Roller Coaster || Seongjoong ||

20.

Monday morning again, Hongjoong felt himself falling asleep as he was standing up in front of his mirror, he wasn't even trying to fight it though. He had absolutely no desire to even get close to school for a couple hundred years.

"Be careful on your way there and God bless your day, alright baby?'' His mother said, in front of the main door with her outfit ready for work and giving her daily goodbye to her son about to leave for school. Hongjoong would usually cringe at his mother's excessive forehead kisses, but this time they just made him want to stay more and more, probably fake a fever or a flu if he could.

But he couldn't, not ready to be a coward, even if facing his friends would feel like the worst embarrassment he could ever have.

With a last sigh, he went out the door and started walking before he heard Yeosang's familiar voice calling for him, an arm around the older's shoulders, probably Yunho if he could recognize the taller's laugh.

"Hyung, we can just go ahead, San texted me saying he started walking to school with the rest earlier'' Yeosang mentioned, checking his phone.

Wooyoung had to bite his tongue to refrain himself from making any comment. Although that night at Hongjoong's ended quite nicely with San, they never agreed nor actually compromised on something. In fact, they haven't talked a single bit since that day, just like going to day 0 even after that talk.

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"Young-ah...'' Seonghwa called, who was sat by the oreo haired.

"Hm?'' He answered back, snapping out of his thoughts

"Did you bring the flowers for Jongho's presentation?''

"Uh...yeah! I have the petals though"

"No problem, I'm sure he'll love it just like his surprise after that'' Yunho winked, sat by Yeosang's side, the mentioned sat by Wooyoung's other side as the remaining three were in the row in front.

"He grows up so fast" Yeosang sighed.

"Oh come on, he's still too little'' Yunho rolled his eyes at the sudden comment, wanting to believe the youngest was still far from where they were.

"You won't be saying that when instead of seeing him do a presentation for the school, he'll be graduating high school" Mingi butt in, the taller in the middle of San and Hongjoong respectively.

"I'll be back...." San mentioned before standing up and trying to pass by the other already seated students before leaving after a teacher that seemed to have called him, all six of them nodded before resuming their conversation.

"Don't tell him we talked about this'' Yeosang side-eyed.

"Oh my god, you two get sappy so quick'' Hongjoong mocked, turning around to look back.

Seonghwa wanted to giggle and even add to Hongjoong's comment, but it felt almost illegal to do so after what happened, he couldn't even face him properly and he hadn't received a single glare from the blonde this whole time either.

"When does this start?'' Mingi asked.

"Oh, San is back'' Yunho noticed.

But it took him and the rest a couple milliseconds more to notice the black haired completely distressed face.
"Jongho is nowhere to be found'' He spoke, his voice audible enough for only his own group to hear, but causing an alert siren starting to sound in their heads.

"What?!" Seonghwa stood up.

"How long has he been missing?'' Mingi followed.

"Not too long I think, minutes before getting the rest of his classmates ready?"

"Alright then, let's go" Hongjoong walked out the place where the presentations were gonna be held, getting stopped by one of the teachers to go out, insisting to go back to their seat due to this matter being between the school and the family, in this case and for now, only San.

The mentioned had to step in and almost beg the teacher to let them help, they might know where Jongho could be. And even if the teacher seemed very hesitant, the group had already split in search of the younger.

Classrooms, the bathroom of the auditorium, the school's yard. Anywhere. Every corner if possible.

Not too long after, the taller pair of the group got close to one of the less used restrooms of the school, going in carefully in case someone was there. Fortunately, the person they needed to see was the only one in there, which got Yunho calling for San almost immediately.

"Kiddo...you're here" Mingi spoke in the softest voice he could muster up.

"Do-Don't make me go..." The youngest shook his head, in a corner of the place and turning on the millions of worries the older boys thought were relieved once they found Jongho.

"Would you mind letting us know?" Yunho asked, same tone as Mingi.

Jongho shook his head, not collaborating until San came in running behind them to hold his brother tightly in a hug.

"For the love of God, never do that again, do you understand?" It came out harsher than what he wanted to sound, but the intentions were clear. And even if the younger black haired knew the trouble he had gotten into, he allowed himself to be hugged by the entire group, almost knocking the air out of his lungs as tears clouded his sight.

"I don't want to go to that stage" The younger confessed once the hug loosened up.

"Jjong-ah, there's teachers waiting for you...'' Wooyoung persuaded, but the younger one only shook his head once again.

"We can't help you if we don't know what's the problem" Seonghwa insisted, worried eyes traveling over his friends.

The younger sniffled a few more times, hugging back his brother as the opposite had one of his hands behind Jongho's head, just like one would hold a baby.

"Haruki said I didn't deserve to be on stage" He confessed almost in a whisper. Ashamed to let a stupid comment from one of his classmates affect him. "He didn't like I was the one singing instead of him and made my week unbearable"

The older boys looked at each other once again. Rage boling even if it was just a stupid kid doing stupid kid things to their little brother.

"Well, why don't you show that Haruki brat you're doing so much better than him, hm? Let him be jealous of you" Yunho side smiled, kneeling down to Jongho's height.

"We'll make sure to solve it, HoJong-ah" Wooyoung nodded. "Go back to your teachers and leave this to your hyungs"
The youngest shook his head once more. "Don't tell the teachers! He'll know I snitched..."

"Oh we won't tell the teacher, we'll do better than that" Seonghwa suddenly answered, tone of voice as if saying something so simple yet so confusing to the rest who didn't know his plan.

Yeosang frowned before whispering.

"Scary"