#33: do i wanna know
Prompt: #33
Title: do i wanna know
Pairing: jongdae/baekhyun
Rating: pg-13
Warnings: language, brief mentions of violence, petty boys doing petty things
Word count: 5.3k
Summary: For a moment, Jongdae just stands there and watches him go, and thinks that nothing good is going to come from this partnership.
“This is starting to get out of hand,” Mr. Park says, mostly to himself, fingertips pressed to his temples. He heaves an annoyed sigh. "Do you both want to be expelled that badly?" he demands, looking up at the two boys seated across from his desk.
A frown is set on Jongdae's lips, corners turned downward as he presses an ice pack to the purplish bruise flowering on his cheekbone. The cold touch of the ice against his skin makes goosebumps flourish down the back of his neck, and he shifts in the plastic chair uncomfortably.
He doesn't know what to say to his teacher, partially because he's too stubborn to admit he actually likes this class and also he's a bit embarrassed by the turn of events. He holds his bottom lip securely between his teeth, tastes the metallic blood on his tongue from where he was grazed, and lowers his eyes.
Jongdae's gaze flits over to Baekhyun, staring at the older boy from the corner of his eye. He sees the annoyance etched into his face as their assistant teacher presses a bandage to the underside of Baekhyun's cut jaw. Jongdae feels a swell of pride knowing he did the damage, but he doesn't have much time to revel in it before Chanyeol snaps his fingers to regain their attention.
Both teenagers snap their focus back to their (blatantly) irritated teacher, and Jongdae is almost certain he can see his right eye twitching. "You both cause so many disruptions in class, and whatever problems you have between each other you need to work out. As soon as possible," Mr. Park says, and then there's the shadow of a smile flickering on his lips, too smug for Jongdae's liking. Jongdae's heart has already sinking to the depths of his belly, and he hardly has a moment to think of what Mr. Park might have planned before his teacher concludes, "that's why I'm giving you an extra credit project to do. Together."
Jongdae sits up straight as soon as the words are out in the open and spits, "hell no!" He sees Baekhyun's jaw go slack, brows furrowed together. "That's a disaster waiting to happen!"
If anything, Mr. Park is only prompted to smile further. "I don't think so. I think you two working together will change your... relationship for the better."
"This is a stupid idea," Baekhyun mumbles, crossing his arms over his chest. "I won't do it."
"If you don't, you're going to fail. I think this is a pretty generous offer," the teacher says, drumming his fingertips against his desk top. "I'll give you until Monday next week to pick a scene from the play we're reading in class and modernize it, and then perform it. If you don't have costumes or props, points will be deducted." He looks between both boys and smiles. "Okay?"
✎
"Stupid Mr. Park," Jongdae mutters petulantly to himself, tossing the mostly melted ice pack into the hall trash bin. "Absolutely ridiculous."
A few steps behind him, Baekhyun rolls his eyes. "Will you quit bitching?" he snaps, tugging at the collar of his school uniform. His knuckles are bruised, stained red with dried blood, and Jongdae distantly thinks his hands look too dainty to be scraped up as they are. "Just do the project and get it over with," he says, none too kindly, and Jongdae clicks his teeth in response.
Baekhyun suddenly stops walking, tugs out a pen from his backpack, then holds it out to Jongdae. "Give me your number, and we can make plans," he says, wiggling the pen at him with an impatient look.
Jongdae stares at the pen for a moment before he plucks it from Baekhyun's fingers and scribbles his phone number onto the inside of Baekhyun's wrist. "There," he says flatly, and Baekhyun gives the number a quick once over before tucking the pen away again.
"Thanks," he replies without a tone of sincerity, pulling his sleeve up to cover the black ink. "I'll text you when I get home." That's all Baekhyun says before he turns on his heel and walks the opposite way.
For a moment, Jongdae just stands there and watches him go, and thinks that nothing good is going to come from this partnership.
#####
It's no secret that Kim Jongdae and Byun Baekhyun hate each other.
Everyone can see it; in the way Jongdae's eyes darken when he sets his sight on Baekhyun, or the way the corners of Baekhyun's lips curl up in anger at every word Jongdae breathes. It's started to become more of a routine than a coincidence at this point, how when one boy lands in trouble the other is not far off.
There's no regard or censorship when they start with each other, hostility tainting every word and punch. It's a total mystery of why they are the way they are, and no one wants to risk getting involved to find out.
✎
"Baekhyun, this place is about to close," Jongdae repeats for what feels like the umpteenth time, walking close on Baekhyun's heels as they enter the department store. It looks like a ghost town inside, aside from the few employees who are closing up. "Can we please just come back in the morning?"
The older boy shakes his head, walking briskly into the empty store. His sneakers slap the tiled floor as he moves, and he spares Jongdae a look over his shoulder. "We need costumes," he deadpans. "I'm not going to fail because you're not up to a late night trip," he adds snidely, before he looks forward again.
Jongdae grimaces, picking up the pace until his footsteps fall in sync with Baekhyun's own. "Do they even sell costumes here?" He asks, hooking his thumbs into the belt loops of his jeans as they walk.
"We can buy some clothes and make do," Baekhyun says, tipping his head back and squinting up at the plastic signs hanging from the ceiling. His eyes skim the little metal arrows that point every which way, and Baekhyun gives a half smile when he sees Wardrobe, Second Floor.
Jongdae furrows his brows, eyes darting down to his phone screen to check the time. "This place is going to close in like, ten minutes. We can come in the morning," he stresses, but when he looks up again Baekhyun is gone, hopping off the top step of the escalator and onto the second floor. Jongdae blinks in surprise. “Baekhyun!” he calls out loudly, but if the other boy hears him, he doesn't bother looking back.
By the time Jongdae reaches the second floor, Baekhyun is long gone, too far out of sight.
"What an ass," Jongdae seethes, fingers clenched into fists at his side, so tight that his knuckles turn a few shades paler than the rest of him.
The department store is nearly empty, the few people left already starting to move towards the exits. Every employee Jongdae passes tells him to hurry, because it’s closing. He offers each and every one of them a polite, apologetic smile, and his pace speeds up until he's nearly sprinting between wardrobe racks.
When he eventually does find Baekhyun, he's slipping into the dressing rooms just as the last employee boards the escalators to the first floor. Jongdae's lips twitch into an annoyed, although somewhat victorious, grimace at the sight of him.
"Why must you insist on being an ass?" Jongdae demands when he catches up, voice irritable as he steps into the cramped cubicle alongside Baekhyun. The dressing room is incredibly small, and Jongdae thinks he might suffocate if he's left in here too long.
Baekhyun's arms are piled high with clothes, and coupled with his small stature he looks like he could topple over at any moment. He dumps the mountain of clothes onto the bench beside him and give Jongdae a cold look. “Its not my fault you were being slow,” he says curtly, and begins sifting through the clothes before shoving some sweater into Jongdae’s arms. “Try this on,” he commands, and turns back to the pile again.
