Prompt By: @ann1914

-Title: The Smiling But Clumsy Magician

-Ship: Chen x OC (Hanna)

Characters: [MAIN] Hanna (OC), Baekhyun/Byun Baekhyun (EXO), Chen/Kim Jongdae (EXO) [SIDE] Mark/Mark Lee (NCT), Sehun/Oh Sehun (EXO), Chanyeol/Park Chanyeol (EXO), Kyungsoo/Do Kyungsoo (EXO), Kai/Kim Jongin (EXO), Kris Wu/Wu Yifan (EXO) Seulgi/Kang Seulgi (Red Velvet), Siwon/Choi Siwon (Super Junior), Yang Junmu (Incase Korea), Kahi/Park Jiyoung (After School), Unnamed Soccer Friends of Chanyeol (OC)

Word Count: 10255

Warnings: Strong language; mentions of drugs and drug use; mentions of date drugs; ual references

Summary: In which Hanna’s dragged out to some low life magic show, that ends up being more entertaining than she could expect.

A/N: most countries use a variation or translation of ‘soccer’ or ‘football’ when referring to the sport, but Korea (along with Italy, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Myanmar/Burma) uses an entirely different etymology. Because in Korea they call it the ‘Korea Football Association’ and we are discussing the Premier League, I’ve used ‘football’ over ‘soccer’. Sorry to anyone from Liverpool, I love you all <3 // although this chapter is written in English, the characters are and speak Korean as they are in Korea. Some characters speak English in the chapter, so anything in verdanda means it’s spoken in English. // This is my longest chapter here to date and I really enjoyed writing it so hopefully you all like it, is it bad of me to say I liked some of my characterizations a lot? haha

-Baekhyun - bbbaekhi - reads like 'bibi-baek-hi'

-Jongdae - chennymcchencen - reads like 'chenny-mick-chen-chen'

-Hanna - hannabbannana - reads like 'hanna banana'

 

---

 

“Baekhyun, this is such a waste of time.” You groaned, crossing your feet at the ankles as you propped them up on the coffee table in front of you.

 

“Hanna, get your jacket on, I’ve got two tickets and we’re ing going.” Baekhyun, whom you easily deemed your best friend, leaned over the back of the couch so he hung in front of you, wrapping his arms loosely around your neck.

 

“It seems sketchy,” you whined, crinkling your nose. You held your hand up in the air. “Let me see these ‘tickets’.”

 

“Only if you agree to come. Oh, wait! You already did! Get your up; you can see the tickets on our way there. It’s not too far of a walk.”

 

You sighed, swinging your legs under you so you sat up straighter. “Where even is it?”

 

“It’s at that artist’s warehouse over on Cheonglyeom; on the corner.”

 

“The worn down one? That looks like it’s out of a horror movie? Or a Supernatural episode?”

 

“Yes, that one. And it’s not as bad as you think! I’ve been there tons.”

 

“Yeah, when you’re blackout drunk.”

 

“I didn’t come here for you to attack my drinking problems, okay?” Baekhyun tossed you your jacket, the denim landing on your head. You pulled it down, your hair standing on static end. You glared at your friend, in a cute, but yet a ‘I will cut you, ’ type way, hoping he’d get the message and cave in. “What can I do that will make you come?” he sighed.

 

“Show me the tickets and then I’ll come.” you insisted, crossing your arms.

 

Begrudgingly, Baekhyun dug around in the pocket of his jeans, handing you a piece of thin, white paper. You took it, turning it over.

 

“Is this cut with silly scissors?” you asked, regarding the border of the ticket, which was cut in a neat squiggle formation. Displayed on the ticket, scrawled in pencil, was ‘one ticket, thE CheN, totally 100% real NOT from some corner store mgic kit at aLL’.

 

“How much did you pay for these?” You crinkled your nose again as you handed the ‘ticket’ back to Baekhyun.

 

“Like, a thousand won for both of them together. I actually used a Canadian dollar I had on me - I think that Mark kid gave it to me for some reason - they were accepting any kind of currency, I think I saw some Monopoly dollars in their jar.”

 

“Where did you even get them?”

 

“Oh Sehun.”

 

You groaned, rolling your eyes. “Him? Doesn’t he sell ecstasy laced candies?”

 

“Yeah, and they’re one hell of a trip.”

 

You shook your head disapprovingly. “I swear to God, Byun, if I get murdered, I’m haunting the out of you.”

 

+-+
 

The artist's’ warehouse was a hotspot for the artsy kids in the area, whether they belonged off or on campus. Alumni and future students often hung out there, and friends of friends of friends. It was a considerable size, but for the mass of people there often, it always seemed cramped and busy.

 

There were old rugs that had been lifted from some thrift shop laid out on the floor, and the parts that were bare cement were not only cold, but dotted with stray paint splatters and something you really hoped was clay.

 

To one side was a table, littered with stray canvases for people to use and paint, paint brushes, sketchbooks, pencils, markers, erasers… an artist’s heaven. There were fold-out coffee tables littered around, propped up against walls covered in paint, whether applied directly onto the walls or hung up.

 

Towards the front was a small group of dusty-looking furniture, mismatched sofas and chairs that looked like they had been picked up either from the dump or the back of an abandoned thrift shop.

 

There was a cluster of easels towards the back, and some things that looked like they were used for pottery. Of course, you were no art kid, choosing to major in social work. Baekhyun, who was also a student, majored in business, but still hung with and knew the majority of the art kids. You weren’t exactly the talkative kind; no one was when they were around Byun Baekhyun, who had never heard of keeping his mouth shut, even in his sleep (yes, he sleep talks).

 

The front cluster of furniture is where the majority of students hung out, and people clad in flannel, beanies, and painted denim perched about, not many sitting on the actual furniture, but rather the backs and arms of it.

 

The majority of the students seemed to follow some sort of dress code, whether it was that all Fjällräven Kånken backpacks were the same style or that all jeans were cuffed or that they all stuck to either soft, pastel colours or nothing but black or, strangely, a lot of yellow.

 

You felt a little out of place; your shirt was a deep red that made you stick out. Even Baekhyun had somehow got the memo - his button up was a soft blue that blended nicely.

 

You were immediately met with the smell of ‘oregano’ as people dubbed it. Whether it was to avoid snitches and the law or it just sounded cooler, you weren’t sure, but everyone still understood the message.

 

“If I get murdered in here,” you started, unconsciously wrapping your arm around Baekhyun’s. “It’s your fault.”

 

“I take it I must avenge your death, too?”

 

“Of course, that should be a given.”

 

You let Baekhyun lead you further into the warehouse, approaching the group of students. He tossed small, mutual greetings to people, and slipped his arm out of yours to lay both his hands on the shoulders of a slimmer man in a dark tee who sat on the back of one of the sofas.

 

The man jumped, turning around. “Goddamn,” he hissed. “You ing scared me.”

 

Baekhyun laughed, sliding his hands down the man’s back and chest and returning his hands to himself, and you pushed yourself up closer to him.

