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“Remember when we first met?” Jun asked in a silent voice, a small smirk playing on his lips, as he gently grasped Minghao’s frail hand in his own.
Minghao didn’t say anything, he just smiled weakly at the man, and nodded slightly.
They were situated in a hospital. Minghao in a bed, and Jun, sitting on a chair beside the younger male. This had become a daily routine for the two males. Minghao was sick, very sick. And the doctors just couldn’t figure out what it was. Everytime they thought they had it all figured out, a new symptom showed up, completely crashing their previous ideas, sending them back to square one. They were starting to lose hope, Jun could see it when he talked to them about Minghao’s condition. But they never said anything, they just gave him an apologetic smile and look, and went on with their day. Jun didn’t need their pity, Minghao was strong, and he knew it, he had always been strong.
Minghao had been sick for years now, and he was still pulling through, fighting, like he had always done. His appearance had changed through the years, of course. He had become thinner, which apparently was possible, his skin was paler and his brown hair had lost its shine. But Minghao was still Minghao, and the only thing that would never change about him, was the words forever carved into his skin, on his right wrist. Jun and Minghao were soulmates, the first words they had spoken to each other, being visible on their wrists.
Jun couldn’t help but smile to himself at the memory of their first meeting, it was all, quite funny, looking back at it now.
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Jun was, at that time, a member of a gang, a spy to be precise. He wasn’t familiar with all the people in the gang, and he didn’t have to be. The image of Jeonghan, the left hand man, pulling a kicking and yelling young man through the doors, were still very clear in Jun’s mind.
Jeonghan had placed the, clearly, younger male down on a chair in front of Jun, and he was glaring daggers at Jeonghan.
Jun had raised an amused eyebrow at the slender male, and in an interested voice, mused: “My, my, what do we have here?”
The man before him turned his head towards Jun, staring intently at him, before uttering, with spite in his voice: “A fairy. What does it look like, smartass?”
“A thief” Jeonghan had stated, smacking the younger male on the shoulder.
But Jun wasn’t listening. He was busy staring at the man before him, the man who had just uttered the exact words on his wrist, the word Jun had read over and over again, wondering, who in their right mind, would call a person they had just met, a smartass.
The other male seemed to have noticed as well, as his brown eyes grew wide with shock, and he slowly said: “You have got to be kidding me” in a defeated voice.
“Like you are one to talk” Jun started, slightly offended by the other guy’s tone, “You are, apparently, a thief, that wasn’t what I was gunning for either” he finished, still looking at the man before him, who sent him an offended glare and snorted.
“Okay, so do any of you want to tell me what is going on?” Jeonghan asked from behind the thief, staring at Jun with a confused look.
“We are soulmates” Jun stated shortly, smirking at Jeonghan. “So don’t worry, I’ll take it from here” he continued.
Jeonghan merely shrugged, as he left the room, he had to tell Seungcheol, this was some hot gossip.
“So, a thief” Jun started as they were alone in the small room, “What did you steal to piss off Jeonghan?” he asked the younger male, who didn’t even spare him a glance.
“None of your business” he stated shortly, folding his arms over his chest, the sight reminded Jun of a child, who had been caught eating candy past his curfew.
“I see” Jun mused, drawing out the last syllable.
“Well then, whatever it was, I’m sure Jeonghan got it back from you” He started again, deeming it to be a trivial matter, “So how about I instead ask you, about your name?” Jun suggested, looking at the man before him.
“My mom taught me that it was rude asking for somebody’s name, without introducing yourself first” he stated matter of factly as he raised a thin eyebrow at Jun.
Jun leaned back into his chair and nodded in contempt.
“Fair enough” he stated. “Wen Junhui, I’m a spy, nice to meet you” he introduced, stretching his hand out towards the younger male.
The man had looked down on his hand in distrust, but had taken it in the end, saying: “Xu Minghao, thief, pleasure’s all mine” in a sarcastic tone, clearly holding back an eyeroll.
