The Boy in the Library - Meanie

008

The street was dark, very dark, and empty except for a tall silhouette. The only sound that pierced the midnight silence was the seventeen-year-old boy's light breathing.

Midnight walks were always the best part of his night. Whenever he couldn't sleep, he snuck out of the house and set off on his own, settling into the tranquility of the night. It always cleared his mind, no matter what was troubling him.

He flinched slightly at a sudden sound somewhere behind him. It wouldn't have scared him, but it sounded like something he'd heard before on television, while eavesdropping on his mother's favorite crime shows. But he thought nothing of it after a moment's consideration. Probably just a car backfiring, or something like that. It couldn't be anything serious.

But suddenly, an agonizing pain hit his back. He winced and turned around, only to instantly be met by-

"Hyung!"

Wonwoo stirred slowly, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He tried to hide the fact that there were tears in his eyes too. "Gyu? Did you sleep well?"

"Hyung, you had a bad dream." said Mingyu, ignoring Wonwoo's question. "Don't try to act as if you're fine, I know you better than that."

Wonwoo sighed. "Fine, maybe."

"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Mingyu softly.

Wonwoo shook his head frantically.

"Alright, fine." chuckled Mingyu. "I was about to make you some pancakes-"

"Gyu, no. I don't need them. You can have them."

"Yes you do!" cried Mingyu. "When was the last time you ate something?"

Wonwoo thought about that for a second. Wow, how long had it been?

"Shush, don't worry about me." he said finally, in that low, soothing voice Mingyu loved so much. "Trust me, I'm perfectly okay. I made it my purpose to protect you, and I don't want anything in return, because being with you is honestly the best reward I could ask for."

Mingyu blushed. "I... shut up! You're turning me into a dork!"

Wonwoo laughed. "A beautiful dork, is what you are."

Mingyu laughed too, but inside, he was panicking. Did... did Wonwoo just call him beautiful?

Wonwoo seemed to be internally panicking too. "Let's go downstairs." he said quickly, simply to change the topic.

***

Going back to school was like torture, for both Mingyu and Wonwoo. It was the first time in days that Mingyu had been separated from Wonwoo. The elder was clearly reluctant to leave him alone, what with his bad habits, but he knew it was for the best.

As for Mingyu... he just didn't want to learn.

He saw Minghao and Dokyeom whispering to each other at Dokyeom's locker as he passed and looked straight ahead forcibly. They were probably talking shit about him. There wasn't much good to mention about him.

A small part of him regretted what he had done to his friendship with the two. But he couldn't be friends with anyone who didn't believe in Wonwoo, because to Mingyu, Wonwoo felt realer than anything. And if Minghao and Dokyeom didn't want to believe it, well... it's their loss, he supposed.

He dropped his backpack off at his locker and walked as slowly as possible to class. He knew Minghao and Dokyeom would be right next to him on either side, as the seating chart told. He wasn't exactly eager to see them again.