Jisung couldn’t lie, he was loving being in the middle of nowhere. They parked the Porsche in a seemingly random little shed nestled in the trees on the side of the road, and proceeded to walk up the mountain for fifteen minutes in order to reach this little cabin. There was no path leading to the place, not even a trail marker. This was a secret location if he’d ever seen one.
The cabin itself was tiny with a small kitchen nestled in the corner of a cozy little living room, and a single bedroom and bathroom. It was snug, but Jisung could definitely think of worse people to be stuck with than Minho. And for the most part, it wasn’t bad.
Three days passed by this point, and the pair had a routine down. Jisung would eat breakfast and encourage Minho to have some before the don would disappear in the bedroom to coordinate things with Seungmin via radio. By lunch time, Jisung would be restless, and he would take a walk over to a creek he found running behind the house and train for a time. Minho only joined him once. Dinner consisted of simple conversation and discussions of what was going on within the mafia.
Today wasn’t much different, but as Jisung was cooling off by the creek, Minho came striding up the hill, ruffling his hair in a frustrated way.
Jisung shook the water off his hands, getting up from his crouched position. “What’s up?”
“Working with a ton of criminals is a pain in the ass, believe it or not,” Minho joked, joining him by the water.
“Oh, I believe it. What’s happening this time?”
“We’re still trying to figure out how the house was compromised, and our trail ended at Solswor. Turns out their don left the country over a month ago and they’ve only received a few letters containing instructions. Direct communication with him has been completely cut otherwise.”
“So Chimera could have gotten to him, and we have no idea,” Jisung filled in.
Minho nodded. “Pretty much. The underboss isn’t being helpful either. He’s stubbornly sticking to the letters without investigating them further to make sure they’re really from his boss.”
“What an idiot.”
“Tell me about it.”
Jisung nodded. “How’s Seungmin holding up? He always hates when you give him extra work.”
Minho laughed lightly. “I think he’s actually enjoying it. He’s basically acting as don right now, so I’m sure he’s enjoying having all the power.”
“Yeah, that sounds about right.”
“You best believe he’s getting the raise of a lifetime once this blows over.”
A thought suddenly popped into Jisung’s head. “Wait, back at the Assembly, Solswor made an alliance with Iregray. Have you tried that handle?”
Minho’s eyes brightened up, and he let out a relieved laugh. “Jisung, you little genius. I’m going to run that by Seungmin and we’ll see how it turns out.” He ruffled Jisung’s hair before jogging back down to the cabin.
Jisung fixed his hair, smiling as he watched Minho leave. How cute. He immediately shook the thought out of the way. He was still in conflict when it came to the enigma that was Lee Minho. His feelings were growing deeper, which was scary and confusing at the same time, so he avoided thinking about that altogether.
Instead of dwelling on his swirling thoughts and hopeful heart, Jisung got back to training, wincing at the soreness in his recently healed shoulder. The wound had mostly healed while he was in that coma, but it was still a bit tender at times.
After working out for another hour, Jisung finally went inside to take a shower. Minho was in the bedroom, but the door was ajar.
“I think I might have you come up here for a few days to keep an eye on things while I come down to take care of that.”
Jisung tilted his head in interest as he heard the tail-end of Minho’s conversation, and he hovered outside the bathroom as he listened in.
“You don’t think Chimera will be able to find the cabin too, do you?” Seungmin’s voice came over the crackly speaker of the small radio.
“Seungmin, they found my base and my safehouse within months. It almost feels like they’ve dropped a cage around me and it’s narrowing in on me, limiting what room I have to run.” Minho let out a frustrated growl. “I don’t know what changed, I’ve been three steps ahead for years, and now it feels like my every move will lead to my downfall.”
It was quiet for a moment before the underboss responded. “Do you think it has anything to do with Jisung?”
“If that’s the case, they already had their eyes on him and just doubled their efforts when I took him.”
