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Jinki often saw them in the halls, calling a few of them friends.
Robots, that is.
The eyes were dead giveaways, irises vibrating just enough to make them look a little blurry.
Some people hated them. Unsettling, they said of the handful among their student body. Not quite human enough. Some people loved them, because they were beautiful, smart, and strong.
Jinki could care less about the debate. They weren't hurting him personally, and most of the time were unfailingly polite.
Not to say they didn't have personalities. Jinki snorted at the thought of Jonghyun being called "not human enough" to his face, and pitied the idiot who tried.
Speaking of the devil, Jonghyun and Taemin sat across from Jinki, interrupting his absent train of thought.
"We both got As on our Math test," they cheesed. "Didn't even study."
"Yes well.. computing is part of our function, is it not? Honestly I don't know why they subject us to torture," Minho grumbled as he sat in the only empty seat next to Jinki.
"Obviously to 'enrich your every day existence'," Jinki mocked, nasally and sarcastic.
Minho grinned, eyes turning into crescents.
"Heh, someone's feeling feisty today," the blurred iris contracted around an obviously widened pupil. Jinki's smile dimmed and he looked away.
"Y-yeah. I guess I'm excited about the upcoming break," he murmured. Roaming the cafeteria, his eyes caught on a bright blonde head.
A new student, by the looks of it, trying to find a place to sit. Inevitably, the new kid's eyes met Jinki's.
As someone who had struggled to find a friendly face in the lunchroom, Jinki had a soft spot for other such kids. He smiled softly, wordlessly offering a place at his table.
The loner table.
Uncertainty crossed the new kid's facial features before he turned and walked away.
"Fuckin rude ass," Jonghyun sniffed. Jinki burst out laughing, the encounter soon out of his head.
--
On the train ride home, Jinki considered the earlier exchange in the lunchroom.
He didn't blame Blondie. When he'd entered high school for the very first time, he hadn't had any friends until well after his role in the social hierarchy had been decided.
Simply put, the 'loner' tag stuck once it was applied, and eventually loner turned to loser.
Nobody wanted to be labeled a loser.
"E-excuse me," a deep voice startled Jinki and he whirled.
New kid Blondie looked sheepish.
"My name is Kim Kibum. I'm sorry I was rude earlier--," Jinki held up a hand and smiled politely.
"High school is vicious. I don't blame you for not wanting the loser label," he chuckled and the newbie relaxed. "Name's Lee Jinki. I don't think you want to be my friend, but the offer is there if you ever want to accept it."
Kibum's expression fell.
"O-oh. Of course," he replied and they fell into an awkward silence.
Jinki was content to watch the city pass by, curling up in his own head with his thoughts like a good book.
Clearly, Kibum could do no such thing.
"Hey Lee, um.. is there anything I should know about the school we go to? Like.. who to talk to, which teachers are the nicest, so on and so forth?"
Jinki nodded, facing Kibum.
"I suppose. Let's see if I can cram all that kind of information into..," he checked his phone for the time "ten minutes."
At the end of the ride, whether he meant to or not, Jinki had exchanged numbers with Kibum, beginning a friendship he could never have imagined.
--
Jinki was expecting such treatment, but was still disappointed when Kibum acted like he didn't exist in the hallways and lunchroom.
Jonghyun claimed he couldn't stand the kid just by his looks, and Taemin snickered.
"You're just bitter because he's prettier than you," Jinki put his head down and groaned as the two began squabbling loudly, attracting the attention of several nearby tables.
"Why do they have to be so...,"
"Irritating? Annoying? How bout dramatic?" Minho chuckled. "You got me there."
He turned to Jinki, exasperation fading as he took a good look at Jinki's face.
"Jinki, are you sleeping well? You have dark circles under your eyes," Jinki flinched when Minho touched his eye bags, not used to such intimate physical contact.
He scooted a little further away, shrugging uncomfortably.
"I'm fine," he swallowed, feeling guilty at the hurt blatantly crossing Minho's face.
