“Move over, it’s my turn!”

Jongin ignored Sehun’s complaints and kept his eyes to the peephole, using one hand to keep the other boy away. He his lips unconsciously as he watched, mentally thanking whoever had decided to place the boy’s and girl’s locker rooms side by side, as well as the genius who had bored the hole into the wall. “There’s no way I’m gonna give it to you right now,” he scoffed. “Shoo. Go away.”

Sehun squawked in protest. “No fair dude,” he whined, beating Jongin’s (very buff and very manly) arms ineffectually with his weak fists. “You asked me to let you go first, so I did. It’s already been five minutes, that’s what we agreed on. C’mon, we don’t have a lot of time left.”

At his own locker, Kyungsoo stopped changing, sighed, and shook his head in pity. Short, squishy, and smart, Kyungsoo was his best friend, ever since that fateful day in their childhoods when he had defended Jongin (who, at the time, had been significantly smaller) from bullies. (Kyungsoo had also whacked him on the head with a textbook for being so stupid so as to engage the bullies to deliver a ‘life lesson’, but Jongin liked to retrofit everything with rose-tinted lenses.)

“You two are going to get caught one day,” he warned them, disappointment and amusement both dancing in his wide, wide eyes. “And when you do, I’m going to pretend I don’t know you. Either of you.” With that, he pulled on his P.E shirt and slammed his locker shut.

It was a lecture Jongin had heard many times before. While Kyungsoo wasn’t a killjoy necessarily, he was the designated voice of reason as far as this particular topic was concerned. Of course, that did not mean Jongin was obligated to heed his advice.

“Aw Soo,” he whined, stepping back and finally surrendering the peephole to Sehun (who greedily assumed position.) “If my own best friend doesn’t have my back, who does?” Making his way over to the smaller boy, he swung an arm boisterously around him in an expression of exaggerated camaraderie, and did his best to arrange his face into an expression that vaguely approached hurt.

Kyungsoo smacked Jongin hard on the forehead with the heel of his hand. “I’m not friends with a ert like you,” he retorted sharply, but his lips were twitching and his eyes were warm, and it was clear he was attempting (and failing) to ward off a fond smile.

Jongin patted his friend on the back twice before wandering over to his own locker. He mulled over Kyungsoo’s scathing (but less than serious) words as he changed into his P.E. clothes. He wasn’t a ert- well, alright, he was a little bit of a ert- but he was also a normal, hormonal teenage boy in highschool. erted was one of the things he was supposed to be. It was understandable, excusable even. Really.

“Why can’t you just talk to Soojung like a normal human being?” Baekhyun (the weird, vertically-challenged theatre kid that they only allowed around them because he was best friends with the equally short Kyungsoo) demanded from his own locker (which was several rows down, so who knew why he felt entitled to barge in on their conversation, but whatever.) “You know, I have it on good authority that she likes you and your stupid sporty posturing. You could just cut out all this creepy peeking crap and get together with her.” He slapped his hands together for onomatopoeia. “Boom. Easy.”

Scratching his head, Jongin shrugged. “I dunno,” he muttered. “She’s kind of intimidating, I guess? She’s hot, but I heard she’s kind of a .” He rubbed his face thoughtfully. “What if I get on her bad side or something?” He still had a very fresh memory of that one time in kindergarten when he’d accidentally spilled his apple juice on her pink Hello Kitty sweater. She’d looked at him as if he were a particularly pungent piece of poop.

When he voiced his concern aloud, it elicited a snort from Kyungsoo. “That’s just her resting face.” He explained, his shaking shoulders betraying his effort to suppress judgmental laughter, his fingers trembling as he pulled on a pair of tennis shoes. “Try not to take it personally; she gives that look to everyone.”

“At least you’d be getting some, anyway,” Sehun remarked, plodding over to fish out his own P.E uniform, pulling his noodly arms through the sleeves of the white t-shirt with some effort. “Which is a definite improvement from being a peeping tom.”

Jongin guffawed. “If anyone’s the peeping tom here it’s you,” he teased, giving Sehun a light shove. “You’re the one who made the hole and you’re the one glued to it every day. You don’t have room to say anything.”

Finished with tying his shoes, Kyungsoo stood up. “You guys can keep talking about whatever you were talking about,” he declared, waving one hand emphatically. “And you can keep doing whatever you were doing. I saw nothing. I heard nothing. Absolutely nothing.” With that announcement out of the way, he quickly tried to make his way out of the locker room, only to be blocked by Jongin’s (very broad and manly) chest.

“Aw, Soo,” Jongin pouted. “You’re not gonna wait for us? We’re nearly done.”

“And hear some more about your erted adventures?” Kyungsoo raised an incredulous eyebrow. “Thanks but no thanks. If someone asks me whether or not I knew my friends were -offenders, I’d like to have some measure of plausible deniability.” He patted Jongin’s shoulder patronizingly, before pushing his way past him and out of the locker room, allowing the heavy door to bang closed behind with a loud metallic clatter.

Baekhyun issued some very loud (and annoying) laughter. “Abandoned by his best friend, the ert is utterly lost,” he drawled, in an imitation of the typical Animal Planet narration. “What will he do next? Will he continue to stalk his target from afar, or will he finally stake his claim? Find out after the break.”

Jongin shook his head good-naturedly, taking the ribbing in stride. “I’m friends with idiots,” he decided, looking around the room at the hodgepodge group, “You’re all idiots.”

“Takes one to know one,” Sehun quipped, ducking to avoid the swinging fist Jongin playfully sent his way.

