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“Chenle!” Jisung screams, scrambling towards said boy with large eyes. At least half of the canteen had been drawn to the loud scream, turning their attention to Jisung with obvious curiosity. Chenle frowns, tapping the seat beside him on the bench that he was sitting on.
Jisung hobbles onto, sliding himself to Chenle’s side. His eyes are wide, pupils shaking and face pale like he’d just seen a ghost.
“You won’t believe what I just saw,” Jisung pants, clutching onto Chenle’s sleeve.
“I won’t until you tell me,” Chenle says, quickly dropping his spoon, lunch effectively forgotten in favour of listening to whatever news Jisung had to bring.
Sungchan leans over from the opposite side of the table, eager for the news. Anticipation is building, pressure high in this tiny little jar. There is a ringing in Chenle’s ears.
There hasn’t been anything interesting that has happened in the school for about the two whole years that he had been here. The only few rather peculiar sightings had been that one time he walked in on two students making out on a desk, the parrot that Seungmin brought into school once that proceeded to then shit on everyone’s belongings like they were free real estate, and finally when Chenle had caught the cold school receptionist blushing while talking to the school nurse.
So yeah, if something has gone a little wonky here, Chenle’s very excited about it.
“I think Mr. Lee has a girlfriend,” Jisung whispers and Chenle gasps, slapping a hand over his mouth.
“Which Lee?” Chenle asks, still in a hushed manner.
“Mark Lee, literature teacher? My literature teacher,” Jisung clarifies.
“Um, I mean, this isn’t that surprising. He’s just… not single.” Sungchan says, drawing his words out slowly as if afraid that he would be under attack for stating the obvious.
“No, no. Get this.” Jisung places his hands on the table, very seriously levelling both boys with a stare. “I heard him on a call with someone and he said, very clearly: ‘Babe, I’m like one staff room away, can’t you just meet me here?’”
“One staff room away? Dude, he’s dating a fellow teacher?” Sungchan asks, a hiss in his voice. Chenle stabilises himself with the bench.
“Are we sure?” Chenle asks, eyes wide. His heart is hammering so hard in his chest that there might be a slight chance of it tumbling out of his body. What could he say? He liked these kinds of things.
“Positive,” Jisung affirms with a nod.
“Did you hear anything else?” Chenle asks, pressing closer to Jisung who scoots back a little.
“No, only that. The rest of what he said was kinda muffled,” Jisung shrugs apologetically. Chenle puts a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.
“Don’t worry, you’ve got the information we need.” Chenle says, suddenly solemn. He turns to address the rest of the table (read: only jisung and sungchan), folding his arms to his chest. “You know what this calls for, right?”
“No, not really?” Sungchan says uncertainly, eyes darting around. Chenle shifts so that he falls in his direct line of vision, a silent message that there was no escape for him.
“We’re going to make this our problem.”
Case Opened.
-
Now, there are at least three staff rooms that this school holds. Chenle says ‘at least’ because he’s not really a genius with these kinds of things. He hadn’t known that the school had a fifth floor until he entered his second year of high school. Embarrassing.
“So, one staff room away. We’re striking out the entire humanities department?” Jisung asks, wordlessly looking at Sungchan and Chenle for confirmation.
“So none of the history, geography, social studies or literature teachers.” Sungchan murmurs. He looks up. “That leaves the mathematics, science, language, art, music and physical ed teachers.”
“This is horrible, we’re never going to deduce who it is.” Jisung whines, slumping over his desk.
“Okay, let’s calm down for a moment.” Chenle inhales, gesturing for Jisung to do the same. The younger reluctantly follows, chest rising as he breathes in. “Now, at least we have a goal.”
“Graduate school?” Jisung asks and Chenle glares at him. “No?”
“That, and finding out who Mr Lee’s dating.” Chenle announces.
“Okay, I don’t really get why we’re doing this-”
“Sungchan,” Chenle says blandly. The boy rolls his eyes and sighs.
“Fine, whatever.”
“Right, so, let’s just open our eyes extra wide and see if there is anything suspicious at all. Okay?” Chenle says and the other two boys nod their heads. “Meanwhile, I’m going to interrogate Mr Lee very subtly.”
