off limits ✧ zb1 applyfic

✧ one hundred

Haewon always liked to make plans for the day, and once they were made, she certainly didn’t like them to change. Today, she was supposed to go over to Hao's house so they could study together, the best way they'd found to spend time with each other despite their busy schedules. But just yesterday, he'd called her asking if they could study over at her house instead, and his voice had sounded so tense she hadn’t dared ask why. Now, this wasn’t a change in plans she minded so much; it was miles better than to have to cancel altogether. But she couldn’t deny being just a little intrigued by the reasons for it. It seemed there was some tension in the Zhang household, more than there usually was. And maybe it was her fault.

Well, it was hard to focus on all that, when Haewon was suffering from the worst headache she'd ever had. While Hao was reading, lying on her bed, she sat at her desk, bent over a thick textbook in which all the words blurred. It had been her intention to slowly get back into her studying rhythm so she would be prepared for her return to California, but it seemed she'd somewhat neglected the "slowly" part. And now here she was, barely able to concentrate on a single thing, even though it felt like her life depended on it.

"God," she grumbled, covering her face with her hand. Even the light hurt her eyes. "My head hurts so bad."

Hao closed his book slightly so he could look over it and at her. "I have painkillers in my bag, you can take one if you need."

Desperate for a reprieve from the pain, Haewon swiveled in her chair to find his bag. He'd left it just at her door, yet in that instant, it felt like it was an entire kilometer away. Still, painkillers were certainly not something she could forgo when she hurt so much. Her eyes narrowed, she rose from her chair, and took a step towards the door.

A step was all it took for the world to start spinning around her, as stars colored her entire vision. She grabbed at her head, tried to will away the dizziness, but all she could do was yelp as her body lost its balance, and she felt herself sway from side to side. If it hadn’t been for Hao throwing his book to the side and jumping to his feet, Haewon was sure she would've fallen.

"Woah there," he said as he steadied her with both hands. "You okay?"

"Ugh, I just stood up too quickly. It's fine."

Hao didn’t seem convinced. His eyebrows furrowed, he put a hand on her forehead, before wincing. "Are you kidding? I think you have a fever."

Now that he said it, Haewon had been filling awfully chilly, and any time she'd tried to write notes down, the letters had been shakier than if she'd written them with her left hand. She'd definitely overdone it, but what else could she do than power through? She let out a sigh, and took a step back towards her chair, but Hao's hand did not let go of her wrist. He tugged on her arm firmly, his gaze hardening.

"Hey, no. You need to rest. Let's get you to bed."

She shook her head with the little strength she still had, but in her state, there was no combating Hao as he pulled her towards the bed. "But I really need to study..."

He sat her down, pulling the covers back before her complaints registered. Then, he looked at her with a raised eyebrow, and Haewon felt herself shrink under his examination. She couldn’t quite tell if he was making sure she was okay, or if he was thoroughly judging her for her lack of self-care.

"Uh huh. And how much have you been studying, exactly?"

Haewon felt a little bit of warmth travel to her cheeks, as she averted her eyes. "Well, I had some stuff to finish, so I kind of pulled an all-nighter..."

Hao said absolutely nothing as he helped her lie down in her bed — or rather, stopped her from attempting to sit up. He pulled the blanket over, covering her chin, and tucked it under her mattress, as if he was making sure she couldn’t get out of bed even if she wanted to. Then, he closed the blinds just enough for the light not to burn Haewon's corneas right off, and she heaved a sigh of relief. She watched, this time more comfortably, as he ran to his bag and rummaged through it, pulling out the coveted painkillers she'd almost broken her face over just a minute ago.