⛓️

The silence in the air was deafening, squeezing Seonghwa's already suffocating lungs. He couldn't stop staring at Mingi, at his friend's widened, shocked eyes and at the way the boy continued to stand completely still. He looked like he wasn't even breathing at all.

"What's going on?" Mingi's voice sounded faraway, directed solely at Seonghwa. His eyes were also trained on Seonghwa like he didn't even want to acknowledge Hongjoong, nor what he'd probably just seen.

Hongjoong acted first, spotting the scorched paper on the bathroom floor in the nick of time. Even with this though, he never stopped holding Seonghwa. "I need to get Seonghwa out of here right now. We'll explain everything to you later -- "

The shorter's words seemed to be the match that struck Mingi's actions to life, because in a second his body had grown more stiff, and his expression more confrontational. "No. What the hell is going on? I need to know!"

Seonghwa had never heard Mingi raise his voice like this in a long time, and it frightened him. The headache slamming away at his temples grew even worse, swelling his body with so much heat and pain he felt like he was being burnt alive.

"Stop fucking shouting. You're going to draw in attention," Hongjoong snapped through gritted teeth, but his words just set Mingi off even further.

"Maybe that's what's needed right now!" Mingi yelled as he shifted his glare towards Seonghwa. A bitter smile spread across his face. "I'm so sick of this, so fucking tired of you always lying to me and spending time with him behind my back, pretending there's nothing going on. ...And now I caught you kissing him in the bathroom, fan-fucking-tastic."

A cold, icy look fell over Hongjoong's features. "Shut the hell up."

"Not until you tell me what's going on. Tell me why you can now apparently burn paper with your hands alone, Seonghwa," Mingi spoke, once again totally ignoring Hongjoong. Seonghwa couldn't bear to look at him, especially not when his eyes were glossy and filled with nothing but betrayal. "Or are you gonna lie about that too?"

Seonghwa couldn't believe this was happening. His chest felt constricted, tight all over, and that pain in his head still fucking continued, causing his vision to waver. He swallowed, guilt twisting his heart. "Mingi, I..."

"You what?" Mingi pressed, uncharacteristic fury shooting from his eyes. His hands were clamped into trembling fists, his cheeks splotched with an angry red. "Please tell me, because I truly do not understand!"

"Don't talk to him like that!" Hongjoong hissed, teeth bared and gaze laced with so much venom. Seonghwa'd never seen that look on his face before, and it drove him insane. This entire situation did. He felt like he was about to go crazy.

His surroundings were suddenly warped, and then he was falling onto his knees, his head feeling far too heavy for his body.

"Seonghwa!" Mingi exclaimed, his voice instantly losing its previous edge, but Seonghwa didn't have it in him to respond. His hands were trembling, dark flames scattering over his skin.

Hongjoong was next to him before he could blink, gripping his wrists to build akin to thick blocks of ice to freeze his hands. Then he was yanking off his sweater and twisting the fabric to cover them. While all this happened, Mingi stared on, his lips parted but no words escaping.

"I need to get Seonghwa out of here. Please, grab Seonghwa's stuff and yours from class and meet us in the library since it's currently lunch period," Hongjoong hurriedly spoke to Mingi, his voice fading in and out of Seonghwa's mind. His arms found the taller's waist and brought him up to his feet, his sweater already getting wet as a result of the melting ice.

Seonghwa's head continued to pound excessively, but he kept his gaze lowered, too ashamed to even look at Mingi. Deep, hard guilt poisoned his veins like venom, and he wouldn't stop thinking about his friend's sorrowful eyes and his harsh, wretched accusations. He didn't even deserve to call Mingi his friend right now.

It was obvious Mingi wanted to say something. He'd seen everything, from Seonghwa and Hongjoong's kiss to their powers, but the urgency in the air gave no room for any words. There was no time to question anything; he had to act, now.

