always ↬ leading me on || l.dh • h.rj • z.cl

·six·

It was late January when Donghyuck had finally opened up to the two about what he suffered in school.

It was hard for him to talk about it, he'd never told anyone before — not even his mother, they just seemed to have a silent agreement that she would see to his injures without asking about how they came to be.

Actually, he didn't want to bring it up, but Jaemin had spotted his bruises that day while they were in the café and demanded an explanation.

So he'd spilled. He'd told them about all the trouble he'd have and about how all the children at school would pick on him and call him names. How they'd beat him in their break time and steal his things. He told them about how the teachers just sat back and watched with looks of pity, how they told him there was nothing they could do.

He spoke through tears, choking up on his words and struggling to keep a flat tone. He wondered how he'd gone from teasing Jeno about his weird habit of eating lip balm to bawling into his fist about all he'd had to endure through these past few years.

His two friends watched as his shoulders shook with every sob that left his lips and mentally scolded themselves for not realising sooner. They never helped him while he was suffering silently. Like every one else, they couldn't see through that blinding smile.

One that looked so beautiful, but one that was only ever half-there.

Jaemin walked around to Haechan's side of the table and swiftly engulfed him into a hug, cradling the elder in his arms as he wept and rubbed his back soothingly.

Jeno was the first one to speak, "we'll protect you Hyuck, we promise," and Jaemin finished off for him, "we'll never leave you alone, you're safe with us."

‣‣

Jeno and Jaemin never went back on their word, Donghyuck knew that from first-hand experience. Ever since that day, they stayed with him constantly, they'd always protect him.

That day, after they'd all gone home, Jeno had made his mother sit down on the big armchair near the fireplace. He and Jaemin sat on the floor in front of her and told her they wanted to change schools.

At first she was worried, thinking that something bad happened. She became uneasy, but before she could start to question them, they'd told her about what their best friend was going through, about how Hyuck was struggling by himself.

She'd looked them in the eyes and smiled. To her, they'd grown up so well — to want to help someone else be happy.

She wasn't going to stop them, not at all, but moving schools wasn't an easy process, so she made them hot chocolate and spent the afternoon telling them about what things would change and asking them once again, if they were sure.

They both nodded their heads vigorously and with that she let out a hearty chuckle and told them that she'd sort out all the official things. She'd tucked them in, each with a kiss on their forehead, before rushing off to call Donghyuck's mother wearing a childish grin on her face.

A little under a week later, the two new students were being introduced to the class.

All the girls were swooning at the handsome duo, while the boys whispered to each other about how fit they looked. Donghyuck sat in the back of the classroom by the window, mouth agape and eyebrows raised.

"Hi, I'm Jeno."

Jeno turned to his friend with furrowed brows and shot him a look, then turned back to the students before speaking, "actually, no he isn't, he's Jaemin. I'm Jeno."

Jaemin's right eye twitched slightly before he smacked the other up the head.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR??!"

"For exposing me in front of everyone."

"What, so you wanted everyone to think you were me? That's Identity Theft yo-" he was cut of with another hit.

"Excuse me, I was nervous so I said the wrong name, doesn't mean you have to tell everyone I made a mistake!"

The whole class burst into laughter at the two's antics and you could tell that they were loved already. The girls were still giving them heart-eyes and the boys kept trying to get their attention by screaming 'bro' constantly.

However, the two only had their eyes on Donghyuck, who was rubbing his eyes in disbelief, thinking that it was all a dream.

That was when Donghyuck's life slowly started to change.

‣‣

Jeno had joined the school's football team on his second day, the coach having begged him to ever since he stepped foot inside the building. Jaemin joined the school's music club, so that he could learn to play the piano properly.

They'd quickly become the school's most popular kids and everyone knew about them.

Donghyuck had avoided them at all costs after they'd enrolled, he stopped going out with them and every time they'd try to walk to him he'd run away. He'd always make up an excuse when Jeno's mum called saying that the boys wanted to talk to him. In truth, he was just scared.

He was scared that they'd see him differently now that they'd share a class with him. He was scared that they only changed schools so they could torment him. He was scared, especially when he realised they were now at the top of the school hierarchy.

Somewhere, he felt betrayal. He thought they would protect him, so why were they doing this to him all of a sudden? He couldn't look at them anymore.

On the other hand, Jeno and Jaemin were upset. They'd changed schools, anxious and slightly afraid, but they'd still done it and while everyone loved them, the one person they did all of this for, was avoiding them like the black plague.

There were times that Jaemin cried on Jeno's shoulder at the back of the school, after he'd come back from football practice. He'd cry for hours and miss all his lessons, but he couldn't help it. When he'd left his old school, he'd left all of his other friends behind. He'd left his studies, he'd left his choir, he'd left all of his favorite teachers.

He'd left them all for Donghyuck.

But Donghyuck wouldn't even look at him now.

He didn't know why his heart hurt so much, he just wanted his friend back. He was too young to feel these feelings. Too young to be abandoned.

It wasn't easy for Jeno either, he only tried to stay strong for the younger, but he too had his moments. When he was alone, he locked himself in his room and cried out his frustrations, cried because he felt he wasn't good enough to make Hyuck stay. After all, why else would he be doing this?

Why else would he be hurting them?

It went on like that for a while, the duo still tried to talk to him everyday and Donghyuck still walked away from them.

Until the day they found the brunet laying unconscious on the ground, covered in his own blood, at their usual spot at the back of the school.

They'd lost it then and after rushing him to the school's infirmary, they made sure to make it clear to everyone that if anyone was to so much as look at the boy in the wrong way, they could kiss their life goodbye.

-To Be Continued-