❧

12:50 PM

"And so, in 600 B.C..."

Jongin stifles a yawn and nearly jumps out of his own skin when he feels his phone buzz for the nth time in the past hour. With a discreet look around, he subtly pulls out his phone. His lips automatically curl upwards when he reads the newly received text on the screen.

From: Sehunnie <3

man this is boring

From: Sehunnie <3

i don't even know these people

From: Sehunnie <3

yeol came as well btw

From: Sehunnie <3

oh, btw, he asks you not to tell baekhyun for whatever reason

From: Sehunnie <3

how are you??? :3

From: Sehunnie <3

do you have history now?? since it's like, almost 1??

From: Sehunnie <3 

since you're not answering i take it that you do hehe

From: Sehunnie <3

btw i dyed my hair yesterday!!! 

From: Sehunnie <3

so did yeol

From: Sehunnie <3

i look better though

From: Sehunnie <3

yeol saw me type that and just slapped me

Jongin bites down on his lip to keep himself from laughing. Same old Sehun, he thinks before proceeding to swiftly type out a quick response before the teacher looks in his direction.

To: Sehunnie <3

it can't be that boring since you've got yeol there, can it? :x and i do have history rn, man you're good :o i heard there'll be pizza for lunch :))) jealous??? oh and YOU DYED YOUR HAIR??? what color??? man i can't wait to see it!!! what color did pcy dye his? pink??

Chuckling to himself, Jongin looks to his right and at Baekhyun who is busy scribbling down notes. Jongin's phone barely makes it halfway in his pocket when his phone buzzes.

From: Sehunnie <3

it's black now!!

From: Sehunnie <3

wait i'll send a pic

From: Sehunnie <3

okay nevermind yeol's still pissed at me

From: Sehunnie <3

i'll ask my father brb

From: Sehunnie <3

wait no he's in a meeting damn it

From: Sehunnie <3

oh and yeol's hair is white-ish blond, i can try to take a sneak pic

From: Sehunnie <3

nevermind he saw me

From: Sehunnie <3

and slapped me again

Jongin blinks before moving to type out a response.

To: Sehunnie <3

why don't u just take a selfie??? 

The reply is almost instant.

From: Sehunnie <3

i at it :// :c

 

Fighting the urge to facepalm, Jongin makes sure the teacher isn't looking in his direction (or at him, for that matter) before his thumbs scurry across the screen. However, he doesn't get a chance to finish typing everything out when his phone buzzes with an incoming picture message. Clicking on it, Jongin waits for it to load and nearly drops his phone in shock when the photo finally shows up on the screen.

From: Sehunnie <3



here it is!! btw i had to ask some random lady to take it for me so you better appreciate it : ) 


, Jongin thinks before discreetly waving his hand about in an attempt to get Baekhyun's attention. It takes the latter a few seconds to see what's going on in his peripheral vision and when he does, he blinks before lifting his head and looking at Jongin, who wordlessly turns the phone to face Baekhyun, pointing to the picture. Baekhyun shoots Jongin a thumbs up and nods in approval before focusing his attention back on his work. 

Jongin's phone buzzes a second later.

From: Sehunnie <3

hey where'd you go

From: Sehunnie <3

did you die

From: Sehunnie <3

don't tell me you died, in that case we won't be able to go xmas shopping later :'(

From: Sehunnie <3

jonginnnnnnn

Scrambling to type out a reply, Jongin bites his lower lip. The image of Sehun with his new hair color refuses to leave his mind and he hates both himself, and Sehun, for it.

To: Sehunnie <3

i showed baek the pic if that's okay :))

To: Sehunnie <3

he liked it though so dw!!

To: Sehunnie <3

and nice to know that the only reason you don't want me dying is bc you're dying to shop for presents 

Jongin rolls his eyes before shaking his head in amusement.

To: Sehunnie <3

when did you have time to dye it btw?? did you do it urself?

From: Sehunnie <3

nope, i went to the salon <3

Deciding to turn his attention to the ongoing lesson, Jongin moves to put his phone away and presses his lips together when he feels his phone buzz less than a second later. Fighting the urge to pick up his phone, he stuffs it in his back pocket before retreiving his textbook from his bag along with a (half broken) pencil.