He supposed there was some truth in that statement, but Jongin didn’t really care all that much. He was just a teenager after all.

-

“No.” Without even sparing Jongin a glance, Soojung slammed her locker (school locker, not P.E. locker) shut, flipped her hair glamorously, and walked off.

Deflating like a popped balloon, he listlessly made his way back to his own locker, where his friends (who had earlier gathered into a supportive circle) were waiting for him with expressions of sympathy plastered on their faces. At the murderous expression on his face, they hastily dispersed, save for Oh Sehun, whose locker was positioned right next to his own.

“Good authority my ,” Jongin fumed. The next time he saw Byun Baekhyun, he was going to wring that er’s skinny little neck.

“Better luck next time, dude,” Sehun said, giving him a pat on the back. “She’ll say yes eventually. You just gotta be persistent.”

“Yeah, whatever,” he grumbled, not really feeling like talking about the matter any further. While it would eventually recover, his ego was feeling just a tad bruised at the moment, and if he could just allow himself to forget the entire thing, he would. With a sigh, he stared frustratedly at his lock, having forgotten the combination. What had he set it too again?

He elbowed Sehun, eliciting a whiny yelp. “Hey, noodle boy. Do you remember what my locker combination was?” he demanded.

His friend rubbed his side, giving Jongin a reproachful pout. “I don’t even know your combination; why are you asking me?” he complained.

Emitting a growl of frustration, Jongin turned his gaze back on his locker. Perhaps his birthday? That yielded nothing… Or maybe (and that this was a possibility at all was really embarrassing, but,) Soojung’s (rumored) measurements? Again, no…

Catching sight of a familiar figure padding down the hall toward them, he brightened considerably, raising a hand in a friendly gesture. “Kyungsoo!” he called excitedly, waving his hand about erratically.

Face stoic, Kyungsoo’s only reaction was to blink. His eyes flitted from Jongin to the (still closed) locker and back. Slowly, his expression grew into something sardonic and judgmental. With an exaggeratedly weary sigh, the shorter boy traipsed up to where he and Sehun stood.

“Where were you, Soo?” Jongin pouted.

“I was just getting my chemistry notes back from Jongdae,” Kyungsoo replied, reaching over and easily opening Jongin’s locker with a few deft movements, earning him both a smile as well as Jongin’s eternal gratitude. “That er was supposed to get them back to me last week. See if I ever lend him anything again.”

Excitedly, Sehun looked up from whatever he had been doing. “You have your chemistry notes?” he asked excitedly, “Can I borrow them next?”

“Hey! I gave you my notes, didn’t I?” Jongin interjected accusingly.

“No offense dude,” Sehun said with a roll of his eyes, “But your handwriting is barely legible, and you never have complete notes. They’re useless.”

Groaning, Kyungsoo reached into his own backpack and pulled out a notebook, reluctantly handing it over to Sehun with a sour look. “You owe me for this,” he grumbled, his face arranged in a gruff expression.

“You’re always collecting favors, Soo,” Jongin pointed out as he moved a few books from his locker to his backpack. “But you never cash them in.”

“I’m just waiting until I’ve amassed a sizable pile of them. And then I’ll cash them all in at once for something big, and then you’ll be sorry.”

But for all that, Jongin knew that wasn’t really the case. Though he might appear gruff or emotionless to the onlooker, anyone who really understood Kyungsoo could tell that his inside was just as squishy as his outside. He had a soft spot for his friends especially, which was why his notes were distributed among them at any given time.

Turning his attention to his own locker, Kyungsoo had it opened in less than three seconds. “So why’re you asking me where I was?” he questioned suspiciously. “What’d I miss?”

“Just one of the most eventful things to happen ever in the history of man. Bravely, I ventured forth toward Soojung’s locker to ask her out on a date,” Jongin answered dramatically.

It was a funny thing. A few moments ago and the topic would have been a sensitive one. However, in the presence of his best friend, it didn’t seem quite so much like the end of the world. Being around the shorter boy tended to have a grounding effect on Jongin, fitting everything into perspective.

Kyungsoo seemed focused on exchanging books between his backpack and his locker, but managed to raise an eyebrow nevertheless. “Oh really?” he asked in a patronizing tone. “And how did that go? Are the two of you going to the dance together this Friday?”

“Alas!” Jongin cried desolately, thumping his chest with a fist. “Our gallant knight remains dateless.”

“Basically, he grew a pair of balls,” Sehun remarked dryly. “Only for Soojung to hit them with a good kick. Metaphorically, of course.”

Snorting, Kyungsoo slammed his locker shut. For about a second, he cast a critical eye about Jongin’s form. “You’re going to be fine,” he decided dismissively. “You’re good-looking, you play sports, you’re popular. You’re not going to have trouble finding a date.”

“The only date I want is Soojung!” Jongin declared melodramatically, eliciting snorts from both of his friends.

“Come on, idiot,” Kyungsoo said fondly. “You’ve got to get to class. Mr. Han will skin you if you’re late.”

-

Jongin’s lab partner was not Soojung, unfortunately. The gods had not deemed him worthy of such an honor apparently: instead, he was stuck with the utterly uncoordinated and incompetent Park Chanyeol, walking disaster extraordinaire. (Jongin still remembered that time that Chanyeol had tripped over an extension cord, causing the attached centrifuge to tip over and dump all the test tubes it had been carrying onto the floor. Once the mixture began to emit some vapors, they had been forced to evacuate. Fun times.)

That, combined with his own tendency to follow Soojung with his eyes and sigh like a lovestruck teenager, pretty much spelled the recipe for certain disaster.

