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petals were flying off the window sill, roaming into the air of a mild summer night. the stars attached to the pitch black colored sky were shining ever so brightly, melting into the depth of the dark like thousands of puzzle pieces.
it was nothing out of the ordinary for the brunet to linger within the silence of his room, gaze fixed on the night sky and lips covered in red. the thick liquid was dripping from the boy's lips — each drop resounding dull, like a constant reminder of his destined death.
the boy's throat sore, laced with the afterburn of coughing flower petals — primrose, to be exact. the sound pretty, and harmless, but he grew to despise the white beauty that was the favorite of his love.
"minho?"
thump.
"can i come in?"
no.
"yeah."
minho heard the door to his room open slowly, hands subtly coming up to remove the remaining stains of blood from his lips and sweep the flower petals off his window sill. disguising his state with a smile, he turned to the blond beauty he wanted to face the least at the moment.
"hey channie."
said male entered the room, waddling to minho with a dimple-laced smile while the boy prayed chan wouldn't question the roughness of his voice. to minho's luck he didn't seem to notice as he sat down in front of him, the moonlight that was shining down on them enhancing chan's pretty features.
minho coughed.
"you weren't at school today."
minho looked at his hands. chan knew that he absolutely despised having to catch up to what he missed, hence why he was rarely absent from class.
the brunet exhaled a shaky breath.
he couldn't tell chan. there was no way the real reason for his worsening condition would ever leave his lips, too big was the fear of losing what they had. now the origin of minho's fear was not chan leaving him — not necessarily, at least, but rather the exact opposite. being the kind soul chan was, he would stay with minho until the very end if the latter ever built up the courage to actually tell him.
they were best friends after all.
minho, however, wouldn't dare to put that burden on chan. he was aware that the blond beauty would blame himself for everything, when in truth it was minho who fell for the older like raindrops hit the ground on a stormy day — fast, and out of control.
who could blame him, though? everything about chan was just so — genuine. from how his eyes wrinkled whenever he smiled so brightly, their glimmer something minho cherished oh so dearly, to his heart of gold wrapped in a soul too good for this world.
chan was just a playful puppy in the body of a man, and minho loved no one more.
"-nho? hey, min!"
minho withdrew his gaze from his hands, thoughts cut off as he met chan's worried eyes.
"what's got your thoughts all caught up?"
chan hummed at the end of his question, a sense of comfort washing over minho at the sound of his voice.
you.
"just spaced out there for a moment, i guess."
the blond raised an eyebrow, not quite believing it. he scooted closer to minho, taking ahold of his hand and telling him to look up at the night sky, thumb caressing smooth patterns on the back of his hand.
"i read somewhere that if you look up to the sky at night and tell the stars whatever's occupying your pretty head, they'll take it with them as the sun rises another time. maybe try that?"
minho giggled, a spark of warmth spreading throughout him for the first time that day.
"too cheesy?"
the brunet only shook his head with a chuckle, grateful for chan's attempt of cheering him up.
"maybe, but i love you so i guess it's okay."
chan gasped softly, minho processing only slowly the thought he just voiced out loud. once his words settled in, panic overcame the flower boy.
"i-i mean thanks for trying to m-make me feel-"
"i love you, too."
minho stared at chan with wide eyes, words caught in his throat at the intensity with which the blond male was looking at him. chan's features softened, engulfing both of minho's small hands with his own now.
"i love you, minho, so please stop hurting because of me."
minho failed to catch the loss of weight on his lungs as chan pressed a kiss on his knuckles.
"how did you know?"
chan raised his hand to trace his fingers along minho's bottom lip, the flower boy left with a familiar sensation invading him at the touch. minho watched chan's smile falter slightly when he withdrew his hand, finger cups covered in the remains of the coughed up blood.
"the way i care about you made me notice every little change. for a start, the bags under your eyes,"
minho remained silent as the older stroked the skin underneath his eyes, tears welling up slowly.
"the sunken cheeks,"
the soft touch brushed over his cheek as chan cupped his face and drew his face closer to him.
"cracked lips,"
chan's voice lost on volume with each word as his thoughts seemed to travel elsewhere. the blond beauty was just, looking, at minho — eyes locked with the flower boy while tracing his bottom lip slowly.
a shudder ran down minho's spine.
"and despite all that, i've never wanted anyone more than you."
every amount of rational thinking minho had left shut down after hearing these words, clinging onto chan like his life depended on it.
how ironic, really.
chan didn't say anything, words not from necessity as one of his hands rested on the back of minho's neck, playing with his hair while the other was slung around his waist, grip secure and comforting.
when minho inhaled chan's familiar scent the pressure on his lungs lessened, fresh oxygen filling his lungs as he lingered in the warmth chan was providing. a laugh of disbelief left the brunet's pretty lips as the realization of their mutual feelings slowly dawned upon him.
minho felt chan's chest vibrate at his sudden outburst, a faint blush spreading across his cheekbones. chan's attempt of breaking their intimate embrace was in vain as the younger only sunk deeper into his arms.
"don't pull away yet! please i-,"
minho took a deep breath, scolding himself at his shaky tone.
"this is all a bit much,"
his aforementioned words were swallowed by the silence surrounding them as chan just kept on holding onto minho, silently following his request with steady strokes through his brown curls. minho would've faded into the drowsiness of falling asleep if it wasn't for chan to eventually pull away and face him.
"all better now?"
minho didn't know how to answer. his thoughts were entangled in a mess and each exhale he took shook unstable — though, the burning that usually occurred afterwards was yet to come.
when he woke up that day his expectations were understandable low. bones filled with dread at having to live another day with the pain that his love for the man holding him at this moment brought. the brunet raised his gaze upwards and and suddenly he knew one thing for sure.
he really wanted to kiss chan. knock his breath out and claim those lips as his own like he has always wanted to.
and maybe that's just exactly what he did.
plump lips locked within the other while both boys melted into the touch, minho's bold move leaving chan with his back on the carpeted floor as the flower boy straddled him. chan being chan, however, flipped them over and had minho breathless underneath him in the blink of an eye. the moonlight that was still shining onto them made the blond beauty glow, appearance purified by what the flower boy would call an almost angel like halo.
minho's cheeks coated in a soft pink as he couldn't hold back the tears that wanted to escape at the sight. chan's lips brushed across his salty tears and at that minho swore that he would give his everything to this man.
"we just kissed and you're crying, that doesn't sit quite right with me."
minho giggled, his heart light.
and if they fell asleep under the moon with the feeling of each other's lips still lingering on their own, it was for them to know.