Breathe Me In || Minbin ✔️

6

A shiver rolls through me as the wind seeps through my thin jacket. It was getting colder every day, yet I didn't care to get a warmer cover. It was another one of those nights. One where I didn't mind the self deprecation.

Few cars drive past me. I wonder where they were going. Home to their families? The night shift at work? Maybe some were driving around mindlessly. I'm sure I wasn't the only one having a rough night.

My feet drag me through the outskirts of the city, where I always go. The familiar bus stop light flickers a bit. It's so old. I trudge over, sitting down on the bench. There weren't anymore bus routes tonight, but I wasn't looking to go anywhere. Here was fine.

I slouch forward, closing my eyes. The wind hits again, forcing me to curl in on myself. A sigh escapes my lips. A cigarette sounds pretty nice right now. It would help distract me from the cold. I shouldn't want it. Chan is already pissed off that I had one. I know he's right.

"Hey, you okay?"

I sit up, looking over. Changbin. I smile lightly, nodding. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You sure about that?"

My shoulders tense. I look down at my shoes, kicking my feet. "Yeah." I was fine. My life was going fine. Everything was fine. So why was I having a day like this? It doesn't make sense.

"Whenever Hyunjin is having a bad day, either his boyfriends or I take him out to the store."

"For what?"

"Food. Food makes a lot of things better. Are you hungry? I somewhat doubt you had dinner." He sits next to me, nudging me with his shoulder.

"Kind of, but what store is open at this time?"

"The convenience store a few blocks from here. Come on, it's open twenty-four hours. They have ramen, tea, chips, etcetera."

"I don't have my wallet."

"Neither do I. We can stop by our places. We have to pass by them anyway. Come, child."

"Child? I'm older than you, Seo."

"Well, Lee, are you going to keep stalling or are you going to come on a night date with me?"

Date? Date? My heart pounds in my chest when he says that. Why is it suddenly a date? Oh, my god. Did he really just ask me out on a date with him? What if he's just saying that? What if he doesn't really mean that?

"Earth to Minho." A hand waves in front of my face. "Are you good? Lost you for a moment."

I blink. "Yeah. I'm... good. Let's go."

"Sweet!" He grins, standing up.

He wraps his arm around mine, pulling me to my feet. He's almost skipping, a light bounce to his steps. There's nonsense spilling from his mouth, but I can't really focus on it. The warmth he was producing was crazy. It made me want to hug him. I don't hug people, though. It's uncomfortable. Not uncomfortable, I'm just not used to it. I'd rather just spend time with someone. Be with them.

"What do you think? Should I get another? I mean, I have the money. I get a discount, too. The design is really pretty, and my skin is so clear. I want one that shows rather than be hidden under my shirt."

"It would look nice." I quickly catch onto what he was saying, finally getting back to the conversation. "Tattoos are usually always pretty. What's the one on your chest? I could see a little bit when we saw each other at the café, but not much."

"It's a dragon. Do you want to see it?"

I raise my eyebrows. "Sure. Is there any specific reason why you got it?"

He stops us, unzipping his jacket. "Nope! I just thought it was cool. My friend offered to do it because it was an older design that she always wanted to try."

He lifts his shirt, revealing a fiery dragon. It's scales were defined nicely, and it's wings were open wide. The stare of the dragon would definitely be intimidating if it were real.

"Whoa, that's so pretty. I love it."

He grins, making my heart gush. "Thanks. So yeah, then? Another one. I was thinking it would wrap around my wrist up my bicep."

I nod. "That would be super cool."

"Do you have any tattoos?"

I laugh. "I do, but it's kind of faded since it was red ink instead of just black."

"You know," he starts, jogging ahead and walking backwards to face me, "I could always clean it up. Maybe change the color of it, if you want. You'd get a discount since you're a friend."

"You can give friend discounts?"

"No, but I will. The studio makes enough for me to be able to do that. Plus, I've never really done it before. They wouldn't mind if it was just a one time thing."

"God, no. I'd just pay full price. Not like I don't have the money for it."

"Still, I'd like to do it for you. What is it, though?"

"A snake. Right here." I turn my head and pull down the collar of my hoodie. The head of it started near my hairline and ended a few inches above my collar bone. Super simple. Risky for a first tattoo, but worth it.

"Holy shit, how did I not see that?"

"My hoodie."

"Still. That's kind of noticeable."

I shrug, smiling.

"Was that your first?"

"My one and only, yeah. It was for one of my birthdays."

"That's honestly hot. I've never known someone to get their first tattoo on their neck. I'm glad it's well done, or else that would've sucked."

Before I can respond, he trips over his own feet, falling to his ass. I laugh, it echoing off of the buildings around us. I reach out to help him up. "Are you okay? Jeez, dumbass."

He glares at me, wiping the dirt off of his pants. "It was the wind."

"Pft, okay."

"It was!"

"Whatever you say."