Chapter Text
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Sim Jake must have been some special kind of stupid. Sim Jake did not know how he passed fourth grade if he couldn’t follow directions that simple. Because if there was one rule about being best friends with the school heartthrob, it was to not fall in love with him.
His name was Park Sunghoon, and mostly everyone knew who he was or had heard of him before. He didn’t talk to very many people though, acting like he hated the attention. His secret admirers weren’t always so secret; his locker was filled with notes and messages of people wanting his number, to hang out, or whatever. He ignored them. He ignored them simply because it felt wrong. At least, that was what he had told Jake. But that wasn’t why the boy fell for him, exactly. He fell for him because of his cute little pout, the way all his teeth showed when he smiled, the way his hair could be styled in any way and it would still look ethereal.
But most of all, he fell for him because of his personality. He knew it ever since that moment in fourth grade when he came up to him and asked if he could eat lunch with him. They became best friends ever since, doing absolutely everything together.
That was until Jake realized. He realized that the love he held for his friend wasn’t the normal kind of love one would feel for a close friend, it was the kind of love that made you want to slam them against a wall and-
With those dangerous thoughts lurking in the front of Jake’s mind, he couldn’t function normally around Sunghoon anymore. Especially when he decided to grow his hair out a bit, the older boy couldn't handle it. He had asked Jake if it would be a good idea, and because he was an idiot, the elder said yes. Of course, being platonic soulmates, Sunghoon had sensed immediately that something was wrong with him.
He kept trying to ask about it, but Jake would laugh it off or dodge the question. Eventually, Sunghoon gave up, knowing that Jake would tell him when he was ready. Said ready-ness never came. It had been two whole years of this going on, and Jake still wasn’t ready. He was hoping his best friend forgot about it, which he did not, and Jake knew that.
But he fell harder when they entered high school and Sunghoon became known as “The School Heartthrob”. Sure, it’s cliche, but he couldn’t help it. He was just so damn adorable, and cute, and funny, and -
“JAKE YOU ASSHOLE WAIT UP FOR ME!”
The irony.
“Hurry up, you idiot. We’re gonna be late to class because of you!” Jake scolded as a panting Sunghoon came running up to him.
God, he looked absolutely stunning, according to the male. His hair was dyed black and looked as if it was combed in a haste, though he thought he looked beautiful. Jake noticed that his uniform tie looked a bit messy, and his blazer wasn’t buttoned up properly. He must have been in a rush. Maybe he woke up late? That feeling bubbled up in his chest again and he tried forcefully to push it down so he wouldn’t embarrass himself.
Stop noticing such small details, idiot.
What he did next, though, couldn’t be helped. The elder reached out his hands and tugged on the taller’s blazer, pulling him closer to him. The younger blinked, not expecting the sudden action.
“Jakey, what are you doing-”
“Just shut up for a second,” the boy snapped, buttoning up the coat correctly and adjusting his tie.
He glanced up at the younger, his eyes drawn to his lips. They were right there, he could just as easily tilt his head up and press his lips on him-
“Thanks.”
Sunghoon’s voice broke him out of his daze, the boy shaking his head from side to side to remove his previous thoughts.
“Uh, yeah, no problem.”
The pair stood awkwardly, both unsure of what to say. Jake stared at the younger before reaching his hand out and ruffling the other’s hair, to which he made a sound of protest.
“Hyung, why-” the taller boy whined, trying to fix his hair.
“It was already messed up,” Jake shrugged, laughing as the other smacked his shoulder lightly.
“Do you want to die?”
“Oh no! Not by your hands, good sir. That would be so utterly cruel,” the elder teased, dashing off into the direction of their next class, the other following.
“SIM JAKE GET BACK HERE-” the boy yelled as he chased Jake across the hallway.
It ended up with the two bursting into the class rather loudly , while the rest of the students were about to take a test.
“SHIT-”
“Very nice to see you too, Mr. Park.”
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“He’s going to murder me, isn’t he?”
After their little meeting that morning, the teacher gave Sunghoon a small slip of paper with writing scribbled hurriedly on it. It told him to come to his room after school because they needed to ‘talk’. Jake didn’t get a slip of paper, just a knowing look before getting yelled at to take their seats.
“Probably,” the elder answered as the other was lacing up his shoes. Their next and final class was Physical Education, which both hated the most.
