Looking in the mirror after one week of being sick is not a pretty picture. Sehun can account for that. He feels gross and he's pretty sure he's still sick, but time is money. Going to work when your sick is more than a chore. Working three jobs when you're sick is death. Ditching school and just working isn't bad, except for his grades, but it's one or the other when he's sick and like he said: time is money.

But at this point he feels somewhat decent to do both and he kind of needs to if he wants to go to his junior year. Almost fifteen absences is more than enough to warrant a truancy letter if it weren't for the golden excused absences that he's racking up.

He also has to make up an entire week’s worth of schoolwork. So there's that.

He got two free days to catch up and he's sure that his sneezing and coughing are annoying everyone in the library. It's annoying to him too, but he can't help it. He does feel bad for taking (stealing) the last tissue box from the librarian.

He's running out.

xXx

“Oh my god if you're sick just go home,” Chanyeol complains as he flops onto his textbook. Baekhyun eyes him from across the table. “He's making me feel sick.”

Baekhyun pulls a book from under his cousin’s elbow and smacks him on the head. Chanyeol whines and Baekhyun glares at him. “Stop complaining. We have a project that I would like to finish before six. Dad got mad at me yesterday for not coming home at curfew.”

“Ugh, your dad is a stick in the mud,” Chanyeol complains and Baekhyun doesn't stop himself from rolling his eyes. A sneeze echoes throughout the library and Chanyeol gives a pointed look at Baekhyun. “I can't focus if the silence is interrupted like this!”

“Park Chanyeol.” Baekhyun’s cold voice stops his whining and makes him swallow thickly as he watches his cousin's movements. “Shut up and work.”

“Yes sir,” Chanyeol complies and begins to scribble in his notebook.

The two work silently, a few sneezes and coughs sound when Baekhyun begins to rummage through his backpack. Chanyeol doesn't move his pen, watching his cousin closely. Baekhyun pockets something and says he'll be right back. Chanyeol lets him go without question, but still wonders what he's up to.

Baekhyun rounds the corner of the bookcase and peeks through the top of of the books. From here, he sees Sehun seated at a table by himself with multiple textbooks and notebooks open. A single tissue box sits next to him along with a pile of crumpled up tissues.

Sehun rubs the bridge of his nose and sniffs loudly. Baekhyun sees him cringe and rub his temples. He stands flat on his feet and hums thoughtfully. The little packet in his jacket pocket sits comfortably as he thinks about what to do.

“Baekhyun?” He turns around at the sound of his name and is met with Jongdae’s catlike smile. “Whaddya doin’ there buddy?”

A strained chuckle leaves Baekhyun as he fumbles around for a book behind him. He presents a book to Jongdae with a quirked smile. “Just looking for a book. Ya know, that history project with Chanyeol and all. Haha…”

Jongdae’s eyebrows rise in amusement as he takes the book from Baekhyun and turns it over in his hands. “Totally. A bio book on parakeets for a history project. Of course,” he laughs and gives the book back to Baekhyun whose cheeks have turn a light pink.

“Well at least I wasn't making out with my boyfriend in the back of the library,” Baekhyun shoots back as he hugs the book to his chest.

“At least I have a boyfriend,” Jongdae snorts and moves to lean against the bookcase that Baekhyun is standing in front of. Baekhyun sports a pout and turns away from his friend. “Oh hush Baek. We both know that you're here for noodle boy here.” Jongdae tilts his head toward the direction Sehun is in.

“Noodle boy?” Baekhyun questions and turns to peek through the books again. His eyes soften at the sight of a sleepy Sehun. “He reminds me more of a puppy.” Sehun's head bobs up and down in a constant battle between sleep and work. Baekhyun just wants to run his hands through his hair and let him fall asleep on his lap.

“Whatever you think, but his hair is greasy as greasy as those bikers in that one movie.” Jongdae shrugs and turns his head to look through the books. He notices Baekhyun’s soft expression towards the boy and gets his attention with a nudge of his foot. “Go talk to him if you're so smitten.”

“I am not,” Baekhyun protests, he wants to continue stalking after Sehun, but he immediately ducks to the ground when his voice carried over to Sehun. “Am not,” he whispers this time at a smirking Jongdae who remains standing.

