#minjundbd

89 - Wash: I’ll write a drabble of our characters showering/bathing together.

It was a growing tradition that once a week or so (if they both could spend a day together), five years old Baekhyun would come over to watch movies and play with a seven years old Minjun. Admittedly (though he’d never say it out loud) Minjun looked forward to these infrequent visits. There wasn’t much room in his life for cute and nice company -what with him being too shy to go play with the other kids in the village so he rather comfort himself by having all the animals living nearby to come and bring him joy daily -  so night movies curled under a blanket with a bowl of popcorn in between the two of them were the reprieve he craved.

That was where they were now, Minjun sprawled across the couch taking up most of the space in a big pair of teddy bears printed pajamas, puppy plushy resting idly on his chest. His head was pillowed on an armrest, face turned toward the screen with rapt attention. No matter how many times he saw The Lion King, the part where Mufasa dies still got to him. Averting his eyes from the animated stampede he knew was coming, Minjun nudged Baekhyun’s thigh with a socked foot. “Do you think my grandma would let us eat sweets and those of her delicious pastries at this hour?” 

“I don't know, my older brother always tells me it's bad to eat sweets late at night and― Stop keeping your feet warm by rubbing them on me! That's gross,” Baekhyun whined as he looked down at his lounging friend, “I don't mind eating more though, but promise me you won't tell my hyung, okay?” With a small pout, he lightly nudged the legs that were across his lap. While Minjun was laying across the couch and taking most of the space, Baekhyun was sitting up. Well, he was until he laid his upper body down on Minjun and attempted to push the other off. “You go ask your nanny, because she loves you a lot.” He continued to pout as he looked up, his hands poking at the taller’s side, which made Minjun to grin widely, arm extending out to reach for the younger's hair so he could give a strong, yet affective ruffle.

He knows that both of them really enjoyed their time when they’re like this, especially for the shorter one who was now trying to make him go and get something to satisfy his sweet tooth. He feels so related to his friend who surprisingly is gifted with the same ability as him, the ability of being able to understand and communicate with animals. However, there is a slight difference between the both of them. Baekhyun would talk to animals with what normal humans could be able to hear whenever animals are communicating together, while Minjun would speak in human language but animals would still understand him perfectly. However, the creatures would reply back to him in their own way. Either way, he could understand everything properly.

Maybe it was that slight difference that made little Baekhyun for finding it difficult to make friends, that was what Minjun supposed since he himself didn't have that much of friends, but it was mainly caused by his unsociable and shy behavior. Nevertheless, he still would like to spend such nice times with everyone like how his younger friend and himself are spending at the actual moment. In fact, this was the kind of life he wanted. It was such a strong contrast to his daily routine, that sometimes he surprised himself that he could have such different personas. But that wasn’t on Minjun's mind now, what he wanted now was to tease Baekhyun by not wanting to get up instead to find the sweets and quickly come back so the little one could latch himself like a koala onto the him while they enjoy their pastries. 

Eventually, Minjun started to grunt but kept on being stubborn by not moving from where he was splayed out on the couch. Nevertheless Baekhyun’s incessant poking made him squirm though, like it always did, and his whines could no longer be ignored. Rolling his eyes, Minjun reached down to pinch his friend’s cheek and tug on it with an exasperated smile. “Fine, but first you have to get off me, fatty.”

Not waiting for him to move, the boy rolled off the couch and out from under his friend, landing on his back with a thump. Meeting the younger’s eyes, he winked at him jokingly and proceeded to flip up onto his feet. He mostly did it just because his flexibility and strength let him to; not to mention there was a silent, ongoing battle between them about who had the best moves.

From the corner of his eyes, little Minjun could see the other furrowing his brow because of the small pinch he gave him. The older thought that his dongsaeng should be use to it at this point, since it seemed like he found the hobby with pinching his fully and squishy cheeks. He couldn't help himself from chuckling when Baekhyun feigned a look of hurt when he spoke, sniffling sadly.  

“Meanie,” the younger  muttered as he pouted at his older friend. “I'm not fat, don't call me that!” He lightly kicked Minjun's butt in the revenge for the comment, and the show off move, which made the older to jump a little and swallow the embarrassing surprised squeak that was trying to force its way up his throat. 

