Feathers And Carnations Chapter Twelve

Waking up to Minho wasn’t exactly new to Jisung, but this time was a little different. He was laying on his side, buried in a cocoon of pillows, with a pair of arms wrapped around his waist. He could feel Minho’s head resting on top of his.

I was kind of joking when I said he was warm, but he really is warm.

Jisung relaxed into the bed, reluctant and unwilling to move just yet. Maybe it was too early for his brain to process everything correctly, but he really didn’t care that they were in this rather compromising position. He was cozy and safe here.

Just as he was drifting off again, Minho shifted behind him, waking up slowly. He knew the don was awake when his arms abruptly retreated from Jisung’s body, leaving him cold.

“This whole bed and I’m smothering him? Come on, Minho,” Minho muttered to himself, shifting away.

Jisung let out an annoyed groan. “Hey, now it’s cold.”

“You’re awake. Oh shit, I’m sorry, Jisung, I shouldn’t have-“

“Moved,” Jisung filled in. “You shouldn’t have moved.” He rolled over so he was facing Minho, who was blushing furiously. Damn, why does he have to be so good looking? Especially right after waking up. “At least drop the blankets back down.”

Minho dropped said blankets like they were lit on fire. Jisung laughed, his voice scratchy with sleepiness.

Minho was practically on the other side of the massive bed now. “I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean to invade your space like that.”

“What happened to the confident flirt from last night?” Jisung teased, pushing his black hair out of his face as his gaze moved up to land on Minho’s face.

“I’m more respectful than flirty.”

“What if I’m really offended that you just moved away from me like I burned you?”

Minho’s ears were red, his head turned away completely. “I’d rather you be offended than have you be violated. And… I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to be close to you right now.”

Jisung’s brow furrowed in slight confusion. “Why?”

“It’s too tempting.” Before Jisung could respond, Minho was on his feet and leaving the room.

It took a minute, but Jisung’s mind caught up on what just happened, and his face warmed significantly. Oh. His heart suddenly felt odd, and he rubbed his chest in an attempt to ease the feeling. Why do I feel like smiling so much?

⧫⧫⧫

“Which room do you want?”

Jisung paced up and down the hall again, glancing into each room for the fourth time. They’d just finished eating breakfast, and Minho was waiting for him to decide on a room to use as his own. After the somewhat awkward morning, it was decided that it was best for them to have separate rooms. Not that they would have shared a room in the first place anyway.

“I think I’ll take the far one. It’s got the best view.”

Minho’s eyes narrowed. “Are you sure? You’ve changed your mind a few times already.”

Jisung was tempted to mess with him some more, but his head was feeling light, and he was low on energy. “Yes, I’m sure.” He walked into the bedroom first to prove his point. He threw the drapes open and frowned at the fact the sun was beginning to peak through the clouds that shaded the sky all morning.

Minho dropped the sheets onto the bed. “I can put these on myself, you don’t have to help.”

Jisung shook his head, joining Minho at the bed. “Remember what I said, I want to help anywhere I can. Besides, I’m sure you’ll lose your mind trying to put a fitted sheet on this huge bed.”

Minho chuckled. “Alright, I won’t argue with that.”

As they worked on putting the bed together, a small wave of dizziness washed over Jisung and he paused his movements, closing his eyes so the feeling would pass.

“You okay?”

The wave faded off, and Jisung nodded. “Yeah, I’m good.” He grabbed one of the pillows and slipped it into a pillowcase.

Minho didn’t say anything, but he clearly noticed the change in Jisung’s body, and he watched him warily while he continued his task. “I only packed a few clothes from the safehouse, but Seungmin will be picking some up for you within the next few days. For now, you can hang up what you have in that closet.”

“I can do that while you finish this.” Jisung moved to leave the room when his vision went spotty. Is the world tilting?

A warm hand was suddenly touching his cheek, and his vision was coming back into focus to see a ceiling and a pair of worried eyes. It felt like his body was swaying like a small boat at sea on a windy day.

“Yeah, you’re cold and disoriented. I knew you weren’t okay,” Minho said quietly.

