"Maybe if I wear this instead..." Donghyuck mutters to himself as he moves the baby blue shirt to cover his bare body, comparing it to the soft green shirt he held previously. "I need to look good today....that's all...no biggie"
This was the first day of club meetings for the new school year and the third year student is genuinely petrified. It's been a whole year of convincing himself to join the club confidently yet he's still struggling. His main motivation, however, was remembering that he would have to wait a full semester before being able to join again. So, he needed to do it now.
You see, this was a guitar club. A club with different levels, their beginner, intermediate and the experts that were sent to join the school band. The beginner level only accepted members at the beginning of every semester to ensure that everyone was at the same place in learning.
He chooses the baby blue shirt, dragging it over his petite upper body and runs downstairs with his school bag and a light sweater in hand. It isn't too long a walk before he meets Renjun -who only lived a couple of minutes away.
Despite the cool air wafting the plains, Donghyuck feels a line of sweat trickle from his temples as he catches up with Renjun on the way to school. "So what clubs are you joining?" He says as conspicuously as he can.
"The one I want to join doesn't start today. I know why you asked though." He speaks knowingly, a cock to his eyebrow and a smirk ghosts his lips.
"Why?" His cheeks already begin to deepen in colour, fearing he's been caught.
"You're gonna enter whichever club Mark is in. It's obvious." Donghyuck's face looks like he wants to contest but Renjun gets his words in before, "First of all, you told me and Jaemin that you liked him...then right when he announces that he's heading a club, you want to join a club....Hyuck, you've never wanted to be in a club before."
Hyuck listened attentively, smiling a bit to himself as he realizes that he's safe because Renjun's bad memory means he doesn't even remember what club Mark leads. His cheeks still dust over though, he rubs at the warm skin trying to get rid of the tell-tale signs. "Maybe you're right...."
"I know I'm right. Jaemin told me I was right." It's Renjun's turn to redden, though not as evident as Donghyuck's. He's simply not as timid.
When they take the first turn into their school yard, Donghyuck feels his under arms slick over in sweat as a visible patch of liquid forms in his clothes. He scoffs before pulling on his sweater to hide it. Can't have Mark seeing him sweat.
It takes way too much of Donghyuck's internal begging for school to finally be over. He praises the gods before doing what he considered to be the most indifferent half sprint to the room for guitar lessons. He absolutely wasn't jittery and nervous and sweating bullets from his palms.
He's the first one to enter the room. The place is bare and boring for a creative outlet. It possesses one large window that serves as the only light source, cascading a huge shadow onto the left side of the room. It only held a stack of chairs to the right and a group of about seven chairs lined up in the centre.
He steps forward and stands limply, not really knowing what to do all alone. It gives him some time to breathe though and relieve himself of stress before Mark and the other students arrive.
He freezes when he hears the door unlock behind him, all his work to unwind hinging in his throat. "Hey, how are you?" It's Mark's voice and Donghyuck simply cannot turn around.
"Uhhh....yeah." His heart beats viciously, his palms dampen, his legs degenerate to noodle form, making it harder for him to stand and his tongue ties. He mentally facepalms as he's paralyzed in place.
Why did he think he could do this?
"Oh....ok. Well, umm...I'm Mark, I'm gonna be your guitar teacher for the semester. I'll just give it a little time before we start so that other people can come. Also, you're going to need to come over here to register....or you know I could bring the sheet over there." He already hears Mark moving over but in attempt to save his first impression, he wills his body into motion. It's slow and struggling but it's a process.
When twenty minutes pass and Donghyuck and Mark are the only two individuals drenched in tense silence, Mark decides to start the lesson anyways.
Donghyuck hadn't imagined that the club turnout would be so small so that all the attention would be on him. If he knew in advance, he'd probably just try another way to get close to Mark. Because this, this is too much.
Mark is an hands on teacher and Donghyuck cannot cope.
Donghyuck grasps at the guitar, gripping the neck way too hard. Mark brushes at his fingers to relax them, "Remember, just hold it gently." His face is too close to his, as he bends down to interact with the strings. "I'm not teaching you the strings yet; I just want you to get a feel of the guitar in your hands." He faces him to smile.
Donghyuck's body is in hell.
"Okay, put this one here....and this....here." Mark guides his fingers. "Now, strum and tell me how it feels." Donghyuck's fingers tremble like a leaf in heavy winds as they live in Mark's hold.
They strum is minute yet beautiful. "Wow you're a natural!" He compliments. Donghyuck smiles shyly, attempting to will himself to look up and accept the compliment, i don't know, say something.