"Okay," he murmured and stared down at his empty lunch tray.
After he was gone, Jonghyun and Taemin both clucked their tongues.
"Way to be an asshole," Jonghyun sniped.
Jinki glared.
"Nobody asked for comments from the peanut gallery," he replied firmly.
Jonghyun offered no apology, and resumed eating his ramen.
--
"Ah, I thought I might see you again today," Jinki smiled a little at Kibum's enthusiasm.
"My cram school got canceled today," he sighed, smile turning to a frown. "Right before exams too, damn it."
Kibum looked surprised.
"Wait.. You're a 3rd year? I thought you were a 2nd year like me," Jinki nodded.
"I get that a lot. Being baby faced isn't fun when you're young," he lamented.
"Oh my god. The work I have to put into my skin just to make it seem like yours... I'm jealous," Kibum pouted.
"We all want things we can't have, don't we?" Jinki meant the statement lightly, but it quickly turned the conversation serious when Kibum's childish pout turned wistful and sad.
Jinki yearned to be able to express his emotions so freely.
"Yeah.. I guess we do," they lapsed into thoughtful silence, and Jinki felt that one day, maybe he and Kibum might actually be on familiar terms.
--
It wasn't hard to see why Kibum easily climbed the school's social ladder.
He was confident, charmingly sarcastic, smart, and the kind of handsome that belonged in an idol group.
Still, he payed zero attention to Jinki or his friends whilst school was in session.
Even Taemin was beginning to send death glares at the blonde, irises blurring back and forth rapidly.
Minho alone seemed to be unaffected. When asked why, Minho's answer floored them all.
"Kim's actually a nice guy. But he's louder than Jonghyun, if you can believe it," Jinki cackled when Jonghyun reached across the lunch table to play throttle Minho.
Minho snuggled close to Jinki, a contented purr escaping his lips when his cold skin met Jinki's warmth.
With a long-suffering sigh, Jinki accepted Minho further into his arms.
"Minho, please remember to wear a long sleeve shirt under your uniform. It's getting cold outside, you know," he scolded lightly, and Minho gave him a kicked puppy look.
"But where would my excuse to snuggle you go?" Jinki patted his head.
"I'm sure you'll think of something," he remarked drily.
--
For nearly a week afterwards, Jinki missed Kibum on the train. To his complete surprise, however, Kibum initiated text conversations.
They talked about weather, and school, and video games they liked to play.
Jinki felt that things shouldn't be so easy between them, that their personalities didn't mesh.
And yet, there they were. With Jinki actually looking forward to Kibum's messages through the day. Jinki read and re-read the messages Kibum sent him, unable to reconcile the cool Kibum at school with the one from his messages who raved about girl groups all night long.
"You seem happy lately," Minho failed to disguise the unhappiness in his voice. Jinki bit his lip.
"Well.. you guys know Kim Kibum? We ride the same train home, as it turns out and.. we're kinda sorta friends," Jinki explained.
Three pairs of eyes stared blankly at him.
"But..,"
"He ignores you," Jonghyun frowned disapprovingly. "That's not something a real friend does."
Taemin nodded, humming even through a mouthful of kimchi.
"Yeah. Why would you want to be friends with him anyway," Minho muttered sourly.
"He's different outside of school," Jinki protested. "I don't know. I feel like I know the real Kim. Not the front he projects here."
"How do you know the ~real~ Kim isn't the one he presents to the school?" Minho challenged.
Jinki floundered. It had seemed awfully coincidental that Kibum liked mostly the same stuff he liked. Whispers of doubt plagued his thoughts.
"Why are you guys so upset anyway, it's not like he'd ever replace any of you," he puzzled.
"We're your friends, Jinki. We're just looking out for you," Jonghyun sounded hurt. Jinki smiled at them.
"Just because Kim is new doesn't mean he's automatically a better friend than any of you have been to me," he soothed.
Minho scoffed.
