Chapter Text
When Saturday finally came by, Sehun was awfully tired.
It wasn’t like him to have any problems with falling asleep. He often pulled an all-nighter without a problem but when he did allow himself to go to bed, he could fall asleep within few minutes after his head hit his pillow. He had dove under the sheets the moment he came back home but thoughts of Kim Jongin filled his head until the morning hours came.
Sehun never cared about people who weren’t either his family or his friends. He was rarely aware of the rumors circling inside his school due to his impressive disinterest in other people so why was Jongin an exception? Jongin acting like a completely different person shouldn’t matter one thing for him.
Sehun came to a rushed conclusion that he was simply worried since having Kim Jongin approaching you privately like that could not mean anything good.
The raven-haired pushed the duvet off him and stood up, immediately noticing he definitely had not gotten enough sleep; his head was aching and he had to blink his eyes for a good minute to get rid of the dryness. But he had promised to see Kris today and Sehun didn’t like canceling plans no matter how much he would rather stay in bed and let dreams take him. Sehun could only imagine how the blonde boy would feel if he canceled their plans when they had just settled their argument and apologized to each other.
His backpack was laying on the floor; Sehun recalled throwing it as soon as he had rushed inside his bedroom last night. He had done that, taken off his uniform and gone straight to bed. Normally, he would unpack his stuff carefully and go through a decent night routine before going to sleep. The encounter with Jongin had apparently made him neglectful too.
But deciding to not neglect Kris as well, Sehun picked up his bag to pull out his phone from the small side pocket. A bunch of notifications popped up as soon as he turned it on and the screen lighted up, all of them being unread messages from Kris. The boy had apparently texted him last night too.
Sehun swiped his finger to unlock his phone and opened the chatroom with Kris, sitting back down on his bed to scroll through the messages.
11:07 PM
Kris: i know you’re probably buried in your books so i’ll just remind you that you promised yourself to me tomorrow
Kris: okay that sounded pretty gay
Kris: anyway where do you wanna meet up
11:34 PM
Kris: answer me you bookworm
10:03 AM
Kris: sehun, if you’re gonna ditch me then i’ll come to your house and drag you out no matter what you say
Sehun was surprised to notice Kris had sent the last message at ten in the morning. Was it already so late? The boy checked the time from the corner of the screen only to become even more surprised to see it was nearing eleven. He never woke up this late. He had usually eaten his breakfast and dressed up before nine.
Sehun started typing quickly to reply. Kris had clearly been waiting since a message followed almost instantly.
10:57 AM
Sehun: I woke up late, sorry. I wasn’t planning to ditch you.
11:00 AM
Kris: wow, even oh sehun can sleep late. you are more normal than i thought
Kris: so can i come over? i’m kinda ready to leave and you must be still kissing goodbyes to sandman
Sehun: Yeah, sure. I’ll just dress up and check if we had enough food in the fridge for the both of us.
Kris: nah keep your pajamas on if you want, i don’t mind. makes you cuter
11:01 AM
Kris: and don’t worry about food, i can stop by a convenience store on the way
Kris: i’ll be there in an hour
11:02 AM
Sehun: Fine.
The phone was then thrown carelessly onto the bed; it was not like Sehun would be checking it anymore. Kris was the only one who texted him frequently so there was no need since the boy was now on his way to his house. An hour was more than enough time to get ready so Sehun considered for a moment if he should just go back to sleep but soon decided against it; he didn’t exactly want to wake up to Kris shaking him awake and laughing at his drowsy state.
And so Sehun dragged his feet towards his closet to pull on a simple t-shirt and a pair of worn-out jeans, all black like most of his wardrobe; colors had never been his thing. Kris had suggested him to stay in his sleepwear but there was no way the younger was going to reveal to Kris that he only slept in his underwear. That’d be beyond embarrassing.
~*~*~
By saying that he was going to drop by a convenience store and bring food with him, Kris had apparently meant he was only going to bring snacks.
They were sitting on the floor in Sehun’s bedroom as Kris dug his hand inside the plastic shopping bag, taking out several cans of soda and colorful packs of potato chips. Sehun wrinkled his nose at the sight of all the unhealthy food presented in front of him which didn’t go unnoticed by Kris who simply let out a laugh and opened a can of coke, bringing it against his lips for a sip. Sehun crossed his legs and sighed in defeat.
