suzywoo - 8/?
Title: Fight fire with fire
Author: kanintallrik
Pairing: Wooyoung x Suzy, (onesided Suzy x Minho)
Rating: pg-13
Genre: highschool!au
Summary: For Suzy, winning the school dance competition marks the start of her new, amazing life. It doesn't really end up that way, but it's pretty okay anyway. Wooyoung, being a good friend, tries to hook Suzy up with some chick buddies, but an incident has their shaky relationship start quaking again when she refuses to admit that she likes him. You know, just a little bit.
It’s been a tiring morning, and Suzy sinks down on an empty chair and is just about to shove a spoonful of rice into her mouth when a massive figure suddenly looms over her and chomps down on her shoulder with a low and delighted Auung.
She whips around to Chansung withdrawing between tables, grinning cheekily back at her. For a moment, Suzy just stares.
“Don’t worry.” Junho advices, somewhat amused, from his seat across her. “It just means he likes you.”
“Likes me?” Suzy frowns.
“Yeah, he does it all the times. To kids, pets…”
“…us.” Taecyeon, just sinking down next to Junho, adds.
“You should see him with his cat. Sometimes I fear he’s gonna swallow it by accident.”
Suzy snorts, and giggles. She can’t say she doesn’t like Chansung. Despite his intimidating stature he’s decidedly… snuggly. The next moment Wooyoung drops down next to her, and she notes begrudgingly how something dormant in her stomach suddenly perks up.
“What’s up?” he asks, chopsticks already wedged between his teeth.
Junho nods in Suzy’s general direction. “Chansung bit her.”
“Really?” Wooyoung lights up, and elbows Suzy in the ribs. “Gee, Suz’, you’ve been accepted.”
“Suz’? Are you giving me nicknames now?”
“What.” Wooyoung asks blankly, and then realizes what had slipped out. “Do you mind?” he probes and gives her a side-way glance. Suzy rolls her eyes but still has to admit that no, she doesn’t, and the slight tug of her lips is enough for Wooyoung to smugly turn back to his food.
After years of being passionately detested and patiently endured, lunch-time has in barely two weeks become sacred to Suzy. She suddenly has people who accepts, even welcomes, her company, and within their circle she can slouch back and relax; she is invulnerable to the outside world. Chansung soon comes back with a minor alp of food on his tray, and the others immediately start complaining loudly about not having all day, teasing and taunting, how can he even metabolize it all, but Chansung only sniffs and calmly digs in on his meal. He’s not as talkative or witty as the other three, and usually sports a rather blank expression, but once in a while he’ll make a thoughtful observation or deliver a weird comment, evidencing that he’s been paying attention the whole time.
“I do have all day.” Suzy cuts in, taking pity. “Civics after lunch.” She clarifies.
“Ah, with Yang-ssaem?” Junho sighs dramatically and rubs at his forehead. “You have my deepest sympathies.” He reaches over to try to sneak a fry from Chansung’s plate and is rewarded with a swift and precise swat on top of the hand. Taecyeon cackles as he grumpily nurses the reddening skin.
Taec is the representative, Suzy has noticed. He naturally takes on the role of the face outwards and charms teachers and elders with mature features and attentive manners. In more private havens, however, he’s possibly the most outrageous of them all four. The bizarre expressions his facial muscles can muster have yet to seize freaking Suzy out, and his recurring ambiguous innuendoes aren’t speeding up the process.
Junho, on the other hand, is somehow the other way around. He’s a try-hard, and with his strange sense of humor and somewhat lacking comedic timing, he often comes awkwardly across. But he has a way of calling things as he sees them that Suzy appreciates, and also leads her to believe that he is the most sensible one of them all (which isn’t actually saying much, but still).
And then there’s Wooyoung; the dignified clown. He can make people laugh, which he both knows, uses and enjoys. He’s not as handsome as Chansung but way sharper, can’t match Taecyeon’s slickness but is considerably less creepy, lacks Junho’s dry realism but is decidedly more self-assured, and frankly; it all suits him.
“What’s up with you?”
Suzy startles, and realizes Wooyoung’s intent gaze set on her face.
“I--. What?”
A smile tugs at his lips. “You’re quiet and kept looking at me weirdly.”
“Your face calls for it.” She downs the last of her drink and winces inwardly at the weak come-back; the fuck?, before promptly getting to her feet. “I’m off.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Wooyoung dismisses her comment, but grabs her wrist before she leaves. “Still coming this afternoon, though? Weird face despite.”
“Of course.” She grants him a small smile before disappearing, and he smugly turns back to his food again.