“Baekhyun, we really don’t have time for this,” Jongdae insists, gripping the fabric of the sweater tightly. “The store is going to close at any minute. We can come back in the morning or something, okay?”
But Baekhyun ignores him, humming under his breath mockingly, and Jongdae scowls in annoyance, throwing the sweater to the floor like a petulant child. The hanger hits the tile with a clack, and Baekhyun finally acknowledges Jongdae, glancing over his shoulder to give him a frown.
"If we can do it now, let’s just do it now," he reasons, and kicks the sweater Jongdae had just dropped. "Hurry up. We have a lot to try on," he says and gives him his back once more.
Its so aggravating, the way Jongdae's words seem to go in one ear and out the other, and something in him snaps. "Why are you so fucking stubborn?" He demands, grabbing at Baekhyun's bicep before he can lift his shirt over his head. "I'm not going to say it again, let's just go!"
Baekhyun smacks his hand away, opening his mouth like he's going to yell when the lights all wipe out at once and then there's a loud, hollow crashing sound. Both boys flinch, words falling short until Jongdae can hear Baekhyun whisper, "what just happened?"
"I think the place just locked down," he whispers, slumping against the back wall.
"With us still in it?" Baekhyun's tone is incredulous."How could that happen?"
Jongdae rolls his eyes, digging his fingers into his shirt sleeve. "That's what happens when you come in right before closing," Jongdae replies mockingly. "Maybe next time you should stop being so thick skulled and listen to me."
"Jongdae?"
"What."
"Fuck off."
✎
"So what are we supposed to do?" Baekhyun asks as he takes the stilled escalators two at a time. "We can't try to leave or they'll think we're robbers or something," he says once his feet touch the ground floor.
"You probably should've thought about that before you dragged us here," Jongdae mutters, fingers dragging along the handle of the escalator so he won't lose his footing.
Baekhyun clicks his tongue at Jongdae's words, and Jongdae thinks that if he could see properly, Baekhyun would be scowling. "If you had cooperated," he begins again, sounding like a broken record, "we could've finished before closing."
"There's no way we could've finished that fast." Jongdae is tired of repeating himself, rubbing his temples before he says, "you know what? I already have a headache as is. I'm just gonna go off on my own. Have a good night." His tone is sarcastic when he speaks, waving a hand over his shoulder and walking into the dark.
He hears Baekhyun huff loudly and stalk off himself, and listens until his footsteps fade into nothing.
✎
Jongdae has only stubbed his toes a grand total of four times before he gives up on trying to maneuver his way through the dark, and instead decides to sit down on the floor. The tile is cold, the chill seeping through his jeans and making goosebumps wind their way up the back of his neck. It's terribly uncomfortable.
But, Jongdae thinks dryly, arms crossing over his chest in an effort to get warm, it's better than being stuck with Baekhyun.
Just the thought alone of being saddled with Baekhyun for the night makes Jongdae's lip curl in distaste; the guy is insufferable, hard headed, and seems to have a strange need to get under skin that isn't his own.
There's a lot of things that Jongdae can safely say he hates about Baekhyun. He hates the way he can never keep his mouth shut, how he springs at every opportunity to make Jongdae look stupid. He hates the way that Baekhyun's hands look dainty, even whenever they're stained with blood, and he especially hates that it's always Jongdae's blood caked beneath his fingernails.
Baekhyun lives to torment Jongdae, between picking pointless fights in the halls and spitting insults at him, sometimes faster than Jongdae can comprehend. But then again, Jongdae isn't much better off, always (sometimes eagerly) taking the bait to fight and finding ways to rile Baekhyun up just to see what makes him tick.
It's like they're at war, and the bullets are insults and there isn't a real end goal in sight. They're both known to be hot-headed in general, but when they collide it's a chemical reaction, exploding and fizzing out of control and no one can stifle it, not really.
Jongdae skims his fingernail over the still-dark bruise on his cheekbone and frowns. Its kind of exhausting, having to deal with trying to constantly one-up Baekhyun, but if there's one thing Jongdae hates, it’s losing.
His head tips back and rests against the metal of the shelf. The longer Jongdae sits in the silence the more wound up he feels, fingers tapping anxiously against the aisle floors in an attempt to fill the quiet. It doesn't work, not for long, and its only a matter of minutes before he's pushing himself to his feet, and walking aimlessly ahead.
✎
"Boo," Jongdae says blankly when he runs into Baekhyun, shining the light of his cellphone in his eyes and smirking when the other boy flinches at the brightness. They're in the furniture department, Baekhyun spread out selfishly on a couch with his limbs strewn over the cushions. Jongdae thinks it's odd how relaxed he seems.
Baekhyun sits up with an irritated click of his tongue. Jongdae still has the light directed on Baekhyun's face, can see the way his sensitive eyes squint at him before he says, "what are you doing here?" His tone is far from kind, but Jongdae doesn't really care.
"I got bored wandering around on my own. And then I figured, misery loves company." Jongdae gives Baekhyun a once over, and doesn't miss the way the corner of his mouth moves in a threatening twitch. "Even if I'm so unfortunate that the company is you."
"You're a dick," Baekhyun spits, looking away pointedly. "You're hardly the first person I wanted to be stuck with all night long." Despite the bite to his words, he sounds tired, and Jongdae can't tell if it's from all their arguing or if the older boy is just sleepy.
They don't really talk for a while, because Jongdae doesn't want to answer him. Instead they just sit in the silence on opposite ends of the couch. Jongdae listens to the soft sound of Baekhyun's breathing, and glances up to see the distant look in his eyes. Jongdae thinks he should say something, say anything, but Baekhyun beats him to it.
"Can I ask you a favor?" His voice is quiet, tone hesitant, and Jongdae thinks he almost sounds nervous.
Jongdae sits up straighter. "Okay," he says tentatively.
Baekhyun swallows hard, bites down on his bottom lip as his fingers grip the armrest tightly. "Can we try to be civil? Just for tonight." He pauses, then adds, "I'm too tired to kick your ass right now."
Jongdae suppresses the need to click his tongue, and instead blinks at him. The question surprises him, catches him off guard. Baekhyun is still twiddling his thumbs nervously, teeth worrying his lower lip back and forth in apparent anxiousness, and Jongdae knows he's being sincere.
"Sure," he says. "We can try." The words feel strange when they roll off his tongue, but he doesn't say anything otherwise.
A look of relief passes Baekhyun's face, shoulders slumping when he breathes out a soft "thanks." He runs a hand through his hair, and looks away again. He falls silent once more, Baekhyun still pulling at his own fingertips as Jongdae watches him do so.
