“Your prompt is: ‘Heavens Reflected.’ You have fifteen minutes. Begin.”

Minseok hurries to grab his pen, and flicks it around in his hand as he considers the prompt. His mind fumbles for something to draw. His teacher won’t be satisfied with anything but perfection.

The paper glares at him. He glares back.

The class is already hurriedly sketching, each person straining to come up with something different than the rest. Minseok hurriedly glances up to glimpse the teacher scratching the words onto the board in large capital letters.

Heavens Reflected.

Heavens Reflected.

He knows what he wants to draw. He’s been thinking about trying to put the image on paper for weeks, months perhaps. But he couldn’t. Not when the subject is sitting three seats behind him.

Everyone always told Lu Han his eyes looked like a deer’s. Minseok had wondered why. He didn’t agree, for he saw so much more. He saw the sky, the clouds. And beyond the clouds, the stars and the planets. He saw comets flying every time the sun shone in Lu Han’s eyes. And yet, he could never explore deeper, for he had never dared to look at them longer than barely necessary. He was scared. He wouldn’t let what happened before happen again.

He decides. The prompt reminds him of Lu Han, so Lu Han he will draw. But only his eyes, where he truly sees the heavens reflected. He touches the tip of his pencil to the paper.

Where to start? If only he could have one look behind him as a reference…but no. He can only draw from memory. His pencil makes thin, light lines smear across the paper in quick fluid motions, trying so hard to recreate the perfect picture he sees in his mind, but no matter what he draws, he cannot get it right.

He picks up his eraser and begins to lightly brush away his work. It’s alright, he can’t have taken more than one or two minutes, he still has plenty of-

“Time is up. Please put your pencils down.”

Minseok audibly sighs. He stares at his blank page, the only one in the class. How could he have wasted so much time thinking, and not enough drawing? The teacher always told them to draw with their hearts, rather than their minds. But he so wanted it to be perfect…

“Let’s begin the presentations. Wu Yifan, how about you first?” There is a quiet murmur from the rest of the students. Wu Yifan, better known as Kris, is widely acknowledged as the worst in the class, although he believes otherwise. Kris rises to the front of the room, and turns his sketch so that it faces the room at large. “Please explain your work.”

“I drew, uh, the galaxy. Except it’s in a mirror. Well, not in the mirror, but behind it. Well, not behind it, more like in it. It’s the galaxy, by the way. This is the sun, and this is Jupiter, I think. Wait no, that’s Saturn, this is Jupiter. Uh…yeah.” His drawing mainly consists of oddly shaped circles trapped within a rectangular frame, but it does have a Kris-esque aura of artistic flair to it. Kris folds his book and returns to his seat, looking quite happy with how his presentation went. He high fives Huang Zitao on the way.

“Kim Minseok? Please, show us your drawing.” Minseok’s heart rate speeds up. He can’t present, he has nothing to present! He feels the burning sensation of multiple pairs of eyes on his back as he stands up, and walks to the front of the class.

“I couldn’t come up with anything to draw.”

The teacher raises his eyebrow. “Really? That’s unlike you.”

Minseok’s eyes wander upwards and gaze across the room. His best friend, Kim Jongdae, is sitting at the back, looking concerned.

“Well, thank you anyways. Please sit down.” Minseok dares to glance at Lu Han before returning to his seat. Lu Han is looking down at his own drawing, and not paying attention to the presentations at all.

Minseok hates himself for wanting to look at Lu Han. He cannot let his feelings get in the way of his life again, not like last time. He tries to forget the way his heart jumps and his breath halts when he catches sight of Lu Han. It is not real. It is not real. He does not love him. He doesn’t even like him.

But still…

“Xiumin? What’s wrong?” Minseok jolts at the sound of his nickname. The class has gotten up and is leaving, the bell must have just sounded. Jongdae, or Chen as Minseok calls him, is standing in front of his desk, still bearing his look of concern.

“It’s nothing. I’m fine, I—I’m okay. Let’s go.” Minseok gets up from his desk and just catches Lu Han’s back as he leaves with two other classmates, Byun Baekhyun and Park Chanyeol. His gaze lingers long after Lu Han has disappeared.

“Are you tired? Have you been dieting again? Be honest with me.”

Minseok glares at his friend. “Chen, I told you. Please don’t bring that up again. It’s embarrassing. And I’m fine. Please, let’s just go.” Jongdae’s look doesn’t fade, but he doesn’t say anything more until the two have left the room.

“So, have you heard?” Jongdae looks around cautiously before questioning Minseok. He looks excited.

Minseok looks up. “Heard what?”

“About Lu Han.”

“What?”

“They’ve made it official. Him and Oh Sehun. He told me this morning, and asked to mention it to you. They totally have to get married now.”

His heart stops.

“What?” He barely whispers.

“I know, right? I thought they were just friends, but you know. You never can tell. Personally, I think there’s something between Kris and Tao, but that’s just me. Anyways, I think we need to go give them our blessing and congratulations. Come on!” Jongdae laughs and tugs Minseok in the direction of the courtyard.

He can hardly breathe. He knew it, he knew there was no chance, he knew that he should have let go of any feelings for Lu Han before this happened. He allows Jongdae to drag him through the crowds of students, feeling as if he quite possibly won’t be able to move for a few centuries.

Lu Han. Sehun. They had always been closer to eachother than to many others in their big group of friends, but Minseok would never have believed it…Lu Han and Sehun? Lu Han and Sehun?

“Chen? I’ll catch up with you in a minute.”

“Why? Where are you going?” Jongdae yells over his shoulder.

“Uh, bathroom. I’ll only be a minute.” Jongdae lets go of Minseok’s arm.

Minseok runs away from the masses of students, away from the classrooms and the hallways, out into the back lot behind the building where nobody goes.

Lu Han.  Sehun.

Lu Han.

Lu Han.  

Minseok tells himself he doesn’t care. It was nothing; it was only a friendly feeling and nothing more.

He pulls out his sketch book and places the pencil on the page. Somehow, unlike before, the feelings rush out of the tips of his fingers and form clean black lines in exactly the right places. It’s as if somebody had lifted a blindfold, and finally Minseok could see clearly again.

After what seems like hours, Lu Han’s eyes look up out of the page, as beautiful as they are in real life. Minseok stares at his work, wanting the real version so much more. He blinks rapidly, surprised to find moisture in the corner of his eyes.

The lines smear.