“Chimera knows you’re coming for their throat, so they’re digging for any weakness they can find.”
A loud breath. “I’m terrified of losing him, Seungmin,” Minho’s voice came out quiet and choked. “It took me so long to find him again, and I swear if I lose him again-” He took in a sharp breath. “I can’t go through that again, and yet I can’t protect him. I just made him an easier target.
Jisung dared peek into the bedroom, and his heart splintered as he saw Minho hunched on the bed, pressing a hand into his forehead as tears slid down his face. Oh, Minho. Before he could think, he stepped into the room.
Minho raised his head. “Oh, Jisung,” he quickly disconnected the radio and wiped at his eyes with his wrist. “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you come in.”
Jisung slowly approached and sat on the bed facing Minho. “Need a hug?” he whispered.
Minho’s head lowered and he silently wrapped his arms around Jisung’s waist, pulling him close. Jisung returned the embrace warmly, squeezing him in assurance.
“It’s going to be okay,” he whispered, running his hands up and down Minho’s back. “We’re going to fight this, and we’re gonna be okay.” Even as Jisung spoke, he wasn’t sure of himself. If Minho was feeling this overwhelmed, things weren’t looking so good. This wasn’t the first time he’d comforted Minho, but this was different. He was genuinely terrified.
“I’m a toxic person if I’m making you cry this much,” Jisung joked after a long moment.
Minho let out a breathy laugh. “Yes, so toxic.” He pulled back, taking a deep breath. “You’re a little sweaty, you should shower.”
Jisung chuckled. “Well, I was on my way to do that.”
His dark brown eyes met his, now more serious. “Thank you.”
Jisung set his hand on Minho’s head, bringing their gazes closer. “I’m not going anywhere, Minho, okay? I’m not going to let Chimera win, and we’ll stick together through it all. I promise. Since you’re protecting me, I’ll protect you.“
Minho’s lips quirked up and he held up his pinky. “Pinky promise?”
Jisung hooked his with Minho’s. “Pinky promise.”
⧫⧫⧫
Minho left the following morning. Chan wanted to have a one on one meeting with him about something, and they were willing to take a risk and meet in person.
Of course, Seungmin drove up to the cabin for precautions sake, and he came prepared to show Jisung their next backup plan in case Chimera managed to find them again. After reciting the plan a few times, Jisung felt like he had it covered, and the pair went outside to train.
It was fun practicing with someone after so long, and Seungmin made quite the opponent. He was fast and devious with his moves, which was a little difficult to work against. But Jisung adapted, and he managed to beat the underboss nearly every time. It made him feel much better about losing to Minho so easily before. Granted, Jisung was basically built by Chimera, and that gave him an advantage, but it still made him feel better.
It wasn’t until late that night that Minho returned, and Seungmin insisted on leaving, despite it being so late. He was much too stubborn to argue against, so Jisung walked him down to his car.
“Are you sure you don’t want to wait until morning?” Jisung asked, squinting through the light rain that was falling through the trees.
Seungmin let out a short laugh. “No thank you. First of all, that little place is claustrophobic, I don’t know how you two are dealing with it. Second, I don’t want to be a third wheel among all that… tension.”
Jisung’s brow furrowed. “What tension? Minho and I have grown our trust significantly.”
“I’m not talking about that kind of tension.”
It only took Jisung a moment to understand. “Hang on, Seungmin, I think you’re misunderstanding something.”
“Misunderstanding my ass,” Seungmin scoffed, shaking his head. “You two look at each other like the other is the last meal on Earth. I don’t want to be sleeping on the couch only to wake up to… noises coming from the bedroom.”
“Seungmin!” Jisung gasped, feeling his face heat up. “What the hell?”
“Oh, come on, we’r both adults we don’t need to get shy and giggly about sex.”
Jisung’s imagination immediately ran with the current topic, which made him more flustered as he remembered some tense moments with Minho. “I beg you to stop talking.”
“Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about Minho in that way. I mean, look at him.”
“Are you being his wingman right now?”
“Sort of, but not really. You’d have to be blind to not acknowledge the boss, and I don’t think you’re blind.”
Jisung shook his head. “Well there’s nothing like that happening here. I’d have to be crazy to even think about it.” Apparently I am crazy because I actually have thought about it. “Also I doubt he looks at me the way you just described.”
“Then you’re a dumbass. Pay attention when you head back up there, and you’ll see exactly what I mean.” Seungmin pulled his keys from his pocket. “I’ll probably be back every few days. Minho still has an organization to run, and he can’t do everything from a distance.”
Jisung nodded. “If I have to see your face, I guess I can learn to cope with it.”
Seungmin socked him in the arm.
Jisung laughed, rubbing at his arm. “Bring some cards, we can play Rage Inducer next time you come up.”
“You’re so demanding.”
“And you still follow my demands.” Jisung paused a few feet up the hill from the shed so he would have less distance to walk back.
Seungmin glanced back up at him as he reached the bottom of the hill. “The forecast calls for rain for the next week, should I bring an umbrella if you’re going to walk me to my car every time?”
“No, I like walks in the rain.”
“How emo.”
“Get out of here, Seungmin.”
“Don’t catch a cold!”
As the underboss disappeared into the shed, Jisung started back up the hill, slipping a little on a few loose rocks. He took his time heading back. He didn’t lie when he said he loved walks in the rain, and he was nervous to talk to Minho about his meeting with Chan. Jisung still didn’t know what they met about, but he hoped he didn’t have much to do with it.
By the time he stepped into the cabin, he was soaking from head to toe, but he didn’t mind it.
Minho glanced up at him from where he sat on the couch. “Did you fall into the creek?”
Jisung shoved his shoes off. “No, it’s raining. I guess you didn’t notice?”
“No, I guess I’m just too lost in thought.”
“How did your meeting go?”
“It was… informative.” Minho waved his hand dismissively. “I’ll tell you all about it once you change. I don’t want you to catch a cold.”
“Okay, okay, I’m on the way.” Jisung watched Minho through his peripheral as he crossed the cabin to the room. The mafia don was watching him like a hawk, his dark eyes almost smoldering. Was Seungmin right? He shook that off.
Changing out of wet clothes was never comfortable, and Jisung struggled just a little bit. He decided on a hoodie and loose black pajama pants, which he felt appropriate for a rainy night.
Minho’s eyes scanned Jisung up and down slowly while he settled onto the couch. “You didn’t need to get all dressed up for me,” he commented, a smirk growing on his face.
“I’ve been saving this outfit just for you.” Jisung winked.
“Stop tempting me.”
Jisung’s mouth opened but Minho continued on as if he hadn’t said anything.
“Your former leader is very resourceful, therefore he’s very useful. Nightfield has been looking into all the strange things they’ve noticed within the mafia, including Solswor and their missing don.”
Jisung perked up at that and leaned forward in interest. “What have they found?”
“You said that we should look into Iregray as well, but Chan beat us to it. They’ve gone underground, nearly vanishing completely. The only ones that have been in contact with them is Solswor.”
“So it’s all connected.”
Minho nodded. “According to Chan, Solswor’s underboss changed not long before their don left. The new one is apparently connected with Iregray’s don, thus the alliance at the Assembly.”
Jisung wasn’t liking the sound of this. “Do you think Chimera is infiltrating the mafia?”
“I’m sure of it,” Minho confirmed. “Hyeon had evidently changed tactics, and it’s working. He’s trying to prevent me from gathering my army, as you called it.”
“Did Nightfield find anything else?”
“Not in that regard, but they’ve been working with me without my knowledge. They’ve pulled a few mafia families to my side for me, which I’m still shocked about.” Minho leaned back into the couch so he was eye-level with Jisung. “They really care about you, I hope you know that. You’re the reason they’re so willing to help us.”
