among us | minsung

han jisung: task four

➤ Games Won: 0
    | Game 1 in Progress... 9:41

Minho gave Jisung the directions to Navigation and set off in the opposite direction. Hyunjin was trying to coax Seungmin out from under the table with empty words and a gentle hand outstretched towards him. Seungmin shook him off and huddled further towards the center. Jisung heard him banging against the metal and each pang made him wince. This Seungmin wasn't the Seungmin he knew a few days ago. This Seungmin was Among Us Seungmin, all sharp edges and sudden movements. He lost his roundedness with Jeongin, who always acted as a buffer for him, and now he was resorting to isolation. He can not be hurt if he does not allow hurt in, and if someone hurts him, he can only blame himself. Jisung knew that well.

He glanced uneasily in the direction Minho pointed and back at Seungmin before sitting on the floor in front of the benches. He rested his forehead against the seat and inhaled deeply. Hyunjin was watching him. He could recognize those eyes on his body no matter how far away the culprit was. Guilt was tearing into his heart, leaving nothing but battered flesh and torn veins behind. If he didn't leave, the words he wanted to say would spill from his lips and kill Minho. Jisung raised his head and sent Seungmin a look he hoped said "I understand you", and stood. Hyunjin stared at him but said nothing, and Jisung left the brokenness.

To get to Navigation, or Nav, as most of the players called it, Jisung passed by O2, where Minho was waiting. The green backlight from the gauges highlighted his body in the otherwise dark room. He looked pretty, but then he smiled, and the dullness of his eyes made the momentary innocence fade back to black. Jisung wasn't looking at a cute boy from Earth. Not the handsome jocks from the books and cliche movies that the Kims taught him about. No, not Lee Minho. When Minho smiled, his lips pulled back like they were tied to strings connected to the ceiling. Every move he made wasn't him. He was a puppet in the Game, and the coward hiding behind the Control Console was pulling him along. Jisung wouldn't be surprised if the Puppeteer made Minho do a little dance just for the irony of it. To flaunt his power over a group of people who couldn't do anything but obey in fear of being cut loose from the strings and left to face the dark truth of murder.

"Alright, little sparrow, you ready to learn?" Minho slung his arm across Jisung's shoulders and led them into Navigation. The light was brighter, and Jisung could see the divots in Minho's skin, the acne spots on his chin, the mole on his nose. He was beautiful, Jisung had to admit, even if most of the time he was covered in somebody else's blood.

Minho stopped in front of a control console covered in LED screens and glowing buttons. "Chart course is simple. The biggest screen is your course, always." Jisung located the largest screen, shaped like a rectangle and flanked by two semi-circle screens on the right side. "It's a fun game of following the line, but the entire ship is depending on you to not kill them. Just drag the ship to each point, slowly, so you don't fuck it up, and we can move on."

Jisung faced the screen and placed his finger on the ship icon. He dragged it as Minho said to each point and when the marker turned green, he moved to the next. The screen blackened after the final marker, and the taskbar on Jisung's tablet rose slightly. The crewmates were almost 3/4ths done, and Minho was becoming fidgety. Jisung grabbed his hand to steady him and walked them towards the download center. It was a plain screen that said DOWNLOAD in upper case letters. Jisung thought the upper case was overkill but held his tongue. Minho leaned on the wall by his side and glued his eyes to the doorway.

"Minho?" Minho hummed, resting his head against the wall. His hair fell softly across his eyes, and Jisung was struck by the dark chocolate color of his iris. Jisung was constantly haunted by Yeji's dying almond eyes, Hyunjin's furious ones, and Minho's hooded eyes were refreshing. He was truly stunning.

"Jisung?" Minho whispered, and Jisung noticed that he was leaning closer and closer, dazed by Minho's eyes. He shot backward and shook his head with an awkward laugh. He shook his head like he could shake the thoughts of Minho from his brain and let them clatter to the floor to be stepped on. The download reached 67%, and Minho's bloodied hands cradled Jisung's face. At 72%, Minho kissed Jisung slowly, savoring the taste of his lips and the feeling of Jisung's body pressed into his. 84% and Jisung was melting into Minho's hold, grasping at his shoulders as Minho's kisses deepened and Jisung's jaw slackened. 91%, Jisung's back hit the wall, and Minho's hands grabbed his waist to keep him standing as their tongues met. 99% and Green walked into Navigation.

Jisung pushed Minho away from him and avoided eye contact by picking at the gaps in the vent beneath his feet with the sole of his shoe. Green was frozen in the doorway, face morphed in shock, but it switched as recognition hit him, and he was smiling brighter than any player Jisung had seen. For a moment, Green had a sparkle Minho could never, and it was from excitement.

"Minho?" Green said. Minho turned to him, motionless with his arms crossed. His lips were slightly red, but despite his wayward appearance, he was scary. "I'm Changbin. I'm friends with Felix? And Chan? I don't know if you know Chan, but he thinks I'm crazy for wanting to talk to you. I think you're super cool." Changbin held out his hand, and Minho shook it. The moment Changbin's buff body slammed against the ground, Jisung turned away. He knew it was coming, but for a second, he thought he saw something shift in Minho.

"Changbin, can I tell you something?" Minho asked, and Jisung peeked over his shoulder. Changbin was pinned to the ground on his back, with Minho's knee in his chest and his knife at his throat. Minho's hands were shaking, and there were tears on his lashes. "I don't want to be a murderer. I don't want to kill you. You know that, right?" Changbin nodded softly, so as not to jostle the knife on his neck. "I'm honored that you think I'm cool. In our next life, come find me, and I'd love to be your friend. But this life is not suitable for friends, not for people like me."

"I will find you," Changbin affirmed. Minho smiled, and Changbin died peacefully on the Navigation floor. Jisung hoped he was laughing with Felix, wherever he went, and that they were nice to Jeongin, and hugging him like Seungmin did. He hoped that if Heaven was real, they were the prettiest angels up there.

Minho pocketed the knife, and the mask returned. There were no signs of the Minho who gently pushed Jisung against the wall and kissed him like he needed the taste of Jisung to live. In fact, there was nothing at all, and Jisung discovered that he mistook the shell of Minho for a mask. A shell was the remnants of the person, a mask was a new person. Not once had Minho acted like a different person, no. Minho only acted like himself the day before he turned 13 and killed his first person, and it was beautiful.

They were halfway to shields when the lights cut out and the sirens wailed. Jisung reached out, but Minho was gone. He held his hands over his ears to block out the sounds and navigated the hallway through touch. He felt the cool metal railing under his fingertips and called Minho's name into the darkness. Only the sirens replied, and Jisung was completely alone.