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A double update? Yes. Ya'll welcome btw.
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Sicheng knocked on the door labelled 'Principal's Office' twice. His hand was slightly shaking, but he tried to ease his nerves. He'd been called by the Principal before too; for asking him to volunteer a campaign or for praising the Chinese's excellent grades. Maybe he'd been called for getting an academic scholarship.
He just hoped so.
Hearing a 'come in' from inside, the student twisted the gold-coloured doorknob and took a small step inside. What he saw inside made his blood run cold.
Yuta sitting in front of Principal Lee's desk, his head hung low.
Head hung low.
That and calling Sicheng here could only mean one thing. Fuck.
"Have a seat, Mr. Dong," The Principal said, his hand gesturing to the seat beside Yuta, his voice and face blank, making it difficult for the youngest to read him.
Sicheng looked at the Japanese beside him, Yuta now looking at him, an emotion in his eyes that the younger couldn't exactly pinpoint.
"It has come to my attention that both of you have been involved in some frivolous affair," Principal Lee started, "And since I'm being informed about this after nearly seven months, I might have to take some serious steps."
The student's eyes widened at his superior's words, his mouth opening and closing like a fish, his head pounding and his heart in a frenzy, making it difficult for him to breathe. He looked at Yuta, his face conveying 'did you know about this?' to his lover, but the older just kept his face blank.
The oldest opened his drawer and took out a few photos.
The exactly same ones Ji-ah had used to blackmail Yuta.
"This," Principal Lee said, his voice hard but calm, "Do you both have anything to say about this?" Hearing no one saying anything, the Principal clasped his hands together, "If you both don't have anything to say, then I'm very sorry to say this: Mr. Nakamoto is fired, and you, Mr. Dong, are expelled--"
"No wait!" Yuta spoke up after a long time, his hands coming to clutch Sicheng's under the table, "Fire me, Mr. Lee. But you can't expel Sicheng! You can't lose such a valuable student. I'm sure a few weeks of suspension is the suitable punishment for him. Please don't expel him, you can't do that to him!"
The youngest looked at the Japanese, gaping at what he had just said. "What do you mean 'fire me'? What will happen to you after this?" He asked, surprise and worry lacing his tone, forgetting that he was in a Principal's office.
Not paying heed to his lover's words, Yuta continued pleading, "Please, Mr.Lee, please. Don't expel him, please. Fire me, but don't end his dreams here."
The Principal pondered over the professor's words for a few minutes before nodding his head, "Fine. As Mr. Nakamoto said, I'll be firing him and Mr. Dong is suspended for three weeks. I'll keep this low, don't worry, but I'm very disappointed in both of you. I never expected this to happen."
🍀
"What did you mean by 'fire me'?!" Sicheng shouted when the couple got home, "What are you going to do now? Teaching was your dream, your passion! And now you're fired, Yuta! Fired! I could've been expelled, I could've joined another college! But you can't! Not after the report he's given you!"
"Hey, hey, Petal. Calm down, okay? Everything's gonna be okay, it'll all fall back in place," Yuta said, standing in front of Sicheng, both his hands on his shoulders, "We both knew this would come, right Petal?"
Sicheng sat on the couch, his shoulder sagging, tears running down his cheeks, "B-but this w-was y-your dream," he hiccuped, trying to wipe the relentless fall of his tears, "A-and I ruined e-everything f-for y-you."
"Oh, Petal, don't beat yourself up over this," Yuta came to sit beside the younger, hugging him tightly, "You didn't do anything, baby. None of this was your fault."
"I-if I'd been m-more cautious of everything, t-then t-this w-wouldn't have h-happened," The younger cried, his hand clutching the fabric of Yuta's shirt.
"It's my fault too, I should've been more cautious too. Now, what's done is done, right Petal?" Yuta said, his voice calm and soothing.
The younger just cried harder.
The older's heart ached at the sight of his lover crying. It wasn't Sicheng's fault, none of this was. The younger really shouldn't be beating himself up over this.
Yuta gently lifted the younger's face, "Listen Petal, it's not your fault. None of this is, and don't bother yourself with this. And seeing you cry makes me cry too. Don't cry, baby, I can't take it when you're sad."
Sicheng stopped crying, and instead he looped his arms around the older's neck and buried his face in his neck. I'm sorry," he mumbled, his voice coming out muffled.
"I'm sorry too, Petal," Yuta said, his thumb rubbing circles on the younger's back, "Now, shall we order take-out and watch some movies?"
