Yunho + Mingi (Yungi)
- in which all Mingi needs is a savior
Mingi woke up unable to move.The events that took place the night before left him stuck in his bed. His face was clean but his chest was black and blue with gashes littering his once perfect skin. His legs were weak and trembling with various sized scars littering his young skin. His back, left welted from the impact of his fathers belt. Ringing in his head are the words he hears everyday of his life. Worthless. Waste of space. Pathetic. Mistake. He knows he isn't making it to school today and only hopes his father doesn't find out. It's a vicious cycle seemingly never ending. Or so he thought.
Yunho woke up that morning alone, but nonetheless happy. He knew his friends awaited him at school and was excited to see what the day would bring. He was dressed and out the door 20 minutes later. With a smile on his face he began walking, taking a different route than usual, not knowing that the quiet and peaceful neighborhood he was walking through held dark secrets and a trapped boy desperate to escape.
Yunho passed a small yellow house with a white picket fence that was growing the most beautiful red roses along the fenceline. He stopped, bending over to smell the sweet scent emitting from the flowers that hid the cry for help inside. He left not looking back at the house that held the boy whose life he would eventually save.
As Yunho left, Mingi lay paralyzed with silent tears streaming down his face. He didn't know the boy he saw outside his bedroom window and yet he envied his freedom. He hated how the boy could come and go as he pleased and he was stuck, always afraid of what would happen next. He had tried running once, but was only met with more pain and having nowhere to go he never tried again. So instead he remains bearing the monster alone afraid of its return.
...
Mingi's father didn't come home the day he saw the boy smell the roses and so he was able to attend class the next day without any new wounds. Luckily it was a cold day so no one would question his long sleeves and sweatpants. He arrived that morning mustering up every ounce of strength he had to plaster a smile on his face. He couldn't risk anyone finding out about the wounds because if his father found out someone knew there would only be more. Instead he held his smile and avoided others touching him. At least he tried his best.
Yunho arrived that morning a little flustered since he was almost late and ended up running straight into a boy knocking him over. Panicking he reached down to help him up apologizing profusely to the boy who could only laugh at his words. After assuring Yunho he was okay he walked away trying his best to hide the pain he felt. His efforts didn't go unnoticed, however, as Yunho had noticed his slight limp and shaking arms. But thinking nothing of it Yunho left as well.
Mingi had gone straight to the bathroom, locking himself in a stall as he began to gasp for air. With his hand grasping his stomach the silent tears had begun to fall yet again. When the pain had subdued to a mere ache he unlocked his stall stepping out to face himself in the mirror.
Yunho had a free period for study hall so he decided to use the bathroom before the lunch rush would crowd the building. He walked in and froze staring at the boy he had bumped into earlier.
Panicking, Mingi dropped his shirt and turned facing the boy who had seen his wounds. He had opened his mouth to speak but before he could get any words out Yunho had his shirt pulled up again, fingers grazing softly over his newest bruises and cuts. Without thinking, Yunho told the boy to stay where he was and he left to get a first aid kit. Every fiber in Mingi's body told him to get out before he came back, but alas he stayed frozen yet again where he stood.
Yunho returned and, quickly before students would be let out for lunch, he helped Mingi bandage up his torso. Neither boy had said anything the entire time until Yunho broke the silence by asking what happened. Not wanting to tell the truth, Mingi lied saying some boys had hurt him on his way home the day before. Believing what Mingi had said, Yunho offered to walk him home. Mingi tried to decline but Yunho got his way.
...
The boys walked to Mingi's home in silence not knowing what to say. Finally they arrived and immediately Yunho recognized the little yellow house with pretty red roses lining the fence. He bent down once again to smell the sweet scent the roses emitted with a smile slowly forming. He looked up to tell Mingi goodbye only to see him standing in front of him holding a rose. He handed Yunho the flower and walked inside leaving Yunho to stare at his disappearing figure.
He shut the door and was met with his fathers rage as he had seen the interaction and was not happy. It wasn't long before everything went dark and he was left to bleed alone on his living room floor.
...
Mingi awoke the next morning to his fathers hands grasping around his hair dragging him out of bed. He was thrown to the floor and told not to be late to school. Fearing what would happen if he was, Mingi dragged himself up and got ready as quickly as he could.
At school Yunho had stopped him in the halls and asked if his wounds were any better. Mingi remained silent and dropped his eyes to the floor. Yunho took this as a sign something was wrong, so he grabbed Mingi's hand and they made their way to the bathroom.
