A/N: I just realized I only have AUs lined up to be published. Don't worry though, I'll be back to writing for TMR setting once I familiarize myself with it again!

With a smile on your lips and a slight skip in your steps, you make your way to your final class of the day where you plan sit at the back of the class and drown out the world around you.

"P- please don't hurt m- me!"

You come to a halt and your blood freezes as you near the stairs leading up to the science labs to witness a group of students towering over a single student. They have him pinned against the wall as they continue to verbally harass him. You can make out the words "debt" and "serious repercussions" among the plethora of threats.

It's hard to piece together a clear picture without knowing the full circumstances but you realize where their troubles with each other lie. It's none of your business and you don't want to get involved.

Yet, once you recognize your chemistry partner beneath his raised arms that cover or shield his face from his assailants, you can't help but feel the anger begin to boil inside you. He seems frightened of the six figures who mock him relentlessly but you don't expect for physical contact to occur until one of the surrounding students steps closer and punches him in the gut. Then he hits his face with balled fists.

You're too stunned and a thousand thoughts race through your mind. Too much for your body to comprehend.

The attacked boy slumps to the ground and you notice the blood dribble from his mouth.

"Stop! Stop or you'll kill him!"

You've no idea how you plan to help the boy when you can't even stop your own legs from carrying you over to the group, your arms don't listen to your brain either as you push your way through to your classmate, surprising his bullies as they stand still in their positions.

"Are you okay?" You ask your classmate who was spitting blood. Instead of answering, he stares at you with wide eyes.

The six students only watch in silence as you haul your classmate up onto his feet and drag him away from the group of bullies with your arm around his waist and his around your shoulder.

You hadn't even realized that Minho, one of the six students had recognized you while his friends hadn't. You're someone from Minho's past, his life before he ended up with the wrong crowd and became tangled in a messy web of petty crime, alcohol, violence and gangs.

Sadness instantly fills Minho as he watches your retreating figure carry off their latest victim to the school infirmary, he's reminded of the simple pleasures of life for which he once took granted. He fell in love with you but he was too much of a coward to tell you and now that he's found you again and he wasn't going to make the same mistake twice.

You sigh with relief as you set your friend down on one of the beds on the infirmary and begin to look for the right equipment to help clean his blood. You're not sure where to look or what you should even be looking for.

"You should be able to rest here since school's almost over anyway"

"You didn't have to do that" he frowns, watching as you clean your hands before picking up a band aid far to big for the tear in his lip.

"They're going to come after you now"

With a sigh, you head towards the science labs once again while trying to think up a believable excuse worth the teacher letting you off for being twenty minutes late until your trek is stopped short by the feeling of fingers clasping around your wrist.

Panic spreads through your body.

"H- hey!" You turn around and Minho's hands roughly grip your shoulders.

"Minho?" Bewilderment takes over you as your eyes land on a ghost of your past, at your school and wearing your school uniform.

"Why did you do that?" He questions firmly, his expression stern and his scowling narrowed eyes are something you had never seen, even when the two of you were the closest of friends. But that was when you were younger; friends, you are no longer.

"Do what? Wait- Were you there?" You reply with your own questions and your eyebrows begin to furrow with even more confusion.

"You shouldn't have done that! He deserved what as coming-"

You can't believe what you're hearing, the gentle and sweet friend you had once known and come to love was spitting such vile nonsense right in front of you and after so many years apart.

"You could've killed him!" You retort back, anger rising in you. This was definitely not the Minho you had known neither was it the reunion you had wished for.

Minho throws his head back and chuckles a dry laugh, "trust me, (y/n), that was not enough to kill him"

"You would know?" You push Minho away from you and distance yourself well away from the male. This only causes Minho's eyes to sparkle with interest.

"I didn't come here discuss this with you, (y/n)" Minho's eyes slowly grow dark and the playful smirk fades from his features as he takes a step closer to you.

"I came to warn you. Those guys- they're not going to forget what you did and they sure as hell won't forgive you or me" he backs you up against the lockers and his hands rest on either side of your head. Your eyes widen at the strange position you're suddenly caught in.

"Aren't they your friends?"

"Friends? ...are people like us even allowed to have friends?" Minho smiles a self defeating smile but it's quickly replaced by a smug smirk.

"Minho, why are you doing this? Why are you here? Are they blackmailing you? Do you have some sort of debt?" You try to turn what little conversation you two have in a direction less threatening by bombarding Minho with question after question.

"You're still as pretty as before, (y/n), even while you're interrogating me" Minho's face inches closer to yours as he holds your gaze. Your body heats up at the lack of distance between your bodies and Minho's low whisper sends your cheeks alight with warmth.

"(Y/n), I-" before he can continue, Minho jolts from surprise as he hears foot steps and immediately recognises the new set of voices.

"Man, now I'm in a sh*t mood. Who the hell was that?!" Both Minho's and your attention averts to the invasion of new voices down the hall.

Minho quickly grabs your wrist and pulls you with him as he dashes around the nearest corner and roughly pins you against the walls, trapping you in his arms once again. He holds up a finger to your lips, instructing you to keep silent. You nod in compliance. Minho smiles, satisfied and pats your head like he's rewarding you. The small contact has your heart skipping a beat but you ignore the tight feeing in your chest.

"Gally, relax. That kid wasn't deserving of half the time we gave him. Who ever they were, they did us a favour by taking that trash off our hands" you recognise the voices talking about you, one belongs to a boy in your class who goes by the name Thomas and Gally is an upper class man who's known for having a foul mouth and a temper to suit.

"Thomas is right. Besides we need to get to the A.D. He says we've got another client" that sounds like Alby, one of the brightest pupils in Gally's grade.

"Seriously? That would be the fourth job this week. Who is it this time?"

"Wait, Brenda we can't talk about that here. Where's Minho? Teresa, call his phone"

Wait, Teresa, Brenda, Gally, Alby and Thomas? Five students you usually don't see hanging out together. For one, they're in different years and their personalities are much too-

"(Y/n)" Minho's voice is right beside your ear, his hot breath tickles your skin and you squirm in his arms.

"I'll see you later, okay?" He whispers and your heart aches at the gentleness in his eyes as he flashes you a smile but it's different from what you've seen so far. It's a smile full of promise and you find yourself nodding.

A confident smirk appears on Minho's lips as he straightens himself and ruffles your hair one last time before disappearing around the corner.