When they enter the main gates Jinki felt like how he felt the first day he arrived in SM . Being in the Academy for so many weeks now, he had almost forgotten how beautiful it looks from outside. Most of the students looked depressed at the thought of going back to the prison-like life. Kyuhyun, Heechul and Shindong though, seemed thrilled that they would get to meet and share their experiences with Eunhyuk. 

 

Yoochun was the most excited one out of all. 

 

"Junsu-ah!", he chirps while pushing past all the students and bouncing his way towards the addressed boy when he comes to greet them, "I brought you souvenirs!"

 

It's only a matter of seconds before he has a startled Junsu locked securely in his arms. Junsu remains stiff during the entire hug, even starting to blush a little when the other boy inhales his scent and whimpers 'aah, I missed you so much' to the nape of his neck. 

 

"Yah!", he stomps on Yoochun's foot hard, frustrated. "You stink. Get away from me!", he says before walking off. 

 

"That guy is definitely a masochist.", Heechul concludes when a giddy Yoochun follows after Junsu with starry eyes. 

 

Taemin decides to peek his head into Yunho's office since they are passing by it while on their way to their rooms. 

 

"Ah, you guys are back! Did you enjoy the trip?", the older asks lifting his head up from a small pile of papers. 

 

"Yes hyung! We loved it!", Taemin replies cheerily, dropping his luggage on the floor and sighing contently as he slumps down on a chair. Jinki smiles at Yunho when he follows his friend inside, bowing a little out of habit.

 

"What's that?", Taemin puts his legs on either side of the chair and scoots closer to Yunho. 

 

"The Academy Festival is about three weeks away. This is the checklist for the preparations that has to be done."

 

Taemin nods his head, his mouthing an 'o' shape as he strains his neck for a good look at the papers. He has told Jinki all about the festival, so he doesn't look completely clueless. There is one certain part of it that interested Jinki the most though. The play that Apollo held on the final day of the festival. 

 

"What play are we doing this year?", he asks with curious excitement. 

 

Yunho smiles. 

 

"Tartuffe by Moliere."

 

Jinki beams. A play that he has always wanted to see.

 

Ah, it comes to his mind suddenly, that explains the dress that Kevin wore.

 

"You better go to your room and have some rest,", says Yunho taking off his glasses and wiping them softly with a cloth taken from the drawer, "because tomorrow your exam results will be out."

 

Jinki inwardly thinks the constipated look on Taemin's face at that moment is really priceless. He is sure Yunho would agree. 

 

Jinki comes to their room looking excited the next evening, holding up his results in his hand and calling for Taemin as loud as possible because he just got the best results in the whole class and he is feeling lessly happy. 

 

He finds the boy sulking on the floor with a scrunched up envelope placed in front of him. 

 

"Guess what?", he says grinning expectantly. 

 

"You got the top results in your class? Yeah, I heard. I failed everything. Not just Maths. Everything.", he mutters and mutters and mutters and pushes the envelope as far as possible with his hands when a troubled Jinki approaches him carefully. 

 

He takes the envelope from the floor and examines it closely. 

 

"Taemin. You still haven't opened it.", he says and proceeds to rip it. 

 

"Noo!", Taemin screams, jumping off the floor to retrieve it back, "I haven''t prepared myself enough to accept the reality yet!"

 

But it's too late by then because Jinki already has it opened and his eyes are skimming through it rapidly.  

 

"You have 3 As!"

 

Taemin places his hands on the top of his head and falls to his knees dramatically before looking up at Jinki. 

 

"Wait. What? Really?"

 

******************

Minho smiles brightly at them. All the time. Jinki smiles back equally brightly, (while Taemin pretends he doesn't exist) except that his smile last for about three seconds before he averts his eyes and swiftly turns to the opposite direction.

 

It's not that Jinki hates it or anything. In fact, his heart swells with happiness whenever he sees Minho looking at their way and starts smiling. He is just scared that Jonghyun or Key might spot them because of the obviousness of the boy's actions. So he decides for their own good , that it's better to follow what Taemin was doing and completely ignore Minho unless he isn't accompanied by his friends. He thinks this is a great plan. 

 

After one whole week of inability to smile at Jinki and Taemin makes Minho think that they are thinking he is not acknowledging them. He panicks at the thought because he actually really, really like Jinki and Taemin and he does not want them to think he is ignoring them. So one day when he coincidentally sees Jinki coming the opposite way, he hides a nice bright smile to give him at the back of his hand beforehand.  

 

It seems like Jinki haven't noticed him yet because he suddenly stops to turn and asks a random Adonis student where the English corridor was. The student looks at him like he is a freak. 

 

"Dude, this is the English corridor."

 

Minho chuckles at his dopiness. 

 

"Sorry. Actually, I. I meant the Art corridor. Yeah. I want to know where the Art corridor is."

 

And this is when Minho starts to get suspicions. Something about the way Jinki was fidgeting made him think he knew Minho is there, but didn't want to him to know. 

 

He takes slow steps, stopping to stand right behind Jinki and tapping him twice on the shoulder. 

 

"Yah Minho! How many times do I have to call you?"