When Chanyeol placed a test tube into his hands, he just took it without really paying any attention.

He barely noticed when, a few moments later, a scowling Mr. Han yanked the test tube from his fingers.

“What the hell are you doing?” the teacher demanded. “Didn’t you read the instructions on the lab handout? These reagents are sensitive; you could have caused an explosion!”

Jongin nodded without paying attention, watching in rapt fascination as Soojung pulled her hair back to keep it away from the Bunsen burner.

Mr. Han took a deep breath to calm himself. “Jongin, your performance has been pretty awful all quarter,” he explained. “If you don’t start improving soon, I’m going to have to fail you for the lab portion.”

That had Jongin snapping his head to attention. “But Mr. Han,” he wheedled desperately. “If I don’t keep a 3.2 GPA then they’ll kick me off the team…” And he was barely holding onto that as it was; academics had never been his forte. His test scores were rather abysmal, and he had been counting on the lab grade to keep him from the edge of failure.

“Then I suggest you take this more seriously Mr. Kim,” the teacher replied nonchalantly, handing the test tube back to him. “And we have a test coming up in a week. May I suggest you find yourself a tutor for that?” With those parting words, Mr. Han returned to his desk, though he kept a watchful eye on his errant student.

With a groan, Jongin placed the test tube back on the rack, before giving the lab handout a cursory scan. Chanyeol quickly appeared at his side once more; the taller boy had vanished when Mr. Han had approached them, no doubt seeking to escape the ire of his teacher. When Jongin gave him a vicious side eye, he received only a sheepish- but unrepentant- grin in response.

“So what do we do next?” Chanyeol asked stupidly.

Jongin sighed, rubbing his temples. It was going to be a long day.

-

Over the next few weeks, Jongin came to the (unfortunate) realization that, with Chanyeol as his lab partner, there was absolutely no way he would be able to pass the lab portion with the necessary point total to give him a passing grade. No matter how careful he was, the overgrown poodle would find a way to things up. He had, to date: mixed up test tubes; mislabeled chemicals; heated a stoppered beaker; and added the water to the acid.

“My life is over,” Jongin cried dramatically, allowing himself to plant face first onto the lunch table. “I’m going to fail out of chemistry and get kicked off the team. My prospects are bleak. The future is bleak. My life is over.”

Kyungsoo rubbed encouraging circles into his back patronizingly. “At least you’ll still have your good looks,” he commented brightly, appealing to Jongin’s vanity. He had, after all, been present (and bored) so many times when Jongin stood in front of the mirror posing and flexing. He knew about his friend’s vanity.

“What good are my looks if they don’t get me anywhere-”

“Oh wow,” Kyungsoo marveled. “For once, Jongin says something that approaches intelligence-”

“- with Soojung?”

“Almost,” Kyungsoo amended himself, rolling his eyes. “Almost intelligent.”

“You really should have known better hyung,” Sehun commented absently, twirling his fork in his spaghetti to form a mound of pasta around its tines. “Jongin and intelligent are two words that just don’t go together under any circumstances.”

“I realize that,” Kyungsoo retorted dryly. “But as his best friend, it is my responsibility to hold out hope.”

From across the table, Baekhyun wore a calculating look on his pointy face. “Your lab partner… it’s Chanyeol, right?” he inquired with a raised eyebrow.

“How I wish it wasn’t!” Jongin cried emphatically, tears of sorrow seeping into his burrito. “Whoever thought putting two dumb kids together as lab partners is the real idiot here.”

Baekhyun made a contemplative noise. “We could switch lab partners,” he suggested, a devious glint in his eyes. “I’m lab partners with Jessica; she’s smart enough to carry you, and she’s Soojung’s sister. That’s two birds with one stone.”

Jongin paused. The idea had merit.

“That’s only if Mr. Han lets you guys switch though,” Kyungsoo interjected, bringing them back down to earth with his logic. “I mean, I’m sure that Jongin’s thought about switching lab partners before.”

Jongin slumped back onto the lunch table.

“I’m ruined!” He despaired. “My life is ruined! I will go through the rest of my days as a friendless bonobo because I flunked out of chemistry.”

“It’s not that bad,” Kyungsoo tutted, sharply amused. “Going from a popular bonobo to a friendless bonobo is a pretty small drop.”

Wordlessly, Jongin bit off the end of his burrito, frowning at the salty flavor that his tears had imbued it with. After a few moments of rolling the morsel around in his mouth, chewing, and finally swallowing, he decided that it wasn’t that bad, and bit off another piece. It was symbolic, he mused.

“You know…” Baekhyun muttered to himself. “Mr. Han has always had a soft spot for Sehun…”

All eyes turned to the noodly boy in question, who had not been following the conversation. He seemed to be currently digging into some pasta with an almost religious fervor. As if sensing the gazes on him, he slowly and timidly lifted his eyes from the spaghetti, slurping up the single noodle hanging from his mouth, swallowing it in one smooth motion.

“What?” he asked defensively.

-

Jongin veritably wilted under Jessica’s scrutiny: she looked rather unimpressed with him as she looked him up and down. Nevertheless, the teacher’s word was law, and with a weary sigh, she set down her belongings in the seat next to him.

“Um,” he gathered his courage to extend a shaky hand toward her as an offer of a handshake. “I’m Kim Jongin,” he tried with a nervous smile.

This time, the look he received was not just unimpressed- it was withering. “I know who you are,” she replied frostily, quirking her lip in a half-smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Turning away, she began to primly unpack her things. “Don’t think for one second I don’t know what you’re doing. No, I’m not going to help you with Soojung.”

