yall know the drill
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adscititious (adj.)
/adsɪˈtɪʃəs/ additional.
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hand in hand, the two boys make their way down the rocky path. minghao will admit, he's nervous. it seems that meeting junhui's brother is a big deal to him-- he doesn't really know what the kid is like, and is curious as to what his reasoning towards meeting minghao was. in his own opinion, the librarian is dull and dismal, more on the average side when it comes to appearance and boring when referencing his personality. compared to the walking sunshine that is wen junhui, xu minghao is nothing but another gray cloud.
"he's gonna love you," jun smiles through his words, looking over at minghao with adoration gleaming in his eyes. "and i know you'll like him too!"
minghao returns the gesture. the words are just barely comforting in the sea of emotions swirling around in his head, but he manages to ease his heartbeat and continue walking. they enter a small neighborhood-- trees tall and houses ground level, which gives a warm vibe of a home-like environment. it's a little dark out. minghao had the later shift, since jisoo worked the morning. jun, who was at school majority of the time, offered to spend the evening with him. the librarian obviously agreed to this.
"hey, what's wrong?" minghao's companion suddenly asks, causing them both to stop. jun is watching him, expression full of concern and worry. minghao hadn't realized he was fidgeting.
"oh..." he trails, jun walking closer, hands still tightly intertwined. "nothing. i'm fine."
jun, however, doesn't buy this. "no, tell me. i know something's up." their faces aren't too far apart at this point. minghao doesn't mind.
"i'm just...nervous." minghao mutters. "about meeting your brother."
the student makes a sound of understanding, grinning widely. "don't be! you're...you're minghao, how could anyone not like you?"
minghao flushes. jun really has a way with words and their desired impact, even if he sounds very childish most of the time.
"i-i guess..." this satisfies jun enough, who moves over to peck minghao's nose. they continue walking until they reach a small, corner home, painted a deep maroon and lined with white shutters. the walkway is decorated with painted stones, newly planted flowers, and a few old trinkets lining the welcome mat. minghao feels his heart swell.
"come on," jun hums, unlocking the door with the spare set of keys he owns. he pulls minghao into the home. the interior is as nice as the lawn and driveway, looking neat, but strangely unused.
"you have a nice house." minghao remarks, adjusting his messenger bag. he had brought a few children's books from the library, just in case feng would be interested. they were all stories he enjoyed from his own childhood. maybe the two would bond over books.
jun only nods. he removes his shoes, and minghao does the same. the librarian is then pulled gently up a flight of stairs into a hallway. the house is only two floors-- two bathrooms and three bedrooms, a kitchen, and a minuscule living area. but something about it makes minghao feel at home.
"he might be asleep, so we have to be quiet." junhui whispers. minghao smiles and nods in a knowing manner. a door, clad with stickers and tape, is opened. feng is there, sitting upright on the bed, and very much awake.
minghao only notices the medical equipment seconds later. jun didn't tell him anything about this-- in fact, he was extremely vague. he had only mentioned having a little brother who stayed at home all day, not one who was in an extreme condition minghao knew nothing about.
"hey, bub." jun says, releasing minghao's hand to walk over and kneel on the bed's side. feng's entire expression lights up at the sight of his brother and the petite librarian.
"hyung!" he replies in a cheery tone. minghao guesses that since he spoke in korean, feng assumed minghao was of the same descent.
jun ruffles the boy's hair and gestures for minghao to join him. he does, kneeling next to the student and smiling up at feng.
"jun brought you! you're minghao! i've always wanted to meet you! can you read? you're a librarian, right?--"
"woah, slow down there," junhui laughs. "this is minghao, and yes, he's a librarian." at the mention of his name, minghao waves.
his hand is suddenly covered by two very little ones, and when he looks up, he's met with a bubbly feng.
"hi, feng. i'm minghao. jun tells me a lot about you." minghao recites, rubbing his thumb over the little boy's hand as a sign of welcome and comfort.
"he does? jun tells me a lot about you, too! he said you were the prettiest boy in the world! jun-hyung said he would marry you!"
minghao finds himself blushing cherry-red and staring in jun's path. the student is looking in the opposite direction.
"r-really? did he say all of that?"
"yes!" feng giggles. "you should marry jun! because i think you're very pretty too, and, and, and you're perfect for him!"
pushing a hand through feng's hair, minghao smiles softly. "maybe. we'll just have to wait and see."
"what is that?" feng suddenly questions, gesturing towards the bag draped across minghao's shoulder. jun is sitting on the floor. he's observing and enjoying watching the two interact.
"oh, these are for you!" minghao says, standing up and sitting on the bed. feng squeals in excitement, making grabby hands at the bag. unzipping the satchel, minghao empties the books onto the mattress.
they vary from comics to short stories, novels and chapter-filled books. minghao can almost feel the appreciation radiating from feng.
"minghao," feng says, stopping in the midst of his excitement to frown. "i don't know how to read." the librarian waves a hand, pinching the boy's cheek to rid of the sad-state.
"that's alright. i can read to you, if you want." minghao sees jun smiling from the corner of his field of view.
"can you, please? i wanna read this one. i like puppies." humming, minghao agrees and moves to feng's side, so that the boy gets a decent view of every illustration and word. the sky gets darker with each turn of the page, feng growing drowsy and yawning, but continuing to smile as minghao reads in a quiet tone to him.
jun watches all of this. he can feel his heart pounding with appreciation for the librarian, loving the way his lips curl into a smile when feng laughs. it all just feels so perfect, straight out of a movie.
a soft snore brings him back to reality. even though minghao continues to read, feng's eyes flutter shut and his body stills a bit. tiny breaths escape his parted lips, half blocked by the tube around and through his nose.
minghao closes the book, leaning over and pressing a loving kiss to the sleeping boy's forehead. jun wants to coo at this, but instead stands and gathers the books with a smile, setting them on feng's desk for later.
he approaches minghao, who is also watching him. the librarian's eyes are a little heavy with exhaustion, face illuminated in the dark by the bedside lamp. he looks, in jun's opinion, breathtaking in this state.
"thank you." is all jun can muster. minghao shakes his head, reaching out as if to beckon jun to move closer. he does.
with a gentle tilt of the chin, jun presses his lips to the older boy's, relishing in the mood and atmosphere. he can feel it-- whatever emotions minghao is trying to push into the kiss. whether it be sympathy, remorse, adoration, or just enjoyment of each other's company, jun returns it.
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longest chapter, prolly
edit: I FORGOT THE WORD I'M DUMB SORRY
-j
