When Minho Was There • Minsung

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Somehow they ended up lying on the grass, in the same spot where Jisung and Hyunjin had been painting a couple days prior. It was relaxing being there with Minho; he felt so safe in the elders presence, as if he'd known him for much longer than reality allowed.

Minho was back to talking about his childhood and growing up, but Jisung didn't mind one bit. It was interesting to learn more about Minho, and if the other was sharing so many personal stories, that meant he trusted Jisung.

"Nan's always in a bad mood." Minho was lying on his back, staring up at the clouds and the sky, which was fading to orange. "I could tell." Jisung laughed lightly. He was on his side, watching Minho's face with such attention to detail and tracing small shapes on his forearm.

"She yanks me by the arm and brushes my hair very hard." Jisung froze his movements, staring at Minho with wide eyes. Minho could feel the imprint of Jisung's eyes on his face, and so he paused, giving Jisung a small smile before reaching over and stroking the back of his neck, twirling the hair at Jisung's nape between his calloused fingers.

"Continue." Jisung whispered. And so Minho did, keeping a careful eye on the way Jisung's eyebrows twitched as he further shared his life story.

"No one thinks I'm being bullied." Minho let out a heavy sigh, and Jisung gave Minho's wrist—which supported the back of his own neck—a soft kiss.

"But it really hurts."

Jisung felt his heart pang at the sudden slip in Minho's voice. He knew it was a tough subject for him to talk about, but he really appreciated Minho's willingness to share it with him.

"Enough to cry." Even if Minho wasn't crying, Jisung could feel the tears begin to form in his own eyes, bubbling out from under his eyelashes.

A cool breeze washed over them, and Jisung shivered. "The maids loved to frighten me."

Jisung hadn't seen the specific maids Minho was talking about, but he didn't want to meet them either, not when they hurt Minho this badly.

"They threatened me all the time."

"Naughty boys get shut in the silo." Minho mimicked in a high-pitched, croaky voice, which had Jisung giggling. This was enough to make Minho smile and alleviate some of the pain he was feeling.

"Where ghosts suck out their souls!" Minho rolled over and began to tickle Jisung, which had the younger yelping and pleading with Minho to stop, all the while he was giggling and kicking his feet helplessly as the other teased him, his fingers slightly underneath his shirt. "I can't believe I fell for that."

When Jisung finally managed to pry Minho's fingers off of his tummy, the elder made himself comfortable next to Jisung, resting his head on his stomach as Jisung's fingers found their way to his scalp, giving it a soft scratch and massage.

"You mean the silo on the hill?" Jisung asked. He felt the vibration of Minho's hum through his skin, and it made his insides tingle.

"Once, they actually took me there."

✧

It was dark that day. The sky was a swirl of dark gray and purple. The trees, once filled with sweet fruits, were now barren, their leaves falling to the ground with a crunch.

"No!" Minho shouted as two pairs of hands snatched him up by the wrists. The heels of his pretty new shoes were deep in the mud as he tried to resist the force of the two women who were dragging him up the winding path, straight towards the silo.