fic dump pt. iv [exo]
untitled [sekai]
a/n: backstory/sidestory for the sekai in how do you sleep
They meet on the first day of high school in second period biology because Jongin couldn’t find the classroom, gets there late, and the only empty seat left is beside a skinny kid with hair falling over his eyes and an expression somewhere between sulky and sullen. The teacher excuses Jongin for being late since it’s the first day and he’s a first year. All of the tables in the classroom are in twos and she announces that the person they are sitting next to is their lab partner for the year.
Jongin sneaks a second glance at the boy next to him, and finds the boy doing just the same. He hopes that the kid isn’t as unhappy and unfriendly as he actually looks because science has always been Jongin’s worst and he’d rather have someone who doesn’t bite his head off whenever he comes to them with stupid questions for help.
“I’m Kim Jongin,” he says, and holds out his hand as the teacher passes out the course syllabus.
The boy blinks once and then accepts the handshake. “Oh Sehun,” he replies tonelessly.
Jongin finds out that Sehun can smile two weeks later during their first lab.
The lab is almost disgustingly simple-looking at wet leaves under a microscope for the chlorophyll and drawing it out to turn in. Jongin is trying to cut a particularly resistant branch out from the glass of water and ends up splashing himself right down the shirt and face and he’s forgotten to put on a lab apron.
“Shit,” he says.
A sheet of paper towel is held out to him. Jongin takes it and looks into Oh Sehun’s highly amused, smiling face (and his eyes crinkle at the corners, disappearing, and his teeth flash and his entire face changes when he smiles). Sehun is holding a neatly cut leaf in one hand and the plug for their microscope in the other. “It’s okay,” Sehun says, and holds the leaf up a little higher, “I got you.”
“No one likes a show-off,” Jongin says as he dries himself.
Sehun just gives him another smile and plugs in the microscope.
Luhan is Jongin’s neighbor, hails from Beijing, used to attend the high school Jongin goes to now, but is now enrolled in SU and Jongin only sees him on some weekends. Luhan is also Jongin’s closest hyung-best friend-so Jongin feels it’s only right to let the older man know that, “I have a new best friend, I think,” Jongin says as Luhan pays for their coffees.
“After all I’ve done for you,” Luhan shakes his head.
“You haven’t done much.” Jongin sips at his coffee and they take the table in the corner.
Luhan grins.
Jongin smiles.
“Is he the lab partner you told me about?” Luhan asks.
“I actually kind of know what the hell’s going on in that class because of him,” Jongin says. “Occasionally, anyway. DNA and RNA are still one big mystery.” He puts down his cup and steals Luhan’s for a sip or two. “How’s Minseok-hyung?”
Luhan shrugs. “We fucked before I came here.”
Jongin spits frothy, strawberry mocha frappucino.
“Yeah,” Luhan snatches the cup back. “Don’t drink my drinks anymore, kid.”
“Why do you hate biology?” Sehun asks one evening.
They are at Sehun’s house, in Sehun’s bedroom, eating kimbap made by Sehun’s mother, and finishing up the last of the assignments due before midterms. They are also beginning the monumental task of reviewing ten chapters and all the tiny sections therein. Sehun is doing exceptionally well as always and Jongin is solemnly contemplating shooting himself as always.
“I don’t,” Jongin says wearily. “I actually like biology.”
“You like science and stuff?”
“Yeah.”
Sehun nods thoughtfully, handing Jongin another divider so he can finish off re-organizing chapter five. They manage to get through another worksheet individually in silence, inserting papers into their binder for the check next week, before Sehun nudges Jongin with his elbow. “You suck at it, though-biology, I mean.”
Jongin rolls his eyes. “Thanks, man.”
Sehun smiles. “It’s okay,” he says. “We’ll make you amazing at it.”
There has never been a moment where Luhan wasn’t gay. Ever since Jongin knew him, Jongin knew Luhan was gay-and in retrospect, he supposes that’s because Jongin met Luhan when Luhan was a second year in high school, already dating Minseok. Luhan has always been fast at figuring himself out and good at it too. So-naturally-Jongin doesn’t think twice about it. It never even registers as something to think about. It doesn’t matter. It’s just a part of Luhan the way Luhan’s nose is a part of Luhan.
