Chanyeol changes seats the next day.

Which is unfortunate for Baekhyun because he can now see the whole board and all the scribbles he doesn’t – can’t – understand; isn’t this math class? Where are all the numbers? The lady up front is glaring down at him like she wants to skin him alive so Baekhyun tries really hard. He even squints.

Oh, there is a test on Wednesday.

“Why am I taking this class,” Baekhyun whispers because they are in the library and he has just gotten his privileges back. How could he have known that wailing over Park Chanyeol constitutes a two weeks ban?

His friend offers a small smile, “Because otherwise you won’t get your degree. Now pay attention, I’m doing this out of kindness.”

“I will never get this.”

“Baekhyun, Professor Nam is known for a high passing rate – “ Kris nods when Baekhyun ‘ooh’s’ at this information, “Not that she cares about you, but I think she gets a bonus. And I think she thinks you’re messing up this semester’s bonus check for her. So if you don’t pass, she might murder you.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Baekhyun leans in close, face looking grim.

“Yes, Baekhyun?”

“How can you be both Chinese and Canadian?”

Baekhyun nurses his head at lunch with Jongin’s coke can, whimpering until someone finally asks, “What’s wrong?”

“Kris hit me.”

Kris actually has the gall to look offended.

“Poor Baekhyun, tell me what’s wrong,” Sehun coos.

Baekhyun throws himself onto the alabaster reptilian (just kidding, Sehun has not exhibits signs of growing scales, he just talks like he could belong to the Slitherin house).  “It was horrible! First Chanyeol changed seats…”

“Wait, what?” Yixing breaks out of his trance to ask.

Jongin guffaws, “You finally did something to creep him out, didn’t you?”

“No. I approached him to talk about his life,” Baekhyun lowers his voice, just in case someone else is listening in and he doesn’t want poor Chanyeol’s life broadcasted throughout school, “you know. And to offer comfort.”

“That’s nice of you,” Tao grins whilst Kris scoffs.

“Yeah! But he pushed me away and changed seats.”

“Poor Baekhyun,” Sehun continues to coo, shaking his head.

Kyungsoo holds up a hand before Baekhyun can open his mouth, grabs his partner’s wrist and drags him until they reach Joonmyun’s side. The TA smiles at them, finishes up his conversation with another student and gives them his full attention.

“This is Byun Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo says, “He needs your help.”

“Oh what can I do for you, Baekhyun?” Joonmyun is all smiles, eyes slit, teeth flashing like a Crest commercial.

Chanyeol’s first thought is to flee for his life but of course he can’t. He doesn’t know what he has done to deserve this but there is really nowhere to run as his back is literally against a wall. He chuckles nervously and takes comfort in the fact that Kris is there – his friend from the basketball team – but Kris looks sheepishly apologetic so Chanyeol feels the comfort waning.

“Hi, I’m Luhan,” one of the guys says. Chanyeol thinks Luhan looks very nice with his blonde hair and long lashes framing doe-like eyes. “This is Tao.” Tao looks less nice with his dark raven hair and sharp eyes.

“And this is Jongin,” Luhan points to the guy standing to his right who looks slightly sleepy, “And Yixing” who isn’t even looking at them, but sort of to the distance.

“We’re Baekhyun’s friends…why are you making that face?” Luhan sighs. “You’ve talked to him. Okay well we aren’t crazy like him. But we need to ask you for a favor.”

“Erm, s-sure?”

“So then he reached over – and his arms! Hyung, can I see your arm? Oh well, Chanyeol’s is better – what, it is!”

“Can you do that for us, Chanyeol? Because Tao here – he doesn’t look it – but he can kill you.”

Chanyeol’s round eyes widen even further.

“And you know Chanyeol does this thing – like he smiles, and it’s his face…well, I don’t know. But he is really cute. I’ll have to take a picture for you. Chanyeol isn’t a science major. So you probably will never have to T.A him. So anyway, I finally talked myself into talking to him, you know? And I asked him out – “

“Good boy,” Luhan smiles, patting Chanyeol’s head affectionately whilst Kris apologizes profusely and claims he does not know any of ‘these people and was only forced to be here.’

“So that’s it. And now he is like on the other side of the room, and I could move but there are no available seats near him. And I think math isn’t my thing.”

Chanyeol dusts off his jacket as he waves until Luhan and the rest are out of sight. He considers dropping the class. One withdrawal to his academics isn’t really crippling and if that means he can get away from the crazy.

