Minhyuk was just patiently waiting for his Hyunwoo hyung to come back with their drinks when it all started. It was their day off and he wanted to enjoy a trip to the mall with his favorite hyung. It's not his fault the girl sitting at the table behind him talked so loudly. He had no choice but to listen.

"Ugh! I'm so annoyed, seriously. I don't know why my mom couldn't just go to the store for the album." The girl started off, and Minhyuk had to admit, she did sound pretty agitated.

His fingers tapped to the beat of one of their latest songs, trying to distract himself from the girl's story. It wasn't working too well.

"It wasn't just a scratch or two! The CD was chipped, the poster was ripped, and there was a stain on my poor Kihyunnie's face!"

Now he was especially interested. This girl just wasn't any angry fan, she was one of their angry fans. A monbebe. 

A smile crept onto his face at the thought of being so close to someone who adored him so much. He really loved his fans. It's too bad he couldn't reveal his identity, or else he would have made conversation with her, and even taken a photo with her.

But, respectively, it was his break and he deserved at least that bit of time away from monbebes. But the thought didn't keep him from practically glowing behind his face mask.

"I'm not overreacting. I shouldn't have to put extra energy into this just because the seller couldn't be bothered to make sure her albums were in good shape!" He continued to listen to her story, a little less shamefully this time around. "How would you feel if someone spilled spaghetti onto your Minhyuk poster? Exactly!"

He winced. He didn't want anyone throwing spaghetti at him, that's for sure. But it was still nice to know this friend of her's owned a poster of him. He was glad the mask he wore hid his pink cheeks. 

He kind of felt bad for this girl. She probably paid for a new album and got a used one. No one deserves to get less than what they paid for, he thought. Maybe he could get her a new album, for free to compensate for the damaged one she got. There was just one tiny flaw in his plan.

He wasn't stupid, he knew she wouldn't take it lightly that she was talking to Lee Minhyuk of Monsta X. He didn't think he was all that great but he spends a lot of time at fan meets and he's not a stranger to the screaming, difficulty breathing and crying of his lovely fans.

He was just gonna pray to God she didn't think he was some creep trying to lure her into a trap. Here goes nothing.

"Ahem." He cleared his throat, standing up and fiddling with his fingers as he stood by her table. Her eyes snapped up to meet his, hanging up the call and giving him her full attention.

"Yes...?" She asked tentatively, standing up to meet his height. Well, not exactly meet. She was like an entire three-quarters of a foot shorter than him. So cute.

"I didn't mean to intrude on your privacy or anything but... I can help you get a free Monsta X album. If you'd let me." Lee Minhyuk you really didn't think this through. 

Her eyes narrowed as she looked up at him. Despite how short she was, she could definitely be scary. He was suddenly so nervous. It reminded him of a joke he used to tease Kihyun with. The shorter the person is, the closer they are to hell. He snickered in his mind.

"For free? That's a bit suspicious." He noticed her hand grip onto her bag a little tighter. "How would you even get it to me? You're just a stranger. Why should I trust you?"

If she was scary before, she was a lot more intimidating now. Minhyuk gulped, then spoke. "I just want to help you out. You don't have to accept the offer..." He sighed, continuing. "I'll even include a few polaroids if you want."

Her eyes widened. "Polaroids?" She laughed, unbelieving. "Those are only for the special editions of the album. What is it that you really want?!"

To help you, he whimpered in his mind. Poor guy just wanted to help out a fan. Maybe he should have just stayed in his seat, and continued waiting for Hyunwoo. Speaking of Hyunwoo, where is he?! How long does it take to get two drinks for them? He could really use some help about now.

"I'm not a bad guy, I swear." Just shut your mouth, Lee Minhyuk. Don't make the situation any worse. 

Suddenly, the girl's pupils shifted to something behind him. Minhyuk looked back, only to spot Hyunwoo walking their way with the drinks. He, too, was wearing all black and a mask over his face, adorned by a dark cap. He was jogging lightly towards them.