"Yeah, you just like him better," Jinki clenched his fists.
"As a matter of fact, I do," when they all looked at him with wide eyes, he backtracked.
"L-like him, I mean. Maybe it's just a silly crush, but.. I don't want to ignore how I feel anymore," he persevered in the face of his friends' disappointment.
Without another word, Minho got up and left.
--
Later on the train, Jinki attempted to ignore Kibum.
It was rather hard, however, when the guy in question was chattering like nothing was wrong. Finally, Jinki threw his hands up.
"You win. I'll stop ignoring you just please.. don't talk anymore about your grandma's toe," Kibum grinned.
"That works every time," he laughed heartily. "So.. why are you so upset?"
Jinki fidgeted with the strap of his bag.
"Why are you friends with me?" He voiced quietly. "I'm nobody."
Kibum's cheeks flushed and he looked away, for once not saying anything.
"I mean," Jinki continued, when it became clear Kibum wasn't going to speak "I guess I always knew your popularity meant more. I just never thought it would bother me."
Kibum reached out to touch Jinki but his hand was shrugged off.
Later, after he was already in bed, Jinki realized Kibum had never answered his question.
--
Jinki sought Minho out on the rooftop of the school the next morning.
The smile he wore was slightly bitter as he sat next to the shivering teen. He took off his blazer and wrapped it around Minho's shoulders.
"What did I tell you about the long sleeved shirt?" He ribbed, not unkindly.
Minho leaned his head over onto Jinki's shoulder.
"Why couldn't it be me, Jinki?" Minho's voice was full of pain.
"Because.. you're not...," Jinki trailed off.
"Not human?" Minho spat. "Yeah. I fucking know already."
Sitting next to Minho, Jinki felt as small as an ant.
Feelings had never been the problem. Many, many nights Jinki had lain awake wondering 'what if', but he'd never been able to get past the robot issue.
"I'm sorry, Minho. Really," he entwined his fingers with Minho's, freely sharing his warmth.
"Yeah. Me too."
--
Feeling eerily like he was being watched, Jinki looked around the lunchroom only to meet Kibum's eyes.
It seemed like an eternity before Jinki tore his gaze away to look at his friends.
Minho's face was carefully blank, while Jonghyun and Taemin looked slightly disgusted.
"You're a fucking hypocrite, Jinki," Taemin announced angrily.
Jinki noticed Minho grasping the table tightly enough the metal was dented beneath his fingers.
He shook his head, confused.
"M-Minho?" Said man tensed at the sound of Jinki's uncertainty.
"Do what you want, Jinki. I don't fucking care anymore," beyond confused by the way his small group had reacted, Jinki could only watch dumbly as Minho walked away.
He couldn't shake the feeling that it was for the last time, and grabbed his hair in frustration.
--
After spending the entirety of the next day alone, Jinki had thoroughly made up his mind to forget about even friendship with Kibum.
No one was worth losing his best friends.
Cram school ended, Jinki entered the train with dragging feet. He had drunk two energy drinks already and still felt beyond tired.
"Oh," Kibum sounded startled when Jinki heard the familiar voice.
"Yeah," Jinki replied flatly, determined to leave the conversation at that.
Kibum's efforts to gain his attention were easy to ignore, once Jinki considered how Kibum had been willing to treat their friendship. He hadn't allowed himself to even consider the possibility of a romantic entanglement.
It would never have worked anyway, Jinki mused with no small amount of acidity.
"Jinki-hyung.. please. I'm sorry. I really want to be friends, and... maybe more," Jinki's head snapped around, eyes narrowed.
Kibum seemed sincere enough, with a flushed face and dilated pupils. But Jinki was far from an idiot.
"I like you as more than a friend, Kibum-ah. But for some reason, my friends can't stand you," he admitted frankly. "And they're worth more to me than you."
Kibum winced.
