Alone {𝕄𝕀ℕ𝕊𝕌ℕ𝔾}

Chapter Sixteen

JISUNG WAS LOST. HE'D NEVER FELT SO CONFLICTED, SO UNSURE BEFORE IN HIS LIFE. BUT more than anything, he was scared. Terrified, even. "Hey!" Felix called, snapping his fingers directly in front of the older male's face.

Jisung jumped slightly, startled out of his daze. "Yeah?" He stuttered, and Felix frowned at his friend's strange behaviour. Hyunjin looked at him worriedly, too, and he began to wonder if he was wearing his heart on his sleeve, if his distress was that noticeable.

"You've been spacing out, for like, ten minutes." He raised his eyebrow as he took another bite of his sandwich, and Jisung just shrugged in response, chuckling slightly. "Got a lot to think about, I guess." Now that was an understatement.

He felt as if the world was caving in around him, and nothing made sense. He wasn't sure when exactly it had started, but his desire to get to know the person behind Lee Minho had somehow blossomed into something else, something bigger, something worse.

He couldn't ignore the way his heart had raced or the way a few simple words had provided him with an unnatural, strange sense of safety that was completely irrational. "Jisung!" Felix snapped, and the said boy blinked abruptly as he was caught zoning out again.

"Sorry I'm just... not feeling too good; I'll go get some air." He smiled weakly, hoping they wouldn't ask him any questions on the matter. Luckily, they didn't, and Jisung easily managed to slip out of the cafeteria.

He let out a quiet sigh, leaning against that wind that picked up and came to caress his frame as soon as he left the warm confines of the school. Goosebumps arose on his skin, as he wasn't wearing a sweater over his plain T-shirt to protect him from the brisk breeze.

A coat was suddenly draped over his shoulders, and he looked up, alarmed. Jaehyun smiled at him, and Jisung turned his gaze back towards the ground, attempting to shrug off the jacket. "It's fine, you'll be cold." He reached to remove it, when the older male's hand was placed over his own, successfully halting his actions.

Jisung noticed how foreign and wrong for Jaehyun to be holding his hand in such a way. He began to imagine Minho in the other's place, and his heartbeat picked up its pace. He blinked rapidly, and suddenly it was Jaehyun that was standing in front of him once more, and his heart was heavy with a different kind of emotion.

He tried to remove his hand, but the older male didn't budge. Dread began to drum against his chest, and his eyes darted around softly, before landing on Hyunjin's brother again. He tensed up when he heard distant voices slowly approaching the side of the school.

He forcibly removed his hand, followed by the jacket, shoving it towards Jaehyun as he quickly turned. "Thanks for the coat, but I'm going back inside now." He practically ran inside, breathing out in relief once the door clicked in place behind him.

Clearly, getting air hadn't helped him gain much control over his emotions, either.

~#~#~#~#~#~

Minho had decided to leave the cafeteria half-way through lunch and opted to eat outside instead. He could practically feel the stares on him – they were more intense and constant that day, and it unnerved him slightly.

He felt relieved the moment he sat down on the ground, leaning against a big oak tree. He settled down to continue eating his lunch in the much-needed peace the chilly outdoors provided him.

"Um... excuse me?" Minho's eyes slid in the direction of the voice, certain that it wasn't addressed to him. He raised his head a little more when he noticed Jeongin standing next to the tree, keeping his eyes trained on the ground. He nervously shifted from foot to foot as Minho continued to stare, and his cheeks turned red from embarrassment.

"I... never thanked you for helping me," he mumbled quietly, his dark bangs falling in front of his eyes. Minho smiled softly, turning his gaze back to the green grass in front of him. "Don't worry about it."

"Do you... need anything?" Jeongin asked hesitantly, his eyebrows furrowing almost sadly. Minho's smile faded slightly as he tilted his head in confusion before shaking it slowly. "No... Why would I?" he questioned, and the younger boy huffed quietly.

He took a few moments to answer, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. "People only ever help me when they want something from me," he admitted, and Minho's eyes widened. "You don't have to worry about that... not from me."

He smiled softly and Jeongin looked back at him with shock spread out across his face. Minho jolted in panic when he noticed the delicate tears trailing down his face.

"W-Why are you crying?" he stuttered, blinking rapidly to help conceal his surprise. Jeongin sniffled and he raised his arm to wipe it across his face. "Because I feel bad," he choked, trying his best to stop his tears from falling.

Minho's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as it swirled inside of him. "I-I always thought you were a bad person, but you're the nicest to me," he sobbed, and Minho's eyes flickered to the ground.

"It's okay, it's not your fault," he knew that much, but it still stung. As much as he knew that people were afraid of him and ostracized him as a result, he still couldn't stand the thought being voiced out.

It felt less real, just like the scars on his wrist; as long as he didn't acknowledge the fact that they were there, they were a smaller part of him. An invisible part of him; and lord knew it was better that way.

A/N: Thank you all so much for 700+ reads!

Also I'm sorry if the last chapter confused you a bit-- it'll all make sense soon, I promise <3

Q: What's your favourite animal?

A: Pet-wise, I'm definitely a cat person (although I do love my little pup too), but if we're talking about any type of animal, I must say sharks. Weird, I know, and tbh I could rant @ you all day about how it pisses me off how people think about sharks and throw some facts, buut... you ain't here for that XD

Lots of love,

~Junnie