Jongin sighed for the upteenth time that hour, checking his wristwatch and sighing once more. He looked up and pushed himself off the locker, tapping his foot against the floor impatiently. It was already 8:27, exactly five minutes before Kyungsoo’s usual arrival. Byun Baekhyun was, once more, late.

“er,” Jongin whispered under his breath and massaged his temple. He could feel a headache coming along. If Baekhyun decided to back off from the deal overnight, Jongin was going to kill him.

“Don’t cuss out people like that. It’s bad manners.”

Jongin’s head snapped up, his eyes narrowing dangerously as he caught sight of Baekhyun walking closer in a casual, laid back stroll.

“You’re late,” he seethed.

“I am not,” Baekhyun scoffed as he paused in front of Jongin, hands finding their way to his hips. “We didn’t decide on a time. I just said before the first bell. I’m not late.”

“Kyungsoo’s coming in five minutes. What if he decided to come earlier today? We can’t just switch lockers in front of him. He’d think I’m a complete loser!”

“Your point is?” Baekhyun cocked an eyebrow. Jongin’s hands curled up into fists and he let out a frustrated groan.

“Woah, keep your temper there, love boy. It’s not pretty,” Baekhyun drawled and pushed past Jongin to go in front of his locker. He looked past his shoulders to gesture to Jongin.

“Watch carefully,” he said, and slowly began to input the combination. Jongin immediately became quiet and leaned forward, staring at the code with a newfound concentration.

“3131?”

“Baskin Robbins 31,” Baekhyun explained as he pulled open his locker. Jongin straightened up and gave Baekhyun a blank look.

“You are such a freak,” Jongin said as he pushed past Baekhyun and took everything out, piling it up on Baekhyun’s arms.

“Am not,” Baekhyun protested, struggling to keep his sight clear through the stack on his arms. “Love boy, a little help?”

“Say please,” Jongin said, turning around with a cheeky grin. He could see Baekhyun rolling his eyes and trying his best to stay still.

“Hapkido master my ,” he muttered under his breath and snatched a couple of the heavier books out of the boy’s arms. “Fine, I’ll help you. Follow me.”

Baekhyun’s feet scurried after his, and Jongin stopped near the end of the hallway and pointed at a locker that looked almost unused.

“This is going to be your locker from now on.”

Baekhyun peeked out from the books and whistled. “Wow, it’s clean. You’re neater than I thought.”

Jongin snorted and tapped at the locker door. “It’s just because I never used it before. I had no use for it. Not like I actually had any books in them.”

“You never used your locker? What do you come to school for - to play?”

“To see Kyungsoo,” Jongin replied before pulling open the locker door and shoving the books in.

“Your locker combination is 0000?” Baekhyun deadpanned, throwing the remaining books in. “I am so changing it.”

“To 3131? Yeah, how ingenious.”

“Shove it, love boy. I’m your cupid. Don’t forget it.”

“What a pity,” Jongin muttered. Baekhyun began organizing his locker when his eyes widened and he grabbed Jongin’s arm, turning him around.

“Kyungsoo’s here.”

Sure enough, at the other end of the hall, Kyungsoo was walking in, rubbing his eyes tiredly and yawning. Baekhyun could see Jongin’s expression soften at the sight and snorted, quickly thumping the boy on the head.

“Don’t just stand there,” he hissed, “go to your locker. Open it. Here, take this,” he took out a book and placed it on Jongin’s spread out hand. “Put it in the locker so it won’t look suspicious. Act cool and collected. Go, hurry up!”

Jongin looked back at him in panic, but his eyes soon hardened in determination and he turned around, nodding at himself. He hurried over and paused in front of his new locker, taking a deep breath. He saw Kyungsoo eye him from the corner of his eyes and let out a sigh.

“Jongin, it’s too early for this.”

Jongin quickly pressed in the combination and pulled open the locker door. He saw Kyungsoo gape at him, and continued on normally as he slowly placed his book in.

He then turned around and offered Kyungsoo a wide grin. “Oh, hi Kyungsoo! I didn’t see you there.”

“You didn’t see me,” Kyungsoo deadpanned, “you didn’t see me standing in front of my locker.”

“I was just putting my book away in my locker,” Jongin said with a shrug. Kyungsoo stared at him and slowly shook his head.

“Your locker’s not even here, Jongin. And you certainly do not own any books.”

Jongin visibly brightened and he straightened up. “You know all those things about me?”

Kyungsoo flushed and he quickly looked away to face his own locker.

“Go back to your own locker, Jongin.”

“But this is my locker.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Actually,” a voice spoke up. Kyungsoo looked past his shoulders to see a small boy walk towards them, a smile on his lips. “It is.”

Kyungsoo frowned and slammed his locker close. “Excuse me?”

“This is Jongin’s locker,” Baekhyun repeated. “I switched with him.”

It was Jongin’s time to flush red, and Kyungsoo shot him a sharp glare.

“Why exactly would you do that?”

“Because I wanted the locker at the end of the hallway. I’m friends with Jongin, you see, so I asked,” Baekhyun shrugged and leaned against the locker, placing his body between the two.

“You’re not friends with him,” Kyungsoo argued.

