solace | heejake.

013.

everyone's morning class were suddenly cancelled so ethan went to the student lounge to pass time. and the first thing he saw when he walked in was soobin and kai being sweet and all to each other.

still, he accepted and joined them. there were empty tables but ethan doesn't want to be alone. he would've spent the free time with jake but he just learned this morning that the pres will be the university's representative for  a physics competition.

yeah, they bumped into each other before jake left. fortunately, ethan had the chance to wish the pres a good luck. that small interaction just made the captain miss the pres more.

ethan just sat there, typing on his laptop as if he wasn't hearing cheesy words coming out from the couple's mouth. he simply paid them no attention though he knows their every move. he has seen more than that on a daily basis. not that he's complaining.

besides, kai is nice and fun to be with. they also get along well with each other.

"oh, i almost forgot. we're going to the arcade after school, would you like to come, lee?" just then, ethan whipped his head up only to see soobin draping his arm over kai's shoulder.

if that's what ethan has to see the whole time in the arcade then, "no, thank you very much for the invitation."

"y'all really don't want to come? arcade is fun, y'know."

"right, i invited taehyun too but he refused."

"are you actually wondering why we don't want to come? oh please, we don't want to be your third wheel." the captain rested his back on his seat.

"c'mon, as if yeonjun is any better than me. he's much worse with things like this."

"shut up, you're both the same." ethan closed his laptop and stood up. "anyway, i'm gonna go find jay. see you two around."

instead of jay, ethan found sunghoon on his way to the cafeteria... surprisingly with riki. he heard that the latter really doesn't like being with his friend in public, and he guess, people do change.

"jay? he's at the council, doing some paperwork and probably bugging the vice pres while working on it."

"now i see why you're cousins."

ethan chuckled while sunghoon pouted and whined, "what? i'm not like that. i don't do that to you."

"then why am i going to the cafeteria with you if you didn't bugged me to come?"

sunghoon was silent as he scratched the back of his neck. ethan's smile faded, it hasn't been five minutes and yet he's been third wheeling again.

ethan flashed a disgusting look, he did just not see sunghoom being shy and all in front of riki, "you're like a baby just now, earl. it doesn't suit you."

"damn you, ethan. you're not supposed to see that." sunghoon retorted.

the captain clicked his tongue, "as if i wished to see that, moron. anyway, i'm just gonna see beomgyu. have you seen him, earl?"

"yeah, at the classroom. if he's not there, he'll be at the gym."

ethan desperately needs a company, someone who he can relate to and it'll definitely be beomgyu. he went to check to their classroom first but there were no signs of his friend so he proceeded to walk to the gym.

the captain is one hundred and one percent sure that beomgyu is alone. or so he thought.

ethan was about to open the gym door when he heard beomgyu say, "you're what?" then there was a moment of silence before beomgyu spoke again. "if you are, then say it! stop being a coward--"