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~ #DD3B30 - Azalea ~
Everybody on the campus knows Park Woojin.
Everybody knows that he rarely comes to classes but manages to hand in all assignments on time, somehow maintaining top spots without fail. Everybody knows Park Woojin doesn’t live on campus, so when he is seen, it’s either an exam or an emergency.
This wouldn’t matter to Jihoon, of course, if only Park Woojin wasn’t in his Psychology Class.
But alas, he is, and somehow with a perfect attendance of zero, Park Woojin is first in the class.
JIhoon fumes to himself every time he checks the rankings and spots the name just one line of spacing above his.
It’s pathetic, Jihoon knows, to think of somebody he’s never even met in real life as his rival, but Park Woojin is proving himself to be a lot of firsts for Jihoon.
It doesn’t help that Psychology is one of the subjects he genuinely cares about, that it’s his major and Jihoon, with his perfect GPA, isn’t first in the class.
He studies harder than anybody else, attends lectures even if they’re at ass o clock in the morning, makes sure all of his assignments exceed the minimum and never fails to sign up for extra credit work.
It’s infuriating when he’s always second to somebody he’s never even seen on campus, much less in class, somehow, magically, is first in class.
Jihoon thinks he's completely justified when he says he resents Park Woojin.
So imagine his surprise when he stumbles into Psychology at seven in the morning, barely awake and a desperate need for coffee, ready to plop down into his seat and never come back out again despite the chairs being cold and hard and promptly finds himself on a cushion of warmth.
His brain slows for a moment, trying to catch up to the situation, and only when he realises he's in somebody's lap does he shoot out of his seat, eyes shooting open. Murmurs burst out in the classroom and Jihoon's pretty sure he can hear a few snickers.
He flushes, turning around to meet the person in his chair, counting the rows to make sure he hadn't accidentally gone to the wrong row. When he finds that he's in the correct seat, eyes widening as he desperately tries to try to place the face. He's sure he's seen it before, but he doesn't know when. Are they new? There's no way to apply for their college in the middle of the year, and there's even less chance to apply for Psychology, a full class.
He's still grasping at faces and names when the other speaks, a raise to their brow. "A bit early in the morning isn't it. But I suppose I can indulge you if you're into that sort of thing,"
Jihoon's jaw drops, and he rushes out a few stuttered words to reassure the other that it wasn't like it, wishing that it wasn't so damn early in the morning.
"You're in my seat, though, and I really like it, so if you don't mind, could you please move over?"
He prompts ignores the reply of “Since you asked so nicely,” and drops into his seat, hiding his face in his arms in a disguise of taking a short nap before the professor arrives.
When class starts, and he’s forced to look back up, he sneaks a glance towards his left and immediately regrets it when he spots the guy who’s lap he sat in looking back at, lip curling into a smirk.
shit shit shit Jihoon thinks frantically to himself, turning back to the teacher. She nods at him, probably nothing down his attendance before stopping at the next name.
“It’s nice of you to finally join us, Mr Park,” She deadpans, raising an eyebrow at the seat next to his.
There’s a flurry of motion as everybody in the class turns to the seat next to his, and Jihoon shifts over uncomfortably to avoid the prying eyes.
“Thought it was about time,” The guy next to him replies in a faux sort of sweetness, and that’s when it hits Jihoon.
The student next to him is Park Woojin.
It only makes sense after all, and now that Jihoon has a name to pair with a face, he views the student next to him with a completely new sort of revelation. While the teacher shakes her head and continues down attendance, Jihoon steals another peek at his left, landing on a mop of red hair.
It doesn’t seem to be a particularly well-done dye job, ebony roots beginning to show in a wave of mahogany and merlot. Still, Jihoon ruffles his own blonde hair for good measure. He had his done in an actual salon job, so he’s fine for now. Jihoon appraises the other male for a few more moments, skimming over features.
He snaps out of his stupor when he hears his name being called, breathing out a small sigh of relief when he’s able to answer the question despite not listening before.
After the interruption, Jihoon turns his eyes back towards the front of the classroom, forcing himself to listen to the teacher speak. The minutes drift by for him, and when the bell rings he’s up and packing his notes back into his bag as fast as possible. He has a free period next, and he knows Jinyoung does too. He might as well bolt before Woojin starts any conversation and rant about his day to his best friend.
That’s the plan, at least, it was until Jihoon spots a hand reach for the last of his notes, raising it and offering it to him. He doesn’t need to lift his eyes to know who the person holding onto it is, and he fidgets on the spot when he lifts his eyes to meet Woojin’s. There’s a small smile on his face, one that shifts into a smirk when their eyes meet.
