The Demon Next Door

34

Jongin had his arms around Kyungsoo.

Holding him close, breathing on his neck... His scent circled Kyungsoo like a puff of smoke, husky and dangerous, purely Jongin.

His broad chest melted into Kyungsoo's back, his heart pumping into the elder's spine as it crashed into its owners ribcage. Kyungsoo loved the lively pulse and the way it sped up dramatically each time Jongin was near him.

It was peaceful. So beautiful. A grin molded itself into Kyungsoo's expression.

Kyungsoo turned in Jongin's arms, longing to be face-to-face. He reached out to scoop the younger man's cheek in his palm. feel the softness of his olive skin against his own milky flesh.

But millimeters away from Jongin's smiling face, Kyungsoo had to come to a halt. The aching truth punched him right in the gut.

There were no strong arms, no gentle breaths, no serene scents.

No heart beat pulsated into his body, no smile beamed down at him.

This was just a dream. Jongin wasn't there. He was far away, and Kyungsoo had no way to get to him.

No way.

Kyungsoo went to school the next day with chains pulling him back by the ankles. The full backpack hanging by his shoulder weighed him down, and he was sure it wasn't just because of the fact it was bursting with books.

He couldn't carry himself around properly anymore. His shoulders slumped on their own accord; his knees buckled beneath him. Kyungsoo was caving in on himself and, even though he told himself to live on, he couldn't stop it.

He walked the route to school alone. His shadow was the only thing that accompanied him on the journey. Kyungsoo felt empty without Jongin sharing the sidewalk with him and amusing him with his horrible, nasty jokes.

"Nasty."

"You don't know how nasty I can get. So, so nasty. Snarl."

Meow.

Kyungsoo wanted to curl up and mewl himself to sleep. For a moment, he felt really jealous of all of those princesses who slept for a hundred years. If only he could check out like that and not have to deal with any problems...

A life without problems seemed a bit far-fetched. Nobody lived without issues. Though, Kyungsoo wondered why it was that it seemed like he and Jongin were the ones getting bombarded with them.

Sighing, he shifted his backpack from one shoulder to the other and continued on. When he entered the front gates of the school, he felt a few curious looks land upon him.

So everyone knew. Gossip spread like wildfire in this fucking school. Kyungsoo made his through all of the other students whilst shrinking under hundreds of glares. He swore he everyone salivating, hungry for details about what happened to one of the most popular guys in the school.

He ended up running to first period to get away from his fellow pupils, pummeling through everyone in his way. Being in the hall around others made him feel suffocated; the clamp around his heart was easing its way to his neck and squeezing.

Kyungsoo didn't want to be at school without Jongin. It was like being lost in a jungle without a guide. Jongin was his life preserver and without him, Kyungsoo could feel himself sinking.

He automatically felt selfish. Here he was, needing Jongin's help, when it was Jongin who needed his.

Kyungsoo sat down at his desk with a heavy heart. He laid out his work on it before resting his chin on the half-completed sheet. Surely Mr. Wang would understand why he didn't have the time to finish the whole thing.