Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I'll just finish it later.

✨

It was quite late in the afternoon with most of the university’s classes just finished. In the horizon, the sun slowly set, casting an orange glow wherever its soft rays hit, giving off an ethereal and heavenly ambiance. In one of the university’s dormitory buildings, a certain blond-haired figure was hunched over his desk, writing on a beat-up notebook furiously.

"What is that you're writing?" A distant voice said, piercing through the silence of Jisung's room. Upon hearing the words, Jisung immediately hid the notebook he was writing on, not wanting anyone to see what words were on the dog-eared pages of his so-called—

"Ah, is that the infamous black book?" The same person said in a teasing manner, making Jisung roll his eyes as he turned around to greet the intruder.

"Don't make it sound like it's an evil object, Minho. It's just a regular black notebook," Jisung muttered as he walked to his bed, where his bag was haphazardly slumped.

"If it's not evil, then why not show me what's inside? You might be practicing black magic without me knowing and all of your spells are written in that—"

Jisung whirled his head around to face his conspiracy theorist of a friend. "What the hell are you spouting, Minho? What have you been watching again?"

Minho approached Jisung and tried to grab the notebook out of his hands, but the latter was fast to close the zipper of his battered backpack to avoid having Minho to touch his prized possession.

"Ow!" Minho exclaimed as he jerked his hand away from the backpack's zipper, his index finger burning because of it almost getting stuck in the teeth of the zipper. "Is your notebook more important than my welfare, Jisung-ah?"

Jisung just snorted at his friend's excessive antics as he went back to his desk and opened up his notes. "Whatever you say Minho. You can go if you want to avoid getting hurt, because you know how short my patience is with you."

Minho gasped as he put his hands over his hand, his face painted an appalled expression.

"How could you say that, Jisung-ah! I am your only friend, the only one who puts up with your shit, the only person who lets you rant until 2 in the morning because you can't stop talking about—"

FWAP! Minho barely dodged a thick notebook binder that flew towards his very beautiful face.

"Jisung-ah! How could you do that to me, your bestest friend?" Minho exclaimed as he walked to where Jisung was hunching over a bunch of papers he could care less about because they would all die anyways, so why bother studying?

Your education will be the only thing that you have when you lose everything, Sung-ah. Study hard so no one would step all over you and make you someone less than what you are really worthy of being, Jisung then recalled someone telling him.

Why would I need education if I’ve already lost everything?

"Hey, you alright there?" Minho cut off his trail of thoughts, his fingers snapping in front of Jisung’s eyes.

"Get out, Minho, because some people actually want to study," Jisung mumbled as he rewrite the messy notes he took in class.

"Study what? Sorcery? Witchcraft?" Minho then pulled Jisung’s chair towards him and turned him around to face him. "Is that what you’re studying, huh, Jisung-ah?" Minho said as he closely studied his friend’s face for any signs of lying.

Jisung scrunched his nose in disgust as he shoved his friend’s face away from his. "The hell are you talking about Minho? Are you high?" he said as pushed Minho away and moved back towards his desk.

Minho shrugged his shoulders as he swiped some items on Jisung’s desk aside and sat down on the tiny space. "Eh, my last hit was 3 days ago. I’m just high on love for you," he teased at the end, with a squeal to match the joking words.

Jisung rolled his eyes as he moved away from Minho and continued to study. "Whatever, Minho. Don’t you still have class?"

Minho sharply laughed. "Do you think I even attend class?" He then pointed to himself, his hand moving in a graceful manner. "This beautiful piece of me is too smart for my own good. Whatever Prof teaches is already probably in my head."

"Don’t kid me. You still go to class for that cute guy with green contacts you said you wanted to ask out."

A loud crash filled the tiny room as Minho fell off the desk face first in surprise. Groaning in pain, he lifted his head up to meet Jisung’s humour-filled eyes. "How’d you know that?"

Jisung gasped in an exaggerated manner with eyes blanked out. "You’re hiding something from me? Your number one best friend?"

Minho’s face turned sour as he rubbed his aching nose. "Yah, stop jesting. When did I tell you about the cute guy in class?"

"Oh, I don’t know, maybe that party a couple of weeks ago where you got drunk off your ass, and decided to confess all your hidden truths to me and Felix—"

"WHAT!? Even Felix knows?" Minho’s mouth then opened and closed in perplex at his unforgivable actions.

"Yep. Seungmin almost knew about it, but he was already asleep when you were spilling the juicy bits of conversation," Jisung said in a gossipy voice, his eyebrows raising in a suggestive way.

"Ah, I’m going to die of embarrassment. Why didn’t the two of you even tell me about this?" Minho said as he threw back his head on the floor.

"I don’t know about Felix, but I just wanted to see you embarrass yourself." Jisung then turned back to his notes as he continued to speak. "Besides, I don’t even know why you’d be so ashamed to tell us about the little crush you have. It’s not like we don’t know how gay you are. Felix and I aren’t judgemental like that, Minho, and you know that." Jisung then scoffed as he shook his head as if he recalled something.

"I would never do to you what everyone did to me back home when I came out."