“I thought you were going to bring some actual food.”
“What are you saying?” Kris smiled after putting down his now-opened coke, handing Sehun his own can. Sehun took it after a short moment of hesitation.
“This is actual food for a high school student.”
Sehun figured it would only be a waste of his time to start arguing over the healthiness of Kris’ choices of food so he stayed quiet. The raven-haired took a small sip of his drink and then put the can down beside him; it was not like he was going to finish drinking it. Kris would probably finish it for him after noticing Sehun wasn’t going to touch the can anymore.
Kris was wearing a pair of skinny jeans that were so ripped Sehun was left to wonder how those jeans were still wearable. His own father would freak out if he ever got an idea to rip his own jeans the same way as Kris did. He was also wearing a worn-out hoodie with English print in it that Sehun could not translate. His bleached hair was even messier than usual, making Sehun assume it had been windy outside. The soft rattle-sound against the window proved him right.
Sehun actually enjoyed these moments with Kris; they were best friends afterall. He enjoyed chilling with Kris at his house and talking even though it was mostly Kris doing the talking and him just listening. It was one of the reasons why he found himself liking Kris. He appreciated the latter didn’t mind Sehun being an overall quiet person. Kris liked to tease him and laugh at him but Sehun knew that deep down, Kris was one of the nicest people one could come across with.
Things weren’t a single bit awkward even when they had just been fighting over the whole spring ball issue. Kris wasn’t one to stay mad after apologies had been exchanged. Well, the blonde had been mad at Yixing for two days earlier that week but he had never been able to hold grudge against Sehun for longer than an hour; not even when they were kids. Staying mad at Sehun for long was like giving silence treatment for a tree anyway.
“Your dad is still out of town?” Kris spoke casually as he opened the first pack of chips, offering it to Sehun first with his hand stretched out. Sehun shook his head.
Kris’ eyebrows furrowed, still holding the pack for Sehun to grab. “Why won’t you have some? I bought these for us.”
“No, thank you. I like the seaweed ones better.”
“That’s nasty.” Kris finally gave up and dug his hand inside the pack himself. Sehun shook his head again, this time in amusement.
“Father is on a business trip. He told me he would be home next week.”
“Uh huh.”
Sehun’s father was often absent for work matters ever since Sehun was a child and so he had grown used to an empty house. That’s why the friendship with Kris had really come in handy. Before starting school, Sehun would often find himself bothered by his loneliness but after meeting Kris, he had someone to invite over when he was feeling scared from believing there was a monster inside his closet or when he was feeling lonely as his father had to work over business hours. Kris had almost felt like a real older brother during those times.
It was funny how close they still were to this day even though they grew to be two completely opposite kind of people.
Kris was so full of life.
And Sehun was starting to notice he had forgotten what it feels like to be alive.
They spent roughly an hour just talking about random things. Kris complained how he couldn’t stand living under the same roof with his parents anymore and how his new neighbor’s dog still kept barking throughout the night. Sehun didn’t have much to tell other than how stressful he had been for the upcoming exams which was no news. Exams always stressed Sehun.
Sehun didn’t mind the chitchat but there was something he was dying to ask from Kris. His body was starting to become stiff while waiting for a chance to interrupt Kris’ ongoing complaining about his neighbor’s terrier. Finally, the elder boy shut up for a moment to refill his mouth with a handful of chips and Sehun saw his chance.
“So, um… Kris?”
“Yeah?” Kris’ attention was back on Sehun as he licked his fingers clean from the salt. Sehun found it gross.
“What do you know about Kim Jongin?”
That really took Kris off-guard. Sehun saw how Kris’ eyes widened in surprise and how the surprise soon turned into suspicion.
“Why would you want to know anything about Kim Jongin?” Kris’ tone sounded weirded out as if Sehun had asked him if cats could fly.
“Just answer the question?” Sehun was slowly growing anxious. He just wanted answers.
“There is nothing to tell you about Kim Jongin that you don’t already know.” Kris shifted his position and looked away, clearly not wanting to prolong this conversation. “He’s an arrogant brat like the rest of the group. Credit for the sport teams and definitely an upcoming school-dropout.”
And Kris was right; Sehun knew all of that and that was exactly why he didn’t like Kim Jongin either. The problem was that Jongin back at his locker that Friday afternoon was not just an arrogant brat; that Jongin had been teasing him as if they were friends but the boy had also been very curious as if he wanted to actually know Oh Sehun the school prince.
