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Minhyuk is the sun, Hyungwon is the moon. Minhyuk is vibrant, all bright shades of yellows, oranges, and reds, whilst Hyungwon's lethargy paints him deep blues, purples, and greens. While talk comes easy to Minhyuk, exiting his mouth in streams, words remain wedged between Hyungwon's lips.
Despite this, the two are drawn to each other, balancing each other out like fire and water, push and pull, yin and yang.
To outsiders, their relationship appears rather one-sided, the sun chasing the moon with no hope of catching it. Minhyuk doesn't mind, Hyungwon's presence is calming, soothing like trickling water.
—
The summertime sun beats down on Minhyuk, who soaks it up through his skin and in his hair. Meanwhile, fabric encompasses every inch of Hyungwon, who desperately seeks the gratification offered by towering trees and looming buildings. Minhyuk finds it strange that Hyungwon endures the heat clad in his winter clothes, but he doesn't question it. Their friendship is based on opposites, after all.
One day, Hyungwon reaches for something above him and his sleeve lowers to reveal smudges of blues, purples, and greens. When Minhyuk questions him, Hyungwon hastily pulls the material back over his skin and mutters a near incomprehensible comment about accidentally falling over.
—
They start to meet in the dead of night, accompanied by nothing but the stars and the moon.
Hyungwon squeezes through the cracks of his window and melds into the darkness, bare feet pattering on the ground underneath as he pushes himself forward. His first destination is a small house a few blocks away from his own, one story with an attic of sorts, simple and unassuming but radiating comfort and warmth.
There are a few indentations in the low exterior wall that Hyungwon's feet find with ease as he scales up the side of the house, tapping on the window of the attic. He's greeted by a pair of large eyes followed a bright smile belonging to none other than Minhyuk. Minhyuk throws on a hood and lifts his window open before jumping down to join Hyungwon, heading to their spot under the bridge.
They meet like this because Hyungwon's dad is asleep and, as a result, can't expect him to be at home. Minhyuk's asked Hyungwon once or twice why he's kept in the house so often, to which Hyungwon mutters brief responses about having to fulfill his duties as a good son and not disappoint his father.
Minhyuk wishes he could see Hyungwon more often, but he supposes this is okay too, staring at the galaxies coloring the night sky blues, purples, and greens with Hyungwon by his side.
—
As time passes, Minhyuk begins to notice an increasing number of galaxies bloom on Hyungwon's skin to accompany those they gaze at after dark. Every time, Hyungwon writes off these shades of blue, purple, and green as clumsy accidents, mere mistakes.
—
The first time Minhyuk presses his lips to Hyungwon's, it takes a nerve-wracking few seconds before Hyungwon kisses back. Hyungwon's touches are soft and gentle, purposeful and slow. Minhyuk treats Hyungwon like he's something fragile.
When they break apart, Minhyuk feels lighter. He beams before he pulls out flowers with petals of blues and purples and stems of green, holding them gingerly between his fingers to Hyungwon.
"I don't have much to give, but I thought these flowers were pretty."
Hyungwon accepts the flowers gratefully, leaving that night having exchanged his heart with Minhyuk's.
For the rest of their time together, Minhyuk picks a new batch of these flowers for Hyungwon every day. Hyungwon's disposition is constantly gloomy, and Minhyuk likes the way Hyungwon's face lights up for a brief moment at the gesture.
—
Minhyuk waits until the sun begins to rise, but Hyungwon doesn't show up to his house that night. The next day, Minhyuk finds Hyungwon crying at their spot.
Sadness ebbs at Minhyuk as he moves to wipe the tears from Hyungwon's cheeks. Hyungwon flinches at the sudden contact, sufficiently driving a shard of ice into Minhyuk's chest.
The soft yellows, oranges, and reds that once defined Minhyuk grow more severe as the blues, purples, and greens on Hyungwon's skin intensify.
—
Things are okay for a while.
