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—🦋—
Seungmin didn’t do this often. It wasn’t something he was used to anyways.
Hook-ups . He never hooked up.
Seungmin had never been interested in hooking up with anyone before. It wasn’t his thing. He liked more long term relationships. And there was nothing long term about meeting up with some guy from the Internet for sex.
At least that’s what Seungmin thought.
Long term.
He was a fool to believe that this wouldn’t be long term.
Seungmin should have known that there was something off about the man he met. The man was too invested with him. Too interested in Seungmin’s personal life. And maybe that wasn’t that weird, but when the man started to get very... captivated, Seungmin should have ran.
“ Do you like my tattoos? You remind me of this butterfly.”
It wasn’t that weird.
“ I collect them. Pretty things. You remind me of this one... you’re very pretty.”
Seungmin didn’t think anything of it. Why would he? Seungmin was happy someone was so interested in him. Even if it got a little weird.
The sex was fine. It was sex . Seungmin enjoyed holding onto the wall for support as the man moved behind him. It was normal. It was sex.
And then it wasn’t normal. And Seungmin would have panicked had he not passed out so quickly.
God, he wished he had run away.
Maybe then he wouldn’t have woken up in this place. Whatever this place was.
A dark and damp cell. It looked like something out of a horror movie. He had a chain around his badly bruised ankle, which upon waking hurt like hell. Maybe it was broken. He couldn’t tell, but it wasn’t like he could pull himself up anyways. He was exhausted, so tired he felt like dying the second he opened his eyes.
He didn’t know where he was. He didn’t understand where he was.
This was a sick nightmare. And Seungmin just wanted to wake up.
But there would be no waking. Not here.
Not in this damp and dark prison.
He wished he’d ran away.
—🦋—
Seungmin wasn’t sure how long he’d been in this cell. At first he thought he would be murdered within days. But he had counted the sun rise and fall over ten times before he stopped counting.
There was no explanation to his capture. All he knew was that he was trapped in a call with damp walls and hay that made him feel like he was in a medieval dungeon.
He was fed. There was a small opening at the bottom of his cell where food would be shoved through the hole. At first he refused to eat. And he would scream till his voice gave out for help. Or for any sort of forgiveness for whatever he’d done to deserve being locked in this cage.
But nothing worked. His captor was silent and there was nothing Seungmin could do to change that.
Everyday became... the same. He would sit against the cold wall and cry until he was given food. Bread, sometimes a garden salad, usually fruit. It probably wasn’t a great diet for him. But Seungmin couldn’t beg or choose. It was better than nothing he supposed, though he badly wished he would just... stop eating. If he could stop and refuse... he would die, right? He’d die anyways, he thought. But routine. This arrangement became routine.
Seungmin stopped crying after awhile, and he just ate normally and shoved the plates out of his hole along with the hay he couldn’t help but use as a bathroom.
He wanted a proper bathroom. He wanted a shower.
He wanted freedom.
How could a hook up go this badly? Why on earth would anyone do this to someone else?
Seungmin hated it here. But he supposed this was his life now. He was trapped like an insect.
And then things changed.
Seungmin had been fast asleep in his corner, hand under his head and curled into himself. As usual.
But the noise of struggle spooked him awake.
“Let me go!” The voice cried out.
Someone else was here?
Seungmin sat upright as the sound of a creaking door close by opened, the constant sounds of someone begging and pleading filling Seungmin’s ears.
Someone else was here.
“Help! What are you doing?!” The person was screaming. Seungmin couldn’t remember being shoved into this cage. He’d been unconscious.
This person didn’t have the same luxury.
There was the sound of struggle and then a thud, causing Seungmin to tense in place. He wouldn’t dare say a word. He didn’t want any sort of trouble, besides he couldn’t do anything to change his fate. He was locked in a cage.
Seungmin heard the door shut, the sound of footsteps causing him to curl up against the wall, chin buried in his knees as his eyes stared at the bottom of his door, the distinctive shoes he knew well glaring right back at him.
Please don’t come in.
That’s all he wanted. He wanted to be left alone. He didn’t want trouble. He didn’t want anything. He just wanted to be left alone.
“ Don’t talk to him. ” Seungmin froze, the man’s voice ringing in his ears. The voice that he knew well. The last voice he’d heard before he was thrown into this dungeon.