“You’re right, I know that”, Sehun spoke quietly, trying to make eye contact with Kris who was still avoiding his eyes for god knows why. “But that cannot be everything you know about him. So please, tell me.”
Finally, Kris’ eyes were back on Sehun’s but his gaze was nowhere near friendly. Kris looked annoyed and ready to snap. “Why do you care about him? He’s probably stoned and fucking some chick as we speak.”
“But he told me he wasn’t interested in Yixing’s drug dealing.”
“He told you what?”
…Shit.
The words had just left his mouth without any thinking and now Kris knew Sehun had talked with Jongin. And fair enough, Kris looked a bit offended which Sehun understood though didn’t admit. If there was someone who disliked Chanyeol’s people more than Sehun, it was definitely Kris.
There just had to be a bigger reason for why exactly it had angered the blonde teen to hear Yixing was connected with the notorious group even though it was purely about business matters. That had only proved Kris’ hatred was stronger than Sehun had first thought.
And here he was; sitting across from Kris on the floor as the latter looked at him as if he had been betrayed. The silence was long and filled with tense atmosphere. Sehun wished he had put the radio on or something.
Sehun didn’t really understand himself why he was acting like his encounter with Jongin was to be kept as a secret. For some reason, he liked to think that moment had been private; forbidden from other people to hear and start a rumor about. The raven-haired doubted Jongin had told anyone either how the guy who was allegedly part of a gang had crossed paths with the valedictorian school royalty – casually picking up study books on top of that.
But now when he really thought of it, Sehun saw no reason to not let Kris know what had happened. He had been able to share almost everything with Kris since forever and some annoying yet dreadfully handsome high school boy should not in any means be an exception.
“He came to talk to me after I left the library yesterday.”
Kris looked like he wasn’t believing Sehun at all. Sehun tried to look even more serious than usual to convince his friend he was being honest.
“Why?” A simple question with no specific tone that’d reveal what its speaker was thinking about. Slightly creepy.
“I wish I knew”, the younger sighed, feeling a bit relieved now for sharing his little secret. Kris crossed his arms, eyebrows still furrowed in concentration. “He helped me pick up my books and started talking to me.”
“What did you talk about?”
“Why do you sound like a prosecutor?” Sehun frowned in displeasure.
“Sorry.” Kris didn’t sound sorry at all. Sehun rolled his eyes.
“Not much. He told me some rumors that he had heard about me and how he wanted to find out their accuracy and…” The younger hesitated for a second. “…He also confessed he had wanted to talk to me for longer.”
Sehun purposefully left out the part when Jongin had leant closer and whispered “your highness” right against his ear. That still made his blood boil too much.
“That sounds very unbelievable, you know that, Sehun? Those guys tend to stay within their own circle and not pay attention to others unless you’re some hot chick or if you have a beef with them. And last time I checked, you’re a dude with a dick and you only ever fight with me.”
“You think I don’t know that? I also don’t understand what on Earth he’s thinking about!”
That seemed to appease Kris. His stiff shoulders dropped down as his expression finally softened, thick brows no longer furrowed together in an angry manner.
“Sorry, man. I guess I overreacted a bit. It’s just because you hadn’t told me anything and you know how iffy I am about those guys…”
“Of course I understand”, Sehun sighed, rubbing his temples. He was starting to doubt he was going to get any answers anymore which had been his only goal with bringing Jongin’s name up. “I didn’t even have a chance to tell you earlier. It happened just yesterday.”
“I get it.” Kris tossed his now-empty can aiming to the trash bin, missing it narrowly. Sehun’s glare was enough to make his friend stand up on his feet to go pick up the can of coke from the floor.
“It’s just that for a second, I was wondering if you’ve actually befriended that guy.” The blonde came back to sit on the floor beside Sehun this time. The elder boy’s comment made Sehun frown.
He’d rather fail his finals than call Kim Jongin or anybody else in the group his friend.
…Or maybe not. An awful jackass of a friend was still better than a failed exam. That’d just shatter Sehun’s world down.
Kris was looking at him with a weird look in his eyes as if he wanted assurance Sehun really had no interest in Kim Jongin or anybody else within his friend group. But the mere idea was way too surreal so Sehun stayed quiet; there was no need to reply to something as ridiculous as that.