“Alright, alright, you're not fat at all, Baekhyunnie, you're only squishy!” Minjun laughed again, extending his arm out to ruffle the little boy's silky hair. “Hey, I have another idea. Since it's late and my nanny probably won't let us eat more sweets for the night, why don't we go take a nice bath together, so we would be all squeaky clean before going to bed? My grandmommy would also be really proud of us!”

“A bath? But I don't have my swimsuit with me...”

“It's fine, silly. We're both boys, so what do we have to hide from each others? Flip, flop, take off your clothes, jump in the water and we'll have fun! Come on, Baekhyunnie... I'll let you play with my rubber duckies.”

The shorter stared at him, slightly jutting his lower lip as he thought about the idea, then his facial expression went at ease as he smiled back brightly, “Okay, let's take a nice bath together― Kwak. Kwak, kwak, kwak! Kwak Minjun, you're the real duck here,” Baekhyun chanted happily, mentioning that the last name of the older one, indeed sounds like what a duck would say. 

“Hey, Minjunnie hyung,” Baekhyun called while the both of them walked their way to the bathroom. “Can we also bath together with real baby ducks? They're our friends, so it would be nice if we're having a nice time with the. Just like my brother would say, the more we are, the merrier it is!”

“Hmm, you're right, but it's late you know. Baby duckies are surely all sleeping with mommy ducky. They're probably tired after swimming on the late all day. Don't you think it would be better to let them rest for now? They deserve it.”  

“Ah, I see. I hope they're all having sweet dreams― Hyung, don't put the water too cold but warm enough. I don't want to freeze in the bathtub,” the little boy said before proceeding to undress himself, wrapping his arms around his body as the breeze came in contact against his skin. Then, when Minjun was done, he hopped inside the warm and nice water, exhaling happily as the other hurried to get rid of his own clothes before jumping in, splashing the shorter and laughing loudly when the younger rubbed the water off his face, only to splash back at the other as revenge.

So on, the two little boys shared that moment of joy, forgetting about their small matters but just enjoying what they got there, laughing and helping each other to wash and scrub their back. It was a memory to keep, a memory to remember, a memory to cherish. Now, Minjun, 21 years old, was standing in front of a stand where a few rubber ducks were staring and smiling at him. He took one of them in his palms then squeezed it, the toy replying with a squeaky noise.

A sad smile curved the corner of the man's lips as he put the plastic animal back with its family. He missed the old time where it was so easy to smile all the time. He craved for the time, where he didn't have to fight so hard to stay alive for another day. Life wasn't as easy as it was before and everything has changed since the apocalypse. Yet, all he could think after seeing the toy was about the memory he held about his old friend, the one who could communicate with animals just like him, Byun Baekhyun, the once little boy who had the most adorable cheeks to be played with. 

Sun rays seep in through a small space between the thick, worn out curtains of Jongin's bedroom, falling right onto the male's face in an attempt to wake him up and get him out of bed at least for the time it takes him to get the curtains closed and curl himself up in the blankets again. He doesn't do that, though. He slowly gets up, growling some sleepy insults at the sweater that doesn't settle comfortably on his body, the few books that fall off his bedside table, the blankets that can't seem to spread properly on the bed.

It's definitely not his day and there's an added emphasis when he opens the door and trips over the big black ball of fur that's been sleeping by the door once again. "Fluffy, god d-- how many times did I tell you not to sleep here?" The boy sighs loudly, maybe a bit too exasperatedly. The cat isn't having one of its best mornings either, so all that it can offer his owner is a hiss, which, of course, Jongin feels and stares at the cat with pursed lips. They have a staring contest for what seems to be an hour (probably 2-3 minutes in reality) before the cat forces itself to step closer to Jongin and rub its head against his leg. With a chuckle, Jongin crouches down in front of the mutant, taking its face between his hands and squishes it lightly, cooing lightly. "And you pretended to be a murderous cat. You're not scary at all. Just a big, fluffy kitten!" He knows this annoys the cat, so he's already on his back when the cat jumps forward, attacking in a playful manner. "Yah. I don't have time to play. It's either playtime or food." He stands up, brushing the dust off his clothes as the cat stares at him, a cross between sadness and annoyance on its face.

