Jisung laid staring at the ceiling. Every time he closed his eyes, he felt Minho’s lips on his again, and he had to shake the memory away every time. He couldn’t stop replaying that moment in the hall over and over. The kiss came out of nowhere at the height of emotion, and he wasn’t sure what to think of it.
He avoided thinking about Minho in that way as much as he could, so he was a little confused as to why he was so drawn to kissing him in that moment. Now, with actions mixing with thoughts, he had a few things to consider, namely, how he really felt about Minho.
Lee Minho was the definition of good-looking, he was powerful, confident, and strong. While Jisung appreciated all that, he was more drawn to what made Minho Minho. He cared about a lot of things, even things that didn’t affect him. Like the Yuns. He spared Sang just because Kwang loved his nephew. He was a ruthless mafia boss that took his jobs and his members very seriously, yet he felt uneasy around blades and knives at times. He was a deadly machine, but he got overly flirtatious when he was exhausted.
He’s like a Sour-Patch Kid. Jisung thought with a small laugh.
Just as he was fading to sleep, something in his mind snapped into place, waking him up completely.
The moment the white door closed, Jisung grinned at ML-32. “I got us something.” He tossed one of the oranges he had swiped while passing one of the guards’ break rooms.
ML-32 caught it, his eyes lit up. “How did you manage that?”
Jisung started peeling his own orange. “My escort today isn’t the brightest, so I took advantage. You know, this,” he held the fruit up, “is half of a perfect breakfast to me.”
“What’s the other half?”
“A lemon poppy-seed muffin. It sounds like a weird combo, I know, but man, it hits the spot in the mornings.”
ML-32 smiled. “That’s a lot of citrus.”
Jisung shrugged. “It’s healthy, right. Hurry and eat that up. You can toss the peels to me and I’ll stash them out of here.”
“They’ll still smell the orange.”
“If they do, they’ll find the evidence on me, so I’ll be rightfully punished. You’ll be fine. Now dig in.”
ML-32 gladly did so. “What are your other favorite meals?”
“If we were free or from here?”
“If we were free.”
Jisung thought about it for a moment. “Why do you want to know?”
“Cause it’s my job to know.”
“Why is it your job?”
A subtle blush dusted ML-32’s cheeks. “As your best friend, it’s my job to know what your favorite foods are.”
Jisung’s chest grew warm. A best friend. He grinned. “Well as best friends, we should know each other’s names.”
ML-32 beamed. “My real name is Minho. Lee Minho.”
“Minho. A handsome name. I’m Jisung. Han Jisung.”
“Jisung.”
The memory tasted of oranges and new beginnings. The restlessness in his body settled down a bit more just like with the last memory.
Jisung finally relaxed, snuggling into the comfortable, black covers of the guest bed. Technically, the bed was his now, but it he wasn’t really used to that yet. He allowed every memory he had with Minho to play in his head as he fell asleep.
⧫⧫⧫
The sky was overcast and the air was cool, but Jisung made it feel like a tropical summer day. Minho could practically see the rays of sun beaming from Jisung’s body as he stood on the porch, lightly bouncing on his feet.
“Come on, what’s taking Seungmin so long?”
Minho leaned his shoulder against one of the dark, wood pillars supporting the porch, his hands in the pockets of his suit pants, observing Jisung with a smug smile. “He’s very particular about his hair.”
“He’s met these guys before, he doesn’t need to look perfect.”
“Nightfield is still technically a rival, and Seungmin likes to impress.”
Jisung groaned. “Well I don’t want to be late.”
Minho watched him carefully, assessing the nervous energy pouring from him. His excitement was obvious, but he was definitely nervous. Minho reached out, catching one of his hands. “Hey, take a breath. Let it out. It’s all going to be fine,” he assured, rubbing his thumb over Jisung’s knuckles.
“You are way too observant,” he muttered in response.
Seungmin finally stepped out of the house. “If you bounce around like that in my car, you’re going to make me crash,” he warned, giving Jisung a pointed look.
Jisung lightly pulled away from Minho’s grip. “I won’t as long as you don’t drive like a granny.” He jogged down the stairs.
“Easy there, you haven’t had a fainting spell in a bit and you might give yourself one,” Minho called out.
Seungmin snorted. “You’re such a worrier.”
Minho let out a steadying breath as he watched Jisung run toward the Jag. “Can you blame me?”
“I guess not. Are you sure you don’t want to come along?” Seungmin asked, taking the first step down the stairs.
“I’m sure. It would be uncomfortable for everyone if a rival mafia boss that kidnapped their member joined this… reunion. And I think Jisung would be more relaxed without me there.”