Minho sat up from his prone position immediately as he looked up at his friend. "Jisung-ah, you know I don’t mean it like that. I’m just...so new to this—"

Jisung turned back to Minho and gave him a gentle smile. "Minho-hyung, of course I understand you. I just hope sometimes you’d remember that you’re not alone, and that Felix and I will accept you no matter what." Jisung’s face then turned serious "Unless of course, you mess with my recording equipment. I will murder you in cold blood if you ever betray me like that.

Minho laughed hardly at Jisung’s sudden change of mood. "Yes, yes, Jisung-ah, whatever you say. Sorry I came in here to bother you." Minho then stood up from the floor and dusted off his clothes. "Well, I’ll get going. I still have a drama to binge-watch, and dinner to get and eat."

"Of course, you wouldn’t study. What did I expect?"

Minho just chuckled lightly at Jisung’s exasperated tone. "Come on, Jisung, I’m not that irresponsible of a student. I’ll study...maybe for five minutes."

"Bla-bla, hyung. Stop flexing your high IQ."

Minho smiled widely at Jisung’s turned back. "I’m going out. Will I see you at the caf for dinner?"

Jisung paused, and then he shook his head. "I’ll skip for now. I still have a sandwich that I bought after class here in my bag. I’ll just have that."

Minho frowned at Jisung’s refusal. "Yah, Jisung, make sure you’re not starving yourself, okay? Send me photos of you eating later."

Jisung finally turned around to face Minho. "Are you sure those are the only photos you want of me?"

A disgusted look was plastered on Minho’s face at what his friend said. "Dude, nothing about you can change my mind about the cute guy."

Jisung then raised both of his eyebrows at Minho. "So now you’re willing to talk about him? Will he be at the caf for dinner, that’s why you’re inviting me? You want me to be your wingman? Yah, Minho-hyung, don’t walk out on me. YAH! Close the goddamn door, you buffoon."

A loud bang of a door resonated in Jisung’s dorm hallway as Minho walked out red-faced.

✨

It was an unusually noisy Friday. Of course, Fridays would naturally be the most raucous day of the week, however this Friday in particular was very, very noisy.

It was the 12th Friday before Christmas, and also the first Friday when the chosen poems in the first batch of entries for the "Twelve Poems of Christmas" event by the school’s Stray Radio will be announced through the radio. Almost every student was excited, seeing that the previous years’ similar events have been so successful, to the point that they brought so many people closer together.

Good day, Park Uni! How are you all? Today is the day that you’ve all ben waiting for— The announcement of the poems for the Twelve Poems of Christmas! As always, twelve poems will be announced every Friday, under anonymous names. There will be no prize, just the spirit of Christmas shared among all of you. However, if you want to make your presence known and make a personalised announcement, head on over to the radio room before 12 noon. You may check our twitter page to check if the title of your poem is part of our chosen poems. All the other poems not personally announced will be voiced by our one and only Lee Felix! Tune in to Stray Radio at 12 noon today to check out the poems!

As the announcement finished, two figures passed by the radio room. "Who do you think entered the event this year, Jisungie?" One of the figures asked.

"Maybe Taeyong-sunbae? But who knows, maybe Jaehyun-sunbae beat him to the game and wrote a poem for him first?" Jisung answered.

"Hmm, do you think Seungmin joined? I’m just waiting for him and Jeongin to get together already."

Jisung sighed deeply. "I don’t know, Felix. Maybe Jeongin would even make the first move. Seungmin probably is too scared."

Felix laughed at Jisung’s words. "Actually, that’s quite true. Who knows, indeed."

The two figures continued to walk in silence until they reached their classrooms. As soon as they took their seats in the room, they took out their notebooks and pens, and quietly waited for the teacher to arrive. Despite the chitter and chatter of the room, the two students found a strange peace and quiet between them. Jisung soon felt sleepy as the peculiar silence lulled him.

The peace was suddenly shattered by the abrupt opening of the door. Nearly everyone in the room turned their attention to the new arrrival, making the classroom almost pin-drop silent.

The newcomer was panting, with sweat profusely dripping down the sides of his face. He looked up to face the students in the class, who were also looking at him with confusion in their eyes.

"Is this the third year Social Sciences class?"

"Yes," some of the students collectively answered.

It was very odd that the students answered the stranger immediately. Who was he? What right did he have to just barge in a room and command the attention of the students, with his unkempt appearance? He’s definitely not a teacher.

All these thoughts ran around the pupils’ minds, but they were too dazed by the newcomer’s sudden appearance that none of them bothered to answer the questions. He was like a light at the end of the tunnel, a bright star in the bleak night sky, a beacon of light before the deep dark ocean.

Right before them all was the legendary rapper and artist, Seo Changbin.

Seo Changbin? Seo Changbin.

"Seo Changbin!" "KYAAH!"

Amidst the chaos of fanatic screaming, Jisung strained to hold a conversation with the very calm Felix to somehow hold onto reality.

"Felix, is it too late to enter the Twelve Poems of Christmas thingy?"

"Why Jisungie?"

"I think I just found my true love."

Felix screamed.