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Jaehyun and Jungwoo have been in a relationship for some time now. It’s not hard for their friends to realize that their touch becomes much more frequent and lingers a lot longer. Sometimes they sit shoulder to shoulder--or even in each other’s lap--even though there are empty seats around them.
Jaehyun’s ears burn as Mark asks him whether he and Jungwoo are finally together. It answers enough for the rest of their group.
Jungwoo loves to draw and he goes nowhere without his sketchbook. Even before Jaehyun asked him to be his boyfriend, he had used two sketchbooks just to try to draw the beauty that is Jung Jaehyun into paper. Jaehyun thinks it's cute that his boyfriend is so determined to make a perfect painting of him, not realizing that between the two of them, Jungwoo is the prettier one.
Jaehyun had spent enough time in Jungwoo’s house and even had slept over so many times that Jungwoo wonders whether his parents will suspect something about his sexuality or not. But Jungwoo couldn’t care less as he woke up in the arms of his boyfriend. Said boyfriend is still fast asleep and snoring softly, bare chest heaving up and down. Jungwoo saunters off the bed slowly, not wanting to wake the boy up.
He takes his sketchbooks and starts drawing.
Jaehyun huffs his cheeks as he looks at the message he just got.
i don’t think i can come with u to the new cafe. take mark instead, he’ll be happy to spend some time w u. i’m going straight home w johnny. xx~
“I think he’s avoiding me, Mark,”
“Maybe he is,” Mark shrugs as he licks his ice cream. Ugh, too sweet.
“You’re supposed to make me feel better and say things like, ‘no, hyung, it's only your imagination,’ or ‘how could he do that?!’” Jaehyun imitates Mark’s whiny voice.
“First, I do not sound like that. Second, he might avoid you for a good reason,”
“Tell me one good reason to avoid someone,” Jaehyun looks at the younger skeptically while Mark just blinks.
Once.
Twice.
“Okay, I got nothing. He’s probably just busy painting.” Mark smiles apologetically then continues licking his too sweet of an ice cream.
Jaehyun just sighs. Hoping he could talk to his boyfriend soon.
With finals come and his theater performance date approaching, Jaehyun’s times are packed with studying and practicing. It’s been two weeks and he hasn’t found the time to talk more than five minutes with his boyfriend. Lately, Jungwoo develops a new habit of spending his lunch time in the school’s studio since he’s determined to have one of his paintings be displayed at their school fair by the end of year.
The last day of finals comes and Jaehyun is fidgeting as he writes his answer in his history answer sheet. Jaehyun ran out of his class as soon as he finished writing the last answer. He’s hoping to catch his boyfriend to go spend time together. Fortunately for him, he can see Jungwoo still struggling with whatever subject he’s currently doing. The ever so perfect hair is slightly messy because his boyfriend keeps pulling it out of frustration. The bell rings and as Jungwoo walks to hand in his answer sheet to the teacher, he sees his boyfriend waiting in front of his class.
“I’m gonna fail biology,” he whines.
Jaehyun opens his arms and Jungwoo lets himself be hugged in front of his classmates.
“I’m sure you did better than you think,” Jaehyun kissed the top Jungwoo’s hair, taking a sniff of the flowery scent of his shampoo.
“Nah, I don’t really care anymore.” Jungwoo snuggles deeper into Jaehyun’s neck. “Mr. Kang picked one of my arts for exhibition tomorrow! Can you spare some time to see it before or after your theater performance?”
“I think I can come before my performance.” Jaehyun releases his hug and proceeds to hold Jungwoo’s hand, walking hand in hand to the exit. “Which one did Mr. Kang pick?”
“The one that made me ignore you for the past weeks,” Jungwoo laughs as he pecks Jaehyun’s left cheek.
“Wh--what-- i dont--”
They stop their tracks and Jungwoo locks his eyes at Jaehyun. “I haven't been the best boyfriend, have i?”
“...Yeah” Jaehyun answered shyly, lowkey cursing his ears because he can feel them getting red right now.