“You’re not really subtle,” Jisung murmurs underneath his breath, earning himself a shove from Chenle.
“Do we know anyone that’s close to Mr Lee who could possibly disclose his romantic status?” Sungchan asks, propping his head up on his palm.
“Yeah, fat chance, as if any teacher will entertain the likes of us.” Chenle says, looking down at himself. He sighs. “We’ll just have to play detective.”
-
The first hint comes in the form of the other Mr Lee in their school, the music teacher whom Chenle spends his time teasing most days because he’s fun. He’s undoubtedly one of Chenle’s favourite teachers, mostly because he takes jokes well and talks to his students like friends.
Chenle likes spending lunch in the music room sometimes too, just to enjoy the air conditioner and Mr Lee or Donghyuck’s presence, as Chenle likes to use to refer to him.
He’s closer to him than the average student, and he’s been granted the very special privilege of sometimes dropping the very formal use of his name. Only during lunches though.
“Jisung realised something the other day,” Chenle says, feet swinging from the piano bench that he’d been seated on. Another perk of spending his time in the music room — the piano.
His food’s beside him, cold and untouched because he had spent the past fifteen minutes talking to Mr Lee.
“Oh? What about?” He asks in return. Mr Lee isn’t quite paying attention to him, more so focused on the spreadsheet undoubtedly on his laptop. Chenle didn’t mind much, he knew that teachers were busy too, and just because Mr Lee occasionally engaged him in conversation didn’t mean that he didn’t have other work to do.
“Apparently, Mr Lee’s dating someone.” Chenle pays careful attention to the way the Mr Lee in front of him freezes up. “The literature teacher, Mark Lee?”
His music teacher darts his eyes to look at Chenle, surveying him for a moment. “Okay… and?”
“I was wondering if you knew anything about it because apparently it’s someone else in this school and we’ve narrowed it down to like the teachers in staff room 1 and 3 but it’s still so difficult and honestly I’m just really invested in this because nothing much has been happening lately and my life is just boring.” Chenle says, exhaling every word in a single breath before he looks up at Mr Lee again, who’s gone really, really still. “So, it’d be nice if maybe you could drop me a witty bitty hint about who his girlfriend might be-”
Mr Lee chokes.
“-I know that you probably can’t say anything without his permission but this is the most exciting thing that has happened to me in years.” Chenle says, voice very serious and trying to ignore the way Mr Lee has been coughing into the crevice of his elbow for the past few seconds. “Um, you okay, sir?”
“Cool,” Mr Lee replies, still hacking up water vapour. He straightens up a few moments after, inhaling the cold air before putting his head in his hands. He lifts up his head.
“His what?” Mr Lee asks and Chenle frowns.
“His what? What?” Chenle asks, before clarity hits him. “His girlfriend? Yeah, were you not listening? Or- wait. Do you even know Mr Lee from the literature department? Oh shit, sorry I just kinda assumed all teachers knew about each other and had a rumour mill like students do-”
Mr Lee holds up a hand to stop Chenle from diving into another rant. “I know him.”
“Okay…” Chenle drawls. “So?”
“Chenle, did you or did you not hear Mark saying the specific term ‘girlfriend’?” Mr Lee asks and Chenle stills, confusion whirling in his brain.
“No? But what’s that got to do with anyth-” Chenle slaps a hand over his mouth. His eyes widen comically. “He’s gay?”
Mr Lee shakes his head, waving his hand in front of him. “Hold your horses.”
“Wait, then what were you referring to?” Chenle asks, almost frantic at this point. He hadn’t considered that Mr Lee was gay, he just assumed.
“I’m not saying Mark’s gay, I was just trying to point out that you shouldn’t assume someone’s sexuality like that.” Mr Lee says calmly. “You’re doing what’s called being heteronormative — assuming that straight is the default. It’s not nice.”
“Um, so is Literature Mr Lee straight?” Chenle asks, wringing his hands together nervously.
“I don’t know, that’s not my position to say.” Mr Lee says, holding up his hands in surrender. There’s a twitch in the corner of his lips that signals his amusement. “But you shouldn’t be so quick to assume.”
