Work Text:
Soonyoung, the idiot, thought it was a good idea to finish his project at the very last minute.
Wonwoo, the bastard, replied that he finished his a week ago, and he did that because he wanted to relax before the actual due date. Good luck, God bless, and goodbye, Kwon Soonyoung.
He slumped onto the table, banging his head onto the thick book laid out in front of him. The library was peaceful and cold, and on a hot day like this, felt comfortable enough to just sleep. Wonwoo could have at least read his book in the library to accompany him. But Soonyoung was left alone, inside the cold library, with all the distractions tempting him to just give up starting the project he was nowhere near finishing.
(At the very least, he had a topic. It was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless.)
Someone slid into the chair across him. Soonyoung blinked, raised his head, and looked around. Other tables were actually filled with other people, which was probably why the air conditioner was on full blast right above him. His table was the only table left that didn't have anyone in front of him. It was natural that the kid slid into the chair.
The big book thud heavily onto the table as soon as the other student sat down. The noise was loud enough for Soonyoung to flinch, suddenly hyper aware that they were in the library. The other kid had short, almost pale-blond hair, and a perpetual bitch resting face. Soonyoung froze, quickly realizing who it was.
Soonyoung bent his head down, whipping his phone out to message Wonwoo a Fucking shit, Lee Jihoon's sitting right across me!
He bit his bottom lip, anxiously waiting for Wonwoo's reply. He tightened his hold on his phone when he saw that the message was seen, but Wonwoo made no effort to reply. Silently, Soonyoung swore to shove him in a janitor's closet with Mingyu the next time they would change rooms after class.
The flapping of paper distracted Soonyoung from plotting his revenge against Wonwoo. He raised he head, and stared. Jihoon flipped page after page. A few times, he took a thick chunk of pages and turned, where it made a loud thump noise. Then Jihoon turned his head from the left side of the book to the right side. There was a deep frown on his face, and his brows dipped low. He was too concentrated on his book that he bit the tip of his pen, tapped its butt on the book, and scribbled on his notes randomly.
Never had Soonyoung saw anything as endearing.
Soonyoung's gaze softened as minutes passed, reaching an hour or two. Jihoon never looked up once, but he occasionally scratched the back of his head. Soon, Jihoon seemed like he gave up, and let his head fall onto the thick book. Not once had Soonyoung returned to his own project.
"Hey," Soonyoung called, as he side-eyed the librarian to make sure he was being quiet. "What are you working on?"
Jihoon raised his head, a small, blink-and-miss pout on his lips. Soonyoung curled the fist that wasn't holding his phone, as he dug his nails against his palm. Ruffling Jihoon's head when he was sure Jihoon didn't know he existed before then bordered on psychotic, Kwon Soonyoung.
"At this point," Jihoon answered, to Soonyoung's surprise, "I don't even know."
His voice sounded desperate, on the brink of crying. As if the world conspired against him through the assignment he was supposedly working on. Soonyoung felt his nails indenting his palm, as he dug them further in because it was getting difficult to control his head-ruffling urge.
"Do you think," Soonyoung began, and his brain screamed at him because what was he doing, "maybe I can help? They say that a shared problem is fifty percent solved, y'know."
Jihoon smiled then, and he looked like he was trying not to laugh. It was an amused smile, and Soonyoung was glad he was talkative. "Do you even take this class?"
Soonyoung blinked once, twice, and Jihoon slid the book from his end of the table to Soonyoung's. One glance told Soonyoung everything: It was a goddamn complicated book. "Alright," Soonyoung said, gulping and backing down a bit. "So maybe I can't fully help you there..."
Damn. I should've studied better, Soonyoung thought, as his brain wracked for something else to say. He enjoyed Jihoon's company, homework and project aside and all. It was rare to see Lee Jihoon outside his dorm room, even when his music played throughout campus almost twenty-four seven.
"Besides," Jihoon commented, and it took Soonyoung by surprise. "Aren't you even busier?"
Soonyoung blinked again once, twice, and he followed Jihoon's line of sight. There were a higher stack of books on either side of him. It varied in thickness, but the topic was generally the same. His project notes were empty, and he forgot to click the top of his pen again to close the tip. It might have dried up, even.
"Nah," Soonyoung said, dismissing Jihoon's inquiring gaze. "I'll manage."
Jihoon looked at him questionably one last time, before he shrugged and reached out to drag the book back instead. Soonyoung watched as Jihoon needed to stand to reach for the book at his end, his arm barely reaching Soonyoung’s end of the table. He stood corrected; that was the most endearing thing he ever saw.
"Maybe if you vocalized your idea, you could get your thought process straightened out?" Soonyoung suggested, after a beat of seeing Jihoon's face frowning at the sight of the book again. Jihoon raised his head and stared at him with a brow high up his fringe. Soonyoung shrugged. "I've been told it's effective."
Jihoon's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Soonyoung's heart beat loudly against his chest. It felt like it wanted to jump out and run away. He waited patiently, allowed Jihoon to scrutinize him because it was actually their very first conversation.
Luckily, Jihoon chuckled quietly. His smile widened, and his eyes curved. His cheeks was filled with a light tint that Soonyoung thought it was a doll that came to life. Jihoon looked back at Soonyoung, before his eyes looked around. "It probably isn't a good idea to do that inside a library, though."
Soonyoung glanced over his shoulder where the strict librarian stood behind the front desk with a hand on her hip. She was notoriously known for being oversensitive with noise, and it seemed like a miracle he and Jihoon had been conversing for a few minutes already.
