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Han knew he wasn’t the smartest person in his class, but at this moment he liked to think of himself as a genius. Not that he’s a narcissist or anything.
Probably.
Most Definitely.
It’s just that he and his best friend Jeongwoo had achieved the impossible that no other junior in their high school could achieve. They have conquered the quest that so many have failed. They tiptoed on the tightrope of ecstasy.
They had discovered a way to have conversations during class.
Not with their cellphones, of course. They didn’t figure out how to do it by passing notes either. Han was pretty sure that strategy in the playbook of classroom conversations had been used before, and their teacher probably knew every single move in that playbook. Well, except this one.
Han’s attention was drawn away from his thoughts when Jeongwoo, who sat next to the empty desk in between them, lightly tapped his pencil on his desk so that Han could see it. The gears in Han’s mind began to crank for what was probably the first time that school day as he carefully counted the number of taps that Jeongwoo laid out.
They had learned to communicate through Morse code. It was definitely the slowest way of communication, but it was a way their teacher had yet to figure out. Plus, Mr. Chittaphon, their homeroom teacher, had no idea! Cementing Han into the genius hall of fame.
Long, short. Pause. Short. Pause. Short, long, long. Pause. Long, short, long. Pause. Short, short. Pause. Long, short, short.
Jeongwoo put his hand away after the last short tap in his sentence. New kid ,he tapped. Eyes locked with Han’s, he gestured towards the front of the classroom with a tilt of his head.
Sure enough, when Han's eyes moved to the front of the classroom, there stood a new boy who he had never seen before. His face was slim but his eyes looked like they held the galaxy in them, rich brown hair styled to perfection, a slender figure with a waist that looked perfect for holding. Despite the newcomer's tall stature, the uniform's cardigan gave him an adorable pair of sweater paws, softening his features.
The whispers around the room from the students weren’t exactly subtle. Hushed words of intrigue and excitement bounced off the walls. There was a specific title for people like him.
Pretty boy.
He’s cute , Han tapped back with a surprised undertone, his eyebrow raised.
Ur so gay, Jeongwoo tapped back with a squint.
“Shuaibo, please have a seat between Jeongwoo and Han in the back,” Mr. Chittaphon motioned to the two boys in question. Han, suddenly overcome with a wave of nerves, struggled to avoid making eye contact with Shuaibo as he sat between the two friends. Han couldn't help but notice the curve of Shuaibo’s butt. The slacks hugging the mounds perfectly.
Cute ass, Han tapped when Shuaibo sat down. Just because there was now a wall between them doesn’t mean they can stop their communication.
After all, only the two of them know morse code.
Jeongwoo’s eyes rolled to the back of his head as he looked at his friend. However, before he could tap his sly remark about how Han was too lonely and gay to function, a quiet tapping sound was coming from the desk in between the two friends.
Awe, thanks! Shuaibo tapped without even looking away from the front of the classroom. Han and Jeongwoo looked at each other and froze.
“Holy shit,” Han whispered, eyes wide as he contemplated slamming his face on his desk. The hand covering Jeongwoo’s mouth was doing a poor job at muffling his snickers. Shuaibo’s expression looked unchanged, however there was a slight tug at the corner of his mouth.
You aren’t too bad yourself. Shuaibo tapped, looking at Han with a sly look on his face. Han choked on thin air, his ears turning an embarrassing shade of pink as he covered his mouth trying to hide his smile.
“Mr. Park, Mr. Seo, Mr. Zhang, is there a problem back there?” Mr. Chittaphon deadpanned as he looked directly at the three of them, causing everyone’s heads to look at them as well. Jeongwoo’s face was plastered with a shit-eating grin, trying to hold back his laughter and Han sat up so straight you would think he was still into girls.
“No sir, everything is fine.” Shuaibo replied with a smile, the only one with enough common sense to look normal. Mr. Chittaphon sighed, shooting them a look of warning before returning to the lesson. Han released a breath he didn’t know he was holding.
He tapped a frantic I am so sorry out, hoping it would catch Shuaibo’s attention, but it evaded the taller boy.
Bro you’re royally screwed, Jeongwoo tapped out, pleased at his best friend's embarrassment. First day seeing the new kid and you already got a playground crush. Han shot him an unamused glare in reply before burying his face in his hands. It was the only way to hide from his embarrassment.
They never took into account that anyone outside their small circle would know morse code. The only other people who knew were Han’s brother Juwon (Juwon got too paranoid at all the excessive typing until he figured out what they were doing and learned himself) and their other friend Steven (He’s just nerdy like that). How did Shuaibo even know morse code? Han would have tried to make a better first impression had he just gotten his mind out of the gutter. Curse you cute new student with a perky ass.
While he was stuck cursing himself in his own head, Han failed to notice that their class had finally ended. Looking around the room the only people who were left were Jeongwoo, the new kid (with the great ass), and himself. By the time he snapped out of his current state, Shuaibo was already halfway across the classroom about to leave for their lunch period.
“W-Wait, wait!” Han sputtered, tripping over his own feet as he quickly dashed across the classroom hoping to catch the boy. Shuaibo only stopped when he felt a strong grip on his arm.
“Yes?” Shuaibo asked, eyes narrowing as he looked at Han with intrigue.
“I’m sorry. For, um, what I said. Er, tapped. I didn’t mean it,” Han sputtered before catching himself. “Well, it’s not that I didn’t mean it! Your ass is great!, um, I mean pretty cute. Um. I’m sorry, please take it as a compliment. Please. I promise I’m not like this all the time.”
Shuaibo paused, eyes doing a full scan up and down Han’s figure. You could hear Jeongwoo cackling right outside the door as he watched the whole ordeal. Han was about to open his mouth and let out another jumbled apology until Shuaibo finally spoke up.
“Your ass isn’t so bad itself,” Shuaibo said. He reached into his bag and grabbed a pen and paper and quickly scribbled something on it before putting it in Han’s coat pocket.
“See you around.” Shuaibo said, winking at Han before turning his head around and strutting out of the classroom.
“Well what does the note say!” Jeongwoo asked as he walked back into the room, shaking Han out of his stupor. He took the note out of Han’s grasp and opened it for the both of them
It’s not just my ass that’s cute. Find out for yourself next time ;)
xx-xxxx-xxxx
If someone walked past the classroom at that moment all you would see is Jeongwoo fanning a passed out Han on the ground.