The Pikachu Theorem, for legozai [1/3] (original) (raw)

what to do when you're hiding in a bathroom

Do you hide out in the bathroom to enjoy the peace and quiet?
Why do I have to wash my hands after using the bathroom?
The easy way to sneak a pad or tampon to the bathroom...

is it weird to hide in the bathroom

Hiding in the bathroom during lunch – Social anxiety forum
Eating in the bathroom? - Social anxiety forum
I don't want my boyfriend to know I'm pooping, what should I do?

Sehun sighs, and erases what he’s typed. He feels betrayed by his phone. It's the very first time he can't rely on technology, and it leaves him a little confused about what to do next. At least he's learned that people are disgusting, and that hiding in a bathroom is apparently a symptom of social anxiety. Except that Sehun doesn't have social anxiety. Plus, it's not even lunch break, so the links have nothing to do with his current situation. He's just... -he glances at the walls of the bathroom stall- resting, sitting on some toilet he scrubbed for fifteen whole minutes. And none of the top answers that popped out on his screen a few seconds earlier stated that it was an unusual and worrying behaviour. Sehun is convinced that a lot of students are hiding in bathrooms right now, just like he is.

“Oh,” he lets out, surprised. He bites his lips, and clears his throat, hesitant. “Uh... Is someone else in here?”

There's no answer. Sehun isn't quite sure if the sigh he lets out is one of relief or disappointment. It would make a nice story, something that would never stop being funny. How did you two meet? Oh, see, I was hiding in that bathroom and... It wouldn't have been as epic as his and Jongin's first encounter, of course, but it still would have been nice.

Sehun pulls his phone out of his pocket again, making a quick search to find out what time it is in New York right now, and feels a big grin tugging at his lips. 2 am, perfect. He opens line and selects ‘Kimnini’ in his favorite contacts -he's the only one- and proceeds to send every sticker he has. Jongin always forgets to turn off his phone when he goes to bed, and Sehun kind of enjoys the idea of waking up his stupid best friend, even though he's currently on the other side of the world. Bros til’ the end, right?

When his whole sticker collection has been sent, Sehun stares at his screen, waiting for the tiny read to pop up next to his messages so he can be sure his mission was a success. Only eight minutes after, it's still not there, and Sehun has to swallow down what feels like bitter poison in his throat. New York must have gone to Jongin's head, and now he's turned into some kind of prick amongst the golden youth of Manhattan. Sehun's pretty sure those dickheads have butlers of some sort or whatever to turn their phones off for them.

Sehun puts his phone away -it's the second time it’s let him down now- and sighs as he leans back against the wall. His eyes wander to the numerous graffitis, and he tries to come up with funny names for the unexpected pieces of art. That big heart with the three names scribbled inside would be Nonstandard Love. There are intricate but clumsy lines that Sehun proudly names Elf Architect Who Doesn't Know How To Draw Yet, but his favorite is definitely the round glasses. What Is Left Of Harry Potter After He Buys Contacts. It makes him chuckle, and then roll his eyes because, really, who laughs in a bathroom?

He's about to take his phone again and play some stupid game, when his eyes fall on red numbers. He frowns. It's a phone number, apparently scribbled with red lipstick -isn't it the men’s bathroom?-, and there's a tiny arrow under leading to a few words. Sehun snorts. It's your typical gross message, proposing a few blow jobs against -and that's the only originality here- a pikachu figurine, and the dumbness of it has Sehun staring for a few minutes. He doesn't really know why, but he ends up snaping a picture of it, with half a mind to send it to Jongin, but then he remembers the dozens of unread Line stickers, and writes a new message instead.

Sehun regrets sending the picture as soon as his finger crashes against the send button. He stares with dread at the attached picture and the simple nice he wrote beneath it, and immediately blames Jongin for it. It's totally the kind of bullshit Jongin would pull , with that stupid shit-eating smile of his, and just when Sehun thought he was finally free from it, Jongin's absence turns out to be even more dangerous.

“I hate you Kim Jongin,” Sehun mumbles under his breath as he opens Line once again, ready to download a whole new set ot very angry-looking stickers. Jongin is a heavy sleeper, after all.

He's about to do so when his phone vibrates in his hands. Sehun frowns at the text taking half of his screen.

oh god where did you find it where is it

Sehun's fingers hover over the keyboard, but two new messages save him the trouble of wondering what to type.

don't expect a blowjob by the way
EVEN IF YOU HAVE A PIKACHU TOY

Sehun's thoughts immediately fly towards Jongin, tiptoeing around his best friend in a way that has Sehun admitting to himself how much he misses Jongin. His friend would be laughing his ass off right now, furiously clapping and hitting Sehun's arm while doing so. His mouth would be open wide, and he would look so ugly that Sehun would claimed being traumatized, but it would still be nice. Sehun has had Jongin laughing in the ugliest ways by his side for years, after all, and it feels weird to be breathing in the silence now.

It only takes him a few seconds to type a message back.

it's in the guys bathroom on the third floor of the dramatic arts building
and i didn't ask for one u know ur the one who proposed it

The answer is quick to come, all in capslock, and it's so Jongin that Sehun can't help but smile.

