A/N

BEFORE YOU GO ON TO RE-READ THIS CHAPTER~ I'D JUST LIKE TO SAY A WORD OF THANKS TO Shineeboyfriend FOR SAVING MY STORY <3 THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU SO MUCH ^______^~

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Yongguk scratched his head, unable to comprehend what had happened merely moments before. Okay, so that was unexpected to say the least, he thought. I’m not sure whether that makes us friends, but at least we know each other on a first-name basis. That should be okay right? I mean, it’s not like we have to talk again or anything. Well, we are going to, seeing as he agreed when I asked if I would see him around. That should count for something, shouldn’t it? If Himchan asked me if I were to see him around, I’d say yes and mean it, but I don’t know whether he meant it… But why wouldn’t he mean it though? He seemed like a pretty nice guy, albeit a bit cold to begin with. And actually, I wouldn’t mind talking to him again, seeing as he has expertise in music, and maybe he could share some advice or a few pointers or something. That would be cool. But what if he doesn’t want to? What should I do then? Why is this so confusing all of a sudden? He’s just a guy…

He mulled over his thoughts for a moment. After a while, he sighed.

“Bang Yongguk,” he thought out loud, “why are you even thinking about this? Don’t you have anything better to do?”

As soon as the final words left his lips, a look of panic struck his face. He checked his watch – 5 minutes after recess ended. His eyes widened.

“!”

Yongguk stuck his hand in his backpack, frantically rummaging through the contents and feeling for a laminated A4-sized page. His fingers brushed against the plastic and he quickly grasped it, pulling it out of his bag. He quickly scanned the timetable for his next class and realized it was Chemistry. Yongguk exhaled. That’s a relief; it’s not very far from here.

He burst through the doors to an empty hallway, almost ruining the hinges from the heavy force. The emptiness proved to be advantageous to Yongguk, as there were no obstacles for him from when he broke into a run. After a few seconds, Yongguk arrived at his classroom, putting his hands on his knees to catch his breath. After regaining his composure, he knocked and entered the room, which was, unfortunately for him, dead silent, and 29 pairs of widened eyes met his own. Yongguk, feeling his cheeks turn red, scratched his head and faced the teacher, who was, needless to say, looking very bitter.

“Well, well, well, if it isn't my favourite Mr. Bang Yongguk," he began, raising a pair of greying, bushy eyebrows and tapping a sharp fingernail against his watch. "I'm ecstatic you found the time to actually come to my class. However, it would seem like you still need to work on your punctuality."

Control yourself, Jepp, Yongguk thought, clenching his fists.

"Sorry, Mr. Woo," the student mumbled, bowing slightly as an accompaniment. "Won't happen again."

"You bet every dark hair on your head that it won't happen again," Mr. Woo retorted. "I'll let you off, seeing as it's the first day and I'm feeling considerably pleasant at the moment. In addition, you wouldn't want to see your tardiness get you into more trouble, now would you? Remember last year? Hmm?"

The rhetorical question set off sniggers in the class. Yongguk clenched harder, his knuckles turning white.

"No, sir."

"I thought not. Sit down."

Yongguk sighed, and turned to face the class. He scanned the seats and found an empty one at the back, squinting to see who his future Chemistry neighbour was going to be, and when he realized who it was, his eyes bulged out of his face. The smiling eyes, the defined philtrum, and most especially the rabbit teeth.

Himchan?!

Yongguk felt his stomach flip when he came to this realization, and he exhaled slowly. I guess I'm hungry, he thought, tightening the grip on his backpack. Coincidence.

He pulled out the chair beside his smug classmate. Yongguk could feel Himchan’s eyes boring into him, watching his every move.

“What?” the older asked, the amount of discomfort he was feeling getting to him. “Have you a reason for staring at me so intently?”

Himchan shook his head.

“No, I’m just curious as to what Mr. Woo was referring to by ‘last year’.”

Yongguk snorted. “That’s a story for another time. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to have my daily nap.”

“Whatever,” Himchan muttered, raising his hands.

The class got settled down, and before he knew it, Yongguk was already dozing off. He could hear the voice of Mr. Woo become more distant.

As the chemicals become bonded… Two elements combine into one… Electrons join together to feel full…

***

Yongguk felt a finger poke his side.

“Yah, Yongguk,” he heard a voice murmur, “don’t you want to go to the music room now?”

"Mmm," he grunted in reply, slowly opening his eyes, which were met by Himchan's own glittering, curious ones. Yongguk inhaled sharply when he realised the close proximity their faces were in. To Yongguk's relief, Himchan shimmied back into his seat.

"Did I sleep through the entire lesson?"

