WEDNESDAY II

Minseok approaches Han at his locker in between classes. He doesn’t notice her immediately, shoving thick textbooks into the top shelf of his locker. He looks pretty nice today, dressed in a black tee shirt with something written across the chest in bold, white Chinese, pale grey bleach wash jeans, and a pair of red Chucks. His hair is a little messy, like he slept on his arms throughout his last class but it does nothing to ruin his overall attractiveness. Minseok really hates how she still thinks he’s hot. It’s because she still thinks he’s hot that she made the biggest mistake of her life and gave him date coupons. What the hell was she thinking? The couple sweaters weren’t that bad. (…Okay those were a bad idea too but definitely not on the level of date. coupons.) She could at least pretend it was a coincidence she and Han had the same sweater if someone asked or even lie and say Han bought one himself after seeing her wearing it. How is she supposed to play off giving him free passes to hold her hand and take her on dates? The only bright side is that he didn’t look at them during the Christmas party.

This is why she tracked him down. The winter holiday passed — it’s been two days since school started back up after New Years — and he hasn’t said a word to her about the coupons. Not one. She stuffed them in the bottom of the gift bag but there’s no way that he didn’t see them and accidentally threw them away. She thought he would have used one at the first chance he got but nope. Nothing.

To be honest, she’s a little worried. He’s usually predictable. She doesn’t like it when he does something she can’t predict.

“Uh, Han,” she calls out and places her hand on his bicep as he’s taking a plain, purple folder out of his locker.

It slips through his fingers and there is a pause of silence as the two of them watch the paper within scatter across the floor.

“,” Han groans as he watches his schoolwork slide across the linoleum. Maybe if he stares at it long enough, he’ll develop telekinesis and it’ll all come sliding back. Instead of suddenly gaining super powers, his headache pulses behind his left eye. “Hey, beautiful,” he turns to Minseok and says with a tired smile.

Minseok frowns at the pink flush to his cheeks. That’s not an embarrassed blush. Is he…sick?

“Hey,” she draws out slowly. She bends over to pick up his paper and he coughs above her before crouching to do the same. “Are you okay?” She watches him out of the corner of her eye as they collect his physics notes and he barely spares her a glance as he nods.

It takes them a minute to collect all of his work, the sheets flying away whenever someone walks by too fast, and before Minseok passes him the stack of paper in her hands when they finish, she presses the back of her hand to his forehead and immediately removes it.

Han flinches when she settles him with a hard glare.

“Why did you come to school with a fever?”

His head hurts and his mind is so foggy he can’t hear himself think but in his miserable state he’s still able to crack something of a smirk. “You know I can’t go a day without seeing your gorgeous face.”

“Lu Han, you should be at home,” Minseok says, hitting him with his notes.

Ow, he mouths. Rubbing his chest with one hand, he takes the paper from her with the other. Some of it is wrinkled from her grip but he slips the sheets back into his folder without complaint. “Minseok, I’m fine. It’s just a little cold. I’ll feel better by the end of the day, I promise.”

Minseok gives him a dry look. She doesn’t believe that for a second. He looks like he’s going to pass out if he so much as walks too fast.

Han closes his locker and locks eyes with Minseok whose frown deepens. He’s not sure if he feels warmer because his fever is spiking or because despite how much she claims to hate his entire being, Minseok obviously cares about him. He also can’t tell if those are butterflies in his stomach or if he’s sicker than he thought he was. “But, you know, I’ll probably get better faster if you kiss me.” He puckers his lips. They immediately stretch into a smile when all concern is wiped from her face and she rolls her eyes.

“I’m going to class.” She readjusts her bag on her shoulder and brushes past him.

It isn’t until she’s been sitting in her psychology class for twenty five minutes that she realizes she didn’t talk to him about the coupons. Groaning, she leans over and lightly bangs her head on her desk.

When Minseok slips into the dance studio after school ends, music is already playing low through the speakers. That means Yixing already set up but even though his phone is sitting atop one of the speakers and his belongings are thrown in a corner, he’s not there.