Part 1; The Awakening: Memory Loss. [x]

Minjun wandered around the place, still in that piece of fabric circling around his waist. With each turn he made, he became more confused. Dark stairwells leading up, and stairs leading down into darkness. Every step, every breath he breathed, seemed to echo through the halls. Cameras and other kinds of similar gadgets seemed to follow her anywhere. Hallways that ended without a door, forcing him to retrace his steps. There was no sense of direction, it seemed as if he was going in circles. Some doors were locked, and some doors opened into dark, seemingly empty rooms. He was afraid to go forward, afraid to go back, afraid to stand still. Then from the other end of the long corridor he saw a light coming towards him. Was it a lamp, a flash light, it was too small to be a torch. Was someone holding it, was it a human?

The boy tensed up as he came closer and closer to another metallic door with a small opening in which he could saw the source of luminosity that seemed to have come from - a piece of crystal of the size of a stone with color-changing light. He froze, his heart seemed to pound right out of his chest as his hand fell in contact with the knobs. He twisted it open only to reveal the interior of the room, another empty workplace where glimmer of the crystal kindly shone on the devastated desks and computers. It was just as if the glow was a ray of remaining hope encompassing a desolated place that once used to be so lively, yet now became a miserable lifeless memory of the past.

The crystal's gleam somehow conveyed a feeling of happiness, reassurance and peace, but still Minjun did not comprehend. He wondered why he couldn't smile and somehow feel at ease at the sight of it, but instead feel a wave of disgust in his insides, as if he felt ingenuity in front of that piece of light. Again that strange sensation of forgetting something important overcame his mind. However, he stepped in still, yet with hat weird feeling growing stronger through him as he walked into the room, but once again, he couldn’t care less. He needed  to find out everything about how he ended up in that kind of locus and a way out of it.

"Not so fast, you despicable monster."

"Monster?" Minjun muttered out in confusion, scrunching his nose as he assumed that the unknown call was directed towards him. Letting his eyes sweep over the area, annoyed that someone dared to call him with such an outrageous term when he saw someone standing stiffly on the opposite side of the abandoned workspace.

He chose not to say a word. Instead he let out a sigh and resisted the urge to run fingers frustratedly through his already messy hair as the fool had the audacity to stare him straight in the eyes and showed him such a cocky smirk after insulting him. Dark eyes bore back into the other male's as he cautiously reached for the pair of scissors he saw earlier on the desk right behind him, contemplating if he could let the bastard go scott free.

"Oh no, no, no, no. I don't think so," the stranger chuckled lowly. "I did great to come back to see if you were still alive or not after all the mess that happened. Now, if I were you I would put that pair of scissors down and obediently follow my instructions as the worthless and pathetic dog you are. I guess that's the only good thing you could do with that miserable life of yours ― obeying to my absolute commands." The man paused to laugh sadistically at Minjun, who was doing his best to keep himself from trembling with such a boiling anger that seems to grow stronger as the sick moron unstoppably blabbered out, "Besides, you're covered by your own filthy blood... Did it hurt to have those catheters implanted into you? Did it hurt even more when you tried to remove them all by yourself? I hope it did, because only your kind deserves to suffer that pain―"

"I think this is the part where you run," Minjun quipped back. "I have no idea about who the heck you are, but you're sick... Sick and just jealous that red looks so good on me." It was all he managed to say as he dangerously walked towards the man, hand clutching on his own weapon and teeth gritting from a blind anger. It was wrong, everything was wrong. He just couldn't accept the fact that someone simply called him with the worst and hurtful names they could even find in their vocabulary. It was wrong that Minjun, as he remembered faintly, could be able to reach a point where his patience would be completely gone, leaving place to a new beastly self to take control over his every actions. He didn't even care that his little clothing wasn't made for a fight.  It was wrong. Just so wrong. Wrong, wrong and wrong.

 Here we go.

Knife. Scissors. Screams. Groans. Blood. Fight. Everything went insanely into flashes through the boy's mind. He ducked a right hook meant to hit him square in the jaw, crouching low and sweeping one long leg under the enemy; the kick sent the other male crashing to the ground. He was just about to pop back onto his feet when suddenly, the stranger grabbed him by the hair, yanking him lower onto the ground.