Pouting petulantly, he slumped back into his chair. And to think that he had been so excited too.

But it wasn’t a complete bust. As unfriendly as Jessica was (and she was supremely unfriendly, speaking to him with very few words in only the coldest of ways,) the fact remained that she was Soojung’s sister. So it was no surprise when, halfway through the period, Soojung walked over to talk to her.

They did not include Jongin in the conversation per se, but he was obviously there and listening, and they obviously just didn’t care very much.

“So you switched partners?” Soojung asked casually, leaning against the counter.

Jessica rolled her eyes, before leveling them at the teacher’s desk. “As if,” she scoffed. “It was by executive order.”

Soojung made a noncommittal noise. “Yeah. Why would you swap Baekhyun for that? At least Baekhyun is halfway competent.”

Jongin really had some questions for Baekhyun. ‘Good authority’? Whose authority, exactly? Soojung seemed to pretty much detest him.

Jessica glanced at Jongin then, and for a moment he was afraid that she would throw him under the bus (because, as she had said, she knew what he had been aiming for,) but to his eternal gratitude, she merely rolled her eyes and began to unpack their lab drawer.

It was seemingly the perfect opportunity, but Jongin knew better than to take advantage of it, especially when Soojung seemed as disinterested as she did. Instead, he continued to mope as he fiddled with the test tubes stupidly.

“Anyway,” Soojung resumed. “Which indicator were we supposed to use for the titrations again?”

Her sister frowned. “Shouldn’t it say on the handout?”

“Apparently, we’re supposed to figure it out ourselves this time. Whatever.”

Sighing a long-suffering sigh, Jessica pulled out a notebook from her backpack, one that looked vaguely familiar.

“Hey um,” Jongin almost shrunk back from the looks they sent his way, but he persevered because of curiosity. “Is that… isn’t that Soo’s notebook?”

Jessica narrowed her eyes. “Yes, what of it? Never had a friend lend you notes?”

Well. Jongin was stunned- while he and Kyungsoo were constantly hanging out, he didn’t remember his friend ever mentioning knowing the Jung sisters personally. “He and you are… friends?”

Confusion dominated Jongin’s mind. All this time that he had spent mooning over Soojung, his own best friend had been in a position to play wingman. It was an exciting tidbit that he filed away for later use. He would definitely be having a word with Kyungsoo.

-

Operation Tail Kyungsoo, as outlined by Kim Jongin:

1.    In order to determine whether subject DO KYUNGSOO was keeping any other secrets from his best friend, one KIM JONGIN, two agents were to tail him at any given time.

2.    Yes, Sehun, this means you as well. No Sehun, you may not document your progress with selfies.

3.    In order to determine the level of friendship between subject DO KYUNGSOO and one CHRYSTAL SOO JUNG, all interactions between said pair must be observed by at least one agent.

4.    ELI5 (for Sehun): Any class that you share with them, you must watch them like a creeper.

“Please tell me you didn’t actually spend time typing this up and printing it,” Baekhyun said dryly, stuck between shaking his head at Jongin’s antics and bursting into incredulous laughter. “Why are you so dramatic.

Scratching his head, Jongin wasn’t sure what answer Baekhyun really wanted. He would think it obvious that he had indeed done exactly that. Well, it couldn’t hurt: “No…” he said unconvincingly. “Anyway, it’s not important. What’s important is that we adhere to the plan. Do I have your agreements?”

To his affront, neither of them indicated their assent. Instead, Sehun snorted, while Baekhyun rolled his eyes while shaking his head (a double whammy.)

“Man Jongin, you are so stupid,” Sehun shook his head in feigned disappointment. “What’s the point of all this when you could just talk to him?”

It’s not as if Jongin hadn’t thought about doing exactly that, but he had some concerns about that course of action. “What’s the guarantee that he’ll be honest?” he demanded. He had never been worried about Kyungsoo lying to him before, but well, lying by omission was still lying.

The thought was a little disconcerting.

Baekhyun waggled his eyebrows, and Jongin just wanted to chuck his backpack at that smug, pointy face. “Ah, the first cracks form in the friendship,” he mock narrated. “Distrust begins to materialize between the best friend and the ert. Will their bond survive?”

Jongin smacked him harshly on the head, eliciting a yelp. “If I want your opinion, I’ll beat it out of you,” he threatened flaccidly. He could do it, probably. He lifts. Probably more than Baekhyun weighs, if he was being honest.

Baekhyun smiled self-assuredly, patting his head condescendingly. “It’s cute that you think you can do that,” he cooed, his voice oozing smugness in a way that rankled Jongin. “You know that I do hapkido, right?”

Squinting at the other’s tiny frame, Jongin frowned. “You’re pretty skinny,” he commented, poking the other in the side, not at all surprised to discover excessively bony ribs. “I really can’t tell.”

A shrug. “I’m here if you ever want a demonstration.”

“Uh, I’m good.” Jongin cleared his throat, bidding a hasty and strategic retreat. He knew how to pick his battles. “Anyway, back on topic. Now that we have agreed-”

Sehun looked alarmed. “Now wait just a moment-”

“- we should split the shifts.”

Groaning, Sehun gave up. “So we’re doing this?” he asked, tone obviously dismayed. “This… regressive stalking?”

Baekhyun looked contemplative. “Since the two of you are idiots,” he said, ignoring their indignant yelps, “I’m going to give you two days at most before Kyungsoo catches you in the act. Probably less.”

Jongin flipped him off.

