Chapter Text
It was the cliched; papers flying, books falling, bumping of heads, and of ouches and sorries mouthed before their eyes met and there was the time-suddenly-stopped kind of moment for him. It was very cliched, Jae thought, like in the movies where the meeting of the love of your life happens in a library, and the love of your life rescues you from your demise, in this case from falling down onto your butt. The sun was corruscating through the gaps between the books, and you were mesmerised by the other ethereal presence.
And all hell broke loose.
Jae blinked, once and twice, and was entranced by the twinkles flicking at the tips of his rescuer's messy hair. The airborne dust sparkled around him forming a halo. It was a magical moment as Jae witnessed the ethereal fairy gracing the human realm for the first time.
Park Jaehyung was captivated, he was so enthralled by the man–even that was an understatement. In a matter of seconds, he nosedived from the ISS straight towards the Mariana Trench.
This man was breathtaking.
A chuckle snapped Jae out of his daze.
Shit.
Exuant dignity, enter hyperventilate. Jae gulped and snatched back his arm. He straightened up before looking at the books scattered on the floor. Great Jae, trust yourself to act like a fool in front of this hottie. Just great. He wanted to bolt with his remaining dignity intact however he still needed the grade to pass this semester successfully.
"Sorry," he murmured, hunching over before his hands frantically began collecting his scattered materials.
The other person laughed before he followed suit, lending a hand with his stuff. "Don't worry. It happens."
His voice sounded heavenly.
"You knock over people's stuff a lot?"
He laughed again; Jae decided he loved that sound, quite a lot. It was getting dangerous.
"Sometimes." He shrugged, grinning.
They stood up, and the stranger handed Jae his books with the cutest smile he had ever seen. He tried not to blush, swoon, or do anything that might paint him like a bumbling idiot.
He muttered his thanks as Jae retrieved his stuff from the cute stranger.
"See you around?"
Jae blinked, and it took him a few seconds to snap out of it before opening his mouth, saying, "Without knocking my stuff over? Definitely."
And he laughed again. "I'll keep that in mind."
The man said goodbye, leaving a deep, lasting, and lingering impression on him. Jae waited until his figure disappeared before walking back to his table. Only after a few minutes of breaking down in silence did he realise that he did not get a name to go with that face. Jae groaned, slumping over the table and sighing as he wished to disappear. How on earth was he supposed to know if the stranger was a real person and not just a figment of his overworked brain?
He turned his head, looking over the window as the image of the stranger started to manifest in his head. The sharp yet soft-looking pair of eyes; that radiated warmth when he laughed. Jae smiled, praying that it wouldn’t be too long until they met each other again.
The next time they met, Mr Cute Stranger was helping him up after he stupidly stumbled over a root and injured himself. Someone was offering their hand and when Jae looked up, there he was, all smiles and warmth, and he couldn’t help but smile back, despite feeling a burning cut spreading on his knees. Fast forward to Mr Cute Stranger helping him and magically procuring a first aid kit from his backpack.
“Are you a Doraemon reincarnated?”
“I got a feeling you’ll need it.” Mr Cute Stranger laughed, moving to inspect Jae’s wound. “And, I’m right.”
“Congratulations.” And he laughed, against his better judgement, even when Mr Cute Stranger poured iodine onto his knees. It hurt, real bad, but his careful touches made it bearable. It certainly helped that the one tending to his injury was a sight for sore eyes. His deft fingers handled Jae's injury with ease and precision so that Jae was sure he didn’t need a trip to the clinic.
“It might hurt for a couple of days, but you’ll live,” he said.
Jae hummed, examining the neat work done to his knees. “A man of many talents. Do I have to pay your doctor’s fee?”
“My fee is expensive, you know.”
Jae chuckled. “Shoot. You won’t unwrap the bandages, will you?”
“Your name will do.”
Jae cocked an eyebrow, titling his head with curiosity at where they were going. “My name?”
Mr Cute Stranger grinned. “I think the next step after saving you twice is to get your name, isn’t it?”
“I guess. I can’t have my saviour be nameless forever right?” Jae laughed. “I’m Jae.”
“Nice to finally have a name to associate with my not so much of a damsel but very much in distress.” He smiled. “I’m Brian.”
The rest was self-explanatory because they were two peas in a pod, they finished each other's sentences before bursting into giggles, and followed with the where-you-have-been-all-my-life moment. They got on like a house on fire, having the stupidest shenanigans up their sleeves, and tormenting everyone with it later. If someone was having trouble finding Brian, the fastest way to locate him was through Jae, and vice versa. They became inseparable, the buy one get one free deal. And, all of their friends just went along with it. Their relationship was facile and comfortable, despite the fact that Jae was crushing on his friend at first. And, it seemed impossible to cross the boundary and be more than just a friend. They were better off as friends and Jae knew he didn’t want anymore than that. Friends are easy, lovers aren’t. And, he was enjoying Brian’s friendship. It was the best thing ever.
Even after entering their last year of highschool and almost three years of friendship, Jae knew what he should be: Brian Kang’s friend.