jisung slumps on his arm, cheek smushed against his sleeve, and watches jaemin highlight another passage in bright pink.

he should be studying--that's why he came over and is now sitting at jaemin's pristine, white desk--but it's hard to focus on the sea of equations in front of him, especially when jaemin is reading under his breath so softly beside him.

"hyung. hyung," he repeats, voice low and sleepy. "hyuuung,"

jaemin's eyes finally snap up from the thick pages and pages of his textbook, expression relaxing after his eyes focus.

"what is it, jisungie?"

he asks him so warmly that at first, jisung's mind goes blank, lost in the older's eyes and with no idea what he wanted in the first place.

jaemin chuckles a little. "did you just want my attention?"

"no, i..." he tries. but he did want attention, didn't he? a small part of him feels like squirming and hiding, but at the same time, he doesn't want jaemin to look away. "it was something,"

"it was something?" he says, laughing a little. "tell me."

jisung stretches out over his desk like a lazy cat, twisting his arms just so to avoid tipping anything over. "it's dumb," he groans.

"i don't care, tell me,"

jisung groans again, and jaemin pokes him, saying "tell me, tell me, tell me," in an annoyingly cute voice with each poke until he's practically singing. isn't that a wonder girls song? what a dork. jisung's heart swells a little at the thought, though he pushes it away.

"fine, fine. i was wondering... if maybe... you'd read to me?"

he pauses a little to see the elder's reaction, but he certainly wasn't expecting him to beam so brightly back at him. he's sure there's something else to his smile, but whatever emotion it is, he can't quite read it.

"ah, so you do want attention," he teases, sticking his tongue out between his teeth. "of course i can, sungie. just this passage here?"

jisung nods automatically. perhaps too eagerly, but he can't be picky, he figures.

the passage was on art history, he thinks. jaemin reads out lines on architecture and apses and arches and too many words that he's never even heard before, pausing beween breaks in punctuation to look back at jisung expectantly. the younger feels himself sink into the plastic-y surface of the desk, drowsy but too warm and fuzzy to ever want to fall asleep.

at some point, one of jaemin's hands--the hand that isn't holding the next page between his finger and the highligher--sneaks onto the nape of jisung's neck, and the latter practically melts.

it feels like he's dreaming, sitting there with jaemin and recieving so much of his focus, and it ends far too soon when jisung's phone buzzes in his pocket, his mom texting to say she's waiting to pick him up.

♡♡♡

neither of them mention what happened during their last study date and jaemin doesn't act as though anything happened at all.

another thursday (and thus, another study date) comes and goes, and it's almost a little awkward compared to last week. jisung's stomach sinks every time he thinks about it. maybe it was just a one time thing.

despite all of that, something makes him ask again.

"hyung, can you read me a story?"

jaemin doesn't look up from his textbook this time, instead smiling and asking, "a story? was art history not interesting enough?", as though there had never been anything off in the first place. maybe it had all been in jisung's head.

"well... i dunno, you were telling me about that book you were reading and i thought maybe..."

jisung trails off, cheeks tinging pink. he's already asked for jaemin to read to him twice; voicing that a third time seems like too much and is somehow embarassing. fortunately, the other seems to understand.

"did you finish studying?"

he sighs and pushes himself up onto his elbows, face still a little flushed from blushing and laying on the surface of the desk. the pencil on his worksheet is a little smeared, but a lot of it is still blank.

"well... no..." he says in an undertone that he hopes is inaudible.

it isn't, however, and jaemin waves his hand a little in dismissal. "ah, you have to finish first." then, matching jisung's eyes hesitantly and speaking just a little too casually, "i can't reward you if you don't do your work first."

reward? he feels like he should be more weirded out than he is. it sounds like something a teacher would say to bribe a child into following instruction, but it's kind of... nice? it's the incentive, he tells himself, so he nods in reply.

jaemin nods back and finally breaks eye contact to look at the worksheet. "is it hard?"

"i can't find the answers to the second half."

"let's look at it together, then."

the worksheet winds up taking longer than expected, and jisung curses himself for taking the advanced class when he knew he should've just taken on-level. he has to text and ask his parents for more study time, though, and it's worth it when jaemin ruffles his hair affectionately.

"you did it! see, that wasn't so bad."

"yes, it was," he mutters, though jaemin doesn't seem too bothered by his tone. he just pinches his cheek and coos,

"aw, are you pouting? cute,"

" 'm not," he insists. "it took forever, what the fuck was the teacher thinking?"

the elder gasps, placing a hand to his chest dramatically. "did i just hear a curse word?"

"hyung, i'm not a baby,"

"i can't read to someone who's going to use such crude, impolite language."

"you cursed at donghyuck just the other day during lunch!"