DID NOT! I JUST HAPPEN TO HAVE THE WORST BEST FRIEND IN THE WORLD

Is the guy starting a conversation? Jongin is the one taking care of the social interactions most of the time, because Sehun breathes awkwardness, but texting is nice and easy. He likes it, he likes the caps lock and the fact that the pikachu guy actually answered, and if he's really starting a conversation, Sehun doesn't have any trouble continuing it.

i have a history with shitty best friends but mine never wrote my number on wall so i guess you win

can you write something on it please? you can draw something idk just make sure my number can't be seen anymore

Sehun nods, before remembering the stranger can't actually see him, so he quickly types a short sure back. Pikachu guy should be grateful that Sehun happens to have a permanent marker in his bag. When Sehun is done with the graffiti, a new masterpiece has joined the collection , a doodle that Sehun immediately names Black Hole. He sits back on the toilet, takes his phone and stares at the screen expectantly. Seconds pass by, and nothing comes. The seconds quickly turn into minutes, and the minutes weigh in Sehun's hand like days. He bites his lips and checks his and Jongin's chat room -still unread- and has to literally fight himself to not google another stupid thing.

The stranger won't text him back, Sehun realizes, fifteen minutes later. Sehun wouldn't after all, so he understands, but he still finds himself thinking hard of something he could send, something that wouldn't be as creepy as everything was before. He ends up snapping another picture of the wall that he sends just like that, and then proceeds to bit his nails as he stares at his phone screen, his stomach swelling with nervousness. Thank God, the answer is quick to come, and Sehun doesn't have to wonder about all of this, about the whats and whys as he quickly opens the chat room.

uh thank you ;u; man i feel so grateful i could totally give you that blowjob now

Sehun bursts into laughter.

“His name is Kim Jongdae,” Sehun explains. He crinkles his nose when sauce drips from his chopsticks directly on his laptop. “Shit,” he mumbles, before using his sleeve to wipe the sauce.

“I miss tteokbokki,” Jongin sighs longingly, and even with the awful pixelation on the screen Sehun can make out the dreamy glance his best friend throws at his plate.

“Eat your cereals,” he commands with a head gesture towards the bowl in front of Jongin, and Jongin deflates.

“They taste like shit, dude. But the thing is I can't stop buying them because they look so fucking delicious on the picture. Pretty colors, man." Jongin sighs. "America's ruining breakfast for me."

"I would sympathize with you, really, but I actually don't give a fuck," Sehun states before he shoves another mouthful of tteokbokki into his mouth .

Jongin mumbles something about bad friends and liars who design advertisements, but Sehun's attention is already back on his tteokbokki. They've been doing this since Jongin left, pretending there aren’t thousands of miles between them, and ignoring the fourteen hours of time difference by logging in their skype accounts whenever they can. Line notifications and inbox alerts are now setting a pace for Sehun's life, but Jongin's absence still feels heavy all around him, and the list of things they can't do anymore is poisonning the air he breathes in. Sehun wonders if Jongin misses him as much as he does, tries to catch sad eyes staring back at him through the screen, but he never asks. Jongin doesn't, too. They've always been better with snarky remarks than with heart-to-heart talks, anyway.

“Maybe you should call him,” Jongin says with a frown. He glares at his spoon and lets it fall in his bowl with a disgruntled groan.

“Skip to the cookie part already, you're ugly when you're disgusted ” Sehun sighs. Jongin glares at him, but he stands up nonethless, and Sehun waits for him to be back on his seat, eyes shining with pleasure as he shoves the first of what will probably be a dozen of cookies in his mouth to keep going. “And who are you talking about?”

“That Jongdae guy,” Jongin says. “You have his number, right? What's the point of having someone's phone number if you're not gonna call?”

Sehun watches his best friend with wide eyes, and Jongin throws him a questioning look, mouth too busy to ask. It's typical Jongin, thinking it could be that easy, and the worst part is that it probably would, for him. Jongin is the kind of guy who never texts, the kind who would rather press the call button because he's so much more comfortable with talking, he can joke with the waitress when he orders food, and when a teacher asks a question, Jongin raises his hand, unaware of the hundreds of eyes landing on him.

"Oh come on," Jongin manages to say between two cookies. "His best friend wrote his number everywhere on the campus just because he lost at an online game. There's no way that guy will be weirded out by your rusty people skills."

Sehun snorts.

“He already has one weird friend, he doesn't need one more.”

Jongin shrugs. “For all you know, he loves weird.”

Sehun rolls his eyes, and Jongin chuckles, enjoying both the cookie half in his mouth and the lameness of his joke. It feels nice to share a meal with Jongin, so nice that Sehun isn't even paying attention to the pixelation and the connection lags anymore. Jongin and him are like every other boys, clumsily tiptoeing around touchy topics and prefering manly pats on the shoulder over night talks, but when the only shoulder patting Sehun can get these days is the one from that creepy Line sticker, skinship has become something he finds himself yearning for in the darkest hours of the night. During the day, Jongin turns into tiny characters -sometimes read, sometimes _god i'm so tired_- and there's nothing left of his reassuring presence by Sehun's side, or his punches when he laughs, but at least when they log into skype, Jongin is all smiles and teeth flashes. It's been only a couple of weeks since Jongin left for New York with big words such as great opportunity and once-in-a-lifetime chance hanging above his head, and fear weighing down on his stomach, but Sehun is relieved to see that they're both holding on. Jongin wasn't ready to leave, despite the university headmaster insisting on the rarity of that scolarship and throwing compliments about Jongin's talent, and Sehun wasn't ready to have his best friend gone too. They both cried at the airport, Jongin with his head low and Sehun hidden behind his mask, and it was really embarrassing, but also so scary. They grew up together, and they've always had physical proximity, but it was about to disappear, and Sehun remembers struggling with words and promises while Jongin tried to muffle his sobs.

