𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙩𝙚𝙧 | 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘮𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘶𝘫𝘪 𝘹 𝘧𝘦𝘮𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 ✔︎

s e v e n

"Aha~ You sure can slap people well, Prez~" Hanma chortled as he puts down the ice pack that he had used to reduce the swelling on his left cheek.

You clicked your tongue in annoyance, "That's what you get for taunting me." you scoffed, walking towards him to check his injury. Even though you were the one who caused the injury, it was still his fault for pushing you to react that way. Nevertheless, you somehow felt bad about slapping him, especially when you put so much force in doing so.

Sitting beside him on the sofa, you cupped his chin and gently turned his head to the side, "Luckily, this won't leave a bruise, I think. But you deserved it so I don't feel guilty." you mused, removing your hand under his chin. However, he had caught your hand and squeezed it lightly, 

"Do you still think that I didn't mean every word that I said?" he asked "I may joke around a lot, but I meant what I said, all of it"

A light dusting of pink blush appeared across your face, "Alright. I'll believe you but don't expect an answer from me.''

"Lie or not, it's still hard to believe. This guy is hard to read after all, but I guess he deserves some credibility based on how he acts around me" you thought to yourself.

Hanma snickered, playing with your fingers, "That's fine. As long as you know how you mean to me." he brings your hand to his lips, planting a small kiss on your knuckles. He then looks up at you, smirking, as he peers his golden-yellow orbs on your (e/c) ones, "And you'll give in sooner or later anyway." he said, winking. 

You withdrew your hand from his hold, stood up, and turned around, "I'll be cooking dinner now. Mind you, I'll be putting rat poison on your share" you announced as you stomped to the kitchen.

"Ah, that was dangerous, my heart just skipped a beat. Don't fall for it (Y/n), you'll be on the losing end." you scolded yourself mentally.  You then started to busy yourself in prepping the meal for the night.

"Aw, since you made it, I'll still eat it, Prez, ~" he chimes.

"If I could still bear this for five more nights without killing him in his sleep, it'll be great." You whispered to yourself, cutting the vegetables in a rather violent manner. You, then, felt the corners of your lips drop.

"Five more nights, huh?"

After dinner, you reminded Hanma of his after-meal clean-up duty. Since you were the one who was responsible for cooking meals, you urged him to do his fair share of chores around the house if he was living under the same roof as you. Leaving him with no choice, he does his part without a fight. Fortunately (and surprisingly) for you, he knows how to do house hold chores decently.

While he was busy washing the dishes, you spent your leisure time taking a twenty-minute-long bath. You felt like you deserved it considering the hassle you went through this morning, plus this was one of those rare school nights that you barely have anything to do. You wanted to enjoy some time with yourself while sorting out some thoughts.

Later, you went out of the bathroom and walked to the refrigerator to get yourself a carton of your (f/cold drink). You inserted the straw in the drink and started sipping delightfully. Holding the carton with your left hand, you busied the other drying your hair with a towel.

"Let me help you with that," Hanma appeared behind you, snatching the towel from you, and began drying your hair himself. You let him do it since you felt lazy to dry your hair anyway.

You raised a brow, "Is this your attempt at making me fall for you?"

The dark-haired male chuckled lightly, "No, I just like being near you. But if it is, is it working though?"

You bit the tip of the straw, "...no" you coughed after realizing you sounded unsure, "No, not all" you repeated, this time with certainty in your voice.

"Liar. I can see your ears turning red~" he says, blowing on your ear. Shivers went down your spine, as your hair raised leaving goosebumps on your skin. You turned to face him, hitting him upside the head, "Don't do that" you chided.

A smirk grows on his face, "Heh~ you've hit me twice today. Aren't you scared of me? No one really dares to do that you know?" his voice was relaxed but you couldn't help but sense the hidden malice in his words. Hanma is mischievous but he acts docile around you, that's why you couldn't help but to  forget the fact that this temporary housemate of yours is a full-fledged delinquent (and fugitive).

You swallowed the bile in your throat as you fixed your posture, not breaking eye contact "No, but I'll make it three if you won't stop teasing me like that."

Hanma broke into a fit of laughter after hearing your response, "This is why I like you, Prez, you never fail to amuse me~"

You sighed, "I'm going to my room. I'll be sleeping early tonight. Put the towel in the laundry basket for me," you said, ignoring his comment, as you walked towards your room.

"Alright, see you in the morning~"

"Good night Hanma," you said closing the door behind you. You pulled the chair out from your study table, placing your drink on the corner of the table, and began to do your homework. However, focusing on the task at hand became difficult as you would find yourself spacing out upon recalling what had happened today-- Hanma's sudden confession, and his attempts to show you his affection. Though it feels a little awkward, his actions don't cause you much discomfort.

Does that mean that you like him back? That you don't know. Currently, it seems unclear to you if you liked him or not, or maybe you weren't letting yourself realize anything. Hanma Shuji is destined to be a temporary person in your life, not just because of the 7-day agreement but because of his current situation. Him being a fugitive, meant that he must travel from place to place if he doesn't want to turn himself in. Building an intimate relationship with him meant that you were prepared to give sacrifices. And you knew well that you wouldn't be able to handle what is to come if you chose that path.

You pat yourself lightly on the cheeks, dragging yourself back to reality. "Focus, (Y/n)" you said to yourself resuming your work.

Your concentration broke suddenly when your phone vibrated next to you. You flipped open the device to see the student council secretary's name floating on-screen. Thinking that the message must be urgent, you immediately opened and read the contents.

Upon reading the message, you groaned in frustration, "Haah, just when I thought I could take tomorrow easy too. I'm definitely retiring after my term."