They had picked a pop song for their new, unofficial project - a male-female collaboration that originally had been quite sexy, but both Suzy and Wooyoung soon realized how much funnier it was to make up their own moves, and it was practically a different routine already.
It’s just barely 6pm when Wooyoung sinks down and sprawls over the floor with a heavy groan.
“Tired, granpa?” Suzy taunts, still giddy and high on adrenaline.
Wooyoung frowns up at her. “How about you actually address me properly for once? You know, showing appropriate respect for your senior.”
“What do you mean?”
“Call me oppa.” He clarifies, with a grin creeping up his face.
Suzy only laughs cruelly. “Over my dead body.”
“Oh, come on.” He coaxes, reaching out to tug at her ankle. “Just once.”
“Never.” She shakes her head and instead sinks down to straddle his hips.
“Yah, don’t sit there…” he whines weakly, shoulders arching up slightly, and she lets out another cruel laugh before putting her hands on his chest and heaving forward. He groans vaguely as she lands on his stomach.
“You know, I was thinking a shower’d sit nicely by now.” He complains conversationally, and pokes a stiff finger into her thigh. However, Suzy makes to attempt to move, only traces the pattern on Wooyoung’s sweaty t-shirt and tries to keep her face from falling. She had vainly been dreading this moment; she doesn’t want to go home, she doesn’t want to be alone, especially not in that place, but it’s not like can escape it.
Still, it’s not long before Wooyoung fixes her with his gaze and brings up a knee to poke her in the back. “What’s wrong?”
She leisurely leans back against his bent leg and wears a smile. “Nothing.”
He falls back against the floor again with a roll of the eyes. “Fine. You had your chance.”
She leans forward with a hand on either side of his head, looks into his eyes and wants to say something; suggest something, ask to spend more time together, but can’t get anything out. She doesn’t want to whine, doesn’t want to pry, and certainly isn’t used to not being on the receiving end of the attention.
“Seriously, Suzy. What’s wrong with you?” Wooyoung presses, now looking more creeped-out than worried.
“I need some friends.” She states blankly, and he glares up at her.
“I thought I was your friend.”
“…I need another friend.” She says, and it comes out more poisonous than she intended. Wooyoung narrows his eyes.
“What the hell is that supposed to-“ he starts, but is cut off by the sound of the door opening. Their heads both whip around as a blonde tuft of hair pokes through the gap.
“Are you guys still here?” Junho asks, and then falls quiet and blinks. “What are you doing?”
“Um.” Suzy says intelligently and swiftly gets to her feet.
“Suzy’s being ungrateful and I’m having my innocence violated.” Wooyoung explains conversationally and gets up into sitting position. He extends a hand and persistently waves it around until Suzy grabs it and pulls him up with a roll of the eyes. “Why are you still here?”
“Detention.” Junho says dryly, face darkening considerably. “Apparently expressing your individualism through hair colors isn’t compatible with the official school regulations, as Park-ssaem so eloquently put it.” He animatedly rolls his eyes. “Thus, I’m heading to pick up some dye.”
“Black?”
“No, I was thinking fire-truck red. I’ll show him individualism, alright. You coming?” Junho continues, grinning as Suzy and Wooyoung laugh, and nodding towards the latter.
“Yeah, sure. But…” Wooyoung shoots Suzy a glance, and she kind of hates the fact that he’s taking pity on her.
“What?” she questions. “Go. I’m on my way home anyway.”
“I just…” he sends her a look of both irritation and honest concern. “You seemed… like you needed some company.”
“But not yours; I think that’s what we established.” Suzy says easily despite herself, and tries to take the edge off the comment with a friendly grin. Wooyoung still sends her a glare.
“Suit yourself, then. If you ever do deem me worth the effort, give me a call.” He shoots back, crossing the room and collecting his backpack.
Something warm settles in Suzy’s stomach amidst all, and Wooyoung almost startles when meeting her gaze.
“I will.” She says, and it comes out completely lacking the sharpness she intended, but she decides to let it go, because Wooyoung’s looking at her more intently than ever, like searching, and a smile plays on his lips when they leave.
-
“But I…”
“Just do it. Hurry.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“I don’t care what you think.”
Junho spitefully rolls his eyes and mutters a foul word under his breath when he leaves. Wooyoung ignores him and happily waves at Suzy who’s approaching down the street.
“Morning.”
“What are you two up to?”
“Who?”
Suzy rolls her eyes. “You and Junho.”
“I don’t know, he just left.”
