Things we keep in the dark | minsung

📖8:00 pM

6:30 pm

It was getting late now, and Minho had just arrived home. He kept dozing off and thinking back on the kiss, he'd even put a few fingers to his own lips and smile to himself. The way they moved together, the need he felt in Jisung, in himself.

He had not planned on kissing him that day, it was far from his intentions.

Be there. He had said to him, before Jisung left with a flushed face and a sly smile. He didn't even know what they would do once Jisung got there. Would they kiss again? Maybe they would talk about what they were? Or maybe it would escalate.

7:00 pm

Only an hour left before Jisung was supposed to arrive. Minho had cleaned the entire apartment, every inch of the place was spotless and he only had his bedroom left to do. After all cleaning was better then sitting down and doing nothing. Once got to his bed, he placed a few hands on it and pictured Jisung on, laughing, with careless regrets and a soft posture. He could see him clear in his mind, a loose shirt on his body, one he had landed him, with the pair of pants he always wore during early mornings.

For two weeks he had suppressed these thoughts and now they were explosive.

He laid down once he had made the bed and looked up at his ceiling, wondering how Jisung felt about the situation, if he was scared, if he thought of not showing up at all.

7:30 pm

Now that his bedroom was clean, fresh and warm covers on his bed, he only needed to wait. He went outside and grabbed a cigarette between his fingers, only to stop what he was doing. Everything in his body was telling him to light it up, he did crave it, shamefully.

Would it make Jisung uncomfortable?

That thought alone was enough to make Minho put down the cigarette. And take in the cold air of the night. He looked up to see droplets of water dripping from his nose. He closed his eyes and felt each rain drop hit his face, cold.

He signed and went back inside, drying his hair with a towel, because he had stood in the rain longer then he thought. It wasn't unlike him to zone out like this, he would often find himself drifting off.

Of course, jisung had already been at his place, but nowhere near his bed, not even remotely close to what they had done in his office. He looked out the window and once more, spaced out. He didn't know how long, but enough for water to grow into puddles on the grounds of the parking lots.

Until a knock interrupted his thoughts.

8:00 pm

Minho got up and quickly went to the door, touching the handle and smiling to himself before opening it. Once he did, he found himself in a familiar scenery.

Jisung stood with a shy smile and dripping wet hair, water falling off random strands.

"I'm here" he said finally, looking up at him calmly.

"You're here..." Minho said back to him and allowed him to come inside, closing the door.
"I wasn't sure if you'd...actually come"

"I'm not one to go back on a decision." He answered and dropped his bag on the floor, it seemed quite heavy. "I didn't stop by sooner because I had to go and get something at my place"

He's opening up to me.

"And what might that be?"

"You landed me a shirt the day I slept here, so I washed, same with your underwear" he chuckled and got it out of his bag, throwing it at him. "We don't have a washer at home, so I just cleaned it by hand...I hope that's fine with you...?"

"Of course" he took the shirt and walked to his bedroom to put it down, then walked back to him. He took his coat off and hung it on the wall, his shirt was wet, just like his hair.

"It sure is raining outside" Minho said and Jisung nodded, touching his own hair.

"I hate when it rains."

"I can see that, your shirt is drenched, should I land you another one?"

"Actually..." Jisung took the bottom of his shirt and lifted it above his head, with a pair of red cheeks and shy smile. He dropped it on the floor and walked around like it was nothing. "If it's okay with you, I rather have none"

Minho didn't speak, he simply looked. From far there was nothing wrong, a beautifully shaped waist with shoulders that didn't make him look small at all. He was perfectly balanced, with pale and light skin.

But of course, once you got closer, you could see the poison. He had cigarette burns on his lower back and some lines that he could only assume was from a belt, he hoped it was not from a hand.

Minho was staring, harshly at him.

"If you want to say something, get it over with" jisung turned around after he had gone through looking at the paintings on the walls.

"They are hard to avoid" Minho walked to him to get a better look, touching his skin with a flat hand to check the temperature. "Your skin feels cold"

"It always is." Jisung admitted and gave him his hand. "If you think my back is a waste land, you haven't seen part of it..."

"Jisung...I just want to know who is doing this to you."

"Can you not guess? It's pretty easy to..." he said like it was nothing and kept walking around the apartment.

"I don't like to make assumptions like that."

"I love these paintings" Jisung swifter and showed his back to him, making Minho glance over at his scars of different layers. Without noticing, he approached him and hovered a hand over them. "Did you make them?"

"Yes, a long time ago, I used to paint" Minho felt Jisung chuckled against his hand and turn around with a sly smile.

"You used to paint?"

"Don't tell anyone about it"

Who am I supposed to tell?

Jisung had told him once, so he didn't answer this time and simply nodded.

"I think it's cute" he said and went to Minho, going close to his chest, as if knowing he could do anything he wanted. "Maybe if I show you the worst one, you'll stop staring at me like I'm a red painting." He lifted and showed him his arm and pointed at a huge white scar that was on his forearm. Minho passed a hand over it and then to his eyes, they were calm.

"That's what I got when forgot to take the trash out..." he said and Minho clenched his fists. "I haven't told anyone that. Please, keep it a secret, wouldn't want any more trouble"

"I don't want to stand by while someone is hurting you. I...know what it's like growing up like you did, I was lucky to be able to run away."

"I know..."

"How do you know?"

"Because when you look at me...it seems you are looking into a mirror..." Jisung said lowly, so Minho nodded and took his hands, delicately. Jisung then looked away for a brief moment and said quietly,

"The only difference is...I wasn't able to run away..."