“Thanks,” Jihoon offers, before making a move to leave. There’s no point in extending the already awkward conversation beyond what it is despite only one word being properly exchanged.
“Not even going to walk me out after plopping down onto my lap this morning?” Woojin asks, and Jihoon flushes at the memory, gritting his teeth when Woojin draws to his full height and is at least an inch taller than him. “I wouldn’t have minded if it was any other situation, you know. Though I didn’t think you would be so bold, heard you were more of those straight As type of guy,”
JIhoon freezes when he catches onto what Woojin’s hinting at, embarrassment coursing through him. Most of the other students have left at this point, and Jihoon wants nothing more than to sink into a hole and never come out. “Guess you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover,” He answers testily, before turning on his heel and walking out.
He stalks angrily down two floors to where Jinyoung’s lecture is held, but the image of auburn hair and a smirk doesn’t leave his thoughts.
~
~ #E04E45 - Camellia ~
Woojin continues showing up for class, and Jihoon desperately pretends the events the first time they met never happened.
It doesn’t change the slow grin which curves onto Woojin’s face every time he sees Jihoon, nor the flirty remarks Woojin makes every time he weasels Jihoon into a conversation, nor that they keep having to work together because Woojin won’t move from the seat next to Jihoon.
Jihoon had strategically chosen that seat based on the awkward distance from the front of the room, the slightly off-center placement, and the cramped aisle by sitting on the outside to prevent anybody from sitting into that seat. Four months into lessons and everybody has picked a seat and nobody was sitting next to Jihoon.
Now he’s got Park Woojin stuck in it and Jihoon wants nothing more than to throw himself off a building. But gently, of course, his face is too pretty to get messed up from a nasty fall.
There’s a shuffling in the class and Jihoon looks up to see Ms Kwon holding up a stack of paper. There’s a title written on the board and Jihoon faintly remembers handing in an assignment with that title a month back. Shifting the papers together and walking up to the first student on the first row, she hands the sheet back with a grim expression.
The entire class waits with bated breath, for the first person would determine the rest of the class’ fate. Her smile, Jihoon thinks her name is Yeri, had slowly slid off her face as it wobbles in place once, twice, then drops. The rest of the class holds in their breath, only exhaling when their paper is placed backwards and slid towards them.
Jihoon, in his awkward spot, is forced to wait a while before the teacher would come to him. His side of the room waits in tense, halted silence as the papers continue to be passed out. Next to him, Woojin seems to be relatively relaxed. Jihoon doesn’t even think Woojin was in class when this essay was assigned, and even with his good grades, Jihoon’s worry grows with each smile that falls and each forced exhale.
There’s a hand on his desk, sliding a stack of school formatted essay paper towards him. Jihoon looks up to the knowing face of his teacher and whispers a thank you as he draws his stack closer to his chest.
It’s not like him to worry about his grades, but the crestfallen looks of every other student’s face have him growing anxious. He’s top of his class, second only to Park Woojin.
His eyes slide over to his left, where Woojin is receiving his papers with a polite smile, posture relaxed. Jihoon watches as Woojin lifts the corner of his paper with a raised eyebrow, grin in place even before he sees his score. The grin doesn’t drop even as he shrugs and begins reading through his comments.
Woojin’s smile falls into a more thoughtful look as he reads through the first page, he flips to the next page, and Jihoon forces his eyes to snap back onto his table when Woojin’s head turns towards his direction.
Hesitating, he lifts his paper towards his chest, sucking in a deep breath before flipping the paper over, curling the sides in towards himself in defence.
"A" The corner of his paper reads, in mottled cherry ink. "A thoughtful piece, well done" written underneath.
Jihoon lets out the breath he didn’t know he was holding, The berry red words staining the corner of his paper seems to yield better results than the rest of his class, and he sighs as he begins reading through his comments. It has the usual comments, things about putting more facts and not grasping at concepts.
He reads through the pages, flipping through the crimson letters adorning his own loopy writing. On the last page, there’s a little star with the note “See me after class,” written. Jihoon blinks at it, looking around the classroom for similar looks of confusion, and notices that Woojin’s eyebrows are furrowed at something on his last two pages.
A clap at the front of the class scares all of them out of their stupor, Ms Kwon dismissing them as the familiar bell rings throughout the school.
Jihoon purposefully packs up slowly, making it seem like he’s training on purpose. Trying to find Ms Kwon before the class leaves might seem out of place, so he only approaches when he sees that most of the class is out.
