chapter two;

week by week, day by day

    Lu Han is wrong.

Computer science recitation is not the last time Ri Ahn sees Lu Han. She spots him, red and black backpack and all, as she leaves her second semester chemistry lecture, and, startled, she reaches for him and calls his name.

Ri Ahn figures she should learn quickly that Lu Han is never aware of his surroundings, and can barely hear anything past the music playing in his ears all the time. Then again, most of her friends and teachers alike never hear her quiet voice, so she lets him blend into the crowd of students, and decides, next time. Next time she’ll draw up the courage to call his name a little louder.

    -- -- --

As it turns out, Ri Ahn’s quiet voice doesn’t help her in the slightest when it comes to meeting Lu Han again, but her clumsiness and his clumsiness combined seems to do the trick. They bump into each other quite literally at the bus stop, Ri Ahn nearly falling flat on her if it isn’t for Lu Han’s quick reflexes pulling her back upright.

“Sorry,” he says breathlessly, ready to run for the bus that’s pulling up before he does a double take. “Oh. Ri Ahn.”

“Hi,” she says meekly, then gestures to the bus. “I gotta--”

“, same,” he gasps, and then drags her with him, Ri Ahn yelping then laughing, stumbling after him. They squeeze onto the bus just in time, holding onto the railings, pressed up next to each other with no other choice given the amount of bodies packed onto the bus.

“Sorry,” he apologizes again, and Ri Ahn shakes her head.

“Hi,” she repeats, slightly amused, and Lu Han grins.

    -- -- --

The third time is not by coincidence. She forces herself to shout his name, flushing scarlet when heads turn to look at her, but at least one of them is Lu Han’s. He waits while she tries to squeeze through the crowd of students exiting the lecture hall, taking out his earphones in the meantime.

“So we do have chemistry together,” he chuckles, and Ri Ahn nods shyly. He smiles, tilting his head.

“You’re a lot quieter than when we were in class last semester,” he comments, and Ri Ahn shrugs, tugging on her backpack straps.

“I’m all bark and no bite,” she admits. “I guess having a crowd boosts my confidence. Or my ego. Or both.”

Lu Han laughs, and they walk together to the bus stop. “Do you live on this campus?” he asks, and she shakes her head. “I have to wait for the bus.”

Lu Han hums, adjusting his jacket. “I’ll wait with you then.”

“Oh - you don’t have to,” she says, but he shakes his head, waving a hand.

“I live like, right there,” he says, pointing across the street. “In the campus apartments. Besides, it’s late, and dark out. I’ll wait with you,” he repeats, and Ri Ahn smiles gratefully.

They stand in awkward silence, minutes passing by. A bus passes, but it’s not her bus, and two more follow, one of them going out of service as soon as it stops and the other also being the wrong bus. By the time twenty minutes have passed without a single bus Ri Ahn can board and finally go back to her dorm for, Lu Han finally sighs.

“It’s late,” he repeats, and Ri Ahn looks at him. “Just come to my apartment. This school seriously needs to fix its transportation system.”

Ri Ahn falters, looking hesitant, and Lu Han realizes he’s probably being a little too straightforward. He rubs the back of his neck, feeling awkward. “Uh, I have a girlfriend, if that makes you feel safer,” he says awkwardly. “And I promise my roommates are all good guys. Also, we have food.”

Ri Ahn’s lips quirk upwards at that. “Ah, food. Always the selling factor,” she teases, and Lu Han huffs.

“You wanna come with me or stand out in the cold until your nonexistent bus shows up?”

Ri Ahn rolls her eyes, grinning good-naturedly, despite her heart pounding in her chest. “I’m coming, I’m coming.”

    -- -- --

Lu Han’s apartment is pretty much a carbon copy of all the other campus apartments. There are four individual bedrooms, a living room, two bathrooms, and a tiny kitchen. It’s not a small space, but it’s not altogether that big of a space either. Still, it’s nice, and oddly neat, for four boys living together. Ri Ahn’s been to a few of her male friends’ dorms - they’re not pretty, but then again, Ri Ahn isn’t exactly particularly neat either.

“Kris is probably hiding in his room,” Lu Han says, switching on the light to his room. “If he comes crawling out, he’s the tall blond one that looks kind of scary. But he’s really not, so don’t be too freaked out by him. He still carries stuffed animals around, so.”

Lu Han sets his backpack down on the ground, and Ri Ahn scans her eyes around his room curiously. Lu Han appears to have a serious affinity to red, because his bed sheets are a deep maroon, and the folders on his desk are also red, along with the desk lamp.

“Baekhyun and Chanyeol are probably out partying, you’ll hear them long before you see them,” Lu Han continues, and Ri Ahn is mildly impressed with how absurdly neat his bed is. There isn’t a single crease. “Baekhyun’s the short one. They’re both flirts, though, so heads up.”

He digs through a couple drawers and turns back around with a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt in his hands, shoving them in her general direction. “These will probably fit you, though you might need to pull the pants up every now and then. I promise they’re clean.”

