The bell rings throughout SM Academy, signalling that any students not in their classrooms for second period are now officially tardy. In dozens of rooms, boys sit prim and proper in their school uniforms, politely greeting their teachers.

But not Kyungsoo.

He’s been waiting in the first floor bathroom for everyone to get occupied with another boring lecture or set of repetitive worksheets so he can slip out. It’s Friday, and while his absence won’t go unnoticed at this stuffy all-boys boarding school, he’ll have three days before Principal Lee can lay into him about it. This weekend is his.

Checking his watch and satisfied the timing is right, Kyungsoo cracks open the bathroom window and climbs out. His tie snags on the latch, constricting around his neck before he frees it and then loosens it around his collar so it hangs down messily on his crisp white dress shirt. His black leather shoes land softly on the manicured grass, and then he’s off, striding away from the building with a half-cocked smile on his face.

His older brother promised to leave him the car a block away. Seungsoo knows better than anyone how much he needs this break, from all the rules and restrictions of the institution their parents left them at, entrusting it to raise them into Upstanding Young Men.

In reality, it’s an uptight, elitist world of boys that have disdain for anyone Not Like Them. Meaning anyone who is not obsessed with money, bragging about their daddies, and leering at women need not apply to be part of the inner circle.

To hell with them. All of them can off as far as Kyungsoo’s concerned. (Except for one.)

He’s shrugging out of his navy blazer and breaking into a full run once he spots the car and the boy already sitting inside of it. Freedom is a full tank of gas and Jongin, smiling brighter than the sun, riding shotgun.

Kyungsoo hops over the convertible’s driver-side door rather than opening it, mischievous glint in his eye. “Ready to get out of here?”

“I’m always ready to go anywhere with you, Soo.”

Kyungsoo turns the key and hopes the start of the engine covers the thundering noise of his heart thumping in his chest.

Jongin is always a little too free with his adoration.

Kyungsoo is always a little too reserved.

Maybe that’ll finally change this weekend.

-------

Kyungsoo is racing down the street, tires squealing as they go a little too fast around the bends. They’ve got the radio turned all the way up. Amid crooning along with the music and gripping the steering wheel with just one hand, Kyungsoo rips his tie off over his head and s his dress shirt, tugging it off and leaving all signs of their conservative boarding school behind.

Jongin stares openly and can’t deny it: He’s always been fascinated with the bad boy’s reckless streak. From the moment Jongin laid eyes on him in the cafeteria during his first day, he could tell Kyungsoo was different from the others at their school...

His tie was neat, slacks were pressed, everything meticulously in order and fit to dress code like all the other students. But Kyungsoo’s dark, unruly brows and wild eyes were all things alluring and dangerous. With one look, Jongin was a goner.

Kyungsoo was technically a year older, and in several classes that were a grade above Jongin, so he was surprised to find out they were both in sophomore homeroom together. Jongin was the awkward transfer kid, and everyone else in the room avoided him in favor of their own pre-developed cliques, which is how he found the courage to sit next to Mr. Small-Dark-and-Handsome in the back row of the class. He had felt Kyungsoo’s eyes look him over and conclude he wasn’t a nuisance, but they barely spoke the first week, their interactions limited to a few timid requests for help from Jongin and polite but terse replies from Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo later explained he wasn’t trying to be cold. He just didn’t want to derail Jongin’s chances at having a ‘normal social life.’

“I’m not interested in being anyone else’s friend, just yours,” Jongin had bluntly admitted. His mouth had a tendency of speaking the truth even when he didn’t want it to. But he was thankful for the genetic glitch in his brain-to-mouth filter because it made Kyungsoo’s ears bloom a beautiful red, even if his face stayed stoic as he shrugged and returned to his worksheet.

“Suit yourself, I guess.”

From that point on, Kyungsoo walked out of class more slowly, purposefully allowing Jongin to tail behind him, sometimes to the library, other times to remote spaces he seemed to know all too well on the school’s campus to play hooky from required bull like ‘professional development’ lectures in the auditorium.

Kyungsoo arched a brow the first time he saw Jongin slip out of the gym to follow after him. “You’re gonna get in trouble if they notice you’re not getting the ‘full SM brand’ of brainwashing, you know.”

