Work Text:
During the entirety of his classes, Yu Fan fought against the urge to let his head fall on his desk.
To put it simply, he was exhausted.
He’s always had a hard time sleeping at night, but with Chen Jingshen going home as soon as his last class ended, Yu Fan spent most nights talking to him on video call.
Yu Fan swore he would go home and take a nap as soon as the bell rang.
His friends had other plans, however.
Yu Fan was mid-yawn when he felt an arm wrap around his shoulders. Sending a murderous glare at the offender, he spoke in a low tone, “Keep your arm there if you want me to cut it off.”
After retracting his arm, Wang Lu’an said, “Yu Fan, let’s go to the internet cafe after class, Zuo Kuan is challenging us to another game. His ego is far too big after beating us last time. You’ll come with us to kick his ass, right?”
Yu Fan absentmindedly turned to look at the empty desk next to him. “Not going.”
Wang Lu’an moved to stand in front of him. “What? Why not?”
Yu Fan has had a pounding headache since he woke up that morning, Wang Lu’an’s loud voice only worsening it. His vision kept momentarily blurring, and his eyelids were getting heavier as the day went on. “Tired,” he mumbled in response.
“Just come with us! You won’t be tired after you play a few matches!” Wang Lu’an insisted. “Besides, you’ve been studying so hard. It’s good to reward yourself every now and then.”
Sighing, Yu Fan ran a hand through his hair. Knowing Wang Lu’an, he would not stop begging until Yu Fan agreed. Glaring at Wang Lu’an, he responded, “Fine. I’m not staying for long, though.”
Wang Lu’an smiled in response, “Great! You know we can’t beat him without you, Yu Fan.”
Yu Fan let out a yawn. “Of course I know.”
Against his better judgement, Yu Fan was walking towards the internet cafe closest to their school. Joined by Wang Lu’an, Zuo Kuan, and Zhang Xianjing, his headache was reaching unbearable levels of pain. The closer they got to the internet cafe, the louder Zuo Kuan and Wang Lu’an argued.
Just as he was about to threaten to cut their tongues off, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Yu Fan stopped walking when he saw the WeChat notification.
[S: Can we meet in your class?]
[-: Aren’t you going home?]
[S: No.]
“...”
[-: Wait for me.]
Wang Lu’an and Zuo Kuan, being too immersed in their boasting, didn’t notice Yu Fan quietly run back towards the school. Zhang Xianjing was in her own world, trying to get the perfect picture of the sky.
Once she snapped a decent photo, she realized Yu Fan hadn’t spoken a word since they left the school. Zhang Xianjing turned to him, but instead of Yu Fan, she was met with emptiness. “Hey, where did Yu Fan go?”
Hearing that, Wang Lu’an whipped around, “What the hell! Why’d he leave?!”
Yu Fan slowed his pace when he neared the familiar classroom. Realizing he was breathing excessively hard, he took a few deep breaths to get it under control. He then ran a hand through his messy hair, attempting to maintain his nonchalant image.
He entered the classroom to find Chen Jingshen sitting at his old desk, scribbling something on a lined piece of paper.
Hearing footsteps approaching, Chen Jingshen raised his head, and his gaze immediately landed on Yu Fan. He pulled out the chair next to him and sent Yu Fan a small smile.
The sight made Yu Fan’s stomach hurt.
Pretending as if he wasn’t on the verge of having heart palpitations, Yu Fan lightly scoffed and sat down. Propping his head on the palm of his hand, Yu Fan spoke, “Why didn’t your mom pick you up today?” He internally cursed when his words came out slightly breathless. Praying that Chen Jingshen didn’t notice, he turned his head away and cleared his throat.
Chen Jingshen’s eyebrow rose slightly. “She went to visit family. I told her I had homework to do.” He hesitated before asking, “Did you run?”
Yu Fan froze before turning to glare at Chen Jingshen. “Who ran? I only came because I was close by,” he lied.
Chen Jingshen’s smile widened. “Mn. Take out your homework, I’ll help you solve the problem we didn’t get to last night.”
For a minute, Yu Fan almost forgot about his prior exhaustion. Hearing the word “homework,” his headache returned in full force.
Sighing, he slumped in his seat and rested the back of his hand on his forehead. “Too tired. I’ll do it later.” His voice was slightly hoarse, forcing him to clear his throat again.
This caused a slight furrow to form between Chen Jingshen’s brows. “What’s wrong?”
Yu Fan shook his head, sensing Chen Jingshen’s rising worry. “Nothing. Just a headache,” he reassured.
Remembering the last time Yu Fan acted strangely, Chen Jingshen removed Yu Fan’s hand and replaced it with his own. Once he was satisfied with the temperature, his hand slid down to cup Yu Fan’s cheek.
“Chen Jingshen, what are you doing?” Yu Fan muttered. He considered slapping Chen Jingshen’s hand away, but it was cold and brought a small reprieve to his headache.
Instead of responding, Chen Jingshen leaned into Yu Fan’s space. Immediately, Yu Fan closed his eyes in anticipation.
With a small smile, Chen Jingshen began his examination. He noticed the dark circles under his boyfriend’s eyes. There wasn’t a day when Yu Fan didn’t have eyebags, but Chen Jingshen realized they looked darker.
Suddenly, he remembered how Yu Fan swayed slightly when he first came in.
Confused by Chen Jingshen’s silence, Yu Fan opened his eyes. He frowned and wore a questioning expression. Chen Jingshen leaned away and said, “Finish your homework now so you can sleep early tonight.”
Perhaps it was the lack of sleep, but for some reason, Yu Fan felt bothered by those words. He scoffed before turning his head away again, “What an amazing boyfriend you are, forcing me to do homework when we haven’t seen each other in a week. Do homework by yourself, I’m going.”
Before he could fully stand, he was pulled back down by his sleeve.
“I told you, I’m not—”
Chen Jingshen’s lips pressed against his, successfully silencing Yu Fan’s incoming tantrum. Before pulling away completely, Chen Jingshen peppered kisses all over Yu Fan’s face, starting with his cheeks, then his eyelids, then his forehead.
He pulled the chair Yu Fan was sitting on closer so that they were basically pressed up against each other. His hand lightly pushed Yu Fan’s head down so that it was resting on his shoulder.
“Sleep, Yu Fan.”
“Don’t tell me what to do.”
Regardless of his harsh words, Yu Fan obeyed Chen Jingshen. He closed his eyes and gradually began to relax. Chen Jingshen resumed his writing, his left hand captured by Yu Fan’s, and his right scribbling words onto the page. Yu Fan could faintly hear the scratching sounds of Chen Jingshen’s pencil, the sound growing quieter and quieter. Until finally, the world fell silent.