[iKON; Jinhwan/Junhwe] Maybe You're My Love (1/2)
Title: Maybe You're My Love
Fandom: iKON
Pairing: Jinhwan/Junhwe
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 11,420 words
Summary: All Junhwe wanted was a kiss. [High school AU]
A/N: And kalopsia said, "please forget about retiring EVER, because I'm not going to let you until you write me 8k of cute high school au junhwan" (20/3/2015). Here I am to finally pay my dues u__u in all seriousness though, HAPPY (EARLY) BIRTHDAY REET <3 Surprise, this is a birthday fic! You're amazing and deserve better than this, but I hope you like it nonetheless! Also on AO3.
Maybe You're My Love
"All I'm saying," Junhwe grumbles, "is that there's a serious power imbalance in our school. Is there anything- besides teaching- that the student council isn't allowed to do?"
It looks like it takes great effort for Donghyuk not to roll his eyes. And, fine, Junhwe is willing to admit it- he’s just looking for something council-related to take his frustration out on. If not for an unfortunate encounter the previous week with one Kang Seungyoon, member of said council, Junhwe would still be in bed right now.
This is what had happened: Friday morning had brought heavy rain, the perfect weather for sleeping in. Junhwe hadn’t expected someone to be guarding the gate half an hour into first period. Seungyoon had looked far too happy to take Junhwe’s details down in his dark blue council notebook, not forgetting to remind him that he was two offences from detention.
That alone wouldn’t have been much of a big deal. But then: Donghyuk, who had thus far acted as Junhwe’s daily wake-up call by ringing the doorbell until Junhwe came downstairs to tell him to fuck off, had started resorting to more drastic measures to get Junhwe to walk to school early with him.
Junhwe doesn’t want to be up at this hour. The streetlights are off and the sun is only just beginning to show itself, which means they’ve been walking almost blind for ten minutes now- not that it matters, since there are miniature weights hanging from Junhwe’s eyelids, forcing them closed anyway. His body feels light, his head fuzzy. He’s pretty sure his legs are bruised from all the bins and lampposts Donghyuk has let him walk into.
“Our school has the third highest student satisfaction index in the region,” Donghyuk says, with the air of someone who enjoys being able to conjure useless information like that in conversation. He pushes his glasses further up the bridge of his nose, which only makes him look exactly like the nerd he is. “That’s compared to before the student council was given more responsibilities, when we didn’t place on the top ten, even.”
Junhwe is surprised Donghyuk has gone this long without once saying studies have shown or I know this for a fact. It’s hard to imagine someone like him is capable of scaling the side of Junhwe’s house and nearly breaking his bedroom window to wake him up before dawn.
“The system’s been successful so far,” Donghyuk continues. “Mostly because- you know. Rather than listening to teachers who tell them what to do, students tend to respect the opinions of other students. Students who are just like them.”
Junhwe stares. “No one on the student council is just like us,” he tells Donghyuk. “Least of all you. Everyone has ridiculously good grades, or is a member of three clubs, or is weird in some way. You’re all three.”
Donghyuk sighs and adjusts his glasses again. “Maybe if you applied yourself, you’d see that doing well isn’t impossible.”
“And maybe if you made friends, you wouldn’t be alone all the time,” Junhwe retorts. He regrets saying it as soon as he does; it’s far too early in the morning for tact. He’s pretty sure he can feel a massive headache coming on, to top all things off.
Fortunately, Donghyuk doesn’t look upset, just vaguely irritated. “I’m not alone,” he points out. “You’re walking to school with me.”
“That’s because I’m your neighbour,” Junhwe mutters. All he’d wanted to do was sleep. Donghyuk had thrown a wrench into that plan, which really makes Donghyuk the enemy. “You dragged me out of the house, so it’s not like I had a choice.”
Donghyuk doesn’t reply. When Junhwe can no longer stand the silence, he picks up from where he left off. “Just about everyone on the council has an annoying personality, or none at all. Kang Seungyoon thinks he’s a rock star. Bang Minah acts like an airhead, but everyone knows she’s top of her class. And Yoo Youngjae- he’s a robot.” At Donghyuk’s raised eyebrow, Junhwe adds, “I know this for a fact.”
Donghyuk actually rolls his eyes this time. “What about Kim Jinhwan?”
“What about him?” Junhwe asks. It comes out more defensive than he would have liked.
“He’s on the council, where are your complaints about him?”
The look on Donghyuk’s face is so knowing that Junhwe has to turn his head to avoid his eye. He pointedly doesn’t think about Kim Jinhwan, the tiny third year who, on top of being attractive, smart, and responsible, is a good person too. Junhwe had discovered this when Jinhwan tutored him briefly in algebra, after Junhwe failed a class in his first term. To be precise, failed a class because he’d known Jinhwan was on the school’s list of student tutors.
It goes against the very fibre of Junhwe’s council-resenting being, but then again, Jinhwan is one of the few members of the student council who actually seems normal. And completely likeable. And really, really cute.
Donghyuk is still looking at Junhwe expectantly. When Junhwe doesn’t say anything, Donghyuk breaks out into a vindictive smile. “Oh, I forgot. You think Kim Jinhwan is perfect.”
Junhwe feels his face heat up. "I never said that,” he protests. “He's just... Nice. He's too nice. It's not normal."
Donghyuk makes a gagging noise, though he looks like he’s enjoying himself. “By the way, Junhwe, you should really do something about that sleep talking habit of yours.” Donghyuk closes both his eyes and strikes a dramatic pose, the back of his right hand over his forehead. “Jinhwan, take me!”
Junhwe stares at him, horror growing with every word. “You made that up.”
Donghyuk lowers his hand and resumes walking. “I did,” he admits. “But you’re pretty obvious about the whole thing.” At Junhwe’s mortified look, he sniggers. “Adorable. Junhwe has a crush.”
Now Donghyuk is just trying to rile him up. There isn’t even any point in trying to deny what he’s said. Junhwe groans. “Please shut up.”
Miraculously, Donghyuk does. But the smug look on his face remains until they’ve passed the school gate, and are about to split up to go to their respective classes. Junhwe contemplates the merits of apologising to Donghyuk for his earlier jab, or at least telling Donghyuk he doesn’t think he has an annoying personality, when Donghyuk gestures for him to come closer. Mostly because he’s distracted, Junhwe obeys.
Donghyuk produces out a pen and familiar dark blue notebook from his backpack.
“Wait a minute,” Junhwe says, stunned. “What are you doing? Isn’t-”
Donghyuk uncaps the pen. “Koo Junhwe,” he says, giving Junhwe a sweeping once over. “Your shirt isn’t tucked in, your socks aren’t visible, and you need a haircut. That’s three school rules broken. Since I’m in a good mood, I’ll give you warning and put them all down under ‘attire-related’, which is just one offence. Detention is this afternoon.”