Seungmin had definitely had some sort of idea on who his captor was, but part of him thought that maybe he’d been sold to some other sicko. But no, his captor was the same man he’d met that night... for a one night stand.
If Seungmin could change time, he would.
And Seungmin watched in panic as the man stood in silence, his eyes shaking before the shoes finally dragged from his door, footsteps filling his ears again before the loud shut of whatever door the man disappeared through was.
Don’t talk to him. It was a threat. And Seungmin had never been threatened verbally until now. And this time, he’d oblige. He would listen. He had to.
—🦋—
Seungmin felt bad for being so silent. The moment the man in the room beside him woke up, he panicked. He was in obvious pain from whatever the man had done to knock him out. Seungmin assumed it had to do with his ankles based on the sounds and from his own personal experience.
“Hello? Hello?!”
It was the panic reminiscent of the panic Seungmin had when he was locked up for the first few days—weeks?
This man was terrified. Just as Seungmin had been.
But the threat lingered. Don’t talk to him. And Seungmin was too scared to say a word.
He felt so bad.
“Is anyone there? Can someone please help me?”
He screamed a lot. He cried a lot. A lot more than Seungmin had. He begged for his parents. He begged for anyone. Seungmin stayed silent, sat against the wall as his neighbor sobbed in the cell beside him.
And he wouldn’t stop. Seungmin wasn’t sure how many days had passed, but the man beside him continued to cry and slam around in the neighboring cell. He wouldn’t give up, and Seungmin wasn’t sure why.
It was no use. They were chained, and to Seungmin’s knowledge and based on the horrific sound of bone breaking in the cell beside him the day this man was locked away, neither he or Seungmin could even run. How could they get out anyways?
They couldn’t.
—🦋—
There were days where Seungmin wanted to scream at the man in the cell next to him. He wouldn’t stop crying. He wouldn’t stop screaming. He didn’t even sound like he had lungs as strong as Seungmin’s, and even when his voice broke he continued to scream for help.
Every single day.
And there was nothing Seungmin could do.
Until Seungmin fucked up.
Well, it wasn’t his fault entirely. He’d been quiet. Apparently the walls were thick enough for him to move around and do his business without being heard. Either that or the man was just awful at hearing things.
But his body had other plans. And with the slightest scratch of the nose he couldn’t take it anymore.
He sneezed.
Who knew a sneeze would ruin it all.
“Hello?” The man was patting at the wall separating them with enough force for Seungmin to hear, “oh my god... is someone there? Hello?”
Seungmin tried to stay quiet. He tried so hard. He’d been doing so well.
“Please... please talk to me. If you’re there, please?”
He wanted to. He badly wanted to.
“Please?” The crying again. The sniffles and sobs that were loud enough to travel.
This man was so loud.
“Stop crying.” Seungmin sighed, resting himself upright against the wall, staring at the peak of sun that hit the corner of his room, “you keep crying... every second of every day.”
“Oh my god?!” The man sobbed harder, of course he did. He was terrified. “Who are you?! When did you get here? Have you been ignoring me?” All through choked sobs and staggered breaths.
And Seungmin thought that he was miserable.
Seungmin listened for the door, waiting for the man to come in and punish them. But it never happened.
“I’ve been here longer than you—.”
“Longer?!” The man started to calm with the seconds, which was good. Seungmin couldn’t risk being punished.
“Yeah... I don’t know how long it’s been.”
The man went silent after a few moments, his voice shaky yet firm, “who are you?”
Seungmin took a deep breath, what if this was a test? What if the man beside him was a test to see if he’d talk? And break the rules—.
“I’m Minho...”
Minho.
“I... I was just on a date. It was just a date and...” the man sniffled again once before his voice finally calmed, “I can’t remember what happened but he... I woke up in that man’s arms and I panicked...”
Seungmin listened closely.
“He was carrying me down stairs. Like basement stairs. And it was so dark and... I panicked and he just dragged me into this horrible room.”
So they were in a basement? That explained the heat.
“He shoved me into here... and I tried to fight back but he just... he had something with him. Something heavy.”
Seungmin shuddered.