"Thank you." He whispers, head low, cheeks pink. "It feels great." Donghyuck peeks up, only for a second and he's flashed Mark's bright smile, competing with the window to the right. He can't combat the smile virus that spreads to his own lips.
Forget what he said about sharing attention, Mark was his. His territory is threatened as another student -unknown to him- enters the room, wanting to register as well.
Luckily for him, Mark still spends most of his time tending to Donghyuck, moving his fingers, fixing his posture and giving him an encouraging thumbs up whenever he plays well.
The girl calls for Mark's attention and this is when Donghyuck finally gets a good look at her without appearing creepy. She's thin and average height even when seated, really pretty but probably way too young for Mark, he surmizes even though that isn't criterium for any regular person to meet.
She blushes under Mark's gaze too, just like Donghyuck does. He is starting to feel like Mark can do this anybody. So either he isn't the only person that had the brilliant idea to get Mark's attention at his guitar lessons or everyone secretly has a crush on Mark, whether they know it or not.
Lessons go on like this for three more weeks, with Mark paying just a tad more attention to Donghyuck, even though Donghyuck was undoubtedly the better student when it came to the instrument at hand.
Donghyuck's crush only grows in these few weeks and although he's able to talk to Mark easier, it doesn't stop his body from erupting in flames and plummeting under a wave of unbearable infatuation.
Mark changes as well. He comes to classes earlier and upgrades from his scruffy converse to clean cut sneakers and pearly white socks. Donghyuck smells mint on his breath when he leans in to guide him and his fingers linger close to Donghyuck's at almost all times. Donghyuck observes enough to see Mark's skin change too; he gets to watch Mark's cheeks bloom pink from up close. A beautiful flower unfolding on Mark's features and a tug to his lips; Donghyuck wonders why.
This bias may be the reason why one day, the girl just doesn't show up.
And just like before, Donghyuck is the only student in Mark's class. And neither of them really seem to care.
There's too many smiles and sweet laughter that the two hour session seems to just fly by. "Okay, so that's it for today. Remember, we have next week off so you won't have your annoying teaching in your ear for a whole five days." Mark announces, removing his hands from his bent knees to a clasp in front of him as he straightens out.
Donghyuck wants to refute brazenly and let Mark know that's not the case at all but he's met with a rising temperature and stutter, "No-o, it's okay. I- I don't mind."
"What don't you mind? Having class or not having class?" His teacher questions, cocking his eyebrow. Mark doesn't wait the minute to allow Donghyuck to share his opinion, "Here. Think about it, maybe this will help." He hands Donghyuck a thin slip of paper, one that appears bare for first glance.
It's only until he's step outside of the room when he checks the paper.
Donghyuck types the last part of Mark's name into his phone, admiring the contact before finally saving it.
He has Mark's number.
Mark gave his number. By himself. With no needed pestering.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhh
He texts a confident 'hi' with pensive fingers and proceeds to run away from his phone. When he is unable to control himself and returns only a few seconds later, Mark has already replied.
And that's how they continued until three a.m. And to be honest, I cannot even tell you what they talked about, a mixture of absolutely nothing and possibly everything.
So when Hyuck ends up at school the next day, he's completely spent and deprived of all energy.
"This wouldn't have anything to do with a boy, now, would it?" Jaemin imitates geniuses, with a studious tap on the chin. Donghyuck gives him a quizzical expression in return as if to say, how tf is this about a boy. "Come, on Hyuck," he grabs the by close to whisper this part, "You look tired as hell and fucked out. Who did you fuck?"
He gasps. "I'm still a lonely virgin asshole." He grips at Jaemin's neck, applying pressuring and turning to his next best friend.
Renjun doesn't even answer but just shrugs his shoulders and looks away from his misbehaving friends.
After a night of talking with Mark over the phone, Donghyuck learns that:
1) He has almost nothing to worry about talking with Mark. He's easy to talk to, laid back and very fun.
2) He really enjoys talking to Mark. He would do it for the rest of his life if he could, so he tries.
Today, he tries.
Standing awkwardly at someone else's locker at the end of the school day as droves of human bodies stampede past, isn't the easiest way to go about your Tuesday afternoon; but he does it nonetheless.
"Hi Mark." He spits out as soon as he spots the black hair treading in his direction. He grabs at his sides for something to ground him, something to stabilize his heartbeat.
"Hey Hyuckie, what's up?" His eyes light up immediately as he recognizes his student.
His fingers start to fiddle with each other and he loses confidence with each word, his shoulders slumping and head falling. "I was just asking....I just wanted to know if...you'd go on a date with me."