Suzy raises her eyebrows, but lets it go. She passes him to enter the schoolyard and Wooyoung jumps off the fence and trudges along. “You’re here early.”
“I’m always here at this time. You’re the one who’s early. Don’t you think I’ve seen you, scampering across the yard at two to nine?”
Wooyoung laughs sheepishly. “Does that mean you look for me?”
“It means my seat is by the window.”
“You’re so- Ah, hey, Jia!”
Suzy startles and looks around, eyes soon falling on the bright pink hair of Junho’s partner from the dance competition, followed by Junho himself, looking quite cranky.
“Mornin’!” she greets, and waits for them to catch up; Wooyoung grabbing Suzy’s wrist and resolutely pulling her up to the other two.
“You know Suzy?” Wooyoung asks and cocks his head in Suzy’s general direction.
Jia blinks and tilts her head. “Ah!” she exclaims. “You’re the girl with the shoes!”
The three startle noticeably; Suzy’s eyes are wide and tense but she forces herself to meet Jia’s gaze. Wooyoung anxiously looks between the girls, while Junho slowly brings up a hand to rub at his forehead.
“I just…” Jia continues, equally loud, and Suzy uneasily notes a couple of freshmen girls staring at them as they pass. “That was just so fantastic!”
Suzy blinks. “What?”
“The look on her face when the fancy shoes were gone, and she couldn’t find them… Priceless.” Jia’s smile is fresh and enthusiastic, and Suzy is taken aback.
“But… She hadn’t done anything to deserve that…” She stammers, and Jia fixes her with a squinting gaze.
“We’ve all done shit we need to be punished for. If not here; plenty in previous lives. You were simply assigned with the necessary task of fucking stuff up for somebody.” She explains, dead serious. Then her face splits in another grin; “And frankly, it’s a pretty delicious task at times, ey?”
Suzy just stares. “I--. That’s one way to look at it, I suppose…”
“I saw some of your dance too, by the way.” Jia continues, unfazed, and nods shortly towards Wooyoung. “You were great. Totally deserved the first place.”
“Uh, thanks. Sadly, I didn’t see any of yours…”
“Ah, we could have a mini showcase some time, just the four of us.” Jia suggests happily. “Maybe Hobaby’ll actually manage a decent performance without the nerves.”
“I’ve told you not to call me that…” Junho complains weakly, but Jia flatly ignores him and slings an arm around his neck.
“Seen the hair, by the way?” she continues and grabs a handful of his, now evidently bright red, hair. “All by yours truly.”
“Will you let me go.” Junho asks patiently from where he’s awkwardly wedged in Jia’s armpit.
“You should go pink next time, though. Look how well it suits noona.”
“We’re the same age, you moron.”
“What’s that, Hobaby?” she asks innocently and tightens her arm around his neck. “What did you call noona?”
“Moron!” he repeats spitefully, voice muffled by the fabric of her jacket.
“Well, that’s not polite.”
With one violent yank he escapes her grasp and emerges disheveled and a little red to the face. He sniffs self-righteously and adjusts his uniform jacket with a firm tug.
“I’m going to class.” He informs the world in general, turns on his heel and marches away.
“Nice to meet you, Suzy-sshi! Later, Woodong!” Jia beams and waves, before racing after Junho and pouncing on his back, causing him to let out a growled string of profanities.
Wooyoung turns to Suzy, who’s still staring after the two. “They’re child-hood friends.”
Suzy nods blankly. “I sort of could tell.”
“Come, I’ll walk you to class.” He says, and drapes an arm around her shoulders. It stays there all through school, hallways gradually crowding up, and Suzy tries not to think about how much she likes it. It comes off, however, when they reach the sophomore’s corridor and halt at the sound of a timid call.
“Oppa…”
Wooyoung spins around, and lights up at the sight of Jieun standing by the wall, clutching the straps of her oversized, pink backpack, with a timid but dazzling smile on her lips.
“Hi!” he says, now completely untangling himself from Suzy.
“Do… Do you have a moment, oppa?”
“Yeah, sure.” Wooyoung continues, equally happy, and only after a moment of contemplation turns back to Suzy; “I’ll see you at lunch, right?” He says, and waves before following Jieun down the hall.
“Yeah…” Suzy confirms lamely, bringing up a hand, but they’re already out of earshot. She stands frozen in her spot for a little while, frowning. Why does Jieun want to talk to Wooyoung? And why does he seem so happy that she does? It only takes half a second of hesitation before she trails after to the end of the hall, and peeks around the corner.
