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"What the fuck was that lesson?" Jackson said, as soon as class had finished and they were filing out into the halls.
Jaebum was considerably less worked up. "Huh?" He offered. "What lesson?"
"Exactly," said Jackson, his eyebrows furrowed close together into a frown. Around them, students milled about, some making for the stairs, others loitering in the halls and chatting. "What's wrong with you today? You spaced out for the whole two hours, hyung."
"Sorry," said Jaebum, letting Jackson steer him into the direction of the stairs.
"Sorry?" Jackson repeated. "Since when have you ever -- " Jackson quickly stopped short. "You know what? Never mind. Apology accepted."
"Awesome," said Jaebum, touching his hand to the railing as they descended the stairs.
He needed something, anything, to keep him from up and floating away, because as stupid as it sounded, Jaebum'd been feeling strange all week. Weirdly warm at times, and fluttery during others, as if there was a permanent swarm of butterflies constantly attacking at the inside walls of his stomach, or little lovebirds swirling around his head in circles that threatened to drive him dizzy.
It was certainly out of character, but not unpleasant per se, and yet Jackson was not having any of it.
"One of us needs to pay attention in class, you know," he took the last three steps at once before adding, "and that's never gonna be me."
"Maybe it should be," Jaebum replied, too ditzy to properly argue back. "I've been busy, Seun."
"With what?" Jackson was beginning to resemble a kicked puppy with how disgruntled he appeared to be. "You've been acting weird, hyung -- "
"-- as you keep saying -- "
"-- so why?" Jackson continued, bouncing along on the balls of his feet as Jaebum trailed after him. He shoved open the double doors with a push, looking back over his shoulder to add, "don't tell me this has something to do with that guy from Psych."
Jaebum stopped short, the butterflies kicking up a storm in his stomach as the birds flapped their wings.
"No," said Jackson, his tone tentative. He held the door open still, and his fingers seemed to grip the handles with a new energy. "No way."
"Fourth date," said Jaebum, the smile on his face tugging into a loopy grin. "His name's Jinyoung, by the way."
"Jinyoung," Jackson echoed, expression alight. "Hyung, you haven't dated anyone in a while -- "
"I know," said Jaebum, finally feeling stable enough to keep walking. He pushed past Jackson in the doorway, throwing an arm around his shoulders to tug him along as not to buckle onto his knees.
Jaebum was so excited he couldn't even stand, and all because of a boy. A very cute boy, in his defense, but a boy nonetheless.
"This is awesome," said Jackson, no longer indignant. "You're totally gonna get laid, hyung. Fourth date, was it? Second base by now!"
"It's not like that," Jaebum instantly protested, cheeks flushed. "He's different."
"Is he?" Jackson teased, struggling to maintain Jaebum's pace, always complained that Jaebum walked too slow. "You like him?"
Jaebum knew Jackson wasn't expecting a serious answer at the cheery lilt of his tone, but Jaebum gave him one anyway. "I do like him," he said, careful but completely sure of himself. "He really is different, Seun-ah. He's..." Jaebum didn't know how to describe how light Jinyoung made him feel, even at first glance. "He's just different," he concluded, still feeling warm in the face. "A nice different," he decided.
"No shit," said Jackson, who escaped Jaebum's arm to skip ahead across the grass. "I've never seen you so lovesick, hyung."
"I'm not lovesick," said Jaebum, trying to laugh it off. "It's the fourth date."
"Works for me," Jackson shrugged, waiting for Jaebum to catch up before hurrying ahead again for the bus stop. "You haven't let anyone past the first date stage in ages, and if this guy's somehow made it to fourth," Jackson cast a knowing look back at Jaebum. "I'd say you're pretty lovesick."
"Shut up," Jaebum mumbled, though he didn't try to deny it this time.
"Fine," said Jackson, grinning hugely. The bus was just coming around the corner when he added, "but you're whipped, hyung. Like cream."
Jaebum stayed silent at that, preferring to dig out his bus card simply because he couldn't agree more.
*
Two hours later and seated in a cafe, Jaebum completely regretted letting Jackson goad him into wearing trousers for his date.
They were a washed out brown, patterned in plaid and not Jaebum's style -- at all. But Jackson'd been insistent, claimed this was how you 'got a man', and that it was totally in style, and Jaebum, in a moment of apparent weakness and foolishness, had believed him, struggled into the trousers and tucked a white shirt in overtop, left his and Jackson's apartment with a surge of confidence that quickly dwindled down into what it was now: an anxious knot, coiled up tight in his gut.