Damn, Sehun thinks, it was so embarrassing.

Jongin stuffs his face with what should be the sixth cookie when the door behind Sehun opens. The noise startles him, but he doesn't look back, knowing perfectly well who just came in. Jongin leans closer to his computer and narrows his eyes at what Sehun supposes is an ocean of badly coloured pixel, and he crosses his fingers under the table, hoping that Jongin won't decipher it. Of course, Jongin's face soon brightens and he throws a warming smile at his webcam.

"Hey! Hello, Sehun's roommate!"

Sehun groans and buries his face in his hands while Huang Zitao, Sehun's new roommate, turns towards him with a surprise look on his face. A few weeks ago, Sehun's roommate was still Jongin, and they even had a nice appartment a couple of blocks away, but then Jongin got casted to a one-year long course in New York, and Sehun had to leave the appartment and come back to the student dorms. He prayed that day too, crossing his fingers so hard not to have a roommate, but fate is obviously working against him, because when he entered what would be his home for the following nine months, Huang Zitao was also there, with dark rings under his eyes that made him look dangerous and guns terribly prominent under his shirt. It's been almost a month, and Sehun has yet to hear the guy talks.

Zitao mumbles something Sehun doesn't catch, and turns on his heel. Sehun watches Jongin's eyes follow his roommate back to the door, and then come back to him when the door slams.

"I suppose you still haven't talked to him," Jongin states the obvious.

"Nope," Sehun answers, letting the ‘p’ pops on his lips as he glances down at his nails. He has become a professional at faking nonchalance.

"Oh come on, he can't be that scary," Jongin says with a smile.

“Easy for you to tell, Billy Elliot." Sehun protests. "Have you seen that guy? He looks like he could murder me with one hand while reading one of his fashion magazines with the other hand. Plus, it's not like he actually tried to talk to me too, so I'd rather not risk my life, thank you."

Jongin sighs, but the smile on his lips isn't as playful as it was the second before. Sehun easily reads concern and worry in his best friend's eyes, and he mentally snorts. Jongin has always been acting like a mom with him, and it's not only weird, it's also very stupid. He doesn't need anyone to hold his hand -he's not the one crying in front of Disney movies after all- but he knows that if Jongin worries too much about him, it'll turn into regret, and Jongin is actually dumb enough to give up on New York and come back to Korea just to make sure he's okay. It took Sehun two months to accept the fact that Jongin would be gone for a year, so Jongin coming back before the end of that year is definitely not going to happen.

"Loosen up, ballet boy. I'll talk to him, I promise."

Jongin's eyes narrow, and he just stares at Sehun for five whole seconds in utter silence. The sight is quite funny, with pixels drowning Jongin's pupils, but Sehun bites the inside of his cheeks to restrain his laugh.

"Okay," Jongin finally retorts. "You do that. And you should also call that Jongdae dude."

"Seriously Jongin?!" Sehun protests. "Don't you have classes to get ready for?"

Jongin flashes him his middle finger, and Sehun's counterattacks with one of his favorite grimace. Jongin groans.

"You're so ugly," Jongin complains, and Sehun smiles.

"Thank you," he snickers.

He has no intention of calling Kim Jongdae -nor does he have to talk to Huang Zitao actually- for the simplest reason: Kim Jongdae hasn't texted him back since Sehun's i'd suggest a pizza before bc blowjobs with an empty stomach are terrible. Which is totally fine, because it was just a joke, a funny one okay, but still just a joke. Now it's over and Sehun's a stranger in the end, so, really, why would Kim Jongdae keep texting him?

Now, all Sehun has to do is stop checking his phone and start believing what his inner voice of reason is trying to tell him.

(Later that night, when sleep is running away from him, leaving enough space behind for too many thoughts to settle down, Sehun makes a quick research and mails Jongin several Korean restaurants' adresses in New York. Jongin answers half an hour later, via Line, with a new collection of stickers that involves a lot of skinship and shoulder patting.)

Kim Jongdae texts him the day after while Sehun is taking pictures of his bowl of cereals for Jongin. The name Pikachu guy pops up on his screen, and Sehun fights the blush he can feel dusting his cheeks because he actually saved the number in his phone. It's the very first time he's actually glad Jongin left.

my best friend wants me to tell you that he hates you bc he had high expectations for that bathroom and you ruined everything

Sehun is not sure what to answer, because he's not sure what Kim Jongdae wants from him. Judging by what he just sent him, he's only trying to start a conversation because Sehun could have lived a long and nice life even without this piece of information. Casual chats have never been his forte though, especially when they involve a stranger, so Sehun's thumbs hover his phone for five whole minutes before he actually starts thinking about what he could answer. It's not that he's freaking out, or that he has to deal with social anxiety -he's known someone like that in high school and it was already painful just watching it- it's just that he's awfully awkward and clumsy around people he's never met. Jongin is usually the one befriending new people, and only then, he introduces them to Sehun. All his friends were Jongin's friends before, and it was easier to meet them all with Jongin around to pull him out of his shell.

Sehun checks the digital numbers. It's 7am, which means 9pm for Jongin, so flooding him now with exclamation marks on Line would be useless because he's probably practicing some complicated dance routine. Sehun bites his lips, and stares at his screen, and it all gets heavier and heavier until it's too much.