Woojin seems to be loitering around as well, and Jihoon only able to widen his eyes when Woojin nears Ms Kwon. He hangs back, unsure if Woojin was there was a separate problem. When she looks up straight at him, Jihoon flinches back and steels himself when she beckons him as well.
Woojin is watching him with an indistinguishable look in his eyes. Jihoon sucks in another breath and waits for their teacher to start talking.
He tunes out a little bit as she begins to explain that the two of them had constant high scores and she was able to see a bright future for both of them. Jihoon shifts uncomfortable as he begins to understand what she’s leading up to.
Apparently, Woojin’s writing isn't creative enough while Jihoon’s is too vague, in an attempt for both of them to improve, Ms Kwon suggest they work on a research project together. She seems to have caught on to Jihoon’s reluctance, adding onto that both of them will be given extra credit and she will be sending the paper in as part of her letters of recommendation.
Jihoon chokes on air, and a glance toward Woojin proves that he’s not the only one shocked. It’s a big opportunity, a good one to assure that his path in the future will be easier. Ms Kwon is still looking at them expectantly, telling them they have a week to decide before she’s gone.
So now it’s Woojin and Jihoon, left alone in a classroom meant for more than two. Jihoon feels numb even as Woojin turns to him. He was supposed to be ignoring the other student, but can he really pass up an opportunity as good as this.
Woojin’s eyes are on him, narrowed and calculating. Jihoon has never seen this look on him before. Usually, Woojin is joking or trying to flirt with him.
“I know we didn’t get off on a good foot, but this is an opportunity bigger than either of us, isn’t it,” Woojin breaks the awkward silence first, and Jihoon grasps for words.
Woojin is still watching him, as Jihoon stammers out his agreements. He’s normally not this much of a mess in front of another person, but the possible paths this will open up for him.
“Then I suppose you agree we should work on this together then. I promise I won’t try anything,” Woojin continues, a smile on his face.
Jihoon blinks at Woojin’s calm demeanour. Something about this is softer, off from the usual tone Woojin addresses him in. The cocky tone is gone, replaced by something a little more genuine.
“Yeah, I guess,” He manages, looking down on his paper and brushing over the scarlet A once more. “I look forward to working with you,”
(Woojin breaks out into a smile, and Jihoon faintly notes that he has a snaggletooth.
It’s kinda cute, to be honest.)
~
~ #E45F5B - Calla Lily ~
Woojin texts him a day after they confirmed in with Ms Kwon for their project. They agree on a time and date, although Jihoon can feel Woojin jeering at him over the screen when Jihoon proposes that they go to the library.
When the day rolls around, Jihoon fiddles around in front of the mirror, phoning Jinyoung with one hand while he picks out his outfit. Jinyoung whines at him to pay attention to his ongoing rant about this cute guy in his stat class who’s a grade lower, and Jihoon hums in return and pretends he’s listening.
God to honest, he’s not sure why he’s trying too hard to look good, but something about Woojin makes him at least want to make a little effort. Jihoon ends up in an outfit he’s satisfied with and grabs his bag before rushing out of the door.
Over the line, Jinyoung is still complaining to him, and JIhoon hangs up with a cackle, cutting off Jinyoung in the middle of his woes.
His best friend was always too overdramatic anyways, Jihoon will ask him out to lunch later and laugh at his misery.
He heads to the library, briskly walking across campus to reach the complex. The beginning of winter is slowly becoming more obvious, but the library still manages to blast air as cold as the artic. He grits his teeth and walks in, already craving the relative warmth of the outside.
He wanders around the halls of the library for a while, trying to find Woojin. After a lap, he's still unable to find him, so he sighs in exasperation and drops his bag in a corner of the library. Taking out his laptop and his binder of notes, he smiles a little at the rosewood cover. The binder was a gift from Jinyoung a few years ago when Jihoon had a terrible habit of just shoving his papers wherever he could. Usually, they'd end up crumpled and torn the next time he managed to find them again if he ever needed to use it.
Jinyoung had shaken his head at him and dropped by the stationary story in their old neighbourhood to buy him a set of binders, in the different colours of the rainbow because it "matched with him considering his status as a flaming gay". Jihoon had guffawed and took the binders, but decide to use them to show appreciation for his friend.
Fast forward three years and he was still using the same set of binders, though the ring on the light green one has broken a year back so it just lies somewhere on his bookshelf now because he couldn't bring himself to throw it away. He also managed to develop more organisation and care for his papers.
His grades managed to pull up slightly after he had actually used the binders when everything he needed was laid out neatly in front of him, but he would never tell Jinyoung how much those binders actually helped him.
Thinking about his best friend makes him think of the incident in the morning, and he stifles on a giggle, promising to keep up on his end and go out for lunch with Jinyoung soon.
