try-hard •sunki au•

forty-three

Riki immediately unlocked his phone and went straight to the camera once he saw Sunoo leaving the dorm's lobby. He snaps a few pictures before he continue to his messages and clicks a woman's contact.

He's wearing it, he typed before he attached the pictures and sent it directly to the contact. He stared a bit longer at the pictures until he noticed something weird about it.

Sunoo was actually looking at him, smiling.

Riki quickly turns around once he realizes Sunoo is walking towards him now.

How? How was he able to see Riki hiding beside the security guard? It was a safe spot for the past few days, he should've changed his position.

"Riki."

He reluctantly turns around to face the sophomore.

"Do you, perhaps, want to walk with me to the building?" Sunoo asked.

Riki looked around him, although it's totally obvious that the sophomore is talking to him.

I thought you hated me. "S-sure..."

Sunoo's smile widened as he grabbed Riki's right wrist and dragged him along the way. Riki can only follow, his eyes staring at Sunoo's grip on his skin.

Riki tried to take his arms away, remembering that any skin contact triggered Sunoo's fear of getting attention. After he successfully removed it, Sunoo glanced at him.

"Why?"

Riki shook his head.

"I know I asked you to leave me alone, but that was before. I am trying to change myself now," Sunoo said. "It feels unfair to be friends with anybody else when the one who's been trying to get close to me for months is now hiding from me."

"But you hate me."

+++

Sunoo confusedly stared at the person walking beside him. Riki was looking down all along and never meeting his gaze, and he sounded like a hurt puppy.

"I don't?" Sunoo says confusedly.

"You don't have to lie," Riki said. "I have been lied to all my life, from my own mother to basically everyone surrounding me. It'll be fine if you will ask me to leave you alone, at least it was very honest of you."

Sunoo grabbed Riki's arms again to stop the freshman from walking.

"I'm sorry, okay?" Sunoo said, sounding as if he's been forcing the younger to forgive him. "Why would you suddenly take my words to your heart when you usually don't? It was true that I hated you but-"

"It's fine, you don't have to explain," Riki said.

The younger pulled his arms off his grip again before he continued walking.

"Yah, Riki!"

It's now or never.

+++

Riki stopped walking midway and reluctantly looked back.

Was he trying to embarrass himself? Riki thought. Sunoo was hating getting attention before but now he has the confidence to shout Riki's name so loud in the middle of the hallway.

"What?" Riki asked.

He watched as Sunoo heaved a deep breath.

"Do you still want to be friends with me or nah?"

Friends. "Nah," Riki said playfully.

The disappointed look on Sunoo's face made Riki smile. Once the sophomore noticed that, he scowled and walked near him.

"Stop joking around," Sunoo says. "Let's meet each other at lunch again."

But I am not joking...

"I must cancel my schedule with Sunghoon then," Riki said.

Riki stepped back when suddenly, Sunoo stepped closer to give him a tight hug. He stood there, frozen, getting confused by the sudden move.

It didn't last long as much as Riki wanted it to, Sunoo detached himself seconds later as he wiped a few tears that escaped his eyes.

"Thank you, Riki," Sunoo said.

Riki faintly smiled at the sophomore.

I don't want us friends...I want us to be more than just friends.

+++

Heeseung heard the repeating sound of a pen hitting the table where he was currently sleeping. He looked up to find a person sitting across his usual table in the library.

Sunghoon was sitting there with three open books in front of him and a bunch of crumpled paper.

He heaved a sigh before he completely woke himself up by blinking the sleep away.

"Is this all you do here all day? Sleep?" Sunghoon asked.

"I'm surprised you know where the university library is," Heeseung sarcastically replied.

"I'm trying to focus on my studies, I'm one semester extended," Sunghoon says.

"You should have asked Jake to help you."

Heeseung raised an eyebrow when he noticed Sunghoon staring at him weirdly.

"Why?" He asked.

Sunghoon snickers, "Actually-"

Heeseung looks up to see another person coming over to their table with a pile of books on his arms, Jake.

"Oh, you're up?" Jake asked, smiling at Heeseung.

The oldest only nodded and watched as Jake sat beside Sunghoon, instead of him. Jake ignored him again as he started coaching Sunghoon on how to start his thesis paper.

Heeseung remained watching, trying to ignore the slight jealousy he felt inside of him.

"I don't really understand," Sunghoon speaks, scratching his cheeks.

"You should have paid more attention to your class than your training if you will focus on this field," Jake scolded.

"Training is more entertaining than studying."

"Then, you should have stayed being an athlete."

"I want a college diploma."

Heeseung heaved a sigh, getting tired of their silent but arguing voices.

"Fine! Since you're more familiar with the literature background, you do it. I'll take the theoretical because it's tiring to teach you," Jake says, closing the book in front of him.

"You'll do it yourself?" Heeseung asked.

"Yeah, since Sunghoon is a total stupid," Jake said, obviously annoyed.

Sunghoon sheepishly smiles at the corner, while Jake starts doing the outline of his part. Their table was filled with silence again.

Heeseung saw the time on his phone and realized it was almost lunch. Sunghoon and Jake looked too serious in researching.

He stood up and was about to leave when both boys looked up at him.

"Where are you going?" Jake asked.

"I'll just buy us food," Heeseung said before he left.

Although there was a sign pinned on every corner of the library saying that food isn't allowed inside, who are they to forbid Heeseung, Jake and Sunghoon from eating their lunch at the right time?

It didn't take Heeseung too long before he came back with lunch for the three of them. Watching Jake and Sunghoon talk peacefully again while eating suddenly became a nice scene. Heeseung forgot the feeling of slight jealousy inside of him as he started coaching Sunghoon too, after they finished eating.

And Jake was smiling weirdly in front of them.

tengyu_