Jongin might be fucking with him or sincerely interested in him but even if he was, it definitely wasn’t out of friendly feelings.
Kris seemed to pick up with Sehun’s thoughts and didn’t insist an answer. Sehun hoped Kris had realized himself just how stupid he had sounded.
“Anyway, I’ll keep an eye on Kim Jongin from now on. For you.”
~*~*~
The hallway was so noisy that Sehun had to cover his ears while trying to drift his way through the crowds of students. It was easier said than done since the groups were blocking the mid area and the boy had to sidle with his back pressed against the wall, stepping sideways towards his next class. A sudden paper airplane almost hit him in the process.
Sehun always came early and left late in order to avoid this. But the throng is unavoidable during breaks when he has to change the classroom in time without being late. It felt like being inside one of those Indiana Jones video games that Kris loved to play.
At last, Sehun reached the history classroom. With his side still pressed against the wall, he opened the door and stepped inside. Sehun was grateful for his history teacher for keeping the door open during breaks. Waiting for the class to start in the hallway wasn’t exactly very enjoyable.
Sehun spotted Luhan sitting at the front row as usual. They both liked to come inside the classroom before the bell rings to avoid the worst rush. The history class was the only class Sehun shared with Kris’ friends and Sehun was happy it was with Luhan. Yixing was chill and Tao was alright but it was Luhan whose personality matched with Sehun’s the best.
The elder boy was staring at his phone with headphones on so he didn’t notice Sehun until the latter took a seat next to him. Sehun saw Luhan’s body stiffening but the boy’s face immediately broke into a smile when he turned his head to see Sehun. He quickly removed his headphones and stuffed them inside his bag.
“Oh, hey! How was your weekend?”
Sehun couldn’t help but smile as he picked his belongings from his backpack. Luhan was always so enthusiastic.
“It was fine. I hung out with Kris and studied.”
“Yeah, I heard. I was at Tao’s to play games on Saturday and Tao invited Kris too. Kris declined and said he was going to go to your house.”
Sehun shifted in his chair uncomfortably. He could imagine very well what Tao’s reaction must have been.
“I feel kind of sorry for Tao”, Sehun confessed quietly. They rarely addressed the elephant in the room which was Tao’s obvious crush on Kris. They didn’t even dare use the word ‘crush’ out loud.
“Don’t be”, Luhan reassured. “He understood Kris had other plans. It’s just that Kris rarely visits Tao’s place. We’re usually at Yixing’s but whenever we decide to crash Tao’s house, Kris usually has other places to be at.”
Sehun just nodded as Luhan’s words managed to calm him down a bit. Maybe he was just paying too much attention to this whole issue between Tao and Kris.
Sehun wasn’t very aware what Kris did during his free time when he was spending it with Tao, Luhan and Yixing. He had never joined the group outside of school and he didn’t really have any urges to change that; he was busy with school twenty-four-seven and whenever he did have time to see Kris, Kris wanted it to be just the two of them.
The raven-haired also knew the Chinese boys did more illicit things that Sehun didn’t want to be a part of. They went to parties and drank sometimes; Kris’ occasional drunken phone calls were a good proof of that. Sehun also suspected they smoked too. He just hoped it was only Yixing who smoked the heavier stuff.
“Hey, Sehun…” Luhan’s hesitant voice caught his attention again. He had been in the middle of wondering if Yixing has tiny weed leaves painted on his bedroom walls.
“Yes?”
“This is probably going to sound very odd but…” The brunette clasped his hands nervously. Sehun cocked his eyebrow in curiosity.
“…Do you know if Minseok has a date for the spring ball?”
Sehun’s eyes widened in surprise. He definitely hadn’t seen that coming.
His reaction clearly had Luhan panicking since the boy was quick to unclasp his hands to raise them up as if as a sign of surrender.
“I just thought you might know since you’re friends with him! It’s fine if you don’t.”
“Um, I don’t think he has. He certainly wants to go, though. We were just talking about it few days ago.”
Luhan’s eyes lit up in excitement. The nervousness from earlier seemed to have exited his body in a second. “Do you think he would go with me if I asked him?”
Sehun recalled Luhan saying that one day at the lunchroom he had picked a person he’d want to go with to the ball. It had never even crossed his mind that person could be his school friend Minseok or any other boy in general.
