˗ˏˋ sickly in love ; gyuricky

# - vii.

IT'S NOT THAT RICKY'S been avoiding gyuvin, he just hasn't had the energy to respond to the boy like before, most of it spent on coughing his lungs out.

gyuvin confronted ricky after receiving his cold shoulder for the past two days of school.

"you're as dry as you are on text!"

"how am i dry?" ricky asked, not sparing a glance to the brunette just behind him.

"your answers are like- they're short, and there's no emotion. 'do you understand anything?' 'yes.' 'are you free this weekend?' 'no.' oh, or when i gave you your strawberry latte this morning, and you just said 'thanks.'" gyuvin complained, mimicking the blonde in a lower pitch.

"what do you want me to say then?"

"i don't know - just reply with more emotion! school's already boring, but your monotone replies really make it worse. you're still as friendly with everyone else, why are you like this with me?"

had he really been treating gyuvin differently? ricky didn't notice. maybe he had been, but the scene from that friday night never left his mind, playing whenever he closed his eyes.

"did i do something wrong?"

that line really made ricky feel terrible. he looked at the boy who pouted at him, looking like a sad little puppy. ricky couldn't help but giggle at the sight.

"why are you laughing?" gyuvin asked in confusion, but his face visibly brightened at ricky's not-dry reaction.

"you look like a sad little puppy right now." gyuvin rolled his eyes.

"maybe i am a sad little puppy."

ricky shook his head in disbelief at gyuvin's behaviour. is this guy really a six-foot sixteen year old?

the two boys made their way back to class and sat at their seats. ricky pulled out a handkerchief and coughed into it.

maybe he has a fever or something, this cough's dragged out through the weekend since the spring formal, and he's been spluttering and hacking out coughs so much to the point he had to bring a handkerchief to cover his mouth when he did.

"you good, ricky? you've been coughing since yesterday," jungwon said.

"i'm fine, just a little cough."

"you should drink some medicine for that," gyuvin says. "your throat must be sore."

"do you have some of your dad's cough syrup? i have some at home if you like," jingxiang joined in.

"yes please, just a bottle. i'll ask my dad to send me some."

"wait, what's all this talk about your dad?" gyuvin asked.

"you didn't tell him?" jingxiang asked ricky in surprise. ricky shook his head. "oh. well, his dad owns one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world."

"really?" jungwon asked.

"yes. jingxiang's family also works closely with mine. it's a business that's been going on for many generations."

"wow, that's so cool! so that's why you're so rich."

"but i thought your dad was moved to another country for work?" gyuvin asked jingxiang.

"yeah, my fathers position requires us to move around quite a bit."

"wow, you guys have so much history - literally," gyuvin thinks out loud.

🌹🌹🌹

  ricky's spending another lunch with hiyyih instead of his usual friend group, under the pretence of helping her with physics work.