The Invasion (Part 2 of the KaiSoo Fanfic Series)

Chapter 14

As Asher sits silently at his desk, the only thought that runs through his mind is Hanjae. It's not even a thought really. It's more like a whole other entity that now lives within his mind. He's trying not to make it too obvious that his mind is somewhere other than where it should be so that no one will report him for suspicious behavior, but so far, that's proven to be more difficult than anticipated.

He doesn't really see Hanjae much around the school building during the learning day, at least not as much as he'd like to. They're in separate classes, Asher being in class 14 and Hanjae in 12, so the only time throughout the day they're able to catch glimpses of each other is during their afternoon meal in the lunch sub-building. Even with that, though, all the young children must stay seated with their classes, so a glimpse is, quite literally, the only interaction they have during the learning day. This disheartens Asher a lot, but it's not like there's anything he can do to change it. He's already got close eyes on him just by being the brother of a criminal.

On one particular day, however, things aren't as routine as they usually are for Asher. Originally, it was just supposed to be a study period for him since he's usually the first to finish his afternoon meal, but as he's beginning to find out, everything changes when Hanjae comes dashing into the picture.

The elder male pulls Asher into the classroom and quickly shuts the door behind them without letting go of his hand. Slightly breathless, Asher looks at Hanjae in confusion and asks, "What was that for?"

"Sorry," Hanjae replies in between breaths, bending halfway down for a moment in an attempt to catch his breath. "I would have said something earlier, but I couldn't get the chance to and I missed you and I just had to see you."

At this, Asher's cheeks can't help but flush a faint shade of red. "Well, you could have just told me that in the hall," he says, trying to cover up the fact that his heart is on the verge of beating right out of his chest. "You didn't have to waste all your energy on pulling me in here to tell me you missed me."

"Yeah, but you're worth it," Hanjae says in response, making Asher go coy for the second time in a matter of seconds. Hanjae smiles and chuckles at the adorable sight of a flustered Asher before walking over to him, loosely cupping his face in his hands and kissing him. "Plus," he begins to add as he pulls back, "I really wanted to do that, so missing you wasn't my only reason." Asher just smiles at this and lets Hanjae peck his lips once more. "You know something," he says as he walks away and starts to run his hands down the silver, touch-screen desktops, "it wasn't until I met you that I realize how much I hate this place."

"What do you mean?" Asher asks. "You mean school?"

"Well, yeah, but this place in general," he says, turning around so that he can see Asher but continuing to move. "Before when it was just me, I didn't mind it so much because I figured that it'd all be over once Xiumin came back for me or I found a way to escape myself. But then I met you and I really started to like you and now that I hardly get to see you during the day besides at night, I think I hate this place more than I did before." He chuckles, the sound coming out as a huff, and glances down at his shoes as he swipes them across the floor. "I didn't even think that was possible."

Asher can't resist the temptation to smile. "Is that supposed to be your version of a compliment or some sort of confession?" he asks teasingly. "Cause if it is, your flirting techniques need some real improvement."

Hanjae laughs out loud, throwing his head back for a moment. "You can't even say that," he retorts, pointing his index finger at Asher as he loops around a desk and begins to walk back toward him. "You don't even know what flirting is, do you?"

"I do, too!" Asher protests. "Jongin read me a story about it once. I remember because it was when he first started really liking someone and wanted them to like him back."