They haven't sat like this in years, with no hostility or anger filling the air. But the tension is tangible, almost stifling, and Jongdae thinks the new wave of silence makes it borderline suffocating. Its kinda ridiculous, how hard Jongdae's heart rattles against his ribs when they're doing absolutely nothing. A part of him thinks even arguing would be less awkward.
It's not the first time Jongdae's felt so jittery around Baekhyun. Of course then, his heart was racing more because he was flustered, and the churning in his stomach felt like butterflies rather than anxiety he's feeling now.
That was a long time ago.
He chews on the inside of his cheek in an attempt to distract himself, and jumps a little when Baekhyun suddenly pops up to his feet. Jongdae watches Baekhyun wiggle his fingers into his pockets, hears spare change jingle at the bottom of his pocket. “If I eat things now and pay in the morning, do you think the employees will be mad?”
Jongdae coughs a little and shakes his head. “No,” he murmurs. “If you pay I don’t think it’ll make the difference to them.” He watches Baekhyun pull out a ball of wrinkled bills and hum softly to himself.
“In that case, I’m gonna go get something to eat. Do you want anything?” Jongdae shakes his head shortly, but Baekhyun shrugs. “I’ll buy you something anyways. Be back in a few minutes,” he says, sidestepping around the display coffee table and into the aisles.
Jongdae doesn’t know why he does, but he jumps to his feet and blurts, “wait for me!” Baekhyun pauses mid step to look at him again, brows raised and eyes wide. “I don’t want to sit alone,” Jongdae says lamely, fingers scratching at his collar.
Baekhyun tips his head to the side, and then shrugs. "Suit yourself," he sighs. "But if I don't like it, we're not buying it."
✎
"Cool ranch or nacho cheese?" Jongdae asks, holding up both bags in front of Baekhyun's face.
Baekhyun looks up from where's he crouched down, and hums softly as his gaze flicks between bags. "Cool ranch," he decides after a moment, standing up straight. "I'd say we could get both, but we probably won't finish them.” Jongdae nods, carefully placing the red bag back on its shelf.
The plastic bag crinkles audibly in Jongdae’s arms, and he winces at how loud it sounds in the empty store. It still feels incredibly awkward, making small talk with someone Jongdae would view as his worst nightmare on any other day.
But a part of him thinks it's kind of nice, to walk with him, speak in soft tones about casual things. Nice, but he doesn't think it'll go much farther than today.
(Not that Jongdae wants it to go farther. Definitely not.)
Jongdae is so lost in his thoughts that he almost bumps into Baekhyun, who’s sifting through packages of cookies. He looks up when Jongdae stumbles, brow raised. "What are you thinking about?" he asks, and Jongdae coughs into his elbow.
"Trying to decide if we have enough to hold us over until opening," he lies, making a short gesture to their basket full of snacks. "I think it's definitely enough."
Baekhyun looks at the basket for a moment before he nods in agreement and takes a step back from the shelf. "You're right. Besides, I don't want to spend more money than I need to." He pokes around between what they've gathered, pursing his lips in thought. "Lets go back, yeah?"
Jongdae nods, scratching at the back of his neck. "Sure. I can hold that for you," he offers, holding out his fingers towards the basket. "Since you're buying."
The older boy shrugs and drops the handle of the basket into Jongdae's palm and says, "suit yourself," before he walks out of the aisle and back to the furniture department. Jongdae waits until he's a few steps ahead before he follows after, swinging the basket slightly with every step.
✎
Two tear and share sized packages of sour patch kids later, Jongdae comes to find that Baekhyun is a lot nicer in the middle of the night than he'd expect. He's noticeably sleepy, eyes weighed down by the late hours and silence.
Baekhyun is a lot different than Jongdae would have anticipated him to be in this situation. The Baekhyun sitting beside him is quiet, dulled down and diluted after his third bottle of cola. He seems thoughtful, almost shy, and Jongdae is more surprised by this than he's willing to admit.
They don't talk much for a while, groping for words and conversation, and, when they can't find any, they drown the silence in Oreos and Doritos, taking handfuls of each with hopes to blot out the awkwardness.
1:04 am, Jongdae reads off his phone screen, eyes burning at the bright lights in the dark. He has to blink a few times to clear away the dancing spots in his vision, dragging his knuckles against his lashes sleepily. He's stayed up late before, later than now, pulled a number of all nighters between anime marathons and cramming for tests - but he's more tired now than he was then, even though this is far from the latest he's been awake. A part of him thinks he's probably emotionally exhausted, too wound up between arguing and trying not argue and thinking that he doesn't mind the not arguing.
Jongdae figures he's going to pass out at any moment, and he thinks he must be going crazy when he asks, "do you want to know why I don't like you?".
Baekhyun looks up slowly, brows raised, then takes a swig of soda and hums. "Because I'm undeniably handsome and ultimately better at you than everything?" he asks dryly, and Jongdae can't help but laugh, just a little. "Why?"
Jongdae thumbs condensation off the side of his soda bottle carefully, closing his eyes. "You hurt my feelings," he says simply, and the scrunches up his nose at how childish it sounds. "In middle school. We had our vocal evaluations and my voice cracked and you laughed at me, made fun of me, and made everyone else in the class laugh at me." He doesn't open his eyes, and Baekhyun doesn't answer. Jongdae is almost certain that Baekhyun thinks he's an idiot, that he's just as petulant as he was when they had their first fight.
"I'm sorry," Jongdae hears Baekhyun mumble suddenly, and he looks up at him in surprise, "really sorry. I'm not- I didn't mean to hurt you that bad, or at all." Baekhyun isn't staring at Jongdae, instead staring at his feet and scratching the apples of his cheeks. "I make jokes when I'm uncomfortable," he offers as an explanation. "And we were both new to the class and I thought if I could make people laugh... that I'd make friends." Baekhyun looks so flustered, so embarrassed, and he whispers, "I'm sorry, Jongdae."
The silence that stretches between them makes it hard to breathe or to think and Jongdae doesn’t know what to say, so he doesn’t say anything. Its easier that way.
✎
In middle school, Jongdae had a crush on Baekhyun.
It wasn’t so far-fetched- they both joined the same school in the middle of second semester, had the same choir class and even the same lunch period. They were never particularly close, exchanging small words and advice during class.
Jongdae thought he was pretty, liked the way his heart sped up with every sunshine smile Baekhyun put on display and the way his nose wrinkled cutely afterwards.
Jongdae still liked Baekhyun, after he humiliated him in front of class and even after their first fight the next day. He didn’t really mean for the argument to spiral out of control like it did. He just wanted to piss Baekhyun off, not to start a domino effect that lasted as long as it has. He had a childish hope that if he evened the score that maybe the anger would fade away, and he wouldn’t feel as guilty about still liking Baekhyun as much as he did.
But the score never evened out, and whatever Jongdae felt was pushed away by their accidental war.
Jongdae falls asleep thinking about how life could've been if he hadn't been so petty.