 

The alarm in Jinki's head goes off a little late.

 

Uh Oh.

 

Everything happens simultaneously; Minho smiling when Jinki turning to look at him and Key and Jonghyun entering the scene. 

 

Everyone is staring at them. 

 

"Urm." Jinki wants to say something like ' this is not what it looks like' but that will make him look like someone who got caught cheating. He looks at Minho who is just standing there smiling at him like there's nothing wrong. He offers a helpless smile back and rushes past a furious Jonghyun, Key's glaring making his stomach churn with nausea.

 

******************

The second week they reach SM from the trip, Jinki is found knocked out in the sports hall. This time it's way too serious compared to the times before. The bruises all over his body are too obvious and his legs and right hand has some major injuries. 

 

His friends come to visit him.

 

"What the hell were you doing in the sports hall, Jinki?", Heechul asks demandingly, crossing his arms while Eunhyuk sits beside him as an attempt to reassure him.

 

"I was asked to put away the tennis rackets by the PE teacher. Jonghyun was smoking. Outside the hall, I mean. I didn't really notice him until he came inside and snatched one of the rackets from me", he says slightly hissing when Shindong accidentally pokes on one of his wounds, "I should have been more careful, I guess." 

 

Taemin is the last to come to the room from his dance club. He doesn't look particularly surprised at Jinki's condition and is keeping unusually quiet, eyes worriedly scanning the bruises on his friend's body.

 

", he hit you with a racket?" 

 

"I think you should start thinking of ways to runaway from this place.", Kyuhyun suggests, "You're going to get killed by him one day if this goes on." 

 

Jinki swallows and looks away, eyes tearing up and head starting to hurt. 

 

"Do you know why he's doing this, Jinki?", Eunhyuk asks him, eyes sympathetic. 

 

Jinki knows why. 

 

"Minho.", he says and Taemin eyes visibly narrow, "Him being friendly to us. Jonghyun, I don't think he likes it."

 

"I knew I couldn't trust him. What was I thinking?", Taemin's fist clenches, face looking somehow disappointed. 

 

Jinki tries to smile.

 

"These bruises are not as bad as they look, Taemin. It really doesn't hurt that ba-"

 

"Shut the up Jinki.", Taemin storms up to his own room, banging the door shut behind him and shocking everyone there in the process. 

 

"Huh. Did he just swear?"

 

Did he... Did he just call me Jinki? 

 

Kyuhyun shrugs.

 

"Guess he's really pissed off."

 

Jinki doesn't attend any of his lessons the next two days. It comes to him then that his attendance must be really poor, considering the fact that he has missed too many lessons before because of the constant bullying from Jonghyun. He wishes it would all just stop. 

 

Taemin doesn't speak to him much after that day and he wouldn't tell him the reason. He still eats lunch with him, waits for him after lessons and they do homework together, but he is just so quiet that it makes Jinki feel too uncomfortable. And the times Taemin does talk to him, he calls him by his real name. It kind of gets irritating at one point.

 

"Why are you so mad? If you don't tell me how would I know?", he bursts out when he can't take the silent treatment anymore. 

 

"I won't stop being mad at you until you decide to stop being friends with Minho.", Taemin crosses his arms and huffs. 

 

"That's very childish Taemin."

 

He reads Jinki's face carefully.

 

"It's for your own good Jinki."

 

"God, stop calling me Jinki! It's so weird when you call me that."

 

"Then stop talking to Minho, Jinki.", Taemin grins mischief evident in his eyes, "Jinki Jinki Jinki Jinkijinkijinkijinki...", and he doesn't stop until Jinki finally gives up and submits to is request.

 

The whole SM is preparing for the festival. He notices the changes quite quickly. During lunch and break times, most students of Apollo are engaged in setting up stages and putting up posters of Tartuffe. Adonis students go as far as planning to change some of the class rooms into shops (giving them names and everything) to sell clothes and accessories, and claims the assembly hall before any other House to have a catwalk show. Hermes seemed to be the least bothered about the festival, doing their usual stuff during the breaks and not caring about anything else. 

 

The next time Minho sees them is four days after the incident. They just happen to pass by the soccer field and Jinki spots Minho running over towards them. Jinki's first instinct is to flee with Taemin but Minho's face seems genuinely worried so he doesn't. Instead he stops walking and smiles at the taller boy. 

 

"Jinki...", he can feel Taemin's grip on his hand tightening in warning, "What happened?"

 

He doesn't know what he should say as reply. 

 

"Go ask your of a friend that. He'll tell you.", Taemin scowls at him. 

 

Minho's eyes widen, realisation slowly dawning. 

 

"I didn't know..."

 

"You promised you won't let this happen Minho.", Taemin cuts him off. "Don't talk to us anymore. It'll only bring us trouble."

 

Minho ignores Taemin and looks at Jinki, the latter only offering him a reluctant smile. 

 

"It's better if we keep our distances Minho. We don't really, urm, how should I put this... fit in together."

 

Jinki doesn't look at Minho when he gets the reply. 

 

"I understand."

 

Minho doesn't stay there another second and jogs back to the field. He doesn't know what he's feeling the most right now is anger or disappointment. 