"Kim Jongin!"

Jongin flinches. Looking around, he realizes every pair of eyes is on him and he feels himself flush. Coughing, he looks at the teacher who is staring at him with her usual stern gaze. "Sorry?"

"I've already asked you well over three times."

Rubbing the back of his neck, Jongin clears his throat. He hears Baekhyun snigger next to him and Jongin can practically feel the smugness radiating off of his best friend, and for once Jongin is glad there's a three foot distance between them. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"

"What happened in Babylon in 609 B.C?"

Jongin blinks. Cursing under his breath, he bites his lip. "I, uh." 

"The Babylonians defeated the Assyrian army of Ashur-uballit II and and capture Harran," Baekhyun suddenly blurts out, saving Jongin from complete and utter humiliation, "while Ashur-uballit disappears from history. That same year, King Josiah of Judah died in the Battle of Megiddo against Pharaoh Necho II of Egypt."

The teacher nods her head before shooting Jongin a stern look. When she turns away, Jongin mouths a 'thanks' to Baekhyun, who only chuckles with a dramatic roll of his eyes.

~~~

"Is your History grade improving? Let me guess, it's only declining," Baekhyun cackles before shoving a slice of pizza in his mouth. 

Jongin rolls his eyes. "It is, actually. I've been doing all the makeup work, so I should be back on track in no time."

Baekhyun nods before stuffing the rest of the slice in his mouth. "Speaking of grades, you really need to start paying attention," he says between noisy chews.

Wrinkling his nose in disgust, Jongin covers his eyes with his right hand. "First of all, don't talk with your goddamn mouth full," he says, "and secondly, it's not me who needs to pay more attention, you're just a smart as hell, that's what."

"Uh, no," Baekhyun says dramatically. "Well, yeah, I am pretty darn smart, I'll admit; but come on, I think I speak for the both of us when I say that you really do need to stop zoning out 24/7. That's the second time I've saved your from detention this month."

Taking a sip of his milk, Jongin shrugs nonchalantly. "I can't help it."

"Because you're too busy thinking of the one and only," Baekhyun says dreamily, nearly choking on his second slice when Jongin proceeds to kick him in the shin under the table. "Ah, , , don't do that! What, can't you handle the truth? Actually, in reference to what I said half a minute ago, not only do you need to stop zoning out, you need to stop using your phone in class. Getting it confiscated for the rest of the day is an absolute nightmare."

"The hell would you know about that, Mr. Never-use-my-phone-in-class-because-I'm-a-perfect-student?" Jongin rolls his eyes. "God, this pizza's so frickin' greasy, I could vomit."

Ignoring Jongin's question (and statement), Baekhyun picks up his water bottle and downs half of its contents in one single swig. "Speaking of which, Sehun's new hair color looked awfully good, it suits him. Isn't black his natural color?"

Jongin nods. "He looks so much more...mature?"

"Does he still text like a lovestruck fourteen year-old girl?" Baekhyun sniggers and chuckles when Jongin nods. "Of course, of course."

"I meant visually," Jongin groans. "He looks a lot more manly now, if I do say so myself."

"What, was he feminine then?" 

"No, it's just...nevermind," Jongin says. "Anyway, speaking of texting, has you-know-who texted you yet? Or did you chicken out?"

Baekhyun blinks before visibly blushing. "Eh, he hasn't."

"Idiot," Jongin exclaims, lightly slamming his palm on the table, "he's obviously waiting for you to text him first!"

"Are you sure?" Baekhyun asks while pulling out his phone and Jongin nearly laughs. He looks like a lost puppy. "What if he'll think I'm an-"

"I don't want a repeat of my head-over-heels-for-Sehun phase," Jongin states before reaching across and grabbing Baekhyun's phone without a warning. Opening up the messages app, Jongin types in the letter 'C' and smiles smugly when Chanyeol's name appears in the contact list. With a few quick taps, Jongin hands the phone back to Baekhyun. "Here."

Baekhyun stares at Jongin with a suspicous look. "Jongin, what the hell did you do."

"Gave you a little push," Jongin says before shrugging nonchalantly. Grabbing his second slice of pizza, he proceeds to shove the entire thing in his mouth. Baekhyun watches in disgust. 

"A little push? What do you me-" Baekhyun starts but he doesn't get a chance to finish his sentence when he looks at his phone and nearly falls off his chair. "Jongin! You ing bastard, oh my God, why; how could you-"