“Okay…” Chenle nods, slowly understanding what he was trying to get at. “Right, that was my bad.”
Mr Lee smiles.
“That means we’ll have to look through more people,” Chenle groans, falling against the piano behind him dramatically. Mr Lee cackles out a laugh, obviously satisfied with Chenle’s current situation. “Give me one hint, I’m begging.”
Chenle tries to give his best puppy eyes and he only gets slightly distracted when he sees the mischievous smile on Mr Lee’s face. “Donghyuckie, please.”
“I was thinking about it! Hush,” Mr Lee grins, averting his eyes to ponder about it. There’s a dumb smile on his face and Chenle can only hope that it means something positive. “Anything in particular you want to know?”
“Narrow it down to one staff room, please.” Chenle begs and Mr Lee grins.
“They’re in my staffroom,” Mr Lee says, kicking his feet back in satisfaction. Chenle clasps his hands together.
“Thank you!! You’re god sent, Mr Lee.” Chenle says, already packing up his lunch box and shoving it into his bag. “I’ll see you next lesson!”
“See you, Lele.” Mr Lee hums, watching with mirth as his student dashed out of the room, probably to update his friends on the hint he’d received.
He doesn’t catch Donghyuck pulling out his phone, a laugh already bubbling past his lips.
-
the kids are on to you
um, what?
dw, you’ll find out in due time!!
-
“Do you think it’s her?” Chenle asks conspiratorially, leaning into Sungchan’s ear. It’s what he’s been doing for the past three weeks.
See Mark Lee with anyone? Immediately try to deduce if they’re dating through pure vibes and the power of diffusion.
“For the last time, I don’t fucking know.” Sungchan sighs, following Chenle’s gaze out of the classroom to a study block to the opposite side of theirs. Mr Lee is speaking to one of the physical education teachers, a graceful smile on his face as he leans in closer to help the teacher with something on the clipboard.
He moves away moments later, a boyish smile still on his face. Chenle sees the other teacher blushing before Mark bids her goodbye with a wave, climbing up the stairs slowly.
“Not dating,” Chenle mutters, mostly to himself.
“How can you tell?” Sungchan asks, sounding utterly disturbed.
“She was way too stiff and Jisung said that Mark was calling them ‘babe’ over the phone. I don’t know, they’re probably close. That looked like a really awkward conversation.” Chenle murmurs. He sighs, relaxing further against Sungchan. “I’m never going to find out who it is at this point, Mr Lee’s too nice. He looks like he’s flirting with everyone but that’s like, his normal.”
“So, you’re going to give up?” Sungchan asks, and he leans forward this time to write down something in his notebook. Chenle falls off his shoulder and groans.
“No,” he shakes his head resolutely. “Never. I’ll get to the bottom of this.”
“Alright, suit yourself.” Sungchan shrugs. Chenle finally lifts his head, only to be met with a glare by his math teacher. Right, he’d completely forgotten that he was in the middle of a lesson.
“Chenle, answer this next question.” His teacher says, a sneer already on his face.
Chenle really, really hates his life.
-
“Okay, guys, I know I may not be the most enthusiastic about this whole ‘Mark’s significant other’ thing, but I think I just saw something.” Sungchan admits and the words make Chenle lean forward in his seat, eager to find another clue.
“What is it?” Chenle asks. The noises of the other students in the canteen would’ve served to drown out his question, but he whispers the question just in case.
It felt like his own little secret operation.
Jisung pats his knee, a reminder for Chenle to calm down.
“You know the alcove on the first floor? The one that leads nowhere except like the door to the pipes and wires?” Sungchan asks and Chenle immediately nods. Back when they were first years, it was said that the place was haunted, but none of them really believed that part anymore. “Yeah, well, I might’ve seen Mr Lee in a… you know.”
Sungchan gestures vaguely. It takes a total of three seconds before Chenle is gasping, recoiling back in shock as his eyes grow wide.
“What? What?” Jisung asks, voice frantic.
“Were they making out?” Chenle asks, scandalised. Jisung slaps a hand over his mouth beside him.
Sungchan nods wordlessly.
“Did you see who it was?” Chenle asks, inching closer to Sungchan. Unfortunately, the latter shakes his head, looking apologetic. “Fuck.”