The girl's shout brought his attention back to her. "I knew it! That guy is probably your partner in crime, coming to get me. Not on my watch!"

And with that, the girl swung her bag at Minhyuk just as Hyunwoo came up to him. Except, the tray of hot tea got in the way of the bag and Minhyuk got the searing hot liquid all over his chest, along with the hard push of her purse.

"Minhyuk!" He heard Hyunwoo shout worriedly, leaning down to where he sat on the floor, cursing every curse word he knew. Hyunwoo pulled his mask down to speak clearer. He had always hated talking into that thing.

"Hey, are you alright?" Hyunwoo asked, helping Minhyuk to his feet and then facing the girl after Minhyuk nodded and whimpered a little. "What was that for?" He asked her.

The girl just stood there, eyes wide and jaw slack. She pointed at the two of them, open but the sentences weren't forming.

"Lee Minhyuk.... Son Hyunwoo..."

"..." Hyunwoo whispered, realizing the situation. Minhyuk winced, the liquid still very painfully and prominently making it's way into his shorts. He weakly tugged onto Hyunwoo's sleeve, only managing to mutter out a faint hyung, let's get out of here before the screaming started.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAH!" 

Hyunwoo quickly gripped Minhyuk's wrist and tugged him off into the opposite direction. The girl was chasing them, screaming her head off that Monsta X is here! They couldn't have been any more subtle.

To their despair, this mall was really huge. By the time they ran past fifteen stores, there were still a lot of stores to go before they could reach an exit. The girl was no longer alone in her chase; they now had a small cluster of fans running after them.

And while this was all happening, Minhyuk had to deal with the sticky liquid on his body. It wasn't so hot anymore, but it was still warm. His heart was thrumming against his ribcage as Hyunwoo pulled him along. Hyunwoo must have realized that they couldn't just run the entire way to the exit - no, Minhyuk was not as athletic as he seemed. So, when the girls fell farther behind them, he stopped for a moment to survey his surroundings.

He dashed off towards an escalator that was going down, Minhyuk wheezing behind him. They pushed past couples and old people on the escalator, muttering apologies and warnings. Soon, the girls would be attempting to squeeze past the poor bystanders as well. Sorry, Minhyuk thought uselessly in his mind.

As fast as he could, Hyunwoo pulled Minhyuk into a nearby hallway that branched off into bathrooms. They ran into a janitor's closet, the smell of bleach and dirty mops filling their nostrils. Minhyuk collapsed against Hyunwoo's chest, his breathing erratic.

Hyunwoo was the first to calm down, trying to keep Minhyuk's breathing from revealing their hiding spot. They could still hear the girls screaming just a few meters away. Hyunwoo pulled Minhyuk close, running a comforting hand through the boy's hair.

"Hey, hey, hey," Hyunwoo whispered, bringing Minhyuk's face up to look at him. "What happened back there?"

"She... I..." Minhyuk finally caught a hold of his breath, though barely. "She was talking on the phone about a ruined album. Our album. I just wanted to help her get a new one but I guess I was a bit suspicious. I'm sorry."

Hyunwoo chuckled heartily, Minhyuk's cheeks flaring red. "Oh, bless your kind heart. Don't apologize, everything will be just fine."

Minhyuk pouted up at him. "Are you sure?"

Hyunwoo nodded, pulling Minhyuk into a sweet kiss. He immediately felt his muscles relax, no longer tense in Hyunwoo's embrace. Hyunwoo pulled away too soon, in Minhyuk's opinion.

"How long will we be in here?"

Hyunwoo sighed. "I'll call manager-hyung. I'm sure you can hang in there for a bit. I'm not that bad, am I?"

Minhyuk chuckled. Hyunwoo managed to relax him already. "Not at all. In fact, how about you take me out officially after this? Hmm?"

Hyunwoo hummed against Minhyuk's lips, leaving another chaste kiss across the shorter boy's lips. "Definitely."

--

idk what this is either ok

stay healthy and stan monsta x