ZB1/ZeroBaseOne Oneshots

Stuck | Hao x Matthew

Why hasn't he gone home yet?

Hao took flickered side glances from his laptop, to the man sitting one row in front of him. The digital clock at the corner of his screen reading 22:59. He brings his gaze back to his story, but his focus remained elsewhere. He didn't mind staying here all night, as long as he wasn't the first one to go home. He would have thought the man would buckle first, but from how his word count kept going up, it was evident he didn't have any plans of leaving yet.

-- Year 1 of University: The first day of class --

The classroom was dark when Zhang Hao arrived, but he wasn't surprised, considering it was two hours before his class was supposed to start. He had always been an over achiever, and that wasn't going to change now he was in university. He wanted to be the first person in that classroom, because there was no person who wanted to succeed more than him.

He picked out a seat in the second row, this way he could hear the lecturer clearly, but not look too eager. He was determined to make a good impression today. Excitement was coursing through his body, he could barely sit still; he pulled out his essay from his backpack and read it over for the hundredth time. The lecturer had assigned all his literature students to write an essay about the most impactful book they had ever read, and Hao had spent all summer preparing it. He literally poured his heart and soul into this essay, it was practically his baby.

He takes a glance down at his watch, noticing that only ten minutes had passed. Since he still had a lot of time before class, he puts his essay down neatly, slips his back pack under the desk, and heads to the bathroom.

By the time he comes back, the lights had been switched on. He furrows his brows, knowing that he had only been gone for five minutes, surely the lecturer wasn't here yet. As soon as he walks into the classroom, he see's a boy sitting there, three seats along from his seat. The boy looked quite cute, with soft features, thin rimmed glasses and a head of brown hair. Hao assumed they'd probably get along well, since he looked friendly, and had arrived early like him.

Before greeting, Hao fixes his hair, and adjusts the collar of his shirt. "Good morning!" He plasters on a charming smile, strolling along the desk towards the boy.

The boy looks up, instantly smiling. "Morning! I didn't expect to see anyone else here this early."

"I guess we're pretty similar." Hao chuckles. "I'm Zhang Hao." He says, as he reaches his seat, waiting for the boy to introduce himself before he sits down. 

"Seok Matthew." He replies.

Hao nods with a smile, then turns to his desk, his lips suddenly falling open and his eyes widening. His essay was gone. His heart beat doubled it's pace; it was like sirens were blaring through his head. He could barely think straight, staring at the empty desk in front of him. This couldn't be happening, he couldn't lose his essay.

His eyes dart around the room frantically, but he couldn't see anything other than Matthew, who was innocently reading a book. Of course he suspected Matthew, he was the only person who had been in this room, but he couldn't accuse him so unfairly. From his experience of dealing with assholes in high school, Hao had a feeling he knew where his essay could have ended up. Without saying a word, he walks down to the teachers desk, making a b line for the bin beside it.

His heart drops to the bottom of his stomach, when he sees a single balled up piece of paper lying in there. He pulls it out, and opens it up, realizing that it was in fact his essay. A fiery rage surges through him, as his eyes scan over each crumple and tear; this couldn't have been an accident.