Chapter Text
It felt as if time stopped for Paul, not seeing anyone but Ken and his dark brown eyes, his thick and sharp eyebrows, his hair that’s not exactly long nor short. He’s wearing a black hoodie with a pair of baggy dark wash jeans and a simple silver necklace. It’s a basic outfit, but Paul thinks he is the most handsome man alive.
Ken moves to sit next to him and smiles, and oh god, did he have the prettiest smile ever. “Paul! Didn’t expect to see you here. It’s been so long; how have you been?” Ken whispers, but Paul could not form a single coherent thought, so he just looks away, leaving Ken stunned and a little hurt. “Did I-” he starts but gets interrupted by Almond. “Okay, so now that everyone is here, shall we get started?” Everyone hums in acknowledgment and takes their textbooks out. “I’ll ask him later,” Ken thinks to himself as he moves to grab his books.
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After a grueling 5 hours of studying, they were finally done. Everyone started packing up to leave when Ken asked, "Hey Paul, can we talk real quick, or do you have somewhere to be after this?" Paul looked up at him, a little startled that he'd still want to talk after he blatantly ignored him earlier. "Sure?" he responded. He thought Ken could tell that he was a little confused, so he added, "It’s nothing serious," for a little reassurance that 100% didn’t work.
Everyone had left, leaving just the two of them there when Paul spoke up, refusing to look at him. "So, what's up?" "Nothing much." "I was just wondering if I, like, did something wrong," Ken stated, his face clearly showing how hurt he was feeling — not that Paul would know; the idiot wouldn't look at him. "No, of course not. Why would you think that?" "Well, you know when I tried to talk to you earlier, you kind of..." After a long pause, he continued, "Ignored me. It kind of hurt, so I was just wondering if I did anything wrong." "Oh my god, I'm so sorry, Kenji! I didn't mean to ignore you. I just didn't expect to see you here after so long, so my mind kind of went blank, and I didn't know what to say. But that's not an excuse; I shouldn't have done that to you. I'm so, so sorry. Please forgive me—wait, no, you don't have to; that's totally fine, but I hope you will—wait, never mind, that sounds like pee—" he rambled before Ken finally cut him off. "Paul." "Huh?" Paul asked as he finally looked him in the eye. "It's okay. Breathe.”
Paul takes a deep breath in and out. "Sorry, Kenji," he starts, his head now clear and calm. "I didn't mean to ignore you; I just didn't know how to react. Could you consider forgiving me?" He questions, eyes full of worry. "Of course," Ken replies, a grin on his face. "It's okay, little boy; I was just confused, is all." Paul lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding and smiles back. "I'm glad." Blushing a little at the nickname.
They stand in silence for five seconds, but it feels like five hours before a little lightbulb goes off above Paul's head. "Oh right!" he screeches, surprising Ken. "What's your number? I forgot to ask." "Oh right," Ken laughs. They exchange numbers before going their separate ways. Back at home, Paul can do nothing but stare at his phone. He thinks about saving him as 'the most handsome man ever,' but he ultimately decides to save him as 'Kenji 🩵.' He stares for what feels like hours until the sound of the door opening wakes him from his trance. "I'm home!" He looks over to where the sound came from; it's his dad, home from work. He trots over. "Hey Dad, welcome home! How was work?" he asks, not that he really cares, but he's his dad, so he asks anyway, zoning out his father as he responds.
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He had just finished his shower and was lying in bed when his phone pings with a notification. He sits up and grabs his phone from his desk.
K - hey paul whats up (its ken btw)
P - HI KENNNNNN
P - nothing much i just got out the shower!! what about you???
K - nothin much just watching this series
P - oh whats it called??
K - when i fly towards you
P - OMGEE!! I LOVEEE THAT SHOW
P - what ep are you on?
K - episode 8
P - DO YOU LIKE IT SO FAR?!!
K - yeah its pretty good
K - oh right yeah the reason i messaged was bcs i need a contact photo could you send one please
P - oh yes ofc!! Let me go find a good one
K - okay take your time
P - insert beautiful pic of paul..
K - Thanks sm!!
K - heres one for mine
K - insert beautiful pic of ken...
Paul freezes, his eyes going wide before he lets out a blood-curdling scream, prompting his parents to ask him if he's alright. “I'm fine!” he yells back in. He ends up staring at his screen for like five whole minutes, zooming in and out of the picture repeatedly before he finally texts back.
P - Thanks!!
K - well i wont keep you up much longer goodnight paul
P - NIGHT!! Ttyl <33
Paul heads to bed and ends up having the best, most gayest dream ever.