He flips throw the pages of the binder carefully, finding the page where he had dropped down a few ideas for the topic they should do this project on. As he reads down the list, a hand reaches and taps him on the shoulder.
He shoots out of his chair, jumping a little as a small yelp escapes him. Behind him, somebody chuckles, and Jihoon turns around to face him.
"You're late," he frowns at Woojin's carefree exterior. "We said we would be here ten minutes ago,"
"I just came from dance," Woojin shrugs, watching Jihoon.
Jihoon probably must have looked taken back, because Woojin is trying not to laugh and dropping into the seat opposite him. "Why, didn't expect me to have a life?" Woojin grins ferally.
"No," Jihoon begins, unsure of himself. It hasn't even been a solid minute of conversation and Woojin's already surprised him again. "I'm into dance too, though it's more of just a side hobby,"
Woojin's eyes glimmer in interest for a moment, before reaching into his bag and taking out a notebook.
"Sorry, by the way. Practice ran late," Woojin adds quietly, eyes buried in his book. There's a soft blush on his cheeks, something Jihoon overlooks as he gapes at Woojin for a tiny bit, schooling his features back into neutrality after a moment.
Somehow, the simple apology warms his heart, sending a soft smile on his face. "It's fine," He trails off, and they fall into a short silence as they both avoid each other's gazes.
Woojin is the one to break it, reach forward to show Jihoon his notes. Jihoon breaths in, and exhales, before meeting Woojin halfway.
The two of them work through the afternoon, and Jihoon is pleasantly surprised when they managed to get a good amount of work done. Talking with Woojin lets him see why Woojin is first in the class. It's clear that Woojin's just as passionate about psychology as he is, and he proves to be much better conversation than the rest of their classmates.
When they exit the library, they've spent most of the afternoon together, and Jihoon checks his phone to find texts from Jinyoung asking him to eat dinner with him. He texts back a quick confirmation, laughing to himself as Jinyoung sends him the huffing emoji and tells him to hurry up.
Woojin packs up and they leave together. Woojin is cracking jokes and Jihoon is laughing as he opens the door and finds that it's lightly raining outside.
The two of them pause at the doors. Jihoon lifts a hand to check how heavily the rain is coming down. It's light and he'll probably be somewhat battered by the time he gets to the diner Jinyoung said to meet him at, across the campus.
Sighing, he prepares himself for the run, turning around to bid Woojin goodbye and finding eyes on him. Jihoon opens his mouth to make his farewell but no words fall out, sucking in a breath at the way the corner of Woojin's eyes crinkle as he smiles at Jihoon, presses something into his hands, and sprints out into the rain, whooping as he goes.
Jihoon makes a sound of alarm, watching Woojin's figure disappear as he turns a corner, and looks down to find a black umbrella in his grip. He stares at it for a few moments, heat rising to his cheeks. He stands there for a few more moments, staring off into the distance, before gingerly opening the umbrella and stepping underneath it.
If the way he grasps his maroon binder tighter to his chest, trying to push down the warmth in his chest to no avail, is any indication of him being flustered, then Jihoon would tell any passerbys that they saw it wrong.
(Woojin texts him the next morning with an address and a time next week, telling him to return the umbrella then, before another asking if he got home okay.
Jihoon glances at the umbrella lying at the foot of his bed, and marks the day into his planner.)
~
~ #E9777B - Dianthus ~
Jihoon steps into the room, wary of the pumping music and the resounding bass. He shifts uncomfortably as he notices the mass of people. Despite Jinyoung warning him about this place, he still decided to come. Woojin said that he would be dancing tonight, and Jihoon was frankly curious as to how well the other male would hold up to his expectations.
He shuffles through the mass of people, cramped up again the bodies. The people here are clearly drunk off their minds, laughing with each other without a care in the world, his raspberry converses dragging along the ground as he tries to find Woojin. He might just stay to watch Woojin dance, hand the umbrella back to him and leave.
Despite being known for his pretty looks, Jihoon wasn't really much of a partying type. e's much prefer staying in on a Friday night watching a movie with Jinyoung than going out and drinking away. He had been to a few parties, where he had been relentless hit on and pushed against other people until he decided that parties really weren't his thing anymore.
Through the people, he faintly spots a mop of carmine hair he thinks might be Woojin's, going onto his tiptoes in an attempt to see better. It doesn't really help him out, however, as the people continue to pull and fall against him.
Annoyedly, Jihoon contemplates just leaving and handing the umbrella back to Woojin the next time he sees him. It's not like they won't see each other in class. He doesn't know why he hasn't given the umbrella back, they've seen each other several times since the library, but Woojin's text of "Return it then," stayed with him.