Sehun had never been to the futile event himself but he doubted it was nowhere near usual to see a boy couple there. Kris and he would have made an exception but that would have only happened as a light-minded joke.
He had known Tao to lean more towards guys since Kris was a living proof of that but it had never occurred to him Luhan might be that way too. But it was definitely for the fact it was Minseok that Luhan mentioned that took Sehun by surprise.
“To be honest, I don’t know. Why Minseok though?”
“Oh, I’ve liked him for quite some time now. But don’t tell anybody else. I don’t want this thing to blow up.”
And with that, the bell finally rang and students started rushing inside the classroom, trying to get all the good seats at the back row. Sehun gave Luhan a soft look before starting to go through his notes. The younger was still left to wonder how Luhan knew Minseok but didn’t find the courage to ask. Luhan probably didn’t want to answer anyway.
“Your secret is safe with me. Good luck.”
Luhan’s smile was too sweet to not return to. “Thank you, Sehun. You’re always so nice.”
Sehun decided to skip the lunch again to go study in the library. He hadn’t seen Kris around at all but the boy was probably eating lunch with his usual group. Sehun had given in and promised to tutor Kris again today so there was no way the blonde was going to skip that unless he was dead-sick.
The library was the quietest during lunchbreak so Sehun had a chance to really focus on reading through the long chapters on the Cold War. He was twenty minutes in scribbling notes and flipping pages when a sudden shadow hovered over his book.
Expecting to see Kris smirking down at him, Sehun lifted his head to meet his interrupter.
Sehun wasn’t one to have very big reactions but the sight of Jongin startled him enough to make him wince and almost drop down off his chair.
Jongin had his hands stuffed inside his pockets casually, the same playful smirk from last Friday dancing on his lips. The tanned boy was clearly amused over Sehun’s reaction.
“Oops, sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”
Sehun couldn’t help how his eyes squinted.
He had spent an entire weekend trying to sort out what exactly he felt towards Kim Jongin but now when he was facing the devil himself again, the only thing he felt towards him was annoyance.
“Yeah, right.” Disbelief was clear in the raven-haired’s voice. Jongin’s smirk grew wider.
Sehun crossed his hands over his chest as he observed Jongin taking a seat next to him, turning the chair sideways so he could rest his elbow against the back lazily. Even the way he sat on a chair made him look like the cockiest person on the planet. Sehun fought against the urge to drag his own chair farther.
Sehun had wondered if he and Jongin would cross paths again. What he hadn’t seen coming was that their encounter would take place this soon. He had been preparing to wait for weeks until answers would start to come his way but now Sehun was starting to question if Jongin intentionally came for him every time when no one else was around. A quick glance around the large room confirmed it really was just the two of them in the whole library.
Unlike last time, Jongin was wearing his uniform but since it seemed impossible for the bad boys to follow the dress code, the tanned boy had left the two top buttons of his jacket open and the whole uniform was quite wrinkled. Sehun couldn’t survive one week without ironing his own.
Jongin had only stared at him for few seconds but Sehun was already growing uneasy under the intense stare. That was the only reason he opened his mouth first.
“Can I help you with something?”
Jongin pursed his lips as if considering for a second before shaking his head.
“Well, if not then I’d like to get back to studying. If you don’t mind.”
“Oh, but I do mind.”
Sehun shot Jongin a very displeased look. “Then what is it?”
Curiosity was added to Sehun’s annoyed state when Jongin suddenly broke their eye contact and the stupid grin finally faded as if the elder was trying to find the right words to answer Sehun’s question. For a short moment, Sehun felt like he was the one in control of their scene as he spotted Jongin licking his lips nervously before meeting Sehun’s eyes again with the same conceited smile.
“I felt kind of bad for leaving you so soon last Friday. I was planning to stay much longer but my friend Baekhyun was very persistent.”
“Then I’m glad to tell you there’s nothing to feel bad about. I was busy anyway.”
“But I’d still like to compensate it.
“No need.”
“But I insist. Would you come to see me and the boys play after school?”
What.
Jongin didn’t leave his companion a chance to reply as he continued, completely oblivious to Sehun’s shocked state. “We’re just going to have a quick game for practice. It won’t take long, I assure you.”
Sehun looked at Jongin as if he had just asked him for a honeymoon.
“That’s your way of compensating? I’m not even interested in sports.”
“Yeah, I figured”, Jongin gave Sehun a long stare from head to toe. Sehun didn’t believe he had ever wanted to punch Kris as much as he wanted to punch Kim Jongin right now.
