---

Jongin is in the midst of internally praying that he won't be hit with four hours of detention as they make their way down the hallway, and he's so caught up with following after Sehun like a lost kitten that he narrowly avoids walking right into a wall. Jongin figures that the surprise must have triggered some sort of internal reaction, because the next thing he knows, he's hurriedly excusing himself to use the restroom. After reassuring Sehun that he doesn't need to wait up, Jongin practically flies into the nearest cubicle before he slams the door behind him.

All the while, Jongin seriously hopes that his part of the report is good enough, because the mere thought of missing out on Sehun making him his favorite food for dinner tonight is enough to make him cross his fingers as he approaches one of the sinks half a minute later. Jongin sort of regrets asking Sehun to remove his bandage earlier, given that the warm water makes the healing wound on his palm throb uncomfortably.

For once, Jongin is glad that his hair doesn't look like a crow's nest, and he's about to grab a wad of paper towels when one of the cubicle doors swings open to his left. At first, the run down state of the mirror makes Jongin unable to see a single thing, but it's not until his brain clears up that he makes out a bright red blob amid the mindless scribbles and fogginess. The next thing Jongin knows, he's going back to washing his (already clean) hands until the churning in his gut makes him turn the faucet off. The ice cold water does nothing to soothe the buzzing of his nerves, and Jongin eventually forces himself to look up when the faucet next to him turns on.

For a full minute, the whole restroom is dead silent, save for the rushing waters, until Baekhyun reaches for the half empty soap dispenser. "How's the project going?" he lowly asks, red bangs concealing his eyes as he squeezes some of the thick, pink liquid onto his palm.

 After grabbing at least ten paper towels, Jongin has to cough into his fist to avoid sounding like a frog when he speaks. "Good, I guess," he mutters, wanting nothing more than to bolt down the hallway and to the classroom when Baekhyun nods. "I mean, Sehun did a better job, but--" He mentally slaps himself when Baekhyun sends him a look.

Baekhyun is silent as he nods again, and it's not until he moves his bangs aside that Jongin immediately notices the prominent dark circles under his eyes, almost as if he hasn't slept in years. "I see," he replies while running his hands under the faucet again.

Swallowing, Jongin shoves his hands in his pockets, not even realizing that he's leaning against the edge of the sink until his hip protests. He wordlessly watches as Baekhyun proceeds to grab a wad of paper towels, all while he feels the words weighing down his tongue. It's not until the silence grows deafening that Jongin presses his lips together. "I heard about you and Chanyeol," he blurts out, keeping his eyes glued on Baekhyun's baby blue sweater. "Taemin told me."

Baekhyun opens his mouth, presumably to protest, before he clamps it shut and shakes his head in exasperation. "I'm guessing you wouldn't want to be with an 'unfaithful goddamned creep' either, so," he chuckles after a few seconds, although Jongin easily picks up on the sorrow lacing his words. Baekhyun is silent for a minute as he wipes his hands dry. "How's it...you know, how are things going?" He indiscreetly nods at Jongin.

Eyes automatically flickering to his chest, Jongin ignores the pang of heat that erupts in his gut when he recalls Sehun offering him said hoodie this morning, mere minutes before he ran outside to try to salvage whatever he could from his lawn. For a minute, Jongin has no idea what to say, and he sort of hates the way he awkwardly shifts when Baekhyun goes on to send him a questioning look. 

"Good," Jongin blurts out. "Great, actually--" He bites the inside of his cheek. "We're...we're actually kind of...you know, living together." He averts his gaze just in time to miss Baekhyun raising an eyebrow in surprise.

Baekhyun blinks. "Really now," he hums, throwing the paper towels in the trash can. "Taemin must miss you a whole lot, I assume," he adds as he tiredly inspects his reflection.

Jongin doesn't even bother responding, mostly because his tongue feels like it's weighing three hundred tons in his mouth. Despite the fact that his brain is screaming at him to just leave already, he ends up scratching the back of his head as he keeps his eyes glued on Baekhyun. "You should've told me," he says, so quietly that he barely catches it himself. "About...y'know, all of-- About Chanyeol, about your whole-- God, I would've helped you, I could've helped you-"

"That wouldn't have made a difference," Baekhyun quickly says. The faint sound of footsteps scurrying down the hallway outside fills the brief silence. "I really didn't know, you know," he huffs, running a hand through his red locks, to which Jongin responds by looking like a question mark. "That you liked him back, that is."