But Baekhyun, weird as he is, is actually sort of cute. And Chanyeol thinks that even if he were to change schools, Tao would find him somehow anyways.

“So what do you think?”

Joonmyun scratches his chin, “UH. This has all been really interesting, Baekhyun. But I’m only here to help with lab-related things.”

“This is! It is!” Baekhyun insists when the T.A gives him a skeptical look, “I am going to fail if I can’t focus. As my T.A you must do everything you can to help me pass. Didn’t they make you take an oath?”

“No? I just…volunteered.”

“What. So anyone can be a T.A?” Baekhyun scrunches up his face, “How do I even know you’re worthy? And oh my god, I just spilled my heart out to you.”

Joonmyun’s face meets the table. “Kyungsoo!” He calls out, and when said boy walks over to give him a sickeningly sweet look, Joonmyun glares at him. “Fine, you can change lab partners.”

“Thanks, hyung.”

“WHAT!” Baekhyun screeches.

“So…you’re ban from lab?” Yixing says slowly.

Baekhyun pouts, “Can they do that?”

“It says they can for disorderly conduct. This means you’ll have to retake lab next semester.”

Baekhyun cries into Yixing’s shoulders.

“Hi.”

Baekhyun tries very hard to tamper down the giddiness rising up his esophagus – trachea? Really, this can all be pinpoint back to being Chanyeol’s fault. Maybe if Chanyeol hadn’t rejected him – or maybe if Chanyeol hadn’t been such an when Baekhyun was only trying to help.

“Baek…hyun?”

And how dare Kim Joonmyun kick him out of lab. Baekhyun curses Joonmyun and all his descendants – may they all have…really…bad…teeth! Yeah. And then no one will want to look at their faces and they will be loners forever.

Now that he thinks about it, he curses Chanyeol’s children as well. Chanyeol’s ugly kids can hang out with Joonmyun’s ugly kids.

Or, no. Because then they wouldn’t be loners. One day he is going to send his beautiful kids over to their houses and rub their faces in it (rub it in their faces?)

“Can you hear me in thereeeeee, hello! Come back to Earth Byun Baekhyun!”

Baekhyun blinks at the sight of Chanyeol’s face a few inches from his face, hands cupping his mouth to better send verbal messages into Baekhyun’s brain.

“Who am I kidding – your kids will be beautiful!” Baekhyun wails.

“Uh.” Chanyeol straightens, “Thank you?”

“Wait. Why are you sitting here?”

“This is my seat.”

“You moved.

“I moved back.”

Baekhyun’s mouth forms an O but no words really come out because – wait, is this a dream? Park Chanyeol is talking to him. TALKING. WORDS. PLURAL.

“Are you always this easily distracted?”

“Yeah!” Baekhyun says, crossing his arms. “I am. And I am always blurting out things because my brain-to-mouth filter is obviously defective. And I like who I like, I am not going to make excuses or hide it. And I do what I want because I am Byun Baekhyun. Got a problem?”

Chanyeol shakes his head with a slow smile, “Nope.”

“So, Byun Baekhyun. Would you like to get coffee? With me?”

Baekhyun rubs his eyes just to make sure he isn’t really dreaming, “What. Why are you suddenly not running away? Are you trying to seduce me so you can sell me on the black market?”

The incredulous look on Chanyeol’s face is both ridiculous and adorable. And Baekyun should really take a picture of it.

“I don’t know how you make these…mind leaps,” Chanyeol says.

“Yixing says he’d like to study my brain. So if I am ever dead and brainless – you know where to start questioning.”

“Ah.”

“Sure, Baekhyun isn’t the brightest light bulb but he is the most sincere and nicest kid on the planet,” Luhan had said when they – as in all of Baekhyun’s friends – pinned Chanyeol to the wall. “But do me a favor and just have coffee with him before you decide to completely reject him.”

“Why are you going through all this trouble?”

“Because Baekhyun is worth it.”

And maybe he is, Chanyeol thinks as he listens to Baekhyun’s rambles on about classes and people – everything and anything that pops into mind. Baekhyun’s mind doesn’t do linear, it is sharp turns and random drop off’s. But it’s fun. And when he smiles, his whole face lights up, his eyes crinkles into crescents; and, maybe giving Baekhyun a chance isn’t the worst favor Chanyeol has ever done.

-

there wasnt supposed to be a sequel

but I have Sehun-level brat for a friend; and I am a Joonmyun-level softie.

SO here it is and I am done with this fan fic.