 

Baekhyun was the only person you knew in this place, and Baekhyun had been your best friend for what felt like forever (but was really only a few years). You knew Baekhyun had better friends and you clung to him, but he never expressed annoyance with you. It’s true you were the friend he had to bribe to go out, but you were also the friend that was always up for a movie night.

 

“Hanna,” Baekhyun introduced, laying his hands on your shoulders this time. “This is my friend-”

 

“I’m not your friend, Byun.” the man scowled.

 

Baekhyun just sighed and rolled his eyes. “This is my best friend, Do Kyungsoo.”

 

“I’m not your best friend, either, dickhead!” Kyungsoo protested, but quickly sobered up and faced you. “We’re mutual acquaintances at best. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

 

“Thanks.” you muttered, not knowing what else to say.

 

“Soosie here’s just very touchy about his friendship labels,” Baekhyun said, using a taunting, teasing tone. “He needs to keep his MySpace friends list organized.”

 

Kyungsoo sighed, as if trying to calm himself down and contain his anger. “ off, Byun.”

 

“Soosie can’t stand the sight of my face, or so he says,” Baekhyun told you, leaning into you as he laughed. “Where’s Channie? Nini?”

 

Kyungsoo shot Baekhyun a look that made you want to apologize, even though you had only said one word. “Will you cut it with those nicknames? It ain’t cute, sweets. And where do you ing think they are, ? Use your ing head every once in awhile and maybe you’ll grow a brain cell one of these days.”

 

Baekhyun just laughed, wiggling his shoulders to tease Kyungsoo more, which made him roll his eyes. “Someone’s been hanging with Nini too much, sweets.”

 

“I never said that.” Kyungsoo’s tone softened in defense of himself, and he looked confused and concerned.

 

“Yes you did!” Baekhyun practically jumped with joy, finally having some sort of leverage over Kyungsoo. “You told me, ‘It ain’t cute, sweets’. Isn’t that right, Hanna?”

 

Both men faced you, and when you hesitated, Baekhyun hit you in your side. “Yeah, he’s right.” you agreed.

 

Kyungsoo sighed and rolled his eyes. “Lay off my case, Byun.”

 

“I think it’s a matter of that Kyungsoo’s been seeing less of Nini lately rather than more.” another man chimed in, climbing up onto the couch and swinging his legs around to sit on the back of it next to Kyungsoo. He wore a black and white letterman jacket, a red letter ‘Y’ stitched into the left . His jeans were dark but faded in the front of the legs from lots of use, grass stains on the knees, a splotch of purple on his right thigh. His boots reached about a quarter length up his shins, and a paintbrush stuck out of one of them, matching the pencil tucked behind his ear and the Juul in his hands. His hair was a mess of faded blue waves, dark roots showing. A red star was drawn hastily in pen under his left eye and smudged, and another streak of red traced down his neck.

 

“Oh, so Soosie’s not been getting lately!” Baekhyun yelped, leaning over onto the new man’s lap, who pounded on the back of Baekhyun’s shoulder blades as a greeting. “That’s why he’s so cranky.”

 

“ off, Byun!” Kyungsoo protested. “And never call me ‘Soosie’ again, ya hear? I’ll you up, I swear.”

 

“You haven’t heard?” the blue-haired man asked Baekhyun, tilting his head to the side as Baekhyun leaned off of him. “Kyungsoo and Jongin broke up.”

 

Baekhyun gasped, regarding Kyungsoo with surprise. “Since when? Why didn’t you tell me? Ugh, I feel so betrayed right now! It’s like I mean nothing to you!” He laid his hand over his heart for dramatic impact, falling back and leaning into you, and you struggled to push him back up.

 

“Because you don’t,” Kyungsoo snapped. “And about a week ago.”

 

“Aw,” Baekhyun pouted, opening his arms. “Someone needs a hug!”

 

“No I do not!” Kyungsoo cried, pushing Baekhyun away and back into you.

 

Your friend just laughed, “Channie, this is my best friend in the whole entire world, Hanna! Hanna, meet Mister Park Chanyeollie.” Again, he laid his hands on your shoulders.

 

He was always a touchy-feely type of person; laying his hands on you when he talked about you, holding your hand as you walked, hugs when you met up again and when you said goodbye. It never bothered you or made you uncomfortable, even when he kissed you on the cheek when saying goodbye to you three days after you had first met.

 

At first, it made you feel fluttery and your knees weak, and it was longer than it should have for you to realize you had developed a crush for Byun Baekhyun, but that was soon crushed when he told you he was gay. He worried that his touchiness and constant physical affection made you confused, that he was sending mixed signals, and he asked you about it every once in awhile, even to this day. Every time you told him no, that you didn’t mind. Baekhyun was a touchy-feely person, and he was your friend and you wanted it to stay like that, and with that you had to accept who he was. You truthfully didn’t mind, it showed that he cared and that he (platonically) loved you. With time, you realized what you thought was a crush for Baekhyun was just confusion, and you felt the same platonic love for him now.

 

“So this is the Hanna I’ve heard just a little bit about,” Chanyeol mused. He laid his head in his hands, his elbow on his thigh. He waved his other arm about as he spoke. “You should come rave with us sometime; Sehunnie’s bringing glow in the dark paint on Thursday.”

 

“I’ll totally be there,” Baekhyun cut in, saving you from talking, which you mentally endlessly thanked him for. “But Hanna’s really not the party animal type.”

 

Chanyeol shrugged, and then made to lean back, but then realized there wasn’t anything to lean back onto and flustered around for a second before he caught himself. “Suit yourself.”

 

“So if you and Nini broke up,” Baekhyun moved on, addressing Kyungsoo again. “Why are you here? We all know he’s here; he rarely leaves this place. You of all people should know that.”’

 

“Oh Sehun made me buy tickets two weeks ago and I’m not letting my money go to waste.” Kyungsoo replied monotonously.

 

“They were five hundred won each.”

 

“You paid in Monopoly dollars. I was with you; I gave him a few quid.” Chanyeol pointed out.

 

“Fine,” Kyungsoo grumbled. “I may or may not be here to scope out this Kim Jongdae kid. I heard he’s got some pretty good works.”

 

“I heard he was a music kid.” Baekhyun said, slight disgust seeping into his tone.

 

“I heard he was a sculptor,” Chanyeol said. “Made a Notre Dame replica in like, ten minutes out of blue Play-Doh. A good one, too.”

 

“Well, he’s apparently a magician now.” Kyungsoo said, tapping Chanyeol on the back to get him to turn around and face a man who stood on a coffee table.

 

“Move over.” Baekhyun also hit Chanyeol, who elbowed Kyungsoo to shove over, and Baekhyun helped you to sit on the back of the couch on the end, sandwiching himself in between Chanyeol and yourself.