“Listen up, idiots! We’re playing volleyball today, so gather a team and decide which positions you want to play!”
There was a collective snicker from all the students but they got into teams of six. Jake and Sunghoon decided to play with four other boys they knew fairly well. After picking, they all got into a group and waited for someone to say something.
“Okay, this is our group of six. Let’s go find a court and get started,” Sunghoon stated as he came back with a volleyball. The others nodded and headed to the closest court.
Once everyone had found a court or had been assigned one, the teacher blew his whistle and people began to play. They played against a team which they didn’t know that well, but they were still winning according to Riki, one of the boys they picked who was a friend of Jake’s.
“I’M OPEN SEND IT TO ME-”
“OVER HERE!” Jake yelled, and so Intak, another boy on their team, sent it to him, allowing them to score another point.
“Time-out!” someone from the other team called, and the rest agreed. Riki frowned, an innocent pout forming as he jogged over to the rest of the team.
“What’s wrong, Riki?” the brown-haired boy asked, noticing his facial expression.
“You took the ball from me,” he answered, crossing his arms.
` “I did not!”
“Yes, you did!”
“No!”
“Yes!”
“No!”
“Ye-”
“Jakey, stop arguing with a child ,” Sunghoon interrupted the two, glancing at the younger.
The blonde boy made an offended gasp and glared at the male. “I am not a child!”
Sunghoon chuckled at that. “Right, of course not. My bad.”
That ended with Riki aggressively trying to slap the poor boy, with Intak and Jake in between the two, holding the blonde back.
“This isn’t a tackling game, boys! Get back to the court!”
Riki shot one last glare at Sunghoon before shrugging the two boys off of him. They glanced at each other before bursting into laughter, a girl from afar staring weirdly at them.
“What’s so funny?” another girl asked, noticing how the two boys were in muffled laughter. Intak shook his head and gestured to go back to the court, confusion flickering in the other’s eyes. She rolled her eyes and did as told, Jake following suit.
After playing for a bit longer, Riki insisting they were winning, which was believable, Sunghoon nudged Jake ever so slightly, only so he could notice. That’s when it started.
The boy made a noise of acknowledgement, signaling he was listening.
“So…you know someone named Heeseung, right?” he whispered, side-eyeing him cautiously. Jake nodded slowly. It wasn’t like his friend to say a thing like that out of the blue. Something was going on .
“How do you know him?” Jake answered, sending the ball to another girl on their team, who yelled she was open. They scored a point.
“A few classes,” Sunghoon answered simply. The elder felt something twist inside him. He didn’t know why. Come on, he’s just asking a simple question.
“Oh, alright. Why do you ask?” he questioned, his tone coming out a bit rougher than he wanted it to.
“Well, I…promise not to laugh, or kill me?” the boy looked at him anxiously, serious now.
“Of course. I would never- well, that’s a lie, but you know what I mean.”
“I… may or may not like him,” he exhaled, staring at the ground, a red tint coating his cheeks.
Jake froze, the ball dropping to the ground as he felt his heart break. He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know what to feel. Almost all his life now, he had spent with Sunghoon. And more than half of that time he spent with him, he had loved him. More than he should. More than he should have for his own good. And now? Sunghoon telling him he likes someone else? It was too much.
He felt tears spring to his eyes as he turned away from the male who was looking at him, worry lines appearing on his forehead. Jake knew he never had a chance with the boy who was standing across from him, yelling his name. He had always known. But Jake never realized that Sunghoon telling him he likes someone else would sting that much. It felt like a knife to the heart. He thought he could endure it, knowing it would come sooner or later. But no, he couldn’t.
“Jakey?”
The said boy snapped back to reality and realized where he was again. Oh, right.
“Uh, yeah, sorry for zoning out there,” Jake threw the ball back to Riki, who looked at him weirdly before shrugging it off and starting the game once more.
“ Jake -”
“I heard you, and that’s great! I’m happy for you. The school heartthrob has finally found someone he likes!” he smiled at him, hoping he would let it go. Let me use humor one more time, please.
“Jake, I know that’s not it. What’s going on with you?” Sunghoon asked, concerned. He stepped closer to the male, reaching for his arm.
“Nothing! I’m fine,” the male answered, consciously stepping away.
He didn’t miss the flash of hurt in Sunghoon’s eyes as he did so, and the guilt he felt was heart-breaking.