SECRET LOVE/// SULAY

twenty-two.

yixing and sehun stayed silent as they leant against the lockers besides the nurse's office. both were crying, junmyeon having moved them to tears.

"get some sleep, kid," youngjae told junmyeon softly.

"i can't," junmyeon cried, "i can't sleep- i have to work, jae, otherwise he's gonna ship me off to some medical school, and i'll spend the rest of my life hating what i do-"

"easy, easy," youngjae told him, voice still soft, "you have all of forever to work, junmyeon. just sleep for an hour."

"o-okay," junmyeon agreed after a moment of silence, "just an hour, though..."

sehun and yixing quietly cried, waiting there for a few minutes so they could collect themselves.

"you boys gonna stand there all day or are you going to come in?" youngjae asked them. sehun walked in, and yixing followed but then stopped at the door.

"you coming?" sehun asked him. he stared at junmyeon, who was sleeping on a bed in the corner. he shook his head.

"i want to," yixing said, eyes filling with tears, "but i can't."

sehun glared at him through watery eyes, having enough sense to realize that something happened between junmyeon and yixing over the weekend, "then leave. go to your cheerleader girlfriend, tell her you love her."

sehun shut the door, yixing having to slightly step back quickly to avoid getting hit by it. yixing just wiped his eyes, turned around, and walked away. he somehow ended up the gymnasium. it was coach wang's free period, and he was just sitting at the bleachers while staring at the ceiling. yixing sat next to him.

"you have class," coach wang said. yixing shook his head.

"don't lecture me now, coach," yixing said. coach wang glanced to him.

"what's up, yixing?" coach wang asked him.

"i'm confused, coach," yixing said. jackson looked at him.

"aren't you always?" he asked. yixing sighed.

"more than usual," yixing said, "i think i'm starting to like this guy."

"oh? didn't know you swung that way, kid," jackson said.

"don't tease me," yixing said. coach wang frowned.

"i'm not," he said, "there's nothing wrong with it. i myself am pansexual- i've started to see that mark tuan guy."

"the coach of that daegu team?" yixing frowned, "isn't that like... conflict of interest?"

"shut up," jackson rolled his eyes, "so, what's the deal with this guy?"

"i don't know why he's got me feeling like this," yixing shook his head, "it's so sudden, so quick. i've never liked a guy before- and now out of nowhere i'm thinking 'he's cute' or 'he's smart' and stuff like that. i've never thought that about anyone before."

"you have a girlfriend," coach wang rolled his eyes.

"yeah, but i date her because it's only right for the head cheerleader and captain of the football team to go out," yixing said, "you know that."

"yeah, i figured. she's kind of annoying," coach wang laughed. yixing looked at him.

"i'm being serious here, coach," yixing said, "i don't know what to do."

"well, you said you're just starting to like this guy," coach wang said, "kid, it's the beginning of november. you have all the time in the world to fall in love with this guy. take it slow, you can't rush a good thing."

"so you think this could be a good thing?" yixing asked.

"yeah, i do," coach wang nodded, looking back at the ceiling, "you need a smart guy. maybe he'll clue you in on all the stuff that passes by you."

"gee, thanks," yixing said sarcastically. jackson smiled slightly.

"you're welcome. now, it's time i ask your advice on something," coach wang said, "this minho guy-"

"he can choke," yixing said.

"he's your best friend," coach wang frowned. yixing shrugged.

"doesn't mean i like him," yixing replied. coach wang stared at him.

"yeah, kid, you need something real in your life. you're popular but all of your friends are fake. that'll get you nowhere," coach wang said, "anyways, as i was saying. this minho guy- he's been picking on that junmyeon kid for far too long. i'd hit him myself if i weren't a teacher here. i'm thinking of kicking him off of the team."

"you can't. not right before championships. he sucks, and i hate him," yixing said, "but he's a somewhat good player."

"i think you could carry his weight," coach wang said, "you're a football god."

"yeah, probably. better to play it safe, though. besides, we wouldn't have enough guys on the team," yixing said, "i don't wanna use the backups cause they're not that good since they don't get a lot of playing time."

"yeah, i suppose you're right," jackson nodded, "hate him, though."

"no kidding," yixing nodded, "i'm always right when it comes to football. that's a good thing, since i'm wrong about almost everything else."

"yeah, you're right," jackson nodded, "you're clueless. don't know how junmyeon likes you- oh, shit-"

"i know, coach. who the hell did you think i was talking about before?" yixing sighed. coach wang gasped.

"wait, really? you and junmyeon-"

"god, and you say i'm the clueless one."