"Okay, but bright coloured hair should be allowed at school. How are we supposed to express ourselves?" 

"Donghyuck, if that wish was granted, one day you will show up with your hair dyed the colours of the gay flag, and as much as I would applaud that, it just shouldn't be allowed morally." Jaemin rolled his eyes as Donghyuck scoffed at his reasoning, his hands pausing in the act of rubbing some natural brown dye into Jaemin's hair. "I'm sure I would rock that particular look, thanks." 

"If I said I believed you, would you never try it?" 

Donghyuck narrowed his eyes at Jaemin though he couldn't see him, then huffed, "I would do it the second we graduate if I didn't care about the health of my scalp."

Jaemin nearly laughed, "Your scalp is stronger than my will to live, Hyuck. I don't think you would even care what colour you dyed your hair if we were allowed any hue. Remember when you dyed your hair red and argued with the actual principle that there are also natural redheads, so it wasn't actually infringing the policy?"

Donghyuck snorted unattractively, "And the principle couldn't even argue. Ah, she hates me so much she literally looks at me funny whenever she passes by. Her glares are weak, though. My hamster's are better."

"Okay, you keep thinking that, buddy." Jaemin was received with a push, nearly sending him toppling off the chair he was sitting on. Jaemin looked up at Donghyuck, unimpressed with this abuse. "You are a terrible hairdresser. I'm pretty sure shoving people off their chairs would lose your tips." 

Donghyuck was taking off the gloves and washing his hands for good measure, completely oblivious to the boy's criticism. "If I'm so bad, get one of your boyfriends to do it. I'm sure at least one of them knows how to do it almost as good as I." Jaemin swatted at Donghyuck's legs from where he was sitting, cursing his name. He rubbed his hands on his cheeks, as if the blush was paint. 

Donghyuck threw a towel at him, just because. "Let's watch a show 'till you need to take a shower. Then I have to go. You're welcome, by the way."

Jaemin playfully sneered his thanks and got up to help put everything away, then the two friends made their way down to Jaemin's living room. "Hey, when was your mom meant to be back from that trip, by the way?" Donghyuck enquired, side-eyeing Jaemin as they plopped down on the sofa with some chips and salsa. 

Jaemin frowned before replying, "She was meant to be back yesterday, actually, but her sister got ill and she decided to stay in Samcheok a bit longer. She's also taken up some research there in the meantime. It sucks, Dongmin and I haven't seen her in weeks. We only get to facetime her like twice a week."

Donghyuck gave Jaemin a little nod and a grin, turning on the TV. "What's good on Netflix?" Donghyuck sang a dumb little jingle, flipping through the shows and movies until he found one of major interest. "Oh my god, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure is on Netflix."

"Shit, put it on!" They sat and ate chips until they'd finished the first two episodes, Jaemin commenting occasionally and showing off the fact he was a manga reader. Donghyuck shoved him four times. 

The tan boy then seemed to remember something as he gazed sadly into the empty void of the chip bag. He looked up, suddenly, pausing the fight scene falling out on screen. "Jaemin, when's your next date with those two?" 

Jaemin froze and looked at him like a deer in headlights. "Alright, first of all they weren't dates," Jaemin said weakly, Donghyuck countering with a superior roll of his eyes. "And second," he continued, much quieter, "I'm not going on any more." 

Donghyuck's eyes widened as he shook Jaemin's arm in devastation. "Why? Why?"

"Uh, I... well, you know, that's just how it be sometimes." Donghyuck had to refrain himself from hitting the idiot. 

"No, tell me why you're not going on any more dates with your soulmates!" he yelled. Jaemin didn't waste any time in snatching up a cushion to defend himself from Donghyuck's wrath. 

Jaemin sighed, keeping the pillow in front of him so Donghyuck wouldn't see his expression, "Well, you see, Jeno likes Renjun—" Donghyuck made a sound of impatience and waved off the second-hand confession, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, and vice-versa, we know, it's obvious enough, what's new."

Jaemin's brow furrowed. "Wait. vice-versa? What do you mean by vice-versa?"

Donghyuck peeked around the cushion Jaemin was holding up and caught sight of him. He said, slowly and deliberately, "Vice-versa. Same thing both ways round. Renjun likes Jeno as much as Jeno likes him." 