Junhwe gapes as Donghyuk scribbles furiously in his notebook. Classes haven’t even begun, and already this day is looking to be a shitty one. “You can’t give me detention,” Junhwe splutters. “I’m two demerit points from detention. You’ve given me one. What the fuck, Donghyuk-”
“Swearing,” Donghyuk trills, writing it down. “That’s two demerits. Detention is from three to five this afternoon. Don’t be late or try to skip it, or else you’ll get double detention next week.” He closes his notebook with a snap.
Junhwe is dumbfounded. Clearly, he’d underestimated Kim Donghyuk. “I can’t believe you’re giving me detention,” he says. “I’m your friend.”
“Neighbour,” Donghyuk corrects with a wry smile, before turning and heading for class.
The good thing about loitering along the third year corridor is that Jinhwan usually passes through near the end of lunch period. The bad thing about Jinhwan passing through near the end of lunch period is that he’s usually flanked by Bobby and Hanbin.
“-could’ve sworn I saw Lee Seunghoon passed out in the library way past dismissal,” Bobby is saying, loudly and complete with animated gestures Junhwe is sure are unrelated to his story. “I’m telling you, something’s gotten into him-”
It’s easy for Junhwe to tune him out. It’s less easy to ignore the way Bobby leans into Jinhwan’s personal space to talk to him. Hanbin is walking on Jinhwan’s other side, arm draped casually around Jinhwan’s shoulder. Junhwe tries to keep the distaste off his face. Neither of them are going out with Jinhwan, he’s fairly sure. Jinhwan has better taste than that. Probably.
“Junhwe,” Jinhwan says, eyes lighting up in recognition as he sees him. Junhwe starts, nearly backing into a passing third year in surprise.
Bobby continues his story, oblivious to the interruption, and Junhwe watches dumbly as Jinhwan breaks away from his friends to make his way over. Belatedly, he remembers Donghyuk’s accusations from the morning. It’s too late to pull his socks up without it being too obvious, but Junhwe runs a quick hand through his hair in an attempt to get it to look presentable. His hands have become oddly sweaty in the past minute or so, so it seems to work.
“Hey,” Jinhwan says, stepping so close that Junhwe has to look almost all the way down to meet his eye. The disregard for personal space seems so much less offensive when it’s not Bobby doing it. Jinhwan grins up at him. “I need to talk to you for a bit. Come with me?”
Junhwe’s stomach does a somersault. Then the implication of Jinhwan’s words sink in, and it does a backflip.
“Am I in trouble?” Junhwe asks. It wouldn’t be unusual, but he likes to maintain the delusion that Jinhwan, despite being on the student council and having access to his records, somehow thinks he’s a decently-behaved student.
Jinhwan turns back towards his friends. “See you after class,” he calls to them, not addressing Junhwe’s question. The two nod, but Junhwe doesn’t miss Hanbin’s squint, or the exaggerated wink Bobby shoots Jinhwan, which Jinhwan ignores. Junhwe tries not to jump when Jinhwan takes him by the wrist.
If his heart is beating a little faster than usual, it’s only because he might be in for double detention, or something. Certainly not because Jinhwan is leading them down a series of hallways to God-knows-where, just the two of them.
He’s only a little disappointed when they end up at the council room. Jinhwan ushers Junhwe through the door and shuts it behind them.
It’s not Junhwe’s first time seeing the place. It’s a lot more spacious than the average club room, with tall windows framed by curtains in the school colours. Couches are arranged in small groups throughout the room, and a large meeting table sits in its center. Jinhwan makes his way over to one of the cabinets lining the wall.
Junhwe tries not to fidget as he waits.
Back when Jinhwan had tutored him in math, Junhwe had been at least functional around him. Increasingly, it’s becoming difficult not to feel like he’s out of place around Jinhwan, or going to embarrass himself somehow. Nervous is one way to put it. Maybe it has to do with the fact that, unlike the occasional crushes he’d had in middle school, this one hasn’t gone away in over half a year. Or maybe it’s because every time he sees Jinhwan, he can’t help but imagine what it would be like to kiss him.
Jinhwan pulls a folder from the cabinet and flips it open. He seems to sense that Junhwe is tense, because he shoots him a smile that’s one part apologetic, two parts reassuring, and about forty parts heart-melting.
Junhwe is setting himself up for heartbreak, he just knows it.
“According to these records, you’re not doing too badly,” Jinhwan says, running a finger down the page. “But you’re not doing well, either.”
So this is one of those infamous council pep talks. Jinhwan’s voice is almost stern, and Junhwe feels himself flush, shifts his gaze so that he’s looking anywhere but directly at him. Behind Jinhwan, there appears to be a small box of documents on the cabinet from earlier. Not inside, but placed atop it. Its label reads confidential. Huh.
“You’re passing every subject at the moment, but you completely flunked math first term, which really hurt your grades. Doing well on your finals means you won’t risk having to repeat the year.” Jinhwan closes the folder and, thankfully, appears to shut away the whole council member persona with it. His expression softens. “I tutored you in math,” he says. As if Junhwe would ever forget something like that. “You went from a failing grade to a B in a month.”
For a second, Junhwe’s heart jumps at the possibility of Jinhwan having figured him out. Then he realises that Jinhwan just thinks he’s an underachiever. Somehow, that isn’t any less depressing.
It hits him then, just how much he cares what Jinhwan thinks of him.
Jinhwan seems to mistake Junhwe’s discontent for reluctance. He looks at Junhwe, thoughtful. “What would it take to make you work hard?”
Phrased like that, the question sounds like an offer. Junhwe immediately feels bad for thinking it. Jinhwan obviously hadn’t meant it that way, if the slight frown lines between his brows and the way he’s worrying his lip are any indication. Which makes Junhwe feel worse, because now the only thing he really wants from Jinhwan is-
“A kiss,” Junhwe blurts.
Fuck. He definitely hadn’t meant to say that out loud.
Jinhwan looks taken aback. “A- what?”
Jinhwan is completely still, eyes wide. He opens his mouth, as if to say something more, then closes it again. What looks like a blush is beginning to find its way across his cheeks.
Unfortunately, Junhwe isn’t in the right state of mind to process that reaction. He’s done a lot of stupid things in his time at high school, but this is something else entirely.
He has several options.
One, he can try to play it off as a joke. Even if Jinhwan isn’t convinced, he’ll probably be nice enough to go along with it. Junhwe will avoid him for a few weeks out of embarrassment. Life will go on.