 

The man who stood on the coffee table really didn’t need to be standing there; as if his height wasn’t enough to make him stand out, his hair was a bright orange. He wore a yellow, white, and blue striped tee shirt with dark jeans with the knees ripped out messily; homemade ripped jeans. Some parts were bleached clean, especially around the thighs. He had a bag hung over one shoulder, stitched together Kool-Aid jammers with a black strap. An assortment of pins adorned the strap, including one with a Darth Vader helmet that read ‘join the green side’, ‘there is no plan(et) b’, and ‘I’m with her’ with an arrow pointing to the Earth. ‘SAVE THE EARTH, SMOKE OREGANIC’ was embroidered onto the bag using cut out letters from magazines.

 

“What’s up, people?” he yelled, and a chorus of yells arose from the crowd. This caused you to jump a little, and Baekhyun placed his hand on your back to steady you. You felt as if you were at a basement concert for a small start-up punk rock band rather than some corner store ‘magician’.  “Who’s ready to paaaartay?” this caused another chorus of shiuts from people around you, but you were more prepared for it. “Well partying’s gonna have to wait, ‘cause we’ve got the best magician on campus, The Chen! You all have to address him like that; he hates. Before I pass spotlight onto him, though, please remember that our Earth is dying and it’s up to us to save it, and I’ll be giving away paper straws with or without purchases. Thanks.”

 

As he jumped off of the coffee table, he and another dirty blond man pushing it out of the way, you turned to Baekhyun. “Purchases?” you asked, wanting clarification on the man’s speech.

 

“That’s Oh Sehun,” Baekhyun explained. “He’s the one you go to if you want drugs. That’s what the bag’s for. The safe kind, though, no date drugs or heroin or anything like that. Really just weed; small doses of acid and ecstasy. Enough you get one hell of a trip, but not too much brain damage.”

 

“Sounds fun.” you muttered as a man about the same height as Baekhyun was forcefully pushed to stand on a rug where the coffee table had previously been.

 

The new man was probably one of the only in the room with natural hair, untouched from dye or bleach (even you were exempt from this, as in your senior year of high school you bleached your hair to dye it purple. Although the purple was long washed out, the effects of the bleach still lingered in your hair). His hair was pushed back messily from his forehead, but some of it still fell in front of his face, making it look like a neat bed head or wind swept.  He wore a black graphic tee under a tacky, red, flashy sequined vest with a matching top hat with a red ribbon tied around it. His dark jeans were baggy around the ankles, as if they were too big for him, and a silver chain hung from one of the pockets.

 

He sighed, shaking his head in disapproval as Oh Sehun pushed a small table with an array of objects that seemed like they were out of the corner store magic kit on it. “I didn't think so many of you would actually show up,” he muttered, picking at the rug with the toe of his shoe, avoiding eye contact with the people in front of him. “Especially for such a joke like this. I feel such pressure to deliver now, and I haven’t even gotten the chance to look at the kit yet.” He laughed nervously, turning a piece of paper over on the table and picking up two different coloured, arched plastic strips.

 

“Introduce yourself!” Sehun yelled from the floor nearby, which caused an uproar of laughter from the crowd.

 

The man flushed, bending one of the strips in his hands. “I’m… Chen.” he sighed, and Sehun and the dirty blond doubled over in laughter.

 

Chen took a moment to regain his composure, and then held the two strips up side by side. “I have these strips here, and they’re the same size,” he put one behind the other and turned them to the side, showing that they were indeed the same size. “But because Oh Sehun thinks I’m magic, I can make one shrink.” he moved the one from behind above, making the illusion that the one on the bottom looked larger.

 

No one reacted to how lame that was, except the dirty blond, who booed him.

 

“Shut up, Yifan.” Chen grumbled, pointing at him as he set down the strips and picked up a small blue box.

 

The crowd let out a ring of shocked cries, and the man Chen had called out’s mouth hung open in surprise and offense.

 

“You did not just call me that!”

 

“Oh, he did!” another man chimed in, and out of the corner of your eye you could see Chanyeol turn and hit Kyungsoo repeatedly in the arm. Kyungsoo slapped him away, hitting him upside the head. “You’re dead, Jongdae. Dead.”

 

“This is what you get for making me do this,” Chen added, picking up a small bag of gummy bears. “Okay, for something much more cooler. I’ve got this box, right? And I’ll put this candy in it,” he paused, opening the rectangular box like a drawer and placing the bag inside, and then closing the box. “And now when I open this again, the bears will disappear,” he fumbled to open the box with one hand, and fumbled around with it before dropping it. “Ow, !” he yelled, shaking out his hand.

 

The box tumbled to the floor, the plastic handle to the drawer breaking off, causing the drawer to fall open. The gummy bears tumbled out, spreading across the grungy floor, and a second drawer banged open within the first, revealing how the trick was done.

 

“That ing hurt,” Chen grumbled, cradling his finger as Sehun leaned over into Yifan’s lap from laughing so much. Chen turned sheet red. “Okay, that’s all folks, bye.” he said hurriedly amongst nervous laughter. He took the silly top hat off, placing it on the table, and running off.

 

“Hey!” Yifan called after him. “Come back here, you didn’t do the bunny trick!”

 

People began to disperse, and Chanyeol stretched, cracking his neck to one side. “Well, that was a disaster.”

 

“He tried,” you defended him. “It was obvious he didn’t want to do it.”

 

“Performance aside,” Baekhyun cut in. “He’s pretty cute; should I talk to him?”

 

“I don’t think so.” Kyungsoo said.

 

“You’re just saying that because he’s friends with Nini.” Chanyeol argued.

 

“Partially, but not really. Look.” Kyungsoo gestured to where Chen stood, waving his arms about curtly as if he was mad at Yifan and Sehun, who stood in front of them. They both towered over him.

 

“Yikes,” Baekhyun hissed. “He might not even be gay now that I think of it; I heard he was friends with Choi Siwon.”

 

“Who’s that?” you asked.

 

“No one you need to know, sweetie.” Baekhyun patted you on the shoulder.

 

“He does have class in the same hall as me, you could probably catch him after tomorrow if you’re not late.” Kyungsoo said.

 

“Why would we want to talk to Choi Siwon?” Chanyeol asked, confused, and Kyungsoo sighed, putting his head in his hands.

 

“Kim Jongdae, ! Choi Siwon doesn’t even go here.”

 

“Oh my god, she doesn’t even go here.” Baekhyun whispered, and then broke out into a smile and laughter upon Kyungsoo looking even more defeated.

 

“You know what? I revoke my invitation. You can starve.” Kyungsoo jumped off the back of the sofa, flipping the three of you off as he made his way out.

 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, sweets!” Baekhyun called out after him, and Kyungsoo stuck up his other finger.

 

“ you, Byun!”

 

+-+
 

“Hanna!” Baekhyun singsonged, circling around your dorm room the next day. “Time to go!”

 

“Where?” you asked, confused. You hadn’t made any plans; you had a test tomorrow, and all your study time was valuable and not to be wasted on silly things Baekhyun wanted to do.

 

“To get Kim Jongdae’s number, of course?”

 

“Who?”