"Ouch," he muttered, scratching the back of his neck. His blush deepened on his face, even as his expression turned determined. "W-well, I'll just have to win over your friends, then. I'm serious, Jinki-hyung. You're kind, and funny. I find you endearing and a little nonsensical at times."
Kibum grabbed Jinki's hand cautiously, twisting his fingers around Jinki's stubby ones.
Jinki was inevitably reminded of the morning spent with Minho on the rooftop.
"But most of all, it's the way you don't discriminate," when Jinki looked at him blankly, Kibum pointed at himself.
"Most people don't like the idea of dating robots," he chuckled nervously.
Jinki backed away slightly.
"Y-you... You're a.. robot?" Jinki hadn't meant to sound so disgusted, and shook his head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound so rude. I'm just.. not sure how to feel now."
Kibum sighed.
"I knew this would happen," he muttered quietly. "I'm a newly developed model. 'More human than human' my fucking dick," he offered Jinki a strained smile. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I wanted to.. to feel human. You've given me that, Jinki-hyung, however long it lasted."
Jinki swore loudly when the intercom announced his stop.
"Just.. let me think," he pleaded with Kibum before stepping off onto the platform.
Kibum gave a half-hearted wave, and for the second time in as many days, Jinki couldn't help feeling the action was final.
--
Once he was at home in his room, Jinki's first instinct was to call Minho.
His fingers pressed the correct buttons almost on auto-pilot, and then he gripped the phone in a sweaty death grip.
"Hyung, why in the world--," "You couldn't just tell me Kibum was a robot?" Jinki interrupted Minho, and heard a surprised choking noise on the phone.
"W-we all thought you knew," Minho finally recovered enough to answer. "The eyes are the key."
Jinki snorted.
"Clever," he deadpanned. Minho released a breath.
"When did you find out?" He asked and Jinki shrugged, forgetting that Minho couldn't see him.
"He told me earlier on the train. He.. also admitted that he likes me," Jinki confessed.
"And you accepted him, huh? Congratulations, Jinki, Hope you're happy with him," Minho spat.
"No, actually," Jinki rebutted quietly. "I didn't."
The silence on the other end of the line made Jinki swallow nervously. "M-my first thought was calling you, honestly."
"No," Minho refused, voice uncharacteristically weak. "Don't play around with me like this. Goddamn you, Jinki, I may not be human but I have feelings and they will not be jerked around this way."
When Minho hung up, Jinki threw his phone at his bed, muffling a cry against his arm.
--
The next morning, Jinki found Minho on the rooftop of the school smoking his very first cigarette.
"The whole thing with Kim actually did me a favor," Jinki leaned against the railing next to Minho, his hands clasped together. "Because it helped me see that people are people. I thought about it seriously all night last night, Minho. And I wish I could tell you just how sorry I am for being so shallow."
Minho turned to Jinki, and Jinki was alarmed to see tears dripping down his cheeks.
"It h-hurt, you know," Minho sniffed. "Seeing how you mooned over another robot, knowing what you had said about you and me."
Jinki bit his lip anxiously.
"Give me a week," he begged. "I'll prove I'm serious, Minho-yah."
A brief silence and then
"You have one week."
-- (3 months later)
Jinki was waiting for the afternoon cram school train when he felt a tap on his shoulder.
He turned and grinned at Kibum.
"Oh hey," he hugged the other boy tightly. "How's the new school working out?"
Kibum flashed two thumbs up, a sincere smile on his face.
"I.. I met a nice guy. His name is Woohyun," just then, Minho snuggled up to Jinki's side.
"Hey Kibum," he nodded. Kibum raised his eyebrows and Jinki shrugged.
"I take it he's the reason you turned me down so publicly?" The statement wasn't entirely friendly, but Jinki nodded.
"Yep. He'll outlast me by a million years but until then.. it's us against them," Minho guffawed at the cheesy statement and Kibum couldn't resist joining in.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry for you Minho, having to listen to that all the time," he gasped.
A cool spring breeze blew past the trio, and Jinki smiled in the face of the sun.