-

So he was working alone, because his friends were stupid and unhelpful. That was alright: he was more than capable of doing all the work himself. As a matter of fact, it was preferable: had they been here, Baekhyun would have been extremely noisy, and Sehun would have been taking selfies nonstop. Well, a bit of an exaggeration, but accurate.

“You can do this Jongin,” he told himself encouragingly, pumping his fist in determination. “You don’t need anybody else helping you. You are a strong, independent…”

He had almost convinced himself, when he saw Kyungsoo shut his locker quietly and head toward the door. Hastily, Jongin emerged from behind the trash can where he had been hiding. After waiting a moment to ensure that there would be a safe distance between them, he followed.

Really, he didn’t know where Kyungsoo found the time (or space) to keep secrets. Upon some reflection, Jongin had realized that he spent an inordinate amount of time with his friend. Not quite every waking moment of course, but a fair share of those. Kyungsoo must have been going out of his way to keep his friendships separate.

And Jongin understood why, of course. If he had known, he would likely have pestered Kyungsoo into setting them up or something (which was exactly his plan now.) Still, he had mixed feelings about it all. Friendship was about trust after all: he told Kyungsoo everything, and the realization that something like this had been kept from it was far from a pleasant one.

His attention snapped back to the situation at hand when Kyungsoo made an unexpected left turn. It confused him at first, because the school gate was definitely not that way. Why was Soo headed toward the football field? He had never indicated any interest in the sport, and hadn’t come to even one of Jongin’s matches, practice or otherwise.

Confusion gave away to betrayed realization when he saw the situation for what it was. Somehow, he had forgotten that the cheerleaders also practiced at the football field: watching Jessica and Soojung hug his best friend in greeting was a sour reminder.

He felt a pang in his chest, and instinctively pressed a hand against it to stymy the feeling. He felt his fists clench as he watched Soojung lean in to whisper something in Kyungsoo’s ear, her hair hanging like a drapery across his shoulder. Jongin had to remind himself that such situations were often not what they seemed, and that he didn’t really know what was going on.

The both of them were talking freely now, so Jongin snuck closer to listen in, keeping against the bleachers for cover, one hand cupped around his ear to enhance his hearing.

“- don’t understand what you see in him, Kyungsoo.”

Soojung’s voice was absolutely derisive, and Jongin could pretty much guess what they were talking about.

“He’s a good guy,” Kyungsoo defended. “Sure, he might be a bit of a… stereotype at times, but his heart is in the right place. Really.”

“And that’s why he s on us through the hole in the locker rooms, right?” Her voice was skeptical, and he shrunk away from the shame. They were aware of that?”

Kyungsoo shrugged helplessly in response. “Boys will be boys, I guess?” he offered weakly. “You just don’t know him like I do. I’ve been friends with him since kindergarten, you can trust me when I say that he is-”

Soojung looked unconvinced, but apparently decided to take the conversation down a different avenue. “That’s exactly why I don’t feel like giving him a chance,” she interjected. “How can I even consider dating him when you are so obviously in love with him?”

  What?

-

Jongin walked home in a daze after having abandoned his self-imposed mission, his mind trying- and failing- to wrap itself around what he had just heard.

Kyungsoo was… in love with him? No matter what angle he looked at it from, it just failed to make sense. Sure, they were close, but no closer than any two friends who had spent their entire lives with one another would be. Besides, Kyungsoo had never exhibited any signs of being in love (which he, as the best friend, would have noticed.)

Sure, Jongin was a little dense, but he would have picked up on something… surely Kyungsoo would have had some reaction when he had expressed an interest in Soojung. His best friend maintained a façade of stoicism and nonchalance, but he was still human after all: he had feelings, and must have felt something.

Again, he was reminded that he didn’t know Kyungsoo as well as he thought he did. It was utterly disquieting.

But that wasn’t his only concern. The words Soojung said reverberated in his head time and time again, bouncing against the confines of his skull. How can I even consider dating him when you are so obviously in love with him?

Was that why she’d never even given him a chance? Because Kyungsoo had confided his own feelings to her?

-

In Jongin’s defense, it felt as if he had no control over his actions; one moment he was pulling his P.E. shirt on, and the next he had shoved Kyungsoo against the lockers and was closing in on him.

Kyungsoo blinked. “What are you doing?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.

He made to get away, but Jongin stopped him with a hand against his chest.

“So,” Jongin began. “I overheard something the other day.”

He just let that statement hang there. After hiding so much from him, Kyungsoo deserved to wonder for a little bit.

Kyungsoo’s eyes widened like saucers. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he denied unconvincingly, struggling futilely once more for freedom.

“Don’t lie to me Soo,” Jongin demanded. “You’ve done that enough already man.”

Sagging against the locker, Kyungsoo sighed, rubbing circles into his temples. “What was it that you heard, exactly?” he queried wearily.

“So you like me, huh?” He barreled on, not waiting for a response. “I never took you for a , Soo.”

Stiffening, Kyungsoo averted his gaze. “I don’t know what you’ve heard-”

“Cut the crap man,” Jongin said, growing angrier by the second, shoving him against the locker a second time. “I already know all about it. Did you think you could hide it forever or something?”

“Look, Jongin-”

“Tell me the truth,” Jongin ordered.

Eyes flashing, Kyungsoo raised his head defiantly, meeting his gaze. “Yeah, I do.” He answered. “But you know what? Since it’s so obviously a problem, don’t worry; I’ll take care of it.”

The words stunned him- not their content per se, but the intensity with which Kyungsoo had said them. His arm slackened, and when Kyungsoo shoved him off, he made no effort to keep him there. His best friend (or was it former best friend?) was long gone before he snapped back to his senses.

