Minho had walked Jinki to a small park, it was starting to become dark, parents were gathering their children and taking them home. The boy named Minho was wearing what seemed like layers of clothing, the air hardly had a chill. Jinki thought maybe the guy was going to kill him.

They walked to a bench, Jinki wasn’t sure why he had followed Minho, he just wants answers, and really when someone says “We should talk” it probably means they have something important to say.They sit in silence for a while before Minho speaks the name that brought Jinki here.

“Kibum.”

Jinki looks at the other man, Minho turns to him and locks eyes with him.

“I’m sorry but Kibum isn’t real.”

Jinki laughs, this kid is funny.

“I mean it, he’s not real, well he is, he lives in Japan with his girlfriend, they’re engaged.”

Jinki looks at Minho waiting for him to continue. “He’s actually engaged to my sister.” Jinki feels his heart sink even further than it had when he had talked to Taemin.

“What are you saying Minho?”

“I’m saying I lied to you.”

Jinki furrows his brows and looks at Minho, he’s confused, none of this is making sense.

“I... I don’t think I understand.”

Minho looks down, tears forming at the corners of his eyes. “I’m saying that I’m Kibum, I’m the person who you’ve been talking to. Kibum doesn’t even know who you are. I thought if I used his photo and his name people would talk to me. I didn’t mean for it to let it get this far out of hand. It’s just.. when I talked to you I felt happy, the happiest I’ve ever been. Then I fell for you, I fell for you so hard, I’m so sorry Jinki. It’s me, I’m Kibum.”

Minho was sobbing, Jinki felt frozen.

Everything. Everything he felt, everything he knew, it was all a lie. He had fallen in love with a photo and a name, the person behind it a liar.

Jinki felt the stinging in his eyes, he wanted to cry, the burn was too much. As a sob escaped his throat he felt Minho’s arms go around him. He shook them off and pushed Minho away.

“Who do you think you are to do that to someone? What makes you think you that it’s okay? This isn’t some game you can play and then quit when you get bored. I’m a real person with real feelings Minho!”

Jinki started walking away. He felt angry, upset, he wanted to hit someone.

“Jinki please.” Minho called.

Jinki turned, eyes burning. “You’re a sick person Minho. What you did was horrible.”

“Jinki I’m so sorry, please I- My feelings for you, they’re real, I love you, I’m in love with you, please Jinki please I’m so sorry.”

Jinki saw red. “You’re sorry?! How can you be sorry Minho? You led me to believe you were someone else for almost an entire year. That’s an entire year I can never have back because you were playing a game.”

Minho grabbed at Jinki’s hands, falling to his knees, pleading.

“It was never a game to me, I swear Jinki”

Jinki’s fist connected with Minho’s eye and he turned around, his eyes clouding with tears.

Jinki walked, he walked and walked until he had reached the inn, he checked out, the confused look on the desk attendant’s face diminishing when she saw his red puffy face.

He cried to the airport. He cried the whole plane ride back to Seoul, he didn’t care the other passengers looked at him funny. He cried in the cab ride back to his apartment.

He cried until he had no tears left, until his face had dry tear tracks, and his nose was runny, his head pounded.

He climbed out of bed and walked into the bathroom, staring at his face in the mirror he felt nothing. He didn’t feel upset, angry, maybe a little tired, but no emotions.

He washed his face, rubbed his skin until it was red, he felt nothing. He logged onto his computer and deactivated his online accounts, he needed a break.

--------------------------------------

It had been a little over three weeks and Jinki still felt nothing. He went to school, he did his assignments, but he stopped talking to friends, he ignored calls from his parents, he never raised his hand in classes anymore.

Every once in a while he would receive a text from Minho, he would immediately delete it and continue to sit in his room, mindlessly watching TV.

Six more weeks and there was a knock on his front door, two seconds after opening it he closed it.

Minho.

Jinki shook his head and pushed any thought of the boy away. He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against the door, feeling the cool wood against his skin.

More knocking and Jinki was opening it again, ready to just get this over.

“What do you want?” He growls out, and Minho chews his lip.

“Jinki… I know I screwed up. I just, you haven’t been answering my messages and Taemin’s cousin Jonghyun goes to your school, and he said that you looked bad. I just… I needed to know you were okay.”

