A/N: *This chapter is also in 3^rd person. I've gotten some reader feedback that third person is better, so maybe I'll just continue in this pov? (or not?)

Ahri is one hell of a heavy sleeper, and that’s not even the weirdest part of her sleeping habits.

She’s always had this tendency to latch onto things during her sleep. It could be a stuffed animal, a pillow, or even Seungcheol’s arm in this situation, as long as something’s in her grasp, it’ll work. It’s pretty strange -- and Ahri admits this, but it’s harmless. Or so far, at least.

Thankfully, Ahri’s internal clock is reasonable enough to wake her up. It is now ten minutes before eight, and Ahri tugs the object in her hands right as her eyelids flutter apart. Her vision is still blurry with images of last night’s homework, which happened to be the main subject of her dreams (besides a certain sick boy and his crazy antics). There was a moment of peace, just a brief second before Ahri’s brain gradually read the situation around her.

She is no longer in front of Seungcheol’s desk.

Ahri had no time to digest reality when a sudden weight drops across her torso. Her eyes snap wide open, and gazing down, she began to make out what looks like another human’s arm hugging her own body. Interestingly, the first thought that crossed her mind was the reassurance that this was probably just some strange dream. Besides, why else would this ‘pillow’ behind her breathe on her neck?

Ahri made the unfortunate decision to turn around. And then, there was a short, deadly silence before her brain completely shatters. An unattractive squeal ripped from Ahri’s throat as she hastily pushed herself away from what is probably another human. And there, she tumbles off the bed in the most ungraceful fashion ever.

Seungcheol jolts awake, first by a scream, then by a shove against his chest. He’s still barely conscious though, but that initial confusion immediately dissipates when the first thing he sees is Ahri sprawled on the carpet.

“Hey, are you-”

Seungcheol cuts off, right as reality kicks him in the face. Really badly.

As far as he could tell, this wasn’t your usual ty wakeup call. He can already feel the panic overwhelming him, and never has he wanted to jump into explanations this badly. At the same time however, he’s totally brain-dead and really, really scared. He obviously knew this was coming, but where the hell should he even begin now that it’s actually happening? He knows for a fact that no amount of truths can justify how he ended up in the same bed as her.

 “Seungcheol…” Ahri’s voice was low, yet that was enough to send chills straight down his back. “What…is going on?”

Ahri tries to sit herself up, and the silence from both sides is making things more awkward by the second. Her gaze remained glued to the carpet, and as it always has been whenever Seungcheol’s around, her calm exterior does not match with what’s going on inside her head.

Seungcheol’s throat never felt so dry. He tried clearing it a few times before inching back towards the headboard.

“Uh…first let me explain this…” He began, eyes fixed on her figure. “Nothing happened, we um…we both fell asleep, that’s all.”

Ahri slowly lifts her head, yet in that terribly timed moment, she made the weirdest observation. For someone who just woke up, Seungcheol somehow looks a little too good. But what she didn’t know is that Seungcheol wondered the same thing about her. He cannot grasp how a person who just fell off a bed can actually still look this adorable. But this isn’t a good time question any of that.

Seungcheol would have cracked a joke or two by now, but given the insane awkwardness in the air, he knew his crappy explanation was nowhere near enough.

“Ok um…” He clears his throat, preparing to try again.

“So last night, I woke up somewhere around midnight, and I saw you had fallen asleep on my desk.” He began, trying to sound as convincing as possible.

“And I thought it must be uncomfortable for you, so I tried to wake you up.”

Ahri cringed, and sadly, she can already guess where the rest of the story is going. It’s all going to be more embarrassing from this point on.

“But…you didn’t wake up, and I tried multiple times too.” Seungcheol lets out a dry laugh, only to instantly regret after noticing the troubled look on Ahri’s face.

This isn’t the first time Ahri wanted to bury herself in a hole. She never imagined that out of every person on this planet, Seungcheol would be the one (besides her parents) to witness her wacky sleeping behavior.

