Chapter 06
Taking advantage of the amount of energy he suddenly had was exactly what he did.
The first thing he did was take a long bath. Although he hated seeing himself like that, he tried to make the best out of the situation. The sight of the marks on his body and the scar on his tummy always brought up memories. He could still remember how he got every single one of them.
The ones he inflicted on himself were even harder to look at. It was embarrassing in a way. His forearms and parts of his thighs were covered in marks, existing of different colours depending on how far they were healed. Luckily, he was able to get rid of his bad habits about a year ago and some were even starting to fade.
That's why he decided to add as much soap and bubbles as possible. Once he got in, he was completely buried between the large cloud of bubbles, floating on top of the water and filling up most of the bathtub. His body was fully covered, up until his chin.
Minho closed his eyes and let himself relax completely into the warm water. He forgot how relaxing it could be sometimes.
He used to roll his eyes at his therapist or his mom whenever they told him that taking a long bath would be beneficial to his mental health. How could something so easy help him? Little did he know that they were right. He always felt so much better after, and tried to make a habit out of it, rather than quickly rinsing himself to avoid having to look at himself.
The raven-haired boy stayed there for some time, until his fingertips turned wrinkly.
After his bath, Minho wrapped himself in a soft towel, the fabric absorbing the lingering warmth from his skin. He padded across the bathroom tiles, leaving a damp set of footprints behind.
There he was, standing in front of the mirror above the sink. With a deep breath, he faced his reflection, tracing the contours of his scars gently with his fingertips. He tried to avoid them for as long as he could but that was impossible to do right now. Oh, he hated being confronted with them. It could instantly ruin his day.
Minho didn't want to let that happen today, though. Not when he felt so good about himself all morning. So he took a few deep breaths and instead smiled to himself through the mirror.
"Be nice to yourself" Is what his therapist would tell him.
The rest of his morning was quite casual. And most importantly, free of worries.
For once in a while, he actually put effort into his looks and searched for a nice looking outfit. It wasn't anything impressive and no one would ever think he put thought into what he was wearing. Baggy jeans and a hoodie was probably the most basic outfit someone could wear, but anything other than that black hoodie and sweatpants was a huge change for Minho.
After making a quick sandwich, he stood by the window and stared outside. He was considering taking his sudden productiveness to another level. Other than that night he ran away, he never went out by himself. Not unless he went to school and even then, his mom was usually the one to drive him there.
He just kept thinking about Jisung and what his mother told him earlier. Maybe he was really able to be friends with him. He knew that he at least had to try, this might be his only chance to have an actual friendship with someone.
Minho kept pacing around the living room while he considered his options. And after at least thirty minutes of overthinking and talking himself into doing it, he finally put his shoes and coat on, not forgetting to wrap a scarf around his neck to protect himself from the cold. His mother would be disappointed if he didn't.
The boy took a step outside and inhaled the cold air that hit his skin. He already regretted going outside with a temperature like this one but he wouldn't go back now, not after he finally got the courage.
The playground was only a few minutes away from his house, five at most. Jisung wasn't there.
He wasn't sure why he expected him to be here but he did. Sort of stupid of him to think like that. Sure, the other would have something more important to do than hang around at the playground on a random Monday afternoon.
Minho took place on the swing and stared down at the grass underneath his feet, counting the small raindrops while he thought of what he would say if he was here with him. He needed to practice the imaginary conversation in his head to make sure he wouldn't mess up the next time they spoke– If there was a next time.
"Minho?"
A familiar voice called his name from behind him, making the younger's head pop up. In response, he instantly turned his head to look at the other male. He couldn't believe he actually showed up.
The elder smiled upon seeing Minho's face, confirming that it was actually him. It would've been embarrassing if it wasn't. "I knew I saw you here, I was just taking a walk"
Jisung got closer to the other male and his smile didn't leave his face for even a second. It was the most beautiful smile he's ever seen. He could light up a room with it– or in this case, the playground. And it was most definitely contagious. Minho couldn't contain his own after seeing it.
"How are you doing?" Jisung stayed behind him but got closer, almost standing right behind the other's back– and Minho could feel him. Suddenly, everything he had practiced before disappeared. Not a word left in his mind.
"I'm okay. I wanted to thank you for the other day, for what you did for me" Minho started out confident, but his voice dimmed with each word. He would rather not remind himself of how he embarrassed himself by crying in front of a stranger.
"Ah, don't worry about it. I would've done it for anyone. That's what friends do."
Friend. Minho repeated the word in his head and smiled to himself, and although he wasn't able to see Jisung from where he was sitting, he could feel him doing the same thing.
The younger felt the chains moving when Jisung put his hands on them, moving them down until his hands were placed on top of his hips. "I was hoping I'd see you again, actually. I wanted to check in on you." The elder broke the silence again and gently gave him a light push.
He earned a soft giggle from Minho when the swing began to move. Even though he was freaking out about his firm grip on his hips only a few seconds ago. Surprisingly, it didn't even make him flinch. He really was having a good day. "You don't have to worry about me, I'm doing better. You really helped"
"Yeah? I'm glad. I couldn't stop thinking about you that night."
As they swung gently back and forth, Minho couldn't shake the feeling of content that washed over him. It was a simple moment, yet it felt so significant. For the first time in a long while, he felt genuinely happy, simply being in the presence of someone who cared.
"Close your eyes." Jisung leaned down close to the younger's ear and whispered. Minho could only do what he was told and smiled in the process. He didn't question the sudden request and figured he had a good reason for it.
"Do you feel it? It feels like you're flying."
As pathetic as it might sound, this would be the first time for him to get pushed on the swing. His parents never even thought of bringing him to a playground and by the time he got adopted, he was too old already.
For a moment, he felt so light and weightless. It really did seem like he was floating and he'd never forget the feeling. He let out a quiet hum in response and held the chains a little tighter when he felt himself getting pushed higher up. It wasn't that much higher than before but it sure felt like it.
"Have you ever tried to jump off these things?" Jisung asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I tried it as a kid because I wanted to fly. I landed flat on my face, and that dream came crashing down real quick."
Minho couldn't help but laugh when he imagined a little Jisung being so disappointed at his failed fly attempt. He must've looked so cute like that. He couldn't help but wonder what it would've been like for him to grow up so carefree.
"You should try it." Jisung chuckled and pushed the swing up a little higher before he let go of it completely, resulting in Minho opening his eyes again. "Come on, I'll catch you." He said while running to the other side to stand in front of the boy. The younger one's eyes were wide open again, staring at the other while shaking his head.
"I promise I'll catch you. You don't have to be afraid."
That smile on his face was enough to convince him. How could he say no to that?
Minho took a few deep breaths and glanced down at the grass while slowly letting go of the chains. He smiled down at Jisung when he jumped down, right when he was at the highest point and closed his eyes to make the experience less scary.
He wasn't jumping down from that high up, but Jisung was still there to catch him. He wrapped his arms around his waist when the smaller male hit his chest and carefully let him stand down on the ground. Though, his arms stayed around him.
"See, that wasn't that scary, hm? You did well."