Chapter 9. Brave

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There is a discussion about verbal abuse and gaslighting topics. Relationship dynamics with bad partners are heavily discussed - please avoid reading any further if these topics are sensitive to you.

 Relationship dynamics with bad partners are heavily discussed - please avoid reading any further if these topics are sensitive to you

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•───•⋇⊶⊰❣⊱⊷⋇ ⋇⊶⊰❣⊱⊷⋇•───•

Minho holds onto Han's hand as they slowly walk down the path, eyes averting the gaze he can feel on his neck. He can feel the words piling over his tongue, wanting to slip free and wanting to be honest, but his mouth seems sewed shut.

"Minho?" Han asks timidly. "If you don't want to talk right now, that's okay. We can talk later?"

It's not that Minho didn't want to talk, it was entirely the reason that he was here now, holding gently onto Han's hand. Fear coursed through his veins as the idle image of Han rejecting his apology simmers like boiling water, ready to overflow. He's relatively calm about this, trying to keep his emotions behind the mask he configured, but Han isn't blind by any means. He can sense the slight tremble to Minho's hand, which only makes him hold his hand tighter.

"I'm really sorry." Minho's words finally break the barrier between them, and Han suddenly, but visibly relaxes. "Felix filled me in on some stuff, so I needed to come talk to you."

"Felix-" Han sighs, now aware of Minho's sudden appearance at his house. "What did he say?"

"He told me you called him last night."

"I did." Han nods, taking a second to decide on honesty or vague answers as to why he called Felix. "I really thought he was not going to answer his phone, but he did. I grabbed my stuff from your house and ran over to his. I was incredibly scared about having nowhere to go and no one to go to. I just panicked."

Minho feels vomit twist in his gut. "I should've never told you that I didn't care."

"You were angry, I get it-"

"No, Han. I shouldn't have said it regardless. Angry or not, I knew what was happening back at your house. I can't tell you that I didn't care when I really did. I worry about you all the time-" Minho's jaw tightens as his chest feels heavy suddenly, taking a short, sharp breath inwards to relax himself. "I was so blind and I didn't realize how wrong I was."

Wrong? "Minho, I don't expect you to always take care of me. We aren't even together, you're not obligated to watch over me."

"But I was the one housing you. I was the one that wanted to take care of you."

Wanted to-? "Minho, hold on. Let's slow down for a second." Han stops in his tracks, eyes pivoting towards the ground. Minho stops and looks at him, still clinging to his hand.

"Too much?"

"Yeah, I'm just a bit overwhelmed. Can we just talk about something else?" Han looks towards him, watching Minho's gaze shift away worriedly.

𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐚 ║ ᴍɪɴꜱᴜɴɢWhere stories live. Discover now