Alone {𝕄𝕀ℕ𝕊𝕌ℕ𝔾}

Chapter Twenty-Nine

JUST LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE IN HIS LIFE, MINHO'S HAPPINESS CAME TO A SCREECHING HALT, crashing down around him. He lied in his bed, sure he'd be able to get decent sleep that night, but then the thoughts had drifted in of their own accord, and no matter how many times he tried, the brunet could no longer picture Jisung's face to keep them at bay.

All he could imagine was a fearful expression on his face, his once beautiful smile curving downwards into a deep scowl. He could no longer recall Doyun's comforting words; instead, the monsters within him twisted them until they sounded as horrifying as the sound of screeching metal. He could no longer remember the younger Felix who'd always been so happy to see him after school; now he could only recall the hate in his eyes.

He could no longer remember Hyunjin's naive kindness, or Jeongin's grateful joy. Everything turned dark, in the flash of a moment.

He brought a hand to his heart to ease the crushing weight on his chest, but it did little to help. Even if he'd had the strength to stand, he wouldn't have been able to escape the suffocating room like he'd once done. If his father found out that he'd 'snuck out' again, he wasn't sure what would happen.

With a shaking hand, he reached for his cell phone lying on his bedside table, only to freeze. Who would he call? It's not like he had many contacts on his phone. He slowly picked it up, typing in his password and opening up his contacts list.

There was only one contact. He let out a quiet breath, and in a moment of extreme vulnerability, he clicked on it.

CALL 'Lixie'?

YES NO

He shakily brought the phone up to his ear, hearing it ring in the other room. He held his breath, hearing the hinges of Felix's bed creak. He waited for a few more moments, biting his lip, before an automated voice proceeded to speak into his ear.

"The number you have dialed is unavailable at this time. Please try again later."

He let his phone slip out of his hand, and he pulled his knees up to his chest, burying his face in them. Of course he doesn't want to help you anymore, he thought bitterly. There would be no more nights where he would speak to his brother about everything he was too scared to say face-to-face late at night. There would be no more inside jokes and exchanging of memes. There would be no more "I missed you, hyung!"s.

His wrists burned, and his heart ached. The room felt like it was closing in on him, the darkness swallowing him whole, and he had no way of contacting the only two people who shed some light on his life. He was alone.

~#~#~#~#~#~

The next day Minho arrived at school, and he felt much worse than he looked – which was saying something. He wasn't too sure what had caused this sudden plummet in his mood, only that it wasn't going away.

He started to take notice of the stares sent his way and he really couldn't blame any of them. He'd probably stare too if someone came to school looking half-dead. He slid into his classroom fifteen minutes early – as per usual – and stared out the window.

He saw the large crowd of people once more, and caught sight of a familiar head of blonde hair. He leaned against his hand, a small smile gracing his lips. It was a strange sensation; his heart was both heavy with pain but light in adoration.

The smile slowly faded from his lips when Felix slung an arm over his friend's shoulders, the two laughing loudly. Minho knew he'd never be apart of that world. He'd only hurt Jisung in the end, just like how he hurt everyone else. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if it ended up that way.

He was better off sticking to the shadows; close, yet out of reach. That way, he'd always be able to see Jisung smile without the fear of preventing it.

Because he was the sun; and Minho was the rain clouds that obscured it from view. The two could not co-exist with one another; the only way Jisung would be able to shine on everybody else would be to let the wind carry the insignificant clouds away.

It's... better that way, he thought with a rueful smile as a single tear trekked down his cheek. How he wished it wasn't the case.

~#~#~#~#~#~

Jisung looked up from his spot in the school courtyard as everybody else ran off to get to their classes. His feet refused to move until his eyes landed on a familiar figure through the window. His smile widened as he raised his hand to wave, only to stop short when he noticed Minho wipe his eyes slightly.

Why is he crying? He thought, concerned. It wasn't long before he was completely alone in the yard as only a few minutes remained before classes started. It was such a fitting situation, he mused, as he continued to stare up at Minho, who was oblivious to his presence just below the window.

He's always there for me when everyone else leaves, and he doesn't even know it.

He wished he could jump through the window and wipe away his tears, just like Minho always did to him – and he got a really stupid idea. He broke out into a run, not having any problems since the halls were practically deserted.

He stopped in front of the door, hoping that he got the right room; it would be so embarrassing if he hadn't. He relaxed and pushed open the door, eyes quickly scanning the room. He noticed Minho at the back of the class, still facing the window, and the strawberry blonde noticed that nobody else in the room suspected a thing.

He walked right in, the seniors not even glancing up at him, and he shook off all of his anxieties as he approached Minho's desk. He crouched down, resting one of his elbows on the desk almost awkwardly.

I'm so ridiculous, oh my god.

"Don't cry," he said softly, and the brunet snapped out of whatever stupor he'd been in, glancing down at Jisung in blatant shock. Jisung reached up, and wiped away the silent tears that had drifted down his cheeks.

"Your smile's too pretty to hide away." And... Shit he hadn't meant to say that dammit! Cheeks bursting into flame, he quickly stood up, and ran out of the class, passing by a surprised Mr. Jung, barely making it to his own class on time.

Minho still sat there, blinking as he tried to process what had happened. When it sank in, a small, quiet giggle broke out him, and his teacher eyed him, before looking back out into the empty hallway with a small smile of his own.

No matter what kind of windstorm approached, Jisung would never let Minho drift away.

A/N: That was... dramatic eesh... Thoughts? It really helps me a lot to hear what you guys think of my story, the plot, the character development and everything in between, since it's a whole new perspective on things :)

I hit myself in the feels while writing this chapter; I was listening to the "Emotional Music" playlist by EpicMusicWorld (because I'm trash leave me aLONE. Ha. Hahahahaha. Get the pun pffFT). And a really sad, hopeful song started playing while I was writing Jisung's perspective and I was just done.

Q: What is your favourite book/author (courtesy of qinjunyi )?

A: My favourite book (series, really)... The Syrena Legacy (the first book of the trilogy being Of Poseidon) by Anna Banks, and as for my favourite author... I am just in love with Sarah J. Maas' writing style, it's stunning. 

Lots of love,

~Junnie

P.S: I just had a 'genius moment' while I was thinking of scenes for this book. You all should be scared. My genius moments always mean trouble for you guys 

P.P.S: I've been watching a bunch of post-apocalyptic movies so guess what's probably coming your way next... ;)