“Right,” Baekhyun says and turns on his heels. He defined Jongin’s look as hurt and had even wanted to take his own words back, but with what his tall roommate just now said, he’s not so sure anymore. Baekhyun himself feels hurt, as if he’s the least trustworthy person on the entire planet, while Jongin hasn’t even known him longer than five minutes of actual talking. “I’ll just go–” He’s stopped there, though.

“No, wait,” Jongin said, hand hesitantly on Baekhyun’s wrist and the short boy frowns ever so slightly. Because really, what does he want? “That came out weirdly… I just meant, you know,” he hesitates, though, and Baekhyun waits for the rest, though he can’t say he does so patiently. “I’m not…” So much hesitation, Baekhyun is practically forced not to blame this kid and he doesn’t even know why. “You know what – never mind. Go get dinner while it’s still served.” Okay so maybe Jongin isn’t rude per se, maybe he’s weird – struggling. Of course Baekhyun wants to know why, wants to know what’s going on in his mind, but he’s also hungry and by the sound of Jongin’s words, he has little time left to satisfy that need.

“I was already on my way,” he says and finds his voice friendlier than before, but isn’t too confused by that. He figures Jongin has already eaten and if he hasn’t, Baekhyun isn’t sure that with his mood-swings, he’d even want him to come with. Well, maybe except for the fact that Baekhyun has no idea where he should find this dinner. And the fact that Baekhyun doesn’t know whether Jongin could actually act nicely outside of their shared dorm room and he wouldn’t mind finding out.

He realizes he’s overthinking again, though, still standing there without moving an inch and the thought that Jongin might think he is pretty weird seeps through his mind. With the most awkward of smiles, Baekhyun turns around for real this time and leaves without another word.

While Baekhyun makes his way down the hallway he should really familiarize himself with soon, he suddenly thinks back to the intense look of the tall boy in the combat stadium just now. Even just the memory is enough to light a small spark in Baekhyun’s stomach and honestly, he’s taken aback by it. What’s so special about a shared look with a stranger?

He tries to push the thoughts to the back of his mind for now, he should be getting dinner already. He has no idea where to look, though, and is on his way to panic when he suddenly hears two guys stressing about how they are “so late today”. Of course Baekhyun can only guess they’re talking about dinner, but he takes his chances and follows behind the two stealthily, trying in the meantime to remember the way to, what he hopes to be, the cafeteria.

Turns out Baekhyun was right. But what the hell is this? He stands stunned for a moment, taking in the disappointing area stretching beyond two doors. Maybe he had expected someplace huge, full of magic tricks and the like, though he wouldn’t so quickly admit that to anyone other than himself. Instead, when Baekhyun pushes the doors and steps inside, he feels right back at the school he visited the past years. An old lady stands behind the counter, serving plates of food, or what’s left of that anyway, chairs and tables in need of replacing, a light in the back that flickers and nobody pays attention to it. Except for Baekhyun, knowing he can mend it easily, but he doesn’t want to stand out like that, so he holds his urge in. He takes note of a slip of paper stuck on one of the windows, telling him that the cafeteria is opened from five thirty to seven. His eyes naturally drift to the clock on the wall – he has a measly minute.

He runs frantically, angry at the fact that the counter is all the way on the other side of the cafeteria. He doesn’t notice the area darkens with his mood. His rare anger always dissipates quickly though and as soon as he reaches, there’s not a sliver of it left. The light is also miraculously working fine, though Baekhyun hasn’t paid attention to that yet. The lady looks up at him with an apologetic smile – nicely pretending to be unaware of his ability – and Baekhyun feels his heart sink.

“All that’s left, are sandwiches, the meals are sold out for today, boy,” she says, her voice matching the apologetic expression on her face, but Baekhyun feels infinitely better than he did just now. It’s much better than what he expected; for nothing to be left at all.

“Then I’d like one, please – or actually, make that two,” he adds, small smile on his lips and pays for it as soon as the lady hands them to her. They walk out of the cafeteria together, seeing as she has to close it up. When Baekhyun contemplates on going straight back to his dorm room or finding out more about the school’s layout – as his original plan had been – he’s shocked from his thoughts when a certain lanky boy comes running awkwardly up to the doors of the cafeteria. He slows to a halt, pushes, then deflates with a huff when the door doesn’t give way. He leans against it instead.  

“I’m too late…” his low voice rumbles, in complete contrast to the lower lip jutting out in disappointment. While Baekhyun holds his breath, he wonders if Chanyeol has even noticed his presence or not. With the sullen look on his face, though, Baekhyun has half a mind to pat the tall boy’s back in consolation, but doesn’t when Chanyeol’s eyes shoot up towards him as his presence is suddenly acknowledged. Baekhyun freezes because how quickly does this guy change his appearance? His eyes are fierce, intense, when they rest on Baekhyun’s face, like they had done when they met at the stadium just now. “You came to the match!” Chanyeol’s deep voice enthusiastically raises in volume, shedding his seriousness from just now as quickly as it had shown itself. Baekhyun doesn’t know how this happens, he just knows he feels breathless from the way he was looked at only a few seconds prior.

“I did,” he breathes, wants to add that everyone else watched the match as well, but Chanyeol’s bright eyes ignite happiness in his own stomach and he doesn’t want to ruin it. Baekhyun is thoroughly confused by practically everything that’s going on and wants to ask why it’s apparently important that he came to the match, but doesn’t get a chance.