“And then um…” He continues, “I carried you here, and I was about to leave, but then you-”

“Sorry.” Ahri blurts, dropping her head just enough to hide the color on her face. Although ‘sorry’ wasn’t the exact word she had in mind, she might actually be embarrassed to death if Seungcheol kept going.

Seungcheol’s jaws went slack. Of course, he wasn’t expecting such a response, not to mention such a tame response. His heart was ready for Ahri to cuss him out, which is why it’s taking him longer than usual to comprehend. Slowly but surely, he’s starting to realize this entire situation is somehow more embarrassing for her than it is for himself. The guilt is still there nonetheless, but seeing Ahri’s desperate attempts to keep herself together is definitely turning the tables.

Ahri is drowning in shame. Sure, what she did might not seem that bad, but for a girl whose sleeping habit is the epitome of her self-consciousness, this was the worst of the worst. But still, Ahri also knew how pointless it is to keep moping on the carpet. Might as well get over it and pray that someday, time will erase this from her memory.

“Let’s just…forget about this whole thing.” Ahri sighs, still disoriented as she pushes herself off the carpet floor.

Seungcheol kept a curious glance at Ahri before his lips curled into a smile. He knew that learning new facts about Ahri is, and has always been, a blessing. And the fact that it even worked out in his favor is truly a miracle.

As inappropriate and as it is, Seungcheol felt his confident, usual self returning.

“That’s easy for you to say.” He exhales, tossing the blanket off himself. He looks up, just in time to catch her gaze. And there, he puts on his best smirk before winking at her. “I’ll be remembering this for a long time.”

Ahri’s jaw drops, and her expression promptly shifts from shock to horror.

Seungcheol pushes himself off the bed, still maintaining that same look on his face.

“You were a real sweetheart last night.” He bites his lip, in contrast to Ahri’s now look of disgust.

“And…the way you held onto me in bed was so-”

“Ugh! I’m leaving.” Ahri yelps before stomping towards the door. However, Seungcheol moves just in time and swiftly places himself before the entrance.

“Whoa! What’s the hurry?” He chuckles, even though he clearly knows he shouldn’t. Ahri wishes she could just glare him to death, but her usual willpower isn’t here right now. The only thing she can manage is to mentally scream in agony.

Seungcheol knows he’s just being an . But it’s hard to fight the temptation when Ahri’s like this. Her continuous attempt to cover her flustered cheeks is really urging him to pinch them. Or even kiss them.

But that’s besides the point.

Seungcheol hovers slightly towards her, folding his arms in the process. “Hey…look, is it that bad?”

Ahri froze for a moment, then lets out a long sigh. “If you were in my shoes, you’d want to die.”

Seungcheol chuckles, and raises both hands in amusement. “Jeez, if you’re that embarrassed, then I’ll take your word for it.”

A tiny spark of hope suddenly lights up in Ahri’s eyes. “So you’ll forget about this.”

Seungcheol smiles and leans back against the door frame. “As your trustworthy best friend, I promise to keep all of this between us.”

Ahri deadpans, but puts up a semi-sarcastic grin. “Oh great! I appreciate th-” She froze midsentence, just as her eyes read the clock above the door frame.

“Seungcheol…” She whispers, terror growing in her stomach. “Is today…Friday?”

Seungcheol’s brows furrow. “Yeah, I think-”

Then it hits him. A matching terrified expression crawls onto his face as he quickly turns to the clock. Today’s Friday. They have school. It is now 8:30. They are late.

No words were needed at this point. Ahri immediately sprinted out the room to find her backpack while Seungcheol raced to his closet to find his uniform. Despite the massive panic once again, Ahri concludes that this morning is more or less, a complete train wreck.

---

“Psst. Hey.” Jeonghan whispers, quickly reaching over to tap Mingyu’s desk.

The tall boy jolts from his doze. “Hmm? What?” Mingyu slurs.

“Where’s Coups? And more importantly, where’s Ahri?” Jeonghan was well aware of Ahri’s perfect attendance, since she was never one to ditch class.

Mingyu glanced back, noting the two empty seats. “Having more fun than us, probably.” Mingyu chuckles with a shrug.