Seungmin sent him a soft look. “Okay, I’ll drive carefully.”
“Thank you.”
Minho watched as the pair climbed into the car and drove away. He followed them a short time later. It was true that he wanted to give Jisung space to relax with his friends, but he found himself parking across the street from their meeting place.
The park they’d chosen was composed of a large, grassy field, small cherry trees, and little wooden benches and tables. The place was mostly empty of people, as the wind had picked up a bit of a chill, giving Minho a clear view of the group from where he sat across the field.
Jisung ran to meet the three men already waiting at a table. The shortest of them jumped up and his massive arms wrapped around Jisung warmly. They poked at each other playfully after they pulled apart, most likely commenting on each other’s appearance.
Chan, the leader of Nightfield, was there too, and he was the next one to embrace Jisung. He was followed by the blonde man that stood excitedly waiting his turn.
Minho laughed to himself when Seungmin stepped up and shook hands with each one. His underboss was probably mentally cursing him for making him play nice like this.
For a time, Minho watched Jisung interact with the members of Nightfield, his heart tight. He’d kept him from his friends for so long. All because he was terrified of losing him. Jisung laughed, his eyes squinting and his hands waving at something the shorter one had said.
Minho remembered when he could make Jisung laugh like that. Sure, they’d laughed together, but Jisung had yet to laugh so hard. I could make him laugh like that when we were chained and bloodied. But that time has passed. Maybe I’m not meant to make him laugh anymore. Maybe we were meant to help each other through our captivity. Now that we’re free… what happens? Should I have let him go even after I found him? Has our time together passed and I’m only holding onto scraps of memory?
He watched from afar, his mind silent for a time.
Then the kiss from a few days before entered Minho’s mind and he smiled slightly, absently touching his bottom lip. He’d waited seven years to kiss those lips, and he’d done it in such a reckless, non-romantic way. He loved it, but he questioned himself on it.
“Please do!” Jisung had yelled.
Alright, maybe there was a reason he went for it. The person he loved screamed to kiss him, he couldn’t possibly refuse.
Minho shook his head at his own thoughts. “I have no shame,” he muttered, pulling his car into gear. He needed to stop living in the past. Jisung was part of his past, but that didn’t mean he would be a part of his future.
He was nearly across the city when his phone rang, and he rolled his eyes at the name that appeared on his screen. Jaya was a doctor and a technician that worked for Chimera, and despite forming an alliance with her, he wasn’t the biggest fan of her. She was the one that took Jisung’s memory, after all.Â
He counted to three before answering. “What is it, Jaya?”
“You’ve got that thing staying with you, don’t you?”
Minho’s blood simmered. “Him, you mean. He’s a person, I won’t say it again.”
“Whatever you say. Hyeon just sent out a unit. I heard your name thrown around, I think he might have found you.”
Fuck.
“Jaya, do they have my location? Do they have Jisung’s location?”
“They seem to have a few places in mind, and I believe they found your residence.” Jaya boredly recited his address. “Is that you?”
Minho’s lungs filled with icy water, freezing through his body. He hung up and dialed Seungmin. “I swear if you don’t answer-“
“Yeah, boss?”
“Seungmin, get Jisung out of there now. The house has been compromised.”
“On it.” The call ended.
Minho pushed down the rising feeling of cold panic as his mind went into emergency mode. Someone clearly exposed the location of the house. “Why do I have so many damn rats in my ranks?” he growled, raking a hand through his hair. “No, it was a matter of time before Chimera found me, I can’t jump to conclusions.” He found that talking to himself out loud helped when he was frazzled, so he talked himself through the next few steps of his emergency plan as he drove like a bat out of hell for the rendezvous he and Seungmin had lined up for this exact circumstance.
When he pulled up to the bridge, Minho was relieved to see the Jag already there, the trunk popped open as Seungmin gathered a few weapons from it. Minho jumped out of his car as soon as he threw it into park.
“What is going on?” Jisung asked.
Minho didn’t acknowledge the question for a second and went up to Seungmin. He handed him his phone. “You know what to do. You still remember the location?”
“Yes sir.”
“Good. We’re heading straight there. Keep that radio close, we might run into trouble.”
Seungmin handed over a small duffel bag heavy with a variety of firearms. “I’ve got it covered, boss. Get going.”
Minho threw the bag into the back seat of his car and set his hand firmly on Seungmin’s shoulder. “Watch your back. They don’t have anything on you, but we can’t be too careful. Take a roll call, make sure we have everyone, I still don’t know how they found the house.”