“I know plenty well the ins and outs of how privileged rich boys are supposed to act,” Jongin said, making a disdainful face at the closed gym door. “Been on the receiving end of that my whole life.” Kyungsoo studied him carefully and didn’t push for more, simply mumbling it was a good night to go to the roof and smiling imperceptibly when Jongin’s face lit up at the idea.

It took a few weeks of slowly building up a mostly silent companionship and sitting together at lunch in addition to homeroom before Jongin got the courage to ask. “So… why are you in sophomore homeroom but taking all junior level courses?”

“Got held back a year,” Kyungsoo said, not looking up from his jajangmyeon.

Jongin frowned. “Just in homeroom?”

“Yep.”

It didn’t make any sense. Kyungsoo was plenty smart, and homeroom didn’t even have real assignments to fail.

“...can I ask why?”

“Some people needed to be punched, and I was the only one around to do it.” Kyungsoo blew on his noodles nonchalantly. “Unfortunately, the school has a zero tolerance policy for fighting, regardless of how much someone deserves it. So. Here I am.”

Jongin still isn’t sure who Kyungsoo hit or why. But he has zero doubts that they were in the wrong, because despite the prickly, rebel-without-a-cause air that Kyungsoo’s projects to ward off most everyone in the school, he’s one of the most considerate and gentle people Jongin’s ever known. Always patient to help him with courses he’s already passed, always willing to share food if Jongin ‘forgets’ to reload his lunch card and can’t buy his own.

Which is why, two years later, Jongin was immediately on board when Kyungsoo mentioned ditching school on a Friday morning and driving as far as they could get before having to turn around to be back in time for Monday’s classes.

“Any particular place in mind?” he’d asked.

“Nope.”

“Just us?”

Kyungsoo gave him a look that said, please, like I’d invite anyone else.

“Sounds perfect. I’m in.”

And that’s how Jongin finds himself shedding his uniform and throwing his bare feet up on the dash of Seungsoo’s convertible while the wind whips through his hair.

“Right or left?” Kyungsoo asks, voice half lost in the noise of the wind.

“Huh?”

Kyungsoo reaches out and pulls Jongin close by the back of the neck, lips brushing against the shell of his ear as he repeats his question, thinking Jongin didn’t hear it. “Right or left?” The silky voice slithers through Jongin’s body, making him tremble with delight.

“Uh… r-right?”

“Good choice,” Kyungsoo mumbles, lower lip snagging on his tragus as he pulls away. Jongin tries not to dissolve into a pile of pining goo as he settles back down in his seat, staring up at the blue sky with a happy smile on his lips.

At the next intersection, Kyungsoo turns right and pushes the pedal down. Thus, their journey toward the coast begins.

-----------

They drive and drive into the night. “No stopping until we’re about to run out of gas,” Kyungsoo decides rather recklessly. Jongin nods, his gorgeous half smile doing all sorts of things to Kyungsoo’s insides.

He agrees too easily. Always too easily. It makes Kyungsoo’s rebellious side want to press boundaries more and more until he finds Jongin’s breaking point where he’ll finally push back and tell Kyungsoo to be sensible. Honestly, Jongin is the best and worst influence on him, because the boy is good, so good, and yet is always up for Kyungsoo’s deviant bull. It’s like he keeps daring Kyungsoo to go further, be riskier, act on… impulses…

Kyungsoo really needs to get a grip, or one of these days, he’s gonna lose his best friend. Or rather, his only friend.

They talk about everything and nothing as they cruise down the quiet highway, occasionally play-fighting over the songlist on Jongin’s phone and slapping each other’s hands away from the skip button.

“Ow!” Jongin reacts dramatically to a smack that landed a little more sharply than expected, shaking the sting out of his hand while giggling.

“I like this one,” Kyungsoo says, defending the R&B tune playing through the speakers. He lets his eyes flit over and notices Jongin rubbing the back of his hand. He grabs it and pulls it to his mouth, hesitating just a second before planting a quick kiss to Jongin’s knuckles. “There, is it all better now?”