Two, Junhwe can face the inevitable: rejection. It’s not a favourable outcome, but at least it involves little pretence. Junhwe might even be able to garner enough sympathy from Donghyuk to be allowed to copy his English homework tomorrow morning.
Three, Junhwe could run for it. The door is closer to Jinhwan than it is to him, but Junhwe has the element of surprise on his side. Plus, he has longer legs. He could probably be out the door before Jinhwan even blinks.
Just as Junhwe starts counting down in his head, ready to execute the third plan, Jinhwan takes a decisive few steps forward, so that he’s right in front of Junhwe.
"I knew you were good at math," Jinhwan murmurs, and then gets on tiptoe to kiss him.
Junhwe closes his eyes on instinct. His thoughts stutter to a halt, body going numb from shock. At this point, he wouldn’t be able to pull away if he wanted to- not that he wants to. Kim Jinhwan is kissing him. It’s just like that one dream he has sometimes, except Junhwe can feel Jinhwan against him, body heat and all.
And that’s when the real disaster begins.
It’s all going considerably well; Junhwe feels a little like he’s floating, like he’s leaving his body, and then several things happen at once.
Jinhwan makes a strange, alarmed sounding noise against his lips. Junhwe has a second to wonder if he’s doing something wrong, before he finds that he’s completely off-balance. He stumbles backwards, breaking the kiss. For some reason, his body doesn’t seem to want to cooperate with him.
Junhwe falls backwards onto the floor with an undignified yelp that sounds nothing like him, landing hard on his ass.
He blinks, trying to shake off the sudden disorientation. The room around him is the same as before, but something about it is off. Then he looks up at Jinhwan- or at least, he expects to see Jinhwan. The person standing over him is definitely not Jinhwan.
“What the-”
“Are you-”
Junhwe jerks at the sound of his own voice, at about the same time the carbon copy of himself- of Junhwe- claps a hand over its own mouth. The look on the carbon copy’s face is one of pure shock. It’s disconcerting, like looking into a mirror. Except the carbon copy is standing where Jinhwan is supposed to be standing, and Junhwe is most definitely sitting on the floor.
Slowly, the carbon copy removes his hand from his mouth. He extends it outwards and holds it in front of him, staring at it in wonder. Then his eyes move to Junhwe. “Junhwe,” whispers the carbon copy. “Is that you?”
Junhwe hopes he doesn’t look as dumbstruck as he feels. Numbly, he follows the carbon copy’s lead, extended his own hand to look at it. It’s small, and definitely not his hand.
Then it all clicks. The room hasn’t changed, he’s just seeing it from a different position. Specifically, Jinhwan’s position.
“Oh my god,” Junhwe says. “I’m you.”
Junhwe’s mind is reeling.
Jinhwan- in Junhwe’s body- looks just as confused by the turn of events. He nibbles at his lower lip. It’s something that would look cute on him ordinarily, but looks comical when it’s Junhwe’s face doing it. “What-?”
Junhwe shakes his head, at a loss for words.
The council room appears unchanged. Besides the fact that they’re now in each other’s body, there’s no indication at all that anything strange has happened. Junhwe frowns. This situation is nothing short of bizarre, and he knows he’s getting his priorities mixed up, but he’d been this close to making out with Jinhwan.
Jinhwan is looking at his hands again, clenching and unclenching them experimentally. He doesn’t look disappointed, just shocked and a little fascinated. He doesn’t look like his day has just been ruined.
And, okay, they hadn’t been that close to making out. But it had been a start.
“Hey,” Junhwe says, a thought occurring to him. “Do you think this happened because…” he trails off, embarrassed to say the words aloud.
Fortunately, Jinhwan catches on. “The kiss?” he asks, eyes round. “Then, if we do it again, maybe-”
He cuts himself off at the sound of someone knocking on the door.
Junhwe had almost forgotten they’re still in school. He shares a brief, panicked look with Jinhwan before the door is pushed open, and in walks Jung Chanwoo. The kid who sits in front of Junhwe in biology.
“Jinhwan?” Chanwoo says, voice hesitant. “Hanbin said you’d be here, and I-”
He blanches at the sight in front of him. Junhwe is on the floor with Jinhwan standing awkwardly over him, which, Junhwe thinks, working his brain rapidly, translates to him standing awkwardly over Jinhwan.
There’s a pregnant pause, one that gives Junhwe enough time to both curse his luck and run through a mental list of all the places in school that might be suitable for hiding a body.
Jinhwan is the first to react.
"Chanwoo?" he says tentatively. "Could you give us a minute?"
Chanwoo ignores him. It's baffling for all of two seconds, before Junhwe realises Chanwoo thinks Jinhwan is him. Rude.
“What happened?” Chanwoo asks, taking a step backwards. His question seems to be addressed at Junhwe. “Did he-?”
Chanwoo probably thinks they’d gotten into a fight, Junhwe realises. Junhwe is affronted.
"Go away, Chanwoo," he snaps, then yelps as Jinhwan kicks him.
Chanwoo stares.
“I mean,” Junhwe tries, at Jinhwan’s stern look. God, the voice coming out of his mouth sounds just like Jinhwan’s. Is Jinhwan’s. Junhwe tries to tame it into the calm, friendly tone that Jinhwan always uses. “What do you want, Chanwoo?”
Chanwoo is visibly unsettled. His eyes flicker to Jinhwan before he looks back at Junhwe. “I have a free period, so I thought I could show you that classroom. The one with the broken window I told you about yesterday.”
It’s Junhwe’s turn to look to Jinhwan. Which is weird, since he’s basically looking at himself. It’s also pretty uncomfortable, and did he mention weird?
Jinhwan gives him a meaningful look. For all that Junhwe likes Jinhwan’s face, he isn’t very good at reading facial expressions.
“Maybe, uh, later,” Junhwe says, because the last thing he wants to do is go somewhere with Jung Chanwoo. Nevermind that he has no idea what Chanwoo wants to show him, and what he’s meant to do about it. “I’m kind of busy. You know, council-y stuff and- ow,” he whines, as Jinhwan kicks him again. Damn council members and their compliancy. “Okay, okay, I’ll go.” He rises to his feet, and- well, fuck. That’s as far as he rises. Jinhwan is almost a full head taller than him. Junhwe has to crane his head to look him in the eye.
Chanwoo nods. Junhwe is hoping he’ll leave the room first, give him and Jinhwan a moment alone, but Chanwoo doesn’t budge. He looks at Junhwe, expectant.