Jaebum wore jeans and big shirts, not trousers, but it was way too late to run back to the apartment and change now.
He shifted in his seat for the fifteenth time in five minutes, a poor attempt at calming down, and cursed Jackson once more in his head as he sighted Jinyoung at the front of the cafe, looking disgruntled and awfully cute underneath the yellow light. Definitely too late to change.
"Jinyoung-ah," said Jaebum, just to get his attention when a wave didn't work.
Jinyoung's expression lit up in recognition as his gaze slid over the table Jaebum'd saved in a more private corner, but his eyebrows remained furrowed as he walked over. "Hi, hyung," said Jinyoung, his nose crinkled in distaste as he slipped into the seat across Jaebum. He immediately touched the tips of their shoes together underneath the table, lips pouted as he mumbled, "it's been raining."
"So I see," said Jaebum, sympathetic and watching as a droplet of water raced down the line of Jinyoung's throat.
He, unlike Jaebum, was dressed very much like himself today, pairing a grey turtleneck sweater with blue jeans, a black woollen beanie atop his head as per usual.
"It wasn't even a drizzle," Jinyoung complained, one hand on the table and the other at his chest, probably trying to unstick the dampened turtleneck from his skin. "It started pouring as soon as I got off the bus, so much so that I was beginning to wonder if our date was actually worth the dash," Jinyoung offered a cheeky grin, Jaebum rolling his eyes in response because he knew it was just lighthearted teasing.
"I forgot how much of a baby you were," said Jaebum, looping his pinkie around Jinyoung's on the table.
"Yeah, well," Jinyoung touched his free hand to the back of his head. "I'm here, aren't I? Don't I at least deserve a coffee for that?"
"Fine," said Jaebum, unable to stop his smile from bubbling into an endeared laugh. Jinyoung was just... fucking adorable, and Jaebum would've bought him a coffee regardless of whether or not he asked. "One Iced Americano for the precious princess."
"Thanks, hyung," said Jinyoung, wearing a self-satisfied grin as Jaebum stood to make his way to the counter.
The line was short. Jaebum got his order in no time, an Iced Americano as promised and an Espresso for himself, and carried the coffees back to his and Jinyoung's table on a tray.
"Here we go," he said, slipping back into his seat and noticing Jinyoung's black beanie on the tabletop. "Hey," Jaebum had never once seen Jinyoung without his beanie on. "You're not -- " Jaebum looked up and at Jinyoung's face, and quickly clamped his mouth shut around the rest of his sentence, because no longer covered by any black fabric, Jaebum could see clear as day that Jinyoung's ears were very much not human, and that Jinyoung was clearly waiting for him to say something.
Jaebum shook his head. "You're -- "
"An elf," said Jinyoung, looking nonchalant but sounding unsure. He raised a hand halfway to his head as if wanting to cover up, but quickly stopped himself. "It's been four dates already," Jinyoung drummed nimble fingers atop the table while explaining. "So I thought you should know. I'm an elf."
"Okay," said Jaebum slowly, gradually beginning to process this information. An elf.
"Okay -- ?" Jinyoung pressed, clearly expecting more.
"Okay," said Jaebum again, flicking his gaze from left to right ear. There was a slight pointedness in the tips, and a strange hazel in Jinyoung's eyes that Jaebum never thought to question until now, but apart from that, nothing else suggested that Jinyoung could be anything but human -- (not that there was anything wrong with him being an elf.) "That's really cool. Hey," Jaebum gestured to the untouched beanie. "Is that why your ears are always covered up?"
If Jinyoung was still surprised by Jaebum's anticlimactic reaction, he didn't say so. Instead, he just squared his shoulders and nodded.
"Okay," said Jaebum, resisting the urge to immediately lean forward and twiddle Jinyoung's pointed ears. How cute. "I get it now. I always thought it was pretty strange that you wore a beanie to class, even in the summer, but at least now I know why."
"You thought that was strange, but me being an elf doesn't bother you?"
Jaebum shook his head. "Guess not."
Jinyoung laughed, as if he couldn't quite believe it. "Hyung," he said, struggling through relieved giggles. "You're one weird guy."
"I know," said Jaebum, grinning only because Jinyoung was too, eyes crinkled and his expression so, so bright. "I'm a weird guy, but you're the elf."
"Perfect," said Jinyoung, his pinkie looping itself around Jaebum's on the table. "I guess this was worth a dash in the rain after all."
Jaebum interlaced their fingers so that they were properly holding hands. "I guess it was," he said, and Jinyoung smiled back like it was the best thing he'd ever heard.