Hyungwon's dad unexpectedly leaves town on some sort of business and leaves Hyungwon on his own. The freeness is liberating, and he sees Minhyuk more often. Minhyuk doesn't think he's ever seen Hyungwon smile so much.
With his dad gone, Hyungwon invites Minhyuk to his house. They share laughter and a newfound intimacy that feel less tainted by despondency.
Minhyuk doesn't think he's ever experienced anything more beautiful than Hyungwon's laugh. Not even the blues, purples, and greens of the galaxies plastered across the sky or the flowers that litter Hyungwon's room can come close to comparing to such a pure, ethereal sound.
—
When Hyungwon's father returns, Minhyuk doesn't see Hyungwon for a few days. He decides to visit, to see if he can catch a glimpse of the boy he adores.
Minhyuk isn't sure what he'd expected, but when he sees Hyungwon's father's fist connect, the blues, purples, and greens blooming across Hyungwon's skin begin to make sense.
—
A few nights later, Hyungwon returns to Minhyuk's window with a mask over his face. The sight of it breaks Minhyuk's heart. Under the bridge and beneath the stars, he proposes that Hyungwon stay with him, insisting that Hyungwon can take his bed and he'd be comfortable sleeping on the floor. Hyungwon refuses the offer, shame overtaking his expression.
When Minhyuk closes his eyes, he can't unsee the patches of blues, purples, and greens smeared across Hyungwon's skin.
—
Hyungwon continues wearing masks for many nights after that, never allowing Minhyuk to remove it from his face.
When Minhyuk finally manages to coax the mask off, red blossoms from Hyungwon's bottom lip and from a streak on his cheekbone. One eye is pressed into a line, surrounded by a myriad of deep colors.
"Why don't you leave?" Pain pools in Minhyuk's voice, it makes Hyungwon's own heart crumple. He doesn't trust himself to provide an adequate response and his lips stay sealed.
Hyungwon's face is painted with hues of blue, purple, and green; it makes Minhyuk's blood boil. When Hyungwon stays silent, the voids that are Minhyuk's eyes lust for revenge.
"I'm going to hurt that bastard." The sentiment is barely expressed before long, slim fingers weakly wrap around Minhyuk's wrist. What trickles out of Hyungwon's pretty lips next makes the situation grow exponentially worse.
"Don't. I deserved it."
Minhyuk's eyes somehow simultaneously soften and harden; half love, half fury. His fingers gently skim a swatch of purples and blues along Hyungwon's jawline, causing Hyungwon to involuntarily flinch from the contact. In a mere moment, Minhyuk's eyes cloud with a frightening desire for vengeance. He uncurls Hyungwon's fingers from his wrist before standing up swiftly.
"I'm going to fucking kill him for making you believe that."
—
It wasn't supposed to end like this.
Hyungwon lays half submerged in a porcelain bathtub and Minhyuk's lips tremble at the sight. He reaches forward, allowing his fingertips to trace the outline of Hyungwon's face. Tears overflow from Minhyuk's eyes, liquid misery rolling down his cheeks.
Hyungwon's skin is paler than snow and ice cold, his lips are bluer than any ocean, and where his back meets the bathtub is splattered with purple. The flowers Minhyuk brought Hyungwon lay around, but the petals have all but wilted, leaving behind stems of green.
All other colors fade from Minhyuk's world; he sees nothing but blues, purples, and greens.
Minhyuk climbs into the bathtub on top of Hyungwon, grasping his clammy hand. He buries his face in Hyungwon's frigid shoulder and sobs uncontrollably.
"I'm sorry." He chokes out. "I should've noticed, I should've stopped him, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
The word sorry escapes Minhyuk's lips over and over, repeating itself like a mantra. It doesn't feel like enough.
—
It isn't long before someone else stumbles in, but by the time they do, it's too late. Two bodies lay lifeless in the bathtub and the entirety of the room is tainted with blues, purples, and greens.