Lunchtime. The most favoured time of the day for most, Yongguk included.

He was walking in the busy corridor, every so often avoiding a random freshman – or rather, a freshman avoiding him, since Yongguk’s grimace didn’t exactly scream “approachable”.

He was about to turn a corner and head outside when he saw a familiar set of glittering eyes…

Daehyun.

…Followed by another familiar face.

Himchan? What would he be doing with Daehyun?

Yongguk suddenly remembered what Daehyun told him that morning – his ‘plans’, as a result of some careless accident. God, he can be such an idiot.

“No,” he thought out loud, shaking his head quickly. “It’s not Himchan. It couldn’t be Himchan. Himchan isn’t gay. No way. He’s too cool for that. Too cool for homouality.”

Yongguk bit his tongue instantly, knowing how his slaying words could cause damage if Daehyun heard.

Thankfully, he didn’t.

Yongguk pulled his hood up over his head and stayed close behind the pair, lurking behind columns and in shadows as a means to not be seen. He poked his face around the corner of a building as he watched them as they conversed, obviously Daehyun taking the lead in the conversation.

For someone who doesn’t have a lot of friends, he sure blabs a lot.

They laughed heartily. Yongguk took the time to admire the way Himchan’s eyes turned up into little crescents. His stomach flipped, a feeling he was beginning to get used to.

I should really eat something.

Yongguk continued to watch them from afar, starting to become slightly fed up at their lengthy conversation. He was about to get up and eat his lunch when he noticed Himchan was blushing while playing with his jacket zipper, eventually looking back up at Daehyun with a shy smile.

That’s cu—No. That is not cute.

Yongguk felt his stomach do a mini-somersault once again; only this time, it didn’t feel as comfortable as the other times. It didn’t have the same warmth that he was beginning to be familiar to, the feeling similar to drinking a nice hot chocolate on a frosty day; the feeling he experienced just now was more of a jab in the gut. He didn’t like this feeling.

I guess I should eat, he thought, amounting it to hunger.

He removed his (sadly, slightly squashed) sandwich from his backpack, and began to gnaw on it. He surprisingly wasn’t as hungry as he thought.

Then why was my stomach flipping the entire day?

Yongguk shook his head, rattling his thoughts away as well. He continued to chew, picking at the crisp lettuce leaves.

“Freak,” a freshman sneered down the corridor at him. “You ing loner!”

Yongguk, although with extreme difficulty, kept his cool and ignored him. At least, he tried. Not this again.

“Aren’t you going to do anything about it? ?”

When the last word was spoken, Yongguk clenched his fists. He turned and threw his sandwich on the floor.

“Say that again, pest,” Yongguk said in a low voice, with a threatening, deathly glare to match, “and the only you’ll be talking about is the one I’m going to give you when I snap your off.”

He cracked his knuckles.

“Is that clear, or do I need to elaborate further?”

The freshman gulped, evidently losing his hard façade. But his determination didn’t wither, as the boy furrowed his eyebrows and the pair stared at each other for what seemed like an extremely long time.

“Whatever,” the younger boy eventually snarled, curling his lip to appear tough. “I shouldn’t have bothered with a freak like you.”

“Go,” Yongguk shooed. He sniggered when he saw the boy break into a run.

Another year of ty freshmen who are all talk and no action. He’s not worth . I can’t wait to get out of this ty school.

He glanced back and saw Himchan leaving the table; his eyes – that were crescent shapes simply moments earlier – meeting his own.

, Yongguk thought, wincing. He saw me. Now he’s going to think I’m some weird- stalker that has nothing to do but stare at people in the shadows all day. .

He didn’t know whether to run or to stay, but somehow he was glued to the spot. The way Himchan’s eyes mesmerised him, luring him into a complete state of oblivion… He was completely clueless about what to do. Himchan flashed a smile and raised an arm of adieu to Daehyun, who had already begun to dig into his meal.

Yongguk watched Himchan make his way over to him, the world seemingly blurring out meanwhile. When he got over to him, he crossed his arms.

“What were you doing just now?”

Yongguk raised his eyebrows at the sudden question. He suddenly felt very embarrassed and looked down at the polished floor of the corridor.

“Nothing of your…concern?” he replied with uncertainty in his voice.

“Of course it’s my ing concern, you idiot,” Himchan snapped, hitting a weak hand against Yongguk’s shoulder. “I’m your friend.”

Yongguk smiled inwardly at the last sentence and raised his head to look at an inquisitive Himchan, who was waiting for an explanation.

“We’re friends already?”

Himchan rolled his eyes.

“Well, if we’re not, what are we?” he retorted. “Anyway, stop beating round the bush. What happened?”

Yongguk smirked and turned to head towards the door leading outside, leaving a stupefied Himchan by himself.

“Yah! Where are you going?!” Himchan called out, walking quickly to catch up. “Why won’t you answer me?”

“Because I need a cigarette.”

“So, if I go with you while you smoke, you’ll tell me what happened?”

Himchan finally caught up and stood in front of him, blocking his path. He cocked his head towards Yongguk.

“You smoke?”

Yongguk chuckled. “Yeah I do. How do you think I got this voice?”

Himchan shoved him playfully. “Idiot.”