 

Baekhyun sighed, shaking his head. “Chen, you . Chen’s a dumb nickname his friends gave him that he hates; his real name’s Kim Jongdae.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Kyungsoo’s class starts soon; if we want to catch him we have to go now.”

 

“And why am I getting dragged into this?”

 

“What if I get rejected? Unlikely, but still a possibility. I need you to drive me to Seulgi’s for ice cream.”

 

It was your turn to sigh in defeat. “For the last time, just because Kang Seulgi did a song about ice cream for a project doesn’t mean she actually has ice cream.”

 

Baekhyun pouted. “You’re so mean to me, but I’m bringing you anyways because I’m such a good friend. Who knows? Maybe we’ll find you a nice man there- Ow!”

 

You cut Baekhyun off, hitting him on the side of the head. You grabbed your jacket from the hook, slipping your right arm into it. “I hate you, Byun!”

 

Baekhyun grinned, slipping through the door to chase after you. “I love you!”

 

+-+

 

“Maybe he’s sick.” You frowned, trying to comfort your friend.

 

You, Baekhyun, and Kyungsoo stood in the hall outside Kyungsoo’s class, nervously eyeing the classroom across the hall which was, according to Kyungsoo, supposedly Kim Jongdae’s.

 

“Maybe he’s still upset about yesterday.” you continued.

 

The three of you had been waiting outside for close to fifteen minutes now, and so far, Jongdae was a no show. Kyungsoo had class soon; you couldn’t afford to wait out much longer, and it was starting to discourage Baekhyun.

 

“He’s probably a anyways.”

 

“He might not even be gay.” Kyungsoo reminded, and Baekhyun visibly deflated.

 

“We could stay friends,” Baekhyun frowned, tilting his head to the side. “I mean, if Hanna can do it-”

 

“Shut it!” you hissed, hitting him on the shoulder.

 

He laughed and twisted away from you, and then Kyungsoo reached over and placed his hands on Kyungsoo’s shoulders, calming him down and calling attention.

 

“Psst, six o’clock.” he whispered.

 

Baekhyun looked over, and his eyes widened. “My gosh,” he muttered, shaking off Kyungsoo’s grip. “And that’s twelve o’clock, by the way, wait, no, more like ten thirty.”

 

“It’s two o’clock in the afternoon.” you said, and both boys sighed.

 

“Twelve o’clock, like the direction, not the actual time,” Baekhyun said. “Be subtle, but look to your left-ish.”

 

Although the instructions were a little strange, you knew what Baekhyun meant and glanced over to see Kim Jongdae, Oh Sehun, and their other friend (Yifan, was it?) approaching the classroom door.

 

“Talk to me,” Yifan whined, repeatedly jabbing Jongdae in the shoulder blade. “I’m sorry, okay? I don’t know what else you want me to say or do.” Jongdae ignored Yifan, partially because he wore a pair of clunky headphones to block out both his friends.

 

“He told me earlier that if you buy me a car he’ll forgive you.” Sehun said, earning himself a thunk on the head from Yifan.

 

“That’s bull.”

 

“How do you know? You should buy me a car and see what he says.”

 

“That’s him!” you hissed at Baekhyun.

 

“Go, before class starts.” Kyungsoo pushed him forward.

 

“Jongdae!” Baekhyun called, and Yifan and Sehun turned around to face him, exchanged glances between the two, and then frowned, an unspoken conversation between the two.

 

Sehun reached forward, wrenching Jongdae’s headphones off and letting them hang around his neck. Jongdae turned around to scowl at his friends, but Sehun cut him off before he could even open his mouth.

 

“You know this kid?” he asked, gesturing to Baekhyun with his thumb.

 

Jongdae looked over to Baekhyun, who hesitated before advancing forward. Jongdae turned back to his friends and shrugged. “Never seen him.”

 

“Wait!” Baekhyun called out again, finally making his way up to the group properly. “I don’t know me, but you know my- wait, let me start again,” he flushed, laughing, and instead of shrugging him off as weird or strange, they relaxed, listening. Baekhyun sighed before speaking again. “You don’t know me, but I know you. I was at your show yesterday-”

 

“Oh god,” Jongdae cut in, rolling his eyes. “Listen, it was a stupid joke that got out of hand, okay? I-”

 

“No, no, it’s not what you think. I thought it was pretty cool.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah, it was…” Baekhyun trailed off, not knowing what to say. In truth, he didn’t like it and it was super lame, but he couldn’t tell a cute boy he was trying to impress that. “Cute,” he filled in, an idiotic coverup. “I’m Baekhyun.”

 

“Jongdae. But I think you knew that already.”

 

“I did. Oh!” Baekhyun turned around, grabbing your wrist and pulling you forward. Although it was past Kyungsoo’s class start time, he still hung by the wall outside his class, and so did Yifan and Sehun, who hovered behind Sehun, not having much input, but rather watching this fold out. You could tell it’d be something they’d make fun of later.

 

“This is Hanna. She was there yesterday, too.”

 

“Oh my god,” Jongdae groaned. “It feels like everyone was!”

 

“There was quite a lot of people there.” Sehun agreed, and Jongdae whirled around and thumped him on the chest.

 

“Get lost, loser.”

 

“ my .”

 

Jongdae just turned back around, rolling his eyes again. It seemed to you that all this guy did was roll his eyes, especially when it came to his friends.

 

It was after his annoyance lifted and his eye roll complete did he properly take you in for the first time - your neatly cropped hair, your eyes and their bluish/brownish/greenish colour, your mannerisms, generic things about you that made you similar to everyone else because the author doesn’t want to leave anyone out.

 

“I’m Jongdae.” he repeated dumbly, and made to stick his hand out, and then retracted it, thinking better of it.

 

Although you weren’t the most social, you could see how dumbfounded both boys were, and to save all of you embarrassment (but mostly Baekhyun), you talked, and continued to do so.

 

“I’m Hanna. Your class is starting, like, now, isn’t it? We don’t want you to be late; why don’t we meet up some other time for coffee or something?”

 

“Coffee would be great!” Jongdae perked up, and, copying Baekhyun, grabbed your wrist and extended your arm. “Here, text me later and we can figure something out,” he took a pen out of his back pocket and scratched his number onto your skin, some of the numbers faded in some places and some darker. “We could go after class if you wanted, wait, no, do you have class?”

 

Baekhyun shook his head. “We don’t have class today.”

 

“Good. I’ll see you after class, then. My class ends at four. I’ll see you then.”

 

His hand was still wrapped around your wrist, your arm still extended with the numbers branded on. With brief, barely noticeable hesitation, he slid his hand down and lightly held your hand, raising it and, at the same time, leaning down to meet his lips to your hand.

 

Just as suddenly as he had kissed the back of your hand he dropped it, turned red, and turned around, bolting into the classroom without another word, leaving you, Baekhyun, Kyungsoo, Sehun, and a shocked, mouth agape Kris in the hall.

 

“Dude!” Kris shrieked, skidding into the classroom. “What was that? Boi’s gonna like, get it.”