“How would you know that?” Baekhyun retorted. “It’s not like you pay attention to him or anything. You hate his guts.”

“Baekhe-” Jongin said weakly.

“Baekhyun,” Baekhyun hissed back before facing Kyungsoo once more.

“You’re friends with Kim Jongin,” Kyungsoo repeated, his eyes alternating from Baekhyun to Jongin.

“Best friends,” Baekhyun said, “I love this er. I really do.”

“Too far,” Jongin coughed, but Baekhyun swat his hand in his face.

“Alright then,” Kyungsoo said stiffly, “I’ll leave you two to the loving.”

“Don’t be so jealous, Do Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo shot Baekhyun an indignant look before shaking his head and quickly scurrying away. Baekhyun snorted and turned back around to face Jongin.

“What is your ing problem?” Jongin demanded. “You were an to him.”

“I don’t like him,” Baekhyun snapped. “He was being rude.”

“How many times did I explain to you that he hates me?”

“Stop making excuses for him, goddammit.”

Jongin slammed close the locker door. “And since when were we best friends?”

“Since now, because apparently I’m the only one in this entire universe, including yourself, who actually cares for your wellbeing.”

“W-what?” Jongin spluttered, taking a step back. “I didn’t ask for you to care for me.”

“You can’t back down now. You were the one who spoke to me first. You’re the one who stood up for me in front of your friends. You also called me a git, but continued talk to me.”

“T-that doesn’t mean we’re best friends!”

Baekhyun crossed his arms, looking more determined than ever. “Yeah, it doesn’t. It just means you tolerate me and trust me. That’s a good basis for a friendship, don’t you think?”

“I can’t be friends with you!” Jongin argued. “I can’t!”

“And why not?”

“Because I’m an to all my friends. And all my friends are asses to me. That’s how all my friendships worked. Except the one with Kyungsoo, of course, and look at how that turned out. I don’t know how to be a good friend. Look, I like you, but I don’t want to destroy it by being friends with you and ing things up.”

“You’re not going to things up. First of all, I’m not going to be an , at least most of the times, so that’s a start. You also won’t get away with treating me like . Jongin, how are you going to be in a healthy non-existent relationship with Kyungsoo if you can’t even be friends with me?”

“You already have friends who care for you,” Jongin said weakly. Baekhyun snorted and shook his head.

“Not really. They’re nice, and I like them, but we don’t really click. They’re too stuck up and self-absorbed for my taste. I called one of them a bastard once, and he started crying and wouldn’t talk to me for a week.”

Jongin stared widely at Baekhyun before muttering. “This is a really stupid idea. Probably going to be the stupidest decision you’re ever going to make.”

“Probably,” Baekhyun said with a grin, “but, hey, if you’re my friend, you’re going to be there to at me if I say this was a stupid decision.”

“I’m a horrible acquaintance,” Jongin protested, “but I’m an even more horrible friend. Trust me. I have witnesses.”

“Who are not very trustworthy, considering they themselves are horrible friends,” Baekhyun rolled his eyes. “Are you done now? Can we please go and get some ice cream?”

“Is this going to be a pattern now for us? Going to the ice cream shop?”

“Oh, you’re smarter than I gave you credit for. Congratulations. You figured it out.”

“Baekhyun-”

“It’s Baekhyun,” Baekhyun spat out before stopping, looking up at Jongin with a wide grin. “Hey, you got it right! You called me Baekhyun! This is just great!”

“Well, Baekhyun, it would be nice if you could for once just listen to me-”

“Oh, shove it, love boy,” Baekhyun said, “I’m not interested. I think you’re annoying, stupid, bratty, retarded, y, but I’m still here, wanting to be your friend, so take the chance, idiot.”

“I-I-”

“You’re impossible,” Baekhyun stomped his foot on the ground and spun around, grabbing Jongin’s arm on the way and pulling him down the hallway. “Ten minutes before bell rings. Plenty of time to fit in a snack. Get your wallet ready, love boy.”

Jongin stared down at Baekhyun in part horror and part worry, but decided that if Baekhyun was willing to get himself into this, then it wasn’t his job to stop him. He was in need of a friend, after all, and Baekhyun was alright. Sometimes.

Jongin really hoped Baekhyun was alright, because he wasn’t sure what he was getting into.

“I hate my life,” Baekhyun grumbled as he slouched down in his seat. Jongin spared him a short glance before returning his gaze to his manga.

“You git,” Baekhyun said as he sat up and kicked Jongin in the shin. “I said I hate my life, and you look away?”

“You say that everyday,” Jongin hissed back as he massaged his shin, “what do you expect me to do? Ask you why to hear you rant about the same exact thing?”

“Yes, because that’s what best friends do.”

“Well, I’m not the typical best friend, so go look for another if you want someone to treat you like a baby.”

“Maybe I should!”

“Maybe you should!” Jongin yelled back.

Baekhyun fumed in his seat, glaring at Jongin viciously, before groaning in frustration and burying his head in his arms.

“Befriending you is the stupidest decision of my life.”

“Shut it, git. Imagine what I have to go through.”

Baekhyun let out another frustrated groan and buried his head deeper.

I have way too much fun writing about these two dorks.