She can hear his shrill laughter all the way down the corridor, totally drowning Jieun’s delighted giggles. She looks up at him all mooneyed and attentive, and he happily cracks another joke. Suddenly he leans closer, points at something in Jieun’s face and smiles a lopsided grin that makes Jieun blush and bury her face in her hands. Suzy’s eyes narrow to slits. Oh, is that so?
-
He waits for her in the exact same spot as the same morning when she’s on her way home in the afternoon. Suzy doesn’t see him sitting perched on the fence until she’s almost there and can’t be bothered with walking all the way back to the south entrance, so she just trudges on.
“Hey!” he chirps, readily jumping off the top bar when she approaches.
“Hey.” She replies, shortly.
“What happened at lunch?” he asks, coming up to walk by her side. “You were gone before I even got there.”
“Ate quickly.”
“Oh.” Wooyoung says lamely, halting a little, but then catches up with her again. “You missed the funniest thing; Junho suddenly decided he’s great at English and kept trying to impress Taecyeon, and Taecyeon laughed so hard he couldn’t even reply, so Junho just delivered more and more outrageous lines. He was so proud of himself, it was hilarious.” He laughs a little, but soon trails off when getting no response. He leans forward as they walk, trying to catch Suzy’s gaze, but she stubbornly keeps it straight ahead.
“What’s up?” he tries, but Suzy just rolls her eyes. Seriously…
“Hey…” he calls tentatively, and Suzy shoots a quick look at him. His brows are knotted in a pitiful, confused frown. “Um, have I... done something?” he asks sheepishly. “See, you keep rolling your eyes at me.”
Suzy just barely keeps herself from rolling her eyes, and just keeps walking.
“Hey!” he snaps, sprinting forward to grab at her elbow. “Just tell me what’s wrong!”
“If you can’t figure it out by yourself, it’s your own friggin’ problem!” she snarls back, whipping her arm from his grip. Wooyoung narrows his eyes.
“Jeez, what’s with you, you were all fun and games this morning…”
Suzy shoots him a poisonous look before resuming her march down the street. She makes a good ten meters before he speaks up again, incredulous;
“What, is this about Jieun? This morning?”
The glare she can’t stop herself from earning him says it all. He rolls his eyes in return, and jogs to catch up.
“What was so bad about that?”
Suzy tsks crossly, but says nothing.
“We were just talking…”
“Talking? I’ve seen chick-flicks less sappy and lovey-dovey than your little display there in the middle of school. Almost made me lose my breakfast…”
“What was I supposed to do, tell her to beat it?” Wooyoung retorts, rolling his eyes once more. “She’s really shy, you know, it probably took her a lot to come up to me like that.”
Suzy laughs. “What do you think you are, god’s gift to fat girls?”
He stops flat in his tracks, and Suzy unconsciously halts as well, the harsh look he gives her making her shrink back a bit.
“Why are you always like that?” he hisses coldly. “So shallow.”
Suzy sputters. “If I were shallow, I wouldn’t want to be with you…”
“Still, you do.”
Suzy blinks briefly. “What?”
“Weren’t you jealous?” he asks, with this most obnoxious, taunting grin settling itself on his face.
Her eyes narrow dangerously. “No!” she snarls, but Wooyoung only laughs.
“Oh, really?”
Suzy just scowls at him, and proceeds to stomp down the street.
“No?” Wooyoung taunts, leisurely following her a few meters back. “Then maybe I should go with Jieun, after all.”
“Yeah.” Suzy agrees, trying to sound indifferent. “You do that.”
“I think I should.” Wooyoung continues mercilessly. “She’s sweet… Kind. And she doesn’t mind being with me…”
They reach the bus stop, and Suzy settles against a lamppost with her hands buried deep in her coat pockets. With dread, she realizes that her eyes are brimming with hot tears. God, she hates Wooyoung so much.
“That is…” Wooyoung inquires, voice suddenly softer. “Unless you’ve got anything against it?”
“Why would I?” Suzy snaps back, harsher than ever.
“Fine, then.” He replies, tone hard again. “Great. Good to know.”
He lingers for a while, just looking at her with raised eyebrows and obviously waiting for her to say something. After a minute of silence he just shrugs with an animated roll of the eyes and turns to leave.
“See ya, Suz’.” He says, raising a hand. “If you ever care to say hi...”
Suzy waits for him to disappear, before slouching against the lamppost and repeatedly slamming her forehead against it.
Authors note: Sorry for the late update! School's been hectic and I can't write under pressure. :/ I'll probably post once a week for the last couple of chapters as well.
Anyways, MOAR DRAMA. XD And Jia ended up like such a weirdo, idek. o___o Sorry Jia dear, one day I'll write you properly!