Just as Jeonghan sighs, the door promptly flies open, shifting everyone’s attention to what seems like two sluggish figures standing outside. Jeonghan squints, only to feel his jaws falling as Ahri and Seungcheol step in, who both look like they just rolled down a giant hill.

“Look who decides to show up.” Ms. Choi hissed, lowering the chalk in her hand. “See me in my office. There will be consequences.”

Maybe she’s just too tired, but Ahri isn’t as shaken as she anticipated, even with the math teacher’s wrath draining on her. It could however, be that she’s used to getting in trouble with Seungcheol. And being besides him feels oddly relieving for once.

Still, neither of them spoke a word as they’re now standing within Ms. Choi’s confinement. If there’s one thing Ahri has learned about this teacher, it’s her utter hatred for tardy students.

“Choi Seungcheol.” The teacher spat, shifting her glare to the boy. “This is your second unexcused absence. One more and you’re off your sports team.”

Ahri caught the visible grimace on Seungcheol’s face, and somehow she’s just as startled.

“And Shin Ahri.” The woman sighs. “I don’t know how you got tangled in this mess, but you’ll be held accountable as well.”

Ahri bows her head in a slow nod, finally sensing the long-awaited dread washing over.

“You’ve been grading paper after school right? That will be extended one more week.” Ms. Choi states, then swiftly turns to Seungcheol again.

“And you.” She huffs. “Classroom cleaning. Every morning until the rest of the semester. That’ll stop you from being late.”

Seungcheol lets out the longest internal sigh. Morning cleanup and after school practice? He might as well just sleep at school.

But something else is bothering him, and that has to do with Ahri. If she’s grading for another week, that means…she can’t go to his final game. And frankly that sounds more depressing than mopping classrooms every day.

Even on their way back to class, Ahri notices the obvious frown on his lips.

“Hey.” She nudges him, “Are you…okay?”

Seungcheol groans as he turns to her. “You’re working another week.” He sounds defeated. “How are you gonna come to my game?”

Ahri froze for a good second. That’s what he’s depressed about?

“Yah, I’d be more worried about not getting kicked off the team.” She scoffs, yet simultaneous resisting a chuckle.

“What’s the point of playing if you’re not going?” He ruffles his hair. “I’d just lose anyways.”

“Don’t say that.” She retorts, shoving him lightly. “I’ll be cheering for you in spirit.”

“But what if we still lose.” Seungcheol pouts, giving her those dramatic puppy eyes.

“Then…” Ahri hums, “You can come crying to me.” She muses with a bit of sarcasm.

Seungcheol chuckles and throws an arm around her shoulder. “Sounds good. Maybe I should lose on purpose then.”

“Yah!” She feels the fluttering in her stomach. “Take this more seriously.”

“I am serious.” He states, gazing at her. “About you.”

Ahri’s heart is suddenly thrown off course again, and the internal fluttering only worsened as she tried to gather a response. But with her mind has gone completely empty, and she was stuck in a daze until another voice suddenly echoes down the hall.

“Yo captain!”

Her head snaps up, seeing an excited Mingyu waving from afar.

“It’s gym class, we gotta go!”

Seungcheol releases his hand from her shoulder, flashing a smile as he steps away. “I’ll see you later.”

Ahri could only stare in silence, eyes following his moving figure. Her thoughts are still a wreck, but she did catch something. Lord knows she might just be hallucinating again, but the color on Seungcheol’s cheeks just now seemed a lot rosier than usual.

Her gaze couldn’t leave him. And just before catching up with the other boy, Seungcheol looks back, saluting Ahri with a wink before turning back again.

A/N: A billion apologies for everyone who's been waiting, I'm sure many of you are sick of hearing my excuses so I'll just leave it that hahaha. Some of you might know that I was recently slain by Monsta X's comeback, which is one reason why this fic was delayed. (Shameless plug time! If anyone stans a loser named WONHOE I just stared a fic about him here, it's a criminal x federal agent AU.) Thanks for reading!