"ah, but i don't read to myself, so that doesn't count!"

this time, maybe jisung does pout a little on purpose. just a little. "that's unfair, how come you can but i can't?"

jaemin laughs and draws him closer, head tucked into the crook of his shoulder as he pats his back. "alright, alright, i'll make an exception just for you."

they linger there for a split second before the brunette pats him on the back once more to signal he should sit up. then, he strolls over to his nightstand and picks out a book as jisung watches from the edge of his seat, like a kid waiting to be told he's free to leave the dinner table.

he watches as jaemin sits on the floor, leaning back on the side of his mattress. he taps the floor next to him and says, "come sit, love," and jisung practically bounces out of his seat to get up and sit next to him.

jaemin thumbs through the pages. "shall we start from the beginning?"

the other nods again, slouching a little to match their heights and tilting his head towards jaemin and the book, even though he isn't reading. they're only a few sentences in before he drops pretenses and lays his head on his shoulder.

by the time jisung gets the text saying he has to go, they're three chapters in, head on his shoulder with jaemin's arms around him.

♡♡♡

they grow closer each week; at first, they just sit together, the taller boy finding ways to rest his head on jaemin's shoulder despite their height difference. the next week, jisung starts linking their arms; then he starts hugging jaemin's arm and nudging their socked feet together, until they outright cuddle.

if jaemin was affectionate on a day to day basis--constantly ruffling renjun's hair and blowing kisses at jeno just to embarass him--then jisung doesn't know if there's even a word to describe how affectionate he is while cuddling. he spoils him every week with kisses on his forehead, cheeks, or the back of his hand, and with each story comes a new pet name; all sugary sweet and endearing, like 'mochi', 'honey', 'pumpkin', 'babyboy'.

jisung doesn't think he's ever recieved so much...love? (is that what it is?) from one person. it's overwhelming some days, but he doesn't know what to do other than mumble 'thank you, nana' or press timid kisses against jaemin's cheek or jaw in return.

he wonders what the two of them are.

(then again, maybe that doesn't matter because they're bursting at the seams with happiness.)

♡♡♡

"this is a story about two boys," jaemin murmurs, skimming the back cover before slowly, slowly turning to the first page. "and unrequited love."

the younger closes his eyes and nuzzles further into jaemin's neck, playing with the drawstrings of his hoodie.

"have you read it before?" he murmurs.

pause.

"a little bit. enough to know it's very subtle but heartbreaking. it changed my perspective a lot."

jisung hums in response and waits for him to start.

"once upon a time, there was a young prince. he had everything one could ever want in the world--beautiful jewels and horses and loud, boisterous feasts every single night with all of his loved ones."

he glances at the younger boy in his arms, whose eyes brightly meet his back. he returns to the page.

"however, as happy as the prince was, something was missing; so, he asked the king, his father, what he could do. 'my son,'"--he deepens his voice goofily and jisung snickers a little--"'perhaps it is time for you to leave the palace and search for what you're missing'. so the prince takes his finest, favorite horse and leaves the palace."

the page flips, only the sounds of paper on paper and the gentle rising and falling of their chests filling the room for a few seconds before jaemin continues.

jisung loses track of the story itself for a little bit; listening intently, but so enraptured in the sound of jaemin's voice that he can't remember the words themselves. this happens a lot, but the stories were never the most important thing to him anyway.

he zones back in to hear,
"one day in his travels, he finds a quaint shop full of crystals and clocks and leather bound tomes older than even the king. he steps inside and he swears a spell must've been cast on him as soon as he meets eyes with the apprentice."

jaemin swallows and jisung opens his eyes. his voice sounds almost thicker than usual. had the story affected him this much?

"the apprentice is tall and quiet and gives short answers when the prince asks questions. he supposes he should find him a little cold, but he sees warmth in the other. he has to return to the shop again, and so he does, more and more spellcast each day. he discovers the apprentice is awkward and kind, and so, so hardworking, and full of love for what he does. the prince finds himself trapped. he wants to tell the apprentice all of this, tell him how talented and thoughtful and beautiful and worth it he is. but surely the apprentice doesn't feel the same, and surely giving all of his love to the other boy would only result in disaster."

the brunette's voice grows more and more solemn the longer he reads, and for the first time, a tiny voice at the very back of jisung's head tells him to sneak a look at the page he's reading from.

the page certainly seems to be a fairy tale, like the tale jaemin is reading. but nowhere does he find any mentions of a prince or an apprentice, and he frowns a little.

the story stops abruptly.

"is something wrong, baby?"

he shakes his head. he wants to ask if the other is alright, but the older is already kissing his forehead and murmuring, "just making sure," and just like that, the story continues.

the prince never does win the apprentice's heart.

♡♡♡

now that jisung is paying attention, he notices that not all of jaemin's stories match with the pages in his hand. there aren't always stories about unrequited feelings or forbidden loves that cannot be; on some days, there are also myths of old gods who fight wars together, or of young love and dancing amongst the constellations together.

he notices that on the days with sad stories, jaemin holds him a little closer and he's more hesitant. he doesn't dare to say 'are you comfy, dear?' or 'love, could you pass me that?' above a whisper, and he calls him 'jisung' or 'jwi' more often than not, just like he does outside of their visits. on triumphant days, the nicknames and hand holding and kisses all return as if the sad days have never happened, either, and jisung is starting to wonder if there's a problem jaemin isn't telling him about.

