spooky • binsung [abandoned, apologies]

06

changbin's eyes widened in shock as jisung leaned into him.

"jisung?" changbin combed his fingers through jisung's hair slowly.

"yeah?" jisung's voice was tiny and muffled, but his sobs were subsiding to little sniffles and hiccups.

"are you okay? what happened?"

jisung leaned further into changbin's warmth, feeling oddly safe, especially considering how he was terrified of changbin only moments ago.

"i'm just so...confused," jisung mumbled, curling up into changbin as the latter gently wrapped his arms hesitantly around jisung, "l-like...if you're a ghost, how can i see you? and feel you? a-and why couldn't chan see you? am i dead too? am i dreaming?" jisung sat up with wide eyes at the many ideas in his head.

changbin chuckled and jisung's cheeks flushed slightly in embarrassment. did he say something wrong?

"don't worry, you're still alive," changbin assured him.

"then...then what's going on??"

"it's complicated," changbin sighed as jisung pulled away from him, sitting up and blinking at him quizzically.

"it's not like i don't have time,"

"well first, i got those painkillers for you because i thought you might wake up with sore muscles from sleeping on the floor,"

"why do you never answer my questions?" jisung frowned.

"i do!" changbin's face fell slightly, "i just want to make sure you're comfortable before explaining," changbin looked down at the ground.

"well i'm fine so..." jisung trailed off.

"do you want to get off of the floor? it's probably better for you to sit on the couch or something," changbin twiddled his fingers.

"is it not uncomfortable for you? i'm okay actually," jisung tilted his head to the side.

"it doesn't matter for me. i can't really feel the difference," changbin sighed, "that's why i asked you. because it's probably different for someone living,"

oh right, he's a ghost.

"so...?" jisung swallowed hard as he pulled his legs up and hugged his knees, eyeing changbin.

"gosh...i don't...i don't even know where to start," changbin sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"how did you die? are you dead? were you ever alive?" jisung questioned. he figured if changbin didn't know how to start he could probably help by asking questions.

"ah...getting right into it, huh?" changbin chuckled slightly, jisung frowning.

"if you don't want to start there then-" jisung's lips pouted as he spoke, but changbin cut him off.

"it's fine," changbin hummed, shifting his weight to the side, if there was even weight to shift, "well...i died when i was a baby," he paused as jisung gasped, "so yeah, i am dead. you're looking at a ghost right now...talking to a ghost. which, frankly, i didn't know was possible either but uh...here we are, yeah?"

"how...how did you die?" jisung asked hesitantly. he could tell it was a sensitive subject.

changbin blinked silently for a moment, as if trying to figure out exactly how to say it.

"i...well...i don't remember super clearly...but...fire. it was fire. i don't know how it happened, where, why, who caused it...just...i remember the flames...the heat...i heard my parents coughing on the smoke...how it felt, what it smelled like," changbin trailed off as jisung sniffed, not realizing he had been too caught up in his blurry memory and zoned out. changbin looked up at jisung as his eyes refocused, seeing the latter wiping tears from his eyes. changbin panicked, "what? what's wrong? why are you crying?"

changbin scooted closer to jisung and gently brushed the hair out of his eyes. he frowned and wiped jisung's tears with his thumbs.

"don't cry, jisung. please," he whispered.

"you...it's just..." jisung whimpered, burying his face in his hands.

"what? what is it?"

"i...just keep going, don't worry about me. you're just...really strong," jisung smiled bitterly as he peeked through his fingers at changbin.

"i can't continue," changbin said.

"w-why?" jisung looked up at him, small tears still falling.

"seeing you cry makes my heart ache. i can't focus,"