Free Period

“How come you changed your mind so fast?” HanGeng asked HeeChul as they were preparing to sleep. He straightened the sheets that covered the couch as he waited for a response.

“Well,” HeeChul began, nervously folding the blankets between his nimble fingers, “I wanted to be happy.”

“And, I saw Kyu and Min and I wanted someone to hug me from behind too,” HeeChul confessed, feeling childish at his foolish desires, but he also remembered that attractive man talking to HanGeng, and the jealousy he had felt so clearly.

“Like this?” HanGeng asked, slipping his arms around HeeChul’s waist and pulling the older closer to him. HeeChul relaxed into his embrace, resting his hands over HanGeng’s and giggling when HanGeng placed butterfly kisses on his shoulder.

“I meant what I said tonight, you know,” HanGeng whispered, and HeeChul turned in his arms to look into HanGeng’s eyes, not quite following the HanGeng’s train of thought. HanGeng didn’t look at him, instead lifting a hand and trailing light lines down the side of HeeChul’s face, his eyes following his fingertips. This went on for a few minutes while HeeChul waited for HanGeng to speak again.

“I love you HeeChul. And I’m afraid you don’t feel the same,” HanGeng told him, finally looking at HeeChul.

“HanGeng,” HeeChul sighed, understanding the heart of the China Man now.

“It’s okay if you don’t feel the same way right now; I understand that intensity is sort of a limiting factor for you. I just… wanted you to know, okay?” HanGeng assured him, kissing him quickly on the nose.

“I want this to work HanGeng,” HeeChul whispered, hugging HanGeng around the neck and burying his face in the younger’s shoulder. HanGeng tightened his arms around HeeChul and held him as they enjoyed simply being together.

“Me too, baby, me too.”

HeeChul nodded and pulled out of HanGeng’s embrace, covering his mouth with a hand as it opened to complain.

“Come on,” HeeChul urged him, tugging on one of his hands. He led HanGeng to the bed, and pulled back the covers and sat on the bed. He pulled HanGeng down next to him, and smiled as he lay back against the thick sheets. HanGeng hesitanatly relaxed against the bed, and then his side to face HeeChul.

“We have school tomorrow,” he said.

“I know. And it was a long night, so we should probably get to sleep,” HeeChul agreed.

“Okay,” HanGeng said, and pulled the blankets over them, hugging HeeChul close to his body.

“Goodnight.”

“Night.”

The next morning at school, KyuHyun and SungMin were shocked to see their friend walk through the door hand in hand with another friend. HeeChul’s fingers were laced through HanGeng’s, both smiling brightly and talking to each other.

They exchanged an amazed glance before SungMin ran over to RyeoWook, grabbing his hand and they both began to talk very fast. The boyfriends let them have their gossip session, as they left them behind and walked to class.

HeeChul leaned his head on HanGeng’s shoulder as they walked, enjoying the feeling of having someone as his own by his side again. He tried now to think of the last time he had walked down these very corridors to class with someone else. They sat in their respective seats, talking quietly as they waited for class to begin.

“Hello, class,” the teacher greeted them as he walked through the door. The students all mumbled their greetings as they sat up.

“I take it you had a fun extended weekend,” he commented as he took in the dark circles beneath almost every student’s eyes. The class muttered again in response.

“Clearly,” the teacher muttered to himself, opening his textbook and flipping to the next chapter. Asking directions.

“Well, I was going to start something new today, but seeing as none of you will be paying attention, I might as well give up. Class dismissed. You may do as you please for the rest of the period,” the teacher said, flinging his own copy of Princeton Language Program: Modern Chinese on the table.

The students cheered, but he stopped them before they could leave.

“How far have you all reached in completing your diaries with your seatmates? How many activities have you done together?” he asked.

“Average.”

HanGeng and HeeChul looked at each other, something the teacher didn’t miss.

“Have you gotten over your problem with your seatmate, Mr. Kim?” he asked, turning to look at HeeChul. HeeChul smiled, but before he could speak, HanGeng did.

“We’re quite good friends now, sir,” HanGeng assured him in flawless Chinese.

“I’m pleased to hear that,” the teacher responded in Chinese. HeeChul looked on, amused but lost as to what they were saying, as HanGeng and their teacher carried on a conversation in Chinese. The rest of the students slipped out the door, taking advantage of the distraction. A while later, HanGeng looked back at HeeChul, and began laughing with the teacher.

“What?” he exclaimed, jumping up from his seat. Kim HeeChul did not like being laughed at.

“Nothing,” HanGeng said quickly, smothering his laughter. Their teacher gestured out the door and HeeChul left pouting, with a laughing HanGeng hurrying behind him.

“What did he say?” HeeChul whined as soon as HanGeng caught up to him.

“He said, that you are a miserable student but people can’t help but like you. I can relate,” HanGeng told him, putting both hands on HeeChul’s shoulders as they walked. HeeChul shoved them off.

“Y’all are mean,” HeeChul complained, punching HanGeng in his bicep.

“But you love me,” HanGeng , catching the diva around the waist. HeeChul smiled at that. He ran around to the back of HanGeng, and jumped onto HanGeng’s back, wrapping his legs around the younger’s waist.

“I’m beginning to,” HeeChul shot back, “What else did he say?”

“He suggested something, an activity for us to do, and I said I would,” HanGeng told him as they walked out to the school’s gardens.

“What was it?” HeeChul prompted.

“Secret. Can’t say. I don’t want to spoil it,” HanGeng said, setting HeeChul down on one of the concrete benches outside.

HeeChul pouted, but HanGeng just sat next to the diva and put his head in the diva’s lap, looking up at the sky and thinking about how much his life had changed in the last week since he had met HeeChul that first day.

“Love you, Chul,” he murmured, as he drifted off into a light sleep for the time. HeeChul smiled as he heard the words, anticipating what HanGeng had planned.