"Fuck," he snaps. And just when he's about to delete Jongdae's phone number, another message comes in.

he's also mad at you bc you didn't claim your prize yet （￣へ￣）

Sehun snorts at the Japanese emoticon, and before another endless list of questions hits him and draws blood from his thoughts, he quickly types his answers.

i think ur bf might be in love with u or idk it sounds like sexual frustration to me

Jongdae quickly replies with a dozen of exclamation marks, soon followed by THAT'S WHAT I KEEP TELLING HIM and a oh great now he's sulking. There's a it's just that he sounds too concerned about my dick's well-being you know that pops up not a second after with Sehun's phone alert ringing through his room for the third time in less than one minute. Zitao stirs in his bed -maybe he's oversleeping but since Sehun won't risk his life waking him up he'll just consider that Zitao doesn't have classes in the morning today- and Sehun decides to leave the dorm as fast as he can. He quickly texts Jongdae back, -a short _maybe u should write HIS number on the walls_- before getting ready, and leaving for classes.

The walk to his lecture's bulding isn't that long, but ten minutes are more than enough for Sehun to realize that Jongdae is awfully chatty. He texts just like Jongin plays war games, sending a series of texts instead of a single long text, as if his phone was a machine gun and he didn't quite know how to aim accurately. So Sehun waits everytime just to be sure that Jongdae is indeed out of amo to start typing back his answer. It's surprisingly easy, because Jongdae sends more and more Japanese emoticons unknown to Sehun, and that he ends up flooding his and Jongin's chat room with. Jongdae doesn't send serious and scary things -like maybe we should meet or worse _wait i'm gonna call you_- instead telling Sehun everything about his bickering with his best friend, or about that online game he became unbeatable at. Kim Jongdae turns out to be entertaining to no end, but somehow a little paradoxical since he never uses any abbreviation despite his intense use of emoticons. Sehun wonders how old he is, so he types a btw how old r u instead of saying hello to Soojung when he gets to their seats. She glares at him and takes back the cup of coffee that was waiting for Sehun, mumbling about how richer she would be if she didn't spend so much money on ungrateful friends. Sehun doesnt listen, of course, because he's too busy answering to Jongdae and actually informing the former that he's two year younger than him. Soojung throws him a condescending look, her silky black hair gathered into a high ponytail cascading over her shoulder as she pulls her note pad out of her bag.

"Don't count on me to lend you my notes this time, Oh Sehun," she whispers angrily before settling for glaring quietly at him during the whole lecture.

Sehun is too busy to take note of what the lecturer is talking about, and he's too used to Soojung's frequent bursts of anger to actually care about her disapproving sighs. He soon turns it all into not-so-mental snorts and suppressed laughters as Jongdae tells him about his thesis and the fact that he's still mistaken for a first year in the student dorm's hallways.

wait ur writing ur thesis and u still live in the student dorm

what do you want me to say? it's like 15 min from classes
i wouldn't be able to wake up after 7am if i had an apartment outside of the campus
i need my beauty sleep

u sound like my best friend he could marry his bed

well your best friend is a wise man sehun you should learn from him

"Oh god, what was that? Did I just see an expression on Sehun's face?"

Sehun blinks, looking up from his phone to meet Jinri's almond-shaped eyes. She smiles warmly at him as she sits down next to Soojung -who's been sulking since morning- but just as Sehun is about to answer, his phone vibrates in his hand, and he forgets what he wanted to say.

"He's been like that during the whole lecture," Soojung mumbles. "Smiling like an idiot at his phone."

"Really?" Jinri fakes surprise, her lips drawing a perfect 'o' as she turns towards Sehun. "But Oh Sehun never smiles in public!"

Jinri and Soojung are the most unexpected victims of what Sehun likes to call the Jongin-is-gravity effect. They're both pretty and popular, Jinri with her warm smiles and safe kindness, and Soojung with her biting demeanor and strong presence, and half of the students are their friends while the other half wishes for it. All it took was one bright hello from Jongin, a shared lunch in the cafeteria spent with small talks, and three years later, Jinri and Soojung are still there, still part of their gang. It's Jongin's superpower, walking in the hallways like he's dancing to a cheerful lute melody and picking up in his trails all those in need of an anchor.

"You are so funny," Sehun deadpans. "Please stop, my stomach hurts from all the laughing."

Jinry snorts and draws her attention back to her lunch.

"He's probably texting Jongin," she tells Soojung, her delicate fingers reaching for her apple juice. "You know how those two are."

"Can't be," Kyungsoo intervenes from where he's sitting on Sehun's left.

Do Kyungsoo is Jongin and Sehun's older friend, although Sehun is not sure why. He's everything they're not, focused on his studies, calm and in control, with a deep voice that never gets higher than expected, but he's stuck by their sides since the first day of high school and despite numerous death threats, he still spends all his free time with them. He barely bothers looking up from his book as he keeps going, voice detached and uninterested.

"Jongin has this important class tomorrow and he needs to perfect his routine. It's one am in New York right now, so he's still practicing. No time for texting."

Sehun stares, dumbfounded, as he puts his phone on the table -Jongdae just said he'll be out for lunch.

"How does he know that?" he asks Jinri and Soojung but doesn't wait for an answer to turn toward Kyungsoo. "How the fuck do you know his schedule by heart? I'm his best friend and I dont!"