Trying to sigh as softly as possible, Junhwe makes to go over. As soon as he does, Jinhwan catches him by the arm. Or tries to. He’s probably not used to coordinating Junhwe’s body, since he catches the fabric of Junhwe’s sleeve and settles for tugging on it. Junhwe, too, feels pretty weird on his feet. Not unsteady, but just the act of standing in Jinhwan’s body feels different.
“Don’t do anything strange,” Jinhwan mutters, soft enough that Chanwoo won’t hear. “Just take note of the stuff he shows you and tell him you’ll deal with it. Be nice.”
Junhwe is plenty nice. He tries for a reassuring smile to appease Jinhwan.
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Jinhwan whispers, returning the smile weakly.
Junhwe follows Chanwoo out of the room. Chanwoo, who now towers over him. It’s all very disturbing. The entire hallway seems like it’s grown vertically since the last time Junhwe saw it, which is making his head hurt, more so than before this had all started. The one small mercy is that Chanwoo doesn’t say anything, or try to initiate a conversation.
Junhwe lets him lead the way.
The fifth floor washroom is a cramped, dimly lit room, entirely devoid of life. Frankly, it’s kind of creepy. It also happens to be the perfect place for Junhwe to hide out and call Jinhwan.
Chanwoo had fled as soon as he’d shown Junhwe to the classroom he’d talked about. It was one of those spares located in some obscure part of the school, that had probably once served as an activity room for a lesser-known club. The storm the previous week had left it in bad shape, a window at the very back of the room punched through by a stray tree branch, the flooring under it ruined by the rain.
Presumably the council will have to do something about it. A surprisingly mundane job, but Junhwe supposes it isn’t magic that ensures school facilities are in working condition for the rest of them.
After pretending to take note of the damage, Junhwe had wandered down the hall, past the dance studios and music rooms, until he’d found this place.
Jinhwan’s phone doesn’t require a passcode to be unlocked, thankfully. Junhwe adds himself as a contact, possibly adding himself to Jinhwan’s favourites list while he’s at it, then sends a text to his own number via KakaoTalk. A call would be more convenient, but answering during school hours is against the school’s rules, and Junhwe doubts Jinhwan would pick up.
Where are you? Are you still in the council room?
Jinhwan’s reply comes decorated with nervous-looking emoji. I’m going for your class so let’s meet after. There’s a council meeting at 2.
Junhwe brings a hand up to massage his temple. Do I have to go for that? Can’t we switch back first? He doesn’t ask Jinhwan how he knows what class Junhwe is supposed to attend; members of the student council probably have easy access to information like that. The real question is why everyone on the council has to be so resistant to compromise. A little tardiness has to be a better option than walking around as each other.
Jinhwan’s reply is more or less what Junhwe expects from him. Cover for me, please?
Junhwe can’t say no, not when Jinhwan asks like that. He types out an assent, to which Jinhwan replies with tips on what to expect from the meeting (lots of reports), how to behave (you don’t even have to listen, just don’t draw attention to yourself), and finally a hasty goodbye (class is starting, talk to you later!).
Junhwe stands in the middle of the washroom with no idea what to do next. He has some time to kill before he has to make his way to the council room- if he even wants to show up on time. And he should. For Jinhwan’s sake, if nothing else.
As he’s putting Jinhwan’s phone away, Junhwe catches sight of his reflection in the washroom mirror. It’s a reflection of Jinhwan, really, looking tired and a little put out, but Junhwe goes over to inspect it anyway.
Unsurprisingly, Jinhwan is just as cute up close as he is from a normal, respectable distance. Fuck, Jinhwan is really cute.
Suddenly, Junhwe has an idea. It’s a bad one, he’s completely aware, but he takes Jinhwan’s phone from his pocket and turns the camera on nonetheless. Clicks the setting that activates the camera for selca-taking. Holds the phone up at arm’s length.
First, Junhwe tries a normal smile. It somehow doesn’t look as good as it does when Jinhwan does it, probably because Junhwe is just smiling his own smile with Jinhwan’s face. Next, he tries for a pout. Puffs out his cheeks and widens his eyes, experiments with a few different angles. Then he goes for something more ambitious: a seductive look. Smirking and lip biting. Bedroom eyes.
A dozen selcas later, and Junhwe is not okay. His face- Jinhwan’s face- has gotten progressively redder with each picture, and, fuck. He needs a cold shower. Okay, no, it’s not nearly that bad, but he needs to stop.
Fingers trembling just a little, Junhwe goes to Jinhwan’s photo gallery and deletes every selca he’d just taken. He feels too guilty to snoop through Jinhwan’s existing photos. Great, I’m never going to be able to look Jinhwan in the eye again.
He gives himself a few minutes to pull himself together. Goes over to the sink and splashes some cold water on his face. Gradually, his face stops feeling like it’s burning. Time to get head for the council room.
Junhwe pulls open the door and takes one step before he’s nearly barrelled over by someone who’d been about to walk in, and obviously hadn’t been looking where he was going. Junhwe rights himself at the last second with a bit of an undignified noise. Jinhwan is light, but he’s also steadier on his feet. Lower center of gravity, or something like that.
Junhwe spins around, rude retort on the tip of his tongue, and finds himself face to face with Kang Seungyoon.
Seungyoon’s expression goes from mildly annoyed to surprised to curious in the span of three seconds. Junhwe has been on the receiving end of his What do you think you’re doing? routine far too many times to hope that Seungyoon will let him off without some questioning. But he does just that.
“Hey, Jinhwan,” Seungyoon says, flashing a smile that looks a whole lot more sincere than his usual cocky one. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”
Junhwe frowns. Seungyoon’s smile falters.
“Are you, uh, going for the meeting?” Seungyoon asks.
Glaring at every council member he encounters probably isn’t going to help in any way, Junhwe realises grudgingly. He nods, trying to smoothen out his expression into something more neutral.
“Cool,” Seungyoon says. “I’ll go with you.”
Junhwe feels the muscles in his face tighten. “No, it’s okay, I… Have something I need to do first.” Not a very convincing lie, but Junhwe keep his fingers crossed.
“Oh,” Seungyoon seems to accept the excuse. “I’ll see you there, then.” He turns on his heel and exits with a wave, seeming to have forgotten what he’d come to the washroom for. Or maybe Seungyoon makes a habit of walking into school toilets without a purpose. Junhwe doesn’t know and doesn’t care to know. All he’s certain of is that Seungyoon hadn’t seemed at all suspicious of him. Either Seungyoon is an idiot, Jinhwan just inspires that kind of faith, or Junhwe’s been incredibly lucky.
Junhwe waits for a while, long enough to ensure Seungyoon is far enough away that Junhwe isn’t likely to run into him again. Then, with no small amount of reluctance, he leaves for the council room as well.
