𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒘𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒊𝒈𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒔 : 𝒘𝒐𝒘𝒌𝒘𝒂𝒏

broken baby teeth

"Alright class, you're free to go! I hope you all have a good fall break and..."

Byeongkwan wants to hit himself. To yell and scream or just run away.

his teachers voice is muffled by the thoughts racing in his head, the worries and self reflection.

the red 58% marked on the corner of his test paper makes his chest burn. the note under kills him.

"Will be contacting guardians today"

Byeongkwan studied. He stayed up every night and stared at the damn book since the teacher told them about their final test before their brief break.
he's not sure what happened, but it's scared about what's to come.

He knows it's dumb to cry over a failed grade, but he's not sure he's crying over the actual grade anymore.

When Byeongkwan steps out of the school building, shoulders tense and biting a hole into his bottom lip, a miracle happens.

He sees an angel, one with fading green hair and a thin hoodie, with a smoke cloud circling their head.
Sehyoon doesn't have wings and a halo, but he's something mystical.

The older doesn't say anything as Byeongkwan walks up and enters the car but he knows, he always knows. the comfortable silence that normally surrounds them is tainted with a tense undertone that makes the blonds eyes water again.

The two sit for a moment, listening to the engine and radio that's playing on the lowest volume.
Byeongkwan can feel Sehyoons eyes glaring into him, waiting.

a sigh, painful and weight filled.
"I failed a dumb test... I don't know why I'm crying..."

Sehyoon shifts in his seat
"Yes you do."

"...yeah...I do..."

The dry laugh that leaves Byeongkwans lips is sad, it's painful to hear and it makes the blond wonder if Sehyoon realizes how much he sees through him. the truth hurts worse then the foreseeable future.

Byeongkwan curls into himself, holding back dumb tears that threaten to break the seal coating his eyes. The sudden anxiety is back, chest burning as he imagines just what's to come. the second he steps foot into the house, the cold building he calls a home.

Fears of screaming and sharp nails, a baritone voice with heavy hands and scolding words. a cold home, with cold monsters.

He doesn't realize he's shaking and sobbing, shivering despite the heater and small space, until he feels a pressure around him. a hug.

he's overwhelmed by the smell of nicotine and cologne that has started to feel like home, a true home.

it's funny, the power silence holds over us.
it can bring your heart to a stutter in music, it can scare you and build suspense until you break into a run, or it can bring so much comfort and calm you down.

silence was never Byeongkwans friend, but with Sehyoon it's okay.
hes not scared or hyped, he's so calm.

when they finally leave the school parking lot, Byeongkwans face is sticky from the dried tears and his nose is constantly sniffling. The other doesn't comment, but instead just keeps him pressed into his side and runs his chilled fingers through blond hair.

Sehyoon struggles a bit with driving with only one hand, his grip a bit jerky, but never moves from comforting the other, because he just knows.

as much as he hates it, Sehyoon drives him home. the green haired boys pervious plan of food pushed back long ago with rational thinking.
they'd only be postponing the inevitable, better to face the army now rather than later when they obtain more artillery power.

and by the time Sehyoons car is parked a block away from the hellish disguised house, Byeongkwan has stopped crying completely and instead pulls flakes of skin from his inner cheeks until he tastes metal.

they part with a hug, like they're old sad friends.

Byeongkwan understands why parents charish fallen baby teeth now, the small fragile things in a child's mouth that break with age.

He understands how much youth they represent and how much they mean to a parent watching their child grow into an adult.

Byeongkwan wishes he still had his baby teeth, instead of the pain in his cheek bone and the copper in his mouth.

he wished his parents had kept theirs too