Kyungsoo sighs and closes his book. "I'm a better friend."

Jinri chukles, and Sehun doesn't miss Soojung's mumbled that's not hard though. He kicks her in the shin, wincing when she attacks with her boots, but doesn't give up. His legs are longer, but Soojung is like a nasty dwarf, printing with her soles more bruises than Sehun's legs can sport, and he'll never admit it but he almost cries in relief when Jinri throws him a confused look.

"So who were you texting?" Jinri asks, and Soojung immediatly forgets Sehun's legs as she narrows her eyes at him.

"Probably the blowjob guy," Kyungsoo says, unwrapping his cookies.

Jinri and Soojung both freeze, mouth open wide.

"Oh come on, is there something Jongin doesn't tell you?!" Sehun complains.

Kyungsoo shrugs, and Sehun curses under his breath. He mentally hopes that Jongin will fall during his routine and break his leg before regretting his words and sending sincere apologies to his best friend even though he's still angry. Jongin can't shut up, not when it comes to Do Kyungsoo, and it would okay if Kyungsoo wasn't totally unaware of the meaning of secrecy or privacy, and if Sehun wasn't always their victim.

"So," Soojung begins with a smirk, and Sehun fears for the worst. "Blowjob guy sucked you, and now you're in love?"

"Blowjob guy? Who is that?" Kim Junmyeon, the TA, asks as he plops down on the seat next to Jinri, tray full of fruits and vitamin drinks. Soojung cackles evily, and Junmyeon's eyes travel from Kyungsoo to Sehun, confused. "Who got a blowjob?"

Sehun groans, and burries his face in his hands.

Kim Jongdae doesn't text him again, but Sehun doesn't dwell on it. Wednesday afternoons are for Jinri, who shares the same classes, and for the end of the week getting closer. When Jongin was here, they used to plan all sorts of stuff -like street dancing on Saturday mornings and noraebang nights with the rest of the gang- together on Wednesday afternoons, but obviously, things are a little different now. There have been a few weekends since Jongin left for New York already, spent night shopping in Hongdae, clubbing through Seoul or chatted away during intimate parties at Junmyeon's. It feels the same most of the time, except for a few minor details that include Jongin's stupid habit of clapping when he laughs, and Sehun always basks in the relief that comes with the sound of his friends joking around him. He's never been fond of change and the uneasiness that comes with it. He spends already enough time feeling uncomfortable in a life he knows like the back of his hand, so playing with the unknown and breaking habits are not things he's running after. Planning crazy weekends with Jinri isn't the same as with Jongin, but crazy weekends still happen, and Jinri is actually one hell of a partier with enough crazy ideas to last them a year. Sehun can't complain.

He pretends that the words of their Art History teacher reach him, and that he's printing them in his mind when he's really just scribbling down clubs and restaurants addresses on a piece of paper between Jinri and him. She reads them with a judging look and furrowed eyebrows, crossing some of them with a mumbled hell no Soojung and I got catcalled way too much last time and circling others with an excited smile. It's part of the routine, just like the two hours Sehun spends after classes in the dance studio, rehearsing routines and finger positions, eyes greedily looking for mistakes in the floor-to-ceiling mirrors. The only serious difference is in the silence and the emptiness next to him, Jongin's one two three poom poom lingering in the air and echoing through Sehun's mind. It's the beginning of a new habit, measuring the tempo with his own lips and getting rid of the tiredness clinking to his skin with his own mind instead of a quick glance to Jongin through the mirrors, but Sehun's getting quite good at it. It ends like it always does, with swallows of water, and Kyungsoo sticking his head in the door.

"Did you talk to Jongin today?" Kyungsoo asks while Sehun puts his stuff back in his bag. Kyungsoo is carrying a lunch box, like he always does, and Sehun's mouth is watering just at the mere idea of what could be inside.

"Nope," he says, throwing his bag over his shoulder. "It's 8am over there though, and you said it yourself, he has an important exam today."

Kyungsoo nods, but his face is still darkened by worry. Sehun doesn't ask, instead grabbing the elder's arm to drag him out of the studio. His muscles ache, and his whole body feels like gravity is tugging at him stronger than ever, and all he wants right now is lying flat on his bed. Kyungsoo is blunt with his feelings, and Sehun knows he doesn't need to give him an excuse to voice what's on his mind.

"I think you should talk to him, because he texted me at what was 6am in New York, saying he was going to bed. But I know he had to wake up at 7 for his exam."

Sehun nods. Jongin probably practiced all night long, but it's the other way round that would have been surprising. There's a reason why Jongin got the scolarship while Sehun didn't, despite the two of them being the most talented dancers of their class. Sehun dances just like his body allows him, throwing his long legs with every ounce of the grace he's be gifted with, and using the natural edges of his silhouette to fit into the song, but Jongin doesn't stop to the best his body can manage. He carves his figure with long hours of practice, breaking his bones and dismantling his limbs so his body is of the exact same shape of the song. Jongin doesn't know how to dance without sore legs and tiredness crawling on his skin, but he never passes out before his body gave life to the most breathtaking moves. Sehun knows it, Sehun witnessed it. He doubts that talking to Jongin -again- about it will change anything, because he's pretty sure by now that if Jongin does have a voice of reason buried somewhere in his mind, it is by no means talking with the same intonations than Sehun is. Kyungsoo is still looking expectantly at him though, thick eyebrows furrowed in worry and round eyes searching Sehun's, so Sehun nods a second time.