Jisung’s body was suddenly moving, and then he was laid onto the bed that was just made. His vision slowly stabilized, eventually focusing on Minho.

Minho’s hand touched Jisung’s forehead. “Are you back, love?”

“What just happened?”

Minho braced his hands on either side of Jisung. “You fainted. I was just barely able to catch you before you hit the floor. Have you been dizzy?”

Jisung’s gaze felt stuck on Minho’s beautiful face. Is he real? Is he really being this cute and caring with me?

“Jisung,” Minho’s serious voice came. “Have you been dizzy?”

He seemed to wake up. “Uh, randomly for a few seconds today, but not that much.”

Minho’s eyes flickered over him. “You need to let me know when you’re not feeling well, okay?”

Jisung started sitting up. “I know-“

Minho’s hand landed on his chest, the other landing on his hip, and pushed him into the bed. “Stay.”

Jisung’s heart skyrocketed, and he went still, his mouth slightly open in shock as their eyes met.

“Good boy.” Minho stepped away and left the room.

Jisung’s skin was tingling where the don had touched him, and he found himself staying exactly where he was until Minho came back with a glass of water and a heating pad. He was still trying to regain some composure when Minho sat on the edge of the bed.

“Sit up slowly,” Minho instructed, gently grabbing Jisung’s hand to help him.

“I wasn’t blacked out for long, was I?” Jisung asked, doing as told.

“It was only for a minute, but you fainted nonetheless.” Minho set the glass of water in Jisung’s waiting hand. “So let me take care of you, okay?”

Jisung nodded and drank some water. Something must be in the air today, why am I so… drawn to him right now? He pointed at the heating pad. “What’s that for?”

“Your skin is cold and pale, I brought this in case you want to warm up.”

When was the last time he was cared for in such a way? He couldn’t remember, and he found it impossible to respond. He turned his head away. “Thank you, Minho.”

Minho’s eyes were soft and warm as his gaze flickered over him. “Of course. Now I’m going to be mean and evil and put you on bed rest for at least an hour, okay?”

Jisung cracked a smile. “That is mean and evil.” Minho started to stand, but Jisung stopped him. “Can you sit with me then? If you’re not… busy?”

Without a word, Minho sat back down. “You have all the power here. If you want me to stay, I’ll stay.”

Joy fluttered through Jisung’s heart. “If you’ve always been this gentle, it’s no wonder we became friends in captivity.”

Minho seemed taken aback by the statement, but he smiled slightly. “I’ve never been called gentle.”

“I never called you gentle?”

“You never had the chance to. You and I were kept apart in pretty much every sense of the word.” He suddenly laughed a little. “There was one time, after a particularly bad day, that we sat on the floor and overlapped our ankles in an attempt to comfort each other. Other than that, the only time we ever physically touched was when… When you were taken from me.”

Jisung’s heart squeezed. “So this,” he took Minho’s hand, lacing their fingers together, “is new to both of us?”

Minho visibly swallowed, his eyes glued to their joined hands. He was remembering the feeling of Jisung’s lips on his knuckles years ago, and Jisung had no idea. “Yeah,” he finally whispered.

Questions swirled around them, some never to be spoken, others unclear. Jisung couldn’t ignore them for long.

“What was your life like? Before Chimera?”

Minho began absently drawing shapes on Jisung’s hand with his finger. “It wasn’t the greatest. My parents were never home. They were either off conning people, or spending what little money they managed to make. It was just me and my cat. I survived off of doing chores for my neighbors. It’s all I can really remember before tall figures broke into my apartment and I woke up in a white cage.”

Jisung’s heart broke at that. “So there wasn’t much to miss?”

“Only my cat. She was old when I was taken, so I knew she was gone when I finally escaped.”

“I’m sorry, Minho.”

He lightly shrugged. “It’s been a long time, and I’ve accepted it.”

Jisung couldn’t stop his next question. “Do you know about my past? Do you know if I had a family?”

