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That was the first time Jinyoung saw Jackson, the first time he felt an attraction towards the other.
Jinyoung was going to be late, really late for his morning class. That never happened to him, ever.
He woke up later than usual, and it didn’t help that he stayed late the night before to study for an upcoming exam. He never was late, and the thought of actually missing some parts of the class made him anxious. Running through the corridors, searching for his lecture hall, he slows down before stopping in front of the door. He knows the professor inside will kill him, because somehow he knows everyone’s name, knows who they are and he will never let Jinyoung go, even if he is one of the best students of the class. The professor had a strict no lateness allowed policy, and he even refused to let students in if he thought they were too late to his classes.
So Jinyoung was doomed because as he checks his watch, he can see that its already been 20 minutes since the class has started, and it's already more than 10% of the class that he missed.
As he tries to calm himself, slow down his breathing to find a solution to enter the hall without being caught, he hears some voices coming closer,
“Mark Hyung, we are done Pr. Choi will never let us enter”, a voice whispers loudly
“Calm down Gaga, it’s okay”, another voice says, probably Mark “ we have a reason to being this late, we just have to explain” he reassures the other
Jinyoung is relieved because he wasn’t going to face his classmates alone, he could enter with the 2 other people, he just had to convince them to include him somehow in their excuse, or if they couldn’t, hide being them in hopes to not being found by the professor.
He sees two figures coming near him, one taller than the other, both wearing varsity jackets. Jinyoung’s stare goes from the taller, who he recognizes as Mark to the smaller man, he realizes the jacket was more fitting on him, the sleeves showing perfectly the shape of his muscled arms. As he tries to be discreet, he lets his stare fall on the other’s face, and Jinyoung might have stopped breathing at this point.
The golden skin, the perfectly sculpted face, the brown hair only perfecting the looks, few strands coming to frame his statue-like features. The man was smiling brightly at his friend, eyes disappearing and Jinyoung probably melted at the sight.
He was wearing a tight pair of jeans, letting Jinyoung appreciate his thighs, letting Jinyoung imagine how they would feel under his touch.
Jinyoung blinks once, twice, stopping his thoughts from straying further. He sees both of the men coming closer and closer before they stop in front of him.
“ Hey, Jinyoung-ah !”, Mark greets him enthusiastically, “ what are you doing here ?” he asks smiling widely
“ Hyung, its kinda obvious no ?” the other deadpans, rolling his eyes at the taller’s question, “ he probably is late and doesn’t know how to face professor Choi’s wrath,” he says shrugging his shoulders
Jinyoung doesn’t know what to say, because the man in front of him, in all of his beauty just said the truth. Jinyoung doesn’t want to linger on the fact that the other’s voice is so complementary to his looks, the deep raspy voice only adding itself to the list of his charms, so he only nods, not wanting to betray himself by stuttering or saying something stupid in front of the beautiful man?
Mark suddenly slaps his forehead, and Jinyoung jumps at the loud sound
“ OMG, I’m an idiot, I never introduced you two,” he says as he shakes his head, “ Jinyoung this is Jackson, Jackson this is Jinyoung”
Jackson, it’s a nice name Jinyoung thinks, it fits well with the other’s image.
“Hi Jackson,” Jinyoung says, “ I’m Jinyoung” he holds out his hand, shaking the other’s in a tight grip. “Hi, I’m Jackson” the man in front of him answers, avoiding his stare as he shakes his hand, pressing his lips tightly.
Even after the handshake, Jinyoung can feel Jackson’s calloused fingers, the large hand, and the rings on his skin, and it scares him a little bit.
As Jinyoung look at the man in front of him, he realizes how jittery he was, moving around, feets tapping at the floor, and he thinks maybe Jackson felt uncomfortable with his presence, why else would he react that way? and that simple thought is already making Jinyoung's heart clench, his mind already processing the fact that he would probably never be with the other.
So he takes a few steps back, to distance himself, and he hears Mark gasps
“ Fuck, we’re really late, we need to go inside right now or we might not be able to even get attendance”, he whisper-shouts as he knocks at the door.
Jinyoung feels his heartbeat getting faster, his breathing getting heavier, and his body starts getting hot all over, his hands shaking as he goes behind the older and Jackson.
After a few seconds, they hear the professor allowing them to enter and they go in the hall
“Oh, Mr. Park I never thought I’d ever see you with Mr. Wang and Mr. Tuan over here, moreover coming late like this,” the professor remarks, eyebrow raised as he takes in the 3 new students in the hall.
“ It was our fault” Mark intervenes, “ There was a small problem at the student office and Jinyoung was helping us solve it”, he explains, smoothly including Jinyoung in their story, “ we have a note from the professor in charge to excuse us for the lateness” he adds, giving the small paper to the professor.
Mr. Choi reads the paper, nearly inspecting it to look for fraud, but eventually allows the three students to go sit.
Jinyoung finally breathes out, the tension and anxiousness all gone. He quickly walks to an empty chair near the front whereas Jackson and Mark go all the way to the back of the lecture hall.
He glances at the pair, nearly staring at Jackson as he walks by his table.
The second time Jinyoung saw Jackson, he was sure he liked him ( and that was only 2 days after the first time )
Jackson was running in the gymnasium, not like Jinyoung was looking at him, no Jinyoung was concentrated on doing his maths assignment while waiting for Jaebeom and Mark. It was by complete coincidence ( it was not ) that he noticed Jackson. His hair was glued to his forehead, his muscles were out, the sleeveless basketball top doing nothing to hide the other’s tattoos ( which clearly were the most pleasant surprise for Jinyoung, who would do anything to run his fingers against them), and the shorts were making Jinyoung painfully aware of how fit Jackson was.
The basketball team was training for some championship, Jinyoung didn’t know the details, but after getting to know Jackson was in the team, the younger couldn’t refuse the proposal his friends made to watch the practice.
the small earrings dangling as he moved, the small dragon on his biceps moving, flexing as he ran to shoot, the ball entering perfectly in the hoop, Jackson was clearly practicing hard, his stare focused on the game, focusing on his teammates' reactions, movements to anticipate his own moves, and Jinyoung was impressed. He had seen his own share of basketball practices, and nearly no one else had made such an impression on him, no one had the same motivation, the same desire to win, and that clearly only made Jinyoung see Jackson in a better perspective.
Taking in the sight of Jackson drinking water, not blinking once as he traces with his eyes, the movement of his adam’s apple, he only comes back to his senses once he feels someone coming up behind him.
“ Jackson, huh ?” a familiar voice teases, “ it’s him, isn’t it ?”
Jinyoung can hear the smirk in the voice, can see Jaebeom smiling wide at his discovery
“ You’ve been in the clouds because of Jackson ?” he says laughing, “ wait till I say that to Mark”
“ No, wait” Jinyoung quickly says, not wanting to humiliate himself in public, “ Jackson doesn’t like me, he doesn’t like me, so keep it a secret” he whispers, letting his head fall down as he closes his unfinished ( never begun) assignments.
“ Oh”, Jaebeom sits next to him, “ everyone loves you, I’m sure he does too” he reassures the other
“ well, it didn’t feel that way last time” Jinyoung sighs as he stares at Jackson, walking away from the court.