Jongin sat there for a long time in the darkness, turning the ring over and over in his hand. He hadn’t realized that he had been wearing it; he was so used to it.

            He thought that might be the reason Kyungsoo decided to be a turtle.

            Jongin looked over at the sleeping figure of Kyungsoo on the bed. He was so small, so delicate. Jongin felt protective, but not…

            Not the way he wanted to feel.

            Sehun flopped down next to him, pushing his sweaty hair away from his forehead. “Our goodbye stages are this week,” he said, opening a bottle of water. Jongin leaned against the wall.

            “Yeah, goodbye stages already.”

            Sehun laughed. “Not really, it’s been almost two months.”

            Jongin shrugged. “It doesn’t really feel like it.”

            “No,” Sehun said. “It doesn’t. Especially after all that training time.”

            As Sehun lifted the water bottle to his lips, Jongin caught the flash of silver on his finger.

            “Why do you wear it?” Jongin blurted out before he could stop himself.

            Sehun looked him strangely. “Wear what.”

            Shut up now before it’s too late. “That ring.” Jongin wanted to smack himself.

            “Oh, this?” Sehun lifted his hand in the air. “It’s pretty.”

            “Oh.”

            “Why?”

            “Just,” Jongin felt like he was choking on something. “Just wondering.”

            Sehun dropped his hand.

            Joonmyun came to the training room and yelled at them for overexerting themselves and that they should go home and get some sleep. Jongin and Sehun laughed and made fun of him, but deep down, they knew that Joonmyun really cared about them, even if the guy was slightly distant at times.

            Jongin and Joonmyun had been the earliest trainees, and Joonmyun had always mingled better with the seniors. Jongin had hid in the back, dancing when there was no one else in the practice room. That’s how Taemin had found him, and Jongin never thought twice about it.

            Joonmyun, however, had been friendly with the rest of the trainees from the start, and had been quiet for weeks after they debuted and he didn’t.

            Jongin wondered sometimes if he resented it, but seeing Joonmyun fussing over them and making sure they were healthy made him think twice.

            Kyungsoo was already asleep when Jongin, Sehun, and Joonmyun arrived back at the dorm. “Don’t wake him,” Joonmyun whispered, glancing at Jongin.

            Jongin nodded, and thought he saw something other than fatherly instinct in his eyes.

            As always, Kyungsoo woke up the second Jongin opened the door. Jongin hated that he roomed with such a light sleeper.

            “Jongin?”

            Jongin bit his lip. “Sorry, hyung. I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

            Kyungsoo smiled sleepily. “You never mean to, but you always do.”

            “Not my fault you’re such a light sleeper.”

            Kyungsoo smiled and rubbed at his eyes. He was silent for a minute before, “You’re not wearing it.”

            Jongin started. “What?”

            “The ring. You’re not wearing it.”

            Jongin glanced at his bare finger. “I guess not.”

            Kyungsoo stared at him. “Why?”

            “What do you mean?”

            “It’s the ring Sehun gave to you.”

            “Yeah, and?”

            Kyungsoo bit his lip. “Nothing.”

            “What?” Jongin went over and teasingly shook him. “You can tell me.”

            Kyungsoo flushed. “Nothing. It’s nothing.” He lay back down and rolled over, snuggling into his pillow.

            Jongin was 22 and four years into EXO before he made the announcement.

            “I’m going back to school.”

            Joonmyun froze, his fork full of salad halfway to his mouth. “What?”

            Jongin glanced at Sehun, who was sitting across the table from him.

            “I’m going back to school. And so is Sehun.”

            Joonmyun put his fork back in his salad. “Are you sure? Both of you?”

            Sehun nodded. Joonmyun sighed. “Have you discussed this with the company, our managers, your parents, the school heads…”

            “Yes to all, believe it or not,” Jongin said, laughing a little.

            Luhan propped his elbows on the table, resting his face in his hands. “It’s hard, you know. Balancing school with idol life.”

            “That’s why we’re telling you and Joonmyun,” Sehun said. “Because you guys have done it already. And Kyungsoo, but he’s at school right now so we can’t ask him.”

            “And it was a nightmare,” Luhan deadpanned. “Just ask Kyungsoo. He’s doing it right now. Awful. I don’t even know how I passed.”

            “You were an Applied Music major, but Joonmyun was an acting major. And that’s what Sehun and I want to go into. Acting,” Jongin said.

            Joonmyun’s eyebrows flew up. “You want to go into acting?”

            Sehun nodded.

            Joonmyun bit his lip. “It’s not easy. Really, it’s not.”

            Jongin sighed. “Nothing ever is.”

            “Are you sure about this?” Joonmyun whispered, for what seemed like the millionth time. Jongin smiled and nudged him.

            “Positive.”

            Joonmyun ran a hand through his hair. “Don’t let the fangirls get you.”

            “What if I do?”

            “Then I’ll have to come and save you, and that’s dirty work.”

            Jongin laughed and gave Joonmyun a hug. “Bye, hyung.”

            Joonmyun hugged him tightly for a couple seconds before he let him go. “Why do I feel like a father sending his kids off to preschool?”

            “Because you kind of are,” Sehun said, coming up from behind them, pulling a jacket on. Joonmyun laughed.