✎
"Ugh," Jongdae whines when he wakes up, voice rough with sleep. He drags his knuckles against his eyes in an attempt to rid himself of the heaviness weighing them down. He feels warm, warmer than usual, and when he finally cracks his eyes open he remembers where he is and what he’s doing here. He huffs, blinking again and again and tries to sit up, patting around lightly for his phone, and jolts a little in surprise when he feels soft hair between his fingers.
Jongdae looks down slowly, sees Baekhyun draped over his side, cheek pressed against Jongdae's hip as he sleeps. His lips are parted, breath coming in long sighs and his lashes are fluttering constantly.
Cute, Jongdae thinks blearily, too sleepy still to correct himself as he gently ruffles Baekhyun's dark locks, whispering a small, "Baekhyun?" It takes a moment, Baekhyun grumbling unintelligently as he scrunches his nose up. "Come on, wake up."
"What time is it?" Baekhyun slurs, voice cracking into a yawn.
Jongdae hums, waits until Baekhyun is sitting up enough that he can grope around for his phone. When he finally finds it wedged between the couch cushions the quiet store is suddenly flooded with light, buzzing loudly with electricity, and both boys jolt before going stiff.
Neither of them move, holding their breath and waiting. Then, there’s a distinct metallic clink of keys, and then heavy footsteps, and Jongdae can’t help the “shit” he chokes out.
They scramble to their feet, grabbing empty bags and tossing them behind shelves haphazardly in an effort to hide their mess. They scrape by, just barely, skidding to duck behind a model bed.
"How do we get out without them thinking we're robbers or something?" Baekhyun asks, and Jongdae doesn't ever think he's heard his voice sound so quiet. He still looks tired, continuously rubbing his eyes and blinking as he stares around the side of the headboard.
Jongdae grips at the wood and peers around cautiously, and ducking lower again when he hears more footsteps. "We could check and see if the bathroom has windows," he offers, and then wrinkles his nose. "Maybe wait until the front entrance is clear and then bolt?"
Baekhyun doesn’t reply for a moment, wetting his lips before he nods with a quiet, “that sounds good to me.” He blinks up at Jongdae, combing his fingers through his hair nervously. “Which way do we go?” he murmurs, and Jongdae takes a step back and away from the bed.
Instinctively, he leans down and grips Baekhyun’s wrist, pulling him up from the floor and closer. “Follow me,” he whispers, carefully leading him down and away from the furniture. They walk with tentative steps, almost tip-toeing through the store with wide, alert eyes. At some point Baekhyun lets his fingers slide up just enough to hold Jongdae’s hand, squeezing his fingers reassuringly as they move. The pressure of Baekhyun's palm against his is nice, and the squeeze he gives makes something inside Jongdae do a flip, but he doesn’t say anything, just keeps pulling him along.
Eventually, their nerves seem to simmer down and running around almost becomes funny, dodging employees as they file in and weaving their way towards the exit. When Jongdae looks back over his shoulder he sees the slight sparkle of amusement in Baekhyun’s eyes, and Baekhyun gives Jongdae a smile, mouth twitching like he’s going to laugh.
Jongdae has to press his finger to his lips to tell him to shush, but it doesn’t do anything to stop the smile of his own.
✎
“Jesus,” Baekhyun chokes out between snickers when he slumps into the front seat of Jongdae's car, smile wide. “That was too close.” He grins, looking across the way and over at Jongdae.
The younger boy is brandishing a smile as well, pressing a palm over his erratic heart as he lets out a huff of laughter. “It was,” he agrees, closing his eyes and laughing again, this time a little softer. "Way too close. I'm never going to go back here with a straight face again."
"If you could, I'd be surprised."
Jongdae smiles, rubbing the corner of his eyes. "Come on, let's out of here," he says.
It's not until Jongdae moves to reach for his seatbelt that he realizes Baekhyun is still holding his hand, their fingers meshed firmly together. He doesn’t know if Baekhyun has noticed yet, but Jongdae takes advantage of the moment to steal a glimpse at how nice Baekhyun’s hand looks in his.
And then he’s pulling back, slowly at first and then hastily, clearing his throat and gripping the strap of his seat belt tightly. “Sorry,” he mumbles, looking away and trying to pretend he’s not blushing when he grips the steering wheel.
✎
Jongdae realizes a few things on the drive back home. First being that Byun Baekhyun maybe isn't as bad as he believed for the past few years. Jongdae still can't tell if it was the sleepiness or maybe just Baekhyun himself saying all that he had in the store , but Jongdae can't help thinking Baekhyun was sincere. And maybe, they can put this all behind them. Maybe they could be friends.
Secondly, Jongdae decides that he may still feel something for Baekhyun - nothing nearly as strong as he did once, but just an inkling. Holding his hand was nice, and having Baekhyun give him a rare, genuine smile made his stomach twist with unfamiliar emotions and the nostalgic urge to kiss him.
It's not much, but it's a start.
✎
"Jongdae, Baekhyun, come here and see your grade," Mr. Park calls from his desk, fingers scrolling up and down his computer mouse pad. He beckons them over with a smile, the same smile he's given everyone before them, and Jongdae thinks they've probably failed for certain. Baekhyun glances at Jongdae when they walk to the front, expression unreadable as they cross to the desk. Jongdae wonders if he's as nervous he is.
Mr. Park gives both boys a once over before he says, "congratulations, you got yourselves an A." He looks at the surprised expressions that settle on their faces. "I should partner you both together more often," he adds, and the smile turns almost into a smirk, looking too smug.
Jongdae doesn't know what to say, and he decides that neither does Baekhyun, because he bows first with a soft thanks before he turns back to his desk. Jongdae is quick to mimic his motions, and then follows behind him once more.
There are words lodged in his throat, something Jongdae wants to say to Baekhyun, but then the lunch bell rings and cuts him off. Baekhyun jumps a little at the sound, and Jongdae does too, awkwardly bumping into his back.
"Sorry," Jongdae says hastily, and suddenly it feels like everyone in the class is staring at them, waiting for Baekhyun to turn and bruise him. And for a moment Jongdae worries that Baekhyun will, too.
But Baekhyun just turns, looks Jongdae up and down and smiles, just barely. It makes Jongdae's heart skip. "It's alright," he says simply, and everyone is still staring, watching. "Was there something you wanted?"
Jongdae drops his hand, wetting his lips nervously. "Wanna sit with me at lunch?" he offers, voice hardly above a mumble. The back of his neck feels hot, and every second it takes for Baekhyun to answer feels like torture.
When he looks up again, the smile Baekhyun wears is a little wider. "Yeah," he says. "I'd like that."
Jongdae finds that he can't stop smiling.
Author's note: this was a lot of fun to write, even though i struggled more with some bits than id like to admit- thank you to all my friends who encouraged me, and special thanks to m and h for writer's workshop!