Jun had chuckled to himself, by the sight of the younger man. This was going to be interesting.
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Minghao was staring out the grand window in his hospital room. It had a view directly to a park, and Mingaho enjoyed watching the people down there. It had been a while since he had been out himself, Jun knew that. But the doctors said he was too fragile to be moved around.
“You want to go outside?” Jun asked, squeezing Minghao’s hand slightly.
The younger turned his head to face the handsome man, his eyes were open wide and he said in a sad voice: “Jun, you know the doctors won’t let me” looking down on the white bedsheets.
“What the doctors don’t know, won’t hurt them” Jun stated matter of factly, as he fixed a stray strand of hair on Minghao’s head.
Minghao stared at him in disbelief, his mouth slightly open, wanting to protest, but no words came out.
“It’ll be like our first date, you remember?” Jun reassured, looking expectantly at Minghao.
Minghao’s eyes softened as he quietly said: “In the park? How could I forget?” smiling warmly at Jun, his eyes beaming with life for a split second.
“I bought you coffee as well” Jun started, recalling the day.
“And I don’t even like coffee” Minghao butted in, earning a chuckle from the older.
“How was I supposed to know, you barely talked to me for the first week” Jun argued, earning a small laugh from the younger male.
“Sorry, smartass” Minghao laughed, using the old nickname, he had grown fond of over the years.
Jun helped Minghao out of his bed, and placed him in a wheelchair. It was late afternoon, and the next nurse wouldn’t be there for another hour or so. So they had plenty of time. It was just gonna be a small walk through the park and back. Jun was tired of seeing Minghao so sad all the time, and as he sat in the wheelchair, a bundle of blankets wrapped around his body, Jun couldn’t help but smile fondly down at the male. He looked so happy, and just for a moment, Jun forgot all about the sickness and sadness, as he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on the younger’s forehead.
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“A date?” Minghao had asked in pure disbelief, eyeing the man before him up and down.
It had been a week since Jun had met Minghao, and frankly, Jun was starting to think, that Minghao, didn’t want anything to do with him.
“Yeah, a date” Jun stated bluntly, repeating what the thief just had said.
“And why would I do that?” Minghao asked, an eyebrow raised skeptically at the spy.
Jun sighed deeply as he muttered out through gritted teeth: “Because we are soulmates, and I’m the only reason to why you are still alive, so you owe me this one”
Minghao huffed in response, knowing the older was right.
Jun had negotiated with Seungcheol, the leader of the gang, to keep Minghao as a member, instead of punishing him, for almost having a client on their necks. Minghao had stolen part of a shipment for a very fearsome and much appreciated client, and it could have ended rather badly, if Jeonghan hadn’t caught him.
Seungcheol had immediately wanted to get rid of him, but Jun had argued that, since it was his soulmate, maybe they could give him a chance. Seungcheol had obliged, on one condition, Jun had to keep an eye on him.
Jun was fine with that, he actually really wanted, to get to know his soulmate, but Minghao, not so much.
Jun had quickly learned that the younger male, didn’t like sharing his interests, his thoughts, his, anything. He was very secluded, and kept to himself, and Jun desperately, wanted to know just something about him. So Jun had come to the conclusion, that a date, would be an extravagant idea. But again, Minghao, didn’t think that.
But Jun, had still managed, to somehow, drag the lean boy with him to the park, where he was determined, that they would spend the day, together.
“So, how do you feel about flowers?” Jun had tried asking, as they walked side by side, through the buzzling park.
“Flowers are nice” Minghao had answered curtly, not continuing the conversation.
Jun had bought a cup of coffee, for both of them, and took a sip of his own hot beverage, as he sighed deeply, and took a seat on a bench, Minghao following, sitting with a good distance between them.
“Minghao” Jun started, earning the younger’s attention. “Why do you hate me so much?” Jun asked frustrated as he looked to the other.
Minghao seemed taken aback by the sudden question, and he stared wide eyed at Jun, and for the first time, Jun didn’t receive a sarcastic or mean answer.