A lot of the upperclassmen Jongin is friends with are gay. Jongin doesn’t think about that either. It doesn’t register to him the same way Luhan doesn’t register to him. It just is. Factual. There. Unimportant.
Jongin’s never thought about other people being gay or straight, and he’s never thought about whether he’s gay or straight either. He’s just Jongin. He’s just him. And maybe he could’ve gotten through the rest of high school with that train of thought and that nonchalance to all things concerning orientation had it not been for one late night spent awake studying with Sehun.
It’s the night before their biology final, and Jongin thinks that he might actually have a hope of passing-even if by the crosshairs. He’s tired and just about ready to fall into bed after Sehun leaves, except Sehun isn’t leaving-is still standing at the doorway of Jongin’s house. He’s not meeting Jongin’s eyes.
“What?” Jongin says, because something feels wrong.
“I’m gay,” Sehun says. Just like that. Just that. Without an introduction or an afterword. Just like that. He says it. He doesn’t look at Jongin when he does.
“I’m-” Jongin swallows. “I’m-not?”
“I know.” Sehun’s voice is quiet. And he’s still looking at the ground.
“A lot of our friends are gay,” Jongin says because he’s confused. Sehun is acting like this is the end of the world. It’s not. Sehun has met Luhan. Sehun knows Luhan is gay-Sehun knows Luhan is Jongin’s best friend. Closest friend. Until Sehun came along. “I don’t care. You know I don’t care.”
“Our friends don’t like you, though,” Sehun says in a whisper. “They don’t like-like you. Do they?”
Jongin’s voice is stuck.
“It’s okay,” Sehun says because that’s what Sehun does-Sehun is always there to tell Jongin it’s okay even when it isn’t. “I don’t want you to like me back. I just want you to know.”
He turns, steps off Jongin’s porch, heads down the road and disappears from where the streetlights can catch him.
By the time Jongin manages to think again-talk again-Sehun is already long gone.
Jongin takes the biology final in a daze.
It doesn’t help that Sehun is right next to him.
They don’t have any other classes together so they don’t see each other again until the end of finals week-until the last day of their first year of high school. Sehun is too obviously avoiding Jongin and Jongin is frustrated. He manages to grab Sehun as the younger boy heads for his locker with a tip-off from Chanyeol who’d known where Sehun was headed. Jongin wraps tight fingers around Sehun’s arm and squeezes.
“I can’t like you back,” Jongin says tensely. “I’m sorry. But please don’t stop being my friend. Please.” He squeezes Sehun’s arm again. “Please.”
Sehun meets his eyes. They’re tired eyes but Jongin only has to count to five in his head before a hesitant smile appears. “I was only going to stop when you asked me to stop.”
“I’m never going to ask,” Jongin says, almost embarrassingly quickly.
“Then ‘til death do us,” Sehun laughs.
Jongin gets an eighty on the biology exam.
He knows better than to count it as a personal miracle. It has nothing to do with him and nothing to do with miracles.
“You,” he says to Sehun, “are my savior.”
Sehun takes the bag of chips out of Jongin’s hand. “I know,” he grins.
(Sehun gets a ninety-eight on the biology exam but no one likes a show-off and Jongin says so.
Sehun smiles.)
During their second year, they only have one class together again.
Chemistry.
Sehun excels at chemistry and Jongin sucks at chemistry, and they still have late night study sessions wherein Sehun patiently teaches Jongin that the best way to learn is not to burn his book and consume the ashes.
But it’s different.
They’re growing up, so it’s different.
Jongin gets a girlfriend and Sehun gets a boyfriend.
Jongin thinks Sehun’s boyfriend is passable, and Sehun is friends with Jongin’s girlfriend, and it’d all be very well and good except that Jongin doesn’t understand how this is even happening. Unless he’s missed something over the past few months, Jongin is certain that his ears and memory haven’t failed him and that Sehun still likes Jongin.
“So?” Luhan is unperturbed and unimpressed by Jongin’s brand of logic and makes it explicitly clear as Jongin pays for their coffees.
“He has a boyfriend,” Jongin repeats in case Luhan didn’t hear the first time around. “But he likes me.”
Luhan blinks.
Jongin raises his eyebrows.
“What’s he supposed to do?” Luhan says finally, after a good long minute. “Twiddle his thumbs in a corner of his room until he stops liking you? Sehunie’s a hot kid. If he thinks getting tapped is going to get him over you, then don’t bother him.”
