Alone {𝕄𝕀ℕ𝕊𝕌ℕ𝔾}

Chapter Thirty-Seven

AS SOON AS MORNING CAME, JISUNG FOUND HIMSELF IN FELIX'S ROOM AGAIN. THE BOY LOOKED A little grumpy, and his friend couldn't help but feel guilty. He'd been so distraught that he hadn't even considered how Felix would feel.

They'd just made up, and he went ahead and ditched the poor guy. He nervously twiddled his thumbs, biting his lip. "Hey, Felix–" he began, when the younger male cut him off. "It's fine."

"Minho is... your friend, right?" He interjected, forcing a smile. Jisung tensed for a moment before he nodded. "Yeah, yeah of course." Felix probably only meant to verify it, but it couldn't stop the strawberry blonde's mind from racing.

You don't kiss your friends, Jisung, he reminded himself with a sigh. He and Minho were friends – for now, he thought wistfully, averting his eyes. He had a hard time believing how much he wanted to be something more.

"Sungie? You okay?" The said male cringed at the nickname and nodded. "Let's play, then." He handed out the controller to his friend, who was thankful for the distraction. He wasn't sure how long he could keep his mind occupied, because sooner or later he'd have to come back to reality and face his situation with his parents.

~#~#~#~#~#~

That time came sooner than he would've liked, because all of a sudden, just as he and Felix had finished another intense round of Call of Duty, his phone rang. He looked over, his shoulders sinking. His best-friend caught sight of his reaction, eyes drifting down towards the phone.

He placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, which the older male greatly appreciated. He exhaled shakily and picked up the phone, swallowing thickly. "Hello?" he mumbled. "Where are you?" His mother demanded, and he flinched slightly.

Felix's eyes were full of concern for his friend, but he couldn't do anything but sit there. "I'm... at Felix's house," he winced, biting his lip. "How do I know you're not lying, huh?" she hissed, and he closed his eyes, feeling something akin to anger bloom in his chest.

"You can speak to him if you'd like," he ground out, fist clenching at his side. He knew that if he were to actually be in her presence, any confidence he'd somehow accumulated would've been thrown out the window. His mother huffed, and he let out a silent sigh of relief.

"I want you to be honest with me, Han Jisung." He held his breath, nodding even though she couldn't see it. "You were with that worthless sister of yours, right?" Her tone was oddly soft, which took him by surprise.

"I – yes." Better than the truth, he decided. Even though he'd get into trouble for 'communicating' with his sister, if he really told the truth, he'd probably be permanently kicked out. "I understand that you miss her, but she's no longer your sister. She's a sinner, and she'll taint you. All of us. That's why we simply cannot be anywhere near her anymore."

It didn't make sense to him, but he agreed anyway. "Right." He didn't mean it, he knew he didn't, but anything to please his mother. "Now come home," she instructed, and he looked up at Felix. "Mom, Felix invited me to stay over tonight to work on a project. Is that okay?" The question wasn't directed at his mother, however.

Almost immediately, his friend nodded, and he smiled in gratitude. "Oh, yes, that's fine." With that, she hung up without so much as a goodbye. "Thank you," he breathed, and his best-friend shrugged with a shake of his head. "No problem. Did you guys sort it out?"

Jisung nodded uneasily, staring down at the ground. "I just... don't want to go home yet, if you get what I mean," he smiled hesitantly, to which Felix nodded. "So, shall we keep working on our project?" He wiggled his eyebrows, holding out the controller once more.

Jisung let out a loud laugh, and nodded.

~#~#~#~#~#~

Minho looked up at the sound of Jisung's laugh, smiling slightly to himself. It was a relief to hear it after what had happened the night prior. He wasn't sure what had caused the boy to be so emotionally distressed, but he figured that if Jisung wanted to talk about it, he would.

It's not like he'd pried into Minho's business after the nightmare he'd had either. He shuddered and closed his eyes, shaking his head slightly. He didn't want to remember that nightmare. He closed his biology textbook, rubbing the back of his neck.

There was a small knock on his door, and he half-expected Jisung to poke his head in again. He didn't expect his own mother to peep into the room with a strained, tentative smile. She slipped in and closed the door behind her, walking over and taking a seat on his bed.

"One of your teachers sent us an email today," she started, and he felt himself deflate. That's never a good thing. "He... he said how much you were improving, and participating in class." She took in a deep breath, blinking rapidly.

She cleared her throat slightly. "Minho, baby, I'm so proud of you," she sniffled, eyes watering. "I... I know I haven't been a good mother lately, and I'm so, so sorry, baby." She brought her tissue up to her eyes, dabbing them lightly.

"Mom," his voice cracked, because although what she said was partly true, he also knew that she'd done more for him than he was even aware of. She had always been on his side, even after his accident, despite the fact that he wasn't exactly easy to talk to then. Even now.

He'd said many things he'd later come to regret during that time. He let out a shaky sigh and stood from his chair, walking over towards her on wobbling legs. He practically collapsed into her arms, biting back his sob as he buried his face in her shoulder.

He'd never allowed himself to think it before, but he'd missed his mom. 

A/N: Ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch-- why do I keep hitting myself in the feels h u h 

Q: What makes you wanna yeet yourself from planet Earth? (courtesy of OCT0617 )

A: ALL my favourite characters dying in TWD, people making stupid ass decisions in TWD, and piercing infections istg I have two now I'm losing my mind 

Lots of love,

~Junnie