“I’m Chanyeol,” he introduces, a little overenthusiastic, but Baekhyun finds himself smiling at the demeanor so resembling a child – while underlying is something Baekhyun can’t even begin to understand. It makes him feel the sparks again, nervousness that he can’t quite place.

“I heard from Jongdae,” Baekhyun says, having at this moment no idea if Chanyeol even knows him, but seeing as the tall boy nods, he continues. “I’m Baekhyun.” He would offer a sandwich right now, but Chanyeol catches him off guard before he can.

“I know,” he tells him with a bright smile and Baekhyun blanks. Do they know each other? Sure Chanyeol makes a point out of letting him know his presence is significant and somehow, he does seem familiar, but Baekhyun can’t put his finger on it. “So, did you arrive today?” Chanyeol asks and Baekhyun is vaguely amused that he doesn’t seem to care about not getting dinner anymore. Instead, the tall boy seems perfectly happy chatting up a stranger – or maybe, they’re not strangers, but maybe, Baekhyun is just really confused. He doesn’t spend more thoughts on the subject for now as it completely tires him out without getting any answers.

“Yeah I did,” he replies with a smile, not missing the slight change in Chanyeol’s expression, but again unable to read it properly. “Want one of my sandwiches?” he asks, to cover up the silence that follows, anything to not so easily drown in intense eyes – if Chanyeol decided to use that trick on him again, that is. Instead of that, though, he shows rounded, surprised eyes as he pushes himself off the cafeteria’s doors to wave his hands frantically and shake his head. Cute.

“No, they’re yours! I was just too late, I mean, I knew that already because I was talking to some friends and then I forgot the time, which, I mean, I knew I would do because that always happens and I should have just paid more attention.” Baekhyun can’t help smiling and he doesn’t even realize it. Chanyeol doesn’t notice at all that he’s being watched like this throughout his monologue and only stops when Baekhyun holds out one of the sandwiches in front of the taller boy’s face. In the meantime, he unwraps the other one for himself and takes a bite.

“I’ve got two and you’ve got nothing, so take it, please?”

Chanyeol only kept being difficult for about five minutes before finally accepting the food and Baekhyun learns this is not the only place to get dinner in the school. Apparently, the other place is where Chanyeol planned to go if he was too late for this one. But as he says it, he rubs his neck awkwardly and says he would be too lazy to actually go there. It’s on the other side of the building and, well, skipping one meal today won’t kill him. If Baekhyun had let himself, he’d have reprimanded Chanyeol there, saying his meals are important, but he has entirely no reason to, so he stops himself.

“What class do you have tomorrow?” Chanyeol asks as they casually stroll back in the direction of their rooms, their food already finished. Baekhyun reaches in the pocket of his still foreign-feeling uniform and pulls out the time-table he stuffed in there before.

“Control class,” he reads, then looks up at Chanyeol questioningly, not too sure what to expect. His last bet would be the pout Chanyeol shows him. Baekhyun catches himself thinking that again – that this Chanyeol is cute – and he doesn’t understand Jongdae’s fuss about him earlier. Then again, he has already seen for himself how easily this guy slips into a different role – scary as that may be.

“Ah… I’ve got combat skill-thingies,” he says, like a little kid and Baekhyun bites his lip in an attempt to suppress that feeling that’s entirely not appropriate after just meeting someone. “Well I’ll see you around,” Chanyeol continues, unaware of Baekhyun’s inner struggle, or ignoring it skillfully, “this place isn’t all that big and your room seems to be close to mine as well,” he finishes with a grin. Baekhyun doesn’t get it. He’s so nice to him. And for some reason, he feels entirely different about it than he did when Kyungsoo and Jongdae were nice to him. Nevertheless, he’s happy because he won’t feel lonely here like he did back at home.

“Yeah, goodnight,” he replies and both disappear into their own rooms. He heaves a sigh, trying somehow to process what happened, but is unable to.

He sees Jongin sitting in the exact same spot as before and it seems he barely moved at all. Baekhyun worries a little for his back, hoping that he did spend some time in a different position. Jongin looks up when Baekhyun greets him and they exchange smiles. Baekhyun can only wonder, do all the guys have two personalities around here? He already decided he’d give Jongin the benefit of the doubt, though.

“Managed to get dinner?” the taller of the two asks, right as he refocuses on the notebook in front of him, but he still listens when Baekhyun answers.

“Yeah, sort of,” he says, contemplating whether to tell him about the sandwiches, but unfortunately lets the other event slip off his tongue, “I met Chanyeol tho–”

“Chanyeol?” Jongin interrupts, spinning his chair violently when he snaps his head around to face Baekhyun. The smaller boy sits on his bed and looks up, shocked at this negatively passionate reaction. “You sure you mean the guy who fought today?” Baekhyun nods, looking at him with obvious confusion. “Don’t become too close to him, okay? He hurts people.” The seriousness in his voice throws Baekhyun off and although he can’t – for the life of him – see Chanyeol hurt people, he takes Jongin seriously. Maybe his roommate has gotten hurt by the tall guy himself. Baekhyun will just have to take his time to figure out how people around here even work, with so much confusion clouding his mind.

“I’ll watch my back.”

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