Minho adjusted on the bed, settling in beside Jisung. “You had a dad. He was a workaholic and he would send you off to the streets to steal or coax money out of passersby. You said you didn’t hate him, he wasn’t horrible, but the two of you weren’t close by any means. Chimera took you from a street corner in the middle of the day. The scar on your left side is a result of the struggle you put up.”

Jisung, unable to ignore his curiosity, sat up and lifted his shirt a little. His previously injured shoulder (which was mostly healed by this point) protested, but he looked at his side anyway. Sure enough, a jagged scar went from just above his left hip and ended just as it reached his back. “I never really noticed that. I guess I don’t really look at myself.” he said, laughing slightly.

Minho had the slightest hint of a blush on his face as Jisung turned back to him and dropped his shirt. “Well you don’t need to, everyone else is looking at you.”

“What a smooth response.”

“Are you making fun of me?”

“Maybe.”

Minho set his hand over his heart. “Oh, you wound me, Jisung. It’s not my fault I can’t seem to put words together correctly when you’re around.”

Jisung’s heart warmed and he smiled, leaning closer to Minho. “Aw, do I have that much effect on you, darling?”

Minho lightly pushed his arm, his smile breaking through his saddened facade. “Such a brat.”

Jisung leaned closer. “Who said I’m being a brat? Don’t you like this?”

“Careful, love. If you play stupid games, you’ll win stupid prizes.”

Jisung fell back against the pillows with a laugh. “You’re fun to mess with, I can’t help it.” And you’re so cute, of course I can’t resist it.

“You-” Minho was cut off by his phone ringing, and he pulled it out of his pocket in annoyance. “It’s Seungmin. Just a minute.” He got off the bed and answered the phone as he left the room.

Jisung mentally checked himself. Why was he being like this with Minho? Why was he disappointed when he left? Am I… starting to like him?

⧫⧫⧫

“Weeks?”

Minho nodded. “Nightfield is beyond busy, and it’s hard to align schedules.” 

Jisung tried fighting down his disappointment, but it was hard to. “The earliest I’ll get to see them is in two weeks?”

“Yeah. Believe me, they seem as disappointed as you are right now, but it’s just how it is. Bang Chan will be getting back to me tomorrow once he can find an open space in their schedule.”

“Honestly, I’m not surprised. Chan’s schedule is always so full. I can wait a few weeks.” Jisung fell back onto the couch, releasing a pent up sigh. After a few more dizzy spells made him nearly faint again, he decided it was best to take it easy for the rest of the day, and he hadn’t moved from this couch in the last two hours. The book he was reading was set off to the side, but he needed a break from it.

Minho didn’t move from where he was hovering in the doorway of the living room, like he was reluctant to leave but unable to find a good reason to stay.

Jisung helped him out. “Is Seungmin keeping you busy?”

“More like I’m keeping him busy. But no, we’re pretty much done for the day.”

Jisung pushed himself upright. “Come on, I’m getting tired just watching you stand there. Sit down.”

Minho slowly strode into the room, glancing at the different seating options and ultimately deciding on the spot next to Jisung. He grabbed the book he’d been reading. “Is this any good?”

“I’m halfway through it, so yeah, it’s decent. I’ve read better, but I appreciate its style.”

Minho raised an eyebrow at the description on the back. “I didn’t take you for a romance reader.”

“Anyone who says they don’t like reading romance is a big fat liar,” Jisung said confidently, crossing his arms. “It’s fun to read no matter who you are.”

“That’s true, but…” Minho smirked. “Is this one of those with… explicit scenes?”

“No.” Jisung’s cheeks flushed a subtle red, calling him out on his lie instantly.

A mischievous glint in his eyes, Minho began flipping through the pages. Jisung tried to stop him, but he pulled out of reach as he stopped on a page.

“‘Something inside me stirred,’” Minho began reading, “‘as he sank to his knees in front of me. I never knew what it was like to be worshiped, but I was quickly getting the idea.’“

Jisung covered his ears with a dramatic gasp. “That’s not meant to be read out loud, and spoilers! I haven’t gotten that far!” 