Jongdae pushes himself off of the shelf and pats Baekhyun on the shoulder as he walks by. “Whatever you say, but go say hi at least. Now excuse me while I go drag Yixing to the study rooms in the back again.” A small wave of a hand and Jongdae is gone from the aisle.

Baekhyun remains crouching and uses his position to peek through at the bottom. The view of Sehun isn't as clear, but he can still see his head dipping down every once in awhile.

Making up his mind, Baekhyun stands and walks around the bookcase. He looks both ways before approaching the table. With a hand on the back of a chair, he watches Sehun’s head bob up and down. Now he feels kind of sorry for him, Sehun’s so busy trying not to fall asleep that he hasn't even acknowledged the presence in front of him.

Baekhyun takes this chance to seat himself across from the sleepy boy. This gets his attention and Sehun’s head snaps up at the sound of the chair dragging against the wooden floor. His eyes narrow at the sight of Baekhyun. All of sudden Baekhyun feels like he's being scrutinized and he doesn't like it.

“What are you doing here?” Sehun goats and attempts to be threatening, but he sounds extremely nasally and tired and it's not helping him.

Baekhyun grins while Sehun glares. “I think you've gathered quite the fan club in the past hour. Or an army of people who want to murder you.” Baekhyun shrugs. “However you any to call them.”

“What?” God, Baekhyun just wants to pinch his cheeks, but that would probably be weird.

“Your sickness, aka the coughing and sneezing, is annoying everyone within a fifteen feet radius of you,” Baekhyun explains.

“So why are you here?” Sehun snaps. “If I'm gathering an ‘army,’ are you their captain or something? Well doesn't matter anyways cause I ain't leaving.” Sehun glares at Baekhyun before focusing back on his work. The tough facade works until he sneezes three times in a row and reaches out for tissues and blows his nose, adding to the pile next to him.

Baekhyun eyes the box and tissue pile in disgust. “I'm not going to make you leave,” he said slowly. His hand wraps around the package on his pocket and places it next to the textbook Sehun is using. “Just wanted to give you this.”

Sehun sighs and places his pencil onto the table with a small snap. “Sunbae, I already told you I don't take pity-”

“i just thought it would be irritating having to deal with all-” he gestures to the pills of tissues with a hesitant wave of his hand “-that.” Sehun nudges the pills away with the corner of the textbook and Baekhyun immediately takes the pills and tosses it at Sehun who instinctively catches it. “Just take it. Don't make your parents worry.”

With that said, Baekhyun gets up and leaves before Sehun could give him back the medicine. He holds back the urge to look back, waiting to get behind a bookshelf before peeking around and watching Sehun. Baekhyun wants to kick and scream, in happiness or irritation he doesn't know, when Sehun puts the small package into his jacket pocket.

“What's so interesting?” Hot air blows over his ear and Baekhyun lets out a tiny scream which in turn makes Chanyeol jump and scream a little as well.

They get kicked out.

xXx

Sehun lays on the mattress, one hand cradling Luhan who is curled up against his side and the other holds up the plastic package that holds two blue pills. The sharp corners prick uncomfortably in his grasp as he turns it over in his hand.

He's grateful for the medicine, but he also knows that he should probably eat actual food before taking the medicine. But he also knows that they don't have enough food until the paychecks come in and after paying the bills with said paychecks.

Luhan’s tiny hand fists around his sweatshirt and Sehun places his empty hand over his brother’s. The medicine is placed on the ground next to the mattress and the alarm clock.

Maybe he'll take it later.

A/N: Hey! I was actually gonna update on the 12th, it was my birthday and I was thinking ‘why not?’ but. Guys never go out for lunch, then eat an entire bag of salt and seaweed chips, then have dinner, then have a large piece of cake with a scoop of ice cream. That was not a smart idea. Somehow my stomach survived, but then the next day I had a practice with some of my teammates from softball and our coach decided to make us do conditioning and I still can’t feel my legs three days later. Needless to say, I’ve been tired and bloated and sore and overall just bleh. But thankfully writing is a nice outlet. So is sleep, but writing is good too. I hope you guys like the chapter! Be sure to leave some feedback cause I would love to see what you guys are thinking about the story.

Till the next chapter!