...okay.

He tries to make himself look at least vaguely less fucked before he strolls out himself.

He’s pretty sure they’ll be seeing each other again soon.

Okay, that was all extremely weird, but he can just go back to his normal life and pretend it never happened and they never have to see each other again.

Except they’re still in the same chemistry class.

Z has a few new silver spirals in his ears, and this time, every so often, he looks at Kaleva.

It is getting very very difficult to pay attention in chemistry!

He makes a stupid mistake on a quiz. He never makes a stupid mistake on a quiz.

From his expression when it’s handed back, Z appears to have made multiple stupid mistakes on said quiz.

He still looks vaguely frustrated while he’s packing up, after the bell rings.

Kaleva notices, is struck by the impulse to offer to tutor Z, and then remembers that that impulse is terrible and he should stick to his old plan of never talking to Z again.

That night at dinner he drops his tray next to Kaleva and sits.

“You ran pretty fast yesterday.”

"It's honestly less bad when people just throw me into dumpsters."

...ouch.

“You done with this, then?”

"I think what's going to happen is that I'm going to say 'no, no, stop,' you're going to ignore me, I'm going to get turned on, and we're going to have sex, and so probably it's more efficient to skip ahead to the part where we're having sex, unless you get something out of the first bit."

He laughs.

“I was actually gonna believe you this time. ‘I’d rather get tossed in the garbage’ is a pretty convincing fuck-you-leave.”

"Oh, no, I absolutely would rather be thrown in the garbage, I just don't see the point of resisting the inevitable."

“Yeah, okay.”

He picks up his food, stands, and goes to find some other empty table.

Kaleva feels disappointed, because of course he does.