“Stop calling me that!”

“Only if you tell me what happened. So are you going to tell me or what?”

“Fine,” Yongguk said, defeated. “You sure are determined.”

“Yeah, I’m determined…If that’s a nicer way to describe nosey.”

Yongguk smiled before pushing the door. Frosty air greeted the both of them, the fogs from their breaths swirling in the air. Himchan was amused by this, and inhaled and exhaled quickly.

“So you’re calling me the idiot, while you’re the childish one here?” Yongguk questioned. “Look at you. You’re like a kid.”

“Shut up, and do what you have to do.”

Yongguk led him to an obscure place away from the school, climbing over a small fence and sitting underneath a large, bellowing tree, patting on the space beside him for Himchan to follow suit. He pulled out a lighter and a packet of Marlboro Reds from the inside pocket of his jacket and lit up a cigarette; the luminosity of the lighter’s miniscule flame brightening the gloomy March day. Yongguk inhaled, keeping the smoke in his lungs long enough to feel the nicotine run through his veins, and eventually exhaled, watching the smoke from his cigarette lift higher and higher into the atmosphere. He turned to face an absorbed, doe-eyed Himchan watching him.

“So what happened?” he asked expectantly, propping his head up by placing his elbows on his knees.

Yongguk took another long drag of his cigarette.

“Nothing, really. Just another imbecilic freshman provoking me and wanting to start trouble.”

Himchan, intrigued, leaned in. “What do you mean by ‘another’?”

“What is there to mean other than ‘somebody else’?” Yongguk snapped, getting slightly uncomfortable at the way Himchan was snooping through his business. “What I mean is this isn’t the first time it’s happened.” He paused, distractedly burning holes with his cigarette in the dead, browning leaves in front of him. “Actually, it’s happened a lot of times.”

A stale, silent moment – reminiscent to those earlier when walking to the music room from Chemistry – passed.

“Oh,” Himchan whispered eventually.

“Yeah,” Yongguk replied, momentarily raising the corners of his mouth into a weak smile. “I’m kind of an outcast here.” He turned his head to face Himchan. “That’s why I seemed kind of… closed when I met you for the first time.”

“I didn’t mind,” the other boy replied, a smile showing his pearly-white rabbit teeth as an accompaniment. “Actually, I do the same thing. That’s why I snapped at you earlier when you asked me about my ‘attitude change’.”

Yongguk nodded slowly, taking in the fact that they had yet another thing in common – they were both deemed as ‘outcasts’. Strangely, he sought comfort in this.

Yongguk suddenly remembered something.

“Himchan, can I ask you something?”

“It’s not like I have a choice,” he replied with a sarcastic glint in his eye.

“Whatever. Anyway, don’t take this the wrong way but… are you gay?”

Himchan’s face suddenly straightened.

“I saw you with Daehyun earlier, and it’s just he was telling me that he has some idiotic plan of going out with a guy because of some accident he was in and since you two were together, I assumed…” Yongguk’s voice dropped. “You know.”

“Oh, no no no,” Himchan shook his head hurriedly, “Daehyun and I aren’t… together… if that’s what you’re inferring?”

Yongguk’s stomach felt warm and comfortable when he heard those last words leave Himchan’s mouth.

“But I am gay.”

“Oh,” Yongguk exclaimed, his mouth forming a perfect ‘o’. “That’s, um, that’s…”

“Weird?” Himchan suggested shyly, finishing his sentence for him.

Yongguk chuckled. “I was going to say ‘cool’, but if you think it’s weird, then suit yourself.”

“Shut up, you idiot,” he said, before going on to do a heart-wrenching bit of aegyo. “I’m adorable!”

Yongguk agreed, though he wouldn’t admit that.

The bell signifying the end of lunch rang in the distance.

“We better go now,” Himchan said, getting up and dusting himself off. “My bag is at school and I don’t have classes in the afternoon.”

“Hey, me neither,” Yongguk replied, getting up after him.

“Well then, let’s walk home together. I still have to go see one of my teachers about something before I leave.”

Yongguk shrugged. “Sure. I’ll meet you at the gates, I guess.”

They walked back to school, blending in easily with the crowd once they were on campus.

“See you, Yonggukkie,” Himchan said, waving to go off in the opposite direction. Yongguk was surprised at the sudden nickname he was given (no-one outside his family called him that), but shrugged it off.

“See you, Himchannie,” he replied, to which he was flashed a breath-taking, toothy bunny smile.

Yongguk turned the other way, and for what seemed like once in his bleak life, he actually looked forward to something.

Kim Himchan.

---

A/N

Tehe Yongguk is falling for Himchan~ But he doesn't know it yet~ *Dances*

So much for being consistent OTL it's been like almost 10 days since my last update, and even then it was just a repost of a chapter.

I am really, really sorry guys. I have nothing to say except that I have been super duper busy.

BUT FEAR NOT BECAUSE I AM ALREADY WORKING ON CHAPTER 6 YAYAYAY SO yeah it should be up soon.

Enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed procrastinating on writing it!

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And silent readers -- COMMENT WILL YA MUAHAHAH

And all my loyal readers who are neither of the above -- I LOVE YA MUAHAHAH

-- Sammie aka topkawakubo ♥