[ junsu giggles at that. he can kind of imagine it. even if it's not funny that the guards are that bothered by it. at least it was another reason they left him alone. it seems like the better alternative than having them on you all the time. his face still aches.
he hums, closing his eyes. ]
Okay. [ he's comfortable. he didn't think he'd ever feel comfortable again, but he's comfortable right now, as he drifts off to sleep, resting fully. ]
[ah- that's a nice sound. minsu's never been the reason that someone laughed before. he's never been the reason for the least little bit of anyone's happiness.
minsu thinks about it, how it makes him feel, the whole time that junsu's asleep.]
[ junsu wakes up still tangled up in minsu, and finds he doesn't want that to change. he's slow to regain some sense of fully awake, drowsy, exhausted to the bone by the intense ups and downs of emotions he's been having since getting caught.
but while he's here, pressed up against minsu, it's simpler. feels safe, even. ]
[minsu whispers back before smiling at his own joke. he remains almost unnaturally still, and will continue to do so. for junsu, yes, but also for himself.
they'll be bringing breakfast trays around soon. minsu should be starving, senses noticing even the smell of the water that they boil for oatmeal. it doesn't feel as sharp today. he would even choose to stay like this for a little longer over the meal.]
[minsu's amused by it, and he meant the words as a compliment. but when he thinks about it, what too much survival has made him, he realizes that maybe it wasn't.]
Anyway, you being alive matters to me. I like having someone to talk to.
[and touch, and smell, both of which minsu is also doing at that moment.]
[ he wrinkles his nose, but more out of shyness than dislike. he figures it's a compliment, coming from a fox. even if some aspects of this kind of fox are terrifying to him, minsu isn't. not at all. ]
I like being talked to.
[ and touched. that much is implied in the way he doesn't make minsu stop, and keeps himself relaxed and close by. he's so lucky. his cellmate is minsu, and that feels like a gift, and luck so powerful it might as well be magic. he could've landed with anyone. someone awful. someone evil. someone who would know he was human. someone who would want to hurt him. someone who would want him. ]
[he really doesn't want to argue junsu's opinion, give him reasons for why he does belong there, scare him with them. what he says back isn't a lie - junsu belongs there less because he doesn't belong there at all.]
Do you hate it that much? Do you want to escape right away?
[minsu doesn't know how closely they're still watching the newest arrival. it would be even less after a few days. but things could happen in those few days. junsu could be hurt again.]
[ he can't explain just why he's so afraid, though. not without revealing he's human, and he can't yet be sure it won't make minsu turn on him. he doubts it, but his self-preservation instincts tell him not to say anything yet.
escaping right away would be ideal, but it's probably not safe. ]
So you'll protect me? [ he finishes for him, closing his eyes. he wants that safety and protection, but getting it for no reason, without asking for it, without doing anything to deserve it, feels weird. like it's a lie. like minsu might say that but then decide junsu isn't worth it.
junsu has to make him care, make him think he has to keep him safe. his hand finds minsu's chest, fingers tapping there idly. ]
[he's never protected anyone before, only himself. it's the safest way, it's how you survive.
but minsu's had enough time in here to think about it, and about how his life had pretty much already been solitary confinement. but now junsu's here with him, and he likes his company, likes this boy, and he doesn't really want to lose either of them.]
I'll protect you. The next time those men come to hurt you, they're in for a surprise.
[he tips junsu's chin up, just enough for him to see his face. literally, his face as minsu shifts his appearance to match the other's.]
Stay under the covers with a pillow. It'll look big enough that they think you're me.
[ that's... startling, and scary, and kind of hot all at once. junsu gets goosebumps, watching minsu shift into him while declaring that he'll keep him safe.
god, he's so easy. his heart skips a beat. his hand lifts to touch minsu's cheek, but it's his face instead. his lips and his nose. it's not at all like looking at the mirror. it's like seeing himself as others see him for the first time. ]
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he hums, closing his eyes. ]
Okay. [ he's comfortable. he didn't think he'd ever feel comfortable again, but he's comfortable right now, as he drifts off to sleep, resting fully. ]
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minsu thinks about it, how it makes him feel, the whole time that junsu's asleep.]
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but while he's here, pressed up against minsu, it's simpler. feels safe, even. ]
Are you up? [ he whispers. ]
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[minsu whispers back before smiling at his own joke. he remains almost unnaturally still, and will continue to do so. for junsu, yes, but also for himself.
they'll be bringing breakfast trays around soon. minsu should be starving, senses noticing even the smell of the water that they boil for oatmeal. it doesn't feel as sharp today. he would even choose to stay like this for a little longer over the meal.]
Do you hurt?
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[ he answers, eyes closing as he stays hidden against minsu, finding safety in a stranger, and one that is a threat to humans.
he sighs. ]
But alive. That's what matters.
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[minsu's amused by it, and he meant the words as a compliment. but when he thinks about it, what too much survival has made him, he realizes that maybe it wasn't.]
Anyway, you being alive matters to me. I like having someone to talk to.
[and touch, and smell, both of which minsu is also doing at that moment.]
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I like being talked to.
[ and touched. that much is implied in the way he doesn't make minsu stop, and keeps himself relaxed and close by. he's so lucky. his cellmate is minsu, and that feels like a gift, and luck so powerful it might as well be magic. he could've landed with anyone. someone awful. someone evil. someone who would know he was human. someone who would want to hurt him. someone who would want him. ]
You're nice. You don't belong here.
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[he really doesn't want to argue junsu's opinion, give him reasons for why he does belong there, scare him with them. what he says back isn't a lie - junsu belongs there less because he doesn't belong there at all.]
Do you hate it that much? Do you want to escape right away?
[minsu doesn't know how closely they're still watching the newest arrival. it would be even less after a few days. but things could happen in those few days. junsu could be hurt again.]
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[ he can't explain just why he's so afraid, though. not without revealing he's human, and he can't yet be sure it won't make minsu turn on him. he doubts it, but his self-preservation instincts tell him not to say anything yet.
escaping right away would be ideal, but it's probably not safe. ]
We should wait. We need to plan.
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[the 'stay close to me' goes unspoken. minsu feels suddenly shy and can't finish the thought.]
And I've already got it figured it out.
[which might seem surprising, or even unlikely. but there is still a little of that fox cleverness inside of him.]
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junsu has to make him care, make him think he has to keep him safe. his hand finds minsu's chest, fingers tapping there idly. ]
What's the plan, then?
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but minsu's had enough time in here to think about it, and about how his life had pretty much already been solitary confinement. but now junsu's here with him, and he likes his company, likes this boy, and he doesn't really want to lose either of them.]
I'll protect you. The next time those men come to hurt you, they're in for a surprise.
[he tips junsu's chin up, just enough for him to see his face. literally, his face as minsu shifts his appearance to match the other's.]
Stay under the covers with a pillow. It'll look big enough that they think you're me.
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god, he's so easy. his heart skips a beat. his hand lifts to touch minsu's cheek, but it's his face instead. his lips and his nose. it's not at all like looking at the mirror. it's like seeing himself as others see him for the first time. ]
Okay, [ he whispers, breathless, enthralled. ]