Alone {𝕄𝕀ℕ𝕊𝕌ℕ𝔾}

Chapter Two

MINHO STARED DOWN AT HIS HOMEWORK, LEANING BACK IN HIS CHAIR. HE LOOKED AT THE clock next to his desk, and noticed that he'd missed dinner again. He sighed and stood up, stretching his stiff muscles. He stomach rumbled in protest to his lengthy wait to get food, and he shrugged before padding down the stairs.

He stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted a stranger sitting in his living room. "Felix, you're back alrea–" The boy turned around, and his eyes widened when he saw Minho. "Who the hell are you?" The older boy questioned harshly, his eyebrows furrowed in an unknowing glare.

Jisung jumped slightly, and stood up; he couldn't help but feel intimidated under the other's intense stare, but he managed to force a friendly smile. The brunet remembered that this was the boy who'd returned his wallet to him earlier that day.

"I, um, I'm Han Jisung, Felix's friend." He bowed slightly, and Minho nodded slightly, averting his eyes. He wasn't sure what to do; in the passed few years, his social skills had taken quite the blow, and he could feel the thick, awkward silence that settled between them.

"Y-You're Minho, right?" Jisung's smile tensed; of course, he knew the answer to his question, but he really wasn't a big fan of silence. The elder nodded, uncomfortably stuffing his hands in his pant pockets.

The strawberry blond was surprised by his actions – he never would've thought that Lee Minho, the alleged bad boy who'd been arrested would ever act so shy.

As far-fetched as it had sounded when he'd first heard the reason behind the boy's absence, he'd come to know it as the truth – he didn't really have a reason to doubt the source, either – however, it seemed even less believable now.

Before the two could suffer in the silence that shrouded them, Felix emerged from down the hall, his eyes wide when he spotted his brother standing in the doorframe. "Oh. I see you guys met, finally." He laughed nervously, scratching the nape of his neck.

Jisung's attention was pulled away from the elder male and towards his best-friend. "Minho, this is my friend, Jisung..." He mumbled, and the latter nodded, his face blanking. "I know." He stated before turning on his heel and proceeding towards the kitchen.

Jisung shrugged off his doubts and turned to his friend with a bright smile.

Minho, on the other hand, felt a blush rise on his cheeks as he hid his face in the cupboards, pretending to look for something, even though no one could see him. It was the first time that someone had smiled at him in a long, long time.

~#~#~#~#~#~

Minho laid awake in bed, staring at the ceiling above him. No matter how he tried, he simply couldn't close his eyes and add on to the blinding darkness swarming around him. It had always made him feel much lonelier than usual, and reminded him of his darkest hours.

He remembered staring up at the very same ceiling in the dark, just waiting to die.

He bolted upright, a cold sweat trickling down his temples and his back. His breathing came out ragged, and he buried his face in his hands, attempting to calm his breathing. He shakily reached to his left, and flicked on the lamp, the room soon coming aglow with pale, yellow light.

"You're fine, you're okay." He breathed, a lump forming in his throat. The room suddenly felt suffocating, and he slowly slipped out of his bed, hurrying to his closet on shaky legs, pulling on a pair of jeans, socks, and shrugging on a hoodie.

He quietly walked down the steps – he didn't want anyone to wake up and question him; he needed to get out of the house as soon as possible. He slipped on his shoes, and the moment he was out in the open air, he felt his burden lessen slightly.

He stared at the dark, foreboding clouds looming over the moon, and he hoped that for once the universe would be kind to him, and would wait to set hell loose on him in the form of pouring rain.

He flipped the hood over his head and buried his hands in his pockets to protect them from the biting chill that fogged the night. He probably should've worn a bigger coat, he noticed, but he was already down the street, and didn't feel like returning home until his mind was clear; or as clear as it could possibly get.

He took a deep breath, allowing the fresh air to soothe his aching heart. No matter what else had changed, he'd never gotten tired of night-time walks. 

A/N: Heyaa hope you enjoyed this chapter ;)

Q: What's your favourite Stray Kids song?

A: oH wELL I mEAN, uMM... Voices? Insomnia? Idek bro

Lots of love,

~Junnie