“I decline.”
Jongin furrowed his eyebrows as if he hadn’t expected such an answer. “We rarely ask anyone come and watch our practice, you know.”
“I’m sure one of your fangirls would love to come. Too bad I’m not one.” Sehun wanted to high five himself. Take that, you brat.
“Definitely not”, Jongin’s tone was amused but the emotion didn’t match his face. He was like a child in front of a new challenge. “You’re the ice prince afterall.”
Minutes passed as the two boys only stared at each other; the younger looking both tired and pissed whereas the elder was clearly intrigued and waiting for the conversation to go on, ready to snap back something witty. Sehun was starting to believe this was some sort of a game in which he had yet to succeed in figuring out the rules.
Sehun was impressively good at keeping a straight face and staying calm but Jongin was starting to really piss him off. The fact he had no idea why Jongin wanted anything to do with him only provoked his growing frustration. The first time they had talked to each other, Jongin had been teasing and snide but there had also been the slightest hint of friendliness in him. But that hint was now gone and replaced with dare and Sehun’s annoyance was now far greater than back then.
Sehun figured it’d be for the best to try to remain as disinterested as possible despite of his growing anger.
“I’m sorry but I already promised to tutor my friend today. I don’t have the time.” At least he didn’t need to lie for an excuse. He was supposed to meet Kris after the last period today.
“Oh, the taller prince? He surely can wait.”
Stop calling us by such names, you skunk. “Yeah he could, but I could not. I have to study by myself too.”
“Come on, I’m only trying to be nice here.”
I appreciate it”, well, that was a lie. “But I really don’t have the time.”
“Lies.”
Both of the boys now had their hands crossed over their chests, eyes meeting each other with burning dare. The lunchbreak was seemingly about to end too as Sehun could hear people starting to gather in the hallways. Some students walked past the open library door, few of them giving the two reputational boys curious glances.
Ever since the first encounter, Sehun was starting to feel like his… thing with Jongin and him was like a rollercoaster and they were now reaching a peak before the abrupt fall. Sehun might be viewed as a calm person but there was a reason why he wasn’t really close with anyone but Kris; he was one of the only people who didn’t mind Sehun’s temperament. And Jongin had clearly underestimated the person that was known as the quiet, valedictorian prince; Sehun didn’t set his foot anywhere he did not want to and his calmness had its limits.
The only thing he still wanted from Jongin was answers. Why was he tagging him like this? For his father’s money? They weren’t that rich of a family. For Yixing’s connections? Sehun still wanted to believe Jongin wasn’t really a user. Was he asked to do this by Chanyeol? There was no reason for that bullying brat to be interested in anyone but himself.
And okay, maybe getting answers was not the only thing. Slapping the cocky teen across the face was slowly becoming Sehun’s wet dream.
“I don’t care if you think I’m a liar.” Sehun finally broke the silence, his voice quiet and calm but even Jongin must have caught something menacing in his tone. “You’re very weird to even ask me to come see you play.”
“How is it weird? It is an invitation only few people ever get.”
“So? Am I supposed to enjoy it or what?”
“Of course you are”, Jongin was suddenly smirking again and something in that expression gave Sehun goosebumps. “A bunch of good-looking boys playing sports and showing their figure… And the best part is that I am there as well.”
That would have sounded flirtatious if self-congratulatory hadn’t stunk so horribly.
“Why would I ever enjoy something like that?” Sehun maintained his calmness though Jongin had succeeded in making him feel flushed.
“Do you not?” Jongin actually looked a bit surprised, leaning back on his chair. “Then what’s up with the whole thing between you and Wu Kris?”
“We’re not like that.” Sehun muttered in embarrassment. Just what the hell was this guy implying?
“Really?” Jongin looked away for a few second in thoughts as if trying to decide if hearing Sehun’s words was a good thing or not.
Sehun had slowly grown more and more close to hit his absolute limit with Jongin but the implication the latter had just done was officially the last straw for the raven-haired. His nails were now digging to his own upper arms painfully in an attempt to restrain himself.
Jongin’s attention was quickly back on his companion. “I still insist you to-“
“As I told you a million times already, I’m not coming. You’re being very rude, Kim Jongin. I wish you to leave now.”
“You even speak like a royalty.” Jongin grinned, showing his teeth. “This is a public place, you know.”
