Jun wanders down the main corridor towards his locker while fighting a raging headache and swallowing down his overflowing apprehension. He hadn't gotten any sleep since leaving Minghao's, he just couldn't. And now he's dawdling round school trying to avoid Minghao, yet at the same time, trying to run into him. This of course, makes absolutely no sense, but nothing in the past twenty four hours has made any sense at all anyway.

"Hey, there you are!" The exhausted voice comes with an arm swinging round his shoulders, "I ended up getting like only four hours of sleep, I can't even open my eyes," Soonyoung groans as he slumps his weight onto Jun.

Jun gives the boy a half hearted chuckle and shakes him off by jerking his shoulder up. "You seen Minghao?"

Rubbing both eyes, Soonyoung grumbles in thought, "um, no, I don't think so. Why?"

"Just wondering." Jun's steps slow to a stop and he turns to face Soonyoung, grabbing his right arm, "hey, could you do me a favour?"

"Hmm? Sure, what is it?" Soonyoung replies with a yawn, both hands flying up to cover his mouth.

Jun swallows, "could you... not mention to Minghao that I took him home? Like, just tell him that you dropped him off at his place, yeah?" The older boy studies Jun: his knitted eyebrows, his weary yet earnest eyes, and the persistent biting against his lower lip.

After a pause, he finally answers, "yeah, course." Soonyoung's curiosity flares the more he thinks, but everything about Jun today tells him he shouldn't push it. Wen Junhui isn't the type of guy to show his emotions; this is one of the only times Soonyoung's actually seen the heart behind the mask and he knows it like an instinct not to ask questions.

"Hey, speak of the devil," Soonyoung mutters as he turns to see Minghao by his locker.

Jun feels his heart lurch violently, as his feet move robotically, each step he takes forward feels wobbly and uncertain. Minghao smiles weakly when he sees them approaching, but before either of the pair can say anything, Minghao speaks up first, "hey, guys. Who, um- who took me home last night?"

Soonyoung briefly glances up at Jun, who doesn't say anything, and then turns to give Minghao a cheery smile, "I did!" Minghao's mouth parts and he throws his head up softly in acknowledgement. "I had to haul both yours' and Mingyu's asses back home, I'm so freaking tired," he finishes with a groan. "Why?" He then adds, unable to restrain the growing curiosity.

"Oh, I just- Um, yeah my head's been so messy since I woke up this morning. I just wanted to make sense of everything that's happened, I don't- I don't really remember. Everything feels like a dream, and yeah... I just, yeah." Minghao's words all run into each other and he laughs at himself.

Jun listens, and notes that Minghao has refused to make eye contact with him. "Guys, I'm gonna go head to my music theory class, so uh later," Jun mutters, pupils darting between the two boys, unwilling to let them land on Minghao for more than a second.

He hurriedly turns to go, not wanting Minghao to call after him, or follow him. Thankfully, he doesn't.

"Hey," Jun mumbles as he slumps into the seat next to Jisoo, forehead hitting the desk almost immediately. Jisoo lifts both his attention and his fingers away from his guitar. Why is he taking that thing to a theory class anyway, the thought passes through Jun's head before he goes back to wallowing in self pity.

Jisoo gives him the usual angelic smile, "hey Jun. You okay?" Head still laying flat on the desk, Jun only grumbles as a response. It's early, and the only students in the classroom are him, Jisoo, two girls who can't sing but are screeching shamelessly nonetheless, and some kid with green hair who probably vapes and eats his lunch in the toilet.

"You can talk to me, you know." Jisoo's voice is gentle and warm like always, and Jun smiles slightly against the table. But he's not ready to talk about it. He doesn't know when he'll be able to confide in someone, maybe tomorrow, maybe never.

Jun sits up, runs a hand through his hair and gives Jisoo a brief smile, "I'm fine. Thanks though hyung."

There's a slight awkwardness between them when the silence lasts more than a few seconds, but thankfully, Hansol walks in before either of them have to find a new conversation opener.

"Hey guys," Hansol flashes them a toothy grin and sits on the other side of Jisoo.

Jun doesn't mean to ignore them or whatever, but he turns his head to the side and zones out of their conversation. His mind is drowning and his heart is heavy from all the things he keeps inside. He just wants to tell someone. But he knows better.

Does Minghao know? Or does he think it's a dream? Minghao can be clueless like that, but maybe he knows and is just pretending not to know, because that would be so much easier on both of them. But is it really easier like this? Jun's never wanted so bad to be honest until now. He can almost taste the words on his tongue, his secret, his confession: he wishes it could all evaporate away.

Weeks pass. The burden he's been carrying for years weighs him down more and more every day. Jun doesn't really know how, but he's survived seeing Minghao every day, he's formed some crazy bond with Wonwoo (after screwing a few things up between him and Mingyu, but hey, the two are together now so what does it really matter), he's been surprisingly intolerant to an old friend, and most of all? Everything hurts.