“Some kind of tool... he hit me in the head I think. I can’t remember where he hit me exactly but I woke up with a head wound and... my ankle was...” the man took a deep breath, “I’m chained in here. You’re chained too, right?”
Seungmin frowned, “yes. I am.”
“Why didn’t you... why didn’t you talk to me?”
“He told me not to.”
Minho sounded so much more calm with time, “why would he say that?”
“I don’t know... but if you hear that door don’t talk to me. Don’t say my name.”
“What... why?”
“He told me not to talk to you. Like it was a threat. I don’t know what he’ll do. Act like you don’t know I’m here.”
“Is anyone else here?”
“I’ve never heard a sound. Not from anyone until you got here.”
“What if they’re being quiet too?”
Seungmin took a deep breath. Shit. What if there were others—would they tattle?
“It’s been so quiet... I think I’d have heard someone by now. And he only stopped at my door to tell me not to talk to you. And then he disappeared.”
“So it’s just... you think it’s just us?”
“Maybe.” Seungmin swallowed thickly, “I’ve been alone for... a long time.”
“You... who are you exactly? Why are you here?”
A hook up.
“A date.”
“He was nice... a little weird, but nice.” Minho whispered, “he kept talking about butterflies and stuff.”
Seungmin wasn’t sure how that was relevant even though the man has also talked about them with him.
“The doors...”
The doors?
“When he dragged me down here... I noticed the doors have words on them.”
Words?
“He... your door says Black Swallowtail . I have no idea what that means... but that’s what the door says. Mine said something weird too. Morpho ? I have no idea what that means exactly. But he... he kept talking about butterflies and his tattoos and...”
Seungmin bit into his bottom lip, annoyed by how dry and chapped it was, “butterflies...”
“Are we... like his butterflies or something?”
“Why would you come to that conclusion—.”
“I don’t know what you two did on your date. But all we did was fuck and talk about butterflies. He kept saying I reminded him of one.”
Seungmin winced at Minho’s sudden boldness.
“He kept talking about how pretty I was. He kept touching my hair and saying it reminded him of this butterfly and... I think that’s what my door means. Maybe... I don’t know.”
“Your hair?”
“Yeah it’s... it’s black but I had spray in color. Blue. It washed out but—.”
“How did it wash out?” Seungmin asked immediately. A shower. He wanted a shower. How did this man get a shower? That wasn’t fair. It wasn’t—.
“We had sex in his shower.”
Seungmin exhaled in annoyance with himself, “I’m sorry...”
“Did he say anything about butterflies to you?”
Seungmin’s eyes left the light at the wall, “he said I reminded him of his tattoo.”
“Which one?”
“It was black and red.”
“Is your hair black and red?”
“I’m wearing black pants and a red shirt.”
“So... did he just pick a butterfly for you over your clothes? It was that guy. It was him so... do you think that he—.” Minho went silent as the door creaked open.
Seungmin shut his mouth tight, fear starting to bubble in his throat as the footsteps approached.
Oh no.
He felt liquid run down his face. Tears? Seungmin hadn’t cried in weeks. He had been silent. He’d done so well—.
Seungmin shut his eyes tight as the shoes filled the hole at his door.
Maybe he would die. Was this man going to punish him for speaking?
He didn’t care... did he? Why was he so worried about survival. He wasn’t surviving. He was very slowly withering away.
And the sound of sliding forced Seungmin’s eyes opened, the bowl of fruit and a water bottle sliding towards him.
The usual.
Seungmin watched the door as he crawled to the food, the rusted chain at his ankle rattling weakly.
Silence.
And then the door shut with time, and Seungmin stayed silent for a while longer before Minho spoke up again.
“I want to get out of here, don’t you?”
Of course he did.
“I don’t know how... but we will get out. He can’t just... keep us here forever.”
Seungmin frowned, “he can...”
“No. We will get out. We have to.”
Seungmin didn’t believe that.
—🦋—
Minho was sweet. Once he’d gotten over the crying and panicking, things were fairly quiet. Minho was good company. He always had something interesting to inquire when they weren’t discussing their cells.
Their cells...
Their cells were completely the same. Hay. A small window. Damp walls. And a chain locking one of their ankles and connecting to outside of the room. Seungmin figured wherever they were chained was bad. Bad enough, anyways.
