Stars

Part 7

"Shit. Why did I act like that? I must have seemed so whiny. Also, the way I outright denied having friends...Key is my friend but I dunno if I could share being vulnerable with him. He probably thinks that I am a pathetic nerd who has no friends.", Onew thought as he entered his room.

He threw his bag on the floor and sank down on the bed. His eyes felt heavy and he just wanted to drift to away to nothingness.

When Minho came back, he was surprised to see the scene in front of him.
"What is he doing in my bed? And damn, look at the clutter he created around it."

The contents of Onew's bag were laying on the ground and his shoes were left midway in the room. His socks at the door.

Minho walked upto Onew and sighed.
"I don't understand you.", Minho said as he ruffled Onew's hair. He took off his glasses and noticed the greyest dark circles he had ever seen.
"He has been studying late night way too often. He deserves some rest.", Minho thought as he made his way towards Onew's bed to sleep.

It was the middle of the night when Onew's eyes opened. He checked the time and was shocked that he slept all day. All that time when he could have been studying, he spent it doing nothing. His eyes started to adjust to the darkness and realised that something was off.
"Wait. Am I on Minho's bed?"
He switched on his phone's flashlight and started to looked around. He picked up his glasses from the side table and sat up.

"Dude, stop flashing it in my face!", Minho said with a yawn.

"Sorry asshole"

"Wow. Just wow. It's like talking to a wall."

Onew stood up and switched the lamp on the study table.

"I knew that this would be the first thing you would do after waking up. Just chill out. Why do you have to take it so seriously?", Minho moved towards the edge the bed to get closer to him.

"Inspirational Ted talk from the walking pheromone. Thanks. I suddenly feel so enlightened."

Minho's eyes widened at being addressed as a walking pheromone.
"Woah. Now that is one hell of a nickname!"

Onew's face started to heat up and he cursed himself for letting that slip out.
Onew said," I- That is the name key has for you. Don't get ahead of yourself."

"You are blushing? Damn. Come closer. I wanna take a look.", Minho said as spinned the chair in his direction.

The only source of light in their room was the lamp but the flush on Onew's soft face was visible.
Minho's heart squeezed a little at the sight because the guy in front of him looked so adorable.

"I don't know when I started to find him cute but I do. I want to eat him up. I should touch some grass.", Minho sighed as he tossed himself back on his bed.

"Since, we are on the topic of Key, why don't you feel like you are his friend? If you don't want to answer then that is fine.", Minho asked while he stared at the ceiling.
"It isn't that I am not his friend. It is just that I can't seem to open up to any one of my friends about serious things. I have been this way for a while so don't worry.", Onew stated.

Minho sat up and made a gesture towards the bed.

"What?", Onew asked.

"Come here." There was something about Minho in this dim light. His hair was tousled, his eyes tired and his lips looked incredibly soft.

" I bet this is how the devil lures his victims. He looks so breathtaking in my bed."

Onew mindlessly stood and moved closer to Minho as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do.
"I get how you feel. Being vulnerable sometimes feels like a burden. It is as if I am inconveniencing others but trust me, talking with people about how you feel is important.", Minho said as he stared directly into Onew's eyes. It was as if he was scanning his soul.

"I have these walls around me and I don't know how to get rid of them. I get scared by telling people too much.", Onew whispers.

"You are telling me now."

"I don't know how and why but I am telling you this. I become out of character because of you.", Onew said as he took Minho's hands in his own.

Minho's mind was a mess. His heart had started to thump wildly.
"HE IS HOLDING MY HANDS."

"But don't you consider me an asshole?", Minho smiled as he recalled all the times he had been labelled as an asshole by Onew from the very first semester.

"You are an asshole but in a lesser degree than I originally thought.", Onew said.

"And you are still a nerd."

"God. Is that really a bad thing? Choi Minho, you being illiterate is not my problem."

Minho burst into laughter and Onew couldn't stop staring at him. The way his eyes crinkled when he laughed, his Adam apple and his pretty smile, he was entranced.
"I get it now. I get the hype around Choi Minho. Most people would feel the desire to be dominated by him but for me, it's the opposite. I want to dominate him. I want to make him whimper and cry.", Onew thought.

"Your offer for exploration of my sexuality is still up?", as soon as Onew said this, Minho's eyes widened in disbelief.