Alone {𝕄𝕀ℕ𝕊𝕌ℕ𝔾}

Chapter Twenty-Five

MINHO SAT – FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A WHILE – ALONE IN THE CAFETERIA. HE PUSHED HIS food around in his plate, his appetite vanishing into thin air. It felt strange; although he'd used to be so accustomed to the unnoticeable, irrelevant chatter around him, Jeongin had changed everything.

Thinking about the brace-faced boy made his heart tug in sadness, and his gut churn. What happened? Not knowing was the worst thing of it all. He didn't know how he could make it right, when wasn't even aware of what he'd done wrong in the first place.

He caught himself mid-thought, shoulders sinking unexpectedly. You don't try. You've never tried. Why start now? He thought, and the bitter realization that Jeongin wouldn't have been hurt – he wouldn't have been hurt – if he'd just stuck to the sidelines like he was supposed to shrouded his thoughts.

You just make things worse.

He took in a deep breath, conscious of all the eyes that would gravitate towards him if he shed so much as a single tear. He stood up, scooping his tray from the table and dumping its contents into the nearest trashcan before promptly leaving the premises of the cafeteria.

He didn't notice the four pairs of eyes that followed him until he was no longer in sight.

~#~#~#~#~#~

Minho somehow managed to find himself on the bridge once more, the cool wind gently ruffling his hair. He closed his eyes and rocked against it, hoping that the calmness of the surrounding nature would rub off on him.

He opened his eyes again, his eyes trailing over to his right; he sighed. He wondered how he was doing. Doyun hyung, do you still remember me? He thought wistfully, before shaking his head at himself. Of course not, you only met him once. It had been over a year since that day.

He closed his eyes again and leaned against the railing, a silent sigh pushing past his lips. Out of all the days since that day, he'd never longed for Doyun's advice as much. It must be strange, he thought, to feel so attached to someone he'd only spent a few hours with; maybe it was because he'd been travelling a dark tunnel by himself, and finally a small ray of light had shone through.

His mind began to drift away, as he wondered what Doyun was doing at that moment. He really just wanted someone to tell him it would be fine; to reassure him that the tunnel never goes on forever. That maybe he wouldn't have to travel it alone.

Maybe he'd one day finally be able to see the end of it.

He shook his head again, sighing softly. No matter how hard he tried, he was losing more and more hope that he'd ever escape. A soft bark followed by a giggle pierced through the silence around him, and he lifted his head in the direction of the sound.

He saw the dog before its owner, and it took him a split second to recognize the little ball of fur. A smirk played at his lips as he recalled its strange – yet adorable – name. Mere moments afterwards, Jisung followed behind the skipping dog.

The strawberry-blonde stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed Minho leaning against the railing, eyes trained on him. Why do I always run into him? He groaned. He suddenly remembered how he'd kissed Minho, and how he'd only regretted it after it was done.

He remembered how he'd never wanted that kiss to end – it was one of the sweetest moments of his life. But he could never let himself do such a thing again. He'd been stupid, and the risk he'd taken was much too big to even consider.

He loosed a silent breath, returning his attention to his playful dog, acting as though he hadn't seen the older male at all. "C'mon, Cocopuff," he mumbled, pulling it along across the bridge. He kept his head lowered as he passed by the brunet.

However, Cocopuff had other ideas, since it stopped and began to yap happily at the older male. Jisung cursed under his breath, and attempted to pull it away. Minho smiled and crouched down without a word, gently petting it on the head.

He wasn't too sure what to say, so he settled contentedly for a comfortable silence. Jisung, on the other hand, had the great urge to break the deafening quiet around them, but he was too tense to even move a muscle.

He was looking at anything but Minho, biting his lip as his regret began to deepen. Dare he say, before the kiss, he'd had something akin to a friendship with the male, but now all of it was thrown out the window, down the drain, into the trash; gone. Forever.

He began to wonder if the two would be in a different scenario, had he not kissed him. Would they be talking of every little thing imaginable – from bands to the symbolism of rain – rambling over thoughts that hardly made sense to anyone but one another?

He liked to think so; because like everything else he'd truly wished for, it was a fantasy that would never leave the blank pages of his mind. In that world, where he wasn't so foolishly stupid – maybe the kiss would've been the fantasy of a much better reality.

If only he wasn't so foolishly stupid. 

A/N: My life is a mess ugh. Also, if you don't follow me... you won't see that I posted a message, but that doesn't matter because I'll just tell you here anYWAYS.

Q: What's your favourite underrated Stray Kids ship (I'm planning to give some love to some ships that don't get as much attention as say... Minsung or Changlix 'cause... why n o t )?

A: ANSWER HERE UWU!

Lots of love,

~Junnie