Nearly falling off his seat in laughter, Jongin shrugs again. "What? Consider it a favor."

"God, I ing hate you sometimes," Baekhyun moans in agony before burying his face in his hands. "Why me, why me, why me."

Jongin downs the rest of his milk. "Nah, you love me and you know it." 

"I might as well look for a new guy right away," Baekhyun moans, "since you definitely just blew any chances of-" he's cut off by the sound of his phone beeping and he blinks. A dreadful feeling looms over him when he proceeds to cautiously check his phone when the screen lights up. 

Jongin stares at Baekhyun in anticipation. "What did he say?"

Shaking his head in disbelief, Baekhyun slides his phone over to Jongin. "I can't believe it."

To: Chanyeol

heyyyy, it's me, baek~ sorry i didn't contact you yesterday, i got a little shy~ :c but i'm here now and at school!! i heard you're at some sort of fancy event, i hope you're having fun! :3 oh, and i can't wait to see your new hair color, i bet it looks awesome on you!! xx

- baek <3

From: Chanyeol

oh hey, i honestly didn't expect a text so this was surprising to say the least, hehe (๑꒪▿꒪)* 

everyone gets shy every once in a while, no worries~ besides, i was pretty busy yesterday so i probably wouldn't have had time to get back to you anyway (‘A`)

and i'm at this thing atm with sehun, i think it's a launch party of some sort? i think his dad is hosting it, not too sure though. i barely know anyone here, which kinda :/ i'm glad you decided to message though, since i was practically dying from boredom （´＿｀）

and whaaa? who told you i'd dyed my hair?? :o and yup, i have~ you'll see! o(*>ω<*)o :)


Jongin's jaw practically falls off when he finishes reading. For a few seconds, he just sits there, glued to his seat and staring into oblivion. "Wow," he says absentmindedly. "He...really doesn't text the way he talks." 

"I know right? It's sort of...cute, though, in a way," Baekhyun chuckles and squawks when Jongin swipes his phone again. "Hey, Jongin, you; hey! Gimme that!"

Jongin types something on Baekhyun's phone before handing it back to him. He barely ducks in time to avoid getting hit in the face with a pizza crust as it comes flying towards him. 

"Jongin, what the !"

"I'm doing you a favor," Jongin whines, eyes lighting up when Baekhyun's phone buzzes almost half a minute later. "See? You're welcome! Check it, what did he say?"

Sighing in expasteration, Baekhyun shows Jongin his phone (making sure to hold it within an arm's reach from the latter, just in case Jongin decides to get any more ideas).
 

To: Chanyeol

sehun told jongin who told me!! ~ btw i think you're really cute and i'd love to go shopping with you someday

From: Chanyeol

ah, of course hehe. and...thanks? hehe you're pretty cute yourself, to be honest. ;3 

shopping??? :0 for what, exactly??

how was meeting your brother yesterday, by the way? did he arrive safely?


Jongin stares at Baekhyun with a smug grin. "See? He called you cute. He was practically waiting for you to text him," he says and jumps a little when his own phone buzzes. Pulling it out of his pocket, he nearly cackles when he sees he message on his screen.


From: Sehunnie <3

jongin help, yeol's been smiling down at his phone like a madman for over five minutes now, what's going onnn Σ(,,oΔo,,*)


Checking his watch, Jongin quickly types out a reply. 


To: Sehunnie <3

i did baek a giant- favor, let's just leave it at that lmao. and it's 1:30 now, so i'll see you in an hour or so?? ~


Ignoring Baekhyun's excited squeal (at whatever sappy text Chanyeol decided to send him), Jongin feels his phone buzz again.


From: Sehunnie <3

wow, looks like someone's got some pretty sharp frickin' math skills ;)))


Nearly choking on the remaining drops of his milk, Jongin wipes his mouth before moving to type out a response.


To: Sehunnie <3

cmooooonn don't be rude :( im already in a pr crappy mood bc baek threw a pizza crust at me and now there's tomato sauce in my hair :c

Jongin barely gets a chance to hit "Send" when Baekhyun tugs on his arm. He looks up with an irritated expression. "What?"

"Hello, Mr. Lovestruck," Baekhyun says with a roll of his eyes, "I hate to interrupt, but we've got Math now. In like, less than a minute."

Cursing under his breath, Jongin mumbles something in reply before stuffing his phone in his pocket and grabbing his bag. He presses the 'Send' button while he moves to stand up to throw his leftovers away.