Title: do i wanna know
Pairing: jongdae/baekhyun
Rating: pg-13
Warnings: language, brief mentions of violence, petty boys doing petty things
Word count: 5.3k
Summary: For a moment, Jongdae just stands there and watches him go, and thinks that nothing good is going to come from this partnership.
“This is starting to get out of hand,” Mr. Park says, mostly to himself, fingertips pressed to his temples. He heaves an annoyed sigh. "Do you both want to be expelled that badly?" he demands, looking up at the two boys seated across from his desk.
A frown is set on Jongdae's lips, corners turned downward as he presses an ice pack to the purplish bruise flowering on his cheekbone. The cold touch of the ice against his skin makes goosebumps flourish down the back of his neck, and he shifts in the plastic chair uncomfortably.
He doesn't know what to say to his teacher, partially because he's too stubborn to admit he actually likes this class and also he's a bit embarrassed by the turn of events. He holds his bottom lip securely between his teeth, tastes the metallic blood on his tongue from where he was grazed, and lowers his eyes.
Jongdae's gaze flits over to Baekhyun, staring at the older boy from the corner of his eye. He sees the annoyance etched into his face as their assistant teacher presses a bandage to the underside of Baekhyun's cut jaw. Jongdae feels a swell of pride knowing he did the damage, but he doesn't have much time to revel in it before Chanyeol snaps his fingers to regain their attention.
Both teenagers snap their focus back to their (blatantly) irritated teacher, and Jongdae is almost certain he can see his right eye twitching. "You both cause so many disruptions in class, and whatever problems you have between each other you need to work out. As soon as possible," Mr. Park says, and then there's the shadow of a smile flickering on his lips, too smug for Jongdae's liking. Jongdae's heart has already sinking to the depths of his belly, and he hardly has a moment to think of what Mr. Park might have planned before his teacher concludes, "that's why I'm giving you an extra credit project to do. Together."
Jongdae sits up straight as soon as the words are out in the open and spits, "hell no!" He sees Baekhyun's jaw go slack, brows furrowed together. "That's a disaster waiting to happen!"
If anything, Mr. Park is only prompted to smile further. "I don't think so. I think you two working together will change your... relationship for the better."
"This is a stupid idea," Baekhyun mumbles, crossing his arms over his chest. "I won't do it."
"If you don't, you're going to fail. I think this is a pretty generous offer," the teacher says, drumming his fingertips against his desk top. "I'll give you until Monday next week to pick a scene from the play we're reading in class and modernize it, and then perform it. If you don't have costumes or props, points will be deducted." He looks between both boys and smiles. "Okay?"
✎
"Stupid Mr. Park," Jongdae mutters petulantly to himself, tossing the mostly melted ice pack into the hall trash bin. "Absolutely ridiculous."
A few steps behind him, Baekhyun rolls his eyes. "Will you quit bitching?" he snaps, tugging at the collar of his school uniform. His knuckles are bruised, stained red with dried blood, and Jongdae distantly thinks his hands look too dainty to be scraped up as they are. "Just do the project and get it over with," he says, none too kindly, and Jongdae clicks his teeth in response.
Baekhyun suddenly stops walking, tugs out a pen from his backpack, then holds it out to Jongdae. "Give me your number, and we can make plans," he says, wiggling the pen at him with an impatient look.
Jongdae stares at the pen for a moment before he plucks it from Baekhyun's fingers and scribbles his phone number onto the inside of Baekhyun's wrist. "There," he says flatly, and Baekhyun gives the number a quick once over before tucking the pen away again.
"Thanks," he replies without a tone of sincerity, pulling his sleeve up to cover the black ink. "I'll text you when I get home." That's all Baekhyun says before he turns on his heel and walks the opposite way.
For a moment, Jongdae just stands there and watches him go, and thinks that nothing good is going to come from this partnership.
#####
It's no secret that Kim Jongdae and Byun Baekhyun hate each other.
Everyone can see it; in the way Jongdae's eyes darken when he sets his sight on Baekhyun, or the way the corners of Baekhyun's lips curl up in anger at every word Jongdae breathes. It's started to become more of a routine than a coincidence at this point, how when one boy lands in trouble the other is not far off.
There's no regard or censorship when they start with each other, hostility tainting every word and punch. It's a total mystery of why they are the way they are, and no one wants to risk getting involved to find out.
✎
"Baekhyun, this place is about to close," Jongdae repeats for what feels like the umpteenth time, walking close on Baekhyun's heels as they enter the department store. It looks like a ghost town inside, aside from the few employees who are closing up. "Can we please just come back in the morning?"
The older boy shakes his head, walking briskly into the empty store. His sneakers slap the tiled floor as he moves, and he spares Jongdae a look over his shoulder. "We need costumes," he deadpans. "I'm not going to fail because you're not up to a late night trip," he adds snidely, before he looks forward again.
Jongdae grimaces, picking up the pace until his footsteps fall in sync with Baekhyun's own. "Do they even sell costumes here?" He asks, hooking his thumbs into the belt loops of his jeans as they walk.
"We can buy some clothes and make do," Baekhyun says, tipping his head back and squinting up at the plastic signs hanging from the ceiling. His eyes skim the little metal arrows that point every which way, and Baekhyun gives a half smile when he sees Wardrobe, Second Floor.
Jongdae furrows his brows, eyes darting down to his phone screen to check the time. "This place is going to close in like, ten minutes. We can come in the morning," he stresses, but when he looks up again Baekhyun is gone, hopping off the top step of the escalator and onto the second floor. Jongdae blinks in surprise. “Baekhyun!” he calls out loudly, but if the other boy hears him, he doesn't bother looking back.
By the time Jongdae reaches the second floor, Baekhyun is long gone, too far out of sight.
"What an ass," Jongdae seethes, fingers clenched into fists at his side, so tight that his knuckles turn a few shades paler than the rest of him.
The department store is nearly empty, the few people left already starting to move towards the exits. Every employee Jongdae passes tells him to hurry, because it’s closing. He offers each and every one of them a polite, apologetic smile, and his pace speeds up until he's nearly sprinting between wardrobe racks.
When he eventually does find Baekhyun, he's slipping into the dressing rooms just as the last employee boards the escalators to the first floor. Jongdae's lips twitch into an annoyed, although somewhat victorious, grimace at the sight of him.
"Why must you insist on being an ass?" Jongdae demands when he catches up, voice irritable as he steps into the cramped cubicle alongside Baekhyun. The dressing room is incredibly small, and Jongdae thinks he might suffocate if he's left in here too long.
Baekhyun's arms are piled high with clothes, and coupled with his small stature he looks like he could topple over at any moment. He dumps the mountain of clothes onto the bench beside him and give Jongdae a cold look. “Its not my fault you were being slow,” he says curtly, and begins sifting through the clothes before shoving some sweater into Jongdae’s arms. “Try this on,” he commands, and turns back to the pile again.
