fireflies || haechan

chapter 21

we go up chenle was adorable plssssss

the cafeteria was extra loud that day as many more students filled the tables due to the weather. it was pouring outside, thunder and lighting occasionally filling the sky, causing meili's headache to grow.

renjun had suggested he drove her home but she told him it was alright, not wanting to disrupt his day. she just continued to drink a lot of water, hoping that it would help.

currently she had her head softly tucked into her arms, resting against the table as dream tried to be as quiet as they could.

donghyuck was the only one absent, which was peculiar since he always raced down right when class ended.

"did he say he had anything?" jisung asked the boys, each shaking their heads in uncertainty. "oh. weird."

"his teacher could've held him back for extra lessons," chenle suggested. "since he was just in math."

the boys shrugged. it was unlikely for him to be in extra lessons, especially during lunch period.

sooner or later, the boy of topic had appeared. his face was flushed and hair was soaked, looking as if he had just ran a mile in the rain.

"you okay?" jeno asked as the boy plopped down next to him.

"more than okay, actually," he confessed, grinning. "is she okay though?"

the boys followed his gaze to a sound asleep meili.

chenle, jaemin, and renjun chose not to answer, still pissed at him for the other night while jeno awkwardly smiled/grimaced.

"headache," jisung explained for them, seeming quite bugged too.

"ah," he nodded, taking a sip of his drink. he could sense the tenseness in the environment, glancing around at his friends in question. "what's up?"

nobody answered, all avoiding his eye contact.

renjun decided to speak up, pretty off topic though.

"you seem quite chipper today," he sneered, leaving donghyuck puzzled.

"i mean, i suppose."

it went silent at their table again, not being a real difference due to the chatter around them.

meili stirred, propping her head up to look around at the boys. she sensed uneasiness, realizing it was from the boy who had joined the table while she was out.

seeing her tired expression must've made donghyuck remember what he wanted to say, him perking up in giddiness.

"oh hey, i have something to announce!" he spoke, his tone making meili feel a little nervous, getting bad feels.

"oh really? tell us," chenle asked, sarcasm dripping in his words as he leaned forward on his arms in mock anticipation. meili kicked his foot, signalling for him to cut it out which he simply returned.

she let out a noise of pain as he had kicked to hard, making donghyuck raise his eyebrows in confusion and filled chenle with guilt. the latter quickly intertwined his leg with hers, hoping to comfort her.

she held in a laugh as chenle was showing his more caring side, while renjun gagged in disgust.

"anyway..." donghyuck continued. "back to what i was saying."

"what is it?" jeno asked, the response donghyuck had been looking for.

"well you all know hana right?"

the table stayed quiet, everyone knowing what he was about to say next.

"well we're sorta..."

"dont say it" meili winced.

"...dating now?"

the boys each gave him a look, all beginning to grow impatient with him. it was pretty clear that meili and him had developed feelings for each other, but why the hell was he just throwing it away.

it was starting to be hard to tell if he was actually serious about the way he'd been acting for the past weeks.

"you all don't seem very happy..." donghyuck observed. jisung was starting to feel a bit guilty about how they were acting. their friend must be doing everything for a reason, right?

"no, we're happy for you," he assured him, throwing on a fake smile. "just not feeling it today, that's all."

"oh okay," he slowly nodded. "i have to go, bye."

donghyuck quickly ran off from the table, leaving the group.

the boys all looked at meili to see how she was doing, each being met with a blank expression.

chenle was about to open his mouth to say something about him still being available, but his phone buzzed with a text from jisung.

jisung

Don't do it

what????

I know what you were about to say
It won't help lol

how would you know

Just trust me here
Your feelings will never get returned
if you keep going at it that way

...
what do i do then??

Bro idk just hug her or smth

are you sure?

No
Just do it anyway tho
I have a feeling

fine.

shoving his phone in his pocket, he looked over to jisung who gave him a subtle wink.

taking a deep breath, chenle slowly wrapped his arms around the emotionless girl, easing her into his embrace.

her face began to melt so he quickly turned her face towards his chest, pulling her closer so she could let her tears out.

a wet sensation was spreading through his shirt as her cries were muffled, her tears definitely going to leave a mark on his shirt.

he stuck his face in her hair, inhaling the scent of her shampoo as the boys watched all around them.

renjun had a look of approval on his face, satisfied with the younger's mature actions despite him being close to two years younger than the girl.

jaemin smiled evilly, sensing a new ship on the rise as the two embraced in front of him.

meili had stopped crying, peeling her face from the boy's shirt.

"sorry for leaving a mark," she pointed to the large tear stain on it.

"it's okay," he giggles, ruffling the girl's hair. "i have a hoodie in my locker."

she nodded, avoiding eye contact with the boy and the rest of the table.

"hey chenle," she spoke up, trying to find a way to thank the boy. "can i take you up on that date offer?"

he laughed, standing up from his seat.

"no, i don't think that would be very beneficial. you can come over after school to eat ice cream in our pyjamas though. maybe watch a couple movies."

she nodded enthusiastically, quite liking his idea.

"great," he beamed, his adorable smile taking up his whole face. "see ya."

meili watched as he walked away, beginning to see the boy in a new light.

a large smile spread across her face, letting out a short, giddy laugh as the boys watched her in concern.

"he's cute."