Mingyu exhaled a languorously tired sigh as he reached the bread stall, the choco-cheese flavor out of stock, as usual. Nevertheless, he still wanted bread, so he approached the lady and picked up the cheese flavored one.

 

"That'll be ₩2.000, please." The stall lady flashed a generous smile as Mingyu handed her a two thousand bill before turning around to take his leave.

 

"If I may ask you, why are you always alone?" The question stopped Mingyu from his tracks, now turning back to the lady.

 

He shrugged as he muttered, "I don't know." Mingyu didn't like talking about his personal business, so he walked away without saying another word.

 

"That boy..he's special." The stall woman unknowingly smiled as she watched him disappear into the crowd.

 

Mingyu thought about what the lady had said. Why was he always alone? Where were his friends? Why does he like bread so much?

 

Okay, that question was out of topic. Mingyu thought.

 

But he sees Woozi as a friend. He WANTS to see Woozi as a friend. But what if Woozi didn't feel the same way? What if Woozi thinks he's just lonely and he just needed company and Woozi would leave him eventually?

 

A thousand worries spread in his mind like cancer. Really, really bad cancer. Mingyu decided to shrug it away once again. 

 

Why am I worrying about this? Mingyu questioned himself.

 

He continued walking towards the spot where he ate yesterday, hoping he would find peace alone despite all of the people who crowded the school.

 

But there was another thing he hoped for; he wished to see his blonde haired short senior again.

 

Just when Mingyu's hopes were slowly rising, it dropped down to the level where he didn't dare to hope again in one second as he spotted the elder laughing with his friends and eating lunch with them. 

 

Of course. Woozi isn't anti-social, he has friends. How daring of me to actually have thoughts about eating with him. Mingyu thought sadly as his shoulders slumped down automatically, deciding not to make any kind contact or interaction. He pressed his lips into a thin line as he —almost— stormed off, running faster with each step.

 

And little did he know that Woozi caught a small glimpse of him, a little disappointed that Mingyu wouldn't say hi.

 

Mingyu stopped when he reached the bridge, holding onto the handrail as he panted and bent his body, wiping the beads of sweat that formed on his forehead.

 

He leaned his back on the railing and steadied his breaths, slowly sinking down to the floor. He unwrapped the plastic and took a huge bite, chowing down the bread.

 

After a couple more bites, he was holding the empty wrap in his hands and clutched them. He hugged his knees and buried his face, not knowing what to do next. There was still around ten minutes left, but he left his bag in the classroom, leaving him with nothing to fiddle with.

 

"Hey." A soft greeting was heard by Mingyu. He slowly lifted his head up to the person who was now standing in front of him, no other than Woozi himself.

 

Mingyu felt heat rise up to his cheeks, hugging his knees tighter in attempt to hide his crimson red cheeks. "Yeah. Hi." 

 

"Can I stay with you?" 

 

Little did Woozi know that Mingyu's heart skipped a beat at the question.

 

Mingyu nodded without looking at his senior, intentionally driving his gaze away towards the empty hallway.

 

He then felt a warm presence beside him, his heartbeat ratio going faster and faster as each second passed. Woozi casually crossed his legs beneath him and held them.

 

"Want some more?" Woozi revealed another plasticized bread, handing it out to Mingyu with a loop sided grin.

 

Mingyu now faced the elder, somewhat liking the small gap between them. Only recently that he noticed the food that in his senior's hand, staring at it in awe.

 

"How do you always g-get this flavor? I-I never seem to- I mean, b-be able to buy it in time." Mingyu's words were scattered terribly as he accepted with his right hand and began unwrapping it.

 

"I don't know. All I know is that it's always there when I arrive." Woozi raised his shoulders playfully as he leaned on the railing as well. "Do you like that flavor?"

 

Even though Woozi asked, he had already known the answer in advance. Which was why he would always arrive early and buy one for Mingyu, although secretly.

 

"Y-Yes! I love it." Mingyu eagerly nodded as he swallowed the last bits of the delicious choco-cheese bread.

 

Woozi simply nodded before asking him another question, though he wasn't sure of the answer this time. "Why do you always stutter?"

 

Mingyu was clearly taken aback by this question, according to his gesture. His eyes widened, mainly because he didn't know what to answer the elder.

 

He decided to shrug, a body gesture showing that he in fact didn't know why either. "I don't k-know. I guess it's b-because I d-don't talk much."

 

Woozi hummed in response and nodded multiple times before asking yet another question. Though this time, Mingyu knew the answer. "Why don't you talk? Don't you talk to your parents?"

 

Mingyu's head hung in the air at the sudden outburst of the blonde other. His mouth immediately tasted bitter, but instead he pursed his lips in attempt to act normal. But Woozi instantly sensed the touchiness of this subject, quickly waving it aside to avoid any species of awkwardness.

 

"It's okay if you don't wanna talk about it. Sorry for pushing you too far." Woozi apologized with his head lower than the younger's, making him tilt his head up to face his black haired junior. Mingyu looked down at Woozi's face, admiring the way his lips curved into a cheeky smile and the way his eyes turn into crescent moons.

 

Mingyu shook his head before replying, "it's okay. I-I just d-don't talk about them a lot." He shrugged yet again as he changed his position, now crossing his legs under himself as well. Woozi straightened his body, facing the other's face; and they were dangerously close.

 

But it's not like either of them minded.

 

As if to save Mingyu from utter embarrassment, the bell rang to indicate the end of lunch break. He struggled to stand up, and successfully did as he wore his backpack strap on one shoulder as usual. Woozi stood up with full ease, excited even.

 

"Can you accompany me later at the library? I need to do some researching and no one could come with me." Asked Woozi with the same grin taped across his face. It wasn't that no one could go with him, he just wanted to spend more time with his lovely junior.

 

"S-Sounds good. Sure." Mingyu stuffed his hands inside his pocket as he agreed. He would do almost anything to spend more time with the elder. Alone.

 

"Cool! So meet me at the private reading area as soon as you finished everything, yeah?" Woozi stepped closer to playfully pat the taller's shoulder, his hand staying there as he spoke.

 

"Yeah." A tender smile crept its way into Mingyu's lips, stretching them from ear to ear.

 

"Alright. Oh, and you should smile more. You look really cute when you do. Bye!" Woozi mumbled the third sentence at the speed of light before beaming to bid his goodbye, now racing against time to reach his next class. But Mingyu heard everything the elder said.

 

"Bye.." Mingyu mumbled his farewell, although he couldn't help but to contently grin at his blonde senior's compliment as it was overwhelmingly stuck replaying in his head.