Baekhyun, witness to the entire exchange, merely shook his head sadly and tutted.

-

Once the initial wave of irrationality had worn off, Jongin couldn’t help but cringe at what he had done. There was nothing he desired more in that moment than to take everything back, to have a do-over, but, well, there was no rewind button for life.

Throughout the entirety of gym class, he tried to single out Kyungsoo, but the other seemed to want nothing to do with him. If Jongin approached, he would duck away. If Jongin followed him around, he would run over to hide between Jessica and Soojung (who made very effective bodyguards with their ice-cold death stares.)

It was all very frustrating, and it left Jongin in a bad mood. He felt like Kyungsoo was being unreasonable: so okay, sure, he hadn’t been the nicest during their confrontation. He owned up to a little bit of douchiness. Or a lot. Whatever.

But how was he supposed to make amends if his mere presence sent Kyungsoo scurrying away?

The pattern continued for several days, and the tension within Jongin grew with every passing moment. It got to the point where even Sehun, the most clueless idiot in his circle of friends, picked up on it.

“What’s going on between you and Kyungsoo?” the walking and talking noodle asked him curiously.

“None of your business,” Jongin answered curtly. Without a resolution in sight, he had decided to sulk. If it didn’t fix any problems, it would at least make him feel slightly better.

Frowning, Sehun raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. “Hey man, I’m just saying. I haven’t seen the two of you hanging out lately, and you’re slowly metamorphosing into a huge .”

Snorting, Jongin rubbed his face tiredly. “I sorta ed up,” he confessed. “I kinda… called him out on his crush on me and -shamed him.”

Sehun’s normally beady gaze looked extremely different when complemented by bulging eyes. It would have been amusing, if Jongin hadn’t been in such an awful mood. “That went from zero to a hundred real fast,” he commented suspiciously. “Are you telling me the whole story here?”

What the hell. “What do you want to know?”

“How you found about this supposed crush, for one.”

That… would probably require relating the entire sordid tale from start to finish. “Well, I was tailing Kyungsoo-”

Sehun guffawed. “Baekhyun told you it was a bad idea! I told you it was a bad idea!”

“-and I overheard him and Soojung talking about the crush that he has on me,” Jongin finished.

“Had.” It was a new voice, the one of Byun Baekhyun. The shorter man looked quite unhappy as he joined the conversation, arms crossed defensively about his person, eyes dull. “The crush he had on you.”

Jongin and Sehun both stared at him, before exchanging confused glances. “What do you mean?” Jongin ventured.

Baekhyun rolled his eyes. “Had. As in past tense. As of about five minutes ago, Kyungsoo and Chanyeol are going out with each other. Very publically so.”

-

Jongin didn’t make lists out of things that didn’t make sense to him, but if he did, this is probably how it would look like at the moment.

1.    Kyungsoo having feelings for him.

2.    Kyungsoo moving on so quickly.

3.    Calculus.

His math homework sat in front of him, completely untouched. He couldn’t keep his focus on it long enough to finish any of the problems. Try as he might, he couldn’t keep his thoughts from straying to Kyungsoo and his new… boyfriend.

For some reason he pointedly decided not to contemplate, the word left a sour taste in his mouth.

Kyungsoo’s feelings for him… they hadn’t even warranted a week? Not that he wanted his best friend to end up like Miss Havisham or anything, but… it just made him feel so insignificant.

He shook his head to clear away such thoughts.

Jongin eyed his phone. He had tossed it onto his bed in frustration when Kyungsoo had refused to answer his calls (all ten of them.) Sighing and mentally berating himself for giving in, he reached over to check it.

No texts. No calls. Once more, he threw it back onto his bed in disgust.

-

Pulling a few strings (and cashing in a few favors,) Jongin managed to once again swap lab partners. Jessica’s sigh of relief as she once again relocated next to Baekhyun was downright offensive, but he was too preoccupied to care, too busy glaring at Chanyeol (who looked supremely awkward as he stumbled over.)

A little part of him died thinking of all the ways his grade would collapse from this. But it was a small price to pay for the chance to inspect Kyungsoo’s new… boyfriend in person. In-depth.

“Hi Jongin,” Chanyeol tried for a friendly smile and wave, but Jongin forced himself to maintain an angry expression.

“Hello Chanyeol,” he said pleasantly through gritted teeth. He patted the seat beside his own. “Let’s have a little chat, shall we?”

Uncertainly, the taller man seated himself at the proffered location. “Um,” he remarked. “Shouldn’t we be working on the lab.”

Jongin nodded sagely. “In due time, in due time. In the meantime, I have some questions to ask you.”

Chanyeol narrowed his big eyes. “Okay…”

Now that they were more or less level with one another (not really, Jongin just liked to pretend,) he was able to turn the full power of his glare onto the giant. “It has recently come to my attention that you are dating one of my best friends,” he began, steepling his fingers.

Brightening, the other man nodded happily. “Oh, yeah! That’s right. I was really surprised that he said yes when I asked. I always thought that he had a thing for you.” Though he had communicated himself with the first few nods, he continued to bob his head anyway.

Jongin winced at the reminder. “Splendid. But that’s not exactly what I wanted to talk about.” He grabbed the other man’s head, holding it still so that they could have a proper conversation. “What I want for you to do, is to clarify your intentions.”

Chanyeol blinked. “My what?”