This , Jun thinks as he lugs himself to the changing rooms. It's sports class, and it's not like Jun minds tossing a ball around, running a few laps and kicking some people in the shins, but what he does mind is that Xu Minghao is in his class.

He kicks the door open and nods at a few of his classmates, ignoring the crazy shouting from a particularly disruptive crowd in the corner of the room. The stench of sweat hangs in the air, and it makes Jun want to gag, especially when paired with the sickly warmth shrouding the atmosphere.

Spotting Wonwoo and Minghao, he presses the 'off' switch on his emotions and makes his way over, the usual grin appearing on his lips automatically. "Hey guys."

"Jun hyung," Minghao greets as he throws a shirt and other garments out of his black duffel bag. "Your kit," he shoves them to Jun's chest faster than he can grab them and then smacks a pair of trainers against the older boy's face.

"Ow, Minghao, that freaking hurts," Jun whines as Wonwoo moves further to the left so that there's space for Jun in the middle. Minghao smirks to himself in satisfaction, and Jun jabs him with his right elbow.

Wonwoo throws his blazer off and starts undoing his tie, "why does Minghao carry your kit with his anyway?"

"Cause this idiot never remembers to bring his kit on the right days and I don't let him leave it in his locker cause then it'll be unwashed and it'll stink more than his feet," Minghao answers, jokingly giving Jun a scornful look, "so gross."

Jun shakes his head and ignores Minghao, fingers working on pulling his shoes and socks off. His eyes inadvertently land on Wonwoo, whose fingers are fiddling with his shirt buttons, creating a popping sound with each one undone.

"Oooh, yeah Wonwoo, take your shirt off," Jun teases before Wonwoo looks up from his shirt and gives Jun the most deadpan look and then proceeds to kicks him in the left leg, sending him toppling into Minghao.

Jun can't even register what's happened before he feels Minghao shove him away violently. He blinks and straightens himself up before realising he's looking down at a pissed Minghao whose landed on the floor with both arms pushed back, palms flat on the ground, a leg with the knee up and the other laying straight on the floor.

Honestly, Jun thinks he looks like some goddamn supermodel with the most illegal smoulder in his eyes. Except he's not, because he's Xu Minghao, his best childhood friend, and the only look in his eyes is a glare and holy ing  his shirt buttons are all undone and his bare torso is on display! Jun swears he is in physical pain from having to keep his jaw in place and knowing that he has to tear his eyes away from... that.

Minghao's grunt snaps Jun back to reality, "wow, thanks a lot guys. And what was that for?" He dusts himself off as he gets up, throwing his school shirt off and digging around his bag for his sports one.

Jun closes his gaping mouth and then scowls at Wonwoo, "yeah, what was that for, Wonwoo? Why you gotta be so rude all the time?" By this time, Wonwoo is already tying his laces, and he only scoffs in amusement.

God, why is it taking him so freaking long to put a shirt on? Jun's eyes linger on Minghao's curved back as he rummages through the bag. "What do you even have in there, Minghao? Narnia?"

"Oh, you know. Just knives, rope, duct tape, the usual." Minghao says casually as he finally throws a white shirt on.

Jun forces himself not to stare any longer, and instead finally begins to get dressed himself. "Wow, Minghao. Didn't know you were into that kinda stuff." Minghao gives him a look of disgust. "Cute in the streets, freaky in the sheets huh?"

"Okay, I will slap you. And I am not cute!" Minghao exclaims, while Wonwoo just sits there on the bench, amused and waiting for the pair to be done. "And definitely not freaky..." He adds a little quieter at the end, eyes darting around to see if anyone else has heard Jun and his crazy mouth.

Pulling his leg up onto the bench to do his laces, Jun gives Minghao a serious look. "Okay, maybe cute is debatable seeing how you're psychotically violent most of the time. But being your best friend for years, I would not be surprised if you were a bit... experimental with your night life," Jun's voice drops to a cheeky whisper, eyebrows wiggling suggestively.

Minghao's face is one of disbelief, before he bites back, "well wouldn't you like to find out?"

Even Wonwoo's mouth drops at that comment, and Jun is caught off guard for a second, his mind flashing back to the night of Seungcheol hyung's party. His face flushes warm, before he composes himself again. "Well," he leans in closer to Minghao, voice low and almost inaudible, "maybe I would," his gaze is burning and he unconsciously bites his lips when he feels Minghao shiver slightly.

Seeing the blush on Minghao's face, Jun wonders if his mind's also filled with thoughts of that night, whether it be a memory, a hallucination or a dream to the boy.

"Okay, I'm going," Wonwoo interrupts blankly, gettin