Woojin must have wanted him to come, but Jihoon doesn't even know what he wants Jihoon here for, because he hasn't even spotted the taller male in the half an hour he's been here.
He lets out another irritated sigh, prepared to leave when the lights dim. A small platform in the middle of the room is lit up, and instantly the room falls quiet.
Jihoon stands still, unsure of what's happening next, as somebody takes to the stage. They announce themselves as MC and asks the first group to step onto the stage.
Jihoon watches and perks up in interest as a group of five take to the stage and start dancing as the music begins. Their music is fast and hard-hitting, and the crowd is starting to get riled up as some cheers are heard. Jihoon claps along politely when it ends and waits. He supposes Woojin's group will have their turn soon.
Soon turns out to be two hours as more groups dance and Woojin is still nowhere to be seen. There's a permanent ticking noise in the back of Jihoon's head now from the pounding of the music. There's a familiar sort of a headache building in Jihoon, and he just wants to leave.
When the stage dims again, Jihoon is fully prepared to get up and go. The crowd has returned to when he first arrived, jumping up and down in time to the music and Jihoon's legs feel tired from supporting him for so long. He can feel a couple of people step on his shoes in the past few hours and he sighs at the thought of having to clean his favourite pair of converses later.
The stage flashes up, and a group of seven decked out in white clothing move up onto the stage. Jihoon catches a glimpse of washed out, once fiery red hair and snaps back into focus, suddenly aware of his surroundings.
The music starts playing, and Jihoon recognises it as 10 out of 10, a song by 2pm, an idol group whose music he's heard playing through stores and billboards. It's evident as the music starts playing that the crowd is no stranger to this group when people immediately start cheering. The atmosphere spikes, heating up as the seven of them fall into a familiar routine.
Jihoon finds Woojin within the group of seven, locking onto wine red hair. He should really get a dye job done Jihoon thinks belatedly, eyes wide as he watches Woojin move with a swift fluidity he had never seen before.
It's charismatic, the way Woojin moves. The entire crew of dancers is young, charming and seductive as they dance to the choreography. Jihoon keeps his eyes on Woojin, unable to shift his gaze elsewhere.
The song reaches the first chorus, and Jihoon watches as the rave light comes on, sending people into a frenzy, frantically cheering. People push against him even more and Jihoon shoves down his discomfort, watching Woojin dance across the stage.
Oh, there's a shirt lift. He thinks dazedly, flushing as the image of Woojin imprints itself into his brain. He barely has time to recover before Woojin is shifting into the centre, and Jihoon's throat dries when hickory eyes find his own, locking onto him as Woojin thrusts his hips upwards to the cheer of the audience.
Jihoon watches a small smirk curve its way onto Woojin's face, and he unconsciously licks his lips before finally pulling his sight elsewhere.
The performance ends, Jihoon's head still sent into haywire, and he stands there awkwardly as people begin to clear out. He's stuck in his thoughts, trying to wait until the setting was a little more cleared out when a hand wraps itself around his wrist.
He looks up to find Woojin smiling at him, pulling along against the crowd into a small hallway. They don't stop, walking in silence until Woojin pushes Jihoon into a small changing room. Six heads turn towards their direction the moment Jihoon is in the room, and a tall male almost instantly gaining a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.
"Who's this, Woojin," He proceeds to hum, giving Jihoon a once over. Jihoon bites the inside of his cheek, unsure of what to do.
"Jihoon. He's a friend, so don't scare him off, Eunki," Woojin glares. Jihoon pairs the name with the face, still shifty in five other strangers.
"I'll try to hold him back," An older boy sighs. "Eunki, behave. Hyunmin, go return the mic sets,"
Woojin smiles thankfully at the guy. "Thanks, Taehyun. Jihoon, can you wait for a few minutes? I'll change and walk you out,"
Before Jihoon even has a chance to refuse and just hand back the umbrella, Woojin is already in the next room over, leaving Jihoon in a room with strangers.
The remaining guys break back out in chatter, while a younger guy with a smile bounces up to him. "Hey! I'm Hyeongseop, sorry you have to deal with Woojin," He beams, and Jihoon likes him already.
"It's not really a problem, we're classmates," Jihoon begins before Hyeongseop is bursting into a rant about how stubborn Woojin can be and how Jihoon could really do better.
Jihoon is biting back his laughter when Woojin reappears, frowning at his friend. "You better not be saying bad things about me,"
"Of course not," Hyeongseop choruses back before bounding away again.
