|| Forget-Me-Not || {Seungjin}

{ 3 }

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"True love is finding your soulmate in your best friend"

- Faye Hall

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{Age 16 & 17}

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"Are you sure about this?"

"Of course, it's not a big deal," Seungmin waived away Hyunjin's concern as he pulled a cigarette from the small carton he held and rested it between his lips as he fished around his bag for the lighter he'd brought. His irresponsible adult cousin had bought them for him at his spontaneous request, and he decided he wanted to try them out with his best friend. They had both always been 'goody two-shoes', so he yearned to do something a bit naughty that wouldn't have a lasting effect on them or get them in too much trouble.

They were sat under the school's bleachers following a baseball game, long after everyone had gone home. Dusk was setting upon them, so they had to act fast in order to get home before it was too dark. Seungmin glanced up at Hyunjin, noting the hesitation on his face. "But your asthma..." The elder reminded, brows knit together and a frown on his lips. If he already had issues breathing on his own, Hyunjin feared for what would happen if he gave his lungs an even harder time.

"It's just a one time thing. You don't have to if you don't want to," he spoke around the cigarette, sounding slightly muffled. He retrieved the lighter and flipped the cap open before sparking it up and holding it to the opposite end. He coughed aggressively once the smoke hit his mouth, prompting Hyunjin to reach over and take it away.

"Seungmin, please..."

Despite his pleas for him to not do it, Seungmin took it back and inhaled a proper drag of the cigarette prior to blowing it away from them. Hyunjin felt a bit helpless, but instead of doing what he did best and devolving into a crybaby, he shuffled closer and parted his lips. If Seungmin insisted on smoking, he supposed he may as well too. That way if something bad happened, he'd be right there with him. They shared the scandalous stick beneath the bleachers, taking advantage of the relaxation that the nicotine provided.

Afterward, they stood and Seungmin moved away from the area with the heaviest lingering smell to change out of his baseball uniform and into his spare clothing. He had to wash it when he got home anyway, so the necessary outfit switch provided protection from his parents finding out what he'd done. Hyunjin's dad smoked, so it wouldn't be an issue for him since his parents were probably nose blind to cigarette smoke at this point.

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A few weeks had passed and Seungmin hadn't stopped - in fact, he'd gotten progressively worse. The calming effect may've been even more addictive than the actual nicotine for him, as he was beyond stressed. Since his end of their final year of high school was approaching, his schedule was laid thick and he had no time to take a break, nor the allowance for anything other than perfection. Both his parents and the school had unrealistic expectations for his academic performance and personal life, which unfortunately limited the time he got to spend with his best friend.

Whenever they did have time together (usually on the walk home from school), Seungmin always had a cigarette dangling between his lips. Hyunjin's overwhelming concern didn't seem to influence him too much when he was already worn so thin, so the teen kept his mouth shut and held his hand on the way to and from school as he always did. He had to watch as his best friend's heath seemingly declined, with no way to alleviate it. Seungmin always assured that come summer, it wouldn't be an issue. They would be graduated and could relax and enjoy their break before they attended university together.