Chapter Text
Kim Dokja liked to think that him and Yoo Joonghyuk were pretty good friends. Not in a ‘literally know everything about this person and share my deepest, darkest secrets with them’ kind of way, but more of a mutual understanding.
They just got each other.
It first started when Yoo Joonghyuk had saved him from Song Minwoo and his gang, and their friend later developed further when their seats were coincidentally arranged right next to one another in every class they had together.
Sure, the black haired youth in front of him was somewhat cold and distant but Kim Dokja, being the persistent bastard he was, managed to wiggle his way into Yoo Jonghyuk’s ice castle of a heart.
Everyday, they would meet each other before class started, Kim Dokja would rattle on about whatever web novel he was reading while Yoo Joonghyuk silently listened—he could totally be ignoring him but for some reason Kim Dokja just always knew that wasn’t the case.
Before they met, Yoo Joonghyuk seemed to live in a different world, he was like the main character of his own story. Maybe that’s why Kim Dokja enjoyed his company so much, because he admired the boy that was what he wasn’t.
They were both soothed by one another’s presence, sometimes no words were exchanged throughout the day, walking home together bathed in a peaceful silence. When Yoo Joonghyuk was in a particularly good mood, he would be more vocal and bash Kim Dokja with insults, both knowing that he never meant any of them.
Bad days were usually when Song Minwoo appeared, after beating their asses, Yoo Joonghyuk would simply pat his back letting Kim Dokja know that everything would be alright. Letting Kim Dokja know that he mattered.
On a seemingly average day, not good or bad, Kim Dokja walked into class with a spring in his step, and a small bag in his hands.
Sitting down, he opened the bag up and released the sweet fragrance of butter milk cookies.
While pretending not to care, Yoo Joonghyuk watched as Kim Dokja pulled a squid shaped cookie out of the bag and admired the pastry in his hands.
To Kim Dokja, it was the first gift he ever received. Sure, he had teachers and fellow students give him the obligatory chocolate on Valentine’s Day, but this was the first time someone actually spent time and effort on giving Dokja something out of the goodness of their heart.
He craved affection that was absent throughout his whole life.
Of course, he had Yoo Joonghyuk who always showed bits of kindness in his own emotionally constipated way, this was special. It came from someone of the opposite gender.
How was Kim Dokja’s pubescent ass supposed to act when one of the prettiest girls in school suddenly gave him cookies, seemingly out of no where?
By the way, Kim Dokja thought that the emotional constipation further added to the protagonist's charm in its own strange way.
Seeing Yoo Joonghyuk eye the cookies, Kim Dokja proudly explained their origin.
“The class rep gave them to me”
Yoo Joonghyuk seemed to be going through some internal conflict, after a brief pause he responded.
“I don’t know who that is”
Kim Dokja was baffled by that statement. Yoo Sangah was one of the most widely sought after beauties in the whole school. Looks, smarts, talent, she had it all. Yet another example of a person that lived in a completely different world than him.
“Yoo Sangah? Prettiest girl in school? Always getting perfect scores? Literally sat right next to you for the first few months of school?”
“No clue”
Letting out a semi-frustrated sigh, Kim Dokja turned his head back to admire the cookies some more, not before hurling a well-intentioned insult at Yoo Joonghyuk first.
“You bastard, I don’t know how you get such good grades when you’re not even paying attention to anything around you”
“That’s not true.”
Kim Dokja knew how this conversation would play out, and decided to turn his attention away from the dark gaze beside him.
The cookies were plain without any frosting, Kim Dokja wasn’t particularly fond of the overly sweet frosting anyways. With Kim Dokja’s limited cooking experience, (partially due to the fact that he barely ate anything other than takeout before Joonghyuk came into his life, whenever he came over he would ban the other from the kitchen and insist on doing the cooking instead), Kim Dokja concluded that the cookies were almost at Yoo Joonghyuk’s level of cooking, which was saying quite a lot.
“They are shaped like squids.”