“I’m not bothering-”
“Drink your coffee and let it go, Jongin-ah.” Luhan’s voice is strangely sharp as he looks at Jongin.
Jongin doesn’t know why but he glares defiantly. “I’m not doing anything wrong.”
Luhan fixes him with an even harder tone. “Neither is Sehun.”
Jongin frowns.
Jongin’s girlfriend mentions offhandedly during a date that he spends a lot of time with Sehun-maybe a little too much.
He doesn’t know what that means. Sehun is his best friend. Of course he spends a lot of time with him. What does it mean to spend too much time with your best friend? Jongin doesn’t know. It doesn’t make sense, and he draws the line thick and black when she starts accusing him rather than discussing with him.
They break up and Jongin feels cold.
That night, Jongin’s head is in Sehun’s lap and they’re watching a movie on the floor of Sehun’s living room with the lights completely out. The rest of Sehun’s family is already upstairs and asleep. It’s a Saturday night and Jongin is due to help Sehun’s mother with the groceries tomorrow in return for spontaneously showing up for dinner tonight (in return for Sehun’s mother placating Jongin’s mother with her son’s whereabouts). Jongin just can’t go home tonight-he needs Sehun.
“Do I spend too much time with you?” Jongin asks as the main characters realize they’ve been heading the wrong lead for half the movie. He peers up and tries to make out Sehun’s expression from the light of the television screen.
Sehun shrugs, fingers idly going through Jongin’s hair. Jongin shifts his head against Sehun’s thigh, ear and cheek pressed against the soft cotton of Sehun’s sweatpants.
“Does Kanghae-shii think you spend too much time with me?” Jongin presses on.
“He knows we’re just friends,” Sehun shrugs again. “Maybe girls get worried more than guys.”
Jongin closes his eyes and loses himself in the warmth of Sehun’s fingers against his scalp. “Maybe.”
Jongin gets into his first fight-and subsequently, his first detention-during first period chemistry lab on a gusty day in the middle of the winter. The lab is complicated, the instructions go up to number fifty, there are pages upon pages of reports to fill out, and there is a seventy-five percent chance that they won’t even get the proper results on the first-to-fifth tries. Sehun is doing the best he can to make up for Jongin’s less-than-stellar comprehension, which essentially means Sehun is doing work for two regardless of how hard Jongin is trying.
The lab is hard enough that their surrounding classmates begin to trickle in to their lab table with questions for Sehun and, fifteen minutes into the double period, Sehun is doing work for eleven. Periods seem shorter when progress is slower and Jongin is too busy scribbling down equations for the reactions to notice how the people asking Sehun for help are getting increasingly impatient and frustrated. Sehun is brilliant with everything but words and it seems that the boy he’s trying to explain the nature of today’s enzyme to is brilliant with everything but anything.
“I don’t want a chapter summary,” the boy bites out, cutting Sehun off mid-sentence. “I just want the answer to the third line so I can finish at least the first section-there’s not enough time-fucking fag.”
Jongin doesn’t even see the boy’s face-like he said-he’s too busy scribbling down equations. He just hears and then he reacts, arm punching out at the boy’s face, swerving around so he doesn’t hit Sehun by accident. Jongin doesn’t even feel a flare of anger-all he knows is that his body very literally reacted on its own and it isn’t until he watches blood drip out of their classmate’s nose that Jongin realizes what he heard the boy say.
And then he punches the boy a second time, fully aware.
The boy begins to punch back after that and they’re locked in arms for a good five minutes before Sehun starts struggling to hold Jongin back and other classmates begin to pile in to hold the boy back as well. Their teacher comes flying in between them soon thereafter and sends both of them to the principal’s office promptly.
Sehun is waiting for Jongin outside of the classroom where after school detentions are held for the day. He doesn’t meet Jongin’s eyes until they are well out of the hallways and seated on the stone borders of the courtyard. There’s the beginning of spring in the air, and the breeze is still nippy. The fight had barely been a fight so Jongin is hardly injured-a few bruises here and there and a cut drying bloody and brown at the corner of his mouth.
“I’m not sorry,” Jongin says, as Sehun pops open a bottle of liquid bandages that he must’ve nicked from the nurse.
“I don’t deserve someone this dumb as a best friend,” Sehun says, and purposefully presses harder than necessary on Jongin’s bruises-
Jongin winces.