 

Sehun followed his friends, ducking into the classroom, and Kyungsoo pushed himself off of the wall, finally speaking.

 

“If you two after, please use a .” It was unclear exactly who the statement was aimed at between the two of you, and it seemed Kyungsoo didn’t care to elaborate; he his heel and slipped into his own classroom, hoping he wouldn’t be seen and pass on the late note.

 

Neither you nor Baekhyun knew what to say or do after that, and you were the only ones now left in the deserted halls. Wanting to break the air, you lifted your hand up so Baekhyun could clearly see the back of your hand.

 

“He wears lip gloss,” you said. “It’s pink and shimmery.”

 

“Sephora, do you think?”

 

You shook your hand. “Seems too thick for Sephora; I’d say Bath and Body Works. Smells quite minty.”

 

Baekhyun touched his finger to where the lip gloss was on your hand, and then brought it up closer to his face. “It’s sticky; definitely Bath and Body. Anyways,” he sighed, wiping the gloss off of  his finger and onto the thigh of his jeans. “Let’s go to Channie’s dorm while we wait. We don’t want to wander off too far; we’ll likely go somewhere close to campus.”

 

“I was going to ask why Chanyeol didn’t come,” you asked, following Baekhyun as he made his way down the hall to wherever Chanyeol’s dorm was. “He did nothing but hype you up for this.”

 

Last night, you were added to a group chat with Chanyeol, Baekhyun, and Kyungsoo, and when you awoke this morning to 251 messages from it, you figured Baekhyun and Chanyeol had stayed up almost all night talking about it. You briefly skimmed through it, seeing that when Baekhyun had his doubts and was going to back out Chanyeol talked him back into it, and it was Chanyeol who came up with the ‘You don’t know me, but I know you,’ line.

 

“Chanyeol’s watching football with some of his friends. He’s a huge Liverpool fan. I usually hate being with him when football’s on - the accent comes out and I can’t understand a word he says - but his dorm is in a really convenient place so we can usck it up for an hour or two.”

 

“An accent?”

 

“Yeah, when Channie was like, five, maybe? He moved to England with his mother and spoke Korean to her and English everywhere else, so he got the Liverpool accent. Which really , when people find out he’s English they expect him to sound like some YouTuber or even Downton Abbey or Doctor Who, but he ends up sounding like The Beatles. Not that we have anything against The Beatles, but a Lancashire accent is totally cooler than a Liverpool one.”  

 

“I don’t really know the difference.” you admitted.

 

“Tell Chanyeol he sounds like he’s from Lancashire and you’ll figure it out.”

 

It wasn’t long before the two of you made it to Chanyeol’s dorm, and Baekhyun didn’t care to knock, or even carefully open the door. He all put kicked it in with his foot, and again Park Chanyeol was perched on the back of a sofa, his elbows resting on his knees and his face in his hands. His back was towards the two of you, but you could already tell he was wearing the letterman jacket again.

 

Chanyeol straightened, tensing, closing his fist and bringing it up in anticipation. You were never a huge sports fan and didn’t really follow what was going on on the television in front of you, but Chanyeol didn’t seem to like it as he folded over in pain, yelling.

 

“Is he taking the piss?” Chanyeol asked, gesturing angrily at the television.

 

“Shut up, you bloody Scouser.” a woman chimed in. You didn’t recognize him, and Baekhyun didn’t seem to either, as he didn’t bother to introduce you.

 

There were multiple people surrounding the sofa, the majority wearing an array of red and white clothing (or, in one man’s case, facepaint), except for two women to the far right, who wore blue and what seemed like a neon chartreuse.

 

“It was a horrible play,” Chanyeol argued. “Ref’s probably ing plastered.”

 

“I think you’re the one taking the piss, Chan.” a man scowled, causing the people around them to laugh, and Chanyeol sulked.

 

“Chanyeollie!” Baekhyun cheered, pulling you further into the room. Despite having stood in the doorway for a moment, Chanyeol turned around as if he had just noticed the two of you.

 

“Oh, hey Baekhyun.” Chanyeol said.

 

“Whatcha doing?”

 

“Football.” Chaneyol turned back around.

 

Baekhyun came up behind Chanyeol, leaning into his side. Baekhyun was too short to reach much of Chanyeol, especially because he was up on the back of the sofa. “Cool. Who’s playing?”

 

“Liverpool and Huddersfield.”

 

“Who’s winning?”

 

“Liverpool.”

 

“Is that good?”

 

“Very.”

 

“Did you know Hanna didn’t know you were from England?”

 

“Yeah, there’s some in the fridge, I got some for you.”

 

“Oh,” Baekhyun muttered, leaning off of Chanyeol and taking a few steps back to stand near you. “Usually when I come in when Chanyeol’s playing football, I ask of he’s got any drinks for me. All this time I thought he was actually paying attention to what I was saying…” he frowned.

 

You felt bad, but you couldn’t help put snicker a little at your friend. “I’m sure he’s just too wrapped up in the game.”

 

Baekhyun shook his head. “No, he’s been a little standoffish lately… now that I think about it, he got like that after we ed…”

 

“Since when were you two dating?” You couldn’t even remember a time when Baekhyun told you he had a boyfriend. Wanting a boyfriend, yes, but never actually having one.

 

“We’re not. We just did it anyways.”

 

“Well, that may be why, you dumb .”

 

“I can’t figure out whether he loves or hates me, though.”

 

“I don’t think he really cares.”

 

“He does - enough for his attitude towards me to change.”

 

“I guess. I don’t really know; I’ve know the guy for like, a day.”

 

“That’s true,” Baekhyun sighed, and then stepped up closer to Chanyeol again. “Do you mind if Hanna and I crash here for a little bit? We’re waiting for Kim Jongdae to get out of his class. We’ve got a date.”

 

Chanyeol turned around, paying real attention to Baekhyun now. His full, undivided attention - no side glances at the television or pauses to cheer and kick his friends in excitement. “A date?” he demanded.

 

Baekhyun nodded, a smug smile on his face as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Yep, a real life date, Channie. I know you don’t get much of those, especially now that Soosie and Nini broke up. You should give Hanna tips on third-wheeling.”

 

Chanyeol rolled his eyes. “What do you want?”

 

“Nothing. Just wanted you to know.”

 

“You came to tell me that?”

 

“And because your dorm is the most convenient spot on campus.”

 

“True,” Chanyeol said, and then kicked something off of the sofa and onto the floor with his foot. “You two can come sit in front of me if you want. You may have to squish in, though. There’s drinks in the fridge if you want them.”

 

“We’re fine. We’re going to a coffee shoppe.”

 

“Fancy.”

 

“Very.”

 

You and Baekhyun sat, pressed up close together, trying to focus on Baekhyun’s mindless chatter over the shouts of Chanyeol and his friends.

 

“Is there anyone in this room you haven’t ed?” you asked after Baekhyun pointed out some people to you, telling you about them. Some of it was gossip, like the fact that that one guy was cheating on his girlfriend with another girl, and some of it was just plain nonsense, like some lame party trick someone else did freshman year.