Author: kanintallrik
Pairing: Wooyoung x Suzy, (onesided Suzy x Minho)
Rating: pg-13
Genre: highschool!au
Summary: For Suzy, winning the school dance competition marks the start of her new, amazing life. It doesn't really end up that way, but it's pretty okay anyway. Wooyoung, being a good friend, tries to hook Suzy up with some chick buddies, but an incident has their shaky relationship start quaking again when she refuses to admit that she likes him. You know, just a little bit.
It’s been a tiring morning, and Suzy sinks down on an empty chair and is just about to shove a spoonful of rice into her mouth when a massive figure suddenly looms over her and chomps down on her shoulder with a low and delighted Auung.
She whips around to Chansung withdrawing between tables, grinning cheekily back at her. For a moment, Suzy just stares.
“Don’t worry.” Junho advices, somewhat amused, from his seat across her. “It just means he likes you.”
“Likes me?” Suzy frowns.
“Yeah, he does it all the times. To kids, pets…”
“…us.” Taecyeon, just sinking down next to Junho, adds.
“You should see him with his cat. Sometimes I fear he’s gonna swallow it by accident.”
Suzy snorts, and giggles. She can’t say she doesn’t like Chansung. Despite his intimidating stature he’s decidedly… snuggly. The next moment Wooyoung drops down next to her, and she notes begrudgingly how something dormant in her stomach suddenly perks up.
“What’s up?” he asks, chopsticks already wedged between his teeth.
Junho nods in Suzy’s general direction. “Chansung bit her.”
“Really?” Wooyoung lights up, and elbows Suzy in the ribs. “Gee, Suz’, you’ve been accepted.”
“Suz’? Are you giving me nicknames now?”
“What.” Wooyoung asks blankly, and then realizes what had slipped out. “Do you mind?” he probes and gives her a side-way glance. Suzy rolls her eyes but still has to admit that no, she doesn’t, and the slight tug of her lips is enough for Wooyoung to smugly turn back to his food.
After years of being passionately detested and patiently endured, lunch-time has in barely two weeks become sacred to Suzy. She suddenly has people who accepts, even welcomes, her company, and within their circle she can slouch back and relax; she is invulnerable to the outside world. Chansung soon comes back with a minor alp of food on his tray, and the others immediately start complaining loudly about not having all day, teasing and taunting, how can he even metabolize it all, but Chansung only sniffs and calmly digs in on his meal. He’s not as talkative or witty as the other three, and usually sports a rather blank expression, but once in a while he’ll make a thoughtful observation or deliver a weird comment, evidencing that he’s been paying attention the whole time.
“I do have all day.” Suzy cuts in, taking pity. “Civics after lunch.” She clarifies.
“Ah, with Yang-ssaem?” Junho sighs dramatically and rubs at his forehead. “You have my deepest sympathies.” He reaches over to try to sneak a fry from Chansung’s plate and is rewarded with a swift and precise swat on top of the hand. Taecyeon cackles as he grumpily nurses the reddening skin.
Taec is the representative, Suzy has noticed. He naturally takes on the role of the face outwards and charms teachers and elders with mature features and attentive manners. In more private havens, however, he’s possibly the most outrageous of them all four. The bizarre expressions his facial muscles can muster have yet to seize freaking Suzy out, and his recurring ambiguous innuendoes aren’t speeding up the process.
Junho, on the other hand, is somehow the other way around. He’s a try-hard, and with his strange sense of humor and somewhat lacking comedic timing, he often comes awkwardly across. But he has a way of calling things as he sees them that Suzy appreciates, and also leads her to believe that he is the most sensible one of them all (which isn’t actually saying much, but still).
And then there’s Wooyoung; the dignified clown. He can make people laugh, which he both knows, uses and enjoys. He’s not as handsome as Chansung but way sharper, can’t match Taecyeon’s slickness but is considerably less creepy, lacks Junho’s dry realism but is decidedly more self-assured, and frankly; it all suits him.
“What’s up with you?”
Suzy startles, and realizes Wooyoung’s intent gaze set on her face.
“I--. What?”
A smile tugs at his lips. “You’re quiet and kept looking at me weirdly.”
“Your face calls for it.” She downs the last of her drink and winces inwardly at the weak come-back; the fuck?, before promptly getting to her feet. “I’m off.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Wooyoung dismisses her comment, but grabs her wrist before she leaves. “Still coming this afternoon, though? Weird face despite.”
“Of course.” She grants him a small smile before disappearing, and he smugly turns back to his food again.