Minho couldn’t read any more due to his exploding laughter. “If this is where you’re learning things, you need a better resource. I could teach you far better than-“

“No no no no no,” Jisung sang loudly, getting to his feet and pacing away from the couch.

“Oh, come on, you don’t even want to hear my offer?” Minho teased, standing up to block Jisung’s escape route.

At that moment, Jisung felt much smaller than Minho, and he wasn’t entirely sure why that was, but he didn’t hate the feeling. What the hell? Don’t even go in that direction, Han Jisung. He took a much needed step back. “For your information, not that you need to know this, but I don’t use these books for… learning purposes. It’s just for fun.”

Minho’s eyes were twinkling. “Is this why you’re such a brat? You’ve read so many of these you think you can get away with everything?”

Damn it, don’t blush! “I have no need to explain myself to you. And if we keep talking about this, Seungmin is going to appear and be traumatized.”

Jisung hadn’t realized he was still backing up until his leg hit the side of one of the armchairs and he lost his balance. Minho reached to catch him, but ended up tripping on Jisung’s flying legs, and they both tumbled to the floor. Now squished together between the furniture, the pair broke into laughter.

“I think we’re idiots,” Jisung sputtered between laughs.

“That’s the most truthful thing you’ve ever said to me,” Minho agreed, catching his breath. 

He was the first to try and get up, and he braced his hands on the surrounding furniture to lift himself up. Then he went still at the sight below him. Jisung’s back was now fully on the floor, his gaze glued to Minho’s face. Minho lost his breath for a moment, drinking in the sight of his love laying between his legs, face flushed and lips parted slightly. 

Jisung wondered if his heart had stopped working, or if it was just beating faster than he could register as Minho’s dark eyes pinned him in place. His suddenly flicked down to his lips. 

Minho abruptly pushed to his feet, breaking the trance that had fallen over both of them like a thin layer of ice. He cleared his throat and offered his hand down to the man still on the floor. “Come on, I’m sure your body doesn’t appreciate being stuck on the cold floor.”

Jisung took the offered hand, and Minho practically had him flying to his feet. Just like the previous night, his body fell into Minho’s, and he let out a surprised yelp. Minho righted him onto his feet. “Geez, I’m not a sack of potatoes.”

Minho chuckled. “Sorry, love. Chimera built me… well, like a machine. While they enhanced your skill and pain tolerance, they built up my strength to an inhuman level.” He guided Jisung to sit back onto the couch. “It’s why you’ve never been able to best me in a fight.”

Jisung tilted his head in interest. “Why didn’t I know about you having superpowers?”

“Not superpowers, just…”

“Super strength.”

“In a sense, yeah.”

Jisung laughed slightly. “Not in a sense, but literally. I must weigh nothing to you.”

Minho shrugged. “Yeah, that’s true, actually. But doing anything that requires a lot of strength still takes a lot of effort and energy. It’s not like I’ll accidentally break a door handle by touching it too hard. So don’t be too impressed.”

“You’re Lee Minho, I’m going to be impressed with a lot of things.”

Minho suddenly ruffled Jisung’s hair in a fond way. For once, Jisung didn’t shove his arm away, and instead just watched him curiously. “You can be impressed after my plan succeeds. It may be a while, but it’ll be worth the wait. Hopefully.”

A figure appeared in the doorway, closely followed by an announcing knock on the wall. “Boss, you might want to take this call,” Seungmin said, acknowledging Jisung with a nod.

Minho grabbed the book from where it had fallen in the confusion and set it back in Jisung’s hands. “Duty calls. Enjoy your book. Just not too much.” He winked before leaving the room, taking the phone from Seungmin’s hand as he went.

Seungmin shook his head with a small smile. “I don’t even want to know what I interrupted.”

Jisung chuckled.

———————- A few things: I literally just popped this chapter in here randomly, I am half asleep rn, and I don’t even know if this part is written good. (AAAAAA)
Anyway, so I hope it’s actually good and makes sense. I might come back to this later and edit it a bit better, but for now, this is what you’ve got. The next chapter was previously written so it won’t be a disaster like this one lol. Thanks for reading <($^$)>