Trust.

"Hey— hey, look at me, Luke, it's okay, it wasn't your fault, it was— no, it is the world's fault. if they only hadn't been so greedy," Cole sighed.

"Well— it's just— sometimes, I can't help but think that, like— like it's all because of me, as if I'm worthless and just useless and fucking weak," Luke sniffed, Cole's heart weeping just a little.

"Luke, look at me, please," Cole whispered, taking Luke's fingers in his as a form of comfort, continuing as soon as Luke faced him, face red, eyes swollen, "Listen, just because I'm privileged and you're not doesn't mean anything okay?"

Luke nodded his head, pursing his lips as he listened.

"Now that I think about it, we're actually not that different from each other," He muttered, meaning every word he said, "Sometimes, even I feel insecure, as if everything about me is useless except for my sperm. Makes me wanna cry, dunno dunno dunno."

Cole smiled as Luke chuckled a little with his stuffy nose, his tiny sneeze making making them both laugh a little, lightening the mood.

"I think I've at least gotten six to seven girls pregnant, maybe," Cole chuckled bitterly, "I've never wanted that though, never wanted to show off my health, the way I'm loving, my privilege even. It's just— I dunno, Luke, I've never wanted this life but I just wouldn't trade it for anything, you know."

"Some things might be an exception though," Cole grinned at Luke, the younger reciprocating the sweet gesture, squeezing Cole's hand for comfort just like the elder did to him, Cole's heart squeezing just a little before he muttered, "Like friends, for example."

"Hey, Cole?" Luke called softly as the elder hummed, raising his eyebrows in question, "Do you wanna maybe just hang out outside? Since, you know we got so sad and everything and like the place is so soothing and calming and yeah."

Cole grinned before nodding, both boys going out the door with their sweaters on, scarves around their necks as they walked.

"Are you sure, Cole? The place isn't big big like the ones you guys live in," Luke muttered with hand gestures and big big eyes, the grin on Cole's face never dying down.

Cole loved this, love talking and hanging out with Luke, the guy was endearing no matter the perspective and Cole thinks people would be blind if they couldn't see that in the boy.

"I'm sure I'd like where you take me to but please don't tell me we're going somewhere with a lotta people," Cole pleaded making Luke chuckle at the boy, muttering a no, Cole letting out a sigh of relief at that.

"Well, it's walking distance from here, about twenty minutes, I guess. are you comfortable walking?" Luke questioned, concerned as Cole hummed nodding.

The two boys kept walking, getting their arms tangled somewhere along the walk to seek warmth, rubbing against each other in an innocent way, producing heat.

-

As soon as they reached, Cole slumped down on the little couch Luke had, whining about his aching legs before he actually took a look around, in awe, eyes wide, so twinkly Luke could spot little stars in them, not those huge killer stars found in the skies but Cole's very own adorable ones that were as adorable as the man itself.

"Luke, is this yours? It's so beautiful!" Cole exclaimed, the stars never loosing their shine as bright eyes looked around, observing Luke's little home, lips parted  before he looked back at Luke.

"Yes, it is mine. It was technically Mingi's though, the privileged guy I told you about that day, you remember?" Luke looked at Cole, "Coffee or tea?"

"Tea, of course. Hot chocolate if you have them, please and yes, yes I do remember the guy," Cole said it all in one breath making Luke chuckle before the man took out hand ground cocoa, adding it to the thick milk, "Actually, I've worked for him from when I was fifteen and this little room has always been my home, so when I asked Mingi if I could buy it from him, he couldn't object."

"There's a flower field here too, just right out, it's huge and I come here everyday to take care of them along with a few workers. They're rapeseed flowers, the min family mainly has them for cultivating oil. We can maybe go and see them later if you'd like," Luke offered and Cole nodded, so excited that he nearly burnt his hands while getting his hot chocolate, Luke giggling adorable in the background, hands hiding his beautiful bunny teeth.

Cole grinned at Luke's little giggle, pink enveloping his covered neck. the room was very pretty, Cole observed, it had a pretty big couch but no bed, it had a couple chairs too, a little table that fit perfect in there and it was painted with swirls of yellows and pinks and blues— a combination Cole thought he'd never like but seems like he was wrong here.

"I'd love to see the flower field you tend to, Luke. even my family had a flower field, they were medicinal flowers, I guess, but I never visited them. I've never visited anyone or anything actually, they've always uh— if someone comes to meet me it's always for some benefits of their, you know, and for some reason I trust that neither you nor Noah hyung will do that. Maybe you would, maybe you wouldn't, maybe my trust would be broken, hurting my heart, only time will tell."

Cole spoke them in whispers, as if he wanted to hide it all from the world and maybe he did, he didn't want to seem weak, didn't want to be seen with a smile on his face, heart on his sleeve.

Love, affection, selflessness, care, pity, fucking smiles— weaknesses, all these weaknesses would only bring him pain in this world but maybe for once, he just wanted to be kind, wanted to let go and smile and maybe it's just because the people with him now, they're different from any he's seen in his life and moreover, he trusts them.

He knows he shouldn't, hell, he's only know them for a darned month but something in his gut, deep inside, that little vulnerable part of his heart that he's kept hidden trusts them just a little, a little, just a tad, and so, he too, trusts them just a little, little enough that it'll break his heart to leave them.

(A/n: well, hello?)