If Jongin were to choose someone as the bane of his life, the thorn by his side, the friend he wants to punch in the face and strangle at the same time – It would be Byun Baekhyun. Jongin didn’t necessarily hate Baekhyun, nor did he hold a grudge against the older boy (by one year, which is completely unfair because according to their country’s respect your elders’ policy, he had to call him hyung and everything). In fact, they were actually friends, and Jongin didn’t mind the friendship one little bit, really. Their relationship was all fine and peachy in his book.

That is, save for one problem: Baekhyun’s endless questions.

Questions about his favourite things, like his favourite color, food, drink, hobbies, subjects, books – you name it, Baekhyun’s asked it – Questions that were generally meant to get to know someone better. Those were the okay questions that Jongin hadn’t minded at first, because he had thought Baekhyun just wanted to know more about him, his newfound friend.

Then, those questions began to slowly turn, delving into deeper waters as Baekhyun pumped out more personal questions – questions that made Jongin fidget and squirm in his seat, thinking of a way to answer so that things wouldn’t turn awkward; questions that made Jongin rethink having a friend like Byun Baekhyun, also known as the school’s weirdest of the weird.

Questions like, for example:

“Hey Jongin,” Baekhyun greeted as he slid into the seat opposite of his friend, slinging his bag onto the seat and smiling like the Cheshire cat, “Have you ever ed with a ?”

Jongin choked on his drink. “What?”

“You heard me,” Baekhyun rolls his eyes as he leans in closer, punctuating his words with short pauses as if Jongin was a five year old child, and he was explaining something really complicated to him. “Have. You. Ever. ed. With. A. .”

“Uh… No?” The younger boy manages to choke out, still in a slight coughing fit from his shock.

Baekhyun seemed pleased with his answer, leaning back against the seat. “So, you’ve never bottomed for anyone, right? Never tried to experiment?”

Jongin choked on his drink once again. “Why?!”

“Oh, just asking!” Baekhyun flashes a -eating grin.

Or questions like:

“Jongin, I heard you had with Chanyeol from the basketball club last night. Man, you were dead drunk,” Baekhyun smiles as if he’s commenting about the weather, before he leans in, splaying his palms on the table and leaning in, as if he was plotting some conspiracy behind his schoolmates’ backs. “So, how was the ? Was it really good? Did you top? Did he moan like a beast? Was he tighter than any other hole you’ve managed to bag before him?”

Jongin thanked the gods that he hadn’t gone to buy his food, for he had suddenly lost his appetite, and he also thanks the lack of water, for he didn’t choke on it again.

“Why do you want to know?” He hisses at his friend, who shrugs and smiles.

“Just asking!” Baekhyun chirps and Jongin really felt like pushing the boy’s face into the steaming bowl of mac-n-cheese in front of him.

Or even weirder questions like:

“Hey Jongin, have you ever thought how it’d feel like to get choked while having ?” Baekhyun asks the male, gripping his face so that they look each other in the eyes, and Jongin can see how serious Baekhyun is being.

“Why are we discussing your kinks, Baek?” He shoots back, only to receive a sunny smile in return.

“Oh, you know… I was just wondering! So I thought, maybe you’d know, since you’re so experienced with dating.”

Well, that was certainly new, and much more refreshing than the usual ‘just asking!’ he got all the time.

“But, you know… Just asking!” Baekhyun chimes before he grabs his bag and makes a run for it. “Bye!”

Jongin barely manages to suppress the urge to fuse his head with the bench in front of him.

All in all, if Jongin really, really had to choose someone as the bane of his life, the thorn by his side, the friend he wants to strangle and punch at the same time, it would be Byun Baekhyun, the annoying friend who had thousands of meaningless questions to ask him.

ʕ　·ᴥ·ʔ　?

Now that Jongin thinks about it, the generic questions had stopped after he came clean to Baekhyun about his ual orientation. After he’d told Baekhyun he was gay (more like stuttering that he played for the other team), the older male had taken it upon himself to ask questions about Jongin’s love life, and even worse – his ual life, that even Jongin considers as popular as Zhang Yixing, the nerdy computer club chairman.