 

“The women,” Baekhyun said, and you held back a laugh as to not disturb Chanyeol and his friends, who were yelling over the decision of a referee. “Here, let me see your arm. I should text Chen before his class ends. We don’t want to leave it too late.”

 

Baekhyun pulled your arm forward, glancing from your arm to his phone and back again before he was satisfied and dropped your arm, letting it bounce back into your lap.

 

bbbaekhi: hey ??

chennymcchenchen: this is??

chennymcchenchen: oh nvm fro earlier right?????

bbbaekhi: lmao yea

bbbaekhi: is now not a good time or-

chennymcchenchen: no no ur fine anything to not have to pay attentio in ths damn class lol

chennymcchenchen: i was actuallly hoping youd text soon

chennymcchenchen: i realilzed i forot to get ur number i-

bbbaekhi: lmao it aight

 

“Do you think that means he was thinking of me?” Baekhyun asked you.

 

You watched him text the whole time, pointing out little things to make his texts sound better. You were both pretty worried over how you sounded and came across, but Jongdae didn’t seem to care. If he did, he didn’t show it.

 

You shrugged. “Maybe he just really wants to get out of class.”

 

Even when you and Baekhyun worked hard together, there wasn’t much smarts between the two of you. The both of you had made a snack run to a convenience store once, and another man there had called for his friend by using ‘hon’, and it wasn’t until you arrived back at your dorm did it click that it was neither of you who called each other, as you both thought the other had called for them, but that there was other people in the store to begin with.

 

Baekhyun’s lack of sense began to show itself here, in this texting situation, but in some sort of miracle you could see the problem here - Jongdae gave you his number. Jongdae thought he was talking to you, not Baekhyun, and anything Jongdae said was meant to be sent to you and not Baekhyun. However, Baekhyun thought Jongdae’s messages were meant for him, and you were unsure if you wanted to burst Baekhyun’s bubble or not. He was happy, thinking that a guy he liked finally liked him back and that this was a date for the two of them (while you walked over, Baekhyun will probably ask you to steal off to the bathroom until he texts so he can get some time alone with Jongdae. Despite your protests, this wasn’t the first time you were used as backup for a date. Maybe that’s why they never went well…) and not a huge miscommunication. But on the other hand, telling Baekhyun now could keep up his optimism and ego, whereas letting him figure it out on his own later could be messy and crushing for him.

 

“Oh my gosh, look at the place he sent,” Baekhyun broke into your thoughts, and you peered at his phone screen, watching him scroll through photos of the coffee shoppe online. “This is so nice - Yang Junmu proposed to Park Jiyoung here. Do you think he’s going to propose?”

 

You laughed at the panic in your friend’s face. “No, I guarantee he won’t.”

 

“Good. I’m too young to be married. Besides, it’s the lesbians who run into relationships quickly, not gay men. But proposing on the first date is fast, even for lesbians.”

 

You sighed. “I don’t think a proposal is anything either of us need to be worried about anytime soon.”

 

“We should head over soon, though,” Baekhyun said, moving on. “It’s not far, but it’s still a bit of a walk. We don’t want to be late.”

 

“What time are we meeting for?”

 

“His class ends at four, and it’s about a fifteen minute walk from his class, so four fifteen.”

 

“Please tell me he won’t be taking a ‘bathroom break’ five minutes in.”

 

It took Baekhyun a second to understand your joke, but when it clicked, he leaned over onto you, laughing. “No, no. It’d be Oh Sehun you need to worry about it.”

 

A few moments later, you and Baekhyun bid farewell to Chanyeol, who gave a half-hearted wave as he left and made your way to the coffee shoppe.

 

Again, you let Baekhyun lead you. He said he’d been to the shoppe before, whereas you haven’t, and he had directions on his phone. Even then, Baekhyun had a better sense of direction than you.

 

You right earlier in assuming that Baekhyun would ask for time alone with Jongdae, asking you to leave to the bathroom for awhile.

 

“You could use your period as an excuse if you need to.” he said.

 

“But I’m not on my period.” you argued, grabbing onto Baekhyun’s hand as you crossed a street.

 

“He doesn’t know that.”

 

“Neither do you, apparently.”

 

It wasn’t surprising that you and Baekhyun arrived earlier than Jongdae. Baekhyun wanted to leave earlier than need be. “What if we get lost?” he argued. “Or one of us falls or gets kidnapped? It’s better to be early rather than late.”

 

“If one of us gets kidnapped we’re not showing up period.”

 

“If one of us gets kidnapped, the kidnapper will drop us back off where they found us within a few minutes, bet.”

 

“I hate that that’s true.”

 

You weren’t terribly early - less than ten minutes - and you didn’t mind waiting, since there was two of you. You found a table that sat four near the wall, a string of fairy lights draped beside it, sitting across from one another.

 

“Jongdae says he’ll be here in a minute,” Baekhyun read off his phone. “When I kick you-”

 

“I can leave, I know,” you rolled your eyes. “This isn’t our first time doing this.”

 

“And this is why I love you. Now, do you think getting a hot cocoa would be a bad idea? I am wearing white…”

 

Baekhyun and you fussed over a drinks for a moment, ruling out any hot drinks to avoid feeling too hot and potentially sweating, and any cold drinks had to have little or no ice to avoid condensation.

 

It wasn’t long before the bell attached to the door rang, and Kim Jongdae entered. He quickly spotted the two of you and made his way towards you, drawing out the chair next to Baekhyun. This caused your friend to hit your knee with his foot in excitement, a ‘he sat beside me, we’re obviously getting married’ type way, and you bit back your own thoughts. He likely sat there because it was closest to the door. You still hadn’t broken your texting mishap thoughts to him yet. You decided it was best to let it play out; maybe it was you who was wrong and not him, or maybe it didn’t matter. It was still easier for you to comfort Baekhyun when and if he got his heart broken then tell him, if he even believed you. You thought he’d likely shrug it off, say you were just being silly because it was someone the two of you barely knew.

 

“How was class?” Baekhyun asked, fiddling with the end of a paper napkin on the table.

 

“Boring.” Jongdae sighed, leaning back into the wooden chair.

 

“What do you study?” you asked.

 

“Art,” Jongdae replied, dumbfounded and confused. “Do you two not…”

 

Baekhyun shook his head. “Law and Justice.”

 

“Criminology.” you added.

 

“You guys make me feel stupid now,” Jongdae laughed. “I thought you were art kids, too. I mean, that’s why you were in the Geulim hall, no?”

 

Again, Jongdae regarded both of you with uncertainty, and you and Baekhyun had no choice but to shake your heads.

 

“We’re in the same building,” Baekhyun offered, phrasing it rather as a question than a statement. “If that helps.”

 

“We’re in the Guojia hall.” you added,

 

“Then why were you in Geulim if you don’t have classes there?” Jongdae asked, demanding and accusation bleeding through into his tone.