"I will," he promises as he remembers Jongin telling him about how Kyungsoo doesn't like strong emotions, the ones that show on his face even when he doesn't want to. Sehun knows the older male well enough by now to know that Kyungsoo doesn't stop worrying that easily, and a worried Kyungsoo is a grumpy Kyungsoo. There is nothing Sehun can do for Jongin's bad habit of breaking himself with his own passion, but when it comes to Kyungsoo's angry mumbling and death glares, he's not that powerless. He nods another time for good measure.

"Don't worry hyung," Sehun says as they step out of the elevator. "I'll try to talk to him tomorrow, okay?"

Kyungsoo eyes him suspiciously, and Sehun tries his best to look confident and innocent. It probably doesn't work, because all it earns him is an eye roll and a deep sigh, but Kyungsoo must have appreciated the effort nonetheless, because he still shoves the lunch box in Sehun's hands when they reach his door.

"Japchae," Kyungsoo informs him. "I made it earlier."

"Thank you hyung, you're the best," Sehun says, beaming at Kyungsoo. Both he and Jongin don't deserve a friend like Kyungsoo, but Jongin was the one who befriended him, so Jongin is the bloodsucker, and Sehun just happened to be there.

"You bet I am," Kyungsoo sighs.
Sehun glances at his room's door before turning back to Kyungsoo. Jongin won't be online, probably about to take his exam right now, leaving Huang Zitao as the only person Sehun could spend the evening with, and let's just say that Sehun isn't really thrilled. He throws his sweetest smile at Kyungsoo, eyes shining with typical maknae's aegyo, mentally screeching as he does so, but even the gwiyomi song would be better than some time alone with Huang Zitao.

"Do you want to come in, hyung?" he asks. "We could watch a movie."

Kyungsoo laughs, and Sehun isn't really sure why, until Kyungsoo shakes his head and crosses his arms across his chest.

"Did you talk to your roommate? Jongin told me you promised you would."

Sehun deflates, glares at Kyungsoo's content smile and curses Jongin, but it's of no use. Kyungsoo waves him goodbye, and Sehun watches him walk down the corridor. At least he has japchae for dinner.

(He ends up snapping a picture of it that he sends to Jongin with "Kyungsoo hyung's delicious cooking~~ Look, it's a dish you won't be able to taste before a very very very looong time. Asshole." as a caption.)

Huang Zitao isn't there when Sehun enters their shared room, and he's still not there when Sehun drags his body to bed, mind heavy with loneliness and boredom. It's actually quite habitual, and it happens often enough for Sehun not to wonder if his roommate's body has been abandoned somewhere in a ditch. The first few times, Sehun cackled to himself while coming up with reasons why Zitao wasn't there, and they were all involving Chinese gangsters and bank robberies, but it has long stopped being funny. Zitao is a scary looking guy and his social life is still more exciting than Sehun's, and the latter doesn't quite like the bitter taste the irony leaves in his mouth. He eats Kyungsoo's japchae with his phone in his hand, eyeing the chat room he shares with his best friend, heart ready to explode with adrenaline as soon as the little read would pop up, but nothing happens, and after a while, Sehun even starts to miss Zitao. He wonders what he's doing wrong as fits of laughter fill the building whereas his own room remains silent and cold, but since he finds himself unable to answer to his own questions, he just decides to bury them under his blankets.

It's barely eleven pm when his neighbor starts to sing. It's not the first time Sehun hears him, but it's the first time he welcomes it with a muffled sigh of relief. Silence is heavy and unusual for him, it burns and tickles in places Sehun can't reach, and has Sehun starts a conversation with his own thoughts. He feels so dumb, and also bored to the extent that he's even contemplating studying just to fill the hours until sleep comes and knocks on his door. Fortunately, his neighbor's voice fills the room, and soon enough Sehun's mind as well, intonations louder than Sehun's rambling thoughts.

It's a nice voice, he thinks. He doesn't know that much when it comes to singing, but he's heard Kyungsoo sings more than once, and it feels different. Kyungsoo sings with deep emotions heavy in his voice. It never swirls or spins around, instead flowing like lava, thick and tied to the ground, but the voice Sehun is listening right now is miles away from that. It feels lighter, thinner, reaching notes effortlessly and bouncing through perfect harmonies.

Sehun knows a lot of students would go crazy at the frequent bursts of Stevie Wonder or John Legend songs at ungodly hours, but he doesn't. It doesn't mean that he can't pretend it bothers him though, and he smiles to himself as he reaches for his phone. Oh Sehun has never been the sniveling type, after all (nor the studying-in-the-middle-of-the-night type to be honest). He mentally blames Kim Jongin for the past few minutes, and texts Jongdae.

i have a really dumb neighbor who thinks its the perfect time to sing

Sehun tries not to stare at his phone as he waits for Jongdae's answer, but the rest of his room is pitch black, which makes it harder to look at something else. He buries himself a little deeper under his covers, turning his back at the door just in case Zitao would come in, and he waits. In the room next to his, the voice keeps singing, and then it explodes in high pitched roars of laughter before going back to a more discreet level. Sehun barely makes out another voice talking, and he tries to catch some words, to recognize the singer's voice, but it's more complicated now that his neighbors are just chatting. His phone's buzzing finally breaks him out of his reverie.

