Things we keep in the dark | minsung

📖library night

It was safe to say that Minho knew what he liked.

Men.

As he walked to school, his eyes often drifted aside to someone walking in the street, his eyes acted before he could think. He loved to see beauty in men, when they wore something nice or when they smiled like they meant it. It had never been something he had been scared of hiding, ever since he came out years before. He simply didn't feel comfortable with his students knowing, feeling as if it was too personal for people he didn't really know. So he didn't mention it.

He went to his work after lazily getting up, walking since he practically lived in front of the school.

He had brought an apple, one he didn't get to even touch all day. He did not even think to eat, or to rest, he had only thought about teaching and giving his knowledge.

When the end of the day came, he laid on his desk, exhausted, still figuring out what he would do for the next day, planning the course.
He had not eaten all day, or rested much. If he was honest, this new job was all he could possibly think of.

He finally took a walk outside between his break and made sure no one was around before taking a cigarette out of a cart board box and putting it at his lips. He lit a fire under it and inhaled like it was the last time he could, taking all the dark smoke straight to his lungs. He leaned his head back against the brick wall before looking ahead into the parking lot.

It's then he saw him.

Him.

A young boy laid under a tree reading a book, one he had no doubt taken from his list of recommendations. A book of philosophy.

Minho smiled to himself and remained against the shadow of the wall, as if to not be seen. He watched him calmly, turn page after page. Jisung did not have any friends around, like anyone would during lunch break, he simply had a book to comply with him. It was all he seemed to need.

He looked up, as if Minho's thick stare was a shout and the teacher simply took another puff of his cigarette and looked farther away into the horizon. Jisung seemed to see a shape, but go right back to his book, without much of a bother.

Minho stayed against those bricks until his joint had shrunk to ashes between his fingers, until the bell of the school rang a first time and he finally lifted himself from the cold surface, going back to his final class of the day.

<3

Minho had started the class swiftly after everyone was seated, he had prepared it all already for the few weeks to come.

"Now, everyone in this class has a knowledge of what is right and wrong, what we deem acceptable or not. My question is, how would you define good and bad?" Minho leaned against his table gently, his eyes scanning the class. Only one pair of eyes matched his. Jisung looked back at him, tilting his head. "Is it by their actions or their intentions?"

"Intention." Jisung spoke certainly.

"Why do you believe so?" Minho glanced at him, amused.

"Well that is what is truly inside isn't it? Shouldn't the motive be more important then anything? The same "good" deed can be made by completely different reasoning, same thing for "bad" deeds. We should look at the mind."

"That is an interesting take. Along this session I will keep asking you all questions, not to answer them, but for you to question the world around you. Jisung here..." he remembered his name now. "Demonstrates a great exemple of what I'm looking for on your thesis assignments due three weeks from now."

Minho turned back around and started to write on the board, continuing the class as he normally did. One pair of piercing eyes on his pack, the only student sitting in the very front, jisung.

He could not quite pin it, but there was a lingering feeling on his back when he stared at it, as if every trace of Jisung's pencil reflected on his bones, through his skin.

He could not figure out why.

Class ended sooner that day, so students soon emptied out. Jisung stayed on the side lines and stayed at his desk. He watched him from afar until Minho took a few steps close to him. The younger sort of backed away once he breathed in the air around him.

"What's wrong?"

"You smell like cigarettes." Was all he said, his face giving a perfect blank stare, but his body tensing. Minho nodded and looked at the floor, he knew he had a bad habit of smoking, most were sensitive to the smell of it. He went to his bag and took off his coat, replacing it with another that probably smelled better then the one he had on.

"Better?"

"Much."

Jisung finally moved and sat up from his chair, going near Minho's small library section.

"Is this what I am reorganizing?" He gave a questionable look and Minho smiled.

"I thought of it...but you said to add to your punishment, so we're not doing this one"

"Show me"

<3

"The entire school library? You've got to be joking. Sir there are rows and rows on end"

"Precisely."

Jisung opened his mouth to say something but restrained himself, shutting his mouth closed and sighing.

"I cannot do this in one night, it will take weeks"

"I know, but this can be a great opportunity for those extra points you wanted"

Jisung remained silent and headed to the first book shelf he laid his eyes on. He didn't speak another word and started to reorganize the first row, which was way too high up for him. Minho went to another one to help him, cladding then by author or edition. His eyes diverted from his work to look at jisung, high up on his toes, reached for the tablet. His shirt lifted up, just the slightest bit, and Minho couldn't retrain his eyes from lowering. His waist was small and pristine, but there was something that caught his eye.

There were bruises there, right across his rib cage. Minho widened his eyes and didn't once look away, completely paralyzed. It looked like burns. Was it a birthmark? Was he hurt?

"If you keep staring, I think you'll draw bullets in my back." Jisung said and lowered his arms, looking back at his teacher with calm eyes.

Minho drew his eyes to hold his gaze and Jisung lowered his eyes.

"Those marks on your ribs ..." he started and Jisung flushed, avoiding his stare by looking away. He couldn't hold his words. "What are they?"

Jisung blank stared at the floor and didn't speak for the rest of the time. They stayed one hour there, without a word being spoken. Jisung stayed in his corner and Minho kept glancing at him, wanting to apologize for saying too much. Once they had done an entire row and finished two entire book shelves, they moved on to the next and again until they had done a good portion of it.

"It's getting late, we should continue this tomorrow" Minho spoke softly and jisung nodded, grabbing his bag and heading towards the door. "I'm sorry I...it was none of my business." Minho admitted, keeping his distance.

Jisung turned around for a split second and looked him in the eyes, a shallow expression.

"Now you know why I don't like cigarettes."