Han is there, though, slouched against the wall close to Yixing’s stuff with his head titled back against it and his eyes closed. His face is still flushed and his chest rises as he breathes through his parted lips.

Dropping her bag along the wall, Minseok walks over and sits next to him. He’s awake, she knows, because he his lips and closes them. “How are you feeling?”

“Better. And before you get mad, I’m only here because Yixing is driving me home.” He opens his eyes to look at her like he’s waiting for her to fuss over him like earlier. “He won’t let me take the bus ‘cause I’ve fallen asleep in half my classes like I’m narcoleptic or something.”

“Good.” Minseok nods. “Yixing is smart…unlike you.”

“Ouch, that hurts, Minseok.” Han nudges her with his elbow and faces the door on the opposite wall. “Mean words from someone who essentially asked me out on a date.”

Tensing, Minseok feels her lungs constrict at the reference to the date coupons and she stares blankly ahead as well. He finally brought them up. “So you did see them.”

He nods. “After I got home, yeah. I’m confused by the mixed signals but I always knew you would fall for me one day so I’ll just go along for the ride for now.”

Minseok wants to deny that because it’s not true — she thinks he’s cute, not likable — but she knows anything she says he’ll pretend is just her playing hard to get. “I have no idea how your past girlfriends could stand you and your ego.”

Han hums and looks at her again, eyes worryingly lidded. “Do you mind if I use your shoulder for a pillow?”

He doesn’t wait for her response — he barely waits until he finishes the question in the first place — before wrapping his arms around her waist and lying on her chest. Her jaw drops as she stares the top of his head. She wants to say something because it is definitely not her shoulder that he’s using as a pillow but she’s so stunned that he’s actually lying on her s that she can’t find the words to speak.

She sits there deathly still, alternating between the choices of getting up or letting him rest. She has yet to reach a decision when Sehun and Jongin wander in, bickering as usual.

“How dumb do you have to be, Jongin?!” She pushes the older boy aside so she can drop her bookbag next to Minseok’s stuff.

“Like I said, why didn’t you stop me sooner?!” Jongin pushes Sehun back.

Minseok makes a noise to catch their attention, not wanting either of them to see her in this situation but also not wanting them to disturb Han.

Jongin and Sehun stop and look around until their eyes find Minseok. A similar look of surprise paints itself on their faces as they stare at the position she’s in.

“Is he dead?” they question simultaneously.

Minseok wants to sigh but she can’t, also wanting to prevent Han from moving and slipping further down her s. If his unresponsiveness is anything to go by, he has already fallen asleep and she would rather be inconvenienced like this than have him awake and torturing her with the stupid things he says and the equally as stupid smirk. (He really isn’t meant to do anything but smile and look pretty but Minseok can’t tell him that. He’ll probably explode.) Instead, she flatly explains the situation.

Sehun makes a face like she smells something bad. “You two have been weird lately.”

“Yeah, like, you were pretty cozy during the Christmas party,” Jongin adds, unable to take his eyes off the way Han is wrapped around the eldest girl. It’s really not something he thought he’d ever see in this lifetime. He would think it was an alternate reality if he and Sehun didn’t just get in trouble for almost setting their Chemistry room on fire during their third class.

The two sophomores share a look, a glint in their eyes that Minseok can’t see. They may do nothing but fight, but every once in a while they team up well enough to remind people why and how they are best friends.

“They sat together the entire time, didn’t they?” Sehun asks conspiratorially like Minseok isn’t even in the room anymore. “She was practically sitting in his lap.” She fibs.

“And the couple sweaters?” Jongin smoothly joins in on the imaginary gossip. “The whole thing about Minseok hating him was probably a lie.”

Minseok glares at them, unable to do much else with the weight on her chest.

“They’re totally dating.” Sehun shakes her head and fakes a sob. “I just wish she talked to me about what she was feeling for him. I thought that we were friends.”

Rolling her eyes, Minseok cracks a smirk. “If you want, Sehun, we can talk about Yix—”

“Why haven’t you guys started yet?” Yixing asks as he walks into the studio, screwing the cap off a water bottle. He looks at Minseok as he raises it to his lips but pauses before he takes a drink. “He’s not dead, is he?”