~~~

"So we carry the four into the hundreths column..."

Erasing yet another mistake, Jongin inwardly groans. He feels his phone buzz three times in his pocket but he doesn't check it in fear of getting it confiscated. Looking beside him, he sighs when he sees Baekhyun easily jotting down answers to the worksheet they're currently working on.

Freakin' Math braniac, Jongin thinks to himself before reaching into his bag to retreive his calculator. He nearly jumps a little when he suddenly hears a handful of students (excitedly?) murmuring something near the window, but he doesn't bother getting up to check.

Inevitably, Jongin doesn't find his calculator. With a sigh, he moves to tap Baekhyun's shoulder. "Psst. Hey."

Baekhyun looks at Jongin with a confused look. "Hm?"

Looking around to make sure the teacher isn't looking in their direction, Jongin opens his mouth to speak. "I left my calculator at home, do you h-" he doesn't get a chance to finish when he hears surprised whistles coming from every single direction. For a second, Jongin inwardly panics. Did she ask me a question? 

He bolts upright in his chair, ready to be met with the sight of his teacher glaring angrily at him, and he blinks in confusion when she, in fact, isn't. It's not until he hears Baekhyun let out a small noise of surprise (as well as the fact that every single person, including the teacher, is looking at the door) as well that Jongin looks to the left and - oh.

"Sorry, are we interrupting?" Sehun chuckles as he casually leans against the doorframe, hands in his pockets. The first thing Jongin notices about Sehun is his hair - it's a perfect shade of jet black and goes so well with the dark blue suit he's currently wearing (just like in the photo). He's got a curious expression in his eyes as he scans the sea of (shocked and surprised) students before him, and his eyes immediately soften when they land on Jongin, who clears his throat before smiling, slightly.

"Jesus, it's hot in here," Chanyeol mutters as he moves to stand next to Sehun. He's wearing a simple black suit and of course, holding onto a new cane; in black and silver. How many goddamn canes does own? Jongin can practically hear Baekhyun's jaw hit the floor because Chanyeol's hair is indeed, white-ish blond, and it looks great. Maybe even better than his previous color, Jongin thinks. 

"No, you aren't. Who are you two?" the teacher asks, and Jongin nearly sniggers because he can tell she's intimidated. He doesn't know if it's due to the rich duo's clothing or their intense gazes. Jongin settles for both. 

"Are you both single?" a girl sitting at the back of the room asks, and Jongin feels his blood boil when he sees her staring at Sehun, who puts his hands up, hopefully as a way of saying no.

"We seem to be a little early," Chanyeol says while brushing himself off and rolling his eyes in annoyance when a string of feminine swoons fill the air. He looks at the teacher with a well-timed glare. "Do you mind?"

Jongin watches as the teacher blinks before shaking her head. "No, go ahead. I don't know what it is you came here to do, but go ahead."

Shooting her a thumbs up, Sehun wordlessly beckons with his index finger for Jongin to come over. The latter sits glued in his seat before quickly standing up, ignoring the confused murmurs around him. Clearing his desk and packing his backpack at lightning speed, he quickly makes his way past the desks before standing next to Sehun. Jongin's eyebrows furrow in confusion when Baekhyun doesn't get up, for whatever reason, and Jongin stifles a laugh when Chanyeol whispers a low 'come on', effectively snapping Baekhyun out of his trance. The latte quickly gathers his belongings, muttering a quiet 'thanks for today' to the gobsmacked teacher before jogging to stand behind Chanyeol.

Jongin watches in awe as Sehun proceeds to close the door to the classroom before the latter turns to face him. "Hey."

Shaking his head in both disbelief and amusement, Jongin moves to envelope Sehun in a bearhug. "What are you doing here?"

Sehun shoots Jongin a confused look when they pull away. "You said we'd-"

"No, I know," Jongin chuckles, "I meant, what are you doing here? Y'know?"