“Maybe we can fight back someday. Would he open the doors?”
Seungmin took a deep breath, “I doubt it.”
“How long has it been?”
Seungmin shook his head, “I don’t know anymore.”
“What did you do before all of this?”
“Before being held captive?” Seungmin asked with a teasing scoff, letting his head fall against the wall behind, “I was a student.”
Minho hummed a reply, “you’re young.”
“Are you old?”
“I should have been in school. I took up working instead.”
“How old are you?” Seungmin asked, finding the conversation to actually be soothing.
“I’m twenty-three.”
“You’re not that old at all...” Seungmin smiled, “I’m twenty.”
“Wow... he has a type then, huh?”
Seungmin frowned, wanting to change the conversation from their captor, “what work did you do?”
Minho laughed at that, “how did this guy get to you?”
“Are you hiding your job from me?” Seungmin laughed before closing his eyes at the memory, “a silly dating app. He liked all my pictures and he was... I thought he was hot. So we talked and met up. It was just a hookup but...”
“I’m sorry... we met similarly. But he fell for my voice apparently.”
Seungmin shifted, “your voice?”
“Yeah... don’t laugh but I was actually a phone sex operator.”
Seungmin couldn’t fight the grin across his face, “you’re kidding...”
“It pays super well! At least the place I was working at. They really liked my voice.”
Seungmin liked Minho’s voice too, honestly.
“It’s soothing.” Seungmin spoke, “I can see why.”
“Yeah... a big tip they give us is to never meet the people we talk to but he just... I don’t know. He seemed so nice.”
Seungmin recalled the guy being extremely friendly. Weird, but not alarming enough for Seungmin to draw this sort of conclusion, “he did...”
“I’m sorry that happened to you.”
“To me? You’re here too.”
Minho sighed, “I guess so... I feel stupid for meeting him.”
“You didn’t know.”
“Yeah I guess...”
Seungmin opened his eyes, watching the light in the corner of the room again, “how good at your job were you?”
“I was great.”
“That’s such an odd job...”
“Hey Seungmin, hold your hand up to your ear like you’re holding a phone.”
Seungmin turned though he couldn’t see Minho, “what?”
“Do you wanna call me?”
Call him?!
“Call me.” Minho laughed before Seungmin did as he was told, Minho waiting a moment before speaking again, “are you doing it?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Minho laughed softly before clearing his throat, “hello welcome to—.”
Seungmin couldn’t stifle the laugh as Minho read out a title screen as if he was a robot, giving Seungmin different options that Seungmin happily obliged in.
Why not? Seungmin was losing track of time anyways. And Minho was his only comfort.
Why not try to relieve that pent up stress?
“Hi there.” Minho’s voice was soft, “it seems you’ve ended up with me, huh?”
Seungmin snorted before falling into his character, “I suppose I have.”
“It’s a shame you don’t know what I look like... I guess you’ll have to follow my voice, hm?”
Seungmin smirked, “I guess so.”
“Minho by the way. But you can call me whatever you want.”
Seungmin played along, dragging his hand to his pants, “Seungmin. I’m Seungmin.”
“ Seungmin.” Minho whispered, causing Seungmin to shudder, “that name is so pretty. You know what else is pretty?”
Seungmin waited, bringing his hand to unzip his pants.
“I bet your cock is pretty.”
Seungmin hadn’t heard Minho be so lewd before, granted they didn’t know each other that well.
“I bet your cock is so perfect. And I’m sure it’s leaking by now, huh?”
Seungmin kept his hand to his ear even though it made no sense, his fingers tugging at his pants to free his cock.
“You’re probably so hard you can’t help but pull yourself out early, huh? I bet you’re already touching yourself.”
“So what if I am?”
“Can I touch myself too?”
Seungmin shivered, biting into his bottom lip as his hand wrapped around his cock, thumb smearing precum down his shaft, “yeah...”
There was shuffling from the other side, Minho’s chain the most audible sound before a hiss left the other room.
“I bet it’s been ages since you touched yourself, Seungmin.”
Seungmin nodded to himself, “I haven’t touched myself since... I haven’t once since I got here.”
“You won’t last long then, hm?”
No. No he wouldn’t.
