There is mentions of a toxic and abusive relationship along with themes regarding gaslighting and anxiety. Depression is hinted throughout the chapter with written mild sexual content. Please do not read any further if these topics are sensitive to you.

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The week passes. Minho finds himself avoiding classes for the next three days after he abruptly leaves on Monday, staying home and holding Han closely to his chest. The onslaught of panic and anxiety was too much for Minho to handle with the resurfacing trauma of Min-Ji's abusive behavior now going around the school in a set of rumors.

The moment the recording was heard by Min-Ji's company, a statement was released that vaguely disclosed her separation from her debuting group, claiming that she needed time for her mental health. But her fans were not happy enough with that answer, searching through buzzing articles and hacking into databases just enough to retrieve a leak of a report.

The recording itself was private, but the details of her behavior towards Minho was released into the public by swarm. Minho's phone was persistent, buzzing every thirty seconds with old friends apologizing to him, but he deleted every text and almost blocked every number. He sat on the couch nearly the entirety of the day Tuesday, eyes staring into the television thoughtlessly as Han tried to make lunch and wondered how to make his boyfriend feel better.

Old memories scramble to stay afloat in Minho's mind as he listens to berating nightmares of a traumatic past resurface, but he leaves them little room to breathe. Every memory, every thought, every single anxiety-ridden tear is swallowed, leaving Minho no choice but to drown himself in silence and kisses to Han's jaw.

He wasn't coping healthily by any means, but he felt he had no other way out of his own, traumatizing mind. Han was there, always worrying and always asking what he could do, but Minho did his best to downplay every emotion, every flashback, swallowing tears and hitched breaths. Han did his best to comfort Minho in whatever way he could, holding his hand, kissing his temple, breathing his air and whispering affectionate words.

Touching naked skin and tasting each other was Minho's escape, swallowing quiet moans from Han's lips as he touches him, leaving each other blissed beyond reason. Han always kissed him before they slept, whispering a quiet I love you before drifting to sleep and praying that Minho would sleep too.

Wednesday passes with the same routine, leaving both males to settle into bed that Thursday night, bringing silence and comfort, finally beginning to feel the essence of healing wash through the bedroom.

Minho, in reality, needed time to think. His mind was a complete mess, but that was a given considering the unhealthy amount of time he'd spent regretting the choice to out his ex like that. Felix and Han both tried to reassure the decision that he so rashly made, but Minho continued to feel guilty nonetheless.

So he rests. Head down in the pillow, arm slung across Han's waist and holding him gently, bare chest pressed against the younger's bare back. This time he was sleeping. He was calm, quiet; breaths finally even and heart content as he held onto the one thing in his life he deems as precious.

The night comes with fog as the moon sets and sun begins to rise, gentle water colors floating above the peak of the horizon as the bright white star furthers itself into the atmosphere. Minho didn't bother to set an alarm, well aware that he wanted to skip again for the sake of his own healing. The dean of the school was well aware of what was going on, thankfully giving an excused absence to Minho and Han both (especially after Minho explained a bit of Han's situation, too). There was no pressure. Not a single worry about having to wake up to deal with the eyes and blatant stares from their classmates about a situation that was seemingly blown over proportion. Yes, the rumor sounded bad, but Min-Ji's true actions were far, far worse.

Minho wasn't ready to face them yet. He had spent hours fighting off deadly thoughts and rude awakenings, silently waking from nightmares he didn't bother to pester Han about, and instead slept through the pain formed in his chest. But that morning, Han wakes first, eyes slightly red and mind buzzing to life. He listened to Minho rest for a few minutes, counting every breath and relishing in his boyfriend's sleepy state. He just hoped he would be okay eventually.

"Minhoooo-" Han says softly, hand on Minho's chest as he shakes the elder awake. Minho groans unhappily, brows furrowing as he reaches for the blanket in an attempt to shove it over his head. "Minho, please."

"Let me sleep." Minho says sadly, feeling Han grab onto the comforter and tug the opposite direction. "Hannie!"

"I'm sorry, hyung. It's almost noon."

"Jesus," The threat of them sleeping through the morning is enough for Minho to at least peel his eyes open, blinking tiredly at Han as his eyes struggle to focus. "Is it really?"

