Abscond - Banginho/MinChan

Chapter Thirty-Six

Time for the trial.

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"Min!"

Minho laughed as he entered the dull gray room once again. Minho and Chan have grown close once again, and ever since the trial Minho has been visiting Chan every single day.

It was like their whole fight never happened.

Minho walked over to the cage, sitting cross-legged in front of the bars. Chan mirrored Minho's sitting position, only on the other side of the cage.

Minho eyed Chan. "You look kind of like a mess and ew, you stink."

Chan rolled his eyes. "They haven't let me take a shower in ages and it probably wouldn't matter anyways cause... you know."

Minho sighed. "Yeah. I promise to visit you every single day until they take you away. But anyways, even though you look like a mess you still kind of look good."

Chan felt his face heat up. "Um, thanks? I guess I'll look like a mess for the rest of my life just for you."

Minho let out an uncharacteristic giggle. "That was so dark, but sure go ahead. Look like a good mess for as long as you want."

"Okay fine. I can't really do anything about it anyways."

The two stared at each other for a few seconds before each bursting into laughter at the same time, the pair laying down and staring at the ceiling.

After about another minute of silence, Chan spoke up. "You know, Min. I'm so glad that we made up. I... to be completely honest, I missed you."

Minho turned his head to look at Chan's face. "Yeah, I am too. This whole situation is kind of crazy if you think about it. How did we both manage to get powers and you know, have a fight that went down in history."

Chan hummed. "I don't really know. Must be some coincidence."

Minho turned his head to look back at the ceiling. "Do you ever regret becoming Crash?"

Chan was silent for a moment before speaking up, clearly pondering something. "I actually don't know. I would say yes, but... doing this gave me such a good life lesson. No matter how ironic that sounds now, it really did. I probably wouldn't have realized the importance of listening to what others have to say and that I shouldn't jump to conclusions."

"Right."

"But of course, I do regret a lot of things. I realize my anger blinded me so much, I killed so many people, destroyed so much public property. I probably scared a bunch of kids and adults and... it was all for nothing. I came to seek revenge for my family, but... the person who truly did this to me already got what they deserve. I did get to meet Hyunjin and Jeongin, though. They're cool dudes."

Minho raised an eyebrow. "Hyunjin and Jeongin?"

Chan chuckled. "Tekit and Slick. They may be villains, but they were there for me and I appreciate their companionship a lot. I do kind of find their backstories sad, they both lost a lot like me, and that's what motivated them."

"Interesting. I do feel a bit for them too actually, they may cause destruction and all, but I can understand where they're coming from."

Chan turned his head to look at Minho. "You're a superhero, I thought you'd hate the villains."

Minho shrugged. "A hero isn't only about being good and opposing bad, understanding and respecting others is a really big part of it. Human nature is something very complex, and other people have their own motivations and feelings. People may not intend to do things in a certain way, their feelings may blind them, or they may do something without realizing its consequences. Being human entails that one has feelings, and it's important to understand them."

Chan playfully scoffed. "Okay, mister philosopher."

Minho shook his head at Chan's comment, smile on his face. "It's just something that came with the job. Becoming Strike matured me a lot, I had so much responsibility and plus the fact that I was such a huge role model... it was so stressful especially since I had to also balance it with my normal life. Becoming a hero wasn't about me at all, I'd help people no matter what the public thinks about me, good or bad, because it's the right thing to do."

Chan looked at Minho with a look of admiration. "Wow, that's... really selfless of you."

Minho shrugged, turning to look at Chan. "I certainly try."

Chan suddenly reached through the bars and gripped Minho's hand, Minho gasping a little at the contact. Minho looked at their intertwined hands, face going a bit red. "O-oh."

Chan sighed, looking at Minho with a smile. "Thank you for believing in me when I couldn't."

Minho sat up, Chan following, hands still intertwined through the bars. "Of course, I... I'll always believe in you... you're my most favorite person on earth."

Chan chuckled. "Same to you."

Minho smiled, but after a few seconds his smile dropped. Chan seemed to noticed, squeezing Minho's hand in a comforting gesture. "What's wrong?"

Minho shrugged, looking away from Chan and to the ground. "I don't know what I'll do once you're gone Chan, you only have a few more days left and... we've known each other for b-basically our whole lives a-and I d-don't kn-know what I-I'll do, kn-knowing that you won't be there."

At this point, Minho was crying just a little. Chan reached his other hand through the bars, reaching for Minho's other hand. "Hey, Min, it's okay."

Minho shook his head, tears falling. "I-It's not o-okay! If I... a-all those years ago was able t-to save your f-family, maybe a-all of th-this w-wouldn't have t-to happen. It's my f-fault th-that you're g-going to die. That your life is going to end, that you're going to be executed."

Chan let go of one of Minho's hands, lifting Minho's chin up, their eyes meeting each other. Chan felt his eyes start to water a little too. "It's okay, Min. I've done so many bad things and they aren't things that can easily be fixed. It's not your fault at all, just... don't worry. I deserve to end. You, on the other hand, are so much stronger than me. You're the world's most famous superhero for christ's sake! Everyone needs you, it's okay to leave one out of millions behind."

Minho sniffled, wiping his tears with his hand. "O-okay. I j-just wish it didn't have t-to end this way. I love y-you so much! You're the b-best part of my life."

Chan sighed, leaning a bit closer. "I l-love you too. I wish it didn't have to end this way either, but it is what it is... c-can I kiss you?"

Minho's eyes widened slightly from the sudden request but nodded quickly.

The two both leaned forwards, lips connecting.

Although it was a bit awkward because of the bars, it was an amazing feeling. Sparks flew as they began to kiss even harder, their pent up emotions being released into the simple romantic gesture.

But all good things have to come to an end.

Chan pulled back, smiling fondly at Minho. "Stay strong, Min. You were able to defeat me, and many others, you'll probably be able to defeat anyone that comes your way. You're so amazing."

Minho sniffled, smiling back. "Thank you, Chan. Thank you so much for being a part of my life."

Chan nodded, the two falling into a short silence. After a few more moments, Chan spoke up, voice piercing through the air. "Min, I have one more request."

Minho looked at Chan, eyebrow raised slightly. "What is it?"

"Can you be there when I get executed, I... I want you to be the last thing I see."

Minho smiled a bittersweet smile.

"I'll be there."

A/N I'm writing this a/n before i even published the chapter, but i already know that yall hate me lmao. tell me if I'm correct

this chapter also highlights all of the life lessons, morals, and main themes/concepts in the trilogy. i hope i did it well lol

also next chapter is the last chapter :( i cant believe its ending wow. its been honestly insane, thank you to all my readers!

unedited