Himchan nodded, examining his nails. "It's not like you missed anything important anyway. It was just Mr. Woo babbling on about atomic structure. Electrons and . He kept saying the word 'bonded' repeatedly."

Yongguk stretched his arms, looking around the classroom. It had been emptied, now silent due to the absence of the flurry of pupils who were in here just moments previously. He turned to face Himchan, meeting his eyes. Both boys felt slightly uncomfortable, with both taking note of that fact. Himchan was the first to break the silence, his cough a means of breaking the lack of buzz expectant in a classroom.

“So, shall we get going?”

Yongguk shrugged. “Yeah, I guess so.”

They packed up their belongings, and departed for the ever-familiar music room; the room which initiated their acquaintanceship, and – unbeknownst to the boys – would be the main place for their friendship to blossom. Yongguk and Himchan struggled to make small talk, discussing about the weather or what classes they shared (turned out it was just Chemistry; Yongguk didn’t know how to feel about this) or how many siblings each boy had (both were the maknae of their families, and they both had an older sister). Yongguk was confused at how tongue-tied he was, even more so at how Himchan was struggling to make conversation too.

Shouldn’t he, of all quick-witted people, be able to keep the conversation going? he thought.

After a while, there was a slight pause, when Yongguk suddenly remembered something.

“Himchan?” Yongguk asked, scratching his head while putting extra thought into his words than usual.

The other boy turned his head, raising his eyebrows expectantly. 

“I was just wondering, um, why did your personality change,” he continued, making hand movements in an attempt to find the right word, “like, suddenly?”

Himchan squinted back at him. “What do you mean?” he asked slowly in response. 

“Earlier. When I first met you, you weren’t exactly the epitome of politeness. But when we got to know each other and stuff… That whole façade kind of changed, I suppose. You seem okay now… Nice, even.”

Yongguk realised he must have hit something in Himchan, as his eyes softened with vulnerability. However, this lasted for a brief moment, as they glazed over with protectiveness. 

“So? That’s just how I am,” he snapped, jutting his chin out in an act of cockiness. “I’m not going to pretend to be nice just because I’m still new at this school. If people want to be friends with me, then they make an effort. If not, then does it seem like I give a ? No. No, it doesn’t. I don’t care if I have friends, I don’t care if I don’t. There are more important things than friends anyway.”

Yongguk’s eyes widened at the sudden rant.

“Okay then. Sorry. Forget I asked,” he said in a low voice, looking away in embarrassment.

“No, no, don’t take what I said the wrong way,” Himchan said hurriedly, waving his hands. “Although it may not seem like it right now, I’m glad you decided to pay an effort.”

I paid an effort? Yongguk pondered.

Subconsciously, Yongguk did. Of all the things he loathed in this world – from the green chlorophyll of tree leaves, to the crackling, white paint of the old school building – he seemingly made an exception to the person who had the guts to snap at him, to his face, on first meeting.

He wasn’t sure why, though.

Yongguk was drawn to Himchan, the feeling of attraction entirely foreign to him.

But he would not readily admit that.

“Well, looks like we’re here,” Yongguk said, pushing the door for Himchan to go through. “Ladies first.”

Himchan scoffed. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” Yongguk pressed, nodding his head towards the door and smirking. “Go.”

Himchan allowed a huge smile to spread on his face, before bellowing with laughter, doubling up and leaning against the wall for support. Yongguk could see the sparkle in Himchan’s eyes, the happiness countagious as he began to laugh too.

Eventually he regained his composure, straightening up and fixing his blazer. He put on a serious face.

"If anyone is the lady here,” he began mock-patronisingly (Yongguk hoped it was fake anyway), “it would be you, Mr. Bang Yongguk. Look at those girly hands. Tell me if I’m wrong.”

Yongguk compared his hands with Himchan’s, noting the visible difference between Himchan’s bony, large ones to his own feminine, small ones. Defeated, he pushed through the door glumly.

“Cheer up,” Himchan called from behind. “We live in a modern-day society. Women are independent now.”

Yongguk stuck his tongue out. “Shut up, you .”

Why did I just do that? he thought, cringing at his sudden mehrong. I never do that.

Himchan waved an arm flatly. “Whatever.”

Yongguk looked over at Himchan, who was already getting stuck into his guitar. Himchan looked up, feeling the other boy’s gaze and flashed a quick smile, unknowingly making Yongguk’s stomach flip. “What?”

Yongguk shook his head.

There must be something wrong with my stomach, Yongguk thought. It keeps flipping today. Did I eat the wrong piece of toast this morning?

He sat down at one of the iMacs and brushed through his dark hair. He sighed, beginning to organise his thoughts.

From an awkward atmosphere just moments earlier to light-hearted banter now. What’s going on?