Watching
It (does)n’t happen - intermediate -
It was the beginning of a weekend and Minho had slowly been withdrawing from the world again over several days, though Jinki wouldn’t be as aware of that, busy with his own life lately. A reminder was given to him though.
A younger girl had called Jinki at an odd time, asking about Minho. It was the girlfriend of his friend’s – or ex, according to her. Still, she was worried about him and the sudden breakup they had. She didn’t beg Jinki to talk to Minho – to fix their relationship, but she asked that he take care of him – that Minho had spoken a lot about him to her and she knew they were close though they had barely met in person.
“Take care of him, okay?” she said over the phone, voice soft and pretty, “He’s.. frail.. in a way I don’t understand, but I know you do.”
Jinki shifted anxiously in his seat, watching Yoonhee, his steady girlfriend of a few months now, ordering them dinner at a small soup restaurant in town. “Ah.. I will.” He assured, expression serious as if the girl was in front of him right now.
When the call ended, Yoonhee soon sat across from him at their table again. “Who was that?” She smiled, cute dark hair falling around her curvy frame in a pretty dress that still kept her warm in the chilly weather.
Jinki lowered his phone, flashing a quick grin. “No one.”
Yoonhee’s cute grin fell to a pout, big dark eyes staring him down suddenly. Jinki laughed nervously and shrugged as he quickly changed the subject to one he knew she would like - books. And without a doubt she perked up. This young woman, he really had grown to like. Intelligent and pretty, soft and firm. She was what he liked in a partner, and somehow taking it much slower than usual made Jinki fall for her all that much more.
While they ate, Jinki glanced at his phone for the date and it finally dawned on him what was going on. It was nearly two years since the weekend trip Minho had been on. Minho had a similar reaction around the same date last year, Jinki recalled with growing worry.
Jinki felt bad cutting his evening short with his girlfriend, but she squeezed him in a comforting hug, saying, “I’ll call you later, be safe,” sounding more understanding than he expected. Jinki’s heart beat a little faster. This woman was different than the rest somehow, and it showed in moments such as these. He wondered sometimes if it were just in illusion – a dream to be with someone he felt genuinely comfortable around and fix the confusion he’s suffered internally the past two years. If it were a dream though, then that left a lingering fear within him of waking.
He nodded with a smile, calling, “Yoonhee-yah~,” affectionately to gain a sweet smile and cute hand gesture for the young lady before she turned away in her walk to the bus stop, then Jinki quickly left, formulating a plan on his way to Minho’s home.
Jinki slowly peeked his head into Minho’s room as he opened the door after been let into the home by an obviously concerned mother. He would have smiled, but he found his friend sitting curled up on his bed, picking at sheets while his desk stood abandoned, messy with study books and papers covering it. “Minho?”
Minho lifted his head, gaze focusing on Jinki. It was a vacant stare, stabbing Jinki through the chest in a painful breath. He let himself all the way into the bedroom and closed the door behind him.
“Why are you here?” Minho asked, trying to sound better than he clearly felt. His fingers rubbed harshly at his long sleeved arms, confusing the older a bit, but Minho’s expression was the more concerning matter.
“I can’t just drop by if I feel like it?” Jinki acted overly confused and offended, wanting to lighten the mood. He was usually good at that, or he liked to think so.
Minho cracked a small smile then, snorting as he dropped his chin back to his folded arms over bent knees.
Jinki grinned, moving to sit on the edge of Minho’s bed, not too close to the younger. “You going to stay in here all weekend?”
Minho mumbled, “Yes.”
Jinki pouted, making a big show of sulking. It caused the younger to smile again even if he didn’t want to – lips curling to that signature goofy grin Jinki still loved in a whole new way. He slowly pulled something from his pocket, sighing loudly. “Who will I share this with then?”
Minho blinked and Jinki wagged a candy bar between them.
“Hyung..” Minho whined, trying to sound annoyed at the older’s possibly over the top show.
Jinki laughed. He pulled the candy bar open and took a big bite out of it. He talked through his full mouth. “This is really good.”
“I don’t care.” Minho said, but his gaze wouldn’t leave the candy.
Jinki placed it on the bed between them, still smiling. Nothing happened for a while. They just sat there silently, Jinki slowly chewing while waiting and Minho still watching the small candy closely. Both liked free food as much as the next person but that’s not what this moment was about, and Jinki knew Minho saw beyond that as well as he did.
The room was quiet while Minho slowly reached for the candy bar. It was in his mouth when his eyes met Jinki’s again. Those big eyes still carried a weight Jinki was sure he would never fully understand, but Minho still took a bite of the candy, leaving Jinki’s eyes to crinkle into a smile of their own. Minho pulled it away, chewing slowly with a small grin growing between puffy cheeks.
Jinki took the candy back when it was offered to him. He took another bite himself and they shared the candy bar until it was gone, silently smiling at each other.
Like Minho had said, he stayed in his room that weekend, but Jinki stopped by each day even if only to sit in the quiet, dark room with his friend.
Show Minho he wasn’t as alone as he might still believe himself to be.
“I can still feel their eyes on me.” Minho murmured at one point through the darkness, fingers rubbing furiously at sleeved arms again.
Jinki nodded, not leaving his spot.
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