𝐑𝐞𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 || 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐖𝐨𝐧

One

Kim Mingyu lies awake, looking up to the stars that cover the sky. He's lucky that he found an apartment who has a window for a ceiling in a portion of his room so he is able to admire the stars he has always yearned for.

He remembers his roommate Seungcheol at the other room, probably listening to punk rock and being the obnoxious emo that he is.

He remembers Seungcheol's boyfriend Jeonghan who's also an obnoxious graphic design major who is taking up most of Seungcheol's sheets.

He remembers his ex-boyfriend - a name he can't bare to say again but still loves how it lingers on his tongue - Joshua, and the constellations that cover the side of his heart; the lone moles he bares that Mingyu loved to touch. Now it left a burning sensation at the tip of his fingers.

He shouldn't hate it, shouldn't be sad about it, because the break up was not because of the lack of love, but because of too much of it; too much to the point that his family despised it.

Joshua's family hated it - it's to be expected from a family of lawyers. Joshua was the heir of their own lawfirm, his path paved by his parents and his parent's parents. They hated the fact that Joshua didn't want a family with a woman but would rather be with a man who can barely provide.

It was a mutual break-up, where they broke it off peacefully through home-cooked dinner and one final night of burning and pleasure of skin. Mingyu didn't want to admit it but he remembers the tears he shed in the darkness of the room while he heard Joshua moan a litany of his love.

And now Mingyu just looks at the stars that was once Joshua's favorite; he loved it when Mingyu talks about the stars and what's beyond it.

Mingyu wanders his eyes to his wall clock at the other side of his bed and stares at it until the clock turns midnight. He sits up from his bed and steps out of it, opening his closet and picking out the nearest jacket he could reach.

He walks out his room to Seungcheol's and knocks. He knocks a few times before Jeonghan opens the door.

"Yeah?"

Jeonghan had Seungcheol's university shirt on, Seungcheol's body size evident on Jeonghan's. He sees Seungcheol playing some random game on his computer, head banging to the beat of a punk rock song he is too familiar with.

In the cold you look so fierce but I'm warming up

"I'm going out."

I guess the tension's like a fire

Seungcheol pauses his game to look at Mingyu.

"What's up Gyu? Thinking about Joshua again?"

Mingyu rolls his eyes. "Just thinking. Don't be an ass." He hears the last lines of the chorus Joshua has always sang whenever they're together before he walks away.

But there's room for two six feet under the stars.

It's ironic how the stars he looks at now doesn't seem like stars to him before.

It's duller, less brighter.

Or maybe because he let his love walk away by a star and now what's left is dust floating in the cosmos.

Now he felt like the stars was too far from him, too hard to reach that he is so close to giving up.

"You'll get a stiff neck if you look up for too long, stranger."

He hears the chains of the empty swing beside him jingle and he realizes that he isn't alone. He tears his eyes from the sky to look at the man beside him. The moon isn't bright enough to illuminate the stranger's face but he could see his eyes glow like it's meant to shine.

"I'm used to looking up. I'm prone to stiff necks by now."

The man laughs as he looks straight ahead but Mingyu can't seem to remove his gaze at him. The man laughs softly and it was like he could feel the vibrations of the stranger's voice inside his chest.

"Thinking about something?" He says.

"Someone." Mingyu corrects him.

"Ex-girlfriend?"

"Ex-boyfriend actually."

The strangers hums with acknowledgement as he nods his head.

"Bad break up?"

"Are we playing 21 questions?"

"We could if you want to, stranger."

"But my mom said not to talk to strangers."

"My mom said that too but here I am now."

Mingyu can finally tear his gaze away as he sighs a laugh.

"We didn't break up in bad terms. It's just that his family didn't allow it." Mingyu answered.

"Okay. You're turn."

Mingyu fiddles with his own fingers as he thinks of a question. "Why are you out so late?" Mingyu says.

"Same as you, I'm thinking of someone. My turn, is his family homophobic?" It was straightforward and Mingyu never really seen Joshua's situation in that light.

"Not really. It's just that he's the only child."

"Ah responsibilities, huh? Is this some cliche heir story?"

"Something like that."

The stranger hums. "Your turn, stranger."

"Ah. Who are you thinking about?"

"My brother."

"Oh? Why?"

"He died."

Mingyu pause at that, the swing stays still and the night is quiet. He doesn't know what to say. "I'm sorry." That's it. His heart feels pity for the stranger and anger at himself because he's sad about a break up but there's someone else having it worse than him.

"It's okay. I'm okay."

Mingyu looks at the stranger momentarily and he sees a tear drop to the back of his hand that's placed at his lap.

"I shouldn't have asked." He says quietly out of fear of saying something wrong.

The stranger sniffs and wipes away his own tears.

"No. It's okay, really. You didn't know."

Mingyu stays silent for awhile as he looks up again.

"You must love the stars so much to keep on looking up every few minutes." The stranger breaks the silence and Mingyu sighs a breath he didn't know he was holding

Mingyu hums. "Yeah. Took astronomy for it."

"Really?"

"Yeah. How about you? What do you love?"

Mingyu could hear the swing jingle again and glances at the stranger. The man has already stood up, looking like he's about to leave.

"Writing about the stars and what's beyond it."

And the man leaves Mingyu there, wondering about the dust that lingers in the cosmos and how it's starting to slowly glow.