The hallway suddenly felt very small, and the heat crawling to Jisung's face wasn't helping as he stared at Minho. "You're insane."
"Am I?" Minho paced forward slowly, his mismatched eyes flitting over Jisung for what felt like the hundredth time. "We took out some of our frustrations, and we felt good while doing so."
"I'm really trying to forget about it, Minho, and you're not helping."
"Then don't forget about it." The water mage was much too close now.
"Jisung backed up a step, but there wasn't much room with the door right behind him. "So what, you want to sleep with me again and then you'll be satisfied? You're such an asshole."
Minho let out a dry laugh, one filled with patience ready to break. "How much paint must I add before you see the whole picture?"
Of course Jisung knew what he was hinting at, and the idea of it brought a storm of confusing emotions crashing through his head. If he felt so much pleasure while very drunk, he couldn't imagine experiencing Minho sober. But at the same time, sex was supposed to be a connection, not an outlet, and he didn't want to connect with his enemy in any way.
"I'd rather not see the whole picture. I have enough on my plate with these new rules Enforcement has put out, I don't need to deal with you on top of it all."
"How about you just deal with me on top of you?" Minho countered smartly, twitching an eyebrow up and smiling as pride flashed in his demeanor.
Jisung snorted and rolled his eyes. "You're terrible with jokes, you know that?"
"I do believe I heard a laugh out of you just now, darling. Now," Minho pushed a finger under Jisung's chin, "are you going to hear my idea?"
The fire mage had always found Minho annoyingly attractive, but he wasn't used to reacting to him in the way he'd been experiencing lately. Jisung acted like he didn't just feel those chills. "If I listen to whatever absurd thing you're about to say to me, will you let me leave in peace?"
Victory sparked in Minho's eyes. "Of course. I can be civil when necessary."
"Spill it."
"So impatient." Minho scanned Jisung's features yet again, clearly taking his time in answering. "When the desire arises, why don't we fuck each other instead of finding random strangers? We don't have to get along, we don't have to be friendly, we don't even have to speak. We'll find pleasure and part ways. No hassle. Thoughts?"
Jisung shifted his weight slightly, the heat blooming through his system beyond distracting. "You know things like that never work out."
"Between friends, perhaps not. But we hate each other, that simplifies everything, don't you think?"
"That logic is a little skewed, don't you think?"
"The point is not to think, darling." Minho finally stepped back. "Just think about it, Jisung. I leave for a job in two days." With that, the water mage left, that irritating swagger only furthering Jisung's mental conflict.
He shouldn't feel conflicted about this at all. The answer should be a simple and intense no. So why couldn't he disagree with it right away?
✿✿✿
"You're perfectly healthy, Jisung. But you do need more sleep," Seungmin said, stepping away as he dropped his hand from Jisung's back. "Why did you need me to read your body?"
Jisung stood from where he was sitting on the sofa beside the healer and made his way over to their empty plates on the table across the room. "I've just slept around a little and I wanted to make sure I didn't catch anything nasty." He began cleaning up the dirty dishes.
"It's smart to get yourself checked, but... why are you sleeping around? You never did that much before, is everything okay?"
Only Seungmin could call him out on his bad choices so easily. "Want me to be honest?"
"Always."
Jisung hesitated, prolonging his answer further by dropping the dishes in the basin and running some water. He wasn't one to open up about... anything. The last time he ever opened up to someone in any way was years ago with with mother and... no, he wasn't going to think about his past.
"Let's just say things have gotten frustrating. Enforcement's new rules haven't helped either. I didn't see a single job posting here in the city on the bulletin, so it'll be a miracle if I manage to survive for very long."
Seungmin shook his head. "That ban they set yesterday is ridiculous. The ranking system should be used based on people's actions and values, not their magic."
Jisung decided against doing the dishes for fear of breaking all of them in frustration or anger, and instead fell into an arm chair across from Seungmin. "I'm used to bans, there are plenty of them surrounding fire magic. What I'm not used to is being stuck in one spot."
Seungmin went quiet for a moment. "How about I talk to Chan and that Enforcer that's been hanging around the guild? If a healer, like me, accompanies you, then perhaps they'll be more open to letting you leave Agrook."
"I see where you're coming from, but Enforcement will not. Fire mages are erratic and dangerous, remember? It doesn't help that I'm the only fire mage within a hundred miles of here, I've been on a watch list since I came here."
"Do you have a previous record or something?"
