Sitting on the edge of a desk in an abandoned classroom, Hakyeon watched as Taekwoon pulled up his pants, fixing his shirt and hair. A stack of cash sat beside him and he felt sweaty and sticky and disgusting. But Taekwoon sure looked y with his hair damp from sweat and messy from his hands...

“Clean yourself up.” Taekwoon stretched with his back to Hakyeon, yawning. “I’m going home for the day. I stink like and you.” Not sparing Hakyeon a single glance, he stepped toward the door.

“Taek... Hey. Um. Thanks for defending me against Hongbin.” Sliding off the desk, Hakyeon began to dress himself, wondering if he could sneak into the gym locker rooms for a shower before his next class.

“Hongbin should know his place and treat my things with a little more respect.” Glancing over his shoulder at Hakyeon, Taekwoon frowned a little. “You look like a mess. I’ll be leaving first.” Without another word, the other man left Hakyeon alone in the cold classroom. Had he referred to Hakyeon as his? The stunning Jung Taekwoon, most popular guy at school, saw Hakyeon as something worthy enough to be his? Blushing at the new information, Hakyeon turned his back to the door, searching for his missing underwear.

“With an like that, it could only be my new friend.” A voice came from the doorway and Hakyeon wondered how he hadn’t even heard the door open. Standing up straight, he hadn’t had time to turn around before a hand patted him on the bottom and Wonshik circled around him to sit on the desk he had previously occupied. “You look good half , Hakyeon.”

“Thanks?” Reaching out, he grabbed his money, shoving it into his bag before (he hoped) Wonshik could figure out what it was or why it was there.

“Looking for this?” Scooping Hakyeon’s underwear off of the knob of a desk drawer, Wonshik dangled them playfully from his fingertips.

“Thanks. Can I have them?” Holding his hand out for the undergarments, he frowned when Wonshik pulled them away and shook his head, a playful smile on his lips.

“Nu-Uh~ First... Give me a kiss~” With a chuckle, he puckered his lips, keeping the underwear just out of Hakyeon’s reach every time he tried to grab them.

“Fine.” Groaning, Hakyeon finally gave up and glared at Wonshik. “A small one. One the cheek.”

“On the lips. For five second.” Grinning, Wonshik cocked his head to the side, pretending to contemplate Hakyeon’s offer but ultimately turning it down.

“No tongue.” Doing his best to negotiate the release of his , Hakyeon tapped his foot impatiently on the floor. He had just met Wonshik and somehow the other male was more comfortable with him than maybe even Jaehwan was. It wasn’t exactly something Hakyeon found reassuring.

“Then ten second.” Coming back with his own counter bargain, Wonshik twirled the underwear around his finger, chuckling. “These are really cute, you know. I wouldn’t have expected less from you.”

“Fine.” Sighing, Hakyeon decided that the need to dress was maybe more important than resisting his new friend’s awkward teasing. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to Wonshik’s, closing his eyes as he silently counted the second. His fists were balled at his sides as Wonshik’s hands rested on his hips. Finally, he reached the ten second mark and pulled away, wiping his lips off with the back of his hand.

“There. Was that so bad?” Chuckling, Wonshik patted his and handed him the underwear. It was clear he was pleased with his coercion, apparently having enjoyed the stolen kiss.

“You kiss like a drunk fish.” Scowling, Hakyeon snatched away his underwear and began to finish dressing. Feeling annoyed and a little harassed, he just wanted to leave as quickly as possible.

“Ouch. Way to kill a man’s pride. Sorry for my teasing. I know I can be a bit much sometimes.” Wonshik hopped off the desk and held Hakyeon’s bag out to him. “Want to see a movie tonight? As friends. My treat.”

“Um. I don’t know. Depends on what I’m up to.” Shrugging, he took his bag and fixed his hair. “I might already have plans with someone else, and if not, I definitely have homework.”

“Plans with your boyfriend?” Raising an eyebrow, Wonshik watched him curiously. “Lucky guy.”

“Boyfriend?” Shaking his head, Hakyeon couldn’t figure out how Wonshik had come to a conclusion like that. Especially if he had heard any of the not so untrue rumors flying around school about him.

