon. Let me go" Jake grips on the wrist of the hand that tightens on his arm. Stopping himself and Sunghoon from walking.
Sunghoon never talks, he cannot talk in the state of his heart that pumps so loud and beat as high as a parade. He grits his teeth at the pinch on his wrist.
Sunghoon halts.
He may have done too much already.