"Yes," Han smiles down at him, hand reaching to wipe stray strands of hair out of his eyes. "I'm hungry, so please get out of bed."

"You can always go eat without me."

"Now why would I ever do that?" Han watches Minho's lips pull into a sleepy smile as they look at eachother, groggy and barely awake.

"Because you hate me?"

"Hyung!" Han chuckles, watching the elder laugh softly below him. Minho was flat on his back, eyes blinking up at his partner affectionately. Han had one arm over his body, palm pressed into the bed to keep himself upright.

"Sorry, sorry. I know you don't hate me."

"Let's go eat something, hmm?" Han hums happily, leaning down, pressing a long, but warm kiss to Minho's lips, entrapping heat between them.

Minho wraps his hands around the back of Han's neck, fingers slowly trailing down to his jaw as he moves to grab his chin, softly pulling him off of his own lips. "Quit kissing me like that before I trap you in this bed, yeah?"

Han smirks at him, feeling Han's fingers gently let go of his chin. "Maybe later, Minho."

"Is that a promise?"

Minho sits upright, watching Han lean backwards to adjust to Minho's sudden will to leave his warm blankets and cold pillow. But, very quickly does Han realize that Minho is pressing close to him, forcing him onto his back with heavily flushed cheeks and freshly kissed lips.

A quiet whimper of surprise leaves Han once he makes contact with the bed, and once the noise reaches Minho's ears, he warmly smiles and looks down at him. "You bet it is."

"Come on," Han gently shoves Minho's shoulders, watching the elder giggle at their close encounter. "I'm hungry."

The males make their way down the stairs and into the kitchen eventually, Han settling down at the table while Minho stands at the stove, spatula in hand as he scrambles five eggs.

"Minho'ah?" Han asks across the kitchen, watching his boyfriend turn his head slightly, throwing a loud yeah? over his shoulder.

"Hyunjin apparently has a proposition for us." Han looks back towards his phone that lays open to a thread of text messages, waiting on an expectant phone call.

"God, what is it now? If it's another party, tell him I'm done for the year."

"Ah," Han says softly as his phone lights up and begins to vibrate. He answers it quickly, holding the phone to his ear. "Hyunjin?"

"Ji! I have a question for you and Minho."

"We're listening."

"Well, Felix and I kinda feel bad for the shit you guys have been through since you've been together. We just wanted to invite you both back out to my place so we can hang out. Just the four of us."

"Oh. Minho was kinda worried that there was another party."

"Not one that I know of."

"Well, that sounds nice, Jinnie. You guys are at lunch right now, yeah?"

"Yeah. Felix and I are eating outside. It's a bit suffocating inside."

"Is it still bad?"

"No, not for Minho. Just. . . y'know. Typical school shit."

"Good. I think Minho plans on going back Monday, but we're just taking it day by day."

"Don't push for it. That was a lot of shit to work through. Minho is a tough guy, but no one can withstand that kind of trauma alone."

"I know. I'm just letting him work through it."

"Does he feel up to coming out? Or is he still. . . sad?"

"No, he's-" Han looks at Minho again, voice a little quieter and harder to hear over the sound of the sizzling pan. "He's just quiet sometimes. But I think he's doing better than he was."

"Felix has been worried about him. I'm sure we all have been."

"He's gotten texts from everyone, but I don't think he responded to them."

"He responded to Felix."

"He did?"

"Yeah. He sent Felix a short, but kind of nice message. He does seem to have a heart buried in there somewhere."

"I can assure you that he does." Han smiles, listening to Hyunjin laugh on the other end of the phone.

"I do not wanna know the details, Ji. But, uh, we'll be home around three. Felix and I are gonna skip dance for the day and just head to my house. See you there?"

"Yeah. We'll be there."

"Take care of him, Ji. He needs you."

"I know. Thanks, Jinnie."

The phone call ends and Han finds himself placing his phone face down on the wooden table, eyes gazing upwards as he turns to find Minho at the counter, palms face down and staring into the plate of cooked eggs.

"Are they worried?" Minho's voice barely holds any vocal tone, eyes weirdly cold and shoulders tense.

"Well, yeah." Han raises his brow slightly. "They love you, hyung. You know that, right?"