 

“Do Kyungsoo does,” you said quickly before Baekhyun could say anything stupid. You shot him a look of warning. “He’s the Art kid you’re looking for.”

 

Jongdae relaxed, laughing. “You’re friends with Park Chanyeol, too, no?” You both nodded. “Maybe that’s why I thought you were art kids.”

 

“Perhaps.” you muttered.

 

“I do hang out with a lot of art kids,” Baekhyun mused. “Her, though, just me, really.”

 

They laughed at that, and you shot Baekhyun a look, giving him a swift kick to the shins under the table.

 

“Anyways,” Baekhyun readjusted in his seat, moving on. “What should we get to drink? Hanna and I wanted to wait for you to order so we didn’t seem rude, but I’ve been eyeing this iced americano the whole time…”

 

Jongdae glanced over at the menu, leaning onto Baekhyun slightly to see. Baekhyun wagged his eyebrows at you when Jongdae couldn’t see, and you shot him another look that told him to shut the hell up. You didn’t talk much, but your expressions did all the talking for you.

 

“That latte macchiato looks good.” Jongdae said.

 

“I had that not too long ago. It was good.”

 

“I don’t usually drink too much caffeine, so I don’t come to places like this too often. I usually get some tea from that place down over on Bihaeng Street, or make my own at my dorm.”

 

“They have teas here.”

 

“Yeah, but nothing I really like. Do you think they have decaf?”

 

Baekhyun shrugged. “Maybe. Hanna, what are you getting?”

 

You paused, unsure. “A green tea lemonade, I guess.”

 

“You could have ordered drinks without me, though.” Jongdae said.

 

“Doesn’t matter. We were still deciding, anyways. I’ll order?”

 

“Sure,” Baekhyun said lazily, leaning onto the table. “Just the iced americano; you know the drill.”

 

You looked over at Jongdae, who relaxed back into his chair away from Baekhyun. “I’ll take the latte macchiato, decaf if they have it, if you don’t mind.”

 

“If they don’t have decaf is it still fine?” you asked. “Or do you want something else?”

 

“Yeah, of course. Here.” Jongdae leaned away from Baekhyun, digging into his pants pocket and pulling out his wallet, handing you a bill which you took and wandered off to the service counter, repeating the orders in your head as to not forget them and get them right.

 

“Listen,” Jongdae said, shifting in his seat to better face Baekhyun. “I’m sorry about earlier.”

 

This caught Baekhyun off guard, and he gave Jongdae a confused look. “What?”

 

“Back in Geulim, before class.”

 

“Okay…” Baekhyun laughed, uncertain. “I don’t get it.”

 

“I kissed Hanna’s hand. I thought you’d be pissed.”

 

“Oh, that?” Baekhyun laughed for real this time. “I don’t care. I do care about where you buy your lip gloss from, though.”

 

Jongdae gingerly touched his fingers to lips, and then shook his head, breaking himself free from his thoughts. “Tha-that doesn’t matter. It wasn’t… right of me to do that.”

 

“I mean, unless she didn’t like it, I could care less.”

 

Jongdae paused for a moment before speaking again. “Yeah, but a guy shouldn’t kiss another guy’s girl.”

 

Although Baekhyun could be quite dim at times, his one brain cell shone through. “Oh, she’s not my girlfriend.” he laughed.

 

Jongdae turned a slight shade of red and ducked his face away, biting back a laugh. “I thought she was. You two just seemed so close-”

 

“Believe me, if she could have this she would. But I’m gay. It gets a little muddy.”

 

Again, Jongdae paused before continuing to speak, as if turning information over in his head. “Is this what you think it is?”

 

“What? Crazy bat; you make no sense.”

 

Jongdae sighed, again moving around in the chair to better face Baekhyun, leaning over onto the table. “Did you read the texts between Hanna and I earlier?”

 

Baekhyun paled as the pieces began to sink together, painting the clear picture you had already seen but were too afraid to show him. “They were mine.”

 

Jongdae bit his lip. “I don’t… I think we both had very different ideas onto what this is.”

 

“Was,” Baekhyun corrected, standing up abruptly as you wandered back over, setting the drinks you balanced in your arms down on the table. “I think Hanna and I should leave.”

 

“I-”

 

“What’s wrong?” you frowned, reaching out to hand Jongdae his change.

 

“Change of heart,” Baekhyun murmured, reaching for his americano. “Let’s go, Hanna.”

 

Baekhyun grasped your wrist, pulling you towards him. You snatched up your own drink as Baekhyun continued to pull you away.

 

“I’m sorry.” you muttered, dropping his change on the table.

 

“Text me?” Jongdae said, and you nodded.

 

As soon as you stepped outside of the shoppe, you wrenched your arm away from Baekhyun, following him down the street. “What the was that?” you demanded.

 

You were used to third wheeling on dates with Baekhyun. You were used to a light kick to the foot and pissing around in the bathroom for a while on your phone to give him time alone and you were used to secretly checking your phone for texts from him for when he wanted out and you were used to coming up with excuses to get him out of dates gone bad and you were used to looking at every detail about the men Baekhyun went out with but never actually dated. And you were okay with it, you were okay with all these things, but no explanation to sudden coldness from him and being dragged out of a coffee shoppe before you could even sit down with drinks was not something you were used to or okay with, and not only did it confuse the hell out of you, but made you kinda pissed at your friend, too.

 

“Bad date.” was Baekhyun’s only reply.

 

You hurried a few paces ahead of him and then stopped, causing him to stop as well. “There has to be more to it than just that.” you used a soft, understanding tone, as Baekhyun was obviously upset, and as mad as you were at him, getting mad at him now would only make things worse.

 

“He thought you and I were dating.”

 

“Really? That’s why? Many people think that, Baekkie. All you had to tell him was that we weren’t.”

 

“I did. And that I was gay.”

 

You could tell where this was going. You knew it, you saw it before, and guilty feelings creeped in for not telling him before. He took it worse than you thought. You expected him to laugh it off as he usually does things, not get up and leave on sight.

 

“So?” you ventured, not sure if you wanted him to repeat back what you already knew.

 

Baekhyun flopped onto the sidewalk, sticking his feet onto the gutter of the street, resting his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands, just like you had seen Park Chanyeol do. You sat gingerly beside Baekhyun, being careful where you placed your feet as to not get your shoes dirty.

 

“So, he figured out I thought it was a date and I figured out he didn’t, that Kyungsoo was right that he wasn’t even gay and when he figured out he was texting me and not you he was, like, all weird about it. I was a little scared of what he would say or do next, and I just wanted to leave.”

 

“Understandable.”

 

“What if he’s homophobic? This could end badly for me. We barely knew the guy.”

 

“I don’t think he’ll do anything. He’s friends with Oh Sehun; he won’t try anything.” You didn’t know if there was truth in that, but rather just reiterated what you had heard Kyungsoo say a while ago, and it seemed to work as Baekhyun laughed a little, turning his head away and pushing back a smirk.

 

“Still, it still scares me.”