“They had short hair, though. Whoever it was.” Sungchan supplies. “A guy, probably. Not a physical ed teacher because he was actually dressed like, formally.”
“Oh my god, he’s gay?” Jisung asks, sucking in a breath. Chenle smacks his thigh and shushes him.
“He’s not gay, let’s not assume his sexuality or anything.” Chenle grumbles. “But it is a guy, okay. Good. That about halves our numbers.”
“Staffroom 1, guy teachers.” Jisung mutters underneath his breath. “I can think of at least six teachers.”
“Seven,” Sungchan adds. Chenle nods.
“Okay, let’s just pay much more attention to them. Got it?” Chenle asks, an index finger sticking out.
“Got it, chief.” Jisung replies, mocking a salute. Sungchan, too, gives a lazy salute, but it’s already much more enthusiasm than he had shown at the start.
-
“Mr Lee, are you dating someone?” Chenle asks the next Tuesday, having had no progress in his investigations. It was a self-studying period for the class and Mr Lee had given them the time to write their own notes and ask him questions if they wanted to.
Technically, Chenle was doing exactly that.
His question seemed to snap the entire class awake. It didn’t matter what they were doing before, studying, sleeping, chatting. Their attention was now on Mr Lee, who had his mouth agape, like a deer caught in headlights.
“Um… what?” He asks, slowly. His cheeks are very slowly rising in colour and eventually the class is filling with low ohhhhhhhhhs.
“Are you dating someone?” Chenle asks, voice now louder from the confidence. He puts down the novel that he should have been reading through and instead props his head up on the table. “I’m curious.”
“Okay, why?” Mr Lee asks, eyebrows pinched together in confusion. His eyes were squinted, and he was eyeing Chenle with suspicion.
“Nothing! I just thought, y’know.” Chenle gestures with his hands.
“I don’t know, actually.” Mr Lee says, leaning his hip on the teacher’s desk. He looks smug now, and the rising confidence is making Chenle grow smaller.
“Oh, well, nevermind.” Chenle says, slowly, feeling dumb that he’d brought this up in class. He meets Mr Lee’s eyes then and rather than anger, he finds a sort of kindness in them, like he was silently telling Chenle that he didn’t mind it. “Just curious.”
“That’s alright, Chenle.” Mark hums. “Now, how about we go back to studying?”
At least five heads fell down onto the table with those words.
-
“What was that about?” Mark asks as Chenle walks out the classroom, footsteps heavy in its wake. He whirls around, not having expected Mr Lee to question the stunt he pulled. His other classmates file out of the classroom, but Chenle only moves closer to Mr Lee’s desk.
“I was just curious,” Chenle explains, trying his best not to look nervous. He straightens his back, clutching his books tightly to his chest. “I didn’t mean to pry, that was rude of me, I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine, I get being curious.” Mark shifts, patting his desk. Chenle moves forward cautiously. “Does this have anything to do with Jisung accidentally listening to my conversation on the phone a few weeks ago?”
Chenle squeaks. “Yeah?”
Mr Lee snorts, crossing his arms and leaning backwards. “And you’ve been trying to figure out who my plus one is ever since that incident?”
“Kinda,” Chenle shrugs.
“Kinda,” Mr Lee repeats. “Curious enough to ask Donghyuck about it?”
Chenle grimaces, the features on his face twisting. Donghyuck had thrown him under the bus. Favourite teacher rights: revoked!
“Maybe.” Chenle replies curtly. Mr Lee laughs, eyes pleasantly scrunching up.
“I hope you succeed on your search, Chenle.” Mr Lee says, a smile still sitting on his face. Okay, now this is just getting weird.
“Um, thanks! So, I have your permission?” Chenle asks, a foot swaying in the air in question.
“Yeah, go wild.” Mr Lee says, waving his hand airily. “Just keep it between you and a few friends if you find out, yeah?”
“Of course!” Chenle beams. “I’ll do my best, sir!”
“Have fun,” Mr Lee hums, already waving Chenle off. The younger boy scurries out of the classroom, body swerving to dash down the hallways when he screeches to a stop.