Sehun works in silence on Jongin’s face-the site for most of the damage-and Jongin doesn’t speak up until Sehun starts using up the rest of the medicine on Jongin’s knuckles. “Sorry,” Jongin whispers.
Their eyes meet.
Sehun brushes a thumb over Jongin’s bruised knuckles. “It’s okay.”
High school passes.
Sehun and Jongin each date one more person, and Jongin’s relationship goes a little better than Sehun’s. The margin is exceptionally infinitesimal. Sehun’s relationship ends because the other party is possessive and borderline abusive, and Jongin’s relationship ends because he can’t stand the other party’s whining and nagging. While they’re in their respective relationships, they don’t talk about them. Jongin doesn’t ask about the bruises that sometimes make an appearance on Sehun’s pale wrists before the other boy shakes his sleeves down. Sehun doesn’t ask about Jongin’s increasingly short temper whenever he comes back from his girlfriend’s house.
They just don’t talk about it.
Jongin majors in literature and Sehun majors in biology but they go to the same university and their dorms are in the same building. They’re too busy to see each other every day, they don’t have any classes together, but they still somehow manage to meet in either Jongin’s dorm or Sehun’s dorm every weekend and turn time back to when they were lab partners in biology class struggling to maintain a passing grade.
Luhan and Minseok no longer live in Korea and they don’t live in China. They moved to the states during Jongin’s last year of high school because Luhan had majored in foreign affairs and Minseok had majored in business and they’ve both found office jobs overseas. Jongin hasn’t seen them in a year, but during the summer between Jongin’s freshman and sophomore year of university, they come back to Korea to visit Minseok’s parents.
They take Jongin out to dinner like they’ve done tens of thousands of times before when he was still in high school and they were still in university. Jongin’s no stranger to how Luhan and Minseok hold hands or how Luhan whispers close against Minseok’s ear while they’re going over their menus or even how Minseok scoots closer to Luhan on their side of the booth. They’ve done it all in public and in front of Jongin before, but for some reason, it affects him now. For some reason, it’s a little more noticeable and Jongin finds himself watching-observing.
Something in his chest clenches.
a/n: backstory/sidestory for the sekai in how do you sleep
They meet on the first day of high school in second period biology because Jongin couldn’t find the classroom, gets there late, and the only empty seat left is beside a skinny kid with hair falling over his eyes and an expression somewhere between sulky and sullen. The teacher excuses Jongin for being late since it’s the first day and he’s a first year. All of the tables in the classroom are in twos and she announces that the person they are sitting next to is their lab partner for the year.
Jongin sneaks a second glance at the boy next to him, and finds the boy doing just the same. He hopes that the kid isn’t as unhappy and unfriendly as he actually looks because science has always been Jongin’s worst and he’d rather have someone who doesn’t bite his head off whenever he comes to them with stupid questions for help.
“I’m Kim Jongin,” he says, and holds out his hand as the teacher passes out the course syllabus.
The boy blinks once and then accepts the handshake. “Oh Sehun,” he replies tonelessly.
Jongin finds out that Sehun can smile two weeks later during their first lab.
The lab is almost disgustingly simple-looking at wet leaves under a microscope for the chlorophyll and drawing it out to turn in. Jongin is trying to cut a particularly resistant branch out from the glass of water and ends up splashing himself right down the shirt and face and he’s forgotten to put on a lab apron.
“Shit,” he says.
A sheet of paper towel is held out to him. Jongin takes it and looks into Oh Sehun’s highly amused, smiling face (and his eyes crinkle at the corners, disappearing, and his teeth flash and his entire face changes when he smiles). Sehun is holding a neatly cut leaf in one hand and the plug for their microscope in the other. “It’s okay,” Sehun says, and holds the leaf up a little higher, “I got you.”
“No one likes a show-off,” Jongin says as he dries himself.
Sehun just gives him another smile and plugs in the microscope.
Luhan is Jongin’s neighbor, hails from Beijing, used to attend the high school Jongin goes to now, but is now enrolled in SU and Jongin only sees him on some weekends. Luhan is also Jongin’s closest hyung-best friend-so Jongin feels it’s only right to let the older man know that, “I have a new best friend, I think,” Jongin says as Luhan pays for their coffees.