He expects Jongin to pull his hand back and complain some more, but the car is silent and Jongin’s hand stays comfortably in his own, fingers actually curling around his now as they settle on the center console. When he looks over, Jongin’s staring at him. Their gazes hold a little too long, before an oncoming car blares a horn and Kyungsoo jolts back to paying attention to the road, swerving the wheel with one hand to avoid it.

Stay in your lane, Kyungsoo. It’s like the world is out to remind him. When he goes to withdraw his hand from Jongin’s to put both back on the wheel, though, Jongin grips it more firmly.

“It still stings,” he claims quietly. It’s a subtle request, daring Kyungsoo again, to keep holding him, touching him.

Kyungsoo thumbs over the back of Jongin’s hand in a slow rhythm matching the song, and starts singing softly along to the tune to avoid any questions about his actions. When the song ends, he lets go, clearing his throat and trying to hide behind his snark. “There, you can pick the next one, you big baby.”

Jongin snickers and starts scrolling through his playlist. “I love your voice, Soo,” he compliments, eyes glued to his screen. The phone’s backlight shows Jongin’s face clearly in the dark, his lips pursed in a pleased smile as he scans for another song.

I love your everything. Kyungsoo keeps the thought to himself and presses harder on the accelerator, driving faster into the night.

----

The “low fuel” warning light comes on, and they decide it wouldn’t hurt to get some food either. Kyungsoo pulls over at the next gas station they encounter on the lonely road.

“You mind pumping?” Kyungsoo asks him. “I’ll pay inside and get us some junk food to go with it.”

“Sure,” Jongin agrees, sliding out of the car and immediately feeling the need to stretch. He walks around to the driver’s side where the gas tank is, and has to pause to keep from running into Kyungsoo.

They’re face to face, each shuffling their feet back and forth with no room to do so. “Sorry, parked too close,” Kyungsoo mutters as they try to slide past each other in the narrow space between the car and the gas pump. He eventually places his hands gently on Jongin’s hips to steady him as he shimmies past, their fronts brushing against each other from their chests all the way down to their knees.

“N-no problem,” Jongin manages to reply seconds later, when Kyungsoo is already halfway inside the station’s store. It feels like his body’s on fire from all the points of contact, however fleeting they were. Jongin tries to snap out of it, quickly uncapping the gas tank and shoving the nozzle in to fill ‘er up. He’d managed to slip into his skinny jeans in the back seat when they first left town, to rid himself of the obnoxious school uniform, but so much for the freedom of wearing non-school clothes: right now, the jeans feel very constricting.

He stretches his legs, shaking them out like he can shake off a and cursing when it doesn’t work. All too soon, Kyungsoo is pushing back out the convenience store door, brow furrowed.

“What’s wrong?”

“My card. Got declined. I’m guessing the school called my dad and he put a hold on the account.”

“Oh…” Jongin feels dread sink in. The likelihood that there’s any money on his debit card is… extremely low. “I could, um, maybe try--”

“No, don’t worry about it,” Kyungsoo cuts him off, dropping open the glove compartment. “I got us into this, and I should have… yes. Okay, there’s… oh dammit, Seungsoo!” Kyungsoo pulls out a thin wad of cash from inside the compartment. The loose rubberbands around the paltry amount of bills tell the story. There should’ve been a lot more there.

Kyungsoo unfolds the bills to count exactly how much is still there, and a small note flutters out to the ground. He bends down to pick it up.

I took a Brother tax, for helping you out. Also, don’t try to use your card, otherwise Dad will be able to trace your whereabouts. Have fun on your adventure. ~Seungsoo

“I will kick his smug little ,” Kyungsoo fumes. He pinches the bridge of his nose tightly, and Jongin probably shouldn’t be focused on how hot he looks right now, given their predicament, but he feels hypnotized by the allure of Kyungsoo’s thick eyebrows drawing together. There are little dimples that form in the creases above his strong brows, and they’re so damn y, Jongin wants to kiss over them and feel how--

“Oh crap,” Jongin exclaims, brain rebooting after its fantasy. “I should stop the pump.” He goes to cut off the gasoline seeing as how they’re short on cash, when Kyungsoo reaches out a hand across his chest, effectively stopping him before letting his hand fall, brushing over Jongin’s stomach lightly and leaving a trail of heat in its wake.