Minho doesn't respond and Han struggles to move for one long minute, almost hopeful that his partner would respond or just say something, but he never does.

"Minho-" Han rises from his chair, rounding the edge of the kitchen island as he walks behind the elder, his shorter stature hugging him, arms wrapping around his muscular body and holding him gently. Minho's head dips down, eyes closing, suddenly finding it hard to remain composed the minute Han hugged him. "Jagiya, what's wrong?"

"It's just been a lot." Minho admits, hands struggling to remain complacent on the marble countertop. Han's head rests against the male's back, listening to his breaths suddenly hitch. "I hate admitting how deep the scars go, but fuck. I felt like I was losing myself."

"I know she did some horrible things to you, Minho."

"I wish I could tell you everything, but I just can't."

Han's heart catches in his throat, remembering back to their honest talk on the sidewalk near his home. He thought that Minho had spilled the entirety of his soul back then, but if there was more he was hiding, let alone holding onto – Han wasn't sure how to react. "Only when you're ready you can tell me."

"Really?" Minho's head tilts up, a tear slipping down his cheek to cup under his jaw as he turns in Han's arms, letting his arms wrap around Han's lower back.

Minho thought he'd be used to Han's kind nature by now, but something about the younger's patience had always caught him off guard. Minho isn't one to feel a lot of emotions, but when he does, they're annoyingly strong and hard to ignore.

"Of course. It's your story to tell, but only when you're ready to. Pressuring you into telling me isn't going to make either of us feel better. I don't expect you to tell me tomorrow, or the next day. Not even next week or next month. Healing doesn't happen overnight, hyung. It takes a lot of time." Han reassures, hand reaching up to wipe the tear stain from Minho's cheek. "You helped me heal from my past. You might not think you did, but everything I went through feels so miniscule compared to how I feel about you."

"Hannie-"

"Listen to me, please." Han smiles, hand lowering down towards Minho's back. "Living with you has changed a lot about me. Though it's only been a month of us being together, there's not a single moment in between that I'd change. My parents might suck and I may have attachment issues, but god, Lee Minho. . . I really love you. You healed me and I just want to help you heal too."

"Ji," Minho smiles at him, a soft exhale leaving his lips as he presses a kiss to Han's forehead, pulling him into his chest and holding him inside of a warm, endearing hug.

"I just want to know that you're okay." Han says quietly, pressing a kiss to Minho's chest, wanting nothing more than to share the same loving heartbeat.

"I'll be okay eventually, especially if I have you." Minho kisses the crown of Han's head again, holding him even closer, if at all possible. Han could easily melt in Minho's arms right now, listening to his breaths even out, shoulders relaxing as he presses against Han's body.

"Are you feeling up to going out?" Han asks timidly, pulling away from Minho slowly, watching his eyes drift down towards his hands.

"Please tell me it's not a party."

"No, no." Han smiles. "Just to hang out with Hyunjin and Felix."

"That-" Minho pauses for a second, holding his breath in his lungs, contemplating. "That would be okay."

"If you're sure."

"I am. I'll be okay." Minho coos reassuringly, leaning an inch closer than before. "I really love you, too, by the way."

"Oh thank goodness, I was starting to get worried!" Han watches Minho laugh at him, pressing closer until he's kissing the laughter from his lips.

"You're such an idiot," Minho breaks away for a second, smiling as he kisses Han again.

"I'll happily be an idiot if it makes you smile." The younger breathes, pulling Minho into one last warm kiss.

"Jisung! Quit splashing me!" Hyunjin jokingly yells, hand gliding through the surface of the chlorinated water to splash right back at his opponent.

"Get off of your pool float then!" Han laughs, sending more splashing waves towards Hyunjin as he rests safely on a long blue pool float, hair tied up and sunglasses sitting on the bridge of his nose.

"It's my safe space." Hyunjin scowls playfully, watching Han scoff and begin to retaliate before a taller male swings in from his left, grabbing him by the waist and hoisting him over his shoulder.

"Minho?! What the fuck!" Han yells with a laugh attached to his higher-pitched voice, slung over the elder's shoulder properly like a ragdoll.

