gossip ;; 2jae [Editing]

Chapter 24

Okay I don't feel like calling it homeroom, so 'homeroom' is 'tutorial/tutor' interchangeably where I'm from and a homeroom teacher is called your 'tutor'

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|||| » "ONWARD, MY NOBLE STEED!" « ||||
• Friday •

Youngjae hopped down the stairs, humming a tune. The lower level of the house smelt of an American breakfast and a good day, so he all but raced into the kitchen, freezing when he spotted a pastel blue sticky note covering the neon yellow one Minhyuk left weeks ago. Oh.

Left for Beijing! Breakfast is in the microwave. EAT IT. I don't want to hear that you fainted again ;(((

再见!

- Mom

Youngjae rolled his eyes, leaving the note on the fridge where a collage of years of his mother's rushed goodbyes laid. Strolling up to the microwave, he pulled the door open and stared at the large plate of pancakes, bacon and hash browns. "I'll eat it when I get home," he muttered, shutting the door.

• • •

Youngjae quickly wiped syrup off the corner of his mouth before eating the last piece of bacon and adjusting his backpack straps as he waited for Jaebum's bus to arrive.

"Morning," Jaebum greeted, smiling too brightly for seven in the morning. Instead of responding, Youngjae nodded as a greeting, letting Jaebum carry the conversation as they walked to school.

A few minutes in, Jaebum seemed to get an idea, cutting his rant about mechanical mathematics short so that he could speed up and stoop down a few paces in front of Youngjae. It all happened so fast that the brunette nearly didn't notice. He didn't stop walking until he was mere centimetres away from tripping over the kneeling boy.

"What the hell, Im!"

"I'll give you a piggyback ride," Jaebum offered, grinning over his shoulder.

"Um..." All Youngjae could think of at the moment was how endearing the eye-crinkling smile was. "Why?"

"Because you still look really pale."

Now you see this offer and reasoning began a fight between two sides of Youngjae. On one hand, Youngjae didn't want the help because he still 'looked sick' - he felt perfectly fine! But on the other hand, a piggyback ride meant he didn't have to use his legs for five to ten minutes. It was a really tricky decision to make and that's why Youngjae can't possibly explain why in no time he was on the other boy's back, using all his willpower not to comb his fingers through Jaebum's bedhead.

"Onward, my noble steed!" Youngjae shouted dramatically while pointing forward, him and Jaebum laughing loudly as Jaebum ran to school, not caring about the judgmental looks that were thrown at them.

| ~ || ~ |

"Remember to finish the activity we started in class, guys!" Mr Kang yelled over the ringing bell, some students already packed up and heading for the nearest exit.

"Did you see Minhyuk's most recent post?" Mark asked, slinging his bag over one of his shoulders.

Youngjae hummed, still sat, taking care to perfectly form every letter of the very last answer in the work booklet. When starting it, he'd calculated just how much time he needed to waste on each question so that this would happen.