Leaning against the edge of the sink for support, Jongin runs a hand down his face. "You already-"

"That's why I got so ing pissed," Baekhyun huffs, clenching his jaw. "Y'know, that day." He sighs. "I mean, I didn't actually think you liked him back, and then when you ing kissed him I just got worried he'd leave and I'd--" He closes his mouth and shakes his head. "That-"

"That you'd be a sore loser for a couple of weeks," Jongin chuckles, to which Baekhyun only responds by cursing under his breath. He wouldn't be surprised if Sehun came looking for him at this point, but Jongin dismisses the thought when he blinks. "Wait, so that wasn't...all that-"

"The things I said didn't mean , if that's what you're wondering," Baekhyun chuckles before his voice turns serious. "But you believe me, right? I mean, I'd never do...y'know, this, if I'd known you liked him back, you need to trust me on that." A spark of desperation briefly flashes in his eyes. "I mean, I trust you to know that--" He goes silent when a female student enters the bathroom, and he makes sure to avoid her eyes when she sends them both a funny look.

Jongin chews on his bottom lip as he hears the lock to one of the cubicles click into place. No matter how much he wants to shake his head, he's unable to choke out a single word when Baekhyun clears his throat.

"You said it yourself," Baekhyun sighs, running a hand through his hair for the nth time. "I mean, we don't...we haven't talked properly for like, six months, and I just couldn't ask you about it cause I thought it was something I did-- God, I couldn't bring myself to talk to you about it since I thought you no longer wanted to be my--" He cuts himself off when the stall door opens, but he doesn't go out of his way to move aside when the short brunette excuses herself to get to the sinks.

Jongin blinks, not even bothering to wait for her to walk off before he opens his mouth. "So you just thought you'd get away with ing all of this up for all of us--" He tries ignoring the agitated buzzing in his gut when the young female blinks, which results in Baekhyun practically smacking his lips off. "--because you didn't have the guts to walk up and talk to me all those months ago." Jongin fights the urge to smash the mirror when Baekhyun noticeably shifts. 

"Do you honestly think I meant for things to turn out like this?" Baekhyun scoffs after she leaves. "I mean, I just thought-- I was planning on dumping Sehun in like, a week, anyway-- I mean, I knew he wouldn't run off anywhere since--" He emits a long, drawn out sigh. "And-"

"Since you blackmailed him," Jongin says sharply, not even bothering to hide the irritation in his voice when Baekhyun sends him a look.

Baekhyun looks torn between laughing and punching the nearest wall as he grips the edge of the sink until his knuckles turn white. "I was counting on that he'd stick around until Yeol got his goddamn promotion and then run off to you, that's how it was supposed to--" He chuckles, mostly himself, as he absently traces invisible patterns into the marble sink. "You weren't even supposed to ing kiss him to begin with-"

"But I did," Jongin interjects, figuring he should probably get to class, since he's (or rather, they're both) probably late at this point. A part of him is physically aching to apologize for thwarting Baekhyun's plan, but he restrains himself at the last second. "You know, a simple 'I'm upset and we should probably talk about it like normal friends do' would've sufficed," he chuckles after a minute, all while he grips the strap to his backpack. 

For a second, Baekhyun says nothing. "I thought you didn't like me anymore," he grumbles before he throws his hands in the air. "And me and Sehun were growing further and further apart, and then I found Yeol and he was just so goddamn busy all the time, and I just thought--" He cuts himself off with a light chuckle before he goes back to staring at his own reflection. "God, I don't even know why you're still here."

