100. Regrets [100 SuJu Fic Challenge]
Title: Physically and Emotionally [Sequel to Two Boys Equals One Confused Henry]
Theme: Regrets
Pairing: Girl!Henry x Zhou Mi; Girl!Henry x Yesung
“What the heck is he doing? He knows he isn’t capable of lifting that much weight!” Henry hissed to herself from her position on the stationary bike. “And those guys are encouraging him too.” Physical Education consisted of all this equipment and machinery - the torture zone. Henry had opted to occupy a safer alternative. The weight-lifting machines were arranged along the wall in an L pattern, starting from the entrance of the gymnasium by the upper left corner to the back of the room by the lower right.
The DDR pads and such were towards the front of the room, while the bikes were in the middle of the room, ensconced between. Yesung wasn’t in this class with Henry; she had no one to complain to. The students had been advised to note the weight they tried to lift and avoid straining your muscles and the possible snapping of your back, but there were just some guys out there who could care less.
Now, Henry watched hopelessly as Zhou Mi was forced to lift twice his own weight as she remained rooted to her spot.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Henry! I was wondering if you could-”
Henry sighed, concern thick in her voice. “I’m sorry, Yesung. I have to visit Zhou Mi - he’s in the hospital.”
“Oh.” Yesung sounded crestfallen. “Okay. What happened to him?”
“He was biting off more than he could chew and tried to lift 200-something pounds.”
Yesung’s snort could be heard. “That’s stupid.”
Defense for Zhou Mi flared up inside of Henry and she snapped, “You could at least pretend to be sorry for him! It’s not his fault! The point is, he’s hurt, and I have to be there for him! This is all my fault; I should’ve stopped him instead of watching by the sidelines.”
“Listen, Henry. I know it’s not your fault. Stop being hard on your-”
“Yes, it is my fault, Yesung! It is! And you don’t know anything, so just stay out of this okay?” All those tears Henry had harbored deep inside welled up in her eyes. “I loved him, Yesung, and I still do! You don’t understand how hard it is to see the one you care about in pain! He might die, Yesung, or remain crippled for his whole life! Like you’ve told me, you’ve never loved anyone before - how would you know what it feels like?” Henry felt horrible, but she just had to let it out, relieve herself of the burden that had been on her chest. “This conversation is over, Yesung.”
“Henry...” Zhou Mi began in surprise, eyes half-closed in drowsiness. “You came to see me?”
The girl nodded timidly, unable to formulate a proper sentence without sounding stupid. He smiled gently, the beginning of one of the first genuine smiles he had given her all month long. His limbs were immobilized. “That means a lot to me. Don’t worry too much about me though; I just strained a few what-cha-ma-call-its and I’ll be fine in a few weeks. ”
Henry slid wordlessly into the plastic seat, head bowed. “Henry?”
“...What?”
“Are you mad at me?”
“No. I’m furious at you. How could you endanger yourself like that? How could you follow them so blindly like that?” Her eyes glittered with defiance and unshed tears.
Zhou Mi closed his eyes, voice wistful. “This is because of us, isn’t it?” When she didn’t reply, he pressed on. “I never wanted to leave you like that. I never wanted to hurt you.”
“That’s what they all say.” To this, Zhou Mi visibly flinched.
“It’s just... they were giving me a hard time. ‘Them’ being my... friends. They said I wasn’t good enough for them. They threatened to leave me if I didn’t change. Who else did I have at the time? I was a loner before they came along.”
“That’s it?” There was still a hint of anger in her voice.
“No. I didn’t know they were that dangerous beforehand. I thought they just appreciated me for who I was, but it turned out they only hung out with me because of my money. Apparently, when they recruited me for their group, I needed a better image, one that wouldn’t ruin their reputation. I refused at first, but they threatened to hurt you if I remained resistant.”
Henry wanted to wrap her arms around him and cry into his chest, just as she had always done. She settled for kneeling next to the hospital bed, head buried in the blankets. “I missed you, Zhou Mi,” she croaked.
“I missed you too. I missed everything about you; you have no idea how frustrating it is to see you, the love of my life, with Yesung.”
Henry raised an eyebrow, puffy eyes now glittering with mischief. “Jealous?”
Zhou Mi scoffed. “Of course. I mean, just look at the way he looks at you; like you’re a goddess or something - which you are.” He punctuated his statement with a wink.
“Really...?”
“Henry. The guy likes you, okay?”
The girl remained silent, two words running through her mind: Oh shit. She got to her feet, brushing her fingers against his cheek. “Rest, okay? I have to go do something.”
“Love you, Henry.”
But the girl was already gone.
Yesung continuously pressed arrows at a rapid pace, taking out his anger on the pads. “All this time you’ve supported her and this is what she rewards you with?”
You don’t understand how hard it is to see the one you care about in pain!
The truth was, he had.
Every time Henry came running to him, sobbing her eyes out, Yesung felt that unmistakable throb in his heart, which became more prominent when he embraced her, running a comforting hand through her hair.
You’ve never loved anyone before - how would you know what it feels like?
She was right. He wouldn’t know what it felt like to love - but he was close. Yesung had feelings for Henry, though he denied it. Though, the more he did, the stronger it became. He emitted a strangled sob, one with such pain which he didn’t know he possessed.
Unrequited love was terrible.
And yet it was beautiful.
Because it taught him everything about the ups and downs of love.
It taught him to appreciate Henry all the more.
Yesung tripped over his own foot on the last note of the song and landed hard on his ankle. He cursed under his breath in pain.
“Yesung?” This was her fault, all her fault.
At the moment, he was resting; head thrown back, jet black hair a mess, cheeks flushed - it gave Henry an opportunity to observe the boy who had stuck by her side through everything.
Zhou Mi regretted ever conforming with his group of “friends” in the first place.
Yesung regretted ever attempting to making Henry forget about Zhou Mi when it was just obvious, in his heart, that they were meant to be.
Henry regretted falling - yes, she admits it - for them both.
Okay, this one isn't as based on reality as the previous one, but I do have weight-lifting machines and stuff in my Phys. Ed. class, and I DO sometimes see him attempting to lift more weight than he actually can, under the pressures of his peers. Things between him and I aren't really resolved yet. -shrugs- Seems like he'll be that way forever. The other guy is really accident-prone, and he tends to sprain his ankles and stuff like that, so I just had to make Yesung do that. ;D