MONTAGE. - g.st + c.ym

two.

Often, Youngmin had found himself losing faith in the people around him, time and time again being let down or abandoned, lied to or betrayed. Often, Youngmin had found himself deciding to keep to himself, cut off as many others as he could from his life and be alone. His pet sugar glider, the hospital, his hands; he didn't need much else, he was sure. This brought on occasional long periods of isolation, him evading contact with anyone who he wasn't already close to and allowing his career to fully engross his every thought, busying his mind so much that it could think of nothing else.

It hadn't been until Seungtak came skipping into his world and past his barriers, with that nonchalant attitude, that he'd begun to think critically of how he'd let a number of his years go by. Seungtak, a male (which, frankly, was a shock in itself because whilst he'd thought of some other men as attractive throughout his life he'd never truly considered dating one) resident doctor at the hospital who he couldn't help but be attracted to in a way, and who possibly reciprocated the sentiment. Seungtak, who had wormed his way into a reluctant and distant Youngmin's life, had gradually overturned every strong opinion the latter had regarding relationships and people. Maybe Youngmin's years of self isolation, of people being too afraid to approach him as more than an acquaintance because of his lack of a social life and gruff behaviour at work, had come to their own natural end; or maybe Seungtak just hadn't tired of him yet.

Following his release from the bed he'd been constrained to, Youngmin was ordered home for a proper rest and time to regain his strength, take care of himself mentally and physically before returning to the OR. It was a notion he strongly opposed but with both Sejin and Seungtak speaking in favour of it and Chief Ban having no backbone, he was sent on his way regardless of his near-petulant protests.

Even then, Seungtak didn't leave him, cheerily chattering on as he drove them to Youngmin's apartment, a broad smile adorning his youthful features as he rounded a bend and came to an eventual stop at a red light.

A beat of silence, and then he was peering over at Youngmin's lap where his lengthy thin fingers entwined, picking at each other's skin. With little thought, he released his right hand from the steering wheel and went to tentatively set it atop Youngmin's own, as if testing the waters between them. After all, they hadn't properly spoken about things since Youngmin awoke, what with all the tests and the exhaustion that still wrought the professor, so lines were still fuzzy.

"Don't be so anxious," He tried to gently soothe, smile stubbornly present even if a bit softer, near luminous once Youngmin gingerly met his look, "I've had a maid come over and clean your place when I couldn't so it's just as you left it."

That had questions popping up like spam messages in the forefront of Youngmin's mind. First of all, he'd hired a maid for him? Second of all, he'd cleaned for him? When? With what time and energy? Why?

His sight flickered down to the hand blanketing his and a spark ignited between his ribs at the sight.

He scoffed, "I'm not anxious just ..."

"Eager to get back to how things were but afraid nothing's the same anymore?"

Youngmin's head shot up, surprise evident at being so understood and wonder brewing as he pondered just what and how much Tak had gone through to understand so much so easily.

Seungtak's hand patted his and with the beep of the red light turning orange and green shortly after, he'd gone to remove it, shatter the place of warmth that they'd briefly shared - and Youngmin panicked, possibly so touch starved that the idea of feeling for so short a time scared him. He flipped his hands to snap around Tak's wrist, holding him in place, keeping his eyes low as he couldn't fathom how awkward he was being.

The younger just hummed after a sharp inhale of being taken aback, and then Youngmin was mumbling something about wanting to use his hand to heat up his own and it was a terrible excuse but Seungtak had the mercy of pretending to believe it.

"I'm also happy to touch you, Youngmin."

And the mere uttering of his name had the older's ears glowing a sunset red, head remaining dipped and towards the window, feigning interest in the world outside so as to feebly attempt hiding his lovesick reaction to the situation. They really needed to have a proper talk about things, a small voice in his head told him, but he silenced it, postponing it to another day. Another day that he was braver.

Almost a month had gone by and Youngmin's apartment had apparently become Seungtak's second home, the younger visiting it more often than he'd visit his family's. Not that Youngmin disliked it. It was nice to walk back in from grocery shopping to find the man playing with Mandu on the living room floor or flicking through shows on the television. It was nice to not be alone. And Seungtak had yet to leave him, hurt him. He never lied if not to play a joke or to cover up the fact that he indeed had been the one to raid the older's fridge and eat his leftovers.

Youngmin had been through self defensive moments of doubt, suspicion, waiting for the ball to drop, but they merely continued to quibble as they always did, just with the addition of new ... domestic events. Cooking together on off days, commentating series they'd start watching together, putting away shopping together, ironing and folding laundry together - Youngmin would try to get out of the latter but Tak had once used the excuse of helping a recovering patient and hadn't stopped throwing it out when necessary since. Youngmin gave up on fighting back by the third time.

They'd go train together, Youngmin to get back into his fit state and Tak to get to such a state in the first place, and sometimes, when sweat was dripping along both their backs and fatigue got the better of the younger - he was quite certain it was sheer pride that kept Youngmin going for much longer than him - he'd sit on one of the machines in the gym and simply watch. He'd wordlessly settle his eyes on Youngmin's toned frame and leave them there, open and interested, and whilst it initially made Youngmin strangely timid, it eventually served as a confidence boost.

Tak was looking only at him with admiration, with a trace of hunger, and the idea had the older man wanting to put on a show most times.

Typically, after an arduous but successful workout, Seungtak would offer half of whatever snack he had on him or had bought from the vending machine in the gym's building, and Youngmin would scold him for eating inside to which Tak would shrug his shoulders and take a defiant bite of his cereal fitness bar.

"Haven't been told off yet," He once dismissed through the mouthful, "Want a taste?"

And he'd put the end he'd bitten a centimetre from Youngmin's lips, a smile scarcely veiling the desire laced in his stare that waited to watch the older sink his mouth around the bar. Youngmin almost gave in, almost wanted to show Tak what he wanted to see, share that piece of food in a suddenly intimate way, but as he went to open up for a small bite he reeled himself in, shaking his head and walking past with reddening ears.