The rainbow-haired student ends up returning to The Black Pearl later that day, lugging his backpack full of textbooks and notes with him in order to hopefully finish the stupid essay that’s due on Monday- which is in approximately 59 hours and Sehun has no idea what’s going on in Kang’s class. Whoops.

He buys three different flavor bubble teas one after the other for dinner (Zitao shakes his head and says that he should just buy one of their sandwiches but Sehun begs to differ- bubble tea is delicious and nothing can stop him from consuming three for dinner, not even Zitao’s really attractive smile and muscled arms) and slurps on them while flipping through his textbooks.

“Why is it so necessary to write a five-page essay about the mating habits of dogs?!” Sehun whines, cringing at an especially graphic diagram and up the last of his third bubble tea. He groans into his hoodie sleeves. “How am I ever going to get started on this,” he sulks as he stares at his decidedly blank Word document.

“Having fun?”

Sehun jumps in shock from the sudden voice right next to his ear- effectively knocking over his empty bubble tea cups, laptop, and sanity.

“Oh, sorry, did I scare you?” Zitao chuckles and he’s still really close and he smells like chocolate and his muscled arms are on Sehun’s shoulders to keep him steady after jumping up in his seat and wreaking havoc.

“Uh, no, I just, um,” Sehun splutters, cheeks turning into an embarrassing color that is not at all manly and could probably rival Pink Park. Zitao’s hands move from his shoulders to his waist and Sehun lets loose a shriek. He probably would’ve toppled off of the chair if Zitao didn’t have a firm grasp on him.

“Are you okay?” the Chinese boy asks, examining Sehun’s flushed face carefully. “You look like you’re running a fever.”

The younger boy clears his throat and waves a hand at the laptop screen. “Ah, no, I’m fine. Sorry for freaking out on you, I’m just on edge from having to write Kang’s essay and I’ve been zoning out all week in his class so I have no idea what’s going on and why we have to write about dogs having .”

Zitao laughs and says, “You better get cracking. I already finished mine a while ago.”

Sehun pouts and gives Zitao his best hopeful puppy expression (whenever he does it to Luhan, the older boy just shakes his head and slaps his roommate in the face). “Can you help meeeeee?”

The cashier sighs and nods in consent.

They spend the next hour poring over textbooks and manage to type a half-assed essay that will probably land Sehun a B if he’s lucky but he’s sick of looking at pictures of dogs getting it on so he can’t find it in his heart to care about grades anymore.

“Thanks,” Sehun beams. “I owe you one.”

Zitao just grins and his head to the side and Sehun mentally sobs because the cashier probably doesn’t even know how cute he is right now. “No problem,” he replies, then runs to the kitchen because Kyungsoo has started screaming bloody murder and Chanyeol won’t stop saying “Sorry, hyung! I didn’t mean to set it on fire!” There’s smoke hanging in a huge grey cloud near the kitchen door so something is most definitely wrong and it’s time for Sehun to take his leave.

“Kyungsoo hyung, help.”

The baker looks over at Zitao, who seems to have melted all over the counter. He frowns and flicks the younger man’s forehead. “If there’s anyone who needs help, it’s me. I have to put up with a stupid tall handsome boyfriend who sets fire to everything and then clean up all of his goddamn messes.” Kyungsoo glowers at said boyfriend, who lets out a strangled squeak and pulls the hood of his jacket over his face.

“I said I was sorry,” Chanyeol mumbles. “And it was two days ago.”

Zitao groans and flails unattractively. Sehun walks in right at that moment and witnesses the Chinese boy apparently having a seizure and almost calls 911 but is stopped by an exasperated Kyungsoo.

“Don’t mind Zitao, he’s just having boy trouble.”

Zitao shrieks and stops being a puddle long enough to smack Kyungsoo on the head. “Hyuuuuuunggg! Stop making me sound like a teenage girl! And why did you say that out loud?!” He glances at Sehun, cheeks dusted red and clashing horrifically with his blond hair.

Sehun’s eyes are fixated on the ground. His Adam’s apple bobs up and down as he swallows thickly from disappointment. Of course Zitao would like someone, it’s not like he’s untouchable or anything. Sehun wonders who the lucky guy is- the lucky guy who is the center of Huang Zitao’s affections. And it can’t be him, because Oh Sehun is at a much lower level and they met like five days ago and they’re just best friends and Zitao is an attractive er and ugh, Sehun needs to get out of here.