“No, let the tank fill. My dad’s gonna know where we’re at since I tried to use my card. He might send one of his brainless lackeys to come look for us. We’re gonna need to get far away from here, fast, to keep the weekend alive.”

Jongin feels his heart race, ludicrously happy they’re not turning back. “Okay, but… how are we gonna pay? Do we have enough or…?”

Thinking, Kyungsoo chews on his tongue for a moment, a habitual quirk that snags Jongin’s full attention every time. His mouth curves up into a half smirk just before he looks at Jongin. “Come inside with me,” he says, tilting his head toward the station store. Confused, Jongin follows.

The bell on the door jingles as they push their way through. “Hello,” greets the girl behind the counter in a bored voice. “Welcome to… oh hi again!” Upon seeing Kyungsoo, she lights up with a cheery smile. Jongin thinks he catches her smoothing down her skirt before sliding a lock of hair behind her ear. He tries not to make an annoyed face at her obvious interest.

Kyungsoo suddenly laces their fingers together and squeezes his hand. “Hey,” he asks Jongin sweetly, bright doe eyes looking up at him endearingly as he steps closer into his space. Much closer than usual. “Can you pick out a few snacks for us?” He playfully swings their linked hands back and forth a few times before winking at him and turning to go talk to the cashier.

What… what on earth was that. Jongin gulps and does as he was told, grabbing a few bags of chips and some Pepero off the shelves nearby. All the while, he watches as Kyungsoo leans one elbow on the counter and chitchats with the girl. He can’t overhear their conversation, but he sees Kyungsoo smiling his most charming smile and the girl flushing as she nods, hanging on every word coming out of his mouth. She’s looking over at Jongin, too, with a smile, which confuses him. She cups her hand over and whispers something to Kyungsoo, before he pushes off the counter.

On his walk back over to Jongin, Kyungsoo grabs a liter of soda and holds it up, showing it to the cashier, and she nods, lips pursed together.

“What’s that about?”

“She’s letting us go without paying.”

“What?? Really?”

“Yeah, grab whatever you want.”

Jongin pulls a pair of sunglasses off a rack and holds them up, asking with an eyebrow raise if this is really okay. The cashier giggles and nods at him.

Well, okay then. Kyungsoo grabs a tote bag and they stuff it with various food and drinks to tide them over for a day.

“How did you swing this?” Jongin whispers to him, giddy about stealing without stealing.

“Uh,” Kyungsoo hesitates, “I might’ve told her a little white lie about us running away. Together.”

Jongin pauses, blinking rapidly and replaying the words back to make sure he heard the insinuation correctly. Kyungsoo interprets his silence as potential disapproval and rushes to further explain.

“I noticed earlier when I was trying to pay by credit card that she was reading fanfic on her phone, okay, so I took a shot stretching the truth a bit and uh, she might be under the impression she’s helping us run away from my controlling father who disapproves. Which isn’t entirely a lie.”

Jongin grins widely, watching the pink color spread up the back of Kyungsoo’s neck as he talks. “That’s pretty brilliant, hyung.”

“Huh?” Kyungsoo seems surprised at his reaction.

“You’re so smart.”

He shrugs, squirming under Jongin’s praise. “Anyway, if we’ve got everything, we should--”

“Wait.” Jongin grabs him by the forearm and pulls him toward a photobooth he notices in the back corner of the store. Only 1,000 won. They can definitely spare that given how much they’re getting in return here. “Take a picture with me, Soo.”

They go inside the booth and flick through the background options on the screen. One has sticker hearts that pop up around their faces and it gives Jongin an even better idea. He gives into the impulse. “It gives us four shots in the print out. Let’s take two for us and two for the girl, as a thank you,” he says with an eyebrow waggle.

“What?” Kyungsoo laughs. “You mean like…”

“Like boyfriend-y fanfic worthy pics, yes. It’s the least she deserves.” Without giving Kyungsoo time to argue, Jongin taps the Start button and sits back on the bench next to him. “Silly pic for the first one!” he yells. Jongin scrunches up his nose and shows a