Jaemin blinked owlishly at him. "How do you know, though?"

"Well, the fact became painfully obvious on their little date, you know?" Donghyuck paused, then took the cushion away from his best friend's face, but Jaemin just looked at the former and asked, "What date? I didn't hear about a date." 

Donghyuck blinked at him wearily. "You do remember when you cancelled on the two because you had to look after Dongmin, right?"

Jaemin finally realised what was going on, his heartbeat picking up slightly, "Yeah, that would have turned into something like a date. But how are you so sure Renjun likes Jeno judging from that? Were you stalking them or something?" Jaemin narrowed his eyes at Donghyuck, who shook his head triumphantly, 

"Not me, but Mark and Lee Chan were! Chan told me all about it. Apparently Renjun was all red and blushy and they were being absolutely adorable, along with other fluff." He leaned in close. "They fed each other popcorn."

Jaemin had to try hard not to resent himself and especially not Dongmin for making him miss such a soft event. He shook his head at Donghyuck, "And Chan told you Renjun likes Jeno? I can't believe Jeno's own teammate would do that to him and Renjun, the betrayal is real." Donghyuck just shrugged, like such is the way of the world.

Jaemin sent him a withering look, the leaned back, a mix of emotions passing up his chest and across his face. "Well, then. I guess my role of the sidekick is coming to a premature end." He whispered it, so Donghyuck had to strain to hear what he had said. But he had heard just about enough. 

"Sidekick? Jaemin, what do you mean?" 

Jaemin's eyes widened as he realised what had slipped his lips. He glanced to the clock, and without even reading the time, exclaimed, "Oh, look! It's been way more than half an hour, I should probably go rinse out the dye now." And with the springy legs basketball had gifted him, he sprinted up the stairs, Donghyuck's curses following him much faster than Donghyuck himself. 

Jaemin hurriedly barricaded himself in the bathroom and listened fearfully as Donghyuck battered various household objects against the door, demanding entry. He even went as far as trying to pick the lock, which failed as a tactic as he was no expert at breaking into or out of places.

Donghyuck cursed as he received a message from his mother after a minute or two of attempted breaking in, which demanded he come home before she beat his ass with a slipper. "I am going to spam you at three AM, mister, and you better believe it," he scolded Jaemin, who was now sitting on the closed toilet lid trying not to laugh. 

"Bye, dumbass." 

"Goodbye, honey, have a great night." Donghyuck's voice dripped sarcasm all the way to the door, which he locked with the spare key as he left.

Jaemin took a shower to rinse off the dye, but he sat there for a while, thinking. He disliked to consider himself a coward, but that's exactly what he was right then. He knew he'd fallen in love. He didn't want to let that go, but on top of Renjun actively seeking out answers to how to get out of the friendzone, he'd also acted embarrassed and cute on his date with Jeno. There was... literally no denying it now. Jaemin was simply out of the picture.

He distracted himself as much as was humanely possible. He ate some more chips. He played Flappy Bird until he got so mad his face was red. He tried watching Steven Universe, and by the time he was done all that and more it was eleven o'clock on a school night. That didn't really matter to him, as coffee was a thing that existed, but he supposed it wasn't healthy to have more than five cups a day.

Oh, fuck that, he thought, this entire situation is unhealthy. I'm pining after two clueless people, and that hurts. Jeno's been pining after a clueless Renjun for years and that must hurt a whole fuckload more than I can imagine. And I don't even know how long Renjun's been pining after Jeno. We're all just a bunch of sad people pining after each other. A fucked up love triangle. 

The blank thought of all of them in such desperately sad situations just because they just couldn't get through to one another made Jaemin depressed. Suddenly, a whole new thought entered his mind. Then end it. 

Jaemin blinked against the new, rather decisive voice in his head, then followed the thought process it had sparked, curled up on his sofa, the remote limp in his hand. 

If this situation is unhealthy for all of you, end it. Do your job as the friend, if you can't be the boyfriend. Get those two together, then take as much time as you want to get over it. 

Jaemin's eyes went to the phone on his desk. He could do it right then and there, just make the call and tell Jeno to make a move while he still felt up to cutting himself off completely from this. Do it. End this. 

So he did. 

***

MY EXAMS ARE OVER MY EXAMS ARE OVER MY EXAMS ARE OVER FUUUUUUUUUU