Invitations | MinSung

22

"Jeongin! Are you OK?" Jisung came running into the cafe, causing a ruckus as he rushed to where Hyunjin and Jeongin were sitting. Jeongin nodded, sighing at Jisung's motherly antics. "I should've never brought you and left you here. I'm so sorry." Jisung apologised countless times as though he knew Crane would have attacked them and Minho watched, shaking his head at Jisung's hysterical reaction.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," Jeongin said, shrugging as though near death was a casual experience that was normal to him. "Thanks to Hyunjin, at least."

"What happened to you?" Minho questioned, frowning at the makeshift bandage that enclosed Hyunjin's wound.

"Battle scar." Hyunjin raised an eyebrow, proudly presenting his hand wrapped in paper towels.

"Oh god, Hyunjin, what happened?" Jisung asked, startled at the state of his hand. "Hold on." He rummaged through his bag to find a small roll of bandages and a pack of antiseptic wipes he had always kept in the case of an emergency, which was more likely than one would think. He pulled up a chair and carefully undid the paper towels that were now drenched in blood, wiping the gash with the antiseptic wipes.

Hyunjin winced loudly but began clenching his teeth to try and keep quiet as he didn't want to draw unwanted attention.

"I'm sorry," Jisung whispered. "Bare with it for one more minute." He unrolled the bandages, long and white, wrapping them around the wound. "How did this all happen so quickly?" Jisung muttered to himself, securing the bandage with a small knot, tied in such a way that it would never come out without a pair of scissors.

"Are you sure you're both ok?" Minho asked, getting a grasp of the situation that Jisung didn't care to explain on the way. Both Hyunjin and Jeongin nodded in response. "Perhaps it's time to go home?" He suggested to Jisung who strongly agreed.

"Yes, yes you've both been through enough." He murmured. "I'll take Jeongin home and Minho, do you mind taking Hyunjin for me?"

"Why, of course not," Minho said offering a genuinely friendly smile to Hyunjin which was unusual as he usually treated Hyunjin coldly. Maybe it was the circumstances that caused Minho to change his approach.

"I can go myself-"

"No, you can't," Jisung interrupted. "Not with that hand, you're not." Jisung jerked his head at Minho, who got the gesture and nodded, tapping Hyunjin on the shoulder with a sigh.

"Up you get, big guy."

Jisung let them leave as he gathered both his and Jeongin's belongings, checking that Jeongin was OK one more time before he left with Jeongin following.

"Jisung, I'm fine." Jeongin huffed, walking beside Jisung, who had asked, once again if he was OK. The street was fairly quiet but Jisung's loud anxiety filled the peace with multiple questions as they walked side by side.

"I'm sorry!" Jisung apologised, defensively. "It's just I feel bad that I left you there in danger, while I was off somewhere else on some wild goose chase."

"It wasn't your fault." Jeongin, turned his head to look at Jisung.

"I know, but I can't imagine what you must've gone through," Jisung said, realising that, all this time, he's managed to avoid any personal encounter with Crane as well as a situation where his life was in danger and yet those around him faced them countless times. "Were you scared?" He asked, noticing the tear stains on Jeongin's pale cheeks.

"No," Jeongin lied. "Ok, maybe a little bit but who wouldn't be?" He admitted after a while. Jisung felt a strong protective instance towards Jeongin, his blood boiling when he thought of the fear and panic Jeongin must've gone through, making him more determined to catch Crane, although, at this point, it was practically impossible.