“I - I can just, wear my own clothes,” Ri Ahn stutters, the thought of wearing Lu Han’s clothes thoroughly embarrassing her. He’d mentioned earlier that he had a girlfriend, and Ri Ahn is pretty sure that wearing some other girl’s boyfriend’s clothes is probably breaking some kind of rule out there. Lu Han just shrugs, still holding them out.

“Jeans can’t be very comfortable to sleep in. Come on,” he smiles warmly. “It’s chill.”

Ri Ahn admits he’s right, and submits.

(The clothes smell like him, and Ri Ahn kicks herself extra hard for thinking that he smells so damn good.)

    -- -- --

Lu Han wins the battle over clothes, but Ri Ahn wins the battle over sleeping arrangements. Lu Han offers her his bed, but Ri Ahn knows better than to accept. That’s definitely breaking some kind of rule out there, and Lu Han being taken aside, Ri Ahn wouldn’t dream of sleeping in his bed when she’s the guest.

Lu Han hauls a pillow and one of - was it Chanyeol’s? - extra set of blankets over and dumps them on the couch unceremoniously. He stares at the mess for a moment, then tries to set it up nicely, looking slightly embarrassed by his lack of coordination, but Ri Ahn stops him, amused.

“It’s okay,” she reassures him. “Thanks for this. Really.”

Lu Han scratches the back of his neck, and smiles awkwardly. “I guess I’ll leave you to it,” he says. “Knock if you need anything. Yell if Kris does something weird. Scream if Baekhyun comes back.” He cracks a grin then wanders off, his door clicking shut quietly.

Ri Ahn sinks onto the couch, and wonders exactly how she managed to end up in this situation.

    -- -- --

“Well hello there,” a voice says at the exact same time a significantly deeper voice blurts, “You’re not Yoona.”

Ri Ahn looks up from her laptop, and blinks. She waves and tries to give a friendly smile, but even she knows it looks forced and nervous. Something about older boys has always terrified her for no reason. She doesn’t know how she pulled off getting Lu Han’s attention - he just gave off a less threatening disposition, she supposes.

Lu Han emerges from his room, hair slightly disheveled, and he nods at his roommates. “Hey. Baek, Yeol - Ri Ahn. She’s one of my students. Or was, anyway. We have Chem lecture together but her bus never showed, so I’m letting her stay the night. So behave, you two.” He eyes the pair while they protest, eyes widening as they exaggeratedly claim they’re always behaved, Lulu, please--

Ri Ahn bites her lip and tries not to laugh out loud.

    -- -- --

It’s passing midnight when Baekhyun slides onto the couch next to her, and raises his eyebrows suggestively. “How you doin?”

Ri Ahn deadpans pretty fast, and the same feigned cockiness that she uses in Computer Science to shove off arrogant students she pulls up here, throwing him an unamused look. Lu Han passes by and smacks the back of Baekhyun’s head before she can retort. “Stop that,” he scolds. “You’re scaring her.”

“No I’m not,” Baekhyun huffs, rubbing the sore spot. “Did you see that look she gave me? Girl was boutta whoop my .”

Chanyeol snickers from the kitchen counter, digging through cabinets for snacks. Lu Han smirks, leaning over the back of the couch. “Serves you right. She’s good at that, I bear witness to it.”

“Ooh,” Baekhyun says, and leans in closer to her, interested. “Girl got game?”

“Girl will light your on fire if you get any closer,” Ri Ahn smiles sweetly, and Baekhyun jerks back, looking both terrified and amused. Chanyeol barks out a laugh, and Lu Han looks smug, like he’s proud of her.

“Sorry,” Lu Han apologizes to her, Baekhyun looking thoroughly offended. “He flirts with all the girls we bring home.”

“Figures,” Ri Ahn says, closing her laptop. “I didn’t think he could bring any home himself, anyway.”

Chanyeol laughs loud enough to bring Kris out of his room. “The hell is going on out here?”

Baekhyun places a hand on his chest, giving her a hurt look. “Girl is roasting me.”

    -- -- --

“ it, Chanyeol!” Baekhyun yells, passing by Chanyeol last minute to first place, his little Mario zipping over the finish line. Chanyeol grabs Baekhyun by the neck, wrestling him into a headlock, and Ri Ahn laughs, arms wrapped around one of Kris’s dragon stuffed animals. Kris sits on her right while Lu Han is sitting cross legged on her left, Baekhyun and Chanyeol on the floor, their controllers long forgotten.

Kris pets the dragon Ri Ahn is holding, patting it on the head. Ri Ahn tries not to look too entertained by how affectionately Kris looks at his stuffed animals, but Kris catches the look and narrows his eyes at her.

“What? A man can’t appreciate cute things?”

Ri Ahn giggles. “Of course you can. Tough guy like you, needs a cute sidekick like him.” She lifts up the dragon, and Kris nods approvingly.

“What the hell is this?” Baekhyun shrieks from the headlock. “He gets tough guy, and I get can’t-bring-girls-home?”