 

How could have I missed Jjong's intention?

 

It was so obvious and he missed it. He could have stopped him but he didn't. 

 

He tosses the ball into the air and kicks it as hard as he can. 

 

I feel responsible for everything. 

 

As expected, they are waiting for him as usual when he is finished. Key offers him water but he shakes his head, says that he doesn't want it, that he wants to talk to Jonghyun first. 

 

Key isn't stupid. He has seen those wide smiles Minho has been giving off to certain people. He knows what Minho has to say has something to do with the nerdy glasses boy of Apollo who Jonghyun loves to torture. He just doesn't expect Minho to snap so quickly. 

 

"Jonghyun.", Minho calls. 

 

Jonghyun is too busy trying to solve the Rubik's Cube so he doesn't hear Minho the first time. And even if he did hear, he doesn't note the irritation that reflects in the tone used by the taller boy.  

 

"Jonghyun.", Minho stops walking. 

 

"Shut up. I'm trying to solve this."

 

Key stops too, without knowing what to do for the first time, concerned eyes traveling back and forth between his friends. 

 

"Why did you beat up Jinki?"

 

And Jonghyun's face goes dark.

******************

"The Famous Trio breaks up. Reason unclear."

 

Someone is reading the title of SM Express loud and clear for him on purpose. Minho whirls around and shoots a glare at them before going back to eating his breakfast.  

 

"Ah look at him. Just sitting there gracefully sipping on his juice like nothing happened.", he hears someone else say. 

 

He fights against the urge to throw his juice at them. They don't know about how he feels. 

 

This .

 

He hit Jonghyun. He hit Jonghyun, who he's known since childhood, to defend someone who he has barely known for three weeks. When did he, Choi Minho, start standing up for other people anyway? 

 

And Key... Key left the both of them saying that he don't want to hang out with either of them until they've got their together. 

 

".", he groans, plunging the spoon into the cereal. 

 

.

 

"What do we have in the menu today? Hmm, let's see."  

 

Taemin? 

 

He turns his head slowly, a smile forming on his face automatically when he sees Jinki covered in bandage and a bouncy Taemin makes important discussions on what to eat for breakfast. 

 

"Aaah, waffles waffles! Let's have waffles!"

 

 It's like Taemin felt his intense stare or something because the next second, he is spotted. Then he starts smiling and waving madly.

 

Wait a minute. 

 

Minho looks around to make sure hat he has got it right. 

 

Taemin is waving at me? Isn't he the one who asked me to stop talking to them?

 

He looks again to make sure and sees that Jinki is also waving at him, accompanied with his 100 watt smile and all. 

 

When Minho doesn't wave back, Taemin pouts hard at him. He turns his attention back to his cereal quickly, clearing his throat and pretending like his heart didn't just skip a beat. 

 

There are footsteps getting nearer and scraping of chair and soon, he finds himself sandwiched between Jinki and Taemin. 

 

"We were waving at you. Didn't you see?", Taemin asks, nudging him until he looks at him. 

 

Minho sighs. 

 

"Why are you here? And what's with the sudden change of attitude?", he demands, "We don't fit in together remember?", he pointedly looks at Jinki, who avoids his eyes. 

 

"We saw. The paper, I mean. I know that whatever happened between you and your friends are related to me. So I'm sorry. And urm, thank you", he fidgets with his bandage, "for you know, everything."

 

"And I'm sorry that I misunderstood you."Taemin frowns, "Even though I still don't like you all that much.", he mutters the last part to himself, covering it up with a cough. 

 

"We're really sorry about what happened to you, Minho.", Jinki says and Taemin nods in agreement, shoving some food into his mouth. 

 

Minho sighs again.

 

"It's not the end of the world. They will come back." 

 

Well Key will at least. 

 

He isn't going to apologise to Jonghyun. He doesn't see any reason to do so. But if Minho was stubborn, Jonghyun was twice as stubborn as him. Jonghyun isn't going to come to him first either. That's for sure. 

 

Jinki smiles.

 

"You can hang out with us in the meantime. Right Taemin?"

 

Taemin chokes on his waffles. 

 

"Onew", he says through gritted teeth, " I don't remember that being part of our plan."

 

"I thought we don't fit in together?", Minho teases, a smile slowly gracing his lips. 

 

"Nonsense.", Jiinki says smiling back and digging into his breakfast, "If you are ready to make some adjustments then you will fit in just fine."

 

Taemin quickly starts calculating the benefits of having Minho as a friend and smirks.

 

A/N: Just wanted to warn you that a rated chapter is on its way. If it's not the next one then it'll be the one after that.

 

Oh my God! I have more than 200 subscribers! ;_____; I'm disappointing you a lot by updating so late every time aren't I? Sooorrryy!! But College is so hard that I don't have a choice but to delay the updates!

 

If you want to know more about SM Academy Festival you can go back to the Story Guide and have a look there. And that play, I had no clue what it's about but my friend who's this huge literature freak told me about it. 

 

Oh and also, my stroy isn't showing up under any of the tags for some reason. I wanted to repost it but then I'm quite sure that I'm going to lose my precious subscribers so I'm not going to risk it :/