“Baekhyun, we really don’t have time for this,” Jongdae insists, gripping the fabric of the sweater tightly. “The store is going to close at any minute. We can come back in the morning or something, okay?”
But Baekhyun ignores him, humming under his breath mockingly, and Jongdae scowls in annoyance, throwing the sweater to the floor like a petulant child. The hanger hits the tile with a clack, and Baekhyun finally acknowledges Jongdae, glancing over his shoulder to give him a frown.
"If we can do it now, let’s just do it now," he reasons, and kicks the sweater Jongdae had just dropped. "Hurry up. We have a lot to try on," he says and gives him his back once more.
Its so aggravating, the way Jongdae's words seem to go in one ear and out the other, and something in him snaps. "Why are you so fucking stubborn?" He demands, grabbing at Baekhyun's bicep before he can lift his shirt over his head. "I'm not going to say it again, let's just go!"
Baekhyun smacks his hand away, opening his mouth like he's going to yell when the lights all wipe out at once and then there's a loud, hollow crashing sound. Both boys flinch, words falling short until Jongdae can hear Baekhyun whisper, "what just happened?"
"I think the place just locked down," he whispers, slumping against the back wall.
"With us still in it?" Baekhyun's tone is incredulous."How could that happen?"
Jongdae rolls his eyes, digging his fingers into his shirt sleeve. "That's what happens when you come in right before closing," Jongdae replies mockingly. "Maybe next time you should stop being so thick skulled and listen to me."
"Jongdae?"
"What."
"Fuck off."
✎
"So what are we supposed to do?" Baekhyun asks as he takes the stilled escalators two at a time. "We can't try to leave or they'll think we're robbers or something," he says once his feet touch the ground floor.
"You probably should've thought about that before you dragged us here," Jongdae mutters, fingers dragging along the handle of the escalator so he won't lose his footing.
Baekhyun clicks his tongue at Jongdae's words, and Jongdae thinks that if he could see properly, Baekhyun would be scowling. "If you had cooperated," he begins again, sounding like a broken record, "we could've finished before closing."
"There's no way we could've finished that fast." Jongdae is tired of repeating himself, rubbing his temples before he says, "you know what? I already have a headache as is. I'm just gonna go off on my own. Have a good night." His tone is sarcastic when he speaks, waving a hand over his shoulder and walking into the dark.
He hears Baekhyun huff loudly and stalk off himself, and listens until his footsteps fade into nothing.
✎
Jongdae has only stubbed his toes a grand total of four times before he gives up on trying to maneuver his way through the dark, and instead decides to sit down on the floor. The tile is cold, the chill seeping through his jeans and making goosebumps wind their way up the back of his neck. It's terribly uncomfortable.
But, Jongdae thinks dryly, arms crossing over his chest in an effort to get warm, it's better than being stuck with Baekhyun.
Just the thought alone of being saddled with Baekhyun for the night makes Jongdae's lip curl in distaste; the guy is insufferable, hard headed, and seems to have a strange need to get under skin that isn't his own.
There's a lot of things that Jongdae can safely say he hates about Baekhyun. He hates the way he can never keep his mouth shut, how he springs at every opportunity to make Jongdae look stupid. He hates the way that Baekhyun's hands look dainty, even whenever they're stained with blood, and he especially hates that it's always Jongdae's blood caked beneath his fingernails.
Baekhyun lives to torment Jongdae, between picking pointless fights in the halls and spitting insults at him, sometimes faster than Jongdae can comprehend. But then again, Jongdae isn't much better off, always (sometimes eagerly) taking the bait to fight and finding ways to rile Baekhyun up just to see what makes him tick.
It's like they're at war, and the bullets are insults and there isn't a real end goal in sight. They're both known to be hot-headed in general, but when they collide it's a chemical reaction, exploding and fizzing out of control and no one can stifle it, not really.
Jongdae skims his fingernail over the still-dark bruise on his cheekbone and frowns. Its kind of exhausting, having to deal with trying to constantly one-up Baekhyun, but if there's one thing Jongdae hates, it’s losing.
His head tips back and rests against the metal of the shelf. The longer Jongdae sits in the silence the more wound up he feels, fingers tapping anxiously against the aisle floors in an attempt to fill the quiet. It doesn't work, not for long, and its only a matter of minutes before he's pushing himself to his feet, and walking aimlessly ahead.
✎
"Boo," Jongdae says blankly when he runs into Baekhyun, shining the light of his cellphone in his eyes and smirking when the other boy flinches at the brightness. They're in the furniture department, Baekhyun spread out selfishly on a couch with his limbs strewn over the cushions. Jongdae thinks it's odd how relaxed he seems.
Baekhyun sits up with an irritated click of his tongue. Jongdae still has the light directed on Baekhyun's face, can see the way his sensitive eyes squint at him before he says, "what are you doing here?" His tone is far from kind, but Jongdae doesn't really care.
"I got bored wandering around on my own. And then I figured, misery loves company." Jongdae gives Baekhyun a once over, and doesn't miss the way the corner of his mouth moves in a threatening twitch. "Even if I'm so unfortunate that the company is you."
"You're a dick," Baekhyun spits, looking away pointedly. "You're hardly the first person I wanted to be stuck with all night long." Despite the bite to his words, he sounds tired, and Jongdae can't tell if it's from all their arguing or if the older boy is just sleepy.
They don't really talk for a while, because Jongdae doesn't want to answer him. Instead they just sit in the silence on opposite ends of the couch. Jongdae listens to the soft sound of Baekhyun's breathing, and glances up to see the distant look in his eyes. Jongdae thinks he should say something, say anything, but Baekhyun beats him to it.
"Can I ask you a favor?" His voice is quiet, tone hesitant, and Jongdae thinks he almost sounds nervous.
Jongdae sits up straighter. "Okay," he says tentatively.
Baekhyun swallows hard, bites down on his bottom lip as his fingers grip the armrest tightly. "Can we try to be civil? Just for tonight." He pauses, then adds, "I'm too tired to kick your ass right now."
Jongdae suppresses the need to click his tongue, and instead blinks at him. The question surprises him, catches him off guard. Baekhyun is still twiddling his thumbs nervously, teeth worrying his lower lip back and forth in apparent anxiousness, and Jongdae knows he's being sincere.
"Sure," he says. "We can try." The words feel strange when they roll off his tongue, but he doesn't say anything otherwise.
A look of relief passes Baekhyun's face, shoulders slumping when he breathes out a soft "thanks." He runs a hand through his hair, and looks away again. He falls silent once more, Baekhyun still pulling at his own fingertips as Jongdae watches him do so.