Mingi casted a final dejected look Seonghwa's way before running out, and enough Hongjoong followed after, steering him and Seonghwa to the opposite direction.

"We're almost at the library. It's gonna be okay, Seonggie," Hongjoong reassured, the use of that nickname soothing Seonghwa's frantic mind only a little bit.

He was like fucking dead-weight in the shorter's arms; an inconvenience. He didn't know what was happening to him, didn't know why Hongjoong was putting up with all his shit either. He felt so fucking helpless, and it only drove him to more anger and frustration. It was all too much.

Hongjoong's strength allowed them to stumble into the library before long. Mr Ahn stood up and walked up to one of the bookshelves as soon as he spotted them, his moves so calculated like he'd known they would be arriving here.

"We need the portal to the Gathering opened," Hongjoong stated. His grey sweater had started to drip with water by now, but neither he nor Mr Ahn seemed to mind the puddles forming.

Mingi entered a moment later with their school bags, his eyes still swirling with disbelief. He stood still, absolutely shell-shocked at the blueish vortex that'd torn through the air behind the bookshelf right then. His reaction would've amused Seonghwa if he wasn't in pain right now from both shame and his hazardous powers.

"Leave the bags here and follow us," Hongjoong quickly ordered Mingi, ushering Seonghwa inside without waiting for the taller's response. The force of the portal and its wind beating against his body nearly pushed him to the ground, but he forced himself to stay upright. He still held on to Hongjoong even when he felt like throwing up, his head all woozy and uncoordinated.

Like they'd been expected, Seonghwa and Hongjoong stepped into the medical section of the Gathering, a few nurses already on their way to them. Mingi was there too, eyes darting from one corner to another and taking his surroundings all in. He looked so astonished at what he was now seeing, only regaining his focus when he spotted one of the officials taking a disgruntled Seonghwa from Hongjoong's grip.

"Where are you taking him?" Mingi's voice was rough.

"Relax," the nurse said with a smile, not looking all that bothered with the appearance of a new face. "We're taking him to Dr Hwang to get treated."

"I'll...I'll be fine," Seonghwa managed to utter, his eyes finally meeting Mingi's pair. His throat already felt so scratchy and sore, but the feeling amplified once he noticed at the fear seeping out of his friend's gaze. He gulped, the action almost painful. "I'm so sorry for... for keeping everything from you, Mingi."

Mingi's eyes grew glossier, barely holding in his tears, but he said nothing. He didn't move either as the nurses took Seonghwa away, leaving both him and Hongjoong in the waiting hall with a few others.

"You should sit," Hongjoong said. He could see how worried and anxious Mingi was, and he was sure he probably appeared the same way. "The treatment can -- and most likely will -- take some time."

Mingi's features hardened, and it wasn't hard to figure out why. Hongjoong knew the taller disliked him, and to be honest he wasn't quite fond of Mingi either, but fighting with each other was the last thing they needed right now.

And to achieve that, Hongjoong would have to be the bigger person. "Seonghwa didn't tell you anything because I convinced him not to do so. What I, as well as the others like me do requires a certain degree of secrecy. We can't exactly let the general population find out about us."

His words seemed to get to Mingi, because curiosity soon bloomed on the taller's eyes. He eventually sat down as well, but made a point not to look anywhere near Hongjoong.

"...I saw Seonghwa with fire in his hands. And you could control ice..." Mingi looked troubled. "I want to tell myself I'm dreaming, because this -- this doesn't fucking seem real. I don't even know what to believe anymore."

Hongjoong's thumb grazed the spot on his shirt his sweater had soaked through, Seonghwa's face flashing in his head. He hoped the dark haired boy was fine and that what he was experiencing wasn't that serious. "Seonghwa and I...as well as my brother Yunho and San, are Variants. We have powers and we kill off murderous shadows to prevent them from hurting others. Well, we all do that except for Seonghwa as he's just discovered he has powers."

