Youth | Gyuhao

- 19

| Chapter Nineteen — Night Owl |

"Talk to me."

Mingyu lifted his head at the sound of Minghao's voice, blinking up at him, "'Bout what?" He asked.

Mingyu's head was on Minghao's lap, hair being threaded through the boy's fingers gently.

The simple touch of Mingyu had calmed Minghao down earlier, so here they were.

"Anything." Minghao sighed, "Take my mind off everything. Talk about anything you want," Minghao said, back rested against the headboard of Mingyu's bed, "I'll listen."

Mingyu closes his eyes, "My past good for ya?"

"Your past?" Minghao had never heard Mingyu speak about any of that at all.

On the other hand, they'd only known each other for a little under a month.

It felt like longer.

But still, Minghao wouldn't want to spill any information regarding his past with that new of a person, so he was a bit surprised at Mingyu's proposition.

He still has things he hasn't even shared with his friends. Junhui, Soonyoung, Seungkwan, Joshua and Jeonghan— or anybody else in the friend group.

"If you're comfortable—" Minghao started, fingers resuming on Mingyu's scalp, "—I'd love to."

Mingyu doesn't say anything for at least a minute, and Minghao lets the silence engulf them both.

He understands it's hard— It's not as easy to spill as it sounds when you first say it. Minghao knows that whatever Mingyu is fixing to start talking to him about is something that he has only shared with the right people— Or no people at all.

"My mother died when I was 10. That's where it all started," Mingyu starts off.

Minghao parts his lips, an apology on the tip of his tongue.

Don't apologize for things that aren't your fault.

Minghao closes his mouth.

"My father was a terrible man. He beat my mother all to hell. Day and night— whenever he wished." Mingyu tells him so nonchalantly it makes Minghao dance on the brink of nauseous, "Everything that happened after my mother's death was a blur. I barely remember my old man drinking himself away and taking his anger out on me."

Minghao closes his eyes, pained. He doesn't stop his fingers in Mingyu's hair, hoping to provide some sort of a type of comfort.

"I know he did though." Mingyu says, lifting an arm. Minghao watches him pull the sleeve of his shirt back a bit, a long, dark scar Minghao had failed to notice before coming into view.

Minghao's jaw falls open, and he sits up, "Gyu," He sounds like he's about to cry. With Mingyu's head on his lap and a scar on the man's bicep— It felt all too overwhelming.

"I'm okay." Mingyu nods, "I'm okay now."

Minghao bit his lip to refrain a quiver at the very obvious lie being told, "What happened? What did he do to you?"

"He liked to watch blood fall. Since my mother was no longer with us, I was next in line." Mingyu shrugs, sighing deeply, "He was an awful man, Minghao. Truly."

Minghao let his fingertips graze over the scar on Mingyu's bicep. He frowned, "If he did this, yeah." He chuckled sadly, pouting his lips in devastation, "This shouldn't have happened to you."

"This world just fucking sucks." Mingyu laughs, "Nobody has a perfect life, I guess."

"I'd like to sometime." Minghao snickered sadly, that earlier frown back on his face, "Why can't warm hearted people just be happy? Why does it all have to be this way?"

"It isn't fair." Mingyu says. He trails a hand so it's holding Minghao's, resting their interlaced fingers on his chest, "Though, there's exceptions sometimes."

Minghao listens with flushed cheeks.

Mingyu smiles, "Feel that?" The low thumping of Mingyu's heart against his rib cage made Minghao's palm tingle, "That's how I feel."

Minghao blinks, "About what?"

Mingyu gave him a look, smirking, yet his look was nothing but serious, "You know what."

Minghao's mind goes blank for what feels like a full minute until he's blinking himself back to reality, letting the realness of the exchanged words meddle with his mind— help it settle.

"Thank you for sharing with me," Minghao looks away to hopefully hide the pink swarming in his cheeks, "It means a lot. Really."

"I'll let you know more someday."

Minghao laughs knowingly, "When we start dating, I presume?"

"You could be right... You could be wrong." Mingyu shrugs with a slow rising smirk.

"You said you'd wait for me." Minghao pouts.

Mingyu nods, "And I was serious." He says, bringing their locked hands to his lips, pressing the softest kiss against the back of Minghao's palm, "Come to me when you want me as much as I want you."

"How poetic."

"I'll make you mine someday. You know that."

"Of course." Minghao smiles, playing with Mingyu's hair again, "I won't ever be able to get you to leave me alone, will I?"

"Never."