sungjin is never someone who's easily annoyed. if he's completely honest, he actually takes pride in being able to stay calm and collected most of the time, even through the hard times.

 

sungjin's just chill like that. however, as of the moment, it's taking every inch of sungjin's willpower to not smack jae on the head.

 

its been a complete half an hour since the latter started pacing back and forth on their living room, right in front of their couch where sungjin is comfortably sitting and trying to find peace through a book.

 

he would not have minded it; jae could do whatever he wants in front of sungjin for all he cares, but the tall boy kept mumbling to himself while pacing, making it hard for sungjin to concentrate on reading.

 

sungjin sighs and places his book on his lap. 'what's the problem with brian again?' he asks, looking up at jae.

 

jae stops abruptly and turns his head to the side to look at him incredelously. 'what does brian have to do with anything?'

 

sungjin fights the urge to roll his eyes. he has to be the matured one, he thinks to himself. 'brian always has something to do with everything involving you. especially you.'

 

jae's mouth opens slightly but no words come out. sungjin guesses he's probably debating on whether or not he'll keep denying the fact that brian is indeed involved with whatever his case is today.

 

at last, jae seems to have decided to stick to the truth as he sighs and sits next to sungjin on the couch. 'brian said he has a crush on some kid in his calculus class.'

 

'and?' sungjin asks, urging jae to tell him more.

 

'that's it.'

 

this time, sungjin really does smack jae on the head. 'that's it? you distracted me with your weird antics for nothing?'

 

jae has the nerve to look offended. 'but aren't you worried?'

 

sungjin raises an eyebrow. 'why would i be worried?'

 

jae gives him a disappointed look and makes incomprehensible hand gestures. 'what if his crush is a bad guy? what if he hurts brian? i can't, i mean, we can't let that happen!'

 

'it's just a crush, jae. it's not like brian's giving away his life to him or anything. you're overreacting.' 

 

'its called being a good friend.' jae corrects him.

 

sungjin just snorts. 'right.'

 

jae gives him a look that, in all the years sungjin has known him, could only mean he's ready to fight. sungjin just shrugs. its not like jae is physically capable of actually doing that at all.

 

jae sees the disinterest in sungjin's eyes. 'i can't believe you're treating your friendship with brian like this.'

 

'and i can't believe you still think what you have with brian is friendship.' sungjin shoots back.

 

a hint of pink blooms on jae's cheeks and he looks away immediately. 'it is.'

 

sungjin sighs. when did jae become so blind to everything? he briefly wonders before smacking his friend on the head again.

 

☆☆☆

 

sungjin has always known. well, it's doesn't take an fbi agent watching over them to know that there is something between brian and jae. sungjin picked up the signs, and he knew. 

 

he knew it when brian took jae home to their (jae and sungjin's) shared apartment, the latter smashed out of his mind after drinking too much.

 

'sorry for not stopping him. he said he liked drinking with me. i didn't realize he had such a low alcohol tolerance.' brian had said then with a sheepish smile on his face. 

 

sungjin blinked at him. 'jae doesn't like drinking with anyone.'

 

brian looked at jae's sleeping form fondly. 'i guess he likes me, then?' he joked, but sungjin saw the blush slowly creeping on his cheeks.

 

sungjin knew it when jae went to class one day with brian's bass guitar strapped on his back.

 

he wouldn't really pay attention to it if not for wonpil practically fainting at the sight. drama queen, he thought.

 

'why do you have brian's guitar?' wonpil asked excitedly. dowoon gave jae an apologetic look.

 

'he lent it to me.'

 

'but brian doesn't let anyone touch that.' wonpil remarked, seemingly waiting for an explanation.

 

jae just shrugged. 'i guess i'm special, then?'

 

sungjin perked up at the familiar words and he saw jae fighting back a smile.

 

'definitely special.' sungjin whispered.

 

sungjin has always known and he didn't really mind. that's the mistake. he should've minded, because brian and jae were both too blind to mind it themselves goddamnit

 

and so here he is, still sitting on the couch. jae's not the one next to him though, but brian. jae left to go breath some fresh air. sungjin hopes the fresh air will make jae smart. 

 

a few minutes after that, brian arrived, leading them to the present moment of couch-sitting and silently hoping for jae to come home already god please.

 

his book is back on his room, and so sungjin has nothing to do but torment brian. its now or never, he thinks. 'do you like jae?'

 

brian chokes on air. 'wh-why would you even ask that?'

 

'because it's obvious.' sungjin says calmly. behind his bad boy fashion, brian is really just a big baby in sungjin's eyes. 

 

the said big baby splutters on his words. 'i, i-it's not, it's just, its really not, it's,' 

 

and after that, 'is it?'

 

sungjin laughs. 'you really have no idea, don't you?'

 

brian looks like he's close to breaking down. 'but jae doesn't know, he doesn't feel that way.'

 

'he does.' sungjin says. brian stares at him with disbelief.

 

'he doesn't.'

 

sungjin decides to change course. 'why did you tell him you have a crush on someone?'

 

brian sighs, looking at him with that sad look on his face. 'because i do. i'm talking about him. we both have calculus.'

 

sungjin facepalms. 'you dumb homouals.'

 

brian looks annoyed but he relents. he kind of deserves it. 'what should i do?'

 

'confess to him.'

 

brian's face turns red. 'i, i can't do that!'

 

sungjin just gives him a look. 'and why can't you?'

 

brian gives him a small smile. 'its embarrassing.'

 

sungjin snorts. 'you're embarrassing.'

 

'it's true.' brian says, resigned. for a moment, sungjin feels bad. 

 

'he feels the same way, brian. just confess to him. nothing bad will happen, i swear.'

 

'how do you know?' brian asks, still disbelieving. sungjin sees a hint of hope in his eyes, though.

 

'because unlike you,' sungjin says, smiling. 'i'm actually smart.'

 

jae arrives at the moment. 'i"m home, sung- oh, bri, you're, uh, you're here.' 

 

sungjin rolls his eyes at the lovestruck expression on the taller's face. he takes it as his cue to leave. 'settle your . i'm going.'

 

'huh? where are you going?' jae asks. sungjin pats him on the back.

 

'outside, to find smarter friends.' then he leaves.

 

☆☆☆

 

sungjin comes back to their shared apartment after a few hours. he guesses it should be enough time to settle their issues. also, he's run out of places to go to.

 

he's mildly surprised to find brian and jae on the kitchen, eating cereal on a friday night like the responsible adults they are. 

 

they're smiling and exchanging jokes and really, sungjin shouldn't feel annoyed at the cute sight, but nothing looks different as jae and brian have always been cutely (and disgustingly) loving like that and god please tell him they actually talked and didn't just shrug off their again because-

 

sungjin sees it, then; their linked hands. sungjin sighs. 

 

'about time.' sungjin says softly, and if he's honest, lovingly.

 

that's when they notice him. 'oh, you're back! want some?' brian asks, his smile reaching his eyes. 

 

'nah, i'm good.' he says, smiling too.

 

sungjin retreats to his room after waving good bye to brian and telling jae to be good.

 

inside, sungjin lies on his bed and reaches for his book. finally, he thinks, peace.

 

his phone does a 'ting!', signalling sungjin of a text message. he begrudgingly puts his book down again and gets his phone out.

 

the text message is from wonpil, and all it says is 'help. its about dowoon.'

 

sungjin sighs. here we go again, he thinks.