It’s been two weeks since Minseok’s admitted into the institution and he’s pretty sure if he wasn’t mad back then, he is now.

Pills after pills everyday and strict diets of soups and porridges and especially Sehun who wouldn’t stop telling him about every “sign” he sees – if they are even counted as signs.

“H..hyung! My left sock is o..on the drawer and the right s..side is on my bed post.. It’s telling me t..that aliens are coming f..for us !”
 

“No you you threw those there when you got back from play time outside yesterday stop.”

“W..what about the tv flickering last n..night? There must b..be a ghost haunting our r..room! They’re c..coming to get me ! Hyung h..hide me !”
 

“There was a storm last night the connection was bad no one’s coming for you stop it”

“B..but, what about t..the leaves near the table three days a..ago? I swear t..they were trying to spell s..something.. Someone’s after u..us”
 

“The nurse left it open to ventilate the room while we were out for lunch, and the wind brought them in. Stop it Sehun.”
 

Group therapies became more comfortable as Suho stops forcing answers out of him and let him speak only when he wants to. He also made friends (or the term Minseok prefers, “acquaintances”) with the boys residing in the room next to his.

He recognizes Kris as the tall one with a personality so cold that he could probably freeze the Niagara falls, and Chanyeol as the other giant one who was probably the cleanest, neatest guy he’s ever met.
His shoelaces were always the same length when tied up and he must brush his teeth EXACTLY 26 times on each side every morning, afternoon and night. Minseok’s convinced that his teeth would probably all fall out at the age of 30. But that’s none of his business, right?

And also, Minseok saw no signs of his perfect stranger.

He could probably just ask a nurse about it but no way is Minseok going to let them label him as “mental boy1 who has a crush on mental boy2”.
In their eyes, he’s crazy enough as he is and there is definitely no need for them to know he has a hopeless little crush on one of his fellow institute mate, right?

“Broken people can be beautiful too.” The phrase kept echoing in his ears, Broken people can be beautiful too, Broken people can be beautiful too, Broken people can be beautiful too. Can broken people truly be beautiful?  Minseok asks himself, staring straight into the pair of eyes reflected in the mirror.
Minseok certainly doesn’t find himself a single bit “beautiful”. Yeah, younger Minseok with bright eyes and a hearty laugh could pass off as “pretty ok looking” but there’s no way the man standing infront of him, with dark eyes, hollowed cheeks and dry chapped lips could ever be labeled “beautiful”.  

“What a load of bull,” he muttered to himself as he slowly gets dressed for the day.

Today turned out to be a pretty good day.

He successfully swallowed half of breakfast and even took an extra piece of bread for lunch. Group therapy passed by without much problems (other than Sehun talking about his “signs” for the nth time, which Minseok learnt how to block out).

Other than that, the sun was out and the wind was calming and Minseok thinks that he actually doesn’t hate it all that much. It was break time and Minseok was walking around the lawn when something caught his eyes.

There was a musty yellow cupboard stashed away at the back of the staircase landing, which barely anyone uses. His curiosity got the better of him, and before he knew it, he was making his way towards it.

The cupboard was easily one and a half time his height, Minseok thinks. He opened one side of the door and proceeded to lower himself his new wooden toy. As much as he liked the bright sunny outdoors, the darkness and silence was oddly comforting. His eyes slowly fluttered shut and sleep threatened to overtake his mind.

Minseok woke up to a small towel draped over him as a blanket and a pillow stuffed between his arms. He rubbed his eyes sleepily, unaware of the boy seated opposite him in the little cupboard staring intently at him.

“Had a good sleep?”

Minseok jolted up before he realized there was someone in there with him. His eyes tried to make out the shape of the supposed “human” (Minseok hoped) in front of him.

“How long have you been in here. Why did you watch me sleep. Who are you.” Questions rolled off Minseok’s tongue like a bullet train.

“You and your questions again. I’m always here. YOU climbed into my space and just started sleeping. Luhan.” The voice replied. The sun was slowly setting and the rays of orange light slowly penetrated the slits on the door, illuminating the stranger before him.

“You…” His breath caught in his throat and he almost choked. It was him. Owner of the words that wont stop repeating in his head. The thought that won’t seem to get out of his mind. Him.

“Yeah me. So you know my name now, does that make you feel any better, Kim Minseok?” Minseok could hear the smirk in his voice as his head started to spin.

His head flooded with never ending questions and confusion seem to got hold of him. With a hundred and one thing going on in his mind, there’s only two things that Minseok is sure of.

 

One, Minseok has never mentioned his name to “Luhan”.

Two, it’s going to be a hell of a ride from that moment onwards.