“Yes sir. We’ve covered this plan plenty, take off while you have some time.”
Minho gave him a serious look. “If you die, I’ll kill you.”
Seungmin grinned. “You’re the one in mortal danger, I’m just a thief.”
Minho motioned to Jisung. “Get in the car.”
Thankfully, Jisung obeyed without question, and Minho hit the gas, driving much faster than what was probably safe.
“Okay, are you going to tell me what’s going on yet? Seungmin told my friends I was going to die if we didn’t leave, what the hell did he mean by that?”
“Chimera found the house. I don’t know how, but they’re on their way, and if they’re tracking either of us, which they probably are, we need to lose them before we go to our hideout.”
Jisung went pale. “And where is this hideout? I thought you only had the safehouse.”
Minho quirked a smile. “I’m a hunted man, Jisung, I have several backups. This place just so happens to be in the middle of nowhere.”
“So that’s why you have a radio.”
“Yeah, we won’t get any signal up there, but I also needed to cut off the outside world entirely. Chimera has a lot of tools up their sleeves,” Minho explained, scanning the road behind him for anything suspicious. “Seungmin will be my connection, so it will be like I never left. My business will operate as usual.”
Jisung nodded in understanding. “So since Chimera knows you, you’re going to hide out to keep the rest of your men from being sniffed out.”
“I love your genius brain.”
Jisung chuckled and then shook his head. “Hyeon really can’t let us go, can he?”
“He likes to stay organized and clean, so having two of his machines on the loose is not ideal. So yeah, he can’t let us go.” Minho hissed a string of curses as a large, black ban skidded onto the road in the rearview mirror.
“What?” Jisung twisted his body around. “Oh.”
“Look in that duffel bag, find something with good firepower and have at it, love. I’m sure you’ve missed a good old shootout.”
Jisung grinned. “You bet I have.”
Minho couldn’t fight down his smile. He’d always dreamed of fighting beside the one he loved. He opened the sunroof, pushing down his instinct to keep Jisung down and out of the way.
A few shots rang out from behind them, but nothing hit the car. Minho pressed down on the gas, swerving around the few other cars on the road. He quickly reached out to steady Jisung as he got himself standing on the passenger seat.
“Ease up on the swerves!” Jisung called out over the rushing wind, taking aim on the van.
A stray bullet shattered the side mirror on the driver’s side, but Minho followed Jisung’s instruction, knowing he had to give him a clear shot.
“We’re approaching a main street!”
“Okay, I’ve got it!”
Rapid gunfire rang loudly above Minho’s head as Jisung opened fire. He’d chosen a small machine gun, and his aim was impeccable. The van swerved as the windshield filled with bullets and then crashed into a row of cars parked on the side of the road.
Minho grinned. “Nice shot!”
“How did they find us so fast, I thought they were on the way to the house?” Jisung called down, still scanning the streets around them.
“Good question,” he muttered to himself. “They might be tracking the car, we need to abandon it!”
“How are we going to get another car fast enough?”
“We’ll have to improvise.”
Jisung shifted his feet, slowly turning to face forward. Minho set his hand on his waist to keep him steady. “Wait, I know what to do. Take the next right!”
Minho took the turn a bit too fast, but thankfully Jisung caught himself before he crashed into the driver. He kept shouting directions until they reached an old fire station.
Once the car was stopped, Jisung got out and opened a faded keypad beside one of the massive doors. He punched in a four digit code, making the door crank open on rusty mechanics. Inside was a sleek, black Porsche 911. “Keys are on the inside rim of the back left wheel,” he said, grabbing the duffel bag from Minho’s car.
Minho quickly found the keys and immensely enjoyed the sound of the engine as he fired it up.
Jisung dropped into the passenger seat. “It’s nice, isn’t it?”
“It is, but do you really want to get this thing shot up?”
“I bulletproofed this baby. It can take a few hits.”
Minho put the car in gear. “A man after my own heart.” He peeled out of the garage, and just in time, as another van came around the corner.
Jisung was ready, and he reached across Minho to open the sunroof. It was smaller than the one on Minho’s car, but he could still fit as he stood up, his chosen weapon in hand.
“Get me some space, it’ll be easier to lose them!”
Jisung took aim, swaying with the car to keep steady. “As you wish!” He pulled the trigger, peppering the van in holes just like the other one. It swerved down another street. Seconds later another van replaced it, masked gunmen hanging out the doors and windows. “Can you lose them?”
Minho checked his mirrors. “Yes I can, now sit your ass down and put on your seat belt!”
