When Wonwoo arrived, he was anything but gentle and Mingyu wasn’t sure what he’d expected. The sound of his truck pulling up on the vacant street made Mingyu flinch and sniffle any snot that’d been dripping out his nose. He couldn’t find the energy left in him to lift his body up off the large marble steps.

The older boy approached him seeming unfazed by his current state and grabbed his bicep, pulling him up off the ground and pulling him towards the car without a word of question. Mingyu staggered as he tried to keep up with Wonwoo’s steps. He was roughly helped into the passenger seat and in a few moments, Wonwoo was in the driver’s seat. Mingyu, to say the least, was a bit frightened, but had no choice but to just go along with whatever Wonwoo does.

Mingyu felt like the epitome of pitiful. This time, being with Wonwoo felt different than the other two and Mingyu was scared that maybe something was wrong. Well of course something was wrong, he thought. Everything was wrong right now, but Wonwoo seemed different. He didn’t seem like that cocky rebel he was previously. But nonetheless, Mingyu knew he had nowhere else to go and no one else to go to. Going to anyone like Jisoo or someone else from school would just be simply mortifying and he can’t even stand the thought of it. Even if this was an act of pity from Wonwoo, Mingyu would take anything even if it was continuously chipping away at his strongly built up pride.

With a sigh, Wonwoo started up the engine and started to drive. Mingyu wasn’t even thinking about where they were going. Anywhere but here was better. Sometime within the next five minutes, Wonwoo had lit a cigarette and opened his window to air out the smoke, tapping the tip with his pinky to knock off excess ashes ever so often. Mingyu had suddenly grown quite uncomfortable. The smell of smoke seared his stuffy nose and made the tears on his face burn. He tried to hide his tearful face, feeling embarrassed to be in such a state in front of anyone.

“Can you put out the cigarette? Please.” Mingyu looked out the window, afraid to look at Wonwoo due to his request. They stopped at a red light and the silence suddenly seemed incredibly heavy and it had nothing to do with the lingering smoke swimming inside the car.

“No.”

The light changed back to a neon green and Wonwoo pushed on the gas, the car moving forward to wherever their final destination was, if there was one. Wonwoo continued to sip in smoke, letting it slither out his mouth making sure it was angled to the left out the window, occasionally letting some slip out through his nose.

As he settled down from the shock of what just happened and his eyes dried, Mingyu realized just how long he was sitting out in the cold before he called for Wonwoo. He decided that it had to be at most 11 p.m. judging by the number of pedestrians outside lessening and shops closing. Without moving his head, he shifted his eyes to glance at the clock built into the truck.

It read: 9:56 p.m.

The car ride continues in silence and Mingyu’s mind takes over his being. Sometimes, it feels like he’s moving, he’s progressing and leaving behind these fears, but he knows he’s gone nowhere. He begins to wonder just what’s wrong with him that he can’t keep moving when everything around him is progressing at a rapid pace. The idea of something actually being wrong with him scares him so badly.

He doesn’t even notice the truck has stopped moving until the door his elbow is propped up on and holding his head is abruptly opened and his body almost falls out if it weren’t for Wonwoo reaching out and grabbing his shoulders. He looks up and meets eyes with Wonwoo’s dark orbs that seem to be yelling, screaming something, but just in some different language that no one but him can understand. Wonwoo looks absolutely chilling. He can’t seem to shake off the unnerving feeling even after their eyes detach in a split second more.

He lets go quickly and turns on his heal. “Come on. It’s cold.” And he’s gone, inside the tall building that Mingyu recognizes as the apartment building he had trouble maneuvering out that one morning. Never thought he’d find himself back here, willingly. He steps down onto the sidewalk and his knees give out a little before he has a chance to grab the side of the door for support until he could gain back some strength. Closing the door with a soft thud, he walks into the lobby and sees Wonwoo waiting outside an open elevator with no distinct expression on his face. They step in and the doors slide close with a ding, leaving them completely alone and isolated. Mingyu doesn’t catch which one it was exactly nor did he really care, but Wonwoo presses a button probably indicating the floor to stop at and with another ding they move up.

The silence is, yet again, anything but comfortable and neither of them attempt to say anything. In all honesty, Wonwoo had no reason to help Mingyu. He had been nothing but rude to him and actually had the nerve to blame him for what happened. He answered the phone hesitantly, not sure what would come out of it, but when he heard the sound of Mingyu’s voice sound so- so broken he couldn’t just leave him. Wonwoo can’t admit it, but he’s too good of a person to just leave someone like that. He knows what it feels like.

Wonwoo rustles in his pocket for a few seconds probably searching for his keys and unlocks the door with a rusty click. For the most part, it looks and smells basically the same as Mingyu remembers. The house seems empty and Mingyu wonders where Wonwoo’s parents were, for the first time remembering that Wonwoo was only a year older than him. They were so young yet so troubled. It was hardly fair.

It hits him. It finally comes into his mind: he’s just sixteen years old, Wonwoo no more at seventeen. They’re so, so young and should be enjoying their teen years with close friends and hard studying at school. They shouldn’t have to be dealing with so much-so much hate and anger and sadness.

Wonwoo walks towards a room probably wanting Mingyu to follow, so he does. Looking at the apartment with the lights on he can now properly see how small it was. He knew he lived in an unusually large house, but this seemed just a bit smaller than what could possibly be comfortable.

They enter Wonwoo’s bedroom, if Mingyu remembers correctly, and the older shuts the door behind them even though there seemed to be no one else home.

He doesn’t know what’s come over him, but in one moment Mingyu is pushing Wonwoo down onto his bed with a strong grip on both of his wrists, holding them up above his body. He drops his head onto the side of his neck and kisses it lightly, unexpectedly h