"I sent you a text," Sehun says before crossing his arms over his chest. "Didn't you read it?"

Jongin blinks before fishing his phone out of his pocket. "Uh. Oh. Damn it."


From: Sehunnie <3

we're waiting outside the building, i think i see your classroom window from here btw!! get out here!! ~


So that's why everyone was freaking the out near the window, Jongin thinks to himself before putting his phone away. "Sorry, I was, uh, too focused on the lesson."

Sehun lets out a loud laugh. "Let's be real here, you weren't."

Feeling his face heat up, Jongin smacks Sehun on the arm. "Shut it." 

"Yeah, no, he wasn't," Baekhyun chuckles as he pulls away from Chanyeol, "I had to save his  again. For the second time in a month. You should've seen his face when he realized our teacher hadn't asked him anything - it was priceless! He was so hung up on you, Sehun."

"Typical Kim Jongin," Sehun tuts and yelps when Jongin smacks him again. "No but honestly, though, the look on Yeol's face when Baekhyun started texting out of the blue was priceless, I'm telling you! Seriously, I don't think I've ever seen Yeol smile like that since pre-school. He was freaking the hell out on the inside, it was hilarious to see."

Chanyeol awkwardly clears his throat without as much as a word. "Shut up."

"Aren't Yeol's emoticons just adorable?" Sehun coos, turning to face Baekhyun, who only looks away.

Slinging his bag over his shoulder, Jongin sighs before grabbing Sehun's hand and interlocking their fingers. "Your hair's nice."

"You think?" Sehun asks, eyes twinkling. Reaching up, he runs a few fingers through his hair. "I think so too. I'll admit, when you didn't reply to my picture I got a little worried, considering the fact that I literally went up to a random- lady and asked her to take it for me. Her face when she asked why and I replied with 'just because', was freaking priceless, trust me."

"I think it looks great on you, black suits you so much better than blond," Baekhyun adds before turning to Chanyeol. "I like yours too!"

Chanyeol smiles shyly at the ground. Jongin stifles a laugh when he notices Chanyeol (unconsciously) fidgeting with the handle of his cane. "Thanks, you told me that."

"When?" Baekhyun blinks. Jongin fights the urge to facepalm. 

"You texted," Chanyeol chuckles. "Remember?"

Baekhyun blinks again before his eyes flash. "Oh, right, that!" he babbles. "Sorry, that wasn't me! It was Jongin who took my-"

Jongin ends Baekhyun's sentence with a harsh stomp on the latter's foot, effectively silencing him. "He meant it," Jongin says, turning to Chanyeol.

Chanyeol nods before ruffling Baekhyun's hair. "Either way, I'm glad you like it."

"Okay, lovebirds, let's get a move-on," Jongin says sarcastically before skipping ahead, down the hallway. Jongin barely makes it ten steps when Sehun appears behind him, seemingly out of nowhere, and envelopes Jongin in a gigantic hug. With a surprised squeak, Jongin attempts to squirm out of Sehun's iron grip and curses under his breath when both he and Sehun refuse to budge. Jongin instantly feels his entire face grow hot when Sehun suddenly dips down and proceeds to press a kiss on his temple. "Argh, damn you Sehun."

"Okay, lovebirds, let's get a move-on," Baekhyun mimics in Jongin's voice as he and Chanyeol walk past them. 

"Okay, what's the deal," Jongin huffs and squawks when Sehun kisses his other temple. "Sehun, this is humiliating!"

Sehun tightens his grip around Jongin's torso, kissing the top of the latter's head. "That's a shame."

"What if someone sees us?" Jongin whines before attempting to wriggle free, with no success. The same feeling of euphoria swells in his chest when he inhales Sehun's perfume. "Sehun, let go!"

"Then let them watch," Sehun chuckles before resting his head on Jongin's shoulder. "And fine, I'll let go - on one condition."

Jongin scoffs. "What's that?"

"Stop being so goddamn adorable all the time," Sehun whispers in Jongin's ear, instantly letting go when Jongin suddenly whirls around and pokes his ribcage. 