“That hand around your cock, it’s not yours.” Seungmin sighed as Minho spoke, “that hand is mine.” Seungmin could hear Minho moving his own hand in the other room, “you won’t last long... not when I’m not touching you like this.”
This was so lewd, but Seungmin found himself moaning through his teeth as he pumped his cock, heat building in the pit of his stomach.
“I know you wanna cum. There’s no time to waste, hm?”
Seungmin lay his head onto his shoulder, hissing as he continued his movement, his toes starting to curl from the sensation.
“You sound pretty, Seungmin.” Minho’s voice was losing composure, indicating he would burst at any second. Seungmin couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of the man he had never seen before being as messy as he sounded, “are you gonna cum before me?”
A laugh, “you wish.”
Seungmin moaned to himself as he felt the tension in his stomach. He wouldn’t last long at all.
“You faltering over there?”
“You’re a shitty sex operator.” Seungmin teased, knitting his brows as he shuddered in anticipation.
“My hand seems to be doing wonders, huh?”
Seungmin threw his head back and released a low and shaky moan, the feeling of wet cum squishing between his fingers.
“I won, huh?” Minho laughed, Seungmin listening closely as he gasped through his own orgasm, waiting for the prime moment where Minho had his own.
It was so incredibly lewd. Maybe a little inappropriate for their situation. But it felt phenomenal.
And Minho’s pretty moan was worth it too. Seungmin couldn’t believe how soothing his moan was. Maybe he was good at his job.
“That was so fast...” Minho laughed, “I wish I could see you...”
Seungmin frowned as reality hit, tucking his softening cock into his pants before reaching over to grab one of the rags that were tossed haphazardly along the floor, wiping his hands.
“I wish I could see you too—.”
The sound of footsteps.
“Seungmin?”
Oh god?! How long had he been here?! How long had—Seungmin panicked, “don’t speak.” He whispered back, sliding himself against the wall.
Seungmin stay silent as the sound of footsteps filled his ears. They’d been caught. He had one job and he couldn’t even do that right. All he had to do was be quiet. It shouldn’t have been this hard. But it was. And now he was going to face the wrath.
He closed his eyes tight as the sound of his door started to bring tears to his eyes.
He’d kill him, wouldn’t he?
“Hey!”
Seungmin shuddered at the sound, curling into himself as the footsteps halted.
“Dont fucking touch him!” Minho . What was Minho doing?!
He didn’t want to open his eyes at all. Seungmin was frozen, shaking in the horror of what was to come for him. Seungmin whimpered out at the grab to his chain, forcing him to fall back and smack his head against the wall.
“Your fucking tattoos suck!” Minho shut up?!
Seungmin heard the chain drop, and the slam of his door. And he forced his eyes open in panic, pulling himself up into a sitting position as he dragged his back to the wall, fear freezing him.
Oh no.
He heard the door open, tears welling in his eyes.
No no.
“Wait... Minho, no—.” Seungmin was shaking but too paralyzed with fear as he heard Minho cry out, and then the sound of Minho letting out a pained sound.
Kicking? Was the man fucking kicking him?!
Seungmin pulled himself through his fear, dragging himself towards the wall, “Minho?!”
Seungmin pressed his ear to the wall. It didn’t help. He could just hear Minho’s pained whimpers and the sound of the rattling chain.
He could infer that the man was definitely kicking Minho. And then Seungmin heard the drag.
“Wait, what are you doing?” Seungmin crawled along the wall until he reached his door, sliding down to look through the opening where he would receive his food, panic eating away at his chest as he saw the man dragging something along the floor. It was too hard to make out at this angle. All he could see was dark pants and an ankle battered as badly as his own.
He was dragging Minho.
“No... it’s my fault!” Seungmin shivered, “please stop. He didn’t do anything! Please don’t hurt him!”
The man had never told Minho not to talk to Seungmin, had he? It was just... a warning to Seungmin.
“Please don’t!” Seungmin whimpered as he dragged himself up the door, listening to the dragging and the slam of a door.
No no no.
“Please bring him back... please don’t kill him.” Seungmin couldn’t compose himself. He was shaking in anxiety, heat spread up his chest and head. He wanted to get out and save him. He wanted to save Minho so badly. Minho hadn’t done anything wrong. He hadn’t. He was protecting Seungmin... he.