The fight was wild as Minjun struggled on the dirty ground with the other man now on top of him, the edge of the enemy's knife coming too close to his throat for comfort. He grunted, cursed out loudly before luck finally heard his pleading, allowing him push his opponent off to stab the pair of scissors back until it sunk home in the man’s stomach. Yet, he wasn't satisfied.  Minjun wanted more. For once, he was being merciless, jumping back on the begging fool before striking again with his bloody weapon.

It went on like that and Minjun kept count -one, two, ten, fifteen- until finally he was left crouched in a fighting stance, breathing heavily, the cuts on his body doubled since his tangle with the device, the multiple lacerations dripping sticky, warm crimson. When no one else charged and the stillness of death hung in the air, Minjun finally came back to his senses, groaning a little at a particularly vicious cut along his back. No doubt it’d scar.  "Shit," He mumbled, staring out at the lifeless body left on the cement floor of the workroom. Silence rang loudly into his ears as he kept his horrified gaze on the unmoving man. Blood made lazy trails down his pale abdomen, seeping into the hem of the hanging fabric around his waist and following the inward curve of his jutting, narrow hips where they tainted the white fabric.

"I've killed someone with my own hands. I... I killed someone," the boy whispered faintly. "God, no, what have I done? Am I... Am I a murderer? Am I?"

Minjun bolted up into a sitting position with a loud gasp, his mind reeling. Everything seemed blurry, confusing; thoughts and senses swaddled in dark foggy shadows. As his eyes got more in focus and grew use to the bright lights above him, an unpleasant yet familiar sensation grew in him, flowing into his body and rushing into brain without mercy given. It dragged his consciousness into trenches of the ocean, where he could only receive the feeble echoes of his mind protesting against an unknown abuse: Pain.

Such an electrifying vibe that prodded at the edges of his senses, and trailed along as wary eyes diverted to find the cause of his woe. He was wearing nothing, but a thin piece of cloth circling his waist, but it wasn't the matter compared to the horror of finding wires connected to needles of the size of a nail, ramming into his skin, muscles and veins, torturing him and enchaining him to a strange device. He felt as if they were pumping the life out of him, stealing his lifetime second by second, every painful second as the machine emitted those annoying beeping, seemingly as if it was counting down the remaining time before death welcomes him. Minjun couldn't bare it. The pain was compulsory that he couldn't keep his cold blood anymore, but started screaming as loud as he could in attempt to release himself from his agony. Pain, fright, confusion, despair and anger were discerned in his trembling voice.  The only thought that was occurring in his mind was to get rid of those scary needles which were causing him so much suffering, so while only listening to his instinct, he grabbed the wires then harshly pulled them out of his chest, arms and legs - they were just implanted everywhere.

Once again, the pain was unbearable, burning as they resisted against Minjun's will and actions before finally letting go their grasp. With shaky hands, he went to take a grip on the two last needles engrafted in his temple, holding back his tears, yet unable to control his sobbing as he knew that those remaining ones would the most harm. They were connected to cervical nerves, the most sensitive and responsible nerves to pain. Taking a few deep breathing, the young man closed his eyes tightly, gritting his teeth together as he snatched off the two last threads out of his skull.

Minjun screamed, becoming delirious as the agonizing cries came out of his chest. Nothing would stop him from vociferating madly, not even when he found himself collapsing onto the floor. Warm tears were streaming down his cheeks as mixed of feelings were making him feeling dizzy. The boy miserably curled himself into a ball, not daring to take a look of his bleeding wounds, feeling completely wrecked, abandoned and lost into this silent white room.  The world was spinning and he was feeling so nauseous from what was happening to him. Shortly, distress and fear built up again, making the poor male to stand on his elbows as a flow of bile trailed up his stomach, stinging his dry throat before coming out of his mouth and hitting the floor into a dirty mess. He was short of breath, feverish probably.  Wiping his eyes and tears with the back of his hand, Minjun pushed himself off the ground, failing at the first attempt as his legs couldn't support his weight, yet slowly he tried to calmed down before trying once again with success.