“Hey, are you okay?”

The rainbow-haired teenage glances up to see three pairs of concerned eyes staring at him. He flushes under their gazes and clears his throat. “Yeah, I just, um... hey, I gotta go. I need to study for the test in Kang’s class.”

Zitao blinks at him. “We don’t have a test.”

Sehun swears underneath his breath. “Uh, I mean, a test in... one of my other classes so yeah byeeeee-”

“You’re not even going to get any bubble tea?” Kyungsoo asks, furrowing his eyebrows as Sehun’s hand closes around the doorknob.

“No, I don’t want any.”

“But you always want bubble tea,” Chanyeol points out and Sehun mentally curses the tall oaf and hopes that he shrinks to Kyungsoo’s size overnight. “You had three for dinner once and you still wanted more.”

“Yeah haha cool um not hungry hehe bye people.” Sehun scurries out of The Black Pearl, leaving behind a perplexed couple and a miserable Zitao.

“Why did he just leave?” he wails, melting on the counter again. “Does he not like me because I’m homoual?!”

Kyungsoo rolls his wide eyes. “Sehun is like your homoual level times three thousand. I mean, look at his hair. And besides, I thought you guys were ‘best friends’, didn’t he tell you about his uality when you two first met?”

Zitao shrugs. “I don’t know. I was zoning out on his face.”

The baker rolls his eyes again (he has a lot of reasons to). “Don’t worry, Oh Sehun is ultra mega rainbow vomit tapioca gay. Now it’s time for me to continue ignoring Chanyeol.”

“Hey, I said I was sorry! I didn’t mean to set anything on fire! It was two days ago, give me a break!”

“I’ll definitely give you a break,” Kyungsoo growls. “For all of your bones and from bed. No for two weeks.”

“What! Kyungsoo, noooo.”

Zitao cradles his head in his hands. Everyone .

“He doesn’t love meeeeeeeeee...”

Luhan resists the urge to roundhouse kick his roommate in the face. “What are you talking about.”

Sehun hiccups. “Zitaaaooooooo. Kyungsoo said he’s having boy trouble and it’s not going to be me because senpai is too cool for little old Oh Sehun.”

The older man’s hands tighten into fists. “How do you know it’s not you.”

“Because if Zitao liked me then he wouldn’t be having any boy trouble because I wouldn’t trouble him at ALL if he wanted to get in my pants wait what no I did not say that.”

Luhan runs a hand down his pretty face in annoyance. “I could be Skyping with Baozi right now instead of talking to you. Why am I not doing that? I should do that.” He opens his laptop and secures his headphones while Sehun rolls around on his bed.

“Why doesn’t anyone love me,” he moans. “Why won’t Huang Zitao love me????? WHY WON’T SENPAI NOTICE ME. IF THIS WERE AN ANIME SENPAI WOULD’VE NOTICED ME BY NOW AND WE WOULD BE DRINKING BUBBLE TEA TOGETHER AND ING AND JEPRJIPEWJT I HATE MY LIFE. WHY WON’T HE LOVE ME?”

“Because you’re an ugly whiny little ,” Luhan replies matter-of-factly as he calls Minseok.

“Guishrfihewotwei,” Sehun garbles and rolls around even more.

Luhan hums 'Walking On Sunshine' to himself as he waits for Minseok to answer his Skype call.

“Uh, hyung?”

Luhan’s left eye twitches.

“Hyung, I, um, I’m tangled in the blankets and I can’t get out.”

Sehun’s roommate hums louder.

“Hyung! Help! I’m stuck!”

“I’M WALKING ON SUNSHINE, WHOA OH OH OH, I CAN’T HEAR YOU, WOAH OH OH OH, IGNORING YOU FEELS SO GOOD.”

“HYUNG!”

A/N: haha i am a loser. also sorry for not updating in like half a month because i was busy drafting this AND i was in california for over a week visiting my cousins. the wifi there was spotty so whenever i tried to update, the chapter would just delete itself again like wtf (?)

1) i'll be back to edit this later. sorry in advance if you receive notifications but you don't see any new chapters, it's just me fixing stuff.

2) i'm sorry for this chapter. i am . .

3) ily guys. thanks for sticking around <3