“After all I’ve done for you,” Luhan shakes his head.
“You haven’t done much.” Jongin sips at his coffee and they take the table in the corner.
Luhan grins.
Jongin smiles.
“Is he the lab partner you told me about?” Luhan asks.
“I actually kind of know what the hell’s going on in that class because of him,” Jongin says. “Occasionally, anyway. DNA and RNA are still one big mystery.” He puts down his cup and steals Luhan’s for a sip or two. “How’s Minseok-hyung?”
Luhan shrugs. “We fucked before I came here.”
Jongin spits frothy, strawberry mocha frappucino.
“Yeah,” Luhan snatches the cup back. “Don’t drink my drinks anymore, kid.”
“Why do you hate biology?” Sehun asks one evening.
They are at Sehun’s house, in Sehun’s bedroom, eating kimbap made by Sehun’s mother, and finishing up the last of the assignments due before midterms. They are also beginning the monumental task of reviewing ten chapters and all the tiny sections therein. Sehun is doing exceptionally well as always and Jongin is solemnly contemplating shooting himself as always.
“I don’t,” Jongin says wearily. “I actually like biology.”
“You like science and stuff?”
“Yeah.”
Sehun nods thoughtfully, handing Jongin another divider so he can finish off re-organizing chapter five. They manage to get through another worksheet individually in silence, inserting papers into their binder for the check next week, before Sehun nudges Jongin with his elbow. “You suck at it, though-biology, I mean.”
Jongin rolls his eyes. “Thanks, man.”
Sehun smiles. “It’s okay,” he says. “We’ll make you amazing at it.”
There has never been a moment where Luhan wasn’t gay. Ever since Jongin knew him, Jongin knew Luhan was gay-and in retrospect, he supposes that’s because Jongin met Luhan when Luhan was a second year in high school, already dating Minseok. Luhan has always been fast at figuring himself out and good at it too. So-naturally-Jongin doesn’t think twice about it. It never even registers as something to think about. It doesn’t matter. It’s just a part of Luhan the way Luhan’s nose is a part of Luhan.
A lot of the upperclassmen Jongin is friends with are gay. Jongin doesn’t think about that either. It doesn’t register to him the same way Luhan doesn’t register to him. It just is. Factual. There. Unimportant.
Jongin’s never thought about other people being gay or straight, and he’s never thought about whether he’s gay or straight either. He’s just Jongin. He’s just him. And maybe he could’ve gotten through the rest of high school with that train of thought and that nonchalance to all things concerning orientation had it not been for one late night spent awake studying with Sehun.
It’s the night before their biology final, and Jongin thinks that he might actually have a hope of passing-even if by the crosshairs. He’s tired and just about ready to fall into bed after Sehun leaves, except Sehun isn’t leaving-is still standing at the doorway of Jongin’s house. He’s not meeting Jongin’s eyes.
“What?” Jongin says, because something feels wrong.
“I’m gay,” Sehun says. Just like that. Just that. Without an introduction or an afterword. Just like that. He says it. He doesn’t look at Jongin when he does.
“I’m-” Jongin swallows. “I’m-not?”
“I know.” Sehun’s voice is quiet. And he’s still looking at the ground.
“A lot of our friends are gay,” Jongin says because he’s confused. Sehun is acting like this is the end of the world. It’s not. Sehun has met Luhan. Sehun knows Luhan is gay-Sehun knows Luhan is Jongin’s best friend. Closest friend. Until Sehun came along. “I don’t care. You know I don’t care.”
“Our friends don’t like you, though,” Sehun says in a whisper. “They don’t like-like you. Do they?”
Jongin’s voice is stuck.
“It’s okay,” Sehun says because that’s what Sehun does-Sehun is always there to tell Jongin it’s okay even when it isn’t. “I don’t want you to like me back. I just want you to know.”
He turns, steps off Jongin’s porch, heads down the road and disappears from where the streetlights can catch him.
By the time Jongin manages to think again-talk again-Sehun is already long gone.
Jongin takes the biology final in a daze.
It doesn’t help that Sehun is right next to him.
They don’t have any other classes together so they don’t see each other again until the end of finals week-until the last day of their first year of high school. Sehun is too obviously avoiding Jongin and Jongin is frustrated. He manages to grab Sehun as the younger boy heads for his locker with a tip-off from Chanyeol who’d known where Sehun was headed. Jongin wraps tight fingers around Sehun’s arm and squeezes.