Hongjoong spared Mingi a glance then and saw he contemplative look in his eyes. There was still some skepticism there, still some disbelief. But they were slowly vanishing. He was beginning to take his words to heart, Hongjoong realized.

"I know it sounds crazy."

"It does," Mingi didn't miss a beat. He raked his hands down his face, brows knitted and lips pulled into a sarcastic half-smile. Hongjoong knew smiling and laughing about it all was just his way of coping with things, but that didn't stop him from feeling a twinge of sympathy for him. "It sounds like some fairytale, and honestly I wouldn't have taken you seriously if I hadn't seen what had happened back there."

Hongjoong became aware of the incident that'd taken place between the three of them in the boy's bathroom, bristling a little as he recalled Mingi's words. The taller had basically ignored him throughout, but the way he'd kept shouting on Seonghwa was what had affected him the hardest.

It seemed Mingi remembered that moment too, because his head dropped and his shoulders hunched right then. He exhaled deeply. "I'm sorry about how I'd reacted in the bathroom. It was uncalled for."

"I'm not the one you need to apologize to, but I appreciate it and I'm sorry too. Once Seonghwa arrives, you two can talk things out and be honest with each other," Hongjoong admitted, playing with his nails. They were red, a similar shade to Seonghwa's nails which was every bit intentional.

Mingi's shoulders bent further, almost like he was shielding himself from the world. He chewed hard on his lip, his fists clenching. "I -- I will."

Hongjoong nodded. A strained silence stretched between them.

"You and Seonghwa." Mingi cleared his throat, his gaze trained on the polished floors of the hospital. "Are you both..."

Strangely, Hongjoong felt like he'd be doing something wrong by acknowledging the elephant in the room. It also didn't help that Mingi was now watching him with quiet devastation swimming in his eyes. So, he just nodded instead of saying anything.

"Congrats." Mingi anxiously rubbed his hands together, observing the people walking past them. It was clear it was a method to distract himself.

"Mingi."

"Hm?" Mingi turned to watch him, looking close to tears. Hongjoong wasn't all that surprised, because he knew.

"You're crying," he said, his guilty conscience almost swallowing him whole.

Mingi sniffled, furiously wiping at his eyes. Hongjoong didn't hesitate to go get him some tissues, which the taller male gingerly accepted. "S-Sorry..."

"Don't apologize," Hongjoong replied. If there was one thing he hated, it was seeing others in pain. Years spent being scrutinized and experimented on exposed him to things no child should've ever experienced, and Mingi's tears were doing something to his heart. "I should be the one apologizing for making you cry."

Mingi chuckled, reverting to his initial position of staring at the floor where no one could see his reddened eyes and flushed cheeks. "You probably think I'm crazy for just randomly tearing up. And to be honest, you're probably right. I am crazy."

"You're not."

"Well, what do you think about loving your best friend ever since you were kids?" Mingi asked with another forced smile, his lower lip trembling slightly as he said this. "It's absolutely insane, right? Because how can someone have feelings for their friend for so many years and not have it go anywhere? I guess I'm the pathetic fool here, because that's me."

Hongjoong didn't know what to do. He wanted to comfort or reassure Mingi in some way, but he had no idea how. They weren't close, and how could Mingi ever accept his help when the boy he loved loved him instead?

"I'm not saying this to make you feel bad, by the way," Mingi soon added, his jaw clenched. "I just... It feels a little better finally getting this off my chest with someone other than San." He dabbed away his remaining tears and faced Hongjoong. "Hey, you said Yunho's your brother."

Hongjoong, who'd had his arms wrapped around him as he battled with his conscience, blinked due to the sudden change in subject. "...Yeah?"

"He has pink hair and blue eyes?" Mingi clarified.

"Yes."

"I talk to him sometimes too. He's nice," Mingi confessed, but his expression blanked out after a second. "God, I fucking feel like shit. My heart hurts."