Jisung’s heart swelled with love for his team. When they told him to leave, he questioned everything. But after seeing them again and now this, he realized they sent him away fro a reason, and it hurt them to do so. “Did Chan… say anything about me?”
“A little bit. Apparently, Chan already knows a thing or two about Chimera. When he found you on the streets, he looked into your background since you couldn’t give him anything. He dug just deep enough to discover Chimera and what type of organization they are. He didn’t know their name or anything, but he knew you were considered their product.
“Since you clearly didn’t remember anything, he decided to leave it alone. But when I came looking for you while talking about a threat bigger than the mafia, he got scared for you. He didn’t want to send you into the clutches of a crazy rival, but he also had an entire team to consider and take care of. His only option was to send you away.”
Jisung bit the inside of his cheek as his throat involuntarily tightened. Chan sent him away because he was scared. He really sent him away for his own protection. It made so much more sense now.
Minho noticed his rising emotions. “Don’t worry, I explained everything as best as I could. He knows our situation and he’s offered all of his resources. We’re not totally alone in this.”
Soft relief slowly warmed the room, settling over the pair in reassurance. A poisoned cage was closing in around them, but they were no longer stranded on their own.
Jisung released a much needed sigh. “They always told me they had my back. I guess there’s not question that they do.”
Minho smiled in return. “It definitely takes some weight off my shoulders.”
“We’re not cornered yet.”
“Oh, that reminds me,” Minho suddenly sat up, pulling something out of his pocket, “I got you something.”
The ribbons around Jisung’s heart drew him closer to the man beside him and his heart fluttered. “You didn’t have to.”
“I wanted to.” Minho fiddled with the small, black box, twisting it over in his fingers. “It accidentally slipped that I was looking to buy you something and Chan told me that you have a piercing on one ear, which is a little weird, if you ask me-“
Jisung laughed. “Haven’t you heard of asymmetry? I have a hard time keeping track of two earrings anyway.”
“Anyway,” Minho said, getting back on track, “I followed Chan’s suggestion and sort of copied what you gave me.” He finally handed the box over.
Jisung ignored the fact his heartbeat was increasing as he opened the gift. Inside was a single feather earring. It was silver, and when he held it up, it dangled in the soft light surrounding them. To anyone else this might be an odd gift, but Jisung loved it.
“The feather does have meaning, I didn’t randomly choose this. It symbolizes a few things like freedom, renewal, protection, and strength,” Minho quickly explained. He held his wrist up, showing off the bracelet Jisung gave him. “I wanted to get you something meaningful, like you did for me.”
Do not cry, this would be a stupid thing to cry over. “Thank you, Minho,” was all he managed.
“I need you to see that you’re strong, that you’re my protection and I’m yours. And we’ll win our freedom together.”
There I go. Jisung threw his arms around Minho before he could see the tears welling up in his eyes. “I guess it was your turn to make me cry. But don’t worry, they’re happy tears.”
Minho chuckled, gently rubbing Jisung’s back. “So we’re a bit more even than we were before.”
Warm waves of shared emotion seeped into the room, filling in the cold corners and wrapping around them in a layer of comfort. It was the feeling of waking up to the smell of freshly baked bread and golden sunlight spilling through the windows. It was the feeling of having a cup of hot chocolate on a cold, rainy day.
In the silence that followed, Minho and Jisung shared an unspoken understanding for one another, and the ribbons of connection finally tied them together.
⧫⧫⧫
Jisung was pulled awake as something underneath him moved. He couldn’t remember falling asleep, but he burrowed his head deeper into the crook his arm, not wanting to be awake yet. He was much too comfy.
“Jisung, I can’t feel my arm.”
“Not my problem, Minho,” he muttered sleepily, his eyes still closed.
“No, but it’s your fault, come on, move just a little.”
Jisung went still, and his eyes shot open as he realized exactly what was happening. He pressed his hands into Minho’s chest, trying to get off him.