Sure, he had some guys flirting here and there, and he’d managed to bag one or two attractive ones and coaxed them into bed, but he didn’t have that much experience that Baekhyun had to ask him all about it. He’d just found out he swung for the other team last semester, and when he had, he’d asked one of his closest friends, Sehun to experiment with him.

Not that he hadn’t liked it, really, because Sehun was attractive, and Sehun was a close-enough friend – close enough to not freak out when Jongin had all but asked to the living out of him – and their friendship was still going strong despite that little experimental hiccup in their relationships.

Perhaps Baekhyun had grown ually curious after he’d seen Jongin make out with Kyungsoo (Jongin’s first proper boyfriend after he decided that he really was gay), and maybe he just wanted to know about the ual tendencies of homouals. Maybe that was the reason for the questions Baekhyun asked every time that he had to say ‘just asking’ to cover it up.

Jongin feels like a genius, like Newton after he discovered gravity after getting bonked on the head by an apple. He decides to help Baekhyun with his curiosity, and vouches to guide the male along the right path in life.

ʕ　·ᴥ·ʔ　?

He finds Baekhyun at his job in a small cafe after school, and he sits down in a tiny, quiet booth meant for two people while he waits for his hyung to get off work, or to notice him, whichever came first.

“May I take your order- Jongin?” Baekhyun’s voice slices through the silence and pile of thoughts Jongin has in his head, and the younger boy snaps his head up in surprise. “What’re you doing here? You should’ve texted me!”

“I just… wanted to see you, hyung,” Jongin attempts to smile, and prays that his smile seems sincere and not forced like it really is.

“Whatever, I was planning on taking my break after one more anyway,” Baekhyun shrugs and slides into the booth, smiling at the younger boy. “So, what did you want from me? You don’t normally come just to ‘see me’, you know?”

“Um, well,” Jongin starts, but Baekhyun quickly interrupts, slamming his hands down on the table as his eyes widen in accusation and surprise.

“It’s Kyungsoo, isn’t it?!” Baekhyun all but screeches and Jongin frantically shushes the older boy, tugging him down back into the booth where they could hide from the judging stares of the other customers in the cafe. “I thought you broke up with him? Is he bothering you? Do I need to cut someone’s throat?!”

“No, no and no!” Jongin palms his face in exasperation, sighing at the over-the-top antics of his friend. “I was thinking, you know-“

“Thinking hurts your brain, Jongin-ah, we’ve been over this.”

“And I decided,” Jongin briefly glares at Baekhyun for his comment before promptly ignoring it. “That perhaps you wanted help with your ual orientation, and I was going to offer my services to you.”

Silence falls over the two friends as they wait for each other to speak – Mainly Jongin, because he’s waiting for Baekhyun’s reaction to his words. A moment passes, and Jongin starts to count the seconds in his head, tapping a random rhythm on the oak table.

“… What?” Baekhyun finally says dumbly after about thirty seconds.

“I said, since I know that you obviously need help with bagging guys, I’m here to help you,” Jongin explains as slowly as he can without insulting the older male, trying to stop the urge to roll his eyes.

Baekhyun’s eyes narrowed a little, eyebrows scrunching a little in confusion. “… Again, what?”

“Aren’t you curious about boy-boy relationships?” Jongin asked right back, furrowing his own eyebrows to mirror Baekhyun’s confused look.

“… No?” Baekhyun stares at Jongin with an incredulous look on his face. “What’s gotten into you all of a sudden, asking me if I’m curious about boy-boy relationships?”

Jongin feels really frustrated. “Then what’s with all the questions about my love and life?!”

“Those… ah…” Baekhyun trails off, worrying his bottom lip with his teeth in nervousness.

“Baekhyun, get back to work!”

“Sorry Jongin, I gotta go!” Baekhyun all but bolts from the booth, tying his apron back on as neatly as he can while running.