Jongin blinks. He sort of wants to ask himself the same thing, but he opts against it when Baekhyun goes on to splash water all over his face. It's not until the faucet promptly turns off that he clears his throat. "What do you-"

"Here," Baekhyun echoes as he gestures all around them, narrowly avoiding splashing Jongin in the process. A few droplets of water trickle down his bright red strands, and he quickly wipes his face with a paper towel with a muffled sigh. "I mean, I know you hate me now--" He visibly swallows. "And I know you won't believe me, but I want you to know that I wouldn't do this if I'd known you felt the same way about him." He doesn't give Jongin a chance to respond before he continues. "I'd never try to get between you and Taemin-"

"Don't do this," Jongin huffs, ignoring the cold shiver traveling up his spine at the mention of his (ex) roommate's name. Now that Jongin thinks about it, he figures he sort of owes it to Baekhyun for essentially getting him out of there once and for all, but he forgets all about it when his phone rings. Jongin doesn't even need to check to know who it is, and he doesn't even realize that he's impatiently bouncing on the balls of his feet until Baekhyun clears his throat.

Baekhyun curses under his breath, water droplets scattered all over his face as he fixes his damp bangs. "I'm sorry, okay?" He sends Jongin a brief look before he anxiously fidgets with the hem of his sweater. "I'm sorry for-- Look, I know you think I'm bull, and that's fine." His gaze flickers around the small bathroom. "But I want you to know that I'm-"

"Is this your way of avoiding looking like a lone loser all over again or what?" Jongin chuckles, only to feel a pang of guilt when Baekhyun's eyes flash.

"This is my way of saying that I should've talked to you about it from the very goddamn start and that I get that you think I'm nothing but bull," Baekhyun says all in one breath, jaw visibly clenched as he curses again. He turns around and fixes his hair in the mirror, just in time to miss the way Jongin blinks. "You and Sehun are cute together, just so you-"

"Baek," Jongin sighs, running a hand down his face, "don't-"

"Let me rephrase that," Baekhyun scoffs, a hint of amusement in his voice as he sends Jongin a look in the mirror. "I meant that Sehun is probably better off with you, anyway." He grabs a wad of paper towels and proceeds to wipe his face again. "I mean, if my calculations and deductions are correct, he's liked you for a good while now, so." Tossing them in the trash can, he presses his lips together. It's not until they fall into silence again that Baekhyun shifts. "I mean, now that I think about it, it's a good thing you moved in together. I mean, Taemin always gave me these weirdo vibes, but what do I know."

Feeling his back pocket vibrate again, Jongin restrains himself from letting the words fall out by fixating his gaze on the cracks in the ceiling. He simply nods when Baekhyun goes on to complain about their upcoming lesson, all while he tries masking the obvious growling in his stomach. It doesn't work, and before Jongin knows what he's doing, he's saying something along the lines of where he and Sehun are planning on sitting in the cafeteria, to which Baekhyun responds with a grateful nod. Jongin isn't sure what he goes on to say next, mostly because he ends up cutting himself off when his math teacher enters the bathroom. 

Jongin nearly sprains his tongue excusing himself before he scrambles back into the hallway, not daring to look back until he's certain that she isn't chasing after him just to hit him with a whole semester's worth of detention. At first, he contemplates waiting for Baekhyun, only to sprint towards the classroom when he realizes that Baekhyun is most definitely staying behind to converse with their teacher (the perks of being a non-paranoid brainiac, Jongin thinks). 

Jongin figures that the bathroom must have been at least zero degrees, because a blast of heat hits him in the face upon stepping inside the classroom a minute later. He immediately spots Sehun up front, and Jongin barely registers the puzzled, yet amused look on Sehun's face as he flies towards his desk. Jongin doesn't know if it's his starved stomach messing with him, but he ends up plopping down next to Sehun with perhaps a little too much enthusiasm when his History teacher goes on to demand everybody's reports. At this point, Jongin figures that he can only pray for his own part of the project, and he wants to slap himself for internally panicking when Sehun hands it over. 

To Jongin's embarrassment, Sehun immediately wraps a reassuring arm around his shoulder, seconds before the door opens and Baekhyun walks in. Jongin doesn't even notice Baekhyun taking a seat behind him over how intently he's staring at his teacher while she skims over his and Sehun's report. A part of Jongin hates himself for freaking out so much when she proceeds to send them both a brief nod of approval, and Jongin figures that he can finally start to breathe a little easier as he rests his head on Sehun's shoulder. 

Jongin hates that Sehun's hoodie makes for the ultimate pillow, because he soon finds himself dozing off to his teacher's monotone voice, Baekhyun's bored finger tapping and Sehun interlocking their fingers under the table.

THE END.