"Right," Soonyoung said, as he looked back at Jihoon, whose face seemed expectant. Alright then, now or never. "There's a café a few blocks from here, famous for students who like rushing a group project."
Soonyoung paused, as he gathered all his strength and courage. He sneakily messaged Wonwoo, ASKING JIHOON OUT SEND HELP SOS. He gulped, and he felt sweat forming at his temples and at the back of his neck. It shouldn't be that difficult. "Wanna go check that out?"
"Sure."
"Yeah," Soonyoung rambled, "that might be weird, I mean I don't think you even know me so why go with a strange--sorry what?"
Jihoon smiled brightly, though he still looked like he was trying not to laugh albeit he was failing. He stood, carefully pushed his chair back, as he stuffed his notebook and pen into his bag and stacked the thick book, and a few thinner books. He grabbed his bag, and hiked it over his shoulder.
"C'mon, Kwon Soonyoung," Jihoon said, amused. "I like my coffee black."
Soonyoung stared as Jihoon walked to the front desk to check the books out. It took a moment for Soonyoung before he realized the implication of what Jihoon said. And once he figured it out, Jihoon was almost finished checking his books out, and he shoved his library card back into his wallet.
Soonyoung scrambled, and threw his stuff into his bag. It crumpled, and it nearly fell out of the bag, but Soonyoung rushed. He dumped the stack of books onto the return pile push cart, and grabbed a few books from the top. He walked in large paces until he stood beside Jihoon at the front desk. Jihoon glanced at him, and he smiled when he turned back to the librarian to say his thanks. He moved to the side, about to exit the building. Soonyoung mindlessly followed, when the librarian coughed loudly.
Jumping with a squeak, Soonyoung turned to her with wide eyes. She pointed at the books he was cradling in his arms. "Are you borrowing those out?"
Soonyoung nodded, and answered, as he placed his books on top of the desk. He was flustered, as he dug deep into his bag for his wallet and library card. Jihoon stood near the exit, patiently waiting with a smile.
The librarian was quick, and as soon as Soonyoung said his own thanks, he fell into step with Jihoon, ignoring the librarian's irritated huff.
It was a quick walk to the café, and true enough, it was filled with students who were rushing their projects. The menu wasn't as pricey as Starbucks, nor was it as cozy or gimmicky as other cafés but it served perfectly. They took a vacant table for two, luckily at a corner beside a huge window. Soonyoung ordered for them both. A black Americano, and a vanilla latte. Briefly, he wondered if Jihoon wanted cake, but that could be for next time instead.
They talked about everything they thought of. Though it started with Jihoon's project, as he explained what it was about, what it was for, and what he was aiming to do. Soonyoung listened attentively that Wonwoo might have died on the spot if he saw it for real. Occasionally, Soonyoung gave small suggestions. Just little thoughts about how he perceived Jihoon's project. Sometimes, it made Jihoon write on his notebook. Other times, Jihoon nodded, and reevaluated what Soonyoung suggested. Then they began to branch out from Jihoon's project, and Soonyoung began being talkative again. Jihoon seemed content to listen instead. Their coffee had gone cold, only about halfway finished. The books spread across the table, and Soonyoung found himself beside Jihoon instead of across him when they first entered the café. Neither of them were aware of their proximity until they looked up from the book at the same time, sneaking a glance at the other when they thought he wasn't looking the entire time, like they did when they began.
"Uhm," Jihoon stuttered, as they pulled apart. They leaned further back onto their chairs to give themselves space. It was darkening outside, the hours passed by in a blink. Jihoon cleared his throat. "Thanks for helping me, Soonyoung-ah."
There was a faint pink tint on Jihoon's cheeks, lighter than when Soonyoung saw him for the first time during their freshman orientation. Like a fairy, Soonyoung passively thought with a smile.
"No problem, Ji." The nickname slipped from his tongue. Soonyoung's eyes widened in horror, when Jihoon's eyes widened in surprise. The blush darkened, and the lights from the outside of the café illuminated Jihoon's form. Soonyoung stared, mesmerized.
When Jihoon recovered from the surprise nickname, the soft and amused smile returned. "Let's do this again?" Jihoon asked, as he tore a piece of paper from his notebook, and he gave it to Soonyoung. Soonyoung smiled when he looked at it, Jihoon's number, KakaoTalk, and LINE handles written on it, feeling like he could conquer the world.
Soonyoung smiled bright enough that it could have battled the sun. "I'd love to."
(As it turned out, it might have been a problem, because Soonyoung forgot about his own project that was due in after that café date with Jihoon. Wonwoo sent him laughing emojis, and Soonyoung swore revenge in the form of a six foot puppy.
Jihoon caught him back in the library, his hair a complete mess, and he stumbled. His bag was bulky from the uneven items shoved inside. His arms shook at the heavy weight of the books he carried, but he had enough time to send Jihoon a smile.
Feeling a bit guilty, Jihoon smiled and waved the person he was with a small goodbye. He walked towards Soonyoung, who looked completely as haggard as he felt. Jihoon touched a few books from Soonyoung's hold, but not before pushing the entire stack down. It forced Soonyoung to bend his back. He yelped at the sudden additional weight. His eyes scrunched tight, and he almost cursed. But he felt soft lips pecked his nose, and he opened his eyes with a gasp. Jihoon took the books, and used them as a shield to cover his face. Soonyoung opened his mouth to say something, but Jihoon cut him off.
"A reward," Jihoon's voice was quiet, and shy. The tip of his ears were almost dangerously bright pink, despite the library not being that cold that day. "I'll give you another when you finish your project." Jihoon walked away towards an empty table.
Soonyoung smiled widely as he followed because somehow, cramming became a really good idea.)