“This isn’t over yet, Byun!” Jongin yells as Baekhyun bursts through the kitchen doors. He gets weird stares, but the boy is satisfied knowing that Baekhyun probably had heard him.

Taking a sip of his plain water, he then starts to contemplate on the reasons why Baekhyun had taken the liberty to ask so many personal questions. Maybe Baekhyun wasn’t as curious about boy-boy relationships as he thought he was? Or maybe Baekhyun was hiding a relationship from him? Was Baekhyun asking just for the heck of it, like he always proclaimed it to be?

Jongin feels frustrated once again, and he leaves the cafe after deciding that the plain water he’s had doesn’t help to clear his head.

ʕ　·ᴥ·ʔ　?

Things don't always go as planned, because Jongin gets swamped over the course of next week with exams, and he's unable to track Baekhyun and hunt him down for answers. It had been quite a while since he had seen the older male, and he was growing antsy from the questions that kept filling his head. Somehow, it felt a little weird without Baekhyun constantly bugging him with stupid questions, like there was an empty space right next to him, and Jongin feels utterly depressed whenever he notices the lack of a certain boisterous friend that he's come to care about so much.

He doesn't get why he feels so sad nowadays, although he suspects it has something to do with the lack of Baekhyun's presence, but he doesn't understand why he misses a friend so much. Jongin slumps on his bed, pulling his pillow over his face and groaning loudly into it as he tries to divert his thoughts back to the dreaded subjects he has to study for. Just two more exams, he tells himself in a way that's more depressing than motivating, and he refuses to remove the pillow despite getting his circulation cut off.

The phone rings just as Jongin's falling asleep, and with a half-awake mind, he blindly s for his phone on the nightstand, only to peek out of the pillow when he fails to grab it. It continues to vibrate and blast his ringtone as if to annoy him, and he grunts when he makes a half-lunge for it, rolling over onto his back again when he successfully captures the laughing device.

"Hello?" He drawls out into the phone, yawning wide as he shifts himself into a more comfortable position.

"Jongin?" Baekhyun's voice is clear over the phone, and Jongin suddenly feels more awake. "Am I disturbing you?"

"Not at all, I was just about to study, but I had no mood so you're calling at a good time," Jongin manages to answer, a smile unconsciously blooming on his lips. "Why'd you call anyway?"

"You always have no mood to study, Jongin," Baekhyun teases over the phone. "Um... Well, we never got about to discussing... you know."

"You mean your question-asking?" Jongin bites down on his lip, almost regretting the question as soon as it pops out. He hadn't meant to say it so roughly, as though it was a matter that was not serious in his eyes - he had waited for so long just to phrase it right, and now he'd ruined it.

"Yeah... That." 

Silence engulfs them again as Jongin waits with bated breath for Baekhyun to begin explaining why he had been asking so many personal questions. 

"I was just curious, really," Baekhyun starts, but his voice is wavering and Jongin doesn't believe him all of a sudden. "can I- Can I ask you a question, Jongin? It's the last one, I swear."

Jongin feels his blood run cold, a chill spreading over his entire body at the word 'last'. Nevertheless, he's complied to answer Baekhyun. "Yeah, sure."

"Did you... Ever have some feelings for me?" 

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

"Just asking!" Baekhyun chirps in an overly-enthusiastic voice before the dial tone beeps in Jongin's ear.

The boy is left gaping at his phone as he tries to process what had just happened and what had just been said over the phone. When Jongin finally gathers all his thoughts, it hits him like a freight train and leaves him in a mental wreck - did this mean that Baekhyun had considered having feelings for him before? Did Baekhyun like him? 

Jongin realizes his heart is beating really fast, and suddenly, he feels like he knows why.

He bolts out of the door the next second.

ʕ　·ᴥ·ʔ　?

It takes longer than usual, but Jongin's willing to wait as he taps his sneakers against the tiled floor. He's too nervous to go in, and he doesn't want to risk Baekhyun running away from him. If it had taken so long for Baekhyun just to ask a question that wasn't really a question meant to bring them together, god knows how long more Baekhyun would take to hide from him because of embarrassment and regret. 

