Night Sky - Minsung

Part 7

"Thank you so much," he said. "How can I pay you back?" Hyunjin didn't even consider anything for a second.

"An explanation. You both," he said, pointing at Felix and Minho, "owe me an explanation." Minho nodded, expecting that.

"We will. But can we do that tomorrow? Or, I guess, after Jisung wakes up? I want to explain it to you both at the same time." Felix agreed, looking at Hyunjin.

"Fine," allowed Hyunjin. "But as soon as he wakes up, we need an explanation. You guys can use the bathroom connected to this room, and I'll get you some clothes." He left and came back, carrying a bundle of clothes. "I got some of Felix's larger clothes for you both," he said. Minho nodded; Hyunjin was much too tall for either of them.

"Thank you," said Minho, taking the clothes. He set them on the bed and closed the door after Hyunjin left. He picked the smaller of the shirts and sweatpants in the pile of clothes and gently pulled off Jisung's shirt, careful not to disturb him. Minho changed Jisung, then quickly changed himself, and crawled into bed. The scent of sweet pecans surrounded him. He wrapped himself around Jisung, protecting him from any harm and softly rubbed his back. Finally with his mate safe in his arms, he fell asleep.

Minho woke up after a couple of hours when soft sunlight streamed through the window above the bed. He rubbed his eyes and gazed at Jisung, who after a few seconds, stirred. Jisung groaned softly and turned over, then opened his eyes and faced Minho, who immediately placed his hand on the small of Jisung's back, pressing him closer. "How are you feeling?" he murmured, stroking his hair. Jisung grimaced and sat up.

"Like I drank twenty shots of rum last night," he said, his voice hoarse. "But more or less fine," he added. Minho smiled in relief, his eyes filling with tears. He kissed Jisung on the forehead.

"I'll get you some water," he said. He got out of bed and filled a cup of water, grabbing the bottle of pills on the way. He handed the glass of water to Jisung, who gulped it all down. Minho refilled the cup, then handed two pills to Jisung. "These will help with the headache."

Jisung took them and swallowed them with a gulp of water. "Thanks," he said, the hoarseness gone. He winced when he accidentally bumped one of his bruises on the side of the bed. It was a large, green-and-purple bruise on his ribcage. Minho took his hand in concern.

"Are you alright? Can you walk?" he asked gently.

Jisung pecked Minho on the cheek. "I'm fine. My joints are just a little stiff." He sat at the edge of the bed and stood up, then promptly buckled his knees and almost collapsed. Minho caught him and picked him up bridal-style.

"More than a little stiff," Minho said. "But I can carry you." Jisung smiled sheepishly, then wrapped his arms around Minho's neck to support himself.

"Thank you," he said again. He felt the bruises peppering his body and remembered Minho in black leather, carrying a knife. "What happened last night? At that, Minho frowned.

"I'll tell you when we go downstairs. Hyunjin should know too." Jisung met Minho's eyes.

"Then let's go downstairs," he said simply. They kissed softly, then Minho started to carry Jisung out the door and down the stairs. He did the task easily, while Jisung rested his head against his chest. They reached the bottom of the stairs to see Felix and Hyunjin sitting at the kitchen table, cups of coffee steaming in their hands. Felix's was probably chock-full of sugar and cream. They looked slightly grim, but Hyunjin looked a bit more tense and worried than usual.

"Good morning," murmured Felix, taking a small sip of his coffee. Hyunjin nodded to them as well.

"Jisung, are you alright?" Felix asked. Jisung nodded, lifting his head from Minho's chest.

"I'm fine, but I can't walk much yet," he said. Minho set him down in a chair across from Felix and Hyunjin, then sank into the chair beside it. Jisung glanced at Hyunjin. They nodded at the same time.

"So, will you guys tell us what last night was about?" asked Hyunjin. He took Felix's hand gently and cradled it, waiting for Felix to respond. Felix gazed at Hyunjin's hand that covered his own. He looked at Minho, who nodded in confirmation, then began to speak.

"When we were both very little, we were forced to train in the Obsidian Guild, which is - was an assassin's guild. Every day, since we were five years old, we trained after school for hours a day, and on Saturdays. We got our Sunday afternoons off until we turned thirteen. Thirteen was...was a rough year. It was when we began to go on missions and only trained every other day. I remember...my first mission was to kill the CEO of a big company, and it was so, so hard. Each mission was like a brick added to my shoulders, and eventually, the guilt was too much. At school, I pretended not to know Minho well because the two worlds were separate, and I didn't want anyone to get hurt or killed. By that time, I had killed dozens of people. Minho and I, our names became known in the assassin world, and we gained many enemies. It was too dangerous to put our loved ones at risk any longer, so we quit."

Felix paused, letting Minho speak. Minho sighed. "We quit when I was seventeen, and Felix was fifteen. I remember begging Felix to quit with me, even though our boss would try to stop us. We had to fight, and I was lucky. I only got a broken thumb, but Felix was younger, and had it harder. He was hurt pretty badly...but after we quit, life was so much easier. We were both able to find mates and keep them safe, until - last night, when Jisung was kidnapped. The leader of the Obsidian Guild, Ebony, was bitter and angry when she learned that Jisung was pregnant because it reminded her of her dead mate, so she took you away to spite me. We fought and left her for the police, so it's safer now," said Minho, looking at Jisung at the last part. Hyunjin and Jisung sat silently, processing what they just heard. "Are you - angry?" whispered Minho as he grasped Jisung's hand. Jisung's eyes filled with tears.

"No, of course not. I'm just...sad for you, that you and Felix had to endure so much pain. I wish you had told me sooner, but I understand, and now a lot of my memories are making more sense. In high school, you were stressed because you were about to quit, right?" Minho nodded, and Jisung leaned forward to kiss Minho. "I knew, from the very beginning, that you were hiding something. But I didn't expect it to be this. I understand why you never told me...it was to protect me...but next time anything like that happens, please promise to try to tell me," Jisung murmured. He placed his hands on Minho's face, cupping his cheeks gently and caressing his face. Minho tilted his head to lean into his hands and covered Jisung's with his own. He smiled as his eyes became misty.

"Thank you for understanding," he breathed. "And I promise to tell you if anything else happens." He embraced Jisung tenderly. On the other side of the table, Felix and Hyunjin had just had a similar conversation. Hyunjin had been slightly frustrated at first, but understood why Felix didn't tell him. He kissed Felix gently and pulled him into his lap.

"Never do that again," he murmured. "If something like that happens, tell me next time." Felix leaned into Hyunjin's hold.

"I will."