Was it the butterfly mention?
“Hey... hey!” Seungmin sniffles, trying to raise his voice again, “your tattoos are stupid! I’m saying it too! Fuck your butterflies!” Seungmin cried, listening for the door.
Nothing.
Seungmin kept going, yelling about the butterflies as much as he could. Maybe he’d be heard. Maybe he could escape. He didn’t know anymore.
Seungmin cried himself to sleep after a while. He didn’t know how long he’d been screaming, but his voice had given out. And he was too tired to continue.
So he slept.
—🦋—
Two days. Two days since Seungmin had heard from Minho.
The man had come back that same day he took Minho. He’d walked by his door and Seungmin could hear the sound of another door before the man returned to stop by his cell.
Seungmin wasn’t given food that day. And he wasn't even able to eat yesterday either.
He missed Minho. He missed the company. He felt so alone again. And he couldn’t stomach it. He just wanted out. So badly.
And he couldn’t shake the feeling that Minho needed him too. He didn’t believe that Minho was dead. He didn’t. If he believed that, he’d lose any hope. And he needed hope. And he needed Minho. His only solace. His only way of stability. He needed him.
Seungmin curled into a ball against his wall.
He wanted out.
He needed to get out.
So he stared at the door, waiting. He had to get out. He needed to find a way out. Ah... Seungmin took a deep breath. His only option was starving himself or... pretending to choke on his food.
The man would have to come in, right? He’d have to. What the hell would Seungmin do though? He stared down at his ankle in agony. What the fuck was he going to do—.
Oh.
Seungmin heard the footsteps, causing him to crawl towards the door. Food. Seungmin stared at the food before taking a handful and shoving it into his mouth quickly. He could hear more footsteps. But he wasn’t sure if anyone was even around. Just Seungmin and this man.
He had to act fast.
Seungmin slid the rest of the food away before taking a cough, and then another.
Either this man would let Seungmin die or he’d have to come in and save him.
Maybe Seungmin could catch him off guard. He had adrenaline pumping. He needed to get out. Even if he died trying. He couldn’t do this anymore. He wouldn’t.
Seungmin fell to his side, coughing and clutching his neck like he was actually choking. He had no idea what choking felt like. But he hoped it was enough. Otherwise he’d need to figure out a new plan.
Oh god.
Seungmin heard the door open, nearly causing him to lose focus. But he kept going, acting like he was choking as the man crouched down.
What the fuck was Seungmin supposed to do?
He panicked, the man turning him to examine. He couldn’t think straight as he reached over as fast as he could and grabbed the porcelain plate the man had given him for the day, smashing it hard against the man’s head.
He felt like he’d fucked up until the man fell forwards, Seungmin dragging himself up and out of the room as fast as he could. He thought the man would chase after him. But it was quiet. He was quiet.
Seungmin knew that wasn’t a death blow. He didn’t have time to check. But he did need to get this shackle off of his ankle. In panic, Seungmin turned, crouching down to reach into the man's pocket, and thank god for the keys in his pocket. And thank god that five tries later he quickly unshackled his ankle. And then he backed out of the room, eyes never leaving the man. He had to get out. He had to—.
Seungmin looked at the door to freedom, opened and brightly lit to show stairs.
The stairs that would lead him to freedom.
But Minho.
Seungmin pulled the door to his cell shut before turning the lock.
He took a deep breath and turned, eyes fixating on the glass door at the end of the hall, greenery filling his view. A greenhouse or something?! It looked like there was a garden in there.
With deep, unsteady breaths, Seungmin stumbled his way to the glass. Is that where he had taken Minho?
Seungmin opened the door, eyes widening at the very different room that was surrounded in plants and... butterflies. There were butterflies everywhere.
As beautiful as it was, Seungmin didn’t have time to stare in awe. He had to find Minho. He had to find his friend.
Seungmin shook his head as he raced past the marvelous room, reaching a few doors. Doors similar to the ones in the other room. And they weren’t locked.
He opened the first door, covering his mouth instantly at the sight. He nearly vomited. He nearly vomited right there.
Despite the beauty that resided inside of the room that was swarming with butterflies and more plants, there was... a corpse. A strung up corpse.