He lifted Mingi's shirt yet again and was horrified to see new, bloodier wounds covering the old ones. He asked once again what happened and Mingi lied once more. He told Yunho he was harassed by the same boys on his way to school. Hearing this Yunho said he would stop by Mingi's house in the morning and they would walk to school together.
Just like the day before, Yunho walked Mingi home. He stooped down to smell the roses and Mingi handed him another one before he walked inside.
...
For weeks Yunho would walk with Mingi to and from school, and as far as he knew the injuries stopped. Mingi was too good at hiding it. The boys had grown close, and despite the physical pain Mingi would be in every time his father saw Yunho, he couldn't leave the boy. He had never felt safe with anyone before and he liked the feeling he had when he was with Yunho. He wouldn't tell Yunho the truth but he knew if he did he could trust him.
It wasn't until Mingi was too hurt to get up one morning that Yunho would find out the injuries never stopped.
Mingi's father hadn't come home one night yet again, and so Mingi had stayed in his bed unable to move. He was frozen and staring at the ceiling when he heard a knock at the door. Knowing it was Yunho he mustered up every ounce of strength he had left and managed to get to the door. He got the door opened and collapsed seeing Yunho staring back at him. The last thing he remembered was Yunho on the floor holding the boy to his chest.
...
Mingi awoke to find himself back in his bed with his torso bandaged up. He looked up at the sound of his door opening only to let out a breath of relief seeing it was only Yunho. However, this sense of relief only lasted a few seconds before his father appeared behind the boy who had rushed to his bedside.
Yunho felt Mingi's body tense up and so he held his hand explaining the situation and how he was going to be fine. He told Mingi how his father arrived and helped get Mingi back to his bed. He explained how helpful Mingi's father had been in getting the supplies to help heal his wounds. Mingi was terrified for the boy who was holding his hand. He was afraid his father would hurt him for being there. He needed to get Yunho out.
Mingi looked up at his father only to be met with emotionless eyes. He didn't look away until his father had left the room. Once he had, he turned to Yunho and frantically whispered for him to get out before it was too late.
Confused and slightly afraid, Yunho could only ask why. And so Mingi finally told him. As quickly and quietly as he could he explained the wounds weren't from random kids on the street, but instead they were given to him by his father. He explained how for years he would be beaten if he did anything his father didn't like, and sometimes his father didn't like the way he breathed. He explained how the beatings had become more frequent ever since he began walking with Yunho. He laid his whole life out in front of the boy who had only been trying to protect him.
With tears streaming down his face, Yunho reached out and cupped Mingi's face in his hands and brought his own forehead to his. He promised Mingi to get him out. He promised he would save him. Hearing this, Mingi's own tears began to fall as he too cupped Yunho's face with his quivering hands.
The plan was simple, however, executing it would be a challenge. Yunho helped Mingi pack his whole life into bags that they slipped out the window. When Yunho left that night he would sneak to Mingi's window and grab his stuff to bring to his house. The only part that scared the boys was Yunho having to leave Mingi here until he could leave for school the next morning. Yunho desperately wanted to take Mingi with him when he left, but Mingi wouldn't let Yunho risk it with his father being home. And so, having no choice, Yunho prepared to leave.
His stomach was in knots and his tears wouldn't stop falling, but it was time to go. He hugged Mingi one last time before he walked out the door that separated him from the boy he had fallen in love with. He turned the corner running to Mingi's bedroom window and grabbed the bags they had packed filled with Mingi's stuff. Returning home he placed the bags by the door and spent the remainder of the night pacing his halls waiting for the sun to rise.
...
The morning came and so Yunho left. He started slow but by the time he got to Mingis house he was sprinting. Trembling and out of breath, he knocked on the door. It swung open revealing a broken boy staring back at him. With tears running down both their faces, Yunho reached out and cupped Mingis face pulling him closer. Mingi responded by reaching out wrapping his arms around Yunho's waist connecting their foreheads as he stared into the eyes of the boy he too had fallen for. Breaking the silence, Mingi whispered a small thank you before closing the gap between the boys and bringing their lips together. The sudden action left Yunho stunned, but it wasn't long before he too was smiling into the soft lips of the boy holding him.
Yunho was the first to pull away from the kiss, reconnecting their foreheads, and said "Let's go home".
Intertwining their hands together they walked leaving the memory of the little yellow house with a white picket fence and the most beautiful red roses growing on the fence line behind them. As they walked, a single red rose had fallen from the bush and was blown away in the wind never to see the little yellow house again.
2035 words