flowering // tbz k.sw x male reader

eleven //

Sunwoo smiled brightly at the sight of Choi [m/n] nearing him. "Ah, [m/n]-ah! Excited for the assembly?"

"Very," [m/n] nodded with a sigh, stopping beside Sunwoo. "I'll do well, I think. Why are you waiting here?"

"Mr Kwon wants me to head to his car, so he went to fetch his car keys," Sunwoo replied. "Hyunjin is inside as well, and I'm guessing you're here to see him?"

"It's a pleasant surprise to see you too, Sunwoo," [m/n] smiled, reaching up to ruffle Sunwoo's hair. "Despite the assembly, you and I are going to study during lunch because we have another mock test on Friday for Korean history."

"Ah, come on, I wanted to have some free time before the MT," Sunwoo complained, crossing his arms as he pouted falsely. "Can't we just study during the tutor session after school?"

"This is an important mock test, it'll decide the difficulty of the official class test, Sunwoo-ya," [m/n] scolded, gently hitting Sunwoo's arm. The teacher stepped out, car keys in hand, and [m/n] quickly bowed. "I'll see you later."

Sunwoo nodded, walking ahead to show the teacher that he had gone. However, he stopped and turned around again to face [m/n]. "[m/n]-ah. Hyunjin told me."

[m/n] widened his eyes suddenly, feeling his heart sink at the sight of Sunwoo's sullen smile. "Sunwoo—"

"No, no. It's okay," Sunwoo said with a smile. "I'm just a choice. And… Hyunjin is as well." He stood on his place awkwardly before slowly raising his hand. "We'll talk later. See you, [m/n]."

Sunwoo kept smiling as he walked away, bright as ever, but this time, it felt incredibly forced. He was clearly hurt, and was hiding it by putting up a smile. He felt terrible, watching Sunwoo hide his feelings behind a smile. He desperately wanted to assure Sunwoo, but it would be selfish. [m/n] wasn't sure how he felt, and he was certain his heart leaned towards Hyunjin.

Right?

The door to the teacher's lounge opened and Hyunjin stepped out, a smile on his lips. "Oh, [m/n]. Fancy seeing you here."

"Hyunjin-ah," [m/n] smiled, almost forgetting Sunwoo, but selected his thoughts carefully. "Uhm… how are you? You responded to my message really late…"

"Ah, I wanted to say something, regarding Saturday," Hyunjin said, his expression suddenly stern. "Uhm… if anyone asks if we were on a date, say we weren't, okay? We were just… hanging out, that's all."

[m/n]'s smile fell slightly. "W… what are you talking about? You called it a date. You wanted to—"

"Look, I thought things over, okay?" Hyunjin sighed. "Everyone's saying stuff about me — stuff that aren't true."

"Are you worried about people thinking you like guys?" [m/n] asked, his tone shaky. "I-is that not why you went o-out with me?"

Hyunjin thought carefully about his words before sighing heavily. "Look, I'm not like that. Just… not at school. Okay? For us, it was a date, but others don't need to know that right now. Please."

Hyunjin looked desperate at that moment, and [m/n] could only sigh as he looked down. "It's fine. Uhm… I'll see you at the meeting, then."

"Thanks so much, [m/n]," Hyunjin smiled, ruffling the shorter boy's hair. "I'll see you in a bit, then."

[m/n] smiled, but he could hardly hold it up as Hyunjin walked away. He sighed, looking down at his feet as if they were the most interesting thing on the planet. Hyunjin was clearly scared of being seen as someone queer, which inadvertently hurt [m/n]. He sighed, deciding to walk back to the student council room with heavy steps to prepare for the meeting.

•

Hours passed, and [m/n] successfully delivered his speech to the rest of the school, just like every other year. He was glad it was over with, because he frankly just wanted to be alone. Hyunjin was someone he admired a lot, and it was a shock to be told off so suddenly. He hoped that their Saturday together would let them get closer, but it wasn't the case.

[m/n] closed his locker after getting his books, wanting to drop them off at his next class and then go for lunch, but he was promptly stopped by a smiley brunette boy that was somehow everywhere.

"[m/n]-ah, there you are," Sunwoo grinned, waving his hand as he neared the boy. He held his hand out and [m/n] looked at him with a frown before Sunwoo laughed slightly. "Let me carry your bag, [m/n]. You look exhausted, anyways."

[m/n] sighed, taking his bag off his shoulder and handing it to the slightly taller boy. "I am exhausted, and school will probably only end at 8 today — for me, at least. I'm studying a bit later because this weekend will be used for the MT."

"Are you excited for that, by the way? Because I am," Sunwoo said, changing the topic to bring up [m/n]'s obviously down mood. "I'll make sure we end up in the same group for activities. You need someone for good tension."

[m/n] smiled slightly. While he used to find Sunwoo's happy-go-lucky attitude a bother, and honestly quite annoying, he saw that Sunwoo's ability to smile effortlessly was one to be envied. "Thanks for that, Sunwoo, but I think I'll be okay with or without you."

Sunwoo pouted, bumping his shoulder with [m/n]'s. "Hey, I think I'm pretty good at making people smile. Like right now, I hope."

[m/n] smiled with a nod. "It's working, but… it doesn't erase the problem."

"And… what's the problem?"

[m/n] looked at him with soft, glazed-over eyes and sighed, his tone conveying the pathetic thoughts he had. "Hwang Hyunjin. I thought we… were getting close, but… it wasn't the case. Whether Hyunjin likes guys or not, he's not out, and being with him while he's still afraid isn't good for either of us."

Sunwoo hummed, nodding silently. "Well… I'm someone that has always been around you, wanting to be your friend and… get you to like me."

[m/n] frowned at Sunwoo's rather cryptic smile, not really knowing how to respond. He looked away, staring down at the books in his hands. Sunwoo was confusing him. He didn't know what to feel, especially because he knew Kim Sunwoo had some feelings for him.

[m/n] knew, but he was too obsessed with the idea of liking Hwang Hyunjin.