Falling into the passenger seat, Jisung burst out laughing. “We’re in a car chase/ shootout combo, and you’re screaming about a seat belt.”
“I’m not seeing you put it on.”
“Yes sir.” Jisung threw the seat belt on.
“Good boy.”
“Again, I’m not a dog- whoa!” Jisung’s body flew back against the seat as Minho used the full power of the Porsche all at once.
Chimera didn’t stand a chance as their heavy vans fell behind the sleek sports car in seconds.
After a tense few minutes, Jisung released a sharp breath. “What a change of pace.”
Minho couldn’t stop checking their surroundings. “Is there any chance this car could have been set with any sort of tracker? If so, Chimera will find a way to track it.”
“No, Nightfield doesn’t even know about this car. I’ve had it for awhile, I just never really got around to using it. I was mostly saving it for an emergency, and I think this situation qualified.”
“Having backups is important.”
Jisung snorted. “You sound like a dad.”
“Hey, your backup just saved our asses.”
“I guess I can’t argue with that.”
Silence stretched through the car. It was a fairly comfortable silence, but Minho still felt the need to fill it. “I’m sorry we had to cut your meeting with Nightfield short. You’ve been looking forward to seeing them for a while now and we had to take you away so abruptly.”
Jisung lightly shook his head. “It’s alright, this wasn’t in your control. Besides, I think they understand.”
Minho’s brows went up. “They do?”
Jisung glanced over at him, a subtle smile on his lips. “Yeah, I think so. They asked about you. I told them that I trust you because you saved my life, which you did, and that you are still currently protecting me.” He turned his attention to the scenery passing by outside. “I actually think they know a lot more than we think. Before you took me… when they kicked me out, it was like they all knew something I didn’t. You were vague, saying that something bigger than the mafia was the cause of our problems, but it’s like they knew exactly what you meant.”
Minho processed this new information carefully. That was odd, considering he was vague and cryptic for a reason. Chimera was a secret, after all, so even if he spewed the name, no one would know what it meant. He just wanted to scare the mafia without making things more complicated. “That’s strange. I’ll have Seungmin look into it.”
“I was going to ask them about that but… yeah, that didn’t work out,” Jisung joked, laughing slightly.
“We’ll figure it all out. Once we get settled at the new place, that can be the first thing I look into.”
Another stretch of silence.
Minho thought back to the kiss a few days ago, and a few different emotions tugged him in different directions. He loved Jisung, he had for years now, but in a way, this was a whole new Jisung. His personality and his tastes were the same for the most part, but his memories, the ones that helped build his relationship with Minho were faded or completely missing. Just because he loved Jisung didn’t mean he could force Jisung to love him back. Had he been forceful? Had he made him uncomfortable? Is that why they were acting like the kiss never happened?
“Jisung,” Minho finally worked up the courage to say, “I want to apologize.”
Jisung glanced at him, his eyes soft. “Whatever for?”
Minho drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “I should have waited for my words to detangle themselves before speaking. Um, I’m sorry about what happened the other day in front of the kitchen. Meaning, I’m sorry about kissing you just like that. I’m sorry if you felt pressured in any way. I know you basically told me to do it, but that was said in the heat of the moment, and I don’t know if you felt forced-“
“Minho,” Jisung gently interrupted, lightly touching his arm to get his attention. “It’s called the ‘heat of the moment’ for a reason. Emotions are strange things, and sometimes they get so strong they take over rational thought. If I truly felt repulsed and pressured, my ‘heat of the moment’ reaction would have been to punch you and possibly tear your hair out without thinking twice. I mean, that’s probably what a normal person would have done if you were screaming at them like that. But I’m apparently not normal because I found you insanely attractive at that moment.”
Minho glanced over in surprise in time to see Jisung cover his mouth. He smirked. “Did you ramble more than you meant to?”
Jisung’s cheeks did Minho’s favorite thing as they grew a subtle shade darker. “Uh, yeah, maybe.”
“So you do think I’m handsome.”
“Well-“
“And you enjoyed kissing me.”
Jisung slapped his hands over his ears. “La la la, we’re not talking about this,” he rambled in a singsong voice.
Minho laughed, reaching over to pull one of his hands down. “No, we’re talking about it. We still have a drive ahead of us, you can’t escape this.”
“Unless I jump out of the car,” Jisung argued under his breath.
“It’s okay, Jisung. This doesn’t have to be a big thing, we’re not in a drama. I just want to clear the air. I’m sure it’s driving us both a little crazy, acting like it never happened.”
“That’s fair, but… do we have to?”