Jisung glanced away. "No." He didn't have any official record, at least. No one knew what he did years ago, and no one would ever find out. "They're just biased, that's all."
Seungmin scoffed lightly. "I'm more wary of mind readers, if anything. Those mages should be considered as dangerous or even more so than fire mages."
"They can't do physical damage with their powers, of course they won't be considered dangerous. This is why I hate Enforcement. They don't know shit."
"I agree." Seungmin pulled his pocket watch out and glanced at it. "I should get going, I've got a train to catch."
Jisung slumped down in the chair until his body was squished between the arms. "Have fun being free and making money."
Seungmin threw his jacket on and got to his feet. "I will. And sit up, you'll destroy your spine sitting like that."
"Yes, mother."
"Brat. I'll let you know if I can find a way to get you out of Agrook."
Jisung closed his eyes. "Safe travels."
Evening had just arrived, so Jisung wasn't really sure what to do for the rest of the day. He considered going to sleep, but that would only result in him waking up in the middle of the night, therefore destroying his schedule. Not that he really needed once since he wasn't working.
The job in the Amulet Mountains had paid a decent amount, so he wasn't doomed just yet, but the money wasn't going to last forever, and if he ever wanted to leave this small apartment and improve his living situation, he needed to work as many jobs as possible.
Just that morning, Jisung had woken up to a notice tacked to his door, signed by that Enforcer, Ells, enclosing the rules he was to obey while the ban was in place. He lit the notice on fire and left it as a small pile of ash on his front step. According to that notice, he was not only limited to the city, but he was also limited to what jobs he could accept. If he found one, he would have to get it approved by Ells.
After rotting for another hour, Jisung left his apartment with no destination in mind. He just needed to move, to do something before he lost his mind. Agrook was pretty, mostly built from light stone sprinkled with colorful rocks and constantly lit up by colored lanterns. Fountains were heavily featured, all lit up by magic stones and crystals, and since it was the middle of summer, booths to attract tourists were set up along the streets.
Jisung wandered a few of the booths, merely looking at a few things since he had to save money in order to avoid starvation. Unexpectedly, he found himself stuck at a booth selling rings and necklaces. He avoided wearing jewelry, mostly to avoid melting it to his skin in case he forgot he was wearing it while using his magic, but he still liked it.
One ring drew his attention when he was about to walk away, and he picked it up, his throat tightening slightly. The band was made of black stone and reflected green at certain angles. The center of it was carved open in the shape of a diamond, revealing the deep green and silver specks that littered the inside of the stone.
The stone the ring was made from was only found in Freygate, and his mother used to collect them and carve them into beautiful figurines or pieces to hang from necklaces.
Jisung stared at the ring, his mind filled with his mother and how much he missed her.
The woman at the booth suddenly appeared in front of him. "That's a beautiful piece, would you like to buy it? It would compliment you well."
Jisung mentally yanked himself out of his head, and he lightly shook his head. "It is beautiful, but I'm just looking today." He set it down, heart twisting. He avoided thinking about his past in every way possible, but oh, how he wished to carry a reminder of his mother.
"I understand. I'll be here for the next two weeks, so you're welcome to come back any time."
He smiled politely and dipped his head. "Thank you." He looked at the ring one last time and then forced himself to leave.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Jisung watched the people bustling around him. Some were in a rush, others were leisurely walking with their loved ones. Some children ran around playing loudly, others whispered and giggled to each other. And for a brief moment, he wondered what it would be like to live normally, to live without being feared by his magic and relying on that to make a living.
Jisung decided then that he'd been in his head far too much today, so he circled around an extra block and began making his way home. As he rounded a corner, he nearly ran into someone but quickly dodged out of the way. "Sorry," he muttered.
"Jisung?" A hand caught his arm.
He pulled out of the man's grasp and mentally cursed as he saw one of the men he slept with just a few weeks ago. The man was a brute. He tried forcing Jisung to continue when he stopped everything in the middle of rolling into bed, and when the fire mage broke free, the man had gotten angry enough to have Jisung leaving in an instant. "Kronan."
Kronan turned to him fully, that disgusting smile appearing on his face in an instant. His short, dirty blonde hair was a mess and he was sweating. The fact that Jisung even allowed this man to touch him showed how desperate he was after a particularly frustrating day. "I haven't seen you since you ran out on me. You look good."
