Characters: Lu Han/Reader
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His eyes are squeezed shut, his breathing shallow. His fists were tight around the bed sheets and he whimpers. A single tear slips from his eye and he sniffs.
Then, a gentle hand brushes it away, their fingers lingering on his cheek. Luhan would have opened his eyes to see who was there, but the pain was too much and he passes out.
A groan erupts behind you and you flinch, dropping your pen on the desk. You almost forgot you weren't alone. Standing from your seat, you walk over to the mattress and look down at your patient. Well, not your patient, but your trainer's patient. You worked part-time at a high school- the same one you were attending- as the school nurse's assistant. She often left you alone, since you were capable of doing things yourself, so you were used to it.
Luhan-- you think that's what his name was, you'd seen him around school before- shifts, so that his body was facing you. He'd been getting sent here a lot recently because of his lung problems, but you'd never had the chance to talk to him because he would sleep the whole time you were on shift.
Sitting on the bed next you him, you nearly fall over when he gasps. His eyes squeeze tight and his hands shoot out to grasp the blanket. You realize he was in pain as a tear slips from his eye. You gently wipe it away, and for a moment, you think he's going to open his eyes, but he goes limp and his breathing goes back to normal.
Afraid he would have another outburst, you carefully place his hands on his stomach and soothingly rub his chest. A serene expression falls on his face and he reaches up, gripping your wrist softly.
Normally, you would have blushed and pulled away, but you were on the job and didn't want your emotions getting in the way. You continue this until the head nurse walks in to take over.
Luhan wakes up a half hour later, his energy replenished and he brings his legs over the side of the bed. The nurse turns and looks at him. "You're awake, good." She says, standing. She walks over to him and places her stethoscope on his chest. "Breathe in." Not fully awake yet, he complies and takes in a long breath. "Breathe out." She nods, satisfied and goes back to her chair.
"How long was I asleep?" Luhan asks her.
"I don't know, you got here before I did." She says. "You'll have to ask _____." Luhan lifts his eyebrow.
"My assistant. She has your seventh period, right?" Luhan feels his cheeks become hot and he quickly avoids the nurse's gaze. Of course he knew who you were, you were the one he'd been crushing on since he layed eyes on you. He nods meekly before standing up. "Thank her for me." She calls after him as he leaves.
"_____?" You turn around, your eyes widening when you see Luhan approach you. He hadn't come back to seventh period until it was practically over and he was staring at you the whole time. You felt a little awkward under his gaze and when the bell rang you fled before he could even get out of his seat.
You tried to escape but you were caught up in the crowd of students waiting for their bus and you sigh inwardly. Inside the office, you could push aside your emotions for the patient's sake, but outside... you had a little more trouble with that.
"Luhan? Do you need something?" Now that you were actually looking at him, he faltered. He lost his nerve.
"U-uh.. Nurse Soonmyeon said thank you." He stutters before he runs off.
"Luhan again?" You mutter to yourself as you open the door to the office. He lay sprawled out on the bed, his eyes closed in a serene sleep. You awkwardly shuffle over to the desk and place your things down, then go over to the bed and sit next to him. Your shift just started so you had a half hour's work and a half hour's rest after that.
Gently, you pull the sheets over his chest and move the hair away from his face. His cheeks turn red and you halt. "Oh my-- Are you awake?!" You ask in a fury, standing up. His eyes open, a small, embarrassed frown on his face.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to trick you." He says. He sits up and the blanket slides off his torso. He was wearing a dark blue collar shirt, a strange pattern of tiny white polka dots everywhere on it. The window behind him filtered in sunlight and it made his hair look gold.
"It's fine, I guess." You say, looking away. Calm your nerves, _____. He's your patient today. When you look back at him, he's staring at you. "Why are you here today? Is it your lungs again?" You ask softly. He stiffens, like he wasn't expecting that.