Over the top of his head, to the left, the bell jingles every time someone enters and leaves, and the sound makes Jongin jump every time because he thinks it's Baekhyun. A glance at his watch tells him that it should be a few minutes more before Baekhyun's shift is over, and he starts to run over the words he wants to tell Baekhyun.

The bell jingles once again, and a boy with a red scarf steps out, the huge block of wool covering half of his face. He takes one, two steps forward before he turns a little, and Jongin's eyes widen when he realizes that it's Baekhyun - and then the boy takes off running. Jongin is left with no choice but to follow, pushing past the sea of people crowding the streets that the cafe was on, muttering apologies and excuse me's as he shoulders his way through.

Jongin thanks the gods that Baekhyun's wearing that red scarf - it certainly made it easier to spot the short male in the crowd, and soon enough, they come to the familiar streets of where Jongin's apartment complex stood.

Baekhyun finally comes to a stop at a nearby park - a place where Jongin realizes was sort of their hang-out spot whenever they met - and Jongin stops a few feet away from him. Their breathing is ragged, white clouds filling the empty air and the navy skies, hinting how cold it still was despite it being the start of spring.

"It's not fair that you hung up after just asking something so serious," Jongin begins, breathing hard as he swallows down his saliva, his pride, and his nervousness. He has only one chance, and if Baekhyun turns away now, he's lost. "It's not fair if you always say you're just asking, but you actually wanted to know. It's also not fair that you didn't let me give you an answer."

Their eyes meet, and Jongin sees just how scared Baekhyun is - of the rejection, of the overwhelming feelings, of everything and anything at all that could affect their friendship - Jongin sees it all now. Baekhyun, who was so annoying; Baekhyun, who was so full of questions - Baekhyun, who had somehow wormed himself into Jongin's heart without Jongin knowing, and Baekhyun, who he had, without knowing, fallen into so deep he doesn't know how to get out any longer.

"If you want to ask me," Jongin takes the first few steps forward, smiling to himself when he sees that Baekhyun's not stepping back at his advance, "You have to ask me properly. Tell me, Byun Baekhyun, what have you been so curious about that you've always been 'just asking'?"

Up close, Jongin can't help but marvel at how Baekhyun's eyes glitter in the dark, reflecting the lights of the lamp posts in the park, and how pink and full his lips look under the moonlight. He wants to hold Baekhyun close, so close that the older boy would have no chance of escape. Slowly, he reaches out, hands trembling as he places them on each side of the older male's face, cupping his cheeks gently so that they remained looking each other in the eyes.

A shuddering breath leaves Baekhyun's pink lips.

"I've... I've always wanted to ask you, you know..." Baekhyun blabbers, eyes suddenly filling up with tears as he looks into Jongin's hazel orbs, at how serious and determined he looked, at how much love was in those beautiful eyes. He reaches up and cups his hands over Jongin's bigger ones, admiring how their skin tones contrasted, at how their hands seemed to fit so nicely, at how warm they were. "From the very start..."

He stops, and Jongin leans forward until their lips are but inches apart.

"Ask me then," He demands softly, quietly as he stares straight into those eyes that glittered. "Ask me what you've always wanted to ask."

"Will you... be mine?"

Jongin leans forward, pressing his lips gently against Baekhyun's as he marvels once again at how well they fit together, brushing against the other as if to test the waters before he applies more pressure, slanting his head to the side and guiding Baekhyun along. Small hands move to grip the collar of Jongin's coat, and Jongin moves one hand down to hold Baekhyun around the waist, slowly pulling away from their kiss.

"Yes, I will, but let me just ask you..." Jongin  his lips as he tilts his lips up into a playful smile. "Why?" 

Baekhyun barely manages to suppress his own smile.

"Just asking."

"Does this mean I get to do all the things you asked me about? Like your kinks and stuff?"

"I do not have any kinks! Why're you asking anyway?!"

"Well you mentioned choking once, I'm pretty sure... And also, just asking!"

ʕ　·ᴥ·ʔ　End.