Red Chrysanthemum - Minsung

Chapter 10

The first thing Jisung did was run to the bathroom, fuck all of the stares, he needed some time to himself after what he'd just heard.

Minho had, after all of these years, remembered the nickname he'd given him. The rapper hates his past, it's a very sensitive subject for him, but the brunet had reopened festering wounds that never healed, since he never attended to them, being too terrified to worsen them.

He forgot to lock the door behind him and he didn't even notice Minho's soft steps echoing through the corridor as he went to comfort him after he'd truly realised what he'd done.

Jisung sank down in the bathroom, wrapping his arms around his folded legs, crying into his forearms gently. He sobbed in the bathroom of the studio pathetically. Minho was outside, pressed up against the door, he wasn't saying anything, just standing there, listening to the boy's quiet sobs.

The brunet had called him by the nickname he'd given him all that time ago, the same nickname that made him crack, the one that broke him that day at the party.

He remembers now.

But he doesn't want to.

So he buried the memories back down where they had come from, pressing his palms to his ears, blocking out the gentle hum of the bright white overhead lights.

His thoughts were unbearably loud, a constant buzz that grew with every passing second as he started spiralling. Too many questions were bouncing around his mind, bashing against the sides of his brain, making his head thrum with a painful headache.

"Sungie, I'm really sorry." Minho's voice cracked as he uttered those words, Jisung could feel the sadness oozing from his tone. The buzz quietened a tad, leaving him feeling slightly soothed by his words. But it didn't stop the sharp needle that poked at his chest, tearing a small hole through the barriers he'd painstakingly built. They were threatening to come tumbling down, and they would if the dancer pushed any further. Which of course, being Minho, he did.

The door opened a crack and the brunet peeked in. A small, sad frown decorated his beautifully sculpted features.

"Can I come in?" He asked gently, Jisung nodded begrudgingly, burying his face back into his crossed arms. He felt his ears burn with embarrassment, how could he let someone see him in this vulnerable state? He didn't enjoy it one bit, hoping this whole interaction would be over very soon.

Minho stepped in, closing the door and locking it softly behind him. He sat down crossed-legged in front of the rapper.

They stayed like that for a few minutes in perfect silence, only Jisung's fading sobs breaking through the quiet. He finally lifted his head up and began wiping off his tears with a sniffle, he avoided the dancer's gaze, embarrassed by his current state.

"How fucking awkward for you to see me like this." He hiccuped, forcing himself to gulp down air, but his airways constricted themselves. He felt his anxiety rise as Minho stayed silent. He began hyperventilating, his thoughts spiralling further. His vision grew blurry from the tears or from his rising stress, he could no longer tell.

He was going to abandon him, he was sure of it.

He was going to tease him, he was sure of it.

He was going to hit him, he was sure of it.

He-

He hugged him.

Minho hugged him.

The brunet pulled a trembling Jisung into his warm arms, enveloping him in a gentle embrace. He placed a careful hand on his lower back, rubbing up and down in a soothing manner. The silver haired boy shivered as he buried his face into the dancer's muscular shoulder, the tears came back full force, streaking down his face once again.