“Huh. Weird.” Wonshik shrugged, his voice portraying slight interest with an underlying boredom that Hakyeon wondered if he was just misinterpreting. “I thought for sure that if he was willing to fistfight that guy in the hall, that dude had to be your boyfriend.”

“Jackson is... No.” Anxiety rose up in him at the accusation and an overwhelming urge to defend Jackson’s honor like he had defended him that morning grew as he frantically shook his head. “Not at all. Please never say something like that where people can hear you. Jackson could do a lot better in life. I want Jackson to do better in life. He gets enough just for being nice to me.”

“So no boyfriend.” Draping his arm over Hakyeon’s shoulder’s, Wonshik poked his cheek and grinned. “So go to a movie with me.”

“Just as friends.” Growling softly, Hakyeon thought for a moment about shaking Wonshik off of him. “If I have the time.”

“Of course~” Nodding with a serious pout on his lips, Wonshik gave him a thumbs up as though he wanted to assure him that he understood the circumstances. “Only as friends.”

“I’ll see what I can do, okay?” Finally freeing himself of Wonshik’s half embrace, Hakyeon ran his fingers through his hair, looking his new friend over. He was cute for sure. His hair was really dumb, but his smile was friendly and his personality seemed warm enough.

“Awesome. I’ll text you with the time later. I got your number from the guy that left the room a little bit ago.” At Wonshik’s mention of Taekwoon, his heart dropped. Hakyeon had just started to make this new friend and now how must his opinion of him been tainted? “He’s a little grumpy, isn’t he?”

“That’s just how he acts.” Sighing a small sigh of relief at no mention of his work, Hakyeon smiled a little at the thought of the dark haired man he had spent most of lunch with. “Taekwoon is really great. Really.”

“If you say so.” Smiling, Wonshik ruffled his hair, causing Hakyeon to pout and whine in annoyance, desperately trying to fix it again. “Hey, you should probably get to class.”

“. Yeah. See you later, Wonshik.” Opening the door, he prepared to rush out, more than a little disappointed that he wouldn’t be getting to shower before class and would have to spend the rest of the day smelling like sweat.

“Count on it, Baby doll.” Calling after him, Wonshik’s new nickname for Hakyeon didn’t really sit well but he didn’t have time to comment on it. And as long as the other man was nice to him, Hakyeon didn’t really think he could be picky about what he called him.

“Hey. Hakyeon.” Arms wrapped around him from behind, startling him but only a moment later, Jaehwan’s face was beside his own, his chin resting on Hakyeon’s shoulder. “I finally found you. Are you alright? Jackson told me Hongbin was messing with you in the hall today and that’s why he hit him.”

“Hey, Jae.” Leaning into him, Hakyeon suddenly felt tired, the activities of his day wearing him down now that he was safe in his best friend’s embrace. “Yeah. He slapped me, called me names. The usual. Jackson isn’t in trouble is he? He wasn’t in class.”

“My dad decided to suspend him for hitting Hongbin but Hongbin got suspended too for instigating it.” Jaehwan rocked him gently as they stood in the hall. “I have to get to class now but I might stop by your place tonight after I help my dad finish up some paperwork. Sound good? You don’t have anything planned?”

“Oh. A friend asked me to a movie but I wasn’t really sure I wanted to go.” Closing his eyes, Hakyeon huffed in annoyance. If he was bad at anything, it was making decisions like this. “If I don’t have work I’ll probably be at home.”

“I’ll come by. And if you’re at... Work... I’ll just wait for you to return.” Jaehwan finally let him of him and smiled, kissing his forehead. “Get to class. I’ll see you later.”

“Alright. See you later, Jae.” Nodding, Hakyeon gave his friend a wave before heading back on his way to his own classroom. Jackson had been suspended because of him. Regret ate at him and he promised himself that the next time he saw the man, he would apologize a million times for getting him into so much trouble. Maybe he could talk to Jaehwan’s father and see about getting Jackson off the hook somehow... But he knew Mr. Lee well enough to know that he believed in following the rules at all costs so no amount of begging would probably do him any good... His only option would be to throw himself under the bus... But if he got suspended, then what would all of his work been for? The thought alone made him sick. Yet, if Jackson wanted him to, he’d do it. He owed the other man that much, at least. He’d talk it through with him the next time he saw him. He’d make this right.