really? maybe you should go and talk to him about it if it bothers you
i mean i also sing from time to time but i would stop in a heartbeat if someone came to me to complain
but i hope he's not too bad because that would really suck (*≧ω≦)

Sehun waits before typing his answer, because he's only been texting Jongdae for a day, but it's more than enough to know that the older male is biting, snarky and teasing. The Japanese emoticons usually comes with jots of humor that Sehun always reads with a taunting voice, somewhere between Soojung's and Jongin's. Sometimes, he adds Junmyeon's ridiculous chuckles in his head, because Jongdae's jokes can be really dumb and lame, but in a way that still has Sehun biting his cheek to not laugh.

or maybe you could sing too
but if you're a good singer i guess it would ruin all the fun

Sehun's eye roll is so unimpressed, he wishes Jongdae could see it. He rummages in his brain for a Japanese emoticon that could embody his disappointment, but finally settles for sarcasm, Oh Sehun's best talent.

wow hyung such a great idea!

shut up brat is the quick answer, and Sehun snickers in his bed.

i spent all day with my best friend and his lameness always rubs off on me
well almost because i'm still kicking his ass at that game
i swear he's so fucking bad i think he's gonna cry

Most of their conversations have turned around Jongdae and Sehun's best friends, but Sehun doesn't mind, far from it. Jongin is a topic that allows him to show off his sarcarsm skills, and even some great jokes, and Sehun is not really sure why, but he really wants Jongdae to be impressed. Maybe because he's two year older and writing his thesis, and that he has this huge Japanese emoticon collection, but Jongdae gives a feeling of easiness. It's not fair, really, how Jongdae manage to feel handsome with nothing more than a few texts, but at least, texting also gives Sehun a chance to sound as cool as Jongdae does.

He tells Jongdae about Zitao and his -fake- promise to Jongin to talk to his roommate, and about Jongin's low blow with Kyungsoo as his partner in crime. Jongdae sends him a laughing emoticon followed by a long list of _hahahaha_s when Sehun explains the japchae picture, and it makes him feel so accomplished. It's definitely funnier than studying -Sehun is way better at last minute studying sessions anyway- especially when Jongdae tells him about the mustache he drew on his best friend's face with a permanent marker as a revenge for the blowjob message. His best friend ended up walking across the campus for his classes without a clue, and even decided he would finally talk to his crush.

i still have the bruise on my arm but damn it was worth it

Jongin finally answers to his text around midnight, and it's a beautiful picture of the most appetizing cheesebuger Sehun has ever seen. He screeches in outrage at the oh and look it's a burger you'll never be able to taste~~ beneath it, and asks Jongdae for help. They end up spending the next hour looking for Korean dishes pictures on their phones,until Sehun's stomach growls at his new folder of food pictures.

i'm starving ;_;

Jongdae's answer fills his screen with angry capital letters.

OH FUCK ME TOO I AM DROOLING ON MY PILLOW

Sehun snorts at the mental picture of a tall and handsome guy chewing his pillow case, hunger darkening his eyes. He has no idea if it's remotely close to what Jongdae looks like, but it's what he sounds like anyhow. He's probably the kind of guy who smirks more than he smiles, eyes shining with mischief and lips curling around biting remarks while strong sex appeal radiates from him.

okay i hereby declare the start of the snack night
i hope you have some supplies boy bc now we're going to eat

Sehun just has to stretch his arm to open his night stand's drawer, and a whole new world of chocolate chip cookies and cola lollipops is now within easy reach. Sehun has always been more of a candy boy, choosing sweet snacks over savory ones in a heartbeat, and his mouth is now watering at the sight of the candy stock his squirrel reflexes have made it possible for him to have. He's opening a box of mango pocky when his phone buzzes again, and it's a picture of a strawberry yakult this time.

show me yours muchacho

Sehun cackles, and snaps a picture of a pocky half-eaten. He stuffs the other half down his throat while squinting his eyes at the yakult picture.

wow pocky!! niiiiiiiiice
now i want pocky (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻

Sehun spends the next thirty minutes attacking Jongdae with pictures of pocky, and staring at Jongdae's yakult picture while he waits for the latter to find new insults to throw at him. Jongdae is holding the bottle in the palm of his hand, white against white, and Jongdae's fingers curl around it. He has nice hands, Sehun thinks, with nice fingers. From what he can see, Jongdae doesn't bite his nails, which doesn't really match with the sexy-popular stereotype Sehun had in mind, but it's even better. His skin looks smooth under the harsh light of the phone, white and white and even whiter with intricate webs of pale blue veins running along his palm lines, and maybe even a mole -but Sehun is not sure about the mole, maybe it's just the pixelation of the intense zooming.

Jongdae sends him a long list of angry emoticons, and Sehun virtually chuckles with proud _kekeke_s. Jongdae counterattacks with a weak i'm so going to send you like 54358 pictures of my breakfast tomorrow because my friend cooks the best breakfasts and you'll die and you'll be so sorry and you'll beg for my forgiveness, in that exact order, and the red 1:59 on Sehun's alarm turn into a 2:48 that weighs on his eyelids. Jongdae is the first to give in to the late hour, muttering in Sehun's mind with a voice now somewhere between Jinri's and Junmyeon's a sincere goodnight and a promise to talk more the day after. Sehun is half asleep when he opens Jongin's chat room and sends remember kim jongdae? well he has fucking nice hands, and it's a good thing, otherwise he would have speculated on it instead of enjoying his four hours left of sleep.