Woojin keeps his gaze on Hyeongseop before turning to Jihoon and gesturing towards the door. The two of them set off down the corridor. By now the people have all gone and the venue is quiet. The two of them reach the entrance, and Jihoon digs into his bag, finding the umbrella and handing it back to Woojin.
"Thank you for this," He starts, unsure of what to do next. He's unprepared for the soft smile Woojin throws at him, before grabbing his wrist and walking towards the night.
Jihoon makes a small sound of protest, dying down in his throat as Woojin turns back, eyes undecipherable.
"I'll walk you home," Woojin announces. "Where do you live?"
Jihoon shakes his head. "You don't have to!" He exclaims.
"I'll do it unless you don't want me to," Woojin snorts, grinning as he flashes Jihoon his snaggletooth. "Your pretty face is going to get you mugged anyways," He casually tosses out, walking a few steps forward.
Jihoon gawks at Woojin's back for a while, blood rushing up to his face rapidly.
When he regains his senses, he rushes back up to where Woojin is, falling into a comfortable silence as Woojin walks with him until they're back in front of his dorm, cardinal converses falling against the concrete.
The stars shine brightly above them the entire journey.
~
~ #EE929B - Primrose ~
After Woojin walks Jihoon home, something about them has changed. It's subtle, floating in the air around the two of them, in how Woojin would lean over and point out mistakes if Jihoon doesn't understand a concept taught in class, or how Jihoon packs up extra slowly after classes so he can look nonchalant when walking out of class at the same pace at Woojin, or the way Jihoon bursts into laughter at Woojin's jokes and Woojin can't stop himself from curling into a fond smile when it happens.
Their project goes on well, as they fly through the different aspects of it quickly enough. between the two of them, with their different skill sets. the research project isn't difficult as they settled on a topic they both liked.
Today is no exception. Jihoon makes sure to drop his pen so he can pull out his pencil case once more to match with Woojin's slow speed. They head towards the exit of the classroom together in comfortable silence. Woojin reaches the door first, opening it and stepping through before pushing the door back for Jihoon. When Jihoon mutters out his thanks, Woojin simply grins.
"Do you want to go and get coffee or something? We can work on our project more," Woojin's voice is soft, questioning. Jihoon turns back, observes the way Woojin's eyes shift from his face to the ground, and back up nervously.
"Yeah, I'd like that," He answers and watches Woojin's face light up. He can't stop the corners of his own lips curling upwards at the sight, and they set off at an easy rate.
Autumn is slowly settling into the city, the amber sheen beginning to show through the crisp emerald leaves. Soon, they will turn crimson and ginger, and Jihoon walks with a slight skip in his step at the thought.
When they settle in opposite seats, sipping their drinks, Jihoon breaks out his notes and begins talking about their project again. He recently found out a theory which would be really helpful in their research, and he's sure Woojin found find it interesting too, so sharing can't hurt.
When he's done he's breathless and realises he's probably ranted on for a little bit. Nervously, he toys with the hem of his sweater, the taffy pink material rubbing against his palms.
"Sorry, I probably bore you, I'm so s-" He stutters out, bringing his eyes up to look at Woojin.
"It's fine. You're cuter when you're talking about things you like, so it's not like I don't get anything out of it," Woojin assures him. There's a fond look in Woojin's eyes, one Jihoon knows he can't mistake for somebody else, a soft quirk of lips as Woojin watches Jihoon.
It makes Jihoon feel shy, feel out of place. He tugs on the corner of his sweater more, and they both work on their separate parts of the project quietly.
It's an hour or so later when Woojin pipes up once more, telling Jihoon that their research and writing is almost done and they only really just have to format it and send it in. They've only been working on the project for two months or so, but they've made significant progress.
Jihoon lets himself relax a bit, they're far before Ms Kwon's three-month deadline, so when Woojin invites him out for a walk, Jihoon barely hesitates before agreeing to go.
They take a walk outside of campus, finding a small park to walk along together. The silence between them is filled with easy conversation, questions about daily life and such.
It's surprising that neither of them seems bored with what they're doing, the mundane flow of words between them. Halfway through their walk, Jihoon admits to Woojin that he didn't expect Woojin to be like it.
Woojin chokes out an unexpected laugh, enquiring more and Jihoon tells him how he thought Woojin would be a rebel or an emo type considering how many classes he skips.
Woojin watches him with the same look in his eyes, sly and cunning as he simply says, "If I had known you would open up so easily, I would have gone to class sooner,"
He leaves Jihoon floundering for words, swimming in a pool of confusion as he chases up to Woojin. The conversation moves past that point, and it's soon forgotten, but Woojin's words ring in Jihoon's mind as they stroll along.