They haven't sat like this in years, with no hostility or anger filling the air. But the tension is tangible, almost stifling, and Jongdae thinks the new wave of silence makes it borderline suffocating. Its kinda ridiculous, how hard Jongdae's heart rattles against his ribs when they're doing absolutely nothing. A part of him thinks even arguing would be less awkward.
It's not the first time Jongdae's felt so jittery around Baekhyun. Of course then, his heart was racing more because he was flustered, and the churning in his stomach felt like butterflies rather than anxiety he's feeling now.
That was a long time ago.
He chews on the inside of his cheek in an attempt to distract himself, and jumps a little when Baekhyun suddenly pops up to his feet. Jongdae watches Baekhyun wiggle his fingers into his pockets, hears spare change jingle at the bottom of his pocket. “If I eat things now and pay in the morning, do you think the employees will be mad?”
Jongdae coughs a little and shakes his head. “No,” he murmurs. “If you pay I don’t think it’ll make the difference to them.” He watches Baekhyun pull out a ball of wrinkled bills and hum softly to himself.
“In that case, I’m gonna go get something to eat. Do you want anything?” Jongdae shakes his head shortly, but Baekhyun shrugs. “I’ll buy you something anyways. Be back in a few minutes,” he says, sidestepping around the display coffee table and into the aisles.
Jongdae doesn’t know why he does, but he jumps to his feet and blurts, “wait for me!” Baekhyun pauses mid step to look at him again, brows raised and eyes wide. “I don’t want to sit alone,” Jongdae says lamely, fingers scratching at his collar.
Baekhyun tips his head to the side, and then shrugs. "Suit yourself," he sighs. "But if I don't like it, we're not buying it."
✎
"Cool ranch or nacho cheese?" Jongdae asks, holding up both bags in front of Baekhyun's face.
Baekhyun looks up from where's he crouched down, and hums softly as his gaze flicks between bags. "Cool ranch," he decides after a moment, standing up straight. "I'd say we could get both, but we probably won't finish them.” Jongdae nods, carefully placing the red bag back on its shelf.
The plastic bag crinkles audibly in Jongdae’s arms, and he winces at how loud it sounds in the empty store. It still feels incredibly awkward, making small talk with someone Jongdae would view as his worst nightmare on any other day.
But a part of him thinks it's kind of nice, to walk with him, speak in soft tones about casual things. Nice, but he doesn't think it'll go much farther than today.
(Not that Jongdae wants it to go farther. Definitely not.)
Jongdae is so lost in his thoughts that he almost bumps into Baekhyun, who’s sifting through packages of cookies. He looks up when Jongdae stumbles, brow raised. "What are you thinking about?" he asks, and Jongdae coughs into his elbow.
"Trying to decide if we have enough to hold us over until opening," he lies, making a short gesture to their basket full of snacks. "I think it's definitely enough."
Baekhyun looks at the basket for a moment before he nods in agreement and takes a step back from the shelf. "You're right. Besides, I don't want to spend more money than I need to." He pokes around between what they've gathered, pursing his lips in thought. "Lets go back, yeah?"
Jongdae nods, scratching at the back of his neck. "Sure. I can hold that for you," he offers, holding out his fingers towards the basket. "Since you're buying."
The older boy shrugs and drops the handle of the basket into Jongdae's palm and says, "suit yourself," before he walks out of the aisle and back to the furniture department. Jongdae waits until he's a few steps ahead before he follows after, swinging the basket slightly with every step.
✎
Two tear and share sized packages of sour patch kids later, Jongdae comes to find that Baekhyun is a lot nicer in the middle of the night than he'd expect. He's noticeably sleepy, eyes weighed down by the late hours and silence.
Baekhyun is a lot different than Jongdae would have anticipated him to be in this situation. The Baekhyun sitting beside him is quiet, dulled down and diluted after his third bottle of cola. He seems thoughtful, almost shy, and Jongdae is more surprised by this than he's willing to admit.
They don't talk much for a while, groping for words and conversation, and, when they can't find any, they drown the silence in Oreos and Doritos, taking handfuls of each with hopes to blot out the awkwardness.
1:04 am, Jongdae reads off his phone screen, eyes burning at the bright lights in the dark. He has to blink a few times to clear away the dancing spots in his vision, dragging his knuckles against his lashes sleepily. He's stayed up late before, later than now, pulled a number of all nighters between anime marathons and cramming for tests - but he's more tired now than he was then, even though this is far from the latest he's been awake. A part of him thinks he's probably emotionally exhausted, too wound up between arguing and trying not argue and thinking that he doesn't mind the not arguing.
Jongdae figures he's going to pass out at any moment, and he thinks he must be going crazy when he asks, "do you want to know why I don't like you?".
Baekhyun looks up slowly, brows raised, then takes a swig of soda and hums. "Because I'm undeniably handsome and ultimately better at you than everything?" he asks dryly, and Jongdae can't help but laugh, just a little. "Why?"
Jongdae thumbs condensation off the side of his soda bottle carefully, closing his eyes. "You hurt my feelings," he says simply, and the scrunches up his nose at how childish it sounds. "In middle school. We had our vocal evaluations and my voice cracked and you laughed at me, made fun of me, and made everyone else in the class laugh at me." He doesn't open his eyes, and Baekhyun doesn't answer. Jongdae is almost certain that Baekhyun thinks he's an idiot, that he's just as petulant as he was when they had their first fight.
"I'm sorry," Jongdae hears Baekhyun mumble suddenly, and he looks up at him in surprise, "really sorry. I'm not- I didn't mean to hurt you that bad, or at all." Baekhyun isn't staring at Jongdae, instead staring at his feet and scratching the apples of his cheeks. "I make jokes when I'm uncomfortable," he offers as an explanation. "And we were both new to the class and I thought if I could make people laugh... that I'd make friends." Baekhyun looks so flustered, so embarrassed, and he whispers, "I'm sorry, Jongdae."
The silence that stretches between them makes it hard to breathe or to think and Jongdae doesn’t know what to say, so he doesn’t say anything. Its easier that way.
✎
In middle school, Jongdae had a crush on Baekhyun.
It wasn’t so far-fetched- they both joined the same school in the middle of second semester, had the same choir class and even the same lunch period. They were never particularly close, exchanging small words and advice during class.
Jongdae thought he was pretty, liked the way his heart sped up with every sunshine smile Baekhyun put on display and the way his nose wrinkled cutely afterwards.
Jongdae still liked Baekhyun, after he humiliated him in front of class and even after their first fight the next day. He didn’t really mean for the argument to spiral out of control like it did. He just wanted to piss Baekhyun off, not to start a domino effect that lasted as long as it has. He had a childish hope that if he evened the score that maybe the anger would fade away, and he wouldn’t feel as guilty about still liking Baekhyun as much as he did.
But the score never evened out, and whatever Jongdae felt was pushed away by their accidental war.
Jongdae falls asleep thinking about how life could've been if he hadn't been so petty.
