Sunrise [Yungi FF]

14. Compromise

They sat right outside the school, on a long bench to the side of the gate. The sky was a solid, deep blue now, and the street lamps were on.

"It wasn't too bad, right? Your headache?" Yunho asked, observing Mingi's movements carefully.

Mingi twisted his neck to look at Yunho and cocked his head. "What headache?"

"The one you had on Saturday, when we were talking on my porch?" Yunho clarified, slightly surprised.

A flash of recognition crossed Mingi's face. "Oh, it's..." he winced as if reliving that moment. "I didn't take my medications."

The laconic reply was a cue for Yunho to stop pushing the topic. He wondered if this related to what San was talking about. The something that neither Mingi nor he was privy of.

There was a silence as he searched for more words. He didn't know what else to say. He didn't know if he even should say anything, for the fear that the smallest thing would provoke Mingi.

Then he felt warm fingers wrapping around his hand, and when he looked up to see a soft smile on Mingi's face, he knew he was being irrational.

"I'll be busy for the next few weeks. Christmas break is coming and I have to make sure I go through the curriculum," said Mingi, staring into the street.

Yunho twined his cold fingers with Mingi's, his heart fluttering as he did so. His other hand was stuffed inside his coat pocket, pressed against the hard surface of the mirror. A bizarre thought came to him then, and he asked, "Were you ever angry at me?"

Mingi stared at Yunho for a long moment before replying, "Yes, for letting other people's opinions of you change your perception of yourself. And for not realizing how amazing you are."

The sincerity rolling in his brown orbs and the breathy quality underlying his soft words did the job. The feeling was back - the relief and comfort and fascination that someone understood him and appreciated the good characteristics he buried deep inside his identity - reminding Yunho of the first time he met Mingi in person.

This was the Mingi he knew.

Yunho squeezed Mingi's hand, wanting to hold this moment still forever.

Mingi was staring at the glow from the street light that was almost blinding amidst the darkness as if captivated by the brightness. When he felt constriction around his hand he lost focus and stood up abruptly, his attention now diverted onto the shadows projected on the pavements.

Yunho stood up too, Mingi's body heat still on his hand but fading fast. "What's wrong?" A strong sense of deja vu hit him as he asked that question, followed by a staggering recollection of what the teacher Ms. Seo said.

He gets moody at night.

The cold had found its way back into Yunho's hand. He stuffed it back into his pocket, goosebumps forming on his skin as he observed Mingi.

"It's okay, you can tell me what's wrong," Yunho finally said. Mingi didn't reply, and Yunho didn't notice the newly clenched fists by Mingi's side as he asked, "Is your headache back again?"

A metallic clang filled the air as Mingi spun around violently. It was a trash can being toppled over. A small cat-like figure scurried along the street on the opposite end of the street behind Mingi.

They were standing in the midpoint between two street lamps, and under the dim moonlight it was hard to see each other's faces. The redness creeping up Mingi's neck, shielded by moving dark shapes, went unseen.

Yunho's foot scraped an inch forward. "Are you okay?"

"No! Of course I'm not okay!" Mingi shook his head, the neatly combed hair now tousled and swaying messily in front of his forehead.