High School Sweethearts | SVT

𝚃𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚎 𝙼𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝙴𝚗𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜

After that, Joshua didn't know how to approach Jeonghan again. The rest of the day, once Joshua was allowed to leave the Nurse's Office, Joshua hadn't talked to him. Whenever they passed each other, Joshua couldn't find his words. It was always Jeonghan who initiated a conversation. But there were three main encounters they had in one day after the incident. Those encounters, from Joshua's perspective, was how he was able to create a small bond with Jeonghan.

The first was when they were passing each other to their last class. Joshua slung his bag on the right side, the side that didn't face Minseok as his left did, and held his folder. He was feeling sore, aching from his head and back. As he walked through the hall, he saw Jeonghan, but with Seungcheol and a boy who was making a fuss over him. Jeonghan looked bashful, trying to calm the male while Seungcheol shook his head. But Jeonghan spotted Joshua, who tightened his grip on his folder and strap of his bag.

Joshua attempted to say something to him, maybe a "Hello," or "How are you?" but it never came out. It was as if he lost his voice, or his mouth refused to move. But Jeonghan was the one who spoke to him, stopping in front of him. Joshua noticed his left arm was still hanging loose at his side, still limp. 

"Hey, Joshua," Jeonghan grinned warmly. "How are you feeling?" Joshua gulped as Seungcheol stood at Jeonghan's side, taller by an inch. He was different up close, almost threatening. His other friend was short with a round face, and his hair was slightly messy and dark brown. He was younger, in Joshua's opinion, maybe a sophomore or freshman.

"Sore and aching," Joshua replied, "But I'm fine. Uh, you?"

"I feel the same," Jeonghan answered, his left hand twitched again, only to relax. "It's been a bother, but that's all. But I'm glad you're up and about for your last class," Joshua nodded, smiling awkwardly. "How's your head?"

"Ponding," Joshua replied, but he saw Jeonghan's eyes flicker with worry, quickly adding, "But I've taken something for it before I left," He reassured. Jeonghan studied him, slowly nodding as if he was confirming something about Joshua. 

"If you feel a migraine or something, go back to the nurse's office for it, or drink water," Jeonghan said.

"I will. Same for you. Especially your..." Joshua trailed off, causing Jeonghan to laugh, nodding. 

"My hand," Jeonghan finished, "I don't think there is much we can do for it. I'll have it checked when I go home, but, I appreciate the thought,"

"Jeonghan," Seungcheol interrupted. Joshua felt uncomfortable, seeing Seungcheol's eyes narrow despite smiling. "We should go. We still have our last class,"

"Ah, right!" Jeonghan patted Joshua's shoulder. "I'll see you next time, Joshua," 

The second time Joshua encountered Jeonghan was when he left class, heading to the bathroom. His head throbbed, making it hard for him to focus. When he entered the bathroom, holding his water bottle, he found Jeonghan just standing there in front of the sink mirror. He held his left hand with his right, eyeing it. He looked as if he wasn't present with himself, fiddling with the bandage but didn't pull it off. Joshua was hesitant, wondering if it was best to leave Jeonghan alone. But after considering what happened with him, Jeonghan, and his friends, the best thing was to make sure he was okay. 

He took a step forward, but before he took another one, Jeonghan had lowered his head, closing his eyes.

"You should know," Jeonghan said, lifting his head and glancing towards Joshua, "You have the habit of just staring at me,"

Joshua flushed. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to seem like-"

"And you have the habit to panic when I notice, scrambling for an explanation," Jeonghan cut off, a smile tugging on his lips, "Sometimes, you don't need to explain. I already know," Jeonghan added, looking into the mirror. "Let me take a guess," Jeonghan used the mirror to look at Joshua, who quickly looked down to the tiled floor. "You didn't feel well and thought going to the bathroom would be the perfect refuge, but you found me. Am I right?"