"I'm sorry," Hongjoong apologized, because truly, he had no idea what else he should've said. "I've never gone through what you have, and I'm probably the worst person in the world to be talking to about this topic, but I do know that it must suck. If there's anything I can do to make you feel better, I'll do it."

Mingi ruffled his hair and blew out a breath. "The only thing you can do is not hurt Seonghwa in any way. I mean, you're already cool as fuck and you have powers as well. It's no surprise Seonghwa fell for you. Just... continue to make him smile."

Hongjoong pictured the many times Seonghwa had smiled around him, his eyes lit up like a starry night's sky. Contrary to how serious he loved to appear, Seonghwa's smiles basically radiated innocence and unfiltered joy, and Hongjoong wanted to preserve that for as long as he could.

He found himself cracking a smile. "I promise. And, you're pretty cool too."

Mingi scoffed like he couldn't believe his ears. "Yeah right."

"You're seriously cool. Seonghwa talks about how nice and funny you are all the time, and that makes you incredibly cool in my eyes."

Despite the wetness in Mingi's eyes, he looked somewhat amused. "Really? He talks about me?"

"Yes. I can tell you mean a lot to him, even when he doesn't admit it a lot," Hongjoong said, happy Mingi was a lot more responsive to him now. He was indeed telling the truth; Seonghwa reminisced about his and Mingi's favourite moments together more times than he could count.

"He's utter shit at talking about his feelings," Mingi agreed, "and I can say that as his closest friend."

They both laughed, silence dousing them after a couple moments again. This time though, it was an easy one.

"Don't tell Seonghwa," Mingi broke the silence after a while. "I won't tell him I have feelings for him either."

Hongjoong nodded. He couldn't imagine just how Mingi must've been feeling. It seemed like torture. "I won't."

"Thank you."

Seonghwa showed up half an hour later, back to normal except for this distracted look in his eyes that Hongjoong made a note to ask about later. The three males gathered inside the nearby canteen, which was where they talked about nearly everything, clearing off any confusion that was left.

Mingi hadn't taken long to warm up to the idea of his friends having powers, accepting Seonghwa's apology readily and apologizing about how he'd acted as well. Just like he'd promised, he said nothing about what he and Hongjoong had discussed, but it was for the best. He couldn't afford to jeopardize his and Seonghwa's friendship because of what he felt, no matter how sad it made him.

No matter how long it'd take, Mingi would let go of his feelings, for his sake.

⛓️

The moon was absent tonight, but the shimmering stars in the sky made up for it. The sea lazily slid across the grainy sand, its waves foaming against the shore.

Mingi had perched himself on one of the rocks situated inside the small beach since an hour ago, listening in on the calming sound of the waves so he wouldn't think. Ever since he found out Seonghwa and Hongjoong were dating, that seemed to be the only thing he did: thinking.

But he didn't want to do that anymore. So that was why come Thursday night, he'd opted to head to this place and...have some time to himself for a bit. Give himself a break from his feelings.

Admittedly, he did let a few tears slip through during his first few minutes here, but that was tame compared to what he'd done alone in his room after talking to Seonghwa and Hongjoong on Monday. Of course, he was happy his best friend had finally found someone who he could be himself with, but his emotions were still treacherous to bear. Mingi's feelings just didn't want to leave him alone that night, and the next morning he'd woken up with a damp pillow and a weary heart.

Mingi sighed as soon as he recalled that memory. "Fuck me." He fisted some sand and watched it slip down his fingers.

"What?"

Mingi stopped himself on time before he actually fell over the rock.

"Oh my god, please don't get hurt." By now, Mingi recognized the new visitor's voice as clear as day.

He had no idea how Yunho got here, or even why he was here, but he didn't mind. Not really.

"Are you stalking me?" Mingi questioned, peering up at Yunho from where he sat. The pale boy had on a pastel blue hoodie and plain jeans, his bubblegum pink hair all ruffled up by the wind.

