LONG SLOW DISTANCE

07 | arch enemy

Did Donghyuck intend to start a long term fight with his roommate? No.

Well... maybe.

But only because Choi Jongho was a certified Jerk, and Donghyuck had now decided they were officially Arch Enemies. That meant Donghyuck was justified in hating Jongho, of course. And starting a fight with your Arch Enemy was a perfectly acceptable method of passing the time.

"Can you leave your shit on your side of the room?" Donghyuck had said sometime during the last week, intent on resolving the prickly tension in the room by starting an argument.

"Says you," Jongho scoffed. He had his earphones in and was busy watching something on YouTube, but he still managed to reach down to the floor and throw a pair of socks right in Donghyuck's face.

Donghyuck stared at the dirty pair of socks Jongho had catapulted at him. They were possibly his favourite pair of socks, actually, since they were patterned with the Doge (which was such an old meme by now, but such a gold one all the same). "Hey, Xiyeon got me these for my birthday," he said, affronted.

"Maybe you should keep them on your side of the room, then."

"Well, maybe you should shut the fuck up, dude."

Granted, it wasn't the best comeback by any stretch of the imagination, but it was the only thing Donghyuck could come up with at the time. And saying something snarky in response was better than rolling over and saying nothing at all.

Jongho just rolled his eyes.

However, their messy dorm room wasn't the main source of the fighting. Actually, when it really came down to it, there was one thing Jongho kept doing that pissed Donghyuck off. And it was the fact that every single time Donghyuck wanted to use one of the music studios in the department, Jongho's name would always be written in the time slot he wanted.

The studios were always in high demand among the students, which made it tricky for freshmen to book themselves in to use them. Donghyuck just wanted an hour here and there to sing whatever he wanted at the top of his lungs, and maybe also self-teach a bit of piano. But Jongho seemed to beat him to it every time.

This was why Choi Jongho was a perfect candidate for an Arch Enemy.

On Friday night, at the end of the very first week of lectures, Donghyuck headed down to the music department in a grump. The only spot he'd been able to book was at nine, which meant he was walking there in the dark.

His phone rang and he answered it, grumbling. "What do you want?"

It was Jisung. "Can I borrow your bed?"

The question was so out of the blue that it made Donghyuck stop in his tracks in the middle of the campus courtyard. "My what now?"

"Your bed," Jisung said, slowing down his words like they were difficult for his older brother to understand.

"Yeah, I heard that, you prick," Donghyuck snorted. He continued his walk towards the music department with his little brother in his ear. "Why would you need to borrow my bed?"

"Because Chenle's sleeping over."

Donghyuck frowned, puzzled. "Sleep in your own bed, idiot."

Jisung gave a heavy sigh, clearly frustrated by the whole situation. "Listen," he said, "if I could sleep in my own bed, I would be. But Chenle is staying over because he came round after school to study today, and Mom won't let us sleep together anymore."

"You've been sleeping with him?" Donghyuck asked in mock surprise, with an overdramatic gasp for added effect. He knew what Jisung actually meant, but he liked making him squirm.