"Quit being an ass, Ji." Minho walks a few feet, listening to Felix and Hyunjin laugh a couple feet next to him, walking towards the edge of the pool and setting him down on the concrete ledge. Han looks back at him with a flush raised to his cheeks, a smile curled on the edge of his lips as he stares in bemusement.

"I didn't know you were that strong." Han says in a near-mumble, clearly surprised at Minho's sudden will to carry him as if he weighed nothing.

"I work out obsessively, Ji. Plus," Minho shrugs. "I just found out that I like carrying you."

"Oh god." The thought of Minho carrying him like that in a slightly different circumstance sends a trail of heat straight to his stomach.

"What, Ji? Don't want me to carry you?" Minho's head tilts to the side slowly, eyebrow raised with a quiet smirk dancing across his lips.

"Stop talking, hyung." Han's face was beat red, hands hurriedly reaching up to cover his face. Minho giggles quietly, watching his partner hide his embarrassment.

"You're cute," Minho coos softly, hands grabbing onto Han's wrist gently to pull away the cover to his face.

"Hey love birds!" Hyunjin calls from his pool float, eyes amused and lips wide with a grin. "Come here!"

Minho looks at Han for a second before raising his brow at Hyunjin's intrusion. Han suddenly places his hands on Minho's shoulders and starts to settle himself back down into the water. Minho doesn't move, head turning back with his hands finding the younger's waist, making sure he drifts back down into the cool water carefully.

Han follows Minho over to Hyunjin's safety float, Felix not too far away as he settles onto the concrete edge with his feet in the water, just a few inches away from the float itself.

"I was waiting to share this with you, just to make sure you were in good spirits. It's about Min-Ji. If you don't want to know, then we can just forget I said anything." Hyunjin holds his phone in his hand, watching Minho's eyes widen for a moment, then return to normal.

"I want to know." Minho assures, feeling Han reach for his hand supportively and entangle their fingers.

"Okay," Hyunjin looks down to his phone, tapping a few things on the screen before returning his gaze towards Minho, holding his phone out towards his friends. "Her twitter is gone. There was a tweet that was put out before her account was deleted, and it's a little weird. All it said was 'no matter where on Earth I am, I will love you always.'"

Minho's head dips down slightly, eyes dropping away from the phone and towards the slowly moving pool water. Han turns towards him, moving just enough to raise his free hand to Minho's face, thumb gently rubbing over his smooth skin.

Minho is quiet for what feels like an eternity, chest breathing soothing deep breaths that roll through his lungs and out his nose. Han could feel the elder trying to keep his composure, but he didn't say anything, barely moved and didn't interrupt. He just waited for Minho to be ready before he dared to speak about whatever was troubling him.

"That's what she used to say to me." Minho mumbles, a long sigh leaving his lips afterwards. No one speaks; instead, everyone listens. "It's what she would say after we'd fight or after she would ignore me for days on end. It was almost like she had to get out whatever anger was inside of her before returning to me and telling me that lie over and over again."

"Minho-" Han says quietly, watching the elder raise his gaze again and smile at his partner subtly, almost as if he was silently reassuring that he was okay.

"She lied to me a lot. She cheated on me and lied about her whereabouts. She never could be truthful to me, and for some stupid reason, I always believed her when she said that stupid lie. 'I will love you always.'" Minho scoffs at himself, or the thought of Min-Ji's lie, biting his bottom lip for a second before looking at Hyunjin and Felix. "She had a way of making you feel safe even though she was your main source of pain. I thought I had let all of it go, but, reliving everything has been horrible. I don't think I knew that I was traumatized this badly."

Han's hand drifts away from Minho's face, but Minho catches it with his free hand and gently pulls it to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to Han's knuckles. "But I'm better now. I had time to think, time to cope. . . time to heal. I'm glad she's gone. Really, I am. It's just different knowing that everyone knows the details of my relationship with her now."

"They don't know everything. What she did to you and what she said to you is very much private, but that doesn't have to stay with you forever. People may talk and bring up old memories, but the moment you choose to let it go-" Felix looks at Minho sympathetically over the stretch of water separating them. "That's the minute you find peace."