Seizing the opportunity, Jongin smacked him upside the head. The loud sound that resonated was immensely satisfying, as was watching him wince in pain. “Don’t play dumb with me,” he pointed an accusing finger. “Why are you and Kyungsoo going out? What is your aim?”

Rubbing his face and blinking back tears, Chanyeol pouted. “What are you talking about? We’re going out because we like each oth-”

He was happy to administer another slap. “The truth,” Jongin barked.

Chanyeol stared at him as if he were crazy.

-

Operation Tail Kyungsoo Redux, as outlined by Kim Jongin

1.    Adopt disguises in order to minimize possibility of detection.

2.    Set up a stakeout at a reasonable distance.

3.    ???

4.    Profit

Jongin sat at the café, his face hidden by a (thanfully) tall menu. Across from him, Sehun sat fiddling with his phone, obviously less than enthused about the entire thing, and absolutely not concerned about stealth.

“Relax,” his friend said boredly, taking a picture of his bubble tea, no doubt to blog about or whatever. “They’re on a date, they aren’t going to be on a lookout for you.” He paused, before looking up and raising an eyebrow. “Why are we stalking them anyway?”

“Because Chanyeol is a dirty bonobo whose motives are unclear,” Jongin growled, peering at the couple over his menu. They looked happy, sure. And also disgustingly cute as they shared their bubble tea and meals. But looks could be deceiving. “Anyway,” he continued loftily. “I’m just being a good friend and looking out for Kyungsoo.”

Sehun scratched his head. “But isn’t your friendship over?” he wondered confusedly. “Didn’t you ruin it with your clichéd locker room bully antics?”

“Hiatus!” Jongin corrected shrilly. The idea that he had irredeemably ruined his friendship with Kyungsoo was a possibility not to be borne. “Our friendship is just on hiatus.”

His outburst had attracted a large amount of attention, but thankfully none from the couple he was stalking. Properly chagrined, he resumed his broody-staring behind the protection of his menu.

After a while, it seemed that Sehun felt the need to make another snide comment. “So… are we just going to watch them eat? That doesn’t seem productive?”

Jongin rounded on him. “Do you have a better plan? Or anything at all to contribute?” he demanded, the volume of his voice rising in his anger. “Because if you do, I’m all ears.”

Unfortunately, he did attract the attention of the happy couple this time. He turned to see both Chanyeol and Kyungsoo staring at him. The former was wearing a confused-yet-judgmental expression, while the latter sported an unreadable look.

Immediately, he ducked behind his menu for cover. But it was too late; Kyungsoo had already gotten out of his seat, and was making his way over.

“Nice going kkamjong,” Sehun snorted. “Real stealthy.”

Jongin flipped him the finger. While that did serve to make him feel better, it did little to improve his situation. He was still caught in the act (of snooping,) Kyungsoo was still on his way over, and there was still going to be hell to pay.

Quickly, he tried to scrounge up an excuse. Unfortunately for Jongin, he had never been a particularly quick thinker.

He decided to make his move first, hoping to catch Kyungsoo off guard and preempting any incriminating questions. “Hey Kyungsoo!” he waved with a fake smile. “Fancy seeing you here!”

Looking supremely unimpressed, the shorter man crossed his arms. “What are you doing, Jongin?” he asked testily.

Sticking to his guns was probably the best option. “Well, Sehun here,” he gestured toward his noodly companion, “Felt a sudden craving for bubble tea. So, here we are.”

Kyungsoo looked as if he was going to blow his top. Fortunately, any such reaction was prevented by Chanyeol’s sudden and fortuitous appearance at his side. “Hey guys,” he said uncomfortably. His height contrasted heavily with Kyungsoo’s shortness: Jongin didn’t think they looked compatible in the least. “What’s up?”

“Nothing’s up,” Kyungsoo answered frostily, grabbing Chanyeol by the wrist. “Come on Chanyeol, let’s go.”

They made a weird image walking out: Kyungsoo with his fast pace and short stride, and Chanyeol with his long stride and uneven pace attempting to catch up. Jongin watched them, an unidentifiable feeling pooling in his stomach all the while.

“Are we going to follow them?” Sehun asked stupidly.

Jongin shot him a dirty look.

“What?” he said defensively. “It seems par for the course for your plans.”

-

Jongin was so consumed by his obsession over Chanyeol and Kyungsoo’s relationship that he had not spared his own crush a single thought. He had yet to follow up his first confession to Soojung with another, so when a few days later, she walked up to him during lunch, it was totally unexpected.

The look on her face was decidedly grim and dangerous. It was not an expression he liked to be around. Consequently, he tried his utmost to shrink into himself as she approached.

Unfortunately, that helped him very little; immediately, she seized his ear in a surprisingly ironlike grip, eliciting a pained yelp. “You,” she proclaimed into his ear, “are an idiot.”

He frowned. That was something he had always known, and he didn’t need her rubbing it in.

“Do you know something?” she asked conversationally, never once loosening her grip. “I’d always known you to be an idiot. Like, beyond an idiot. A douche.” Soojung paused for effect, looking into his eyes so she could properly convey her anger. “But you know what? Kyungsoo was always in your corner, telling me you were so much better than you appeared. That you were a jock with a heart of gold.”

Curses on his limited jock brain. If only he could tell where the conversation was going.

Apparently, his inability to do exactly that only served to amplify her anger. The force applied to his ear increased tenfold, and he could just barely suppress a whimper at the pain.

“And you did a stellar job of vindicating him,” Soojung said meanly. “Pushing him around in the locker room and -shaming him. I don’t even have a word in my vocabulary that’s strong enough to describe people like you. Even if you didn’t return his feelings, what sort of best friend would do that sort of thing?”

