Work Text:
- for someone who’s shy, he’s definitely at the center of many social circles. to be fair, it’s because he and his friends are incredibly popular. handsome boys and always ready to help
- joshua prefers hanging out by the side when they’re together, laughing and watching the others joke around. they definitely get told off by some teachers for being too rowdy in the courtyard
- he’s known in his class for being the humanities buff, so people go to him for help all the time, but when it comes to math, he is so Lost. goes to his friends for homework help sometimes, and when they’re busy, he just…waits
- like, they’ve told him to get a tutor, but tbh he can’t bring himself to do it. something about admitting that he can’t do math to a person who isn’t a friend. also something about having to get to know another person, get them familiar with his learning style
- you, you’re an average student. you do well enough, so you’ve never needed extra tutoring, but this latest paper is hard to write for some reason
- your friend tells you to talk to josh because he’s a great proof-reader, really good at strengthening arguments and tackling things from new perspectives. maybe it’s from having such diverse friends
- when you ask him during lunch to stay after school for a bit, he says yes with an easy smile, and while you’ve never paid much attention to him, you can see why people like him so much. he’s kinda cute
- but he doesn’t stand out, y'know? you know his friends seokmin and soonyoung and seungkwan and junhui. who hasn’t heard of them? it’s not really a proper day unless you hear one of them yelling in the halls, but josh? he’s on the quiet end
- sometimes you forget you’re in the same class as a member of their school-famous group of friends until the rest of them rush in at the lunch bell to whisk him away. you suppose the best word you can use to describe him is shy
- anyway, he meets you in the library after last period, gently rapping his knuckles at the edge of the table you’ve secured. once you look up, he gives you that smile that you swear will get him in trouble some day
- not in a bad way, just…he’s too good looking
- anyway, time moves fast. he does a quick read through of your paper, marking up the things that first jump out at him. then he reads it more carefully for organization and argument and one last time through for grammar and punctuation
- you’ve never seen any of your readers be this thorough. during peer edits, your partner would write “great job!” at the top despite the glaringly obvious typos and your rushed conclusions, so it was refreshing to see all the annotations on your paper right now, even if it hurt you on the inside
- “you have a good set up,” he says, sliding it back over to you. “but the point gets lost halfway through. i made some notes for you.”
- bless that guy wow his notes are actually helpful. you think that’s it, but then he pulls out his lab report and starts working. he looks up after sensing your gaze
- “ah, i was going to check it after you’re done, but i can leave if i’m being a bother?”
- BLESS THIS GUY, WOW. there’s a bit of pressure — you don’t type very fast — but it’s enough to make you work faster without being too stressed. as he’s reading over it again, you see last week’s math homework peeking out of his work pile
- “did you not do this?” you ask, pointing to it. you don’t mean anything by it, but the flush that erupts on josh’s face makes you feel a little bad. “do you need help with it?”
- “i don’t need it.” his tone is stiff. strange. you shrug, figuring you’d at least offer since he’s doing something for you, too
- .
- .
- .
- “sorry, i do need your help with it,” he mumbles, unable to meet your eyes. “i don’t get this unit. are you good at math?”
- “i’m okay at it.” you tug at the sheet. “let me see what you’ve done so far?”
- hm, he’s done nothing, and at your eyebrow raise, his embarrassment is back. it’s kinda cute tbh. he was talking to you fine before, but now he ums and ahs every few words, flicking a pencil around his fingers
- “how about a deal, josh?” you wait until he lifts his head. “you be my editor for the rest of the year, and i’ll guide you through the math homework. we can meet after school and study together. what do you say?”
- he tilts his head, evaluating your outstretched hand before taking it
- “sure. we can get food or something, too. don’t have to stay in this stuffy library all the time.”
- “that’s a great idea! we can start now. ice cream?”
- “okay.”
- “i do have one request first.”
- “hm?”
- you wiggle your fingers with a grin. “let go of my hand?”