“If you’re not leaving, then I am. Your choice.”
“Ah, how mean you are”, the brunette finally stood up slowly, towering over Sehun. “And temperamental. Just remember my invitation is still open.”
A playful smirk and a lingering look on Sehun and Jongin was then out the room, walking casually with hands back inside his pockets as if nothing had ever happened. Sehun watched him go and stayed still for a moment before mentally slapping himself awake from his trance.
Sehun left the library soon after since writing notes wasn’t very productive when the only things he wanted to write down repeatedly was confessions of his burning hate towards Jongin.
~*~*~
Sehun kept staring his phone screen as if looking at his and Kris’ chatroom demandingly enough would make the blonde boy come online. He had sent the last message ten minutes ago but Kris was still not answering nor showing up to the now-empty library.
The boy was already on edge for not being able to concentrate on class after talking with Jongin at this very table so he saw himself being overly nice for still agreeing to tutor Kris who was such a helpless case to begin with. But he hadn’t seen Kris today at all and since the guy was not even answering his messages, Sehun started to pack his things.
Sehun didn’t wish to admit it but it wasn’t just thanks to his so-called ‘altruistic tendencies’ that he had still chosen to stay at school to tutor Kris; he didn’t want to go home and be left alone with his thoughts right now. Keeping his thoughts away from Kim Jongin was the best way to handle this and Kris was a master of pulling all attention to himself.
The teen lifted up his backpack and checked his phone for the last time for a possible notification from Kris only to see an empty screen. It was already nearing 3 PM. Kris was half an hour late now.
There was a knock against the door at the same time as Sehun slipped his phone back to his pocket. Sehun prayed to gods the person would be Kris and not Jongin as he turned around, only to see the intruder was neither of them.
“I hope I’m not interrupting”, Kim Junmyeon smiled gently at the door. Sehun furrowed his eyebrows, hand still gripping the strap of his backpack.
Junmyeon was one of the less annoying ones in Chanyeol’s group. Sehun obviously didn’t know the boy but he had noticed Junmyeon wasn’t nearly as loud as the others and there were no nasty rumors circling around him in particular. Sehun didn’t pay much attention to the maroon-haired boy but he had noted the elder did participate in classes unlike his friends, sharing his opinions with the class from time to time. Even his facial features were much softer than many others’.
And unlike Jongin, Junmyeon wasn’t acting like a cocky brat as he approached Sehun. It still didn’t stop Sehun’s body from stiffening since he was smart enough to understand Junmyeon was probably here to continue the same conversation he had shared with Jongin just few hours ago. Did Jongin really just send his friend to try and convince him? Sehun couldn’t help but chuckle. How pathetic.
“No, you’re not.” Sehun didn’t find the guts to be snappy towards Junmyeon since the latter wasn’t being like that either. Junmyeon just hummed and sat on the low table, staying few meters away from Sehun.
“I believe you know already why I’m here”, Junmyeon’s voice was incredibly soft and nice and Sehun found himself calming down a little. Something was telling him the elder wasn’t here to persuade him.
“You’re here to ask me the same thing as Kim Jongin did.”
“You’re very right”, the shorter boy crooked his leg, hugging it close to his chest. His smile still hadn’t gone anywhere. “He urged me to come and ask you again if you would have possibly changed your mind. I don’t usually do these kind of things for him but I know Jongin well enough. He always comes off very pressing when he means well and tries to be nice.”
“He wasn’t being nice at all. He was very snide and rude.”
“I’m sorry he’s like that. He doesn’t take the word ‘no’ very well. That’s usually the point he forgets to be nice.”
“Then why does he want me to come?”
Sehun wasn’t able to hide the distress in his voice. Jongin hadn’t answered this question for him but he hoped Junmyeon could do it. It was slowly eating him alive to not know what Jongin was after.
Junmyeon simply tilted his head when met with the desperate look in Sehun’s eyes.
“I’m afraid I can’t give you a satisfying answer. I believe he has simply taken an interest in you, Oh Sehun.”
“Why me?” Sehun pressed, taking a few steps towards the elder without noticing.
“That is also a question I cannot answer very well. He actually used to be annoyed people gave you the nickname of a school prince and not him. I see he has had a change of mind.”