Done with her tirade, she released his ear, allowing him to fall headfirst into the rubber surface of the table. “Do you know why he’s going out with Chanyeol?” she asked him casually, smoothing over the wrinkles in her skirt.

“Because… they like each other?”

She barked a laugh. “Don’t be silly. He’s doing it for you.”

Jongin squinted at her. Had she lost her mind? “I’m not following.”

With a sigh, she primly sat down beside him, sending him a level glance. “I don’t normally explain things a second time, or this slowly,” she said slowly, “But because Kyungsoo is a good friend, and because this entire situation is unbelievably stupid, I’m going to make an exception.”

He nodded slowly, too afraid to say anything for fear of incurring her wrath.

“Now don’t get mad at Kyungsoo for this,” she said, “But one of the many reasons that I refused to have anything to do with you is because he’d always been in love with you.”

Obviously, that was meant to be a ground-breakingly dramatic reveal. But because he had already known that beforehand, it sort of stole Soojung’s thunder.

“You don’t seem so surprised,” she said, narrowing her eyes.

Quickly, he arranged his face into a surprised expression.

Soojung seemed mollified by that. “Better. Anyway, he came up to me the other day, and told me that I could date you now because he was no longer in the way.” She rolled her eyes. “As if I didn’t have a host of other reasons not to like you.”

Jongin frowned. Was he that unlikeable? Strangely enough, he found himself caring very little about Soojung’s opinion.

Moreover: what the ?? So Kyungsoo wasn’t actually in love with Chanyeol after all? That realization immediately preceded a feeling of excitement in his stomach (and might have actually generated it.) Guilt followed: in his mind, he had accused Kyungsoo of sabotaging his chances with Soojung, but it had turned out to be something quite different from that. It was an utterly confusing cocktail of emotions, and it must have shown on his face, because Soojung quirked a smile.

“Yeah,” she snorted. “Despite your tiness, that sentimental idiot is still thinking of you. If you even had an ounce of the decency that Kyungsoo claims that you do, you’d go and apologize, whether or not you return his feelings.”

-

Ambushing Kyungsoo was easy.

Mrs. Do had let him in without a comment. Kyungsoo had probably been too soft-hearted to tell her of their falling out, but Jongin wasn’t complaining. It made everything much, much easier.

Still, he was a little disgruntled to learn that his best friend was on a date with Chanyeol, and that his family did not expect him to return until much later in the day. If he stomped the entire way up the stairs to Kyungsoo’s room, well, he couldn’t be held responsible for that.

Seconds gave way to minutes. Minutes gave way to hours. Hours gave way to centuries, which gave way to eons and epochs.

Jongin, of course, had only waited for an hour or two at most. It just felt like forever.

Eventually of course, Kyungsoo returned home. As soon as Kyungsoo entered his room, Jongin slammed the door closed behind him like a trap, causing the shorter man to jump, spooking himself.

“What the- Jongin? What the hell are you doing here?” he looked as if he had seen a ghost.

“Soo,” he said seriously. “We need to talk.”

Those wide eyes stared at him, blinking every once and a while. “So talk,” Kyungsoo said finally, waving a hand as if giving permission. He kept his eyes on the ground as he made his way over to the bed, as if afraid of looking up and meeting Jongin’s gaze.

Jongin his lips as if in preparation. “I know why you’re together with Chanyeol,” he said.

Was it his imagination, or did Kyungsoo stiffen? “Because we’re madly in love with one another?” he queried delicately (and tonelessly,) looking up, and shakily meeting Jongin’s eyes.

“You don’t need to front with me. Soojung told me” he paused. “You’re dating that idiot because you like me.” He reveled in the words. And it was a good feeling, to know that somebody loved you that much.

Pursing his lips, Kyungsoo tried again. “Now you’re just being egotistica-”

“Seriously, Soo,” Jongin said frustratedly. “Just be real with me here, for one moment.”

A sardonic expression slid onto Kyungsoo’s face. “What, so you can ridicule me again?” he asked bitterly.

Taking a leap of courage, Jongin reached forward and grasped his hand, causing him to look up sharply.

“Soo,” he said solemnly. “I’m sorry for that, I really am. It was thoughtless and stupid of me, and-”

Sighing, Kyungsoo shook his head. “It’s alright, it’s in the past,” he said, smiling a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

There was a small moment then, when the two of them just looked at one another. It was the reconnection of a severed friendship. Their edges were still rough, and did not quite fit against one another as well as they once did. But he knew that they’d get there eventually.

“Soo, if you don’t like Chanyeol, you should break up with him. It’s not really fair to him, is it?”

Kyungsoo sighed wistfully. “I suppose not.”

It felt like the natural continuation of the moment. Perhaps it was, perhaps it wasn’t. Either way, Jongin reached out and cupped Kyungsoo’s face in what felt like slow motion-

-only to be batted away. “What are you doing?” Kyungsoo demanded, eyes flashing from underneath long, dark lashes.

“I was going to kiss you,” Jongin answered, bewildered.

Even when they were squinting at him, Kyungsoo’s eyes remained wide. “What for? Look, if this is out of some sort of misplaced guilt-”

“It’s not,” he interrupted with a sunny smile. “No, wait, let me explain- when I heard that you were together with Chanyeol, it just didn’t sit well with me. Like, I thought I liked Soojung, but when I saw you and Chanyeol together it just… it didn’t feel right, you know?”

Smiling, he cupped Kyungsoo’s other cheek with his other hand. “Because we belong together,” he whispered.