"That's what you get," Jongin mumbles under his breath before grabbing Sehun's hand again. Doing his best to hide his blush, he blinks when he looks around and doesn't see neither Chanyeol nor Baekhyun anywhere in sight. "Uh. Where'd they go?"

Interlocking their fingers, Sehun stands up straight before shrugging. "Beats me," he says while smoothing out the wrinkles on his jacket.

"Did they leave already?" Jongin asks, mainly himself, before jogging forward, nearly causing Sehun to topple over. "Why'd Chanyeol come, even?"

Sehun chuckles before running a hand through his hair. "When I told him I was picking you up after school he decided to tag along, because, well, I'm assuming he knew Baekhyun would be there as well. Since you two are basically inseperable."

Jongin nearly cackles. "What a sap. Baek seemed lowkey overjoyed to see him, though."

Sehun nods in agreement. "Yup, I'm sure Yeol felt the same exact wa-" his last word dies in his throat when he and Jongin suddenly turn a corner. Sehun's mouth falls open in surprise and Jongin's grip on his hand gradually loosens.

"Whattheheckareyoutwodoing," Jongin croak-garbles, nearly scaring the life out of Sehun as well as Chanyeol and Baekhyun, who step away from each other at lightning speed.

Baekhyun stares at Jongin and Sehun with wide eyes. "Nothing, what the ? You nearly gave me a heart attack, idiot, don't scare me like that."

Sehun looks at Chanyeol, who only brushes himself off before adjusting his suit jacket without as much as a word. "Yeol, what's going on?"

Chanyeol only shoots Sehun a confused look. "Nothing's going on."

"You two so ki-" Jongin stares and lets out a loud shriek when Baekhyun flies over and practically chops his arm off. 

"Shut up, not so loud," Baekhyun hisses angrily. "And no, as a matter of fact, we didn't...you know. That. We didn't."

Jongin puts his hands on his hips before shooting Baekhyun a disbelieving glare. "Right then, what were you doing? Why were you in the midst of pulling away from each other when me and Sehun - ow! Damn it Hun, cut it out!"

Sehun shoots Jongin a stern glare before exchanging expasterated looks with Chanyeol. "Let's just go, alright?"

"Yeah," Baekhyun mumbles before brushing past Jongin and Sehun, "let's go."

Chanyeol, Sehun and Jongin all watch as Baekhyun quickly storms off, down the hallway and through the doors to the entrance. The next thing Jongin knows, Chanyeol is walking past them, presumably to follow Baekhyun, cane in hand. It's not until Chanyeol is a few feet away that Sehun squeezes Jongin's hand.

"What was that for?"

Jongin blinks, looking up at Sehun with innocent doe-like eyes. "What?"

"Did you really need to-"

"What?" Jongin throws his free hand in the air. "It's true! You saw it too!"

"I technically didn't," Sehun says. "And neither did you."

"Well, yeah, okay, but still," Jongin huffs. "We both know they were."

Sehun sighs in expasteration before shaking his head. "Yeah, okay. Let's leave it at that."

"Aren't you happy, though?" Jongin asks.

"Of course, but," Sehun says, pressing a kiss to Jongin's cheek, "just...try to keep it down, alright?"

Jongin pouts before pulling Sehun towards the door. "Fine, fine. God, you're annoying. If you keep this up you might end up gift-less in a couple of days."

"I wouldn't mind not getting a gift from you," Sehun chuckles before pushing the doors open. "So I'll continue being annoying."

"What do you mean?" Jongin skips down the few steps leading to the school. "Hey, I see them over there! Hurry up!"

"Obviously," Sehun chuckles again, squeezing Jongin's hand harder. "Why on Earth would I bother asking for a gift when I have you?"

Jongin blinks before letting out a loud groan of expasteration. He slaps his forehead with his free hand. "Damn you, damn you, Sehun. God. Why."

"Hurry up now," Sehun laughs before giving Jongin a small shove, "Christmas shopping at this hour is absolute hell, we'd better get to town before we end up stuck in a traffic jam."

Jongin mumbles something in reply but despite the (intense) humiliation he's feeling, he can't squash the feeling of euphoria that's starting to erupt in his chest. With an excited noise, he tugs on Sehun's hand before proceeding to quite literally drag the latter towards the parking lot, where Baekhyun and Chanyeol are (presumably) waiting.

❧