“Woah,” Music Mr Lee says, raising a hand to try and stabilize Chenle. Chenle wobbles but he picks himself up just fine. He takes one look at his face and grins, waving. “Hey, Le.”
“I have permission!” Chenle declares. “I’m going to find out who he’s dating at all costs. Maybe then I can put this in my future resume?”
“I’m sure your future employers will be delighted,” Mr Lee indulges him. “Now, off to lunch. Shoo.”
Chenle didn’t need him to say it a second time, already booking it down the hallways to spread the good news.
It’s only when he’s at the end of the hallway that his lips turn down in a frown.
Music Mr Lee had been walking towards Literature Mr Lee’s classroom.
-
Chenle spots Ahn Yujin at their table when he nears and his eyebrows pinch together. His previous thoughts were washed away as soon as he witnesses this sight.
“Chenle! Yujin was giving us information,” Sungchan says, gesturing to Yujin, who grins in greeting.
“Hey,” Chenle waves warily.
“Hey, I heard that you kinda asked Mr Lee a question during literature?” Yujin asks, but she doesn't seem to need an answer. Chenle nods anyway. “Yeah, well, that made me think of something.”
Jisung leans forward, nodding enthusiastically.
“The other day, I was passing by the deserted part of the school, you know the part that’s currently being renovated? Yeah, it was because Ms Kim wanted me to grab something and it was the shortcut. Anyway, point is, I saw Miss Liu confessing to Mr Lee.” Yujin says, eyes sparkling and clearly delighted to be telling this story. “And then guess what he said?”
“What?” Chenle asks, anticipation laced thick in a single word. Yujin’s eyes crease at the corners in a grin, crescent-shaped eyes showing her clear joy.
“He said that he was already dating someone,” Yujin says and Chenle nods, motioning for her to quickly finish her story. “And when he said those words, he pointed to his back, at the building there. The Arts building.”
Chenle nods, already having had shortlisted the final teachers that could’ve been it.
“We’ve already narrowed it down this far, though.” Sungchan brings up. Yujin backs up, looking disappointed.
“So, was my story time useless?” Yujin asks. Chenle shakes his head.
“It was useful! Don’t worry, plus it was a cute story.” Chenle grins, displaying his good will. Yujin mirrors his smile before she brings herself to stand up.
“I’ll head off then, I just thought you guys might find this story entertaining.” Yujin says, waving at the three of them. “Bye!”
Chenle watches her figure fade as she runs to meet up with her friends before he turns towards the rest of the table. “So-”
“You asked if Mr Lee was dating anyone in class?” Jisung blurts, cutting Chenle off. Chenle waves his hand.
“Yeah, but that’s not important! Mr Lee gave me permission to continue with my search!” Chenle grins proudly. Jisung pats him on the back.
“You were going to continue with or without his permission, why does it suddenly matter?” Sungchan asks, an eyebrow raised.
“Yeah, I felt guilty for asking about it in class earlier and it brought me to the point where I just thought about dropping the operation once and for all but then he gave me his permission! I have his consent! I am going to figure out who the love of Mr Lee’s life is by the end of this term.” Chenle announces firmly, in a tone that suggests that nothing will be bringing him down.
“Okay, good luck, bestie.” Jisung pats his thigh again. “We’ll always be here.”
“I know!” Chenle says, a smile draped over his features. “So you’ll follow me to visit the music room tomorrow during lunch?”
“Um, what? No, I didn’t say-”
“Great! It’s settled! You know which room Mr Lee goes to right? The music Mr Lee.” Chenle asks, levelling Jisung with a look.
Jisung sighs.
“Yeah…”
-
“I can’t believe you’d rat me out like that,” Chenle whines, turning around from where he was laying down on the piano bench to face Mr Lee. The Music Mr Lee.
Jisung fidgets uncomfortably beside Chenle, clearly not as familiar with Donghyuck as Chenle was.
“It was his business, Le. I had to tell him because it was his love life!” Mr Lee defends, a metal spoon scraping the corners of his plate. Chenle pouts.
“Whatever. I’ll hound you for this betrayal another time.” Chenle puffs out his cheeks, eyeing the ceiling. “I’ve narrowed down the final contenders.”
