Every Single Thing I Touch || HeartLiming "Moonlight Chicken"

3. Touch

"What do you call a loser with a dead brother?"

Liming's heart clenched as the cruel words pierced through the quiet classroom. He tried to focus on the textbook in front of him, but the words blurred, his fingers gripping the edge of the page so tightly it nearly tore. Heart's mocking laughter rang in his ears, louder than anything else, feeding off the pain he knew it caused. Liming fought to keep his composure, to hold back the tears that threatened to spill, but it was like trying to dam a river with his bare hands.

He wouldn't let Heart win. Not today. Not again.

"Did you know it takes guts to come back to class after killing your own brother?" Heart's voice was venomous, dripping with the kind of malice only someone truly cruel could muster. "You have to be completely dead inside to do that."

Liming's breath hitched, his chest tightening with every word. He yanked his hand away from the page, but in his haste, the paper sliced into his finger. The sharp sting was nothing compared to the ache in his heart. Blood welled up, a bright red drop falling onto the table, smearing across the page as tears finally escaped his eyes, trailing down his cheeks.

"Heart, that's enough," a voice cut through the tension, sharp and commanding. Liming turned his head, barely registering the movement, and saw North sitting by the window, his expression unreadable.

"Man, you're no fun," Heart sneered, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes—maybe annoyance, maybe challenge. He stepped closer to North, his voice dropping to a malicious whisper that still managed to echo in the now-silent classroom. "You used to be fun when your boyfriend was alive, remember? But someone had to ruin it all, didn't they?"

Liming knew that the last line was directed to him. Hell, all the anger he was aggressively thrusting on North was actually towards him, but since North was the person to betray even the tiniest emotion, Heart jumped all in. North stood up slowly, his body unfolding with a kind of deliberate calm that sent a shiver down Liming's spine. He grabbed Heart by the shirt, yanking him closer until their noses almost touched. The air was thick with tension, so heavy it felt like everyone in the room was holding their breath. The two lookalikes stared at each other, one with silent anger and the other with very expressive anger.

"What?" Heart goaded, his voice shaking with emotion, "You're gonna kill me too? You've barely spoken a word since Night died, and now you're all brave? You're a year too late, North."

"I said that's enough," North growled, his voice low and dangerous. His grip on Heart's shirt tightened until his knuckles turned white.

But Heart, never knowing when to quit, pushed further. "Tell me, North. You didn't really love Night, did you? You just wanted his pathetic brother. You were just afraid Night would fall for me, so you—"

Liming's fist connected with Heart's face before he even realized he'd moved. The impact reverberated up his arm, a satisfying crack as Heart staggered back, crashing to the floor. Without thinking, without hesitating, Liming was on top of him, his fists flying, fueled by months of pent-up rage and grief. Each punch landed with a sickening thud, but Heart fought back just as fiercely, managing to grab Liming's throat and slam him to the ground. The classroom erupted into chaos—students scrambling to record the fight, others shouting for a teacher. But all Liming could see was Heart's face, twisted in anger and something else—something that almost looked like pain.

"You little bitch!" Heart spat, his hands tightening around Liming's throat as he tried to choke the life out of him. "I can't believe you still have the fucking nerve to show your face here!"

"You have no right to talk about my brother!" Liming choked out, his voice rough and raw. He lunged forward, sinking his teeth into Heart's ear, feeling the warm rush of blood fill his mouth as Heart cried out.