Kim Dokja was pulled from his thoughts and looked back to the boy next to him. Yoo Joonghyuk’s gaze was burning into the cookie in a way that could only be described as challenge.
The reason why was because the squid was a commonly used inside joke between the two. And no one else.
“She approached me the other day, we talked for a bit and today she came up to me with the cookies.”
Kim Dokja didn’t explain how Yoo Sangah had accidentally eavesdropped on a previous conversation between them and overheard Joonghyuk call him a squid. Judging by the glares that Joonghyuk gave people for merely glancing at Dokja and him for too long, he feared for Yoo Sangah’s safety if Joonghyuk were to ever find out.
Another part of their mutual understanding, anything said between the two never reached the ears of anyone else.
Yoo Sangah had apologized for eavesdropping on him and Yoo Joonghyuk’s conversation. Of course Kim Dokja reassured her and told her that she didn’t have to go out of her way, but he still accepted the cookies.
He felt as if Yoo Sangah and him would be considered acquaintances by now. They would occasionally talk to each other when passing by one other between classes. Yoo Sangah was charismatic enough for both of them and they had gotten to the stage where that could make the occasional joke to one another.
Apparently the simple explanation that Kim Dokja gave wasn’t enough to satisfy his emotionally stunted companion, as Yoo Joonghyuk’s jaw seemed to clench upon hearing this new information.
“Give it”
“I thought you didn’t eat food made by other people”
Yoo Joonghyuk ignored Kim Dokja and motioned for him to hand over the cookie, oh well.
Yoo Joonghyuk saw the way Kim Dokja cherished the cookies in his hands. He saw the way Kim Dokja smiled fondly after recalling his previous conversation with the woman Yoo Sangah. He saw it all.
Every adoring stare, every smile that Kim Dokja made, originally belonging to only Yoo Joonghyuk was now directed to something else.
Jealousy. That was the feeling that had overtaken him at that very moment.
Yoo Joonghyuk clenched the small squid in his hand, the fragile thing could be easily crushed by him, but he chose not to.
Instead he brought the cookie to his mouth and didn’t hesitate to toss it into his mouth, crunching the poor squid into pieces. He made sure to crush it as much as possible.
At this point Kim Dokja had also started nibbling on his own cookie, a look of bliss on his face. Yoo Joonghyuk stared at him for a moment before reaching into the bag and pulling out another cookie, determined to destroy the enemy.
Yoo Joonghyuk had relished in the fact that he was the one who made Kim Dokja happy, that he was the one Kim Dokja cared for the most. The cookie was proof of the fact that there was someone else. Someone who wasn’t Yoo Joonghyuk.
Yoo Joonghyuk had to admit, the cookies could be considered decent, which only infuriated him more.
Kim Dokja’s eyes were filled with amusement as he watched Yoo Joonghyuk apathetically munch on the pastry.
“Aren’t they good, Joonghyuk-ah?”
“...passable”
Yoo Joonghyuk reached for another cookie, the only sound heard was the murder of the innocent squid cookies that met a tragic death by Yoo Joonghyuk.
Yoo Joonghyuk took great pleasure in tearing apart the treat that Kim Dokja enjoyed oh-so much. The treat that was received from someone that wasn’t him.
Crunch—
Crunch—
The next time Kim Dokja reached out for another cookie, his hand met Yoo Joonghyuk’s. Peeking into the bag, he saw that there were barely any cookies left.
“You greedy bastard! Those cookies were for me.”
Yoo Joonghyuk merely glanced indifferently, Kim Dokja thought he saw a hint of satisfaction etched into his handsome features.
“Too bad”
In reality, Kim Dokja wasn’t actually very upset with the loss of the cookies. He enjoyed seeing the look of satisfaction Yoo Joonghyuk’s face held in that moment. He must have really enjoyed those cookies. Tsundere.
“It’s alright Joonghyuk-ah. I’ll ask Yoo Sangah to bake more cookies later if you like them so much. It’s the least I could do as your companion”
Yoo Joonghyuk froze for a moment before replying.
“Shut up Kim Dokja”