Into the Hornet's Nest

1

          Stepping onto the property, Minho smiles. The house is fairly run down, a few boarded up windows staring back at him as he stands on the overgrown lawn. The roof is patchy at best, Minho completely expecting water damage on the inside walls and rusted pipes to become a later hassle. He smiles, however, because this is his now. This dingy, dirty home is his to fix and help thrive. He trudges up to the door, unlocking it carefully in fear of the doorknob falling out of the rotting wood. The sun on his skin is harsh, cicadas humming through the thick air and his hair beginning to stick against his forehead. The new environment is nice, new scenery, a new project, and new weather patterns for him to adjust to.
          Minho does a quick and careful once around the inside of the house, making mental notes on what he should patch up first and which room to start with. He'll be staying here, so he will need at least one decent room to bide his time in. He knows the walls and rewiring of the house will begin later tomorrow, so he waives those out of his consciousness. When he finds his way into the spacious attic, he frowns at the loud buzzing he hears as soon as he enters. It's different from the cicadas, a more ominous tone to the harsh wings. Through the light of the few windows, he sees a corner of the attic almost completely overtaken by an obscene hornet's nest. The gray paper-like lumps are large and span from the corner of a window half way to the high ceilings. Minho feels like he's going to be sick. He quickly leaves the way he came, trying his best not to break the stairs beneath him in his haste. No way in hell is he going to be able to get rid of that thing alone. He needs to buy something to try and kill them off during however long it takes him to get an exterminator out here. He's not going to use all of his epi-pens in the first few days, not with the amount of work this place needs. He has money, but not enough to carelessly throw himself into shock repeatedly for the sake of DIY bug removal gone wrong. 

          Minho slides himself into his truck, shutting the light blue door quickly and letting the engine roar to life. He immediately turns on the cool air before finding directions on his phone to the nearest convenience store. Five miles, not too bad of a drive. He looks out at the messy lawn again before throwing his truck in reverse, reminding himself to cut the shin-length grass when he is done with his first round of gas-trapping the hell on wings.
          Minho pulls out of the gravel driveway, avoiding the surrounding trees and successfully making his way onto the paved road. He continues to glance at his phone as he drives, making sure he is following the GPS to the best of his ability in the new area. It's a cute little town, Minho thinks, the small gas stations and occasional farming fields rolling alongside his car. He watches other cars driving past him, enjoying the entirely new faces he may come to know during his stay.
          Soon enough, Minho is parking in the small parking lot of the store, locking his truck twice and making his way into the pint sized shop. He mentally curses his family for giving him black hair, his head hot to the touch as he tries to keep the growing locks out of his eyes. He regrets wearing jeans this tight, squatting down in front of one of the displays. They're good for avoiding ticks and rusted metal, but the black skin tight material is making him suffer at the moment. At least his t-shirt is light, half tucked into his jeans to let whatever air he can get run over his sweating form. His eyes scan over the array of cans, many brands he recognizes all placed in front of them. He tries to figure out which may be best, not wanting to buy more than one kind should the chemicals not mix well. He'll be gassing the entire house essentially, so he will have to sleep in his truck. At least he will have a day before the workers come, he doesn't know what he would do if he accidentally gassed them, too. 

          A passing worker catches his eye, walking past him with a look of boredom. The boy looks to be around his age, with dyed silver hair that fades to black toward his scalp. Minho internally praises how it looks in contrast to his honey-toned skin.
          "Excuse me," Minho calls, the boy stepping backwards to look into Minho's aisle. He has full cheeks that almost make him seem younger, despite him appearing to be right around Minho's height. "Do you know which of these are best for wasps?" Minho asks, the boy coming up beside him and leaning over to look at the options. Minho can smell whatever the boy has put on himself, some sort of warm and comforting smell mixed with mint. It must be the temperature controls in here that are keeping the boy from smelling of sweat. Minho is suddenly worried about how he smells, now.
          "None of them," The boy says, turning his face to Minho. Minho's eyebrows turn in confusion, a bit of disappointment evident in his face. "They kill wasps, that isn't good for them." The boy says, breaking into a wide smile. Minho lets his face scrunch at the joke despite the boy's apparent happiness at it. The boy points to one of the cans with a chuckle. "This one. Loosen up, man." He says, standing. "I'll ring you up."
          Minho nods, grabbing a few cans and following behind the boy. His estimation was right, the boy falling just short of Minho's height. Minho notices how tightly tied the boy's apron is, a surprisingly small waist being revealed by the way his shirt bunches around the string on his back. Minho's face remains stoic despite his overwhelming urge to untie the string.
At the counter, the boy says nothing other than his total, Minho paying for the items and glancing at the boy's name tag. Upon handing the card back, it seems the boy has looked at his name, also. They share a look of knowing, neither one wanting to make it awkward by addressing the other by name. Minho takes his small bag, giving a small nod and a thank you to the happy boy behind the counter. With that, he leaves. 

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Hey hey, I hope you get as attached to this story as I did