“Oh, really? Care to list them?” Mr Lee asks, putting the food into his mouth. Chenle squints at the food, silently judging the bright pink lunchbox that was clearly made for children. Little twin stars.
“First off, we have Mr Moon in the music department.” Chenle stops, watching Mr Lee’s reaction carefully. He catches Donghyuck scowling, chewing his food angrily for a moment before he makes eye contact with Chenle and his face becomes neutrally blank again.
Okay, so not Mr Moon.
“Then we have Mr Huang in arts,” Chenle says, much slower this time to access Mr Lee’s reaction once more. However, this time, he seems to remember to keep his expression carefully free of emotions. It irks Chenle. “And then there’s Mr Na, also in arts.”
No visible reaction.
“Also, Mr Kwon in music.” Chenle mentions, still watching for a change in Mr Lee’s face. He doesn’t change or move, though. He sighs frustratedly. “Lastly, Mr Cha in arts.”
Mr Lee nods, eyelids fluttering shut in what looked a little like resignation before he ducks his head and shoves food into his mouth. He chews for a full minute while Chenle squirms in anticipation.
“You’re… getting there.” Mr Lee finally says. It is neither a positive nor a negative response, so Chenle accepts it humbly with his head low.
He throws an arm over his eyes. “Maybe I won’t put this in my future resume. It’s taking me way too long to figure it out.”
“You’ll get there,” Mr Lee says encouragingly. Chenle pulls himself up to a sitting position when Jisung pats his leg comfortingly.
“How do you know who he’s dating anyway? Apparently not a lot of teachers know that he’s taken,” Chenle frowns, thinking back to the rejection that Yujin had told them about.
“Oh, we’re childhood friends.” Mr Lee says casually and Chenle positively chokes on the air, coughing into nothing.
“Seriously?” Chenle wheezes.
“Uh, duh? We grew up together, I’m kinda sick of his face.” Mr Lee shudders. Chenle misses the fondness lingering in his words.
“Oh, wow, woah. Okay. Was not expecting that.” Chenle clears his throat. “Okay, got it, thanks for your help, Mr Lee!”
Chenle swings himself off the bench, holding a hand out for Jisung to grab onto. “I’ll bring Jisung to interrogate Literature Mr Lee now!”
“Have fun, kids!” Mr Lee snorts.
-
“Mr Lee! I’ve narrowed down the final contenders,” Chenle says, jumping excitedly into the room once Mr Lee’s class had filed out. Mr Lee places his files onto the table and sits back, black bags underneath his eyes whispering of fatigue but his kind smile beckons for Chenle to enter his classroom.
“Hey Chenle, Jisung.” Mr Lee greets, gesturing to the tables in front of them for him to sit. “What about the contenders?”
“Who you’re dating, of course!” Chenle grins. “I checked a little with the other Mr Lee just now.”
“Oh? What did he say?” Mr Lee asks, pupils glinting at the mention of Donghyuck. He leans forward, clearly interested in Chenle’s deductions. The younger sits upright, shifting in his seat.
He glances at Jisung, who nods encouragingly.
“So, at first I had about six people lined up, but I mentioned Mr Moon to Mr Lee and he immediately scowled, so I’ve taken him off.” Chenle announces and he’s surprised to find that the words make Mr Lee laugh. He throws his head back, a bright sound erupting from his throat.
“Hyuck scowled?” Mr Lee asks and it takes Chenle a second to register the nickname.
“Yeah!” Chenle replies, but his excitement slowly starts dying down when he sees the amusement swimming in Mr Lee’s pupils. He’s missing something here, and Chenle can’t figure out what it is. “I mentioned everyone else in the arts and music department but he didn’t show any reaction.”
“Oh, really? Who do you think I’m dating, then?” Mr Lee asks, his lips still curved upwards as he leans down to take something from his bag.
“Oh! Well, first-” Chenle’s words evaporate from his mouth when Mr Lee fishes out a bright baby blue lunch box from his bag, looking similar to Music Mr Lee’s lunch box.
Little Twin Stars.
Something clicks in his head, and the gears start moving one by one, each cog in his brain leading to the next. He gasps.