Minho smiled. “I’m not demanding that you kiss me again, although I wouldn’t mind if you did.” Jisung gave him a flat look. “Like I said, we do need to clear the air.”
Jisung nodded thoughtfully, his gaze out the window once again. “I’m still not really sure how I feel about it. Ever since you came into the picture, my whole world has shifted to the side, and everything is changing so much, I can’t keep up. I have a lot of questions to ask myself, and none of the questions really make sense.”
“I understand. This has been quite the roller-coaster, especially for you. It’s all very uncertain, and you don’t like that.”
“Yeah,” Jisung murmured. “I’m still learning a lot about my past, and I’m remembering more and more.” He suddenly smiled. “Another memory came back. Do you remember when I stole those oranges? We shared our real names that day.”
Minho smiled fondly at the memory. He’d been so nervous to tell Jisung that he was his best friend. After that, they’d grown impossibly closer, and the world didn’t seem so dark. “I think of that every time I smell oranges.”
“We had no idea what was ahead of us.”
“Not at all. We only had broken dreams of finding freedom one day and stiff couches to sit on.”
Jisung adjusted in his seat so he was facing Minho more fully. “I think we’re friends again, wouldn’t you say?”
“Yes, I would hope so. We’ve made a lot of progress since I, uh…”
“Kidnapped me?”
“Yeah.” Minho felt a wave of shame wash over him. It didn’t matter if he did it for Jisung’s safety, he had no right to hold him captive in such a way.
“Before you apologize,” Jisung spoke up, interrupting his thought process, “I get it. We all mess up and make mistakes. And I understand why you did it now. You were scared. Fear makes us crazy.”
Minho nodded, mostly to assure himself. “Well I’ve been trying to make up for it since I brought you in.”
Jisung smiled. “And I think you’re doing great. You’ve bought me a lifetime of tea, you gave me as much freedom as you could, you are respectful and caring. And you saved my life. I really owe you.”
“No, you don’t owe me a single thing, Jisung. I never do anything for you while expecting something in return. Besides, I’m trying to make up for stealing you, so if anything, we’re even.”
“Okay, we’ll say that. Anyway, about the whole kissing each other thing? I just… need to think on it for a while.”
Minho nodded, feeling a bit of tension seep from his body. “That’s perfectly fine. Good, even. I’m patient, I’m willing to wait.” He winked.
Jisung flushed, his eyes widening a fraction. “You mean you…”
Minho’s brows went up playfully. “Yes, Jisung, I like you.”
“So all that flirting wasn’t a joke?”
“Some of it was. I’m much sexier when I’m actually trying to seduce someone. But I did flirt for a reason.”
“You did not just say ‘seduce’,” Jisung laughed in disbelief.
Minho grinned. “I did.”
“That’s an old person thing to say.”
“So you’re calling me old? I’m only two years older than you.”
“That still qualifies as old to me. You’re the nerd, don’t you know math?”
“Calling me old still doesn’t make sense. How would you like it if I started calling you ‘kid’ just because you’re younger than me?”
Jisung wrinkled his nose. “Okay, that does put a damper on my mood.”
Why is he so damn adorable? “See? It doesn’t feel so great.”
“Alright, I’m sorry, I take it back. You’re not old… yet.”
Minho snorted. “Why did that sound like a threat?”
“Aging is a threat, isn’t it?”
“Okay, how much sugar have you had today?”
Jisung lightly smacked his arm. “Don’t try to dampen my personality with such accusations.”
Damn it, I really want to kiss him again. He needs to stop. Minho’s grip on the steering wheel tightened, and he kept his eyes glued to the road to avoid sneaking any more glances at the tempting lips of the man next to him. They just talked about the first kiss they shared, he didn’t need to go thinking about their next potential one.
Jisung tilted his head. “What are you thinking about so intensely all of a sudden?”
Minho didn’t dare glance at him. “Do you really want to know?” Don’t say yes.
“Yeah.”
You little shit. Minho couldn’t stop his response in time. “I want to pull this car over, pin you to that door, and kiss you until you forget how to breathe.”
“Minho!”
“What? You asked!”
“You didn’t need to be that honest,” Jisung said, his words broken up by the laughter bubbling up in his chest.
“Honesty is vital.” Minho was grinning as he listened to Jisung laugh. The sound breathed life into his being every time he heard it. He hoped to listen to the sound until the day he died.
——————— Reading about people talk and communicate about their feelings is great. So why does actually doing it in real life suck? I guess everything in fiction is better lol. Anyway, hope you enjoyed even though this had the scene I make fun of in every action movie (a car chase lol). Thanks for reading (! _ !)
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