“I don’t hate you Junhui” he had said in a small voice, Jun looking at him, a small shimmer of hope in his eyes.
“I’m just, scared” Minghao stated, looking down to the ground, avoiding Jun’s piercing gaze.
“Scared of what?” Jun asked, not quite understanding what the former thief meant.
Minghao inhaled a deep breath before he answered.
“I’m scared of getting too attached, people I care about, have a tendency to die or leave” he explained, still avoiding Jun’s eyes.
Jun nodded in understanding at Mingaho’s words and clicked his tongue in wonder.
“Well then, that does make sense, but I won’t leave” Jun tried to reassure the younger, as he searched for his eye contact, without luck.
“And how do you know that?” Minghao asked in a mix of annoyance and sadness.
Jun hummed thoughtfully before answering: “Because we are soulmates, we are destined to be together, and if you think you can actually get rid of me that easily, boy are you in for a surprise” in a lighthearted tone, finally gaining Minghao’s eye contact.
“And what’s that supposed to mean?” He asked, a slight gleam in his eyes.
“That means, that if you try to run, or anything that would indicate you getting away from me, I will find you, and I will be the biggest pain in the ass, you have ever encountered” Jun explained, chuckling at Minghao’s half shocked, half amused expression.
“That’s a deal then” Minghao confirmed as he smiled at Jun, the first real smile Jun had seen the man muster. And it was beautiful. It was like seeing the sun for the first time, and Jun felt utterly blessed, to have the attractive man by his side.
“Oh, and Jun” Minghao had started, his smile turning into a smirk. Jun hummed in response, still staring at the male before him.
“I don’t like coffee”
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Jun and Minghao had continued to date from that day on. Throughout the years Jun had found out everything there was to Minghao, and the same for him.
Jun had learned that Minghao’s mother had died at a young age, and had left him to fend for himself on the streets. He had been taken in by different people, trusting them all every time, only to either be left alone once again, or sold of to some stranger. Minghao had been betrayed many times in his life, and Jun swore he would never leave the boy alone, ever again. He owed him that much.
Jun was certain that no matter what happened to them, they would be able to get through it, as long as they had each other.
Jun had also found, that Minghao enjoyed the simpler things in life. He always looked at things with a beautiful mind set, trying to see the best in things, unless the situation called for other means.
He enjoyed walks in the park, just looking at the plants, and being outside in the sun, enjoying the world he had been so locked up in. Jun could spend hours just looking at the younger man, never growing tired of the sight of Minghao just enjoying life. Jun was completely whipped for the younger, and he frankly didn’t care, because he knew deep inside, even though Minghao wouldn’t say it out loud, that he was just as happy for Jun.
And Jun had made it his goal, to always make sure that Minghao enjoyed life, no matter what.
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They walked through the park in silence, inhaling the late summer breeze, Jun carefully pushing Minghao’s wheelchair ahead.
“Remember when Hansol left the gang?” Minghao suddenly spoke, taking Jun out of his trance.
“Yeah, I do, why?” Jun asked rather curious to what had steered Minghao’s memory in that direction.
“I was just thinking” Minghao said, stopping in his sentence.
Jun waited for him to continue, but when he didn’t he finally asked: “About what” earning a chuckle from the younger.
“About how it all started, you know, the gang’s disbandment and all” Minghao explained, throwing his hands around, looking for the right words.
Jun nodded in understanding as he remembered the time he had tricked Hansol, a member of his own gang, into a trap. Hansol and Jun had never met each other before, so Hansol had trusted Jun blindly. Even after all these years, Jun still felt a little bad for tricking the younger man, he after all just wanted to be happy with his soulmate, just like Jun wanted.
But despites the situation, things had turned out fine, and Hansol had gotten away, never to be heard of again. Jun hoped that wherever he was, he was doing fine in his new life with his soulmate.