(It's not Jongin's ???? that wakes Sehun up in the morning, but Jongdae's twenty eight pictures.)

Jongdae, Sehun learns the following days, could be a fragment of his imagination. He's made of everything Sehun admires about his friends, but without the flaws. He has Soojung's witty words, but they're devoid of any rudeness, and even though Sehun does picture Jongdae shrugging most of the things off like they're no big deal, he's pretty sure Jongdae doesn't glare at everyone just to make sure he's not being mistaken for a poor little princess (how could people think that about Soojung, Sehun has no idea). Jongdae has the strangest words during the strangest times, and Sehun associate them with a quirk of an eyebrow and a spark of mischief he often witnessed on Soojung's face. Jongdae is also soft and comforting, just like Junmyeon is, but in a more delicate manner, without the sometimes too intrusive questions. He's everything Sehun wants to be when he's with his friends, confident and cheerful, his optimism unshakable, as strong as Jinri's, and his presence bright and important. It also turns out that Jongdae has Kyungsoo's manipulation skills, and Sehun learns it the hard way when Jongdae manages to coax him into creating another Line chat room, and inviting Jongin in so Jongdae can talk to him. Sehun ends up muting the chat room because Jongdae still sends ten texts instead of a single one, and Jongin's replies are so interesting that Jongdae clearly feels the need to answer right away.

Jealousy burns when Jongin and Jongdae chat through the third night without none of them reacting to Sehun's mutism. They talk about Korean dramas, a heated exchange over that new drama Sehun can't remember the name of, starring that idol he had never heard of before, and Jongin is in the middle of explaining why, in his humble opinion, it'll end up being more than just a drama, with serious topics dealt with brio. Sehun is glaring at his phone, his books long forgotten on the bed next to him, because he'd rather regret his life choices and watch Jongin befriend Jongdae than studying and pass his classes. But then, it finally happens, his name finally pops up on the screen, and the fact that it took three days doesn't matter anymore because it's Jongdae who did it, and Sehun is not sure why, but it sends tingles through his whole body.

what do you think sehunnie?

Sehun lets out a sound somewhere between a giggle and a snort, because Jongdae's been calling him Sehunnie for a couple of days now, but it still takes him by surprise. Unfortunately, with the weird teen girl's blush spreading across his cheeks, Sehun is too busy to even think of an answer, and Jongin answers before he can.

sehunnie doesn't watch dramas

Sehun watches, mortified. Jongin's mocking tone travels across the Pacific Ocean and hits right in the face, making his nose bleed embarrassment all over his face. He has no trouble picturing Jongin raising his eyebrows at him, and never has Sehun missed his best friend more, because the urge to kick the latter in the crotch is overwhelming. Even when he's on the other side of the world, Kim Jongin still ruins his life, and Sehun decides the day he fell on Jongin in the dance studio and spat his chewing gum straight into Jongin's soft long curls was the worst day of his life. Sehun's eight year old self should have laughed at the boy with the tutu and the long hair instead, just like all the other boys did.

oh really?
you don't?
aaaah but i'll show you that one it's good!

Sehun reads Jongdae's texts with Junmyeon's voice when his older friend catches a glimpse of an ugly B- scribbled on Sehun's last paper, and just like with most of the things he feels when it comes to Jongdae, he's not sure why, but the thought of a disappointed Jongdae burns even more than Jongin and Jongdae's exchanges of friendly stickers.

yeah well jongin wanted to have long hair like taemin's during sherlock era except his hair was all curly and he ended up looking like a poodle

hell yeah
and i was a really cute poodle if u wanna know hyung

Sehun groans as Jongdae sends a laughing sticker, and he gives up. He has enough dumb facts about Jongin to fight this battle, but he's quite scared about the ones Jongin could blurt out about him, so he decides to call it a night and flee from further embarrassment.

im going to bed
good night

Sehun puts his phone on his night stand and gets off his bed to go brush his teeth. When he finally buries himself under his blankets a few minutes later, mumbling about scaring Chinese roommates never being there, there's a tiny, but bright, green light coming from his phone. Probably Jongdae and Jongin chatting, again. But what if...? Sehun has never liked what ifs, how they break daily routine and habits and put a question mark right where everything was perfectly fine before. He wants to give in, but he knows he'll hate himself if it turns out to be nothing more than Jongdae and Jongin being already too comfortable with each other, and Sehun doesn't want them (Jongin) to think he's giving them (JONGIN) his blessing, or whatever.

The green light keeps going on and off and on and off and on and off, and somewhere along the way, thoughts of what ifs get mixed with thoughts of Jongdae, and Sehun learns at his expanse that Jongdae is a strong name, a strong presence, so strong he takes over Sehun's mind in no time at all.

When he checks his phone, his private chat room with Jongdae, as long as the one with Jongin, have been updated.

have some sweet dreams sehunnie!
( ˘ ³˘)♥

It's another kind of burn, Sehun realizes, a nice warmth spreading through his chest, and Sehun may be oblivious when it comes to socializing and all those feeling things, he still knows better than to question it. Something tells him it could ruin all the fun, and even though smiling dumbly in the middle of the night isn't really his idea of fun, it does make his room less dark and silent.

(Jongin's messages read:

he said he wanted to show u the drama!!!
wowowowowowow
u should meet him
"sehunnie"

But Sehun doesn't dwell on them either, because they also sound like they could ruin all the fun.)