A week. One full week of this.
Jun was starting to develop a twitch.
Somehow — and he had a very strong suspicion about who was responsible — Duan knew his entire schedule. Every time he walked out of a class, there he was. Smiling. Ready to walk him to his next one like some kind of self appointed escort. Jun had already mentally drafted the speech he was going to deliver to Jet the next time he saw him.
Right now though, the boy was still trailing behind him like a lost puppy he hadn't agreed to adopt. Jun had threatened to burn his mouth shut if he said one more word and to his credit, Duan had actually gone quiet. But quiet didn't mean gone.
"Would you stop following me?" Jun turned around.
"No," Duan said simply. That stupid smile stretched across his face without any effort at all. "I have to make sure you get home safe."
Jun stared at him. "Do you always smile like that?"
"I don't know." Duan tilted his head. "I think I'm just excited because you're actually standing there talking to me."
He let out a small giggle and a dimple sank deep into his cheek. A group of girls passing by slowed down, whispering to each other, eyes fixed on Duan like they always were.
Jun looked at him. "Smiling like that you look fake."
"I'm not being fake." Duan's expression didn't waver. "I really like you."
Jun blinked. The confidence was unreasonable. Completely unreasonable. "Stop following me."
"Let me drive you home instead." Duan stepped in front of him with his arms spread wide, blocking the path with his entire body and that same unbothered grin.
"I like to walk home," Jun said flatly and moved around him.
"Hmm." Duan fell back into step behind him. "Then I'll walk with you."
Jun closed his eyes briefly.
He reached for Jun's bag strap. Jun swatted his hand away before it made contact without even turning around. He put his headphones on and kept walking.
Duan went quiet again and trailed behind him, doing God knows what back there. Jun didn't look. He genuinely feared that if he turned around and saw whatever face Duan was making he would do something he'd regret.
They were almost at the usual route home when Jun spotted the subway stop and made a decision.
He joined the queue.
"I thought you were walking home," Duan said from behind him, surprised.
"I changed my mind," Jun said and stepped onto the bus.
The doors closed.
"What — get home safe!"
Jun didn't look back as Duan's voice faded and the bus pulled away. He stared straight ahead and allowed himself exactly three seconds of satisfaction.
---
Duan got home with sore legs and a bruised ego.
He'd had to walk all the way back to school to get his car after getting completely and ruthlessly ditched. He lay flat on his bed and stared at the ceiling for a while.
Then he picked up his phone and opened Jun's DM.
He sat there for a long time just looking at the empty chat. Then he typed a simple *HELLO* and hit send before he could talk himself out of it.
Then immediately threw his phone onto the bed and dove behind the couch.
He counted to thirty. Crawled back out. Picked up his phone.
No reply.
He typed another message asking how Jun was doing. Put the phone down. Picked it back up thirty seconds later.
Read.
No reply.
He stared at that tiny word — *read* — for longer than he would ever admit to anyone and then set his phone face down on his chest and sighed at the ceiling.
This was going to be painfully hard.
He already knew he wasn't giving up.
---
Two days later and the read receipts were piling up with nothing after them.
"You're going to get text neck staring at your phone like that," Dom said.
"Jun hasn't replied to a single message."
"He doesn't owe you replies. I bet you've been sending him unnecessary things at all hours," Fah said without looking up.
"I just want to know how he's doing. Exams are coming up and I don't want to keep showing up in front of him and stressing him out." Duan slumped further into his seat.
Dom reached over and patted his head slowly. "There there. Our Duan is sad."
Duan smacked his hand away.
"You don't have to show up," Fah said. "Just get him something. Something small that says you're thinking about him without making it weird."
Duan was on his feet before Fah finished the sentence.
---
He bought out half the convenience store.
Snacks mostly — he'd noticed Jun went through them quietly during breaks like it was a private habit. He loaded the cart with more enthusiasm than was probably necessary and paid without flinching.
Walking to Jun's department with the bags in his hands, it hit him somewhere in the chest — even when Jun wasn't looking at him, even when he wasn't getting anything back, he still wanted to take care of him. He couldn't explain it. He just did.
Jet had texted back saying they were at the cafeteria. Duan picked up his pace.
He spotted them from the entrance, Jun's back facing him as usual, and started making his way over carefully, trying not to announce himself too early.
Then he caught a fragment of what Chawin was saying and his feet slowed down on their own.
"Come on. He still likes you and it doesn't seem like you've completely moved on either."
Jun's reply was quiet but Duan heard it. "I don't want to think about him right now. But I'm still going to have a conversation with him."
Duan stopped walking.
"I know your feelings aren't completely gone," Chawin continued. "You two could make it work again."
The bags felt heavier in his hands suddenly.
He stood there for a moment, not quite able to move forward, not quite able to leave. Then his legs made the decision for him and he turned around and walked back the way he came.
---
Back at his condo, Fah sat beside Duan on the bed while Dom helped himself to the snacks with zero shame.
"You don't even know what they were talking about," Dom said between bites.
"They were obviously talking about an ex." Duan buried his face in his pillow. "What if Jun still has feelings for him?"
He kicked his feet against the mattress.
Fah rubbed his back and said nothing because there wasn't much to say.
Then Duan lifted his head. His jaw was set and his eyes were clear.
"I don't care. Ex or not, as long as they're not together — I'm going to make it work."
Dom and Fah stared at him like he'd just said something completely unhinged.
Which he had. But also hadn't.
"And you—" Duan pointed at Dom, "—put those down. They're for Jun."
Dom grabbed another one and ran. Duan launched himself off the bed after him. Fah watched them tear around the small condo room and felt the tension in the air dissolve completely.
Some things never changed.