Minho was looking at Jinki, searching for any signal that something wasn’t okay.

“I’m fine.” Jinki says blankly.

Minho sighs. “Can I… Can I come in?”

Jinki walks away from the door and goes to his couch. Minho closes the door behind him and stands by the door, looking around the room.

“I always imagined you would have posters or pictures up, you seemed like you would have a bright apartment.”

Jinki laughs to himself, he had thrown them out weeks ago, he didn’t want to remember.

Minho clears his throat and sits next to Jinki on the couch. “Have you been eating well?”

Jinki sighs and looks at Minho, “I know that this isn’t the real reason you’re here.”

Minho nods and plays with the hem of his jacket, pulls at the loose strings. “I’m sick. Remember how I told you a really long time ago that I was sick? That I had gone to the doctor?”

Jinki nods, he doesn’t want to, but he remembers, it was on his family vacation.

“H-he said I had c-cancer th-that I was st-stage four. He said that c-chemotherapy w-wouldn’t be beneficial, t-that it would j-just make me feel s-sicker.” Minho tries to stop himself from crying, and as he chokes out a sob Jinki starts to rub soothing circles into his back.

Jinki wraps his arms around the younger boy and rocks him slowly. Minho sniffles and winds his arms around Jinki.

They sit like that for countless hours, Jinki feels his leg fall asleep and he shifts. Minho is asleep, and that’s when Jinki gets a good look at him. Minho’s hair is wiry and dry, his skin pale, dark circles under the younger boys eyes, his face is thin, too thin for anyone to be considered healthy. Then again Minho wasn’t healthy, Minho had cancer, Minho was dying. Jinki felt something break, whether it was his heart or his mind he wasn’t sure. All he knew was he didn’t want Minho to die, he wanted Minho to be healthy and happy.

Jinki hugged Minho closer as he felt his tears fall.

--------------------------------------

Jinki woke up to empty arms and the sound of dishes in the kitchen. He sat up, turning his neck stretching out the sore parts. He peeked into the kitchen to see Minho placing toast onto plates and he smiles.

“Morning.” He says and Minho turns chirping back a reply.

“You didn’t have to make breakfast you know.” Minho shrugs. “I don’t mind. You didn’t have much though, you should go to the store.”

“Maybe later. We… we should talk.”

Minho breathes out and nods putting the plates of toast and eggs onto the table. Jinki sits across from him and chews his lip.

“I’m sorry about just barging in on you.”

Jinki smiles and picks up a piece of toast. “I don’t mind… What we really should talk about Minho is… us? I mean was it an us? Or… or I don’t know Minho what were we?”

“I… I loved you. I still do. It wasn’t fake for me, everything I said to you was real. Just… just not who I was parading around as.”

Jinki nods and bites into his toast. “I… I forgive you. I’m still mad at the lie, but I forgive you and I guess in a way I love you too.”

Minho’s head snaps up and his eyes go wide at Jinki. “You shouldn’t. Not the way that I treated you. J-Jinki I’m sick too. I’m… you shouldn’t love me.”

Jinki laughs, his laughter continues until he’s holding his stomach and tears are in his eyes.

“Don’t you see though, I love you, I don’t care if you’re blue and have a tail. I love you. I’m gonna be here for you too. I’ll go with you to your appointments and take care of you and make sure you’re okay.”

“You don’t need to. Jinki I’m going to die, I don’t want you to go through any of it.”

“I want to Minho. I thought a lot last night, I want to be there for you. I love you.”

"Jinki I have months left, maybe even weeks." Minho looks down, playing with his hands.

"I want to be with you for those weeks then."

Minho looks up at Jinki and smiles, and continues to smile when he gets up from the table and pulls Jinki into his arms, and his smile goes even wider as he kisses Jinki and Jinki kisses back.

“Just know, I will never be able to face your sister’s fiancé ever.”

Minho laughs and kisses Jinki again. 

~Un-Beta'd~

So.. it's over. But there's an epilogue, which I will post tomorrow because I have an early class tomorrow and should probably start actually doin my schoolwork.

Don't forget to comment and let me know what you think!