“I can’t like you back,” Jongin says tensely. “I’m sorry. But please don’t stop being my friend. Please.” He squeezes Sehun’s arm again. “Please.”
Sehun meets his eyes. They’re tired eyes but Jongin only has to count to five in his head before a hesitant smile appears. “I was only going to stop when you asked me to stop.”
“I’m never going to ask,” Jongin says, almost embarrassingly quickly.
“Then ‘til death do us,” Sehun laughs.
Jongin gets an eighty on the biology exam.
He knows better than to count it as a personal miracle. It has nothing to do with him and nothing to do with miracles.
“You,” he says to Sehun, “are my savior.”
Sehun takes the bag of chips out of Jongin’s hand. “I know,” he grins.
(Sehun gets a ninety-eight on the biology exam but no one likes a show-off and Jongin says so.
Sehun smiles.)
During their second year, they only have one class together again.
Chemistry.
Sehun excels at chemistry and Jongin sucks at chemistry, and they still have late night study sessions wherein Sehun patiently teaches Jongin that the best way to learn is not to burn his book and consume the ashes.
But it’s different.
They’re growing up, so it’s different.
Jongin gets a girlfriend and Sehun gets a boyfriend.
Jongin thinks Sehun’s boyfriend is passable, and Sehun is friends with Jongin’s girlfriend, and it’d all be very well and good except that Jongin doesn’t understand how this is even happening. Unless he’s missed something over the past few months, Jongin is certain that his ears and memory haven’t failed him and that Sehun still likes Jongin.
“So?” Luhan is unperturbed and unimpressed by Jongin’s brand of logic and makes it explicitly clear as Jongin pays for their coffees.
“He has a boyfriend,” Jongin repeats in case Luhan didn’t hear the first time around. “But he likes me.”
Luhan blinks.
Jongin raises his eyebrows.
“What’s he supposed to do?” Luhan says finally, after a good long minute. “Twiddle his thumbs in a corner of his room until he stops liking you? Sehunie’s a hot kid. If he thinks getting tapped is going to get him over you, then don’t bother him.”
“I’m not bothering-”
“Drink your coffee and let it go, Jongin-ah.” Luhan’s voice is strangely sharp as he looks at Jongin.
Jongin doesn’t know why but he glares defiantly. “I’m not doing anything wrong.”
Luhan fixes him with an even harder tone. “Neither is Sehun.”
Jongin frowns.
Jongin’s girlfriend mentions offhandedly during a date that he spends a lot of time with Sehun-maybe a little too much.
He doesn’t know what that means. Sehun is his best friend. Of course he spends a lot of time with him. What does it mean to spend too much time with your best friend? Jongin doesn’t know. It doesn’t make sense, and he draws the line thick and black when she starts accusing him rather than discussing with him.
They break up and Jongin feels cold.
That night, Jongin’s head is in Sehun’s lap and they’re watching a movie on the floor of Sehun’s living room with the lights completely out. The rest of Sehun’s family is already upstairs and asleep. It’s a Saturday night and Jongin is due to help Sehun’s mother with the groceries tomorrow in return for spontaneously showing up for dinner tonight (in return for Sehun’s mother placating Jongin’s mother with her son’s whereabouts). Jongin just can’t go home tonight-he needs Sehun.
“Do I spend too much time with you?” Jongin asks as the main characters realize they’ve been heading the wrong lead for half the movie. He peers up and tries to make out Sehun’s expression from the light of the television screen.
Sehun shrugs, fingers idly going through Jongin’s hair. Jongin shifts his head against Sehun’s thigh, ear and cheek pressed against the soft cotton of Sehun’s sweatpants.
“Does Kanghae-shii think you spend too much time with me?” Jongin presses on.
“He knows we’re just friends,” Sehun shrugs again. “Maybe girls get worried more than guys.”
Jongin closes his eyes and loses himself in the warmth of Sehun’s fingers against his scalp. “Maybe.”
Jongin gets into his first fight-and subsequently, his first detention-during first period chemistry lab on a gusty day in the middle of the winter. The lab is complicated, the instructions go up to number fifty, there are pages upon pages of reports to fill out, and there is a seventy-five percent chance that they won’t even get the proper results on the first-to-fifth tries. Sehun is doing the best he can to make up for Jongin’s less-than-stellar comprehension, which essentially means Sehun is doing work for two regardless of how hard Jongin is trying.