The near the children's zone and Woojin grins excitedly at the swings and hops on, pushing himself up and back before letting gravity pull himself towards, laughing freely into the wind as he kicks off, not being able to swing properly as his legs reach the ground with each downward fall.
Jihoon watches him play, tenderness filling his chest as he joins Woojin, hanging easily from the monkey bars. His feet touch the ground even as he pulls himself up, scrapping along with a laugh.
It's so easy to fall into this sort of comfortableness and familiarity when he's with Woojin. it's hard to think that they only met three months ago and before that Jihoon had considered Woojin a rival because of their spots in the class. Jihoon watches Woojin playfully swing off the swing set and join him on the small complex, leaning onto the steel bars next to Jihoon.
"See, I told you we needed a break," Woojin laughs, the sound ringing in the air.
Jihoon can only smile back at him, watching Woojin affectionately.
Woojin is watching him as they both lean back, and then he's reaching out for Jihoon.
Jihoon could move away, joke and swat Woojin's hand away, but he only falls quiet and stills when Woojin's hand comes up to the top of his sweater, huffing under his breath in a quiet sort of laugh as he fixes the collar, pulling it back from where it's been pulled down. The gentle brush on his hand against Jihoon's skin makes him shiver on impulse.
"You should be wearing something warmer. It's going to be cold soon," Woojin tells him. "The sweater is a good look on you, but you could get sick,"
There's something heavy in Woojin's voice, something that makes Jihoon ache. "Thank you," He whispers back, suddenly feeling like he's drowning in his bubblegum pink sweater.
(As they head back onto campus, Woojin reaches out for Jihoon's hand hesitantly, and Jihoon lets him take it without a word.
He intertwines their fingers and ignores the way Woojin breaths in and takes a gulp of air, giving his hand a firm squeeze.
They don't talk about it.)
~
~ #F1A6B0 - Tulip ~
It's different. Jihoon realises. The way he looks and acts and feels about Woojin. It's different from how he would treat another classmate or a teacher or even Jinyoung.
Woojin looks at him with those fond eyes again even they finish up formatting the project, warmth emitting from him as they wait together for their project to print.
Jihoon wonders belatedly if he and Woojin will have any reason to meet after this after they hand their stack of paper in. He knows what they have is different, but it just as easily could be gone with time. Jihoon's heart hurts at the thought of not being with Woojin anymore.
The silence in their walk to the psychology building is tense, quiet. It's different. Different from the walks they've had in the past feel months where the conversation would flow between them or even the silence was comfortable.
Jihoon can't decide if he likes different or not,
When they hand it in, they watch anxiously as Ms Kwon flips through their pages, scanning the important parts. The tension in the room drops as she nods appreciatively, nodding at both of them.
"It looks well done. I'll be having a more detailed look at this later. You two should be feeling proud of yourselves," she says decisively, and the two of them leave.
Jihoon glances at Woojin once, twice, skirting his eyes back forward when he catches Woojin's eyes. They walk slowly, reaching the lift.
"Woojin-"
"Hey-"
They start at the same time, looking at each other before bursting into laughter.
"You first," Jihoon offers.
"Do you want to go somewhere to celebrate? Even if we don't know what or scores our we should be proud of what we've been able to accomplish in the past few months," Woojin starts, and he's pulling Jihoon along even before Jihoon gives his agreement.
it's not like Jihoon would have denied Woojin, but he still grins at how well Woojin knows him now.
Instead of down, Woojin mashes the top button of the elevator, and Jihoon blinks in confusion as it takes them up.
"Trust me, okay?" Woojin mutters, hands sliding down to fit against Jihoon's and all doubt leaves Jihoon as he shrugs, trying to contain the erratic beating of his heart in his chest.
Woojin drags Jihoon up a staircase and out a pair of heavy metal doors, and then they're out on the rooftop. Jihoon gapes at the view, having never seen it before.
"Pretty, isn't it?" Woojin begins proudly. "Sometimes I come up here when I want to skip class. Well, I used to, anyways,"
Jihoon looks at the sun, slowly making it's descent down towards the horizon.
"Why'd you stop," he murmurs, the sound lost in the wind.
"I guess I found a reason to," Woojin echoes back.
They turn to look out into the skyline, wonder sparkling as the guy above turns from porcelain to azure to indigo. The sky paints itself, misty rose shining out in a thin line where the sun met land.
"Jihoon," He hears Woojin breath out, and he turns towards Woojin.
"Have I told you your new hair looks good on you?" He asks, stepping closer to Jihoon.
