REAPER || minsung ✔︎

14

"So, you decided it was time to come back to life again?" a certain librarian asked, sarcasm dripping off his tone. He was sitting behind the checkout counter in a bored manner, leaning his chin on a stack of books. "You look like shit, please go back home."

Jisung lazily ran his hands through his messy and tangled locks, wincing when he forcefully pulled out a knot. "My feelings have been hurt. I feel just fine, you ass," he snapped, glaring at Changbin.

He wasn't fine, not in the slightest. It had been impossible for Jisung to sleep properly for days. Hazy images kept appearing in his mind, they felt so real it was scary. The bags under his eyes were also very anxiety inducing; they looked big enough to hold a truck. That might've been an exaggeration, but that was how Jisung felt.

"Are you sure, because that doesn't seem like fine," Changbin said worriedly.

Jisung looked like he hadn't slept in weeks and was now recovering from his fifth mental breakdown. His socks were mismatched and his clothes were probably the first one he'd found. He placed a strong hand on his shoulder.

Jisung immediately let go of some tension in his muscles. Changbin's touch was warm and sent a comfort through his body. He felt slightly better again, though it was a lot of negativity that had to be worked away.

Jisung downed what was left of his coffee with two extra espresso shots in one gulp and made an 'okay' sign. "Never been better," he insisted with a forced smile, hoping it hid how much he wanted to cry at the moment.

"I don't think that's healthy," Changbin noted. He was honestly concerned for the grey haired's health.

"Good thing I have no regard for my personal wellbeing," Jisung answered shortly and picked up two textbooks. "Is Jeongin at the usual table?"

After Changbin nodded, he quickly left without even batting an eyelash. That's when Changbin was certain there was something wrong. Usually he'd be so clingy and cheerful to the point of it being annoying, but today he seemed so distant. An anxious aura was surrounding the boy, as if danger could strike at any given moment.

That's when it hit him, the sketchy scene that had occurred a few weeks ago. Was that man bugging him? Did he do something to Jisung? Was he supposed to fight someone?

Changbin had a fair share of fighting off what bugged Jisung and he wasn't scared to do it again. It was an obligation after all and he actually cared for the boy quite a lot. The last part wasn't by obligation.

Changbin sneakily got the book cart and rolled it toward the corner of the library. He didn't enter that aisle, though; instead he took a turn to the shelves one row before those. Peeking through them he hoped he would see if the grey haired boy was still out of it, maybe he'd even spill what was happening.

Everything seemed normal; the other two occasionally joking around, realizing later that Jisung was supposed to be helping Jeongin with school. However, there was no trace of any genuine happiness in his eyes. His laughs felt dry and his comments didn't have their usual sarcastic wittiness to them.

Because Changbin was so focused on the two in front of him, he dropped the book he was trying to place on the higher shelf. His eyes widened and he quickly dropped to the ground. He tried to hide behind the cart, only to hear Jisung exhale loudly.

"Binnie, the only ones working right now are us two," Jisung deadpanned, not sparing the elder a glance. "Can you stop being so idiotic? Jeongin and I are trying to math."

Changbin scrambled back up again and dusted of his pants. Smooth and cool, like nothing had happened. "Math is not a verb," he remarked, trying to act as casual as possible. He leaned onto the wall weirdly with an awkward smile.