The Mannequin - Minsung

eighty-four

"It's great to see you both are doing okay. Well, I'll get going now. I have some work to finish and... I'm sure you have lots to do too..."

Hyunjin's amusement doesn't show. Neither does any hint of discomfort. But Minho feels it.

Hyunjin stands to leave. He is smiling. He'd brought Kkami with him.

Hyunjin waves Kkami's paw. At Minho and Jisung.

It makes the dog growl and bark loudly. 

Jisung holds Minho's arm. "Bye, Kkami..." He says. Nervously.

"Sorry, I just don't know when he'll stop being such a brat," Hyunjin says. "Bye! Have a lovely day. And uh, have fun?"

"Thanks. Bye." Minho smiles. Closes the door.

His neck is hot. He knows he's red. From embarrassment.

"Kkami's never going to like me..." Jisung mutters. Then he looks at Minho. Grins. His eyes drop to his lip. He leans forward. Kisses him.

Minho holds his waist. Keeps him at a distance. "Sungie."

Jisung's startled. He has that little pout. Over being held away.

Minho takes Jisung's hand. Leads him to the sofa.

Minho takes one end. Pulls his legs up. Folds them. Faces Jisung.

Jisung doesn't sit. He just blinks at him.

"Sit down, please," Minho says.

Jisung looks at his spot. At Minho. At the distance between them. His lips protrude more. He slowly sits opposite. Copies how Minho's sitting. Places his hands in his lap. Blinks at him glumly.

"So..." Minho says. He holds back. From moving to Jisung.

"So... what...?" Jisung says.

"We have to talk about a few things, Sungie."

Jisung looks heartbroken. Guilty too.

"I did something wrong, didn't I?"

Minho smiles. "No. There's just something I should've told you before. Because I'm supposed to teach you, right?"

Jisung brightens immediately. 

"Not that," Minho says. "But other things about that."

"Not about fucking?" Jisung says. He's disappointed.

Minho sighs. It's something he should've known. Expected. From all the enthusiasm Jisung showed. For kissing. Love. Care and affection.

All the explicit images Jisung's been seeing. From his works.

Now that he's received more from Minho...

He will want it. As much as he wanted the kisses. With tongue.

- - -

- - - - - -

The day started... when Minho was woken. Jisung was over him. Kissing him. They were not his cute kisses. He wanted to make out. Feel Minho.

He was pulling off Minho's clothes!

But Minho managed to stop him. He doesn't know how. His body was ready. For whatever Jisung wanted. But his brain woke up.

He gently told Jisung to wait. Stop. They have many things to do. He has to work on his comics. He still has to show Jisung more things. To make sure he doesn't get hurt.

Minho had sounded unwilling. Displeased. At being woken like that. But it was just because he'd been shocked.

It made Jisung apologetic. The joy left him.

To make it up to him... Minho asked him to help. With breakfast. He gave Jisung pecks. Said thank yous. So Jisung can see: Everything's the same. Minho loves him the same.

It worked. Jisung was beaming again. Over breakfast. Over him. He insisted on feeding half his pancakes to Minho. Gave him kisses. Thank yous. Hugged him around the waist. Wanted to sit close. Have contact.

Jisung's hands would then slip under his shirt. His eyes would be infatuated. Innocent.

Minho was too smitten. He didn't think too much of it.

Then Hyunjin called. Said he was on his way. He wanted to know how Minho was. How Jisung was.

"Sorry, I have to bring Kkami too. He's giving mom troubles..."

Minho said it was fine. He left Jisung in the kitchen. To do the dishes. Because he was worried that Jisung would get scared of Kkami.

So when Hyunjin came... Minho spoke to him. Separately. Jisung wasn't there. He told Hyunjin about Jisung's memories. His health. How he was improving. He didn't give more details. Of his past.

He felt that Jisung... could choose to do that. By himself. If he wished to. Jisung had also been wary before. Of what Minho shared. With whom.

So he refrained from it. He didn't need Hyunjin's help with answers now. Because Jisung had said... he was fully aware. Right? He could tell whoever he wants. Whatever he wants.

"I think he's nearing the end of this, Hyunjin." Minho told him.

"What do you mean by that... The end?"

"All that's happened to him— happening to him," Minho said. "Of gaining life and himself back..." 

Jisung finished the dishes then. He had heard Minho and Hyunjin's voices. He came skipping to them. Greeted them happily.

He got a bark from Kkami. It made him drop beside Minho.

He was okay. For a while. Even with Kkami eyeing him.

He answered Hyunjin's questions. Talked about his memories. Some of them. With some hesitance.

Jisung got more comfortable though. Slowly.

Hyunjin talked about his family. How they were doing.

When Jisung suddenly announced: He could see them now...

Because he was feeling better! All thanks to Minho... who had helped him feel "sooo good" last night...

In short: what followed was embarrassment. Awkwardness.

And Jisung didn't even notice or understand.

To be continued...