 

“I get that, but I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Worrying never does anything.” You expected Baekhyun to say something to that, but he was quiet, so you continued to speak. ‘Why don’t we go over to Seulgi’s? Get some ice cream to get your mind off of it.”

 

“I thought you said Seulgi’s didn’t actually have ice cream.” Baekhyun finally turned to face you.

 

“Yeah, well, I think she’s used to your post-date ice cream needs  by now. Worse comes to worse, I’ll run out and get us some.”

 

“Good thing Seulgi’s out of class by now.” Baekhyun said, standing up and stretching.

 

chennymcchenchen: is baekhyun okay????

hannabbannana: yea he just got spooked but hes okay

chennymcchenchen: where are you guys now???

hannabbannana: at seulgis eating ice cream why ?

chennymcchenchen: wanted to make sure u were ok

chennymcchenchen: i dont mean to keep buggin u but was it smth i said??? I feel bad + dont want hm to feel bad

hannabbannana: you didnt hear this from me but after he told you he was gay he thought you were “weird about it”

chennymcchenchen: bc i thought i was talking to you and he thought this was a date and it was a bit of a mess and i was still trying to line e;verything up im a art kid ok??? Not some math kid that

hannabbannana: i think math might be the wrong major but yur on the right track

chennymcchenchen: shUT UP I KNW COLOURS AND SHT NOT FKKKKKKKNNNNN WHATEVER

chennymcchenchen: anyways i bc we kinda got ripped off (no hard feelins baeek) can i take just you out smtime????? as like a makeup date bc you left early not bc i like you or anything

hannabbannana: baek has class on thursay at 12:25

chennymcchenchen: same place? 12:35?

hannabbannana: ill see you then

 

“He totally likes you,” Kang Seulgi said, mouthful of chocolate ice cream cake. “At least a little.”

 

“I don’t care,” Baekhyun said nonchalantly, digging his fork into the hard part of the cake in front of him. He sat on top of the table, his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands, his feet resting on a chair. You and Seulgi sat in front of him in chairs, Seulgi's feet propped up against the table so she could tip the chair back on its back two legs. “You can have him. I never liked him anyways.”

 

“That’s bull and I don’t even know half the story.” Seulgi grumbled.

 

“Honestly Seul? you.”

 

“You wish.”

 

+-+
 

Thursday rolled around too quick for you, and before you knew it you were dropping Baekhyun off at his class and using the GPS on your phone to find your way back to the coffee shoppe, having already debated with Baekhyun on what you should get - a strawberry acai lemonade.

 

Entering the shoppe, Jongdae was already sitting at the same table as before, in the chair you had drawn last time. He leaned forward onto the table, tapping around on his phone with one hand and absentmindedly playing with the straw of his drink.

 

“Hey.” you said quietly, unsure of what else to say as you slid into the seat opposite Jongdae, the one Baekhyun had sat in before, closest to the wall. You had never gone on one of these dates by yourself before; just as you always went with Baekhyun, on the rare occasion you actually liked someone and got up the nerve to ask them out, he came with you. But this was different. You were on your own now, without him to save you with a kick to the foot or a discreet text.

 

“Hey,” Jongdae repeated back to you, flipping his phone over so it laid face-down on the table. “How are you?”

 

“Good,” you said, finding that you were unable to draw up words to keep the conversation going already, although only a few words had been spoken between the both of you. This is what Baekhyun was for; was to do the talking for you. You wished for an earpiece with Baekhyun on the other end like in the movies. “A little tired is all.”

 

“Aren’t we all?” Jongdae laughed, and then sobered. “I, uh, got a little something before you came,” he frowned, holding up his drink. “I walked over with Sehun and he wanted something and he said he’d pay for me if I ordered for him, so…” he trailed off, fidgeting in his seat. “I can get you something if you want.”

 

“Uh, sure, thanks.” you said, opening the small purse you had strapped to you and pulling out a few bills, handing them to him.

 

To your surprise, he laid his hand gently on yours, pushing it back towards you. “Nah, on me. What do you want.”

 

“Oh, uh, thanks. Just a, uh, strawberry açai lemonade, please?” You were surprised you remembered the whole thing, and more so that that was the only fully pieced together thing you said without fumbling all over your words.

 

“A what?”

 

“A strawberry acai lemonade,” you repeated. “It’s like, a, uh…” you stopped, not sure on how to describe it. Truthfully, you didn’t really know what it was. “Drink?” you laughed and then shrugged. “Park Chanyeol told me to get it.”

 

Jongdae raised an eyebrow at you. “Your friends with Park Chanyeol?”

 

“Not really,” you admitted. “Baekhyun is; I just met him and Do Kyungsoo a few days ago.”

 

“And you trust him enough to take his drink recommendations?”

 

“He had one on him and it tasted good.”

 

Jongdae laughed, standing up. “Okay, one strawberry açai lemonade, coming right up.”

 

You smiled as you watched him wander away off to the service counter. He returned a few moments later, placing your drink down on the table in front of you. “I took a sip and now I feel like I should go to Park Chanyeol for drink recommendations.”

 

You laughed. “And to think you doubted us.”

 

At first, the conversation between you and Jongdae was strained and a little awkward, but the more you talked the easier and more natural it became. It flowed better; there was no overlap or talking over one another or one doing all the talking or one feeling like they weren’t heard.

 

It seemed longer than it actually had been when you had both finished your drinks, the ‘how’s it going ? u ok ? u dead ?’ text from Baekhyun being left on read as you both leaned close into the table, peering at the drink menu, trying to decide on another to get to share on the walk over to your dorm. It wasn’t a far walk, and neither of you really needed more sugar, but the drinks were so bright and appetizing you wanted to try more.

 

“We could always just come back.” you suggested, feeling bold.

 

“Yeah, we definitely will, but it’ll take us too long to get through every drink here. I plan on taking you somewhere else at least once.”

 

You finally decided on a green tea drink, mainly because Jongdae was unsure whether he liked green tea or not.

 

“Green tea is one of my favourites.” you said, handing the drink over to Jongdae.

 

He took it, bringing the straw to his lips, and then making a face and handing it back to you. “That’s whack, and I’ll drink the cotton candy drinks they have.”

 

You laughed, taking it and bringing it back to your lips. As you did so, Jongdae slipped his hand in yours, guiding you across the street.

 

You didn’t say anything, but it’s not like you had anything to say. You liked it, and so you adjusted your grip on his hand.

 

bbbaekhi: ok happy two months with dae or whatever but movie night is at my dorm tonight and were gonna watch clueless (maybe mamma mia tbh im still deciding) whether u like it or not and chanyeols coming and i might him so hell literally be coming hahahah anyways you and dae are coming sorry to stomp on any plans u might have but u ditched movie night last week and idc if i have to track u down to whever you are and wahtever youre doing and force you to watch this movie in the middle of a fancy restaurant if i have to

bbbaekhi: actually nvm that youre both broke asf ill find you counting change at a food truck or smth

hannabbannana: literally stfu

hannabbannana: but if its mamma mia im in