"I'm almost there." Minho tries to smile at Felix, but his eyes drift away back towards Han, who looks up at him worriedly. "I'll find my peace. It might be hard, but I have Ji now. As grossly cheesy as it is, I just have a feeling that I can find it with him."

"You're right." Hyunjin nods. "That is gross."

Minho smiles at his friend, then leans his head down to press a kiss against Han's head. His hand gently cups the side of Han's face, thumb soothing the skin it touches as his kiss lingers for a second.

"I'm glad it's over." Han mutters, breathing a few relaxing breaths before feeling Minho pull away from him.

"Her career is over," Felix shrugs. "She got what she deserved."

Minho nods, finally agreeing to the reality of the situation he spent so long feeling guilty for. It was never his plan to ruin her life like she ruined his, but the moment she tried to ruin his new relationship, that was the moment Minho started to stop subconsciously protecting her.

"Let's celebrate, yeah? The wicked witch is done and we've cleared Minho's name. Let's do something!" Hyunjin says happily, watching Felix turn to laugh at him quietly.

"I kind of want ice cream," Minho shrugs, and almost everyone starts to smile. "Do you guys want some?"

"Hell yeah," Hyunjin scurries across his float quickly (and not that safely), hand reaching out towards Felix as he tries to steady himself in his boyfriend's grasp. "Let's go slow pokes!"

Han looks at Minho again after watching Hyunjin nearly fall off of his safety float, gaze warm and loving. Minho looks back at him, feeling his heart slowly begin to race with affection. Han listens to Hyunjin curse at Felix in the background, followed by laughter from the two shortly after, but his eyes never leave Minho's gaze, watching them fill with ease for the first time in four days.

Minho dips his head down, jaw tilting slightly as he presses close to Han, noses touching and eyes fluttering shut. Their lips just inches away, barely touching, but feeling warm breaths against each other all the same.

"I love you." Han mutters, a smile curled on his lips as he closes the distance and kisses him, feeling Minho smile against him, love-stricken and on the verge of contentment.

"I love you most."

After a fun, laughter-filled evening spent hanging out with their friends and eating a copious amount of ice cream, Minho and Han find themselves back at the house, pressed up against one another. It was accidental, as it usually is, but in these said accidents, Han always seems to find himself beneath Minho, legs wrapped around his waist with the elder's lips sucking on his neck.

Han felt a bundle of whines build in his throat, eyes rolling into the back of his head when Minho grinds further into him, lips catching the pulse in Han's throat between his teeth. Han can't find the words to escape his tongue with Minho touching him like this, almost breathless and unaware of the words Minho was whispering delicately to him.

Han's hands find Minho's back, decorating his skin in light scratches as he tries to ground himself. Each movement of Minho's hips sent Han closer to tipping over the edge, eyes fluttering shut with Minho's hands glued to his waist. Only then does he feel Minho's lips attach to his own, hungry and sloppy, barely able to enjoy the taste of one another's saliva as they break apart and attach again, over and over.

"Minho-" Han breathes, pressing against his lips again languidly.

"I've got you." Minho's lips break away to stick themselves back to his neck, drifting down further towards his collarbone and nipping his skin there lightly. Han squirms against him, struggling to remain still as he feels nearly euphoric, hips rising to meet Minho's as each grind and touch on his body begins to feel electric.

Now he's wordless, struggling to remain in reality as the next minute builds a tight knot embedded deeply in his abdomen. He's almost there; breaths hitching as he bites his tongue, not allowing anymore whines to escape his throat.

Minho's lips drag towards Han's ear lobe, biting down and softly tugging on the flesh, feeling Han twitch below him and arch his back off of the bed. It was all the younger needed to tilt over the edge, hands grabbing for any ounce of skin on Minho's shoulders and upper back, bringing himself back down to Earth before he felt the elder chase his way towards his own euphoria.

"Minho?" A voice calls from down the stairs, one that Han has yet to hear before. Minho suddenly stops moving, chest heaving up and down with sweat attached to his forehead and bare chest. "Minho? I'm home!"

"Oh shit." Minho breathes, head turned towards his bedroom door that was thankfully shut and locked.

"Who is that?" Han asks quietly, watching Minho slowly turn his gaze back towards him, eyes worried and face flushed.

"It's my mom."