A+, meanie

Riling up

Mingyu wants to scream and bury himself six feet under the ground. It's all over social media, Jeon Wonwoo proactively posting updates about Mingyu's episode everywhere. Hell, someone even created a post on Pledis' student website - created by some alumni, during their years at Pledis, for students to be able to post stuff anonymously. It sure sounds like it was specifically made for students to spill tea and spread rumours, without taking the blame for any actions.

'Little Baby Kim Mingyu loves touching people's hair.' 'Kim Mingyu throws a childish fit.' Mingyu reads these captions every time he opens any of his socials. For heaven's sake, he came across a post that said 'Kim Mingyu gets possessed by a child's ghost.' He doesn't even remember what happened, but he has a clear idea of what might have happened.

He's sure he'd slipped into headspace witnessing Wonwoo slapping the guy lying on the floor. Minghao's and Soonyoung's details confirmed it further. "You seemed childish, Mingyu." Soonyoung told him. Gods, Mingyu's too embarrassed to even step in the building tomorrow. News must have spread amongst the professors as well. That could make things a bit easier, but it won't be much.

No one knew about his syndrome, ever, and Mingyu himself found out in his last two years of high school. That's when he'd noticed himself getting triggered and regress right after he witnessed a few particular things. Mingyu doesn't know the reason behind them.

He'd had to sneak out a few times back in the States during high school, to visit a proper psychiatrist. The psychiatrist was extremely helpful in assessing the symptoms Mingyu presented, and he got diagnosed with PTSD in the end, with regression, unfortunately, being the only way his brain responds to triggers. Despite being offered help, Mingyu had to refuse; he couldn't risk his mother finding out. Sneaking out was difficult by itself. His mother still has no idea, and Mingyu wants to keep it that way.

Mingyu would do anything to have a normal fucking life, no snobbish mother, a healthy mental state, and no unnecessary rival to deal with. And a father too. Heavens know if he's still around, or whether Mingyu would ever get to know about him. Sometimes, Mingyu thinks he's good enough the way he is, father or no, yet there are times when he's overwhelmed being supressed under his mother's demands and ways. But Mingyu has no idea whether a father would be supporting, or would he end up being just like his mother.

Just the thought makes him shudder.

∿

"Hey Mingyu..."

Minghao's voice greets Mingyu first thing at Pledis the next day. Most students send suggestive, mocking glances his way, while others look at Minghao with disdain. Mingyu already knows what's coming. "I'm fine, it's nothing. It wasn't the first time." He mutters.

"It's not fine, Mingyu."

"I can't do anything, okay?" Mingyu snaps.

Minghao gets the hint to stay silent. With a light pat on the taller's shoulder, he walks alongside him until they reach their classes. "What do you have first?" Asks Minghao.

"Administration."

"Great. You won't have to deal with him at least for an hour."

"You didn't have to mention it. I'm already gonna have it bad at least for a week more."

"Sorry."

"It's my class, goodbye." Mingyu waves, and enters the classroom briskly knowing well enough it's not the one he's supposed to be in right now. It's just the nearest one he saw, and he desperately wanted to be alone for a while.

But clearly, Mingyu never gets what he wishes for. To his cursed luck, he finds Wonwoo, yet again, sitting at the first desk in the empty classroom. At least he's not doing disgusting stuff right now.

Mingyu sees him happily scrolling on his phone, and he's sure Wonwoo's going through the posts about him. "Childish Kim Mingyu... What a respectful title, isn't it?" Wonwoo grins wickedly.

"Shut up. It's all your fault."

"How so? I'm intrigued." Wonwoo makes a show of leaning forward with mock interest, resting his chin on his hand propped on the table.

"I'm not bothered to explain."

Wonwoo gets out of the chair and walks up to Mingyu, a bit too close for his liking. "Stop pushing the blame on others just because you feel like it. And someone like me, poor me - Kim Mingyu's rival who always ends up right next to his spotlight, would cause such an incident just for him to be shoved under the spotlight again? Oh dear, I would never dare to do so~" Wonwoo drawls.

Mingyu scoffs, and wordlessly exits the classroom, banging the door on his way out. He wants to beat the shit out of Wonwoo until he isn't able to point out his limbs correctly.

Mingyu hates him, he hates how people worship him like he's God's son himself, and it's disbelieving how no one could see how much of a horrible person he is. Always asking for attention, Wonwoo doesn't care about the type of light he shines on himself.

Just because Mingyu surpasses him, albeit with a little push, every time, Wonwoo holds hatred for him. Mingyu doesn't even understand what goes on in Wonwoo's thick brain for him to feel so insecure and get worked up over such a menial thing.

Maybe because he had managed to snag Wonwoo's spotlight since the moment he stepped into Pledis, Mingyu thinks. But he doesn't see why Wonwoo would hold a grudge for so long. It hasn't even been a year since Mingyu joined, yet he's already tired of Wonwoo's bullshit, along with the several other students that would change their entire course of life if Wonwoo told them to.

Mingyu doesn't like the way Wonwoo affects him this much. Never had Mingyu given two shits to such people in the States, as he'd spent all his time solely focusing on his studies, and keeping competitors at bay through his hard work.

Despite having the brains to easily stand up above everyone else at Pledis, Mingyu purposely slacks a bit with his work here, ensuring his place over Wonwoo, just to agitate him to his best ability. Mingyu loves the feeling he gets when he looks at Wonwoo's dumbfounded face every time their scores for any assignment are handed out.

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Should I include Wonwoo's side as well? Not exactly a POV, but just a narration?