"I'm not." Yunho looked so genuinely alarmed by Mingi's statement, it was funny. "I come here sometimes too."

"Really." Mingi bit his lip, wondering if he should believe Yunho or not. "Well, I don't really care. At least you're here."

Yunho grinned, contagious as hell. He didn't take long to hop over the rocks and land himself right next to Mingi.

"You okay?" Yunho's inquiry was sincere. Like Mingi had done, he played a bit with the sand.

Mingi forced on a practised smile. "I'm fine."

The pink haired boy stared directly at him with those electric blue eyes of his. "Really?"

Yunho had a weird way with words. He could just utter a single word or phrase, and it'd get Mingi spewing out his innermost thoughts without thinking it over.

"I'm not fine." Mingi wasn't surprised it went the same way this time too. "Not fully."

Yunho's features relaxed, like he was ready to listen to whatever Mingi had to say.

"I'm sure you must've found out already, but I discovered you, Hongjoong and Seonghwa have powers." Mingi paused, nervous butterflies drowning him. "And it's whatever. I'm not scared of you guys or anything, but..."

"But what?" Yunho egged him on.

"I saw Hongjoong kiss Seonghwa. A-And now they're dating. I should be okay with it, but I'm not. Not totally, at least. I've known Seonghwa since he'd seen me all alone at that sandbox in kindergarten and decided to talk to me. We basically grew up t-together." Those butterflies transformed into daggers that consecutively ripped into his heart one after the other. "But it's hard. I-It's so hard to love someone who's never gonna feel the same, and it...it hurts, Yunho. It hurts so fucking much..."

Yunho held him close, slowly shifting his fingers through his hair as he sunk his head on the taller's chest, finding it difficult to even breathe. "I'm sorry, Mingi..."

"I just want someone who'd love me..." Mingi admitted, fingers squeezing Yunho's hoodie so tight his knuckles whitened. This was his first time ever talking to somebody about one of his biggest insecurities. "I want to feel...loved. I want someone to look at me like I mean something. Like I hung the stars in the sky, y'know? I-I guess I want a hand to hold onto, with kisses and cuddles and beautiful dates with a beautiful person."

As he said all this, he could only imagine Seonghwa even when he knew it was wrong of him to do so.

"You are loved," Yunho said, his chin nuzzled atop Mingi's head of brown hair. The shorter didn't mind it much, however. "Your friends treasure you, and you have parents who adore you. And...I'm here too."

"...I want something more," Mingi replied, hastily rubbing off the tears dribbling down his cheeks. This was so embarrassing and dumb. He was crying on Yunho's chest for Christ's sake.

Yunho never said anything about it though. His thumb only grazed Mingi's face, wiping off the remainder of his tears. It left the shorter male stunned, for lack of a better word. "Wanna hear a little secret?"

"What?"

"I may or may not have had a crush on Seonghwa when I first met him."

Mingi froze, staring right at Yunho to figure out if he was indeed telling the truth. "You're kidding."

"I'm not," Yunho laughed. "It was just an itty bitty crush, no big deal. It's nothing compared to what you're going through, but I hoped it humoured you a little."

Mingi broke into a series of chuckles. "Oh my god. What? You thought he was cute too?"

"He's very cute." Yunho lightly tapped Mingi's cheek. "But I think you're cuter."

Mingi rolled his eyes, eventually breaking away from Yunho's hug. "Thanks for trying to cheer me up."

"Anytime," Yunho smiled, soft and delicate just like everything else about him. "Hey, sometimes I feel like baking something. Hongjoong's not at home right now, so would you like to hang out with me there? We can bake and do other stuff you like."

Mingi laughed. "Uh, okay? I guess."

Yunho cleared his throat, his excitement obvious. "Then we can like, go now."

"Sure. Lead the way."

⛓️

a/n: aaah this chapter was so hard to write. i love H0PEMINGI's comment cause ateez are a bunch of teasers

thoughts?