After Hansol had escaped the gang, Wonwoo, a close friend of Jun, had lost his soulmate, Mingyu, a close friend of Minghao. Wonwoo had disappeared after the loss of Mingyu. Jun had tried countless of times to find the man again, but to no avail. It was like he had vanished completely from the face of the earth.
After that, the gang had been short in numbers, with only, Seungcheol, Jeonghan, Minghao and himself left. And that’s when Jeonghan decided to pull a Hansol on all of them, and disappeared with his soulmate.
Seungcheol had been at a loss, and in the end decided for the gang to quit, while they still could. It had only been a matter of time before somebody would catch up on their weak forces, and Seungcheol wanted to spare them that. Jun hadn’t seen Seungcheol since then, something about him leaving town. That was all five years ago. And soon after the disbandment of the gang, Minghao, had fallen ill.
It had been no worse than a slight cough in the start, but it had quickly developed into something more serious.
Jun had stayed with Minghao, every step of the way for the past five years, and he had all of the intentions, to continue doing that.
Minghao needed him, but Jun needed him just as much. Without Minghao, Jun’s life would be cold and empty, he needed the soft, warm rays of light, Minghao brought with him. And seeing him, right now, in the middle of the park, smiling, as the sun’s warm rays shined on his pale skin, lighting up his golden eyes, brought Jun so much happiness. It had been so long since he had seen Minghao like this, seen him smile.
“Minghao” Jun started, causing the younger to look back at him the best he could, as he let out a hum as answer.
“You know I love you, right?” he said in a soft voice as he stopped pushing the wheelchair and walked to stand in front of him.
Minghao stared at Jun with a confused look painted across his face.
“I know, why the sudden confession?” he asked, still looking confused at Jun.
Jun chuckled at the younger as he said: “I just wanted to make sure” leaning down to capture Minghao’s soft lips in a gentle kiss.
When Jun pulled away from Minghao, he noticed a faint blush dusting Minghao’s cheeks, and he smirked to himself, earning a halfheartedly swat at his shoulder from Minghao.
Minghao’s breathing had become slightly more hoarse, in the time they had spend outside, and his eyes were beginning to droop a little, so Jun said: “Should we turn back?” squeezing Minghao’s cold hands in his own warm one.
Minghao nodded in response, as he let out a cough. Jun leaned down to kiss the younger’s forehead, as he started wheeling him back.
“Tomorrow, I’ll bring you some hot chocolate” Jun started in a lighthearted voice.
“That sounds nice” Minghao said in a silent voice, a weak smile gracing his lips, as he started coughing again.
“You okay?” Jun asked concerned, stopping the wheelchair for a moment.
Minghao nodded his head in response and motioned for Jun to continue.
“Yeah, just a cough, you know, the usual” he stated bitterly, finishing his cough.
Jun nodded as he started pushing again.
“We could watch a movie as well” Jun started “there’s this old rom-com I found the other day, I’m sure you’ll like it” Jun stated, smiling at the thought of all the movies the two of them had watched through the years.
Minghao nodded slightly in response, a faint smile still playing on his lips, his eyes slowly closing.
“Oh, and maybe we should have a look on some of the pictures in your room, you know for old times sake” Jun said, mostly to himself.
As Jun walked, lost in his own thoughts, he failed to notice how Minghao’s head had dropped slightly, wobbling a little with every step Jun took.
“Maybe we could eat take-out one of the upcoming days” Jun said out loud once again. “What do you think HaoHao?” he asked the younger, using the old childish nickname, Minghao had told him countless of times not to use.
But he didn’t get an answer. Jun looked confused down on the man in the wheelchair, slowing his pace.
“Minghao?” Jun tried, but once again, didn’t receive an answer.
From where Jun stood, it looked like Minghao was asleep, which was understandable. It had been a long day, and Jun didn’t blame the younger for being tired, he needed a lot of rest after all.
He would see him again tomorrow, like he always did. Tomorrow, Jun would once again be by Minghao’s side. No matter what.