𝐀 𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐃 crack of thunder shook the apartment walls, brief flashes of white seeping through the barley-open roller shutters of felix's bedroom. the sun would be rising in about two hours, and minho had yet to close his eyes. his head was too full of thoughts driven by anxiety, the cogs of his mind turning and causing a dull headache. he could hear the light snores of chan from underneath his floorboards, a familiar sound he became accustomed to the night the blonde slept over.
as days had went on, moments of the time he spent with chan kept piecing together. minho remembered wanting chan to be rough with him, break his headboard and piss off his neighbors, but no, chan was gentle, wiped his tears and took care of him, a feeling minho had forgotten what it felt like.
one might wonder why minho chose to run off anyone who dared to look after him, even if deep down he wanted to be babied. truth is, minho grew up in a home where being clingy was expected; his brother was, his mother was, too, and his father - well, he for sure as hell didn't mind. that was, until minho hit high school. he was soon into drugs and alcohol, sneaking out of the house to do anything he possibly could that was considered illegal. he wasn't the son his parents wanted him to be, but his brother was for sure. he was older than minho, so he was immediately the role model, the sibling minho had to look up to and dream about following in his footsteps. so, once minho hit eighteen, the night of his graduation to be exact, he was kicked out of the house.
his brother allowed minho to stay with him until he started college in the fall, where he would soon meet his ex, and have his life fall apart.
from there on out minho chose to be independent, ignore anyone who tried to offer him comfort when he needed it the most because it reminded him of the time his parents used to take care of him, love him for who he was, but rather they kicked him out when he made mistakes instead of helping him. minho didn't want to trust anyone else after that, not even his own sibling. it hurt too much to have anything to do with his family after they tossed him into the streets because he couldn't be the perfect replica of his brother.
the rain pattered against the window panes harder, and harder. soon the lightning was striking closer to the apartment building, shaking the whole complex. minho sat up and brought his knees to his chest, the bed sheet slipping off his legs. his torso ached, and he knew he should be lying down, his ribs won't heal faster if he can't follow what rules he had been given, but he was terrified. he tried to calm himself down as his body trembled and shook, goosebumps lining his pale skin.