Cold, hesitant light streamed in through the cracked bulbs hanging on the ceiling, casting eerie shadows on the walls. The young male straightened himself up weakly and drew cautious steps across the room, shadows swirling around his feet, sucking him in like a black hole. Whirling around, he let his eyes venture further around, only to see a single terribly-made bed, white sheets drenched with his sweat. On the right was that device with those many wires hanging carelessly in mid-air. On the left was a table and a chair, perfectly normal-looking in contrast with the odd whiteness of the place he was trapped in. The room seemed so peaceful compared to what was rushing into the boy's mind. But Minjun did not comprehend. He was more than confused now. The last thing he remembered was… the last thing… the last…

A shock overcame him as no memory appeared in his head, a new wave of panic afterwards as the foreign feeling of the room touched him. He was not where he was supposed to be, that he was sure of. Another thing was that same word, "Hope" that kept on popping into his mind. “Hope, hope.” he murmured as if trying to familiarize himself with the word, wondering if he was trying to seek for a strand of remaining hope inside of him or if that word had any other important meaning. Somehow, it seemed foreign too. But it was still right. A strong wave of never-ending questions washed through his mind. Why was he here? How did he get here? What exactly is the meaning of that single word, Hope?

He didn't know. He couldn't remember, but he was aware that he had to get out of that place as quick as he could, yet how?

A small glimpse appeared at the corner of his eyes, catching his attention. There it was, the door, locked with what Minjun could guess, a small lock device. The boy walked to it, analyzing it carefully before noticing that it would only unlocked itself by sliding a card on it. "Great..." he whispered darkly, turning around to find what could be useful as his eyes fell on the bloody needles which were once in inserted into his flesh. A rush of adrenaline filled his mind as he rushed toward them, grabbing one of them in his palm before going back to the door. He pressed his cheek against the cold material, slowly sliding the small metallic object n the opening of the lock device and carefully pushing on the right places. His stare didn't waver off the device before finally hearing a beeping  with he puffing sound of an automatic door ceding and opening.

The night was young and still ready to live on for many more hours. Only stars and the moon could be seen in the sky, fighting for attention of those below. A few crickets would, occasionally, let out their cries in an attempt to be heard, only to be swept away by the loud roaring of the few old cars that were still being used. It was the same as every city night during the after apocalypse, and, that wasn’t a bad thing compared to any misfortune which could be happening the next day.

Minjun hadn’t gone back on keeping his research about his parents' whereabouts yet and was, stupidly, dangling his feet off the side of a building while Hope, his puppy, was laying down next to him, staring into space absently. How many stories it was, he didn’t know. He didn’t care, and instead preoccupied himself with stinging the exposed skin of his arms by draping them on the rails there. They were meant for protection, to make sure no one fell off, but anyone could simply slide right underneath. Off the concrete edge and past the rust that looked too much like blood.

Before stumbling up the filthy stairs leading to the roof with his little companion, the boy had snatched up a pack of cigarettes from some equally filthy convenience store. To tell the truth, Minjun had never smoked before. He was highly against the idea of dirtying his lungs such an unhealthy habit. Nevertheless, things had changed now, including himself. The only regret he had for abandoning his past determination was to have his deceased grandmother looking at him from the sky with a sad and disapproval look.

Minjun shook his head to get rid of the thoughts that could bring his mood lower than it already was, only to  pay attention to what he could notice in his sight. The entire city seemed to have the stench of embalming fluid permeating each and every crevice. Stains and dirt didn’t even smear when he dragged his heel over them. Lights were harsh, and each passing figure didn’t have a face or a name attached.

He distinguished types of people by their clothes, giving him only a shallow understanding of the humans around him, but it was enough. The girl with low-cut top, red mouth, and six-inch heels swaying on the corner was a harlot. A man who pulled up to the curb a few minutes later in a starched suit, hands on the steering wheel of his Bugatti Veyron, was rich - the only few rich people who still earn powers in this whole mess. And the kid who had his face covered by the hood of his jacket, fingers on a small box cutter, would be going to be chased  by angry men shortly . It was an unknown city, defined as one only by the characteristic rush and vulgarity. Minjun didn’t know what its name was. Again, he didn’t care. He just get along with it by passing by.

But something had possessed him that night— he was tired of bumping into strangers, and going back his ‘occupation’ wasn’t an option he wanted to pick for now. That’s how he ended up where he was.