Jisung rolled his eyes. "Thanks, but I don't have the time or the patience to deal with you right now." He moved to walk away but stopped when two other men stepped in front of him, blocking his path. He scoffed. "Really?" He held his hand up, letting his fire blaze to life. He glanced back at Kronan. "You really want to try cornering me?"
The man tilted his head, his smile growing. "Oh, you wouldn't dare do anything to us normal humans. Not with the new ban set on you dangerous types, right?"
Jisung flashed a poisonous smile. "I couldn't care less about that. Now remove your dogs before I do it for you."
Kronan shook his head. "You know, I was very kind last time, you don't want to make me really mad this time, do you?"
"Shall I start a countdown?" Jisung asked, completely ignoring the threat.
Kronan stormed forward. "Listen here, you little-" A wall of water suddenly slammed into him, sending him crashing into the nearest building.
Jisung whirled around and threw a blast of fire at the other two men. They crashed into a pile of wooden crates and hit the ground hard. The one that didn't get knocked out tried getting up again only to meet the fire mage's leg flying into his head.
At the sense of movement, Jisung spun around again, drawing his dagger in the same move. He stopped as his blade met a throat.
Minho lifted his head a little, his mismatched eyes sparkling. "Not a brute, you don't have to kill me unless you really want to, then I suppose I'll have to accept my fate."
Jisung blinked and then slowly lowered his weapon. "Are you following me again?"
Minho gestured to the unconscious figure of Kronan. "It's a good thing I did, don't you think?"
"I had it handled, thank you very much." Jisung sheathed his dagger with a snap.
Minho's eyes suddenly grew serious. "Has he tried taking advantage of you before?"
Jisung flinched slightly, the question unexpected. "Once, and I stopped it."
"Right." Minho turned and walked over to Kronan. He crouched and pressed his boot into one of the man's arms, then pulled out a small knife.
"What are you doing?" Jisung hissed, glancing around to make sure no one was seeing this.
"He doesn't need his hands anymore, right?" Minho said casually, pressing the knife into Kronan's hand.
Jisung rushed forward and grabbed Minho's wrist, stopping him just before he drew blood. "You can't dole out punishment as you see fit, you're not with the law." He wasn't actually worried about that, but he had to say something to stop him.
Minho met his eyes, studying him. When he spoke next his voice was surprisingly soft. "Relax, Ji, I'm not going to kill him, and this won't come back to you. I promise."
"How do you-" Jisung stopped himself. He didn't care about taking care of creeps outside the law, but he did care about Enforcement coming after him in connection to this. How the water mage knew that, he wasn't sure. He wordlessly let go and paced away, not wanting to watch.
Minho carved some sort of mark onto the back of Kronan's hand. "This will tell of his crimes to anyone who sees it. The other hand... well, he doesn't need to use it for a while."
Jisung glanced away nervously, having no need to see what Minho did to Kronan, thought he knew that little knife was coming into use. Minho shouldn't have cared about this, so why did he seem so livid when Jisung confirmed that Kronan once took advantage of him? It messed with his heart.
A moment later Minho was placing a hand on Jisung's back and guiding him away from the unconscious men. "I'll walk you home."
Jisung was about to protest, but Minho suddenly held up a small, blue pouch.
"I was going to give this to you, and those brutes got in my way."
Jisung glanced up at him in question and was surprised to see Minho's cheeks and ears carrying a subtle blush. "But-"
"Just take it." He shoved the pouch into his hand.
The rest of the short walk home was quiet, mostly because Jisung didn't know what to say. He could usually find something to yell at him about, but he was coming up empty this time.
When they reached his apartment, Minho finally stepped back after being practically glued to Jisung's side. "For the record, I wasn't following you until I saw someone else following you. I think they were with Enforcement." He briefly met his gaze. "Watch your back, Jisung." He retreated before the fire mage could reply.
He watched Minho walk away, flabbergasted at what just happened and wondering why Minho was acting so strangely. Why did it sound like he cared? Like he was worried? Why did he walk Jisung home? Why did he help? Why did he...
Jisung's eyes landed on the pouch. With hands that were a little unsteady, he opened the pouch and turned it over onto his hand.
Jisung's heart stuttered and jumped at the same time as the ring he was looking at earlier fell into his palm.
---------------------------Kinda a filler chapter, BUT a lot of details were important so... pay attention, kids. There will be a quiz. JK.
Any guesses about Jisung's past?
Any thoughts on Minho and his confusing actions?
Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading \(0u0)/