“I’m sorry. That’s why I need you to come see my painting. Okay?”
Jungwoo smiles and Jaehyun just can’t find it in himself to be annoyed at his boyfriend.
“Okay,” Jaehyun nods and shows off his dimples just for his boyfriend.
“Oh my god...”
Jaehyun is seeing himself in a watercolor painting.
He has no doubt that it's him, even when half of the face of the man in the painting cannot be seen.
Jungwoo painted him.
Jungwoo spent a month, more or less, painting him and it's currently being displayed at their school fair.
It's a painting of a man sleeping soundly, eyes closed and mouth slightly opened, his shoulder and half of his chest is shown bare decorated with a couple of love marks. There's an array of sunlight from the curtainless window at his left and there are flowers scattered all over him.
Jaehyun choked on his saliva as he took it all and realized the painting is beautiful not because he was the model. It’s beautiful because Jungwoo painted it with his heart, with his love.
He might stand in front of the painting for five minutes or maybe an hour, who knows. But he got out of his entrance as he heard a familiar voice calling his name.
“Mr. and Mrs. Kim,” he greets and bows politely as the older woman and her husband walk towards him and the painting.
Oh no, they wouldn't realize it's me, right?
But his hope dies and as he sees the smile in Jungwoo’s parents falters.
Dammit, where’s his boyfriend when you need him?
Jaehyun almost ruined his theater performance. His mind is not on the stage, but at Kim's household, with his boyfriend.
His director had to take him aside before the performance, asking for the fourth time was he really ready to act or do they need to change him with his understudy.
i don’t think i can watch ur performance tonight, mom asked me to come home immediately when she saw the painting. my dad said they met you? r u okay?
His sweet, sweet, boyfriend is in trouble, but he had the time to ask if Jaehun is okay. Sometimes he wonders what he did in his past life to deserve such a boyfriend.
i’m ok. i have 2 performances tmr, dont worry abt it. can i go to ur house after this?
He sent it right before he came on stage and still doesn't get an answer when he’s done.
It’s almost 11PM and Jaehyun is just pacing back and forth in front of Kim's front door.
Should he knock? Would it be inappropriate? Should he call Jungwoo and ask him down instead? Are they asleep? He can't hear any arguing inside. If they are asleep would it be rude to wake them up?
As Jaehyun decided that he would visit again next morning, he heard someone walking downstairs. If he’s lucky, it would be Jungwoo. But looking at his luck lately, it’s most probably Mr. Kim and he would ask him to kindly fuck off from his son’s life.
He almost runs to his car when the door opens and Jungwoo’s head peaks out.
“Jaehyun!”
A sense of relief washes his body as he walks back to the house.
“Are you okay?” Jaehyun asks as he looks at his boyfriend, making sure he’s not hurt anywhere.
“I’m okay, silly.” Jungwoo laughs and hugs his boyfriend tightly.
“Your parents…?” Jaehyun trails off.
“They interrogate me the same way they interrogated my sister about her first boyfriend,”
“They’re not…” Jaehyun can’t finish his question because Jungwoo shakes his head excitedly.
“That reminds me,” Jungwoo let go of the hug and look at his boyfriend’s eyes, “they want to meet you and ask questions too.”
“I’m okay with that,”
“I’ll arrange dinner for you then,” Jungwoo smiles sweetly before he bit his lips. Jaehyun knows by now that that's his way of showing anxiety.
“You wanna tell me something?”
Silence.
Jaehyun knows not to pry and let Jungwoo think for himself before he decides to tell him himself.
“I told my mom that I think i love you,”
Oh.
They haven't said it to each other yet.
“Really? What did she have to say about that?”
“She had a feeling about it.”
“Good to know,” Jaehyun smirks as he responds.
“What about you?” Jungwoo looked up from playing the hem of his shirt, squinting his eyes. “What do you have to say about it?”
“Not much.” Jaehyun shrugs and pulls his boyfriend to a kiss, smiling as he continues, “Probably I love you too.”