“Oh my fucking god,” Chenle whispers. Mr Lee frowns, about to tell him off for cursing but Chenle jumps from his chair.
And he runs out of the room.
-
Chenle remembers a few months ago, he had been sitting with Jisung in one of the benches located at the study corner, talking about his extra-curricular activity when he had paused.
“Jisung, is that Mr Lee going home with Literature Mr Lee?” Chenle asks, pointing at the two of them by the gates of the school.
Jisung frowns, following his line of sight. “Oh, yeah.”
Music Mr Lee wraps an arm around Literature Mr Lee’s waist and leans in close to his ear to whisper something. Chenle can’t hear it well, but it makes Literature Mr Lee shove him away roughly, pink up to the tips of his ears.
Jisung huffs out a laugh. “They’re kinda cute.”
“Right? I never knew they were friends.” Chenle mumbles.
“Me neither,” Jisung shrugs, and that is the end of that conversation. Both Lees leave the school, backpack strung over their shoulders. It is moments later that a sleek black car drives past and Chenle spots the two of them through the car windows.
“Hey, Le, could you help me with this?” Jisung asks, moving closer to Chenle. The older boy snaps out of his trance before he looks at the math equations Jisung had asked for help with.
“Oh, yeah. Sure.”
And this memory fades, along with every other incident in his life that he has deemed somewhat irrelevant.
-
Except it’s really relevant, especially right now as he bursts through the doors of the music room, hair stuck onto his forehead from the sweat that had been produced after running up three flights of stairs.
“Chenle! What’s wrong?” Mr Lee asks, already standing by the doorway as if he had been expecting him to be here.
“Oh my god,” Chenle pants, once again. It’s all starting to make sense and Chenle feels so stupid for not having pieced it together sooner. He hadn’t even included Donghyuck in his list of contenders!
He really couldn’t put this in his resume now, this was just embarrassing.
“You’re dating Literature Mr Lee?” Chenle asks, but it’s more of an accusation than a question. Mr Lee raises an eyebrow at that, concern ebbing away from his features.
“Oh,” Mr Lee says. “I mean, yeah.”
Chenle’s jaw falls to the fucking floor.
“You never told me!” Chenle accuses in a whine, bottom lip slipping into a pout. Mr Lee laughs, reaching over to pass Chenle a tissue so that he could wipe away his sweat.
“You never asked,” Mr Lee replies, a grin still audible in his voice. Chenle presses the tissue to his forehead.
“I feel so stupid,” Chenle groans. “You were the first one I consulted!”
Mr Lee giggles again, moving to push Chenle further into his music room and sitting him down onto one of the chairs so that he could catch his breath. He offers him a plastic bottle, unopened, and Chenle takes it gratefully.
“I know, I was in shock too.” Mr Lee says sympathetically. “I hadn’t been expecting you to say something like that. Also, why wasn’t I ever part of your list of contenders?”
“I forgot you were eligible,” Chenle cringes, a grimace falling over his face.
“Oh god,” Mr Lee huffs, another laugh falling from his lips. “So? How did you end up figuring it out?”
“Your lunch boxes are matching,” Chenle states, pointing accusingly at the pink thing sitting on the teacher’s desk. He crosses his arms smugly after having noticed the tiny detail. “Little Twin Stars! It’s supposed to be a kid’s lunch box.”
“Doesn’t matter if it’s supposed to be for children, it’s useful.” Mr Lee argues before he softens. “But thanks for noticing, I thought getting matching lunch boxes would be cute.”
“You’re welcome,” Chenle says drily. Jisung enters through the door to the music room at that moment, while Literature Mr Lee enters the room after him with his eyebrows pinched together.
“Oh, Chenle, you’re fine!” Jisung scrambles towards him, raising an arm to ruffle his hair. Chenle leans into it, contemplatively looking at Literature Mr Lee, who has already moved into the room to greet Music Mr Lee.
He should’ve realised this much sooner. There’s an immediate playful spark that has ignited in Music Mr Lee’s eyes, bright and burning as soon as they land on Literature Mr Lee.
It’s mesmerising, to see the way matching grins bloom on both their faces, a silent conversation already travelling through the space between them.