Taking a cigarette from his pocket for the first time that night, he slid it between bony fingers, lit it, and placed it past his lips. The first take-in of smoke was slow. Eyes all glass, they reflected the tiny dots of florescent light which came from the nearby clusters of cars and street-posts. The boy held his breath before sighing, grey wisps leaving through his lips and nose like ghosts. There was a fleeting moment of bewilderment in which he lifted an unoccupied hand to rub the curls of smoke between the pads of his index finger and thumb. He imagined that they actually had a texture: that it felt warm and seeped into his skin.

A quiet laugh broke the silence. Minjun kicked his legs out again, swinging them like a child and then brought the thin cancer stick back up to his mouth.

“I am God’s lonely man." The line was something he had heard a few days ago. They were not his own, but the words, he felt, rolled off the tip of his tongue perfectly.Giddy, and quite obviously out of it, the boy grinned to himself. He ignored Hope who was now staring at him with a worried look, but didn't dare asking him what was going on into his mind - Thus, respecting his silence.

Cars honked and people hurried off down below. Hunched over the rails, arms underneath him, and cheek pressed to his forearm while his legs continued to dangle, Minjun watched them all. He flicked the ashes of his Marlboro onto the concentration on life just a couple hundred feet beneath the soles of his shoes. Needing no one, wanting no one, he wouldn’t have felt a tinge of guilt for squashing a population under his foot.

Minjun breathed deeply, his leg draped over the edge of the building, his other pulled to his chest and secured there lazily with one arm. He was silent, the only other noise other than his shortness of breath being his rather boisterous puppy beside him who had no problem moving every five seconds. 'Minjunnie! Did we escaped from them? Did we escaped from the bad guys? 1-0 Team MinHopie, eh? Am I right or am I right?' 

It was true that the both of them were running away from some men who came into their road, trying to corner them and steal the backpack Minjun had been bringing around with useful material and supplies he kept and collected all along his long journey, going for the search of his long lost mother and father. Luckily, with an easy trick, the boy and his puppy were able to ran off from their offenders, forging away through shortcuts and finally ending up by climbing to the rooftop of an apartment, sound and safe - at least for the moment.

Trying not to roll his eyes and chuckle in amusement at the little ball of fur's excitement, he took a peek over the edge of the roof. The fall would be straight down and it would not be pleasant. Fortunately, he and Hope were experts in getting the job done. One measly jump from a roof to a window would be nothing. It was what was behind that window that would be the real challenge. Breaking in would probably alert the people who lived in there, and the fuss resulting from that might let his chasers situated his location.

He wasn't sure what was more annoying, being stuck on a rooftop without any other issues than the nearest balcony below or being captured by a bunch of clueless morons who surely had no possible knowledge of the government's headquarters being on the prowl of their supposed “secret” hideout—a place that held too much twisted creativity and imagination for the mind. The enemy was a bunch of amateurs, so much that it was insulting how easy this would be to take flight away from them. Minjun only wanted useful or nice encounters for his search and general living, but those idiots were only slowing him down.

And suddenly, Minjun was snatched from his thoughts by the far squawking of the men who were after him. Adjusting his backpack, he sighed once again. “The game isn't over yet, Hope. We have to reach that balcony below.” He started, “I know all this is exciting for your, but for the time being, focus on our next move, alright? We're going to jump and any wrong step could make us earn not so enjoying things such as injuries.” He hopped on his feet and glanced down at his friend. “Anyway, you ready? I'll go first and you'll follow next.”

Ruffling the head of the dog, took a few steps close to the edge and closed his right eye, estimating the jump from his current stance to the window. It looked like he was going to have to do this the old-fashioned way considering they had no proper vesting equipment. Pulling his own vest against him, he suddenly broke out into a run and soaring through the air and into the window. The glass shattered less than comfortably but then again, running through a window wasn't supposed to be cozy.

He hit the tiled floor of what seemed to be a huge yet lifeless library, landing on his feet. He winced slightly at the sting on the balls of his feet but he wasn't focused on that for long. Ridding himself of the stray pieces of glass that had caught on to his vest, then quickly turned to received Hope in his arms. The young puppy actually hit the edge of the balcony before stumbling in clumsily and falling into the boy's arms. Minjun was worried, but Hope quickly told him that he was fine, if he ignored his dizziness.

/Doesn't love you on purpose.