            “Yeah, I guess I am.”

            Luhan came up from behind them. “Okay, just remember that you have to get to your classes on time, and don’t sass the teacher like you do to us. Don’t forget to wear your jacket in classrooms that have high air conditioning, because it would be bad if either of you got sick. If you see Kyungsoo around campus, go tell him that you’re doing fine, and call or text either Joonmyun or me whenever you can so we know that you’re okay. And if a bully or someone comes after you, don’t pick a fight, just walk away. And don’t let the–”

            “Fangirls get me, yeah, I know, hyung,” Jongin said, laughing. “You’re worse than my mom, you know that right?
            Luhan smacked him. “I’m serious! I feel like I’m sending my own kids to school.”

            “You and Joonmyun are a match made in heaven,” Sehun said dryly. “Any kid of either of you would be smothered.”

            Joonmyun rolled his eyes. “I expect at least a text between each class.”

            “And don’t be afraid to ask questions during class,” Luhan put in. “Introduce yourself to the teacher if you can because you’ll probably be missing some classes in the future, and it helps to be on the teachers’ good sides.”

            Sehun laughed. “All right, all right. Don’t worry too much, we’ll be fine.”

            Luhan bit his lip. “Who’s driving?”

            “I am,” Jongin said immediately. Sehun glared at him. “Fine.”

            “Do you have your driver’s license?”

            Jongin felt around in his jeans pocket. “Yes.”

            “All your books?”

            “Yes.”

            “Pencils?”

            “Yes.”

            “Cell phone?”

            “Yes.”

            “Do you have 911 on speed dial?”

            “Luhan, for the love of God–”

            “Do you have it?!”

            “Yes. I do have it programmed, even though I’m pretty sure you’re the one who programmed it.”

            Luhan bit his lip. “Okay, go before you’re late.”

            “You’re the one that’s making us late,” Sehun said under his breath, but he still let Luhan give him a hug.

            Jongin waited until Sehun was done buckling his seat belt to start up the car. The drive there was quiet, with Jongin concentrating on the road and Sehun staring out the window.

            It was awkward between them now. They were still friends, best friends, but there was that little ‘what if’ bubble in their heads. They didn’t forget what they could have been.

            Jongin pulled into the parking space and killed the engine. They got out of the car and picked up their backpacks from the trunk.

            “Well,” Sehun said. “I guess this is it. College.”

            “We’re four years older than everyone else.”

            “Now I know how Luhan feels.”

            Jongin laughed. “Come on, we have Language and Comp. first, and I’ve heard that the teacher’s really strict.”

            “Use some of that aegyo on her and she’ll soften right up.”

            “It’s a guy.”

            “It’ll still work.”

            Jongin rolled his eyes. “I thought you were the cute one?”

            Sehun laughed. “I have to save my cuteness for bigger things.”

            Language and Comp. was brutal, as expected. The teacher was a formidable 6’4 man who looked like he made regular trips to the gym. Jongin took one look at him and started to regret signing up for the class. Sehun nudged him forward.

            “You’re the better speaker, Jongin.”

            Jongin looked at him. “I’m the better speaker?”

            “Well, you don’t have a lisp.”

            “Oh.” Jongin tried not to laugh. “Right.”

            Jongin somehow managed to introduce him and Sehun to the teacher, who just nodded and directed them to their seats. Sehun sank into the chair next to Jongin.

            “Well, at least we can fail together.”

            Jongin glared at him. “Sehun, that’s what you said all throughout high school, and then someone graduated with all honors.”

            Sehun shrugged. “It’s wasn’t that hard.”

            “I beg your pardon.”

            Sehun smiled and took out his language book.

            They had a free period with Kyungsoo, so they waited for him outside his biology classroom. After about ten minutes, Kyungsoo emerged, with a backpack that was twice the size of Jongin’s. Jongin stared at it.

            “What’s in your bag?”

            Kyungsoo looked pained. “Homework.”

            Sehun rolled his eyes. “Jongin, why are you so surprised? We had about that much homework during high school.”

            “I didn’t carry any of it around, remember?” Jongin said. “I used to leave it all at home and do it the morning before it was due.”

            Kyungsoo sighed. “I hope you’re not planning to do that here.”

            Jongin held up his hands. “I’m not! I’ve changed, believe it or not. From now on I’m going to be punctual. And I’ll graduate with honors.”

            Kyungsoo shifted his bag’s strap on his shoulder. “I’m very happy for you and your goals, but I’m hungry, and that’s kind of making everything else seem significantly less important.”

            Sehun laughed. “Well I’m not eating at the school café.”

            “I hope,” Kyungsoo said, “that you’re not planning to go to that deli a couple blocks away, because if you’re late for your next class–”

            “I’m driving!” Jongin announced.

            Kyungsoo sighed.

A/N: OH LOOK GUYS I ACTUALLY UPDATED sobs

idek tbqfh but sekai is like my life right now so um yeah

I have the ending planned out and I'm clawing at my face

anyway.

probably not going to use images from now on, not that it actually makes a difference lol

sukai ficccccc and idk if I'm going to post one/two shots to aff in the future now because omg I'm lazy sobs

kbye and comments are always appreciated!! ♥