✎
"Ugh," Jongdae whines when he wakes up, voice rough with sleep. He drags his knuckles against his eyes in an attempt to rid himself of the heaviness weighing them down. He feels warm, warmer than usual, and when he finally cracks his eyes open he remembers where he is and what he’s doing here. He huffs, blinking again and again and tries to sit up, patting around lightly for his phone, and jolts a little in surprise when he feels soft hair between his fingers.
Jongdae looks down slowly, sees Baekhyun draped over his side, cheek pressed against Jongdae's hip as he sleeps. His lips are parted, breath coming in long sighs and his lashes are fluttering constantly.
Cute, Jongdae thinks blearily, too sleepy still to correct himself as he gently ruffles Baekhyun's dark locks, whispering a small, "Baekhyun?" It takes a moment, Baekhyun grumbling unintelligently as he scrunches his nose up. "Come on, wake up."
"What time is it?" Baekhyun slurs, voice cracking into a yawn.
Jongdae hums, waits until Baekhyun is sitting up enough that he can grope around for his phone. When he finally finds it wedged between the couch cushions the quiet store is suddenly flooded with light, buzzing loudly with electricity, and both boys jolt before going stiff.
Neither of them move, holding their breath and waiting. Then, there’s a distinct metallic clink of keys, and then heavy footsteps, and Jongdae can’t help the “shit” he chokes out.
They scramble to their feet, grabbing empty bags and tossing them behind shelves haphazardly in an effort to hide their mess. They scrape by, just barely, skidding to duck behind a model bed.
"How do we get out without them thinking we're robbers or something?" Baekhyun asks, and Jongdae doesn't ever think he's heard his voice sound so quiet. He still looks tired, continuously rubbing his eyes and blinking as he stares around the side of the headboard.
Jongdae grips at the wood and peers around cautiously, and ducking lower again when he hears more footsteps. "We could check and see if the bathroom has windows," he offers, and then wrinkles his nose. "Maybe wait until the front entrance is clear and then bolt?"
Baekhyun doesn’t reply for a moment, wetting his lips before he nods with a quiet, “that sounds good to me.” He blinks up at Jongdae, combing his fingers through his hair nervously. “Which way do we go?” he murmurs, and Jongdae takes a step back and away from the bed.
Instinctively, he leans down and grips Baekhyun’s wrist, pulling him up from the floor and closer. “Follow me,” he whispers, carefully leading him down and away from the furniture. They walk with tentative steps, almost tip-toeing through the store with wide, alert eyes. At some point Baekhyun lets his fingers slide up just enough to hold Jongdae’s hand, squeezing his fingers reassuringly as they move. The pressure of Baekhyun's palm against his is nice, and the squeeze he gives makes something inside Jongdae do a flip, but he doesn’t say anything, just keeps pulling him along.
Eventually, their nerves seem to simmer down and running around almost becomes funny, dodging employees as they file in and weaving their way towards the exit. When Jongdae looks back over his shoulder he sees the slight sparkle of amusement in Baekhyun’s eyes, and Baekhyun gives Jongdae a smile, mouth twitching like he’s going to laugh.
Jongdae has to press his finger to his lips to tell him to shush, but it doesn’t do anything to stop the smile of his own.
✎
“Jesus,” Baekhyun chokes out between snickers when he slumps into the front seat of Jongdae's car, smile wide. “That was too close.” He grins, looking across the way and over at Jongdae.
The younger boy is brandishing a smile as well, pressing a palm over his erratic heart as he lets out a huff of laughter. “It was,” he agrees, closing his eyes and laughing again, this time a little softer. "Way too close. I'm never going to go back here with a straight face again."
"If you could, I'd be surprised."
Jongdae smiles, rubbing the corner of his eyes. "Come on, let's out of here," he says.
It's not until Jongdae moves to reach for his seatbelt that he realizes Baekhyun is still holding his hand, their fingers meshed firmly together. He doesn’t know if Baekhyun has noticed yet, but Jongdae takes advantage of the moment to steal a glimpse at how nice Baekhyun’s hand looks in his.
And then he’s pulling back, slowly at first and then hastily, clearing his throat and gripping the strap of his seat belt tightly. “Sorry,” he mumbles, looking away and trying to pretend he’s not blushing when he grips the steering wheel.
✎
Jongdae realizes a few things on the drive back home. First being that Byun Baekhyun maybe isn't as bad as he believed for the past few years. Jongdae still can't tell if it was the sleepiness or maybe just Baekhyun himself saying all that he had in the store , but Jongdae can't help thinking Baekhyun was sincere. And maybe, they can put this all behind them. Maybe they could be friends.
Secondly, Jongdae decides that he may still feel something for Baekhyun - nothing nearly as strong as he did once, but just an inkling. Holding his hand was nice, and having Baekhyun give him a rare, genuine smile made his stomach twist with unfamiliar emotions and the nostalgic urge to kiss him.
It's not much, but it's a start.
✎
"Jongdae, Baekhyun, come here and see your grade," Mr. Park calls from his desk, fingers scrolling up and down his computer mouse pad. He beckons them over with a smile, the same smile he's given everyone before them, and Jongdae thinks they've probably failed for certain. Baekhyun glances at Jongdae when they walk to the front, expression unreadable as they cross to the desk. Jongdae wonders if he's as nervous he is.
Mr. Park gives both boys a once over before he says, "congratulations, you got yourselves an A." He looks at the surprised expressions that settle on their faces. "I should partner you both together more often," he adds, and the smile turns almost into a smirk, looking too smug.
Jongdae doesn't know what to say, and he decides that neither does Baekhyun, because he bows first with a soft thanks before he turns back to his desk. Jongdae is quick to mimic his motions, and then follows behind him once more.
There are words lodged in his throat, something Jongdae wants to say to Baekhyun, but then the lunch bell rings and cuts him off. Baekhyun jumps a little at the sound, and Jongdae does too, awkwardly bumping into his back.
"Sorry," Jongdae says hastily, and suddenly it feels like everyone in the class is staring at them, waiting for Baekhyun to turn and bruise him. And for a moment Jongdae worries that Baekhyun will, too.
But Baekhyun just turns, looks Jongdae up and down and smiles, just barely. It makes Jongdae's heart skip. "It's alright," he says simply, and everyone is still staring, watching. "Was there something you wanted?"
Jongdae drops his hand, wetting his lips nervously. "Wanna sit with me at lunch?" he offers, voice hardly above a mumble. The back of his neck feels hot, and every second it takes for Baekhyun to answer feels like torture.
When he looks up again, the smile Baekhyun wears is a little wider. "Yeah," he says. "I'd like that."
Jongdae finds that he can't stop smiling.
Author's note: this was a lot of fun to write, even though i struggled more with some bits than id like to admit- thank you to all my friends who encouraged me, and special thanks to m and h for writer's workshop!