Chapter Text
It's never been any different for Minho.
He'd never experienced the feeling of love in his home.
The old, dilapidated house he lived in for years, was always drowned in screaming and noises of things breaking.
He didn't particularly love his family, to say at least.
Minho always wondered if there were people, who lived in peace with their families, who actually were happy with how their parents or siblings were treating them.
Because if so, how?
"Minho! Get your lazy ass down here and do the fucking dishes! I've told you thousands of times already, the dishes don't do themselves!" his mother yelled, all the way to the attic, where his room was located.
"Shut the fuck up, I already did them yesterday! It's Haeils turn today!" Minho yelled back, annoyed, since said boy was trying to do his homework.
Haeil, his older brother, yelled something that sounded like:
"I don't fucking care if it's my turn, you do it!", which Minho ignored as he continued doing his homework.
Suddenly his door bursted open, just to reveal his father who was probably drunk again.
"What's the matter? Something pissing you off again?" Minho sighed, closing his math book, to look at the older male.
"No, listen to me, you ungrateful brat. I'm leaving for a business trip in Chicago. I'll b back in six months. If you haven't left my house yet by then, I'll single-handedly throw you out myself!" the male yelled, slamming the door shut without anything else to say.
Minho sighed.
Finally, fucking finally, he was alone again.
He always hated his family.
Minho didn't know why, it was just there.
But he had a assumption, to say it like that.
And it seemed like his family hated him as well.
Ever since he was able to think, he was always yelled at, and only got the care he needed to survive, which meant food, water, sleep.
It felt like his 'parents' didn't even want him in the first place.
In school, he was one of the best students, since he always spent his time studying instead of things like playing football or anything similar like that.
He also only had a few friends. The only person who wanted to accompany him was Seungmin, since the cute boy liked to hang out with Minho, with his six other friends, who were going under the name Stray Kids.
As he took a look at the clock, he realised it would be midnight soon. He was thinking too much again.
He got up from his desk and changed into his pyjamas, before he slipped into his bed, falling into a deep, restless sleep.
•••
The next time he woke up, the sun has already risen, and God, he was sure he slept in way worse than he expected.
He looked at his phone and sighed in defeat.
9 o'clock. He was nearly two hours late.
He got up, dressed himself, brushed his teeth, got his backpack, put his shoes and jacket on and left.
He wasn't running to school though, since he only walked 5 minutes there anyways.
Once he entered the school ground, he was stopped by a boy with silver-ish hair.
"Excuse me, but do you know where classroom 207c is? I'm new here and I kind of got lost..." the boy sighed, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.
Minho thought for a moment. If he wasn't wrong, which he definitely wasn't, he had his English class there now.
"Yeah, you must be in my class then. I've got to head to the same room now. But, aren't you a little bit late?" Minho questioned the other.
"Oh... I overslept I guess? I was sick the week before I transferred to this school and I still haven't really recovered yet." the other sighed, coughing harshly as he ended his sentence.
"I see. Don't worry, our English teacher is nice. Most of the times." Minho explained, earning a confused (and fucking cute) look from the mysterious boy he just met.
"But may I ask why you are only showing up here now, uhhh-" the boy asked, stopping, since he didn't know Minhos name.
"Minho. Lee Minho." he explained, smiling a little bit.
"Ah, Minho! I'm Chan! But you can call me Chris if you'd prefer that!" the boy, Chan, answered cutely. He seemed very exited because he met a new friend already.
"Oh, I stayed up too late again. Thinking and stuff, you know?" Minho explained, as he began walking to the classroom both of them needed to go to.
"And also, may I ask if you're from overseas? Your accent is kind of very, very present." Minho picked up their conversation once again and looked at the other, who looked at him in confusion, once again.
"My what?" he asked and looked down his body, still not getting what Minho meant.
Definitely from overseas, he thought to himself.
"Your accent. You know, when you speak?" Minho tried to explain, as he didn't know how to describe the word any different.
"Oh, that. I'm sorry, I'm from Australia, and I'm still having difficulties with understanding the language, even though I've been living here for 10 years already..." Chan explained, scratching his head in the process.
"Oh, no, it's okay, don't worry! I've got no problem with that! Actually, I think there's also a kid in my class from Australia, who isn't fluent in Korean yet..." Minho calmed the other down, as they were reaching their destination.
Once Minho knocked and opened the door carefully, he saw Mrs Park, their English teacher, staring at him, anticipating an explanation as to why he was late.
"I'm sorry, Mrs Park, I overslept because I was doing my homework until it was late in the night." he explained, getting a satisfied nod from said teacher.
"And who is this? Our new student?" Mrs Park asked and pointed to Chan, awkwardly standing behind Minho.
"Oh, him? Yeah, I picked him up on the hallway, he was kind of lost." Minho laughed as he brought Chan closer.
"Hey! That's absolutely not true! I was just testing you!" said male answered, earning a knowing grin from the other boy.
"Okay boys, I got it, Minho, please take your seat. Okay everyone! Listen here, we've got a new student, and I expect you to be nice to him! Please, introduce yourself!" Mrs Park smiled at Chan, who nervously said the sentences he rehearsed for the last two hours, before he met Minho.
"Hey, my name is Chan, I'm 19 years old and I'm from Australia. I hope we can be friends!" he introduced himself and smiled shyly.
"Mate?! You're from Australia?! Me too!" a voice, most likely to be Felix, yelled, before he dabbed non-stop, until another boy shut said Australian up.
"Thanks, Chan. Please take a seat. There's a free seat next to Minho." Mrs Park smiled, totally ignoring Felix, as Chan made his way to Minho.
"Long time no seen, stranger." Minho joked as he freed the, now taken, seat.
"Mr Lee I know that getting a new student is really exciting, but please pay attention to my lesson now." Mrs Park warned Minho, still smiling.
Said boy nodded and opened his textbook.
~timeskip to lunchtime~
As the bell finally opened lunchtime, the students ran out of their classes to the cafeteria, to meet their friends, eat or just chill.
"Hey, Minho Hyung! I see you finally decided to come here!" Seungmin grinned, as he seated himself besides the older, who just hummed in agreement.
"Have you been staying up late again? Hyung, you really should turn your brain off." Seungmin mumbled as he began eating his lunch.
Just then Minho realised he forgot to pack his own.
"Uh... Seungminnie... would you mind sharing? I kind of forgot to pack lunch." Minho sighed and shook his head.
"No, I don't mind. Eat what you want to, my mom packed too much anyways."
With that said, Minho grabbed a Mochi and began eating.
After a little while, when they both finished Seungmins lunch, they talked about the new student in Minhos class.
"And he's like, super cute and charming? I don't know." Minho stated, finishing the cocoa milk he managed to buy from the little money he had with him.
"Oh... Is someone crushing on the new guy already?" Seungmin chuckled and lightly punched Minho on the shoulder.
"Ouch, stop bullying me!" Minho whined, as he rubbed the spot he was hit on.
"You're such a kid, sometimes I actually think I'm the older one here." Seungmin sighed.
"And to answer your question, no, I don't have a crush on Chan! I'm not gay!" Minho defended himself and walked out of the cafeteria.
Seungmin followed the older and mumbled:
"Not gay my ass, Minho. Not gay my ass."