"How do you know about that?" He asks, looking slightly on edge. You fumble for an answer.
"Yesterday, when you slept here, you started to grab your chest. It looked like it hurt, so I--" You stop and flush, so you turn away. "Anyways, I just two and two together yesterday." You pick up your notepad and start the paperwork your trainer left you. Luhan sat there eerily quiet for a moment before speaking.
"_____.." The way he said it sounded like he was testing it out, tasting it in his mouth. You hold your breath. "So you what?" It was all coming back to him. He vaguely remembered someone wiping a tear from his cheek. Was that her? He wonders.
"Huh?" You pretended not to know what he meant and hoped he dropped the subject. Your hope fell short.
"You said that I was in pain, and you.. what?" He looked mildly amused, waiting for your response.
"I just helped ease the pain a little, alright? Now, leave me alone. I need to finish my work." You say, turning around in your chair.
"Ah..!" You turned, seeing Luhan gripping his chest again, his face scrunched up. You stand up, immediately rushing over to him.
"You're not joking around, are you? Because it's not funny." You gently lean him back onto the bed. His breathing was labored again and you sit next to him. Trying to lull him to relax. You hesitantly reach out for him, you rub his chest soothingly like before. He opens his eyes, surprised, but he doesn't knock you away. You weren't sure if he didn't do it because he didn't care of because his fists were holding the sheets.
"I- I'm usually not a- awake when this happens.." He chokes. "I'm scared." Not knowing what else to do, you lean down and hug him. His body goes rigid at first, but then his hands leave the sheets and he pulls you closer against him, his hands balling the sides of your shirt.
"Don't be scared. I'm here." You say softly, hoping to calm him. You weren't positive if he could feel your beating heart right now, but you hoped he didn't. "It's okay." You rub your thumb against his shoulder. After a few minutes, his grip on you weakens until his hands fall loose on your waist. His breathing was back to normal and you hear him sigh, his chest rising and falling.
"Uhm.. Sorry." He says, letting you go. You pause before pulling away, wishing you could stay like that for a few moments longer, then reluctantly sit up. He stares at you for a second and you get lost in his glossy eyes. He had been crying because it hurt- or because he was scared- and you feel your hand lift up to brush them away.
"It's okay." You tell him. He blushes before grabbing your hand and holding it against his cheek.
"You did that yesterday too, right?" He asks, his voice barely a whisper. "I remember. It's kind of foggy- I remember it hurting and then.." He trails off. You find yourself smiling in embarrassment before pulling away and standing.
"Well, are you better? Or are you gonna stay here?" He doesn't answer, but instead pulls the sheets over him and faces you. You nod, satisfied, then sit down to finish your work.
"Are you serious?" You ask your boyfriend, slight embarrassment making your cheeks heat. Luhan laughs, a cute, gentle sound you loved to hear.
"Yes, I really did fake it sometimes so you would hug me." He says, leaning back on the park bench. You couldn't believe it.
"You mean, all those times I..?" You didn't know how to feel.
"Kissed me? Yeah, that was a nice surprise too." He laughs again when you stare at the grass, mouth open in disbelief. When you still don't respond, he takes your face in his hands and brings it to his, kissing you softly. "Don't worry, I really was hurting." He says. You looked like you had forgiven him and he smiles. "The first time you kissed me I thought I should pretend to be so weak you'd start stripping." You push him away, laughing.
"God, Lu-ge, you ruined the mood!" He smiles, leaning in again and he traces the hem of your shirt. He hums, a low, deep sound that comes from his chest.
"Hey, nurse..? I'm in a little pain. Could you make me feel better?" You watch his smile grow and can't help but sigh in defeat. Luhan was your boyfriend, and you would love him no matter what- even if he was a sick pervert sometimes. You peck him on the lips before pulling him off the bench.
"The kids don't like seeing shots, so you'll have to come to the back room if you want the treatment." You say. He almost falls over when he realizes what you meant.