They had picked a pop song for their new, unofficial project - a male-female collaboration that originally had been quite sexy, but both Suzy and Wooyoung soon realized how much funnier it was to make up their own moves, and it was practically a different routine already.
It’s just barely 6pm when Wooyoung sinks down and sprawls over the floor with a heavy groan.
“Tired, granpa?” Suzy taunts, still giddy and high on adrenaline.
Wooyoung frowns up at her. “How about you actually address me properly for once? You know, showing appropriate respect for your senior.”
“What do you mean?”
“Call me oppa.” He clarifies, with a grin creeping up his face.
Suzy only laughs cruelly. “Over my dead body.”
“Oh, come on.” He coaxes, reaching out to tug at her ankle. “Just once.”
“Never.” She shakes her head and instead sinks down to straddle his hips.
“Yah, don’t sit there…” he whines weakly, shoulders arching up slightly, and she lets out another cruel laugh before putting her hands on his chest and heaving forward. He groans vaguely as she lands on his stomach.
“You know, I was thinking a shower’d sit nicely by now.” He complains conversationally, and pokes a stiff finger into her thigh. However, Suzy makes to attempt to move, only traces the pattern on Wooyoung’s sweaty t-shirt and tries to keep her face from falling. She had vainly been dreading this moment; she doesn’t want to go home, she doesn’t want to be alone, especially not in that place, but it’s not like can escape it.
Still, it’s not long before Wooyoung fixes her with his gaze and brings up a knee to poke her in the back. “What’s wrong?”
She leisurely leans back against his bent leg and wears a smile. “Nothing.”
He falls back against the floor again with a roll of the eyes. “Fine. You had your chance.”
She leans forward with a hand on either side of his head, looks into his eyes and wants to say something; suggest something, ask to spend more time together, but can’t get anything out. She doesn’t want to whine, doesn’t want to pry, and certainly isn’t used to not being on the receiving end of the attention.
“Seriously, Suzy. What’s wrong with you?” Wooyoung presses, now looking more creeped-out than worried.
“I need some friends.” She states blankly, and he glares up at her.
“I thought I was your friend.”
“…I need another friend.” She says, and it comes out more poisonous than she intended. Wooyoung narrows his eyes.
“What the hell is that supposed to-“ he starts, but is cut off by the sound of the door opening. Their heads both whip around as a blonde tuft of hair pokes through the gap.
“Are you guys still here?” Junho asks, and then falls quiet and blinks. “What are you doing?”
“Um.” Suzy says intelligently and swiftly gets to her feet.
“Suzy’s being ungrateful and I’m having my innocence violated.” Wooyoung explains conversationally and gets up into sitting position. He extends a hand and persistently waves it around until Suzy grabs it and pulls him up with a roll of the eyes. “Why are you still here?”
“Detention.” Junho says dryly, face darkening considerably. “Apparently expressing your individualism through hair colors isn’t compatible with the official school regulations, as Park-ssaem so eloquently put it.” He animatedly rolls his eyes. “Thus, I’m heading to pick up some dye.”
“Black?”
“No, I was thinking fire-truck red. I’ll show him individualism, alright. You coming?” Junho continues, grinning as Suzy and Wooyoung laugh, and nodding towards the latter.
“Yeah, sure. But…” Wooyoung shoots Suzy a glance, and she kind of hates the fact that he’s taking pity on her.
“What?” she questions. “Go. I’m on my way home anyway.”
“I just…” he sends her a look of both irritation and honest concern. “You seemed… like you needed some company.”
“But not yours; I think that’s what we established.” Suzy says easily despite herself, and tries to take the edge off the comment with a friendly grin. Wooyoung still sends her a glare.
“Suit yourself, then. If you ever do deem me worth the effort, give me a call.” He shoots back, crossing the room and collecting his backpack.
Something warm settles in Suzy’s stomach amidst all, and Wooyoung almost startles when meeting her gaze.
“I will.” She says, and it comes out completely lacking the sharpness she intended, but she decides to let it go, because Wooyoung’s looking at her more intently than ever, like searching, and a smile plays on his lips when they leave.
-
“But I…”
“Just do it. Hurry.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“I don’t care what you think.”
Junho spitefully rolls his eyes and mutters a foul word under his breath when he leaves. Wooyoung ignores him and happily waves at Suzy who’s approaching down the street.
“Morning.”
“What are you two up to?”
“Who?”
Suzy rolls her eyes. “You and Junho.”
“I don’t know, he just left.”
Suzy raises her eyebrows, but lets it go. She passes him to enter the schoolyard and Wooyoung jumps off the fence and trudges along. “You’re here early.”