(he can't ask, though, not when there's the creeping, terrible suspicion that he's the problem.)

(he stays quiet. just as he always does.)

♡♡♡

it's looking like today is going to be another sad day, by the way jaemin's smile doesn't fully reach his eyes and by the way he's only using jisung's name again.

they sit down by the foot of the bed, and jaemin doesn't make a move to swing the younger's legs over his own like he usually does.

"nana, is something wrong?"

he sighs and closes his eyes, rubbing at his temples with his fingertips. "no, sweetie. hyung's just a little tired today."

his arms fall heavily back to his sides, and jisung inwardly battles with himself to reach over and intertwine their fingers. it takes a moment, but he forces himself to do it and ask,

"are you sure? you can tell me,"

the elder stares off into blank space at that, seemingly at a loss for how to respond. it makes jisung's heart ache dully, like it's turned to stone and wants to fall out of his chest.

he tries again. "hyung, i want to tell you a story."

that gets his attention. he raises his eyebrows and his eyes look a little less cloudy. "what makes you say that?"

"maybe i just want to tell you a story," he says, desperately trying to keep himself from smiling dumbly. he can't wait to see the look on the other's face if all goes well, and his hopes are already rising despite himself and his nerves.

now they're both smiling and jaemin relents. "ah, alright. what book do you want to read to me?"

jisung smirks, "not all stories are read from books, hyung," and jaemin nearly chokes. he looks so attacked, jisung almost laughs, but he doesn't want to make things worse so he just opens his arms and says, "come on, it's my turn to hold you."

the brunette looks down at the floor to hide his growing smile (and the blush dusting his cheeks, from the looks of it), then shifts so his legs are over jisung's lap and his head is resting on his chest. it's a bit weird having their positions switched for the first time, but it certainly isn't bad. the taller wraps his arms around him in a hug, then tries to begin.

"so..."

ah, this is hard. he leans his head back and squints at the ceiling and dammit, he can't believe he'd forgotten everything he was about to say, even after all of the times he'd mentally rehearsed this.

"so?" jaemin repeats, looking up and resting the hand that isn't tucked to his own chest onto jisung's shoulder.

"so...this is a story about two boys, and unrequited love."

the hand on his shoulder drops. shit, this is bad, this is very, very bad. he wasn't finished!

he hastily amends, "wait, there's more. um...so there's a magician's apprentice. he doesn't have much money, but he's very happy with his friends and family and studying magic, even though he's not very good at it. that's-that's not really the point though," he stammers. "the point is...one day, a boy in a cloak walks through the doors of his mentor's shop. the boy has the nicest smile he's ever seen and the cutest laugh and his voice is so pretty that the apprentice doesn't...quite...know how to answer his questions right," he says, voice getting a little shier as he continues.

jaemin's hand inches back up to his shoulder. he still feels stiff in jisung's arms, so he tries to rush a little bit.

"but the boy always smiles and is really patient with him. he keeps coming back and the apprentice doesn't know why? and i don't know why the prince thinks the apprentice doesn't love him back, because even if the apprentice is cold and can't say so, he really does care and he kind of just wants the prince to trust him enough to say what's on his mind because he likes you, too."

they meet eyes, and there's dead silence for a split second.

then, a hushed, "you said this was a story about unrequited love."

"just because the prince thinks his love is unrequited, that doesn't mean it's true, nana."

jaemin breaks into a huge grin, eyes forming into crescents. he reaches up to pinch his cheek and exclaim, voice wobbling a little, "look at you! my poetic baby boy. that was so smooth!"

"i learned from the best," jisung laughs, still a little awkward what with all of the butterflies in his stomach spreading to his chest and tips of his fingers. "i'm so sorry i never said anything, i just...it's hard to talk and i--"

he's cut off with the sudden, soft feeling of chapped lips on his; just a peck, too fast for him to really register what had happened or kiss back. jaemin immediately puts a finger up to his lips to say,

"i should've said something a long time ago, i was just anxious and thought maybe i was being overly affectionate without ever checking to see how you felt or if you felt the same and everything just...snowballed, i guess. you shouldn't have to apologize."

"i guess it's kind of both of our faults then," jisung admits sheepishly. "so, um. do you think...do you think the prince and the apprentice ever consider dating, then?"

jaemin laughs again, bright and in awe and disbelief. "they do if the apprentice is up for it."

"i'd like that. if you would, i mean."

they both know the answer by this point, even if it takes a moment for the older boy to respond.

"i'd love that, mochi. i'd love that."

♡♡♡

they write stories together after studying on thursdays; sappy, sweet, triumpant stories about boys strong enough to take on the world together.

《 fin 》

a/n: hey guys! this ship suddenly took over my life tbh so this is my contribution to such a soft, underrated duo uwu
im not fully satisfied with it (esp the ending,,) but hopefully you guys enjoyed reading! be sure to leave your thoughts and any suggestions in the comments ^^ have a wonderful day 💫