>>>
Fandom: iKON
Pairing: Jinhwan/Junhwe
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 11,420 words
Summary: All Junhwe wanted was a kiss. [High school AU]
A/N: And kalopsia said, "please forget about retiring EVER, because I'm not going to let you until you write me 8k of cute high school au junhwan" (20/3/2015). Here I am to finally pay my dues u__u in all seriousness though, HAPPY (EARLY) BIRTHDAY REET <3 Surprise, this is a birthday fic! You're amazing and deserve better than this, but I hope you like it nonetheless! Also on AO3.
Maybe You're My Love
"All I'm saying," Junhwe grumbles, "is that there's a serious power imbalance in our school. Is there anything- besides teaching- that the student council isn't allowed to do?"
It looks like it takes great effort for Donghyuk not to roll his eyes. And, fine, Junhwe is willing to admit it- he’s just looking for something council-related to take his frustration out on. If not for an unfortunate encounter the previous week with one Kang Seungyoon, member of said council, Junhwe would still be in bed right now.
This is what had happened: Friday morning had brought heavy rain, the perfect weather for sleeping in. Junhwe hadn’t expected someone to be guarding the gate half an hour into first period. Seungyoon had looked far too happy to take Junhwe’s details down in his dark blue council notebook, not forgetting to remind him that he was two offences from detention.
That alone wouldn’t have been much of a big deal. But then: Donghyuk, who had thus far acted as Junhwe’s daily wake-up call by ringing the doorbell until Junhwe came downstairs to tell him to fuck off, had started resorting to more drastic measures to get Junhwe to walk to school early with him.
Junhwe doesn’t want to be up at this hour. The streetlights are off and the sun is only just beginning to show itself, which means they’ve been walking almost blind for ten minutes now- not that it matters, since there are miniature weights hanging from Junhwe’s eyelids, forcing them closed anyway. His body feels light, his head fuzzy. He’s pretty sure his legs are bruised from all the bins and lampposts Donghyuk has let him walk into.
“Our school has the third highest student satisfaction index in the region,” Donghyuk says, with the air of someone who enjoys being able to conjure useless information like that in conversation. He pushes his glasses further up the bridge of his nose, which only makes him look exactly like the nerd he is. “That’s compared to before the student council was given more responsibilities, when we didn’t place on the top ten, even.”
Junhwe is surprised Donghyuk has gone this long without once saying studies have shown or I know this for a fact. It’s hard to imagine someone like him is capable of scaling the side of Junhwe’s house and nearly breaking his bedroom window to wake him up before dawn.
“The system’s been successful so far,” Donghyuk continues. “Mostly because- you know. Rather than listening to teachers who tell them what to do, students tend to respect the opinions of other students. Students who are just like them.”
Junhwe stares. “No one on the student council is just like us,” he tells Donghyuk. “Least of all you. Everyone has ridiculously good grades, or is a member of three clubs, or is weird in some way. You’re all three.”
Donghyuk sighs and adjusts his glasses again. “Maybe if you applied yourself, you’d see that doing well isn’t impossible.”
“And maybe if you made friends, you wouldn’t be alone all the time,” Junhwe retorts. He regrets saying it as soon as he does; it’s far too early in the morning for tact. He’s pretty sure he can feel a massive headache coming on, to top all things off.
Fortunately, Donghyuk doesn’t look upset, just vaguely irritated. “I’m not alone,” he points out. “You’re walking to school with me.”
“That’s because I’m your neighbour,” Junhwe mutters. All he’d wanted to do was sleep. Donghyuk had thrown a wrench into that plan, which really makes Donghyuk the enemy. “You dragged me out of the house, so it’s not like I had a choice.”
Donghyuk doesn’t reply. When Junhwe can no longer stand the silence, he picks up from where he left off. “Just about everyone on the council has an annoying personality, or none at all. Kang Seungyoon thinks he’s a rock star. Bang Minah acts like an airhead, but everyone knows she’s top of her class. And Yoo Youngjae- he’s a robot.” At Donghyuk’s raised eyebrow, Junhwe adds, “I know this for a fact.”
Donghyuk actually rolls his eyes this time. “What about Kim Jinhwan?”
“What about him?” Junhwe asks. It comes out more defensive than he would have liked.
“He’s on the council, where are your complaints about him?”
The look on Donghyuk’s face is so knowing that Junhwe has to turn his head to avoid his eye. He pointedly doesn’t think about Kim Jinhwan, the tiny third year who, on top of being attractive, smart, and responsible, is a good person too. Junhwe had discovered this when Jinhwan tutored him briefly in algebra, after Junhwe failed a class in his first term. To be precise, failed a class because he’d known Jinhwan was on the school’s list of student tutors.
It goes against the very fibre of Junhwe’s council-resenting being, but then again, Jinhwan is one of the few members of the student council who actually seems normal. And completely likeable. And really, really cute.
Donghyuk is still looking at Junhwe expectantly. When Junhwe doesn’t say anything, Donghyuk breaks out into a vindictive smile. “Oh, I forgot. You think Kim Jinhwan is perfect.”
Junhwe feels his face heat up. "I never said that,” he protests. “He's just... Nice. He's too nice. It's not normal."
Donghyuk makes a gagging noise, though he looks like he’s enjoying himself. “By the way, Junhwe, you should really do something about that sleep talking habit of yours.” Donghyuk closes both his eyes and strikes a dramatic pose, the back of his right hand over his forehead. “Jinhwan, take me!”
Junhwe stares at him, horror growing with every word. “You made that up.”
Donghyuk lowers his hand and resumes walking. “I did,” he admits. “But you’re pretty obvious about the whole thing.” At Junhwe’s mortified look, he sniggers. “Adorable. Junhwe has a crush.”
Now Donghyuk is just trying to rile him up. There isn’t even any point in trying to deny what he’s said. Junhwe groans. “Please shut up.”
Miraculously, Donghyuk does. But the smug look on his face remains until they’ve passed the school gate, and are about to split up to go to their respective classes. Junhwe contemplates the merits of apologising to Donghyuk for his earlier jab, or at least telling Donghyuk he doesn’t think he has an annoying personality, when Donghyuk gestures for him to come closer. Mostly because he’s distracted, Junhwe obeys.
Donghyuk produces out a pen and familiar dark blue notebook from his backpack.
“Wait a minute,” Junhwe says, stunned. “What are you doing? Isn’t-”
Donghyuk uncaps the pen. “Koo Junhwe,” he says, giving Junhwe a sweeping once over. “Your shirt isn’t tucked in, your socks aren’t visible, and you need a haircut. That’s three school rules broken. Since I’m in a good mood, I’ll give you warning and put them all down under ‘attire-related’, which is just one offence. Detention is this afternoon.”
