Sunrise [Yungi FF]

5. I'll Show You

"I'm Mingi."

Yunho stared at the blue hair and the brown eyes, the memories from a few days ago fresh in his mind.

He didn't know where to begin, but he remembered what Mingi said to him last night, and how that would mean nothing now, after what he did.

"Wha-" Yunho jerked his head, tearing his gaze away from Mingi's pupils. "I'm...uh, I'm sorry for the inconvenience back there. I made a scene and I disrupted you, didn't I? You should go back in. I can help you with whatever you need."

Feeling as if he was being rude by avoiding eye contact when talking, Yunho braved a glance towards Mingi again. He didn't expect to see an amused expression on the other man's face.

"You don't have to be so nervous. It's not your fault, and I'm not mad at you." Mingi broke into a smile as he spoke, his eyes reacting similarly by squinting into tiny curved slits with wrinkled edges.

Yunho took a moment to realize that Mingi wasn't kidding. He reminded himself that he was talking to the person who complimented him and called him nice, not the person he encountered during the night shift - that had to have been a silly mistake on his part.

Something hot and sour rose up to the back of his nose. The chilly temperatures were getting to him, stinging his eyes, reddening his cheeks, and giving him dry lips.

His heart had to pump harder to deliver warm blood everywhere, and maybe that was why it abandoned its other responsibility to control his emotions.

So Yunho opened his mouth and poured his heart out to a stranger he had just met.

"I'm just...I don't know why - I try so hard but I don't seem to be good enough no matter what I do." His cheeks were flushed red and his upper body was enveloped in a swirl of heat radiating from the inside out.

Yunho rubbed some feeling back into his cold hands before he continued. His body temperature was a mess. "Maybe I've been deluding myself all along. I'm pathetic and useless."

There was a long pause before either of them did anything. Yunho stirred first, suddenly uncomfortable after revealing his insecurities. He couldn't blame anyone though - it took him years to open up to Jongho, so he should've been more careful.

Yunho was wondering how to step out of this social predicament when Mingi wrapped his hand around his freezing ones.

The action came so abruptly that Yunho didn't know what to do other than to feel the warmth from Mingi's hands slowly seeping into his skin. When he finally came to his senses he flinched and recoiled to break the contact.

Embarrassment turned his ears red as he tried to compose himself by clearing his throat and straightening his posture.

Mingi retracted his hand when he saw Yunho's reaction. "Sorry...I," he said, scratching the back of his neck with the same hand he had use to touch Yunho. "It's just me...I'm used to taking care of people, and your hands looked cold, so..."

Yunho wasn't sure whether he wanted to laugh or cry at the goofy smile on Mingi's face. The sensation of Mingi's touch lingered on his skin, which turned the awkwardness of the situation into pure discomfort.

He didn't know what Mingi wanted from him, but he knew he had to return to work soon. And work was a good excuse to leave this situation politely.

"It's fine. I should probably go back in now." Yunho stood up, putting his hands inside his coat pockets.

Before Yunho could stand up completely, Mingi grabbed him by the elbow. "Wait, you still haven't told me your name."

Yunho shook his arm free and turned to Mingi, trying not to get annoyed. "It's Yunho," he said, only then remembering the name tag hung on his shirt for everyone to see. Either Mingi wasn't paying attention or he was playing around. "Happy now?"