Don't run away from me

ch.21

//seokmin;

After their paths diverged, Seokmin struggles to find a way back to Joshua. For the next few hours, he remains on the sidelines, watching Jeonghan dragging Joshua around with a constant smile on his face, interacting with all sorts of people. Seokmin feels a pit in his stomach every time someone makes physical contact with the person he likes, tensing up every muscle in his body.

"Oh, Zorro. Take it easy, it's the fourth dose you're crushing." Minghao appears behind Seokmin with another drink, handing it to his friend.

"What is this feeling I have every time someone touches Joshua? It feels like I'm lighting a fuse inside me that's about to explode at any moment." Seokmin gulps down the drink in one go, crushing the can.

"Jealousy," Jun makes his appearance, wrapping his arms around Minghao's waist. He smiles at the boy in his arms, but Minghao just rolls his eyes in response.

Seokmin watches them, seeing clearly on Minghao's face how much he longed for Jun. He knew him too well not to notice the way Minghao looked at Jun as if he were his whole universe, despite the mean comments he made about him. And Jun seemed to have realized that this was how Minghao showed his affection, as he was never offended by his words, finding him quite adorable.

"Hey, did you dress Seokmin tonight?" Jun asks, resting his chin on Minghao's shoulder.

"Yes!! Do you like it?" a sparkle appears in Minghao's eyes, and the two boys start giggling, followed by a session of kisses.

Seokmin watches them somewhat disgusted, rolling his eyes and deciding to move away from the lovebirds. His gaze scans the entire room, and when he spots Joshua dancing alone in the middle of the crowd, Seokmin hurries to reach him. With each step he takes towards the boy, he feels his heart pumping blood through his veins faster. With the help of alcohol, Seokmin gathers courage and places his hands on the boy's waist. From Joshua's reactions to his touches, Seokmin understands that Joshua was okay with it and allowed him to touch him. The atmosphere was getting heated with each passing second, and the way Joshua teased him made Seokmin gather all his strength not to let out any embarrassing sounds in the middle of the dance. He felt painfully good, and the way Joshua fit in his arms felt like they were made for each other. Awakened by a loud noise, Seokmin meets Joshua's gaze for the first time. The boy was visibly under the influence of alcohol and probably incoherent, and Seokmin feels a pit forming in his stomach, opening up like some kind of black hole devouring him from the inside.

He quickly finds an excuse to leave, entering the kitchen. Leaning against the counter, Seokmin adjusts the rhythm of his breathing and his heartbeat. He sees an open bottle of vodka on the table and decides to drown his conscience in shot after shot. When he reaches the fifth one, two other boys enter the kitchen, being loud and laughing too hard for Seokmin's liking, who needed some peace and quiet in those moments.

"Hey, Johnny. Have you seen that guy? Joshua or whatever his name was?" one of them, shorter with greenish hair, nudges the other, taller, blond, and with hair almost reaching his shoulders.

"Don't remind me of him, please. I used to screw him when I was in my freshman year. The guy actually thought he was more than just a hole to satisfy me." The superior air and the tone with which he spoke made Seokmin's blood boil. His friend starts laughing, almost praising the wretched guy next to him. "Yeah, and I'm sure he's already slept with half the people at this party. I heard somewhere that he's even sleeping with his best friend's boyfriend."

"Hey!" Seokmin slams his fist hard on the counter, creating a loud thud that grabs the attention of the two. "Say that again, please." He approaches slowly, fixing his gaze on Johnny.