A mischievous smile grew on Minho’s face. He grabbed Jisung’s wrists and flipped their bodies around, effectively pinning him into the couch below him. “I said move a little, I didn’t tell you to leave.”
“But I was crushing you,” Jisung said, his voice coming out quieter than he wanted as he looked at the man hovering over him.
“You weren’t crushing me, you just put my arm to sleep.”
“That happens in cuddling.”
“Well it’s not longer cuddling if you leave me like that.”
Jisung was blushing but he grinned. “Are you really angry that I tried getting up?”
Minho’s gaze trailed down Jisung slowly, then gradually moved back up to his face, which was on fire by the time he was done taking in the view. “I am a little, yeah. I wasn’t ready to be awake yet.”
“Well neither was I.”
“Then let’s go back to bed.”
Jisung stared up at Minho without realizing what he was doing. He loved the way his dark brown hair was a bit messy, the way his eyes seemed even darker when they were sleepy. “Can we go to the bedroom instead in that case? This couch isn’t as comfortable or roomy.”
Minho smirked, his eyes dancing over Jisung’s face once again. “Do you know how you sound right now?”
Jisung rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean. No funny business. Just bed and sleep.”
“Fine, if you insist.”
“I insist.”
⧫⧫⧫
“I think you were right.”
“About what?” Seungmin asked, taking his turn.
Jisung frowned at the card his opponent laid down and then glanced at his own cards. “About how Minho looks at me. I wish you never said anything because I swear that’s all I could focus on before he left this morning.”
Seungmin’s smug smile made its appearance. “I told you. By the way, did I miss something, since when do you have a piercing?”
“Oh, I’ve had one for a while. I was just kidnapped, so I didn’t have access to my earrings,” Jisung explained, absently touching the feather now dangling from his ear. The piercing had pretty much closed up after going untouched for so long, but he’d made it work. He was going to enjoy Minho’s gift, damn it.
“So Minho gave that to you and then you had a wild nigh, is that what happened?”
Jisung blushed. “No, what is wrong with you? Are you a pervert? And do you only sleep with people when they give you a gift?”
Seungmin shrugged, which wasn’t very clarifying. “What else am I supposed to think? Minho was late today, and he’s never late.”
“We just slept in today, don’t be so dirty minded.” Jisung threw a card down. “Ha! I believe that means I’ve won, and you’ve lost.”
“Well that’s great,” Seungmin grumbled, dropping the rest of his cards. “I really wish you weren’t intelligent sometimes.”
“Impossible, I’m absolutely amazing with the brains of a genius.”
“Do you want me to throw up?”
Jisung laughed and began gathering the cards. “Another round, or do we want to eat?”
Definitely time for food. But we have to eat light, apparently Minho is planning on making something for the two of you tonight.”
“Why am I suddenly suspicious?”
“I am too, honestly. My boss literally never makes any sense. I don’t know why I ever decided to work with him.” Seungmin got to his feet and made his way over to the kitchen. “Did he tell you that we’re basically partnered up with Nightfield now?”
Jisung nodded. “Pretty much. I can’t tell you how happy I am about that.”
“Me too, which is surprising. It’s been nice having help. That underboss, Felix, right?”
Jisung smiled at the mention of Felix, the energetic, yet quiet one of the group. “Yeah, that’s him.”
“He’s been unbelievably helpful. Instead of catching up on a hundred years of work, I only need to catch up on fifty.”
“He’s amazing, that’s for sure.”
“Okay, enough chit chat,” Seungmin dismissed, “what do we want to eat?”
“Surprise me.”
“Do you really want that?”
Jisung thought better of it. “On second thought, I think I can come up with something.”
———————— I’d love to be stuck in a tiny cabin with Minho… or Jisung… or both lol. That’s creepy, pretend I didn’t say anything. Anyway, hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading. (*V*)
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