“I still do not understand”, Sehun finally sighed in defeat, shoulders dropping down. Apparently even Jongin’s friend – the nicest friend he probably had above all – was unable to kill this flame of curiosity in him.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t give you any answers”, Junmyeon hopped off the table to stand in front of Sehun, standing much shorter than him. “If you let me give you any advice, I will suggest you to take his offer and come with me. I’m obviously not going to force you but I think it’s easier for you to find out Jongin’s reasons if you accept his invitation.
If it makes you feel any better, I don’t believe his intentions to be bad. And it is not our group that is interested in you but only Jongin himself.”
Now when Sehun thought it over, Junmyeon’s words made a lot of sense. He could keep trying to avoid Jongin and live in his confused state or he could stop running and look for the answers.
The gentle look in Junmyeon’s dark crescent moon eyes was enough to convince Sehun.
“Fine, I’ll come.”
“Let’s go then.”
Sehun had been afraid it would be awkward to walk along with Kim Junmyeon but the raven-haired actually found himself liking this guy who he had never spoken to before. He had thought Junmyeon and the rest of the group to be like Chanyeol and Jongin but Junmyeon was surprisingly nice as he kept on the small-talk that Sehun struggled to respond to.
Sehun didn’t understand why a person like Junmyeon hung out with such a group. Maybe he wasn’t as sweet and nice as he seemed to be.
Junmyeon had to excuse himself to go change his clothes in the locker room so Sehun was left alone to make his way outside to the playing field. The weather was still a bit chill and Sehun unconsciously hugged himself for warmth. He already spotted few boys on the field who were simply tossing the ball for warm-up. Sehun couldn’t understand how those boys weren’t cold for only wearing simple gym clothes.
Sehun’s steps were unsure when he walked up the wooden stairs to the grandstand that had already seen its best days. He had only been here once back when he had been a first-year student and Kris had insisted they’d go and watch one of those stupid basketball matches. The grandstand had been filled with students back then. Sehun felt weird having to take his seat when there was no-one else sitting with him.
It was quite surprising that he indeed was alone. The team had practiced and had its matches inside the gym hall for the whole winter so no one could really go and watch them play but it was one of the first times this spring that they were training outside and anyone could come to watch them.
Unless no one else were informed they’d play today, Sehun reminded himself.
Sehun felt uncomfortable sitting there alone and sifted his position awkwardly every time he felt like one of the players was watching him oddly. He considered changing his seat to the more upper rows of seats but that would make him look even weirder.
Just why on Earth did I agree to come here?
“Sehun!”
Sehun raised his head to see Jongin jogging towards the grandstand, unable to cover his smile after spotting his invited guest having arrived afterall. The younger had never felt so stupid in his life. What was he supposed to say to Jongin?
Jongin stopped and planted his arms against the railing to lean closer to Sehun. Sehun was only able to see the boy’s head as the stand was standing a bit higher off the ground, leaving Sehun much taller even though he was sitting. Sehun crossed his legs and looked away, not knowing how to react to Jongin’s beaming smile.
“So you decided to come afterall.”
“Only because of your friend. It was very poor from you to send your friend to ask me, by the way.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Jongin didn’t seem to be let down at all from Sehun’s snappy comment.
“Jongin, get your ass here! We’re not going to wait for you!”
Sehun lifted his gaze to see the players had already been divided to teams. Junmyeon was also there, waving his hand when his eyes caught Sehun’s. All the others were still looking oddly at Sehun, certainly wondering why Oh Sehun out of all people was there but no one seemed to be too bothered about it.
Sehun then lowered his eyes back to Jongin, expecting the tanned boy to already be running to the field to join his team the latter he was still looking at Sehun with his chin resting against his forearms, smiling goofily.
I’ve got to go know. The losing team is going to buy the drinks for a party this weekend. You will cheer for me, right, Prince?”
Sehun felt his phone buzzing in his pocket and knew immediately it had to be Kris calling him but the raven-haired couldn’t make himself care right now. His eyes were locked with Jongin’s and the more he stared into those dark orbs, the more embarrassed and flushed he felt. Sehun knew he was blushing but the boy reminded himself he had only come here in order to get answers later on and there was no room for awkwardness.
“You wish.”
“As harsh as expected. But since you came here as I asked, I will win this one for you in return.” Jongin flashed his final smile before turning around and running back to the field to start the game.
Sehun felt his phone going silent before starting to buzz again but ended up ignoring it as the match began.