Seungmin shook his head at the sight.
This person had been dead for... so long. They were nailed up like... like a mounted butterfly. This was so sick. Seungmin wanted to cry. And scream. And part of him wanted to touch the sight but he just... he couldn’t. And god... the sight was too much. Swarmed in butterflies. Were they eating them? God.
Seungmin backed away and shut the door.
And he was filled with dread.
Because if Minho was in one of these rooms... he wouldn’t know what to do.
Seungmin held his sob as he reached for the next door, pushing it opened to the same scene as the other room. But there was a difference here. This person moved. And they were very much alive.
“Minho?!” Seungmin rushed to the man who was mounted, touching his hands in surprise before holding the man’s face up. He looked so tired. So distraught.
But the man seemed... confused. He didn’t seem happy to see Seungmin at all.
“Minho? Is that you? I’m here to help I—.”
The man shook his head, lips parting slowly before he mouthed a no.
“Wait... wait what do you mean?” Seungmin released the man’s face, “who are you? Are you... I?”
The man just watched Seungmin before raising his chin, Seungmin’s eyes widening at the sight.
Monarch.
Monarch was etched into his throat, covering a long scar along his neck.
Monarch....
Seungmin looked the man in the eye, “wait... monarch. That’s a butterfly... you—,” Seungmin examined the man’s neck in agony. This wasn’t Minho. This was someone else. Someone else the man had taken.
How many people had this man taken?!
The man looked at Seungmin sadly before mouthing something that Seungmin read as Chan.
“ Chan? Is that your name?” Seungmin asked.
The man nodded tiredly.
“I... okay.” Seungmin glanced behind before biting into his lip, “I’m so sorry I have to go but...” the man’s face fell, “I’ll be back, okay? I have to find my friend. I have to know he’s okay first, okay?”
The man seemed uncomfortable with that, humming in despair.
“I promise I’ll come back... I promise.”
He couldn’t speak. Seungmin noticed he couldn’t speak.
“I promise.” Seungmin pressed his palm against the other man’s, the feeling of the sharp silver nail making him wince in sympathy.
And then he backed away slowly, gazing down before leaving the room quietly.
He had to find Minho. Even if others needed him. Minho was his priority. He felt bad but... he needed to get Minho. He had to.
Seungmin studied the man’s door as he closed it, noticing the little writing that said monarch.
He just had to find Minho’s door. His butterfly... what butterfly had the man chosen for Minho.
“Shit...” Seungmin whispered to himself before studying the doors, various names he didn’t recognize before he stopped dead at the familiar name. Morpho.
“Because of his hair...” Seungmin stopped, pressing his fingers to the door before entering slowly, keeping the door behind opened as he walked past the greenery and the butterflies. He realized now... the butterflies in Chan’s room were all orange and black. Monarchs. All of the butterflies in this room were black and blue...
The man mounted had his head down. There was dried blood on his white shirt and as Seungmin studied him he could see the familiar dark pants and beaten ankle.
Minho. It had to be him.
Seungmin approached slowly, sliding his fingers to pull the man’s face up slowly.
Oh.
He was... beautiful. Whether this was Minho or not... he was so beautiful. He was more beautiful than this room. He was more beautiful than anything Seungmin had ever laid eyes on.
Seungmin felt the tears swell in his eyes as he ran his thumb across the man’s cheek, his lips parted and eyes shut.
“Minho...?”
Seungmin studied the man’s face, able to catch his breaths indicating he was certainly still alive. And then his eyes lingered, catching a bandage across his throat.
A bandage.
Seungmin took a deep breath as he held the man’s small face in one hand, sliding his other hand to pull back the bandage at the man’s neck. Seungmin wanted to vomit at the sight. There was the name etched on his throat. And then the wound. An obvious surgical wound that had been stitched.
Oh god.
Seungmin felt tears cloud in his eyes as he patted Minho’s cheek, “Minho... Minho it’s me. Please wake up?”
He needed him to wake up. He needed to get him out of here.
Seungmin heard a soft whine before he decided to reach over and tug the nail along with Minho’s hand from the board, knowing that tearing the nail from Minho’s hand could possibly harm him more than just taking the nail with him. And god these nails were so... long?
A whine.