rumble fish #gingerwoo

#17

Gingerboy and Youjin were sitting in the backroom and the younger had been given his favorite energy drink that was supposed to calm his nerves a bit. Youjin was observing him, thinking about how much he had grown and matured since the last day they had spent in the same home.

"Are you gonna tell me why are you here?" he asked after the silence had been lasting for some time.

"I got in a fight with my foster dad and asked why he still keeps me if he hates me so much and he called the services," Gingerboy told, sipping his drink again.

"So you ran away?" Youjin questioned, receiving only a nod as an answer. He didn't know what to say and just put his hand behind the smaller one's shoulders.

"Can I use your phone to call Hyunwoo? I got mine taken away," Gingerboy asked, looking up to the person next to him. Youjin took out his phone and handed it to Ginger.

"Do you remember his number?"

"Yes," the younger started typing in the number and called. Youjin got up and cleaned some trash from the table to seem like he wasn't paying attention to Gingerboy's call.

"Hyunwoo," Ginger started as soon as the person he was trying to reach picked up.

"Gingerboy? Whose phone are you calling from?" Hyunwoo replied, immediately getting some worry in his tone because of the situation that wasn't normal.

"Did you go home yet?" Gingerboy ignored the question by presenting another one.

"Just made it here a while ago. Did something happen?"

"I changed my mind. I'm coming there for the night," Gingerboy ended the call as he didn't have anything else to say through the phone and because he knew Hyunwoo was going to start asking more questions. He gave it back to Youjin who sat next to him again.

"Are you close with Hyunwoo?" the older asked because as a bystander he hadn't been able to put his finger on the relationship between the two.

"Closer than with anyone else," Gingerboy answered, not really giving Youjin any of the details he had wanted to get.

"He seems fond of you," Youjin continued and Gingerboy glanced at him.

"I dunno," he didn't know what to say. "I'm a difficult person and I regret makin' shit hard for him."

"I think he knows he can't blame you and understands. I know you have these characteristics that make other people want to protect you."

"Really?" Gingerboy scoffed.

"Yes. Ask anyone close to you and they will think the same," Youjin finished with a smile. He knew Gingerboy well and was able to understand how Hyunwoo might feel about the boy. Ginger told that he needed to continue his way before Hyunwoo would get worried. He waved goodbye and left.

On his way out he ran into Hyungwon, who coincidentally was making his way out too, carrying a backpack that looked like Hoseok's in one hand. Usually neither of them would say anything because regardless of having been familiar with each other for a long time, one new person had caused it to be stiff between them.

"Are you going home?" Hyungwon asked, startling Gingerboy who felt surprised to even hear him talk.

"Hyunwoo's," Ginger gave a simple reply.

"Let me give you a ride," Hyungwon said next, surprising Gingerboy even more. He looked at the car parked by the street that he knew to belong to the older one.

"I'm a'ight," he refused with a forced smile on his face, thinking about how awkward it would be with Hyungwon. "Why aren't you with Ho'?"

"I am. He is sleeping in the car. I think he got a lot of painkillers. I came to pick up something he left behind," Hyungwon lifted up the backpack. "Come in, I'll drop you off," he walked to the driver's seat and waited for Gingerboy to get in.