Literature Mr Lee turns to him then, worry already returning to his eyebrows in the way they once again move toward each other like opposite poles of magnets. “Chenle! Don’t run out like that again! It scared us.”
Chenle clutches Jisung’s wrist that was still on top of his head.
“You’re dating my favourite teacher!” Chenle complains to deflect the incoming lecture. Literature Mr Lee’s mouth falls open at that, gaping like a fish. A blush powders his cheeks and he clenches his jaw, refusing to look at Chenle.
Music Mr Lee coos at him before turning towards Chenle. “I’m your favourite teacher?”
“No,” Chenle denies, but he knows it’s useless when Donghyuck has already moved to engulf him in a hug. “Ugh.”
He shifts back before turning and wrapping his arms around Literature Mr Lee and planting a sloppy wet kiss to his cheek. He flails, arms wobbling in the air.
“Hyuck! Not in front of the kids!” Music Mr Lee whines, so high and unlike his usual voice that Chenle gets whiplash.
He also starts mock gagging.
“Alright, kids, now that you’ve cracked the code how about we head back to class, yeah? They’re going to start soon,” Music Mr Lee says, pointing sternly at the clock. Chenle knows that he probably doesn’t care and has never cared about Chenle returning to class on time, but he also understands social cues enough that he knows Donghyuck probably just wants them out of his music room so that he can get alone time with his boyfriend.
So he concedes, grabbing Jisung’s wrist and dragging him out of the room.
“Have fun, kids!” Music Mr Lee shouts after them while Chenle shouts a bye back, already leaving.
Chenle takes the stairs two at a time, brain still whirring from all of the revelations.
The childhood friends to lovers pipeline is real.
“Chenle, don’t run off by yourself like that next time.” Jisung tells him, a frown making the corners of his lips pull downwards. Chenle grins, reaching over to physically tug his frown into a smile, gravity be damned.
“Sorry, Ji.” Chenle smiles, before grabbing Jisung’s wrist again and leading him down the stairs.
-
”Our secret’s out,” Mark murmurs. He brushes a strand of Donghyuck’s hair behind his ear and stares at him, wide-eyed and innocent.
Donghyuck grins, pulling Mark in by the waist until they are chest to chest. “Is that a bad thing?”
“No,” Mark murmurs, their lips almost touching by now. “It’s just a few of them.”
“Mhm,” Donghyuck hums.
“I heard you scowled when they suggested I was dating Mr Moon?” Mark asks, teasing as he plants a quiet kiss on Donghyuck’s lips.
So much love is packed into that single action and it leaves Donghyuck aching for air.
“Shut up,” Donghyuck groans, moving to hide his face in Mark’s neck.
“So what? Were you jealous or something?” Mark asks, teasing evidently dripping from his words. Donghyuck scowls but he pulls Mark closer anyway. “So, were you jealous?”
“Maybe,” Donghyuck grumbles.
“Don’t be,” Mark hums and he turns slightly to kiss the side of Donghyuck’s face. “It’s always been you, so don’t worry too much.”
Donghyuck sighs, and his breath is hot against Mark’s skin. “I know.”
-
Chenle and Jisung are sitting in one of the study corners, once again with their textbooks out in an attempt to study. It’s oddly reminiscent of the memory that had surfaced this afternoon, and the world only further emphasises that point when Music Mr Lee emerges from the staffroom and leans against the wall by the school gate.
Literature Mr Lee arrives too, a little later after five minutes. His form of greeting Donghyuck is reaching out and hooking his index finger underneath his chin, tipping his head up to meet his eyes.
The resulting smile is blinding and even Chenle has to look away, something warm rising up in his face.
“What’s wrong?” Jisung asks, worriedly trailing his eyes over Chenle’s face. He shakes his head in reply, a murmur already leaving his lips.
“It’s nothing.” He says.
When he glances up again, both teachers are leaving the gates, laughter etched into their features. Pure joy.
Chenle risks a glance at Jisung, who has gone back to looking through his work, and he wonders if he’ll ever have that.
The leaves rustle and the sun begins to travel west. Shades of purple and orange blend into each other, an ombré that marks the ending of the day. Chenle sighs, and lets his gaze fall back onto his workbook.
Maybe someday.
Case Closed.