Jihoon lets him press against him, lets him reach a hand up to tilt his chin upwards Woojin's face, lets Woojin brush his newly dyed rouge hair out of his eyes.
It's close, they're too close, but Jihoon just wants to be impossibly closer. Until they melt together like the sun and the horizon, where coral met fuschia. Until the end of time and even after. Until colours in his vision burst into fireworks and until they splatter and grow in flowering buds of feelings.
He doesn't move, lets Woojin run his eyes over his face, lets Woojin thumb his cheekbone gently, lets Woojin tuck his hair behind his ears because it's going to be Woojin, because it's been Woojin for a while, because it's Woojin.
"You know," Woojin whispers. "That I've liked you for a long time now?"
"How long?" Jihoon asks back, leaning upwards and lets Woojin blink softly at him, so he can count the little freckles of light in Woojin's eyes.
"Even before the term, I skipped class because I was too afraid to come to class because then I'd have no reason to not talk to you," Woojin answers simply, leaning downwards until their faces are less than an inch apart.
"And I like you a lot, even more than the crush this started out as," Woojin continues, letting his breath fan out across Jihoon's face. "I don't know how to stop liking you,"
Jihoon reaches up with both of his hands, grasping the sides of Woojin's face. A few months ago, it was infuriating how Woojin was a few inches taller than him, but now all Jihoon can do is chuckle.
"Then don't," Jihoon utters. "Keep liking me until you can't anymore, and even beyond,"
Woojin makes a small, desperate noise at the back of the throat, then he's leaning down and pressing their lips together.
Jihoon melts into it, lets Woojin press him against the wall, lets Woojin lick into his mouth and kisses Woojin back with just as much fervour because Woojin, Woojin, Woojin.
When they pull apart, they're panting and breathing hard. The sun has almost completely set, the last strip of rose against the sky.
Woojin is grinning down at him, and Jihoon is grinning back up at him, and he presses their smiles together again and again.
"What does this make us?" Woojin asks, and Jihoon can still detect the underlying tone of worry in his voice, how it wavers.
"Whatever you want to be, boyfriends, more, anything," Jihoon is replying in a hurry, bringing Woojin back against him when he tries to pull away. "Anything for you,"
And there it is, the fond look in Woojin's eyes once again, and Jihoon lets himself bask at the moment. They might crash and burn, and they might not work out, but this moment is theirs and theirs alone.
He's confident they'll make the best of this.
Woojin is smiling, bursting into the happiest grin Jihoon has seen on him, and Jihoon lets his hand fall until he finds Woojin's hand and lets their fingers intertwine together.
Jihoon leans up and connects their lips once more.
~
~ #FFC3CF - Blossom ~
It's a whole year later when Jihoon first understands it
They're out on a date, a supposed picnic, but instead, they're both just lazing around on the grass, looking at their phones.
Jihoon is curling into Woojin's chest, laughing at the stupid social media posts he finds online. Above him, Woojin is scrolling through his own phone, laughing at some stupid video he's watching.
Jihoon swipes past another few posts, before coming across one that catches his eye.
"Woojin, hey Woojin, look at this," He's blurting out, laughing at his boyfriend's affronted expression as he shuffles around.
"Describe me with a colour," he says, swatting at Woojin's shoulder when he ignores him.
"Why the fu-" Woojin begins to complain, shushing when Jihoon levels a pointed glance at him.
"It's just a relationship thing, we'll both say it at the same time," Jihoon whines, smiling when Woojin begrudgingly agrees.
They both countdown together, grinning at how stupid the whole ordeal was.
"Red," Jihoon sing songs.
"Pink," Woojin grumbles, at the same time.
Looking at each other, they meet eyes, both blinking for a few moments before bursting out into laughter.
"What, why?" Jihoon asks, shifting so he's more comfortable against Woojin's front.
"You first," Woojin snickers, laughing under his breath.
"It was your hair colour when we first met," Jihoon says, reaching up to card a hand through Woojin's now honey brown locks. "And I guess it represents how passionate and fiery you are. What's your reason?"
Woojin twists to glance down at him, a smile already on his face. "I guess you would be pink because you can be bold, but you're also soft. Pink is usually associated with happy memories anyways," He trails off sheepishly.
Emotions spike up in Jihoon, a feeling tighter than he's ever experienced. When he tilts his face up to press against Woojin's lips, the feelings in his chest are overwhelming, shades of crimson and ruby and cerise threatening to spill over, bursting into blossoms of flowers within him.
Woojin presses a hand against his skin, breaking off to laugh, chest shaking.
It's not love yet, but Jihoon knows that they have time.
Their colours in are set in bloom.
~