“Sleeping,” Minseok sighs, giving up on trying to not move. It doesn’t seem like Han’s going to wake up anyway. “I’m sitting today out. Han should rest and I don’t mind all that much.” His head on her chest is weird and kind of uncomfortable but it won’t kill her to let him stay.

“Well, while Mr. and Mrs. Lu are being domestic, I’m going to change,” Sehun announces. “And then I’m going to whip you punks into shape.”

Yixing glances at her. “It’s been a while since you’ve ran a practice,” he says.

Sehun hums as she turns around and bends over to get her sweatpants from her bag. “Yeah, well…”

Jongin doesn’t miss the way Yixing’s eyes trail over Sehun’s curves while she’s bent over. If he didn’t think Yixing liked her when Chanyeol brought it up a while ago, then he definitely thinks it now. A surge of protectiveness wells within him and he clears his throat.

Yixing looks at him with a raised eyebrow and a lazy grin.

Jongin narrows his eyes and nods his head in Sehun’s direction.

Cracking a laugh, Yixing pats Jongin on the shoulder before going to change the music on his phone.

“Let’s start stretching, you guys!”

“…an…Han? Can you get up?”

Han wakes up to a soft voice in his ear and fingers carding through his hair. The sound of shuffling feet and other voices fill his ears. “Noooo.” He groans and presses his face further into his pillow only for fingers to grip his collar and yank him to the floor.

His eyes fly open as he falls backwards and he’s so disoriented he only barely manages to catch his fall on his elbows. Wide eyed, he tilts his head up and locks eyes with Minseok who stares back.

“What…” he slurs, surveying the room and finding the rest of his friends looking at him as well.

“Sorry,” Minseok apologizes, offering her hand out. “I know you’re out of it but at least I held back from punching you in the throat.”

Taking the hand, Han allows himself to be helped up. He has no idea what has just happened and he sends another confused glance around the room but Jongin and Sehun are talking in hushed tones, already wearing their coats, and Yixing is cleaning up the audio equipment.

“Are you guys done? How long was I asleep?”

“Yeah, we’re done,” Minseok answers.

As he looks at her, Han finally remembers that he used her shoulder to rest. “Oh, sorry. Why didn’t you wake me up so you could dance?”

Minseok only shrugs. What is she supposed to say? Because you’re sick? Because you obviously needed to rest? Because you’re surprisingly really cute when you’re asleep?

“Your shoulders are really comfortable, though.”

“Hah, her ‘shoulders’ are comfortable,” Sehun cackles. Han looks at her, unsure of what is so funny when both Jongin and Yixing laugh too.

She swings her bookbag over her right arm. “I gotta catch my bus so I’ll see you guys later.”

Jongin picks up his bookbag as well. “I’m gonna head out too. Wanna hit the locker room before all the sports teams finish practice.”

Han watches the two of them leave. He turns to look at Yixing when the other boy walks past and starts gathering their things. “Why do I feel like I’ve been left out of a joke?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Yixing says and passes Han his coat.

“Please do not worry about it,” Minseok echoes, slipping her arms through her own thick, winter, jacket. Once it’s buttoned up, she grabs her purse. “Or I will punch you. Feel better, Han. See you tomorrow, Yixing.”

After she exits the room, Han rounds on Yixing, knowing that his best friend will tell him everything.

“It wasn’t her shoulder you were laying on,” Yixing says, making a cupping motion with his hands at the center of his torso.

It takes less than a second for everything to become clear for Han. “I HAD MY FACE IN HER AND I WASN’T EVEN AWAKE TO FULLY EXPERIENCE IT?!” He immediately breaks into a fit of coughs and his headache throbs behind his left eye.

It takes less than a minute for Yixing’s phone to vibrate in his pocket. Seeing the text from Minseok makes his blood run cold.

minseok

yixing, i heard you have a death wish. i can fulfill that for you

hahahahaha this is poo but i wanted to write sick luhan and this is what came out so yeah // not proofread