Junhwe gapes as Donghyuk scribbles furiously in his notebook. Classes haven’t even begun, and already this day is looking to be a shitty one. “You can’t give me detention,” Junhwe splutters. “I’m two demerit points from detention. You’ve given me one. What the fuck, Donghyuk-”
“Swearing,” Donghyuk trills, writing it down. “That’s two demerits. Detention is from three to five this afternoon. Don’t be late or try to skip it, or else you’ll get double detention next week.” He closes his notebook with a snap.
Junhwe is dumbfounded. Clearly, he’d underestimated Kim Donghyuk. “I can’t believe you’re giving me detention,” he says. “I’m your friend.”
“Neighbour,” Donghyuk corrects with a wry smile, before turning and heading for class.
The good thing about loitering along the third year corridor is that Jinhwan usually passes through near the end of lunch period. The bad thing about Jinhwan passing through near the end of lunch period is that he’s usually flanked by Bobby and Hanbin.
“-could’ve sworn I saw Lee Seunghoon passed out in the library way past dismissal,” Bobby is saying, loudly and complete with animated gestures Junhwe is sure are unrelated to his story. “I’m telling you, something’s gotten into him-”
It’s easy for Junhwe to tune him out. It’s less easy to ignore the way Bobby leans into Jinhwan’s personal space to talk to him. Hanbin is walking on Jinhwan’s other side, arm draped casually around Jinhwan’s shoulder. Junhwe tries to keep the distaste off his face. Neither of them are going out with Jinhwan, he’s fairly sure. Jinhwan has better taste than that. Probably.
“Junhwe,” Jinhwan says, eyes lighting up in recognition as he sees him. Junhwe starts, nearly backing into a passing third year in surprise.
Bobby continues his story, oblivious to the interruption, and Junhwe watches dumbly as Jinhwan breaks away from his friends to make his way over. Belatedly, he remembers Donghyuk’s accusations from the morning. It’s too late to pull his socks up without it being too obvious, but Junhwe runs a quick hand through his hair in an attempt to get it to look presentable. His hands have become oddly sweaty in the past minute or so, so it seems to work.
“Hey,” Jinhwan says, stepping so close that Junhwe has to look almost all the way down to meet his eye. The disregard for personal space seems so much less offensive when it’s not Bobby doing it. Jinhwan grins up at him. “I need to talk to you for a bit. Come with me?”
Junhwe’s stomach does a somersault. Then the implication of Jinhwan’s words sink in, and it does a backflip.
“Am I in trouble?” Junhwe asks. It wouldn’t be unusual, but he likes to maintain the delusion that Jinhwan, despite being on the student council and having access to his records, somehow thinks he’s a decently-behaved student.
Jinhwan turns back towards his friends. “See you after class,” he calls to them, not addressing Junhwe’s question. The two nod, but Junhwe doesn’t miss Hanbin’s squint, or the exaggerated wink Bobby shoots Jinhwan, which Jinhwan ignores. Junhwe tries not to jump when Jinhwan takes him by the wrist.
If his heart is beating a little faster than usual, it’s only because he might be in for double detention, or something. Certainly not because Jinhwan is leading them down a series of hallways to God-knows-where, just the two of them.
He’s only a little disappointed when they end up at the council room. Jinhwan ushers Junhwe through the door and shuts it behind them.
It’s not Junhwe’s first time seeing the place. It’s a lot more spacious than the average club room, with tall windows framed by curtains in the school colours. Couches are arranged in small groups throughout the room, and a large meeting table sits in its center. Jinhwan makes his way over to one of the cabinets lining the wall.
Junhwe tries not to fidget as he waits.
Back when Jinhwan had tutored him in math, Junhwe had been at least functional around him. Increasingly, it’s becoming difficult not to feel like he’s out of place around Jinhwan, or going to embarrass himself somehow. Nervous is one way to put it. Maybe it has to do with the fact that, unlike the occasional crushes he’d had in middle school, this one hasn’t gone away in over half a year. Or maybe it’s because every time he sees Jinhwan, he can’t help but imagine what it would be like to kiss him.
Jinhwan pulls a folder from the cabinet and flips it open. He seems to sense that Junhwe is tense, because he shoots him a smile that’s one part apologetic, two parts reassuring, and about forty parts heart-melting.
Junhwe is setting himself up for heartbreak, he just knows it.
“According to these records, you’re not doing too badly,” Jinhwan says, running a finger down the page. “But you’re not doing well, either.”
So this is one of those infamous council pep talks. Jinhwan’s voice is almost stern, and Junhwe feels himself flush, shifts his gaze so that he’s looking anywhere but directly at him. Behind Jinhwan, there appears to be a small box of documents on the cabinet from earlier. Not inside, but placed atop it. Its label reads confidential. Huh.
“You’re passing every subject at the moment, but you completely flunked math first term, which really hurt your grades. Doing well on your finals means you won’t risk having to repeat the year.” Jinhwan closes the folder and, thankfully, appears to shut away the whole council member persona with it. His expression softens. “I tutored you in math,” he says. As if Junhwe would ever forget something like that. “You went from a failing grade to a B in a month.”
For a second, Junhwe’s heart jumps at the possibility of Jinhwan having figured him out. Then he realises that Jinhwan just thinks he’s an underachiever. Somehow, that isn’t any less depressing.
It hits him then, just how much he cares what Jinhwan thinks of him.
Jinhwan seems to mistake Junhwe’s discontent for reluctance. He looks at Junhwe, thoughtful. “What would it take to make you work hard?”
Phrased like that, the question sounds like an offer. Junhwe immediately feels bad for thinking it. Jinhwan obviously hadn’t meant it that way, if the slight frown lines between his brows and the way he’s worrying his lip are any indication. Which makes Junhwe feel worse, because now the only thing he really wants from Jinhwan is-
“A kiss,” Junhwe blurts.
Fuck. He definitely hadn’t meant to say that out loud.
Jinhwan looks taken aback. “A- what?”
Jinhwan is completely still, eyes wide. He opens his mouth, as if to say something more, then closes it again. What looks like a blush is beginning to find its way across his cheeks.
Unfortunately, Junhwe isn’t in the right state of mind to process that reaction. He’s done a lot of stupid things in his time at high school, but this is something else entirely.
He has several options.
One, he can try to play it off as a joke. Even if Jinhwan isn’t convinced, he’ll probably be nice enough to go along with it. Junhwe will avoid him for a few weeks out of embarrassment. Life will go on.
Two, Junhwe can face the inevitable: rejection. It’s not a favourable outcome, but at least it involves little pretence. Junhwe might even be able to garner enough sympathy from Donghyuk to be allowed to copy his English homework tomorrow morning.
Three, Junhwe could run for it. The door is closer to Jinhwan than it is to him, but Junhwe has the element of surprise on his side. Plus, he has longer legs. He could probably be out the door before Jinhwan even blinks.
Just as Junhwe starts counting down in his head, ready to execute the third plan, Jinhwan takes a decisive few steps forward, so that he’s right in front of Junhwe.
"I knew you were good at math," Jinhwan murmurs, and then gets on tiptoe to kiss him.
Junhwe closes his eyes on instinct. His thoughts stutter to a halt, body going numb from shock. At this point, he wouldn’t be able to pull away if he wanted to- not that he wants to. Kim Jinhwan is kissing him. It’s just like that one dream he has sometimes, except Junhwe can feel Jinhwan against him, body heat and all.
And that’s when the real disaster begins.
It’s all going considerably well; Junhwe feels a little like he’s floating, like he’s leaving his body, and then several things happen at once.
Jinhwan makes a strange, alarmed sounding noise against his lips. Junhwe has a second to wonder if he’s doing something wrong, before he finds that he’s completely off-balance. He stumbles backwards, breaking the kiss. For some reason, his body doesn’t seem to want to cooperate with him.
Junhwe falls backwards onto the floor with an undignified yelp that sounds nothing like him, landing hard on his ass.
He blinks, trying to shake off the sudden disorientation. The room around him is the same as before, but something about it is off. Then he looks up at Jinhwan- or at least, he expects to see Jinhwan. The person standing over him is definitely not Jinhwan.
“What the-”
“Are you-”
Junhwe jerks at the sound of his own voice, at about the same time the carbon copy of himself- of Junhwe- claps a hand over its own mouth. The look on the carbon copy’s face is one of pure shock. It’s disconcerting, like looking into a mirror. Except the carbon copy is standing where Jinhwan is supposed to be standing, and Junhwe is most definitely sitting on the floor.
Slowly, the carbon copy removes his hand from his mouth. He extends it outwards and holds it in front of him, staring at it in wonder. Then his eyes move to Junhwe. “Junhwe,” whispers the carbon copy. “Is that you?”
Junhwe hopes he doesn’t look as dumbstruck as he feels. Numbly, he follows the carbon copy’s lead, extended his own hand to look at it. It’s small, and definitely not his hand.
Then it all clicks. The room hasn’t changed, he’s just seeing it from a different position. Specifically, Jinhwan’s position.
“Oh my god,” Junhwe says. “I’m you.”
Junhwe’s mind is reeling.
Jinhwan- in Junhwe’s body- looks just as confused by the turn of events. He nibbles at his lower lip. It’s something that would look cute on him ordinarily, but looks comical when it’s Junhwe’s face doing it. “What-?”
Junhwe shakes his head, at a loss for words.
The council room appears unchanged. Besides the fact that they’re now in each other’s body, there’s no indication at all that anything strange has happened. Junhwe frowns. This situation is nothing short of bizarre, and he knows he’s getting his priorities mixed up, but he’d been this close to making out with Jinhwan.
Jinhwan is looking at his hands again, clenching and unclenching them experimentally. He doesn’t look disappointed, just shocked and a little fascinated. He doesn’t look like his day has just been ruined.
And, okay, they hadn’t been that close to making out. But it had been a start.
“Hey,” Junhwe says, a thought occurring to him. “Do you think this happened because…” he trails off, embarrassed to say the words aloud.
Fortunately, Jinhwan catches on. “The kiss?” he asks, eyes round. “Then, if we do it again, maybe-”
He cuts himself off at the sound of someone knocking on the door.
Junhwe had almost forgotten they’re still in school. He shares a brief, panicked look with Jinhwan before the door is pushed open, and in walks Jung Chanwoo. The kid who sits in front of Junhwe in biology.
“Jinhwan?” Chanwoo says, voice hesitant. “Hanbin said you’d be here, and I-”
He blanches at the sight in front of him. Junhwe is on the floor with Jinhwan standing awkwardly over him, which, Junhwe thinks, working his brain rapidly, translates to him standing awkwardly over Jinhwan.
There’s a pregnant pause, one that gives Junhwe enough time to both curse his luck and run through a mental list of all the places in school that might be suitable for hiding a body.
Jinhwan is the first to react.
"Chanwoo?" he says tentatively. "Could you give us a minute?"
Chanwoo ignores him. It's baffling for all of two seconds, before Junhwe realises Chanwoo thinks Jinhwan is him. Rude.
“What happened?” Chanwoo asks, taking a step backwards. His question seems to be addressed at Junhwe. “Did he-?”
Chanwoo probably thinks they’d gotten into a fight, Junhwe realises. Junhwe is affronted.
"Go away, Chanwoo," he snaps, then yelps as Jinhwan kicks him.
Chanwoo stares.
“I mean,” Junhwe tries, at Jinhwan’s stern look. God, the voice coming out of his mouth sounds just like Jinhwan’s. Is Jinhwan’s. Junhwe tries to tame it into the calm, friendly tone that Jinhwan always uses. “What do you want, Chanwoo?”
Chanwoo is visibly unsettled. His eyes flicker to Jinhwan before he looks back at Junhwe. “I have a free period, so I thought I could show you that classroom. The one with the broken window I told you about yesterday.”
It’s Junhwe’s turn to look to Jinhwan. Which is weird, since he’s basically looking at himself. It’s also pretty uncomfortable, and did he mention weird?
Jinhwan gives him a meaningful look. For all that Junhwe likes Jinhwan’s face, he isn’t very good at reading facial expressions.
“Maybe, uh, later,” Junhwe says, because the last thing he wants to do is go somewhere with Jung Chanwoo. Nevermind that he has no idea what Chanwoo wants to show him, and what he’s meant to do about it. “I’m kind of busy. You know, council-y stuff and- ow,” he whines, as Jinhwan kicks him again. Damn council members and their compliancy. “Okay, okay, I’ll go.” He rises to his feet, and- well, fuck. That’s as far as he rises. Jinhwan is almost a full head taller than him. Junhwe has to crane his head to look him in the eye.
Chanwoo nods. Junhwe is hoping he’ll leave the room first, give him and Jinhwan a moment alone, but Chanwoo doesn’t budge. He looks at Junhwe, expectant.
Trying to sigh as softly as possible, Junhwe makes to go over. As soon as he does, Jinhwan catches him by the arm. Or tries to. He’s probably not used to coordinating Junhwe’s body, since he catches the fabric of Junhwe’s sleeve and settles for tugging on it. Junhwe, too, feels pretty weird on his feet. Not unsteady, but just the act of standing in Jinhwan’s body feels different.
“Don’t do anything strange,” Jinhwan mutters, soft enough that Chanwoo won’t hear. “Just take note of the stuff he shows you and tell him you’ll deal with it. Be nice.”
Junhwe is plenty nice. He tries for a reassuring smile to appease Jinhwan.
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Jinhwan whispers, returning the smile weakly.
Junhwe follows Chanwoo out of the room. Chanwoo, who now towers over him. It’s all very disturbing. The entire hallway seems like it’s grown vertically since the last time Junhwe saw it, which is making his head hurt, more so than before this had all started. The one small mercy is that Chanwoo doesn’t say anything, or try to initiate a conversation.
Junhwe lets him lead the way.
The fifth floor washroom is a cramped, dimly lit room, entirely devoid of life. Frankly, it’s kind of creepy. It also happens to be the perfect place for Junhwe to hide out and call Jinhwan.
Chanwoo had fled as soon as he’d shown Junhwe to the classroom he’d talked about. It was one of those spares located in some obscure part of the school, that had probably once served as an activity room for a lesser-known club. The storm the previous week had left it in bad shape, a window at the very back of the room punched through by a stray tree branch, the flooring under it ruined by the rain.
Presumably the council will have to do something about it. A surprisingly mundane job, but Junhwe supposes it isn’t magic that ensures school facilities are in working condition for the rest of them.
After pretending to take note of the damage, Junhwe had wandered down the hall, past the dance studios and music rooms, until he’d found this place.
Jinhwan’s phone doesn’t require a passcode to be unlocked, thankfully. Junhwe adds himself as a contact, possibly adding himself to Jinhwan’s favourites list while he’s at it, then sends a text to his own number via KakaoTalk. A call would be more convenient, but answering during school hours is against the school’s rules, and Junhwe doubts Jinhwan would pick up.
Where are you? Are you still in the council room?
Jinhwan’s reply comes decorated with nervous-looking emoji. I’m going for your class so let’s meet after. There’s a council meeting at 2.
Junhwe brings a hand up to massage his temple. Do I have to go for that? Can’t we switch back first? He doesn’t ask Jinhwan how he knows what class Junhwe is supposed to attend; members of the student council probably have easy access to information like that. The real question is why everyone on the council has to be so resistant to compromise. A little tardiness has to be a better option than walking around as each other.
Jinhwan’s reply is more or less what Junhwe expects from him. Cover for me, please?
Junhwe can’t say no, not when Jinhwan asks like that. He types out an assent, to which Jinhwan replies with tips on what to expect from the meeting (lots of reports), how to behave (you don’t even have to listen, just don’t draw attention to yourself), and finally a hasty goodbye (class is starting, talk to you later!).
Junhwe stands in the middle of the washroom with no idea what to do next. He has some time to kill before he has to make his way to the council room- if he even wants to show up on time. And he should. For Jinhwan’s sake, if nothing else.
As he’s putting Jinhwan’s phone away, Junhwe catches sight of his reflection in the washroom mirror. It’s a reflection of Jinhwan, really, looking tired and a little put out, but Junhwe goes over to inspect it anyway.
Unsurprisingly, Jinhwan is just as cute up close as he is from a normal, respectable distance. Fuck, Jinhwan is really cute.
Suddenly, Junhwe has an idea. It’s a bad one, he’s completely aware, but he takes Jinhwan’s phone from his pocket and turns the camera on nonetheless. Clicks the setting that activates the camera for selca-taking. Holds the phone up at arm’s length.
First, Junhwe tries a normal smile. It somehow doesn’t look as good as it does when Jinhwan does it, probably because Junhwe is just smiling his own smile with Jinhwan’s face. Next, he tries for a pout. Puffs out his cheeks and widens his eyes, experiments with a few different angles. Then he goes for something more ambitious: a seductive look. Smirking and lip biting. Bedroom eyes.
A dozen selcas later, and Junhwe is not okay. His face- Jinhwan’s face- has gotten progressively redder with each picture, and, fuck. He needs a cold shower. Okay, no, it’s not nearly that bad, but he needs to stop.
Fingers trembling just a little, Junhwe goes to Jinhwan’s photo gallery and deletes every selca he’d just taken. He feels too guilty to snoop through Jinhwan’s existing photos. Great, I’m never going to be able to look Jinhwan in the eye again.
He gives himself a few minutes to pull himself together. Goes over to the sink and splashes some cold water on his face. Gradually, his face stops feeling like it’s burning. Time to get head for the council room.
Junhwe pulls open the door and takes one step before he’s nearly barrelled over by someone who’d been about to walk in, and obviously hadn’t been looking where he was going. Junhwe rights himself at the last second with a bit of an undignified noise. Jinhwan is light, but he’s also steadier on his feet. Lower center of gravity, or something like that.
Junhwe spins around, rude retort on the tip of his tongue, and finds himself face to face with Kang Seungyoon.
Seungyoon’s expression goes from mildly annoyed to surprised to curious in the span of three seconds. Junhwe has been on the receiving end of his What do you think you’re doing? routine far too many times to hope that Seungyoon will let him off without some questioning. But he does just that.
“Hey, Jinhwan,” Seungyoon says, flashing a smile that looks a whole lot more sincere than his usual cocky one. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”
Junhwe frowns. Seungyoon’s smile falters.
“Are you, uh, going for the meeting?” Seungyoon asks.
Glaring at every council member he encounters probably isn’t going to help in any way, Junhwe realises grudgingly. He nods, trying to smoothen out his expression into something more neutral.
“Cool,” Seungyoon says. “I’ll go with you.”
Junhwe feels the muscles in his face tighten. “No, it’s okay, I… Have something I need to do first.” Not a very convincing lie, but Junhwe keep his fingers crossed.
“Oh,” Seungyoon seems to accept the excuse. “I’ll see you there, then.” He turns on his heel and exits with a wave, seeming to have forgotten what he’d come to the washroom for. Or maybe Seungyoon makes a habit of walking into school toilets without a purpose. Junhwe doesn’t know and doesn’t care to know. All he’s certain of is that Seungyoon hadn’t seemed at all suspicious of him. Either Seungyoon is an idiot, Jinhwan just inspires that kind of faith, or Junhwe’s been incredibly lucky.
Junhwe waits for a while, long enough to ensure Seungyoon is far enough away that Junhwe isn’t likely to run into him again. Then, with no small amount of reluctance, he leaves for the council room as well.
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