“I’m always here at this time. You’re the one who’s early. Don’t you think I’ve seen you, scampering across the yard at two to nine?”
Wooyoung laughs sheepishly. “Does that mean you look for me?”
“It means my seat is by the window.”
“You’re so- Ah, hey, Jia!”
Suzy startles and looks around, eyes soon falling on the bright pink hair of Junho’s partner from the dance competition, followed by Junho himself, looking quite cranky.
“Mornin’!” she greets, and waits for them to catch up; Wooyoung grabbing Suzy’s wrist and resolutely pulling her up to the other two.
“You know Suzy?” Wooyoung asks and cocks his head in Suzy’s general direction.
Jia blinks and tilts her head. “Ah!” she exclaims. “You’re the girl with the shoes!”
The three startle noticeably; Suzy’s eyes are wide and tense but she forces herself to meet Jia’s gaze. Wooyoung anxiously looks between the girls, while Junho slowly brings up a hand to rub at his forehead.
“I just…” Jia continues, equally loud, and Suzy uneasily notes a couple of freshmen girls staring at them as they pass. “That was just so fantastic!”
Suzy blinks. “What?”
“The look on her face when the fancy shoes were gone, and she couldn’t find them… Priceless.” Jia’s smile is fresh and enthusiastic, and Suzy is taken aback.
“But… She hadn’t done anything to deserve that…” She stammers, and Jia fixes her with a squinting gaze.
“We’ve all done shit we need to be punished for. If not here; plenty in previous lives. You were simply assigned with the necessary task of fucking stuff up for somebody.” She explains, dead serious. Then her face splits in another grin; “And frankly, it’s a pretty delicious task at times, ey?”
Suzy just stares. “I--. That’s one way to look at it, I suppose…”
“I saw some of your dance too, by the way.” Jia continues, unfazed, and nods shortly towards Wooyoung. “You were great. Totally deserved the first place.”
“Uh, thanks. Sadly, I didn’t see any of yours…”
“Ah, we could have a mini showcase some time, just the four of us.” Jia suggests happily. “Maybe Hobaby’ll actually manage a decent performance without the nerves.”
“I’ve told you not to call me that…” Junho complains weakly, but Jia flatly ignores him and slings an arm around his neck.
“Seen the hair, by the way?” she continues and grabs a handful of his, now evidently bright red, hair. “All by yours truly.”
“Will you let me go.” Junho asks patiently from where he’s awkwardly wedged in Jia’s armpit.
“You should go pink next time, though. Look how well it suits noona.”
“We’re the same age, you moron.”
“What’s that, Hobaby?” she asks innocently and tightens her arm around his neck. “What did you call noona?”
“Moron!” he repeats spitefully, voice muffled by the fabric of her jacket.
“Well, that’s not polite.”
With one violent yank he escapes her grasp and emerges disheveled and a little red to the face. He sniffs self-righteously and adjusts his uniform jacket with a firm tug.
“I’m going to class.” He informs the world in general, turns on his heel and marches away.
“Nice to meet you, Suzy-sshi! Later, Woodong!” Jia beams and waves, before racing after Junho and pouncing on his back, causing him to let out a growled string of profanities.
Wooyoung turns to Suzy, who’s still staring after the two. “They’re child-hood friends.”
Suzy nods blankly. “I sort of could tell.”
“Come, I’ll walk you to class.” He says, and drapes an arm around her shoulders. It stays there all through school, hallways gradually crowding up, and Suzy tries not to think about how much she likes it. It comes off, however, when they reach the sophomore’s corridor and halt at the sound of a timid call.
“Oppa…”
Wooyoung spins around, and lights up at the sight of Jieun standing by the wall, clutching the straps of her oversized, pink backpack, with a timid but dazzling smile on her lips.
“Hi!” he says, now completely untangling himself from Suzy.
“Do… Do you have a moment, oppa?”
“Yeah, sure.” Wooyoung continues, equally happy, and only after a moment of contemplation turns back to Suzy; “I’ll see you at lunch, right?” He says, and waves before following Jieun down the hall.
“Yeah…” Suzy confirms lamely, bringing up a hand, but they’re already out of earshot. She stands frozen in her spot for a little while, frowning. Why does Jieun want to talk to Wooyoung? And why does he seem so happy that she does? It only takes half a second of hesitation before she trails after to the end of the hall, and peeks around the corner.