The lab is hard enough that their surrounding classmates begin to trickle in to their lab table with questions for Sehun and, fifteen minutes into the double period, Sehun is doing work for eleven. Periods seem shorter when progress is slower and Jongin is too busy scribbling down equations for the reactions to notice how the people asking Sehun for help are getting increasingly impatient and frustrated. Sehun is brilliant with everything but words and it seems that the boy he’s trying to explain the nature of today’s enzyme to is brilliant with everything but anything.
“I don’t want a chapter summary,” the boy bites out, cutting Sehun off mid-sentence. “I just want the answer to the third line so I can finish at least the first section-there’s not enough time-fucking fag.”
Jongin doesn’t even see the boy’s face-like he said-he’s too busy scribbling down equations. He just hears and then he reacts, arm punching out at the boy’s face, swerving around so he doesn’t hit Sehun by accident. Jongin doesn’t even feel a flare of anger-all he knows is that his body very literally reacted on its own and it isn’t until he watches blood drip out of their classmate’s nose that Jongin realizes what he heard the boy say.
And then he punches the boy a second time, fully aware.
The boy begins to punch back after that and they’re locked in arms for a good five minutes before Sehun starts struggling to hold Jongin back and other classmates begin to pile in to hold the boy back as well. Their teacher comes flying in between them soon thereafter and sends both of them to the principal’s office promptly.
Sehun is waiting for Jongin outside of the classroom where after school detentions are held for the day. He doesn’t meet Jongin’s eyes until they are well out of the hallways and seated on the stone borders of the courtyard. There’s the beginning of spring in the air, and the breeze is still nippy. The fight had barely been a fight so Jongin is hardly injured-a few bruises here and there and a cut drying bloody and brown at the corner of his mouth.
“I’m not sorry,” Jongin says, as Sehun pops open a bottle of liquid bandages that he must’ve nicked from the nurse.
“I don’t deserve someone this dumb as a best friend,” Sehun says, and purposefully presses harder than necessary on Jongin’s bruises-
Jongin winces.
Sehun works in silence on Jongin’s face-the site for most of the damage-and Jongin doesn’t speak up until Sehun starts using up the rest of the medicine on Jongin’s knuckles. “Sorry,” Jongin whispers.
Their eyes meet.
Sehun brushes a thumb over Jongin’s bruised knuckles. “It’s okay.”
High school passes.
Sehun and Jongin each date one more person, and Jongin’s relationship goes a little better than Sehun’s. The margin is exceptionally infinitesimal. Sehun’s relationship ends because the other party is possessive and borderline abusive, and Jongin’s relationship ends because he can’t stand the other party’s whining and nagging. While they’re in their respective relationships, they don’t talk about them. Jongin doesn’t ask about the bruises that sometimes make an appearance on Sehun’s pale wrists before the other boy shakes his sleeves down. Sehun doesn’t ask about Jongin’s increasingly short temper whenever he comes back from his girlfriend’s house.
They just don’t talk about it.
Jongin majors in literature and Sehun majors in biology but they go to the same university and their dorms are in the same building. They’re too busy to see each other every day, they don’t have any classes together, but they still somehow manage to meet in either Jongin’s dorm or Sehun’s dorm every weekend and turn time back to when they were lab partners in biology class struggling to maintain a passing grade.
Luhan and Minseok no longer live in Korea and they don’t live in China. They moved to the states during Jongin’s last year of high school because Luhan had majored in foreign affairs and Minseok had majored in business and they’ve both found office jobs overseas. Jongin hasn’t seen them in a year, but during the summer between Jongin’s freshman and sophomore year of university, they come back to Korea to visit Minseok’s parents.
They take Jongin out to dinner like they’ve done tens of thousands of times before when he was still in high school and they were still in university. Jongin’s no stranger to how Luhan and Minseok hold hands or how Luhan whispers close against Minseok’s ear while they’re going over their menus or even how Minseok scoots closer to Luhan on their side of the booth. They’ve done it all in public and in front of Jongin before, but for some reason, it affects him now. For some reason, it’s a little more noticeable and Jongin finds himself watching-observing.
Something in his chest clenches.