She can hear his shrill laughter all the way down the corridor, totally drowning Jieun’s delighted giggles. She looks up at him all mooneyed and attentive, and he happily cracks another joke. Suddenly he leans closer, points at something in Jieun’s face and smiles a lopsided grin that makes Jieun blush and bury her face in her hands. Suzy’s eyes narrow to slits. Oh, is that so?
-
He waits for her in the exact same spot as the same morning when she’s on her way home in the afternoon. Suzy doesn’t see him sitting perched on the fence until she’s almost there and can’t be bothered with walking all the way back to the south entrance, so she just trudges on.
“Hey!” he chirps, readily jumping off the top bar when she approaches.
“Hey.” She replies, shortly.
“What happened at lunch?” he asks, coming up to walk by her side. “You were gone before I even got there.”
“Ate quickly.”
“Oh.” Wooyoung says lamely, halting a little, but then catches up with her again. “You missed the funniest thing; Junho suddenly decided he’s great at English and kept trying to impress Taecyeon, and Taecyeon laughed so hard he couldn’t even reply, so Junho just delivered more and more outrageous lines. He was so proud of himself, it was hilarious.” He laughs a little, but soon trails off when getting no response. He leans forward as they walk, trying to catch Suzy’s gaze, but she stubbornly keeps it straight ahead.
“What’s up?” he tries, but Suzy just rolls her eyes. Seriously…
“Hey…” he calls tentatively, and Suzy shoots a quick look at him. His brows are knotted in a pitiful, confused frown. “Um, have I... done something?” he asks sheepishly. “See, you keep rolling your eyes at me.”
Suzy just barely keeps herself from rolling her eyes, and just keeps walking.
“Hey!” he snaps, sprinting forward to grab at her elbow. “Just tell me what’s wrong!”
“If you can’t figure it out by yourself, it’s your own friggin’ problem!” she snarls back, whipping her arm from his grip. Wooyoung narrows his eyes.
“Jeez, what’s with you, you were all fun and games this morning…”
Suzy shoots him a poisonous look before resuming her march down the street. She makes a good ten meters before he speaks up again, incredulous;
“What, is this about Jieun? This morning?”
The glare she can’t stop herself from earning him says it all. He rolls his eyes in return, and jogs to catch up.
“What was so bad about that?”
Suzy tsks crossly, but says nothing.
“We were just talking…”
“Talking? I’ve seen chick-flicks less sappy and lovey-dovey than your little display there in the middle of school. Almost made me lose my breakfast…”
“What was I supposed to do, tell her to beat it?” Wooyoung retorts, rolling his eyes once more. “She’s really shy, you know, it probably took her a lot to come up to me like that.”
Suzy laughs. “What do you think you are, god’s gift to fat girls?”
He stops flat in his tracks, and Suzy unconsciously halts as well, the harsh look he gives her making her shrink back a bit.
“Why are you always like that?” he hisses coldly. “So shallow.”
Suzy sputters. “If I were shallow, I wouldn’t want to be with you…”
“Still, you do.”
Suzy blinks briefly. “What?”
“Weren’t you jealous?” he asks, with this most obnoxious, taunting grin settling itself on his face.
Her eyes narrow dangerously. “No!” she snarls, but Wooyoung only laughs.
“Oh, really?”
Suzy just scowls at him, and proceeds to stomp down the street.
“No?” Wooyoung taunts, leisurely following her a few meters back. “Then maybe I should go with Jieun, after all.”
“Yeah.” Suzy agrees, trying to sound indifferent. “You do that.”
“I think I should.” Wooyoung continues mercilessly. “She’s sweet… Kind. And she doesn’t mind being with me…”
They reach the bus stop, and Suzy settles against a lamppost with her hands buried deep in her coat pockets. With dread, she realizes that her eyes are brimming with hot tears. God, she hates Wooyoung so much.
“That is…” Wooyoung inquires, voice suddenly softer. “Unless you’ve got anything against it?”
“Why would I?” Suzy snaps back, harsher than ever.
“Fine, then.” He replies, tone hard again. “Great. Good to know.”
He lingers for a while, just looking at her with raised eyebrows and obviously waiting for her to say something. After a minute of silence he just shrugs with an animated roll of the eyes and turns to leave.
“See ya, Suz’.” He says, raising a hand. “If you ever care to say hi...”
Suzy waits for him to disappear, before slouching against the lamppost and repeatedly slamming her forehead against it.
Authors note: Sorry for the late update! School's been hectic and I can't write under pressure. :/ I'll probably post once a week for the last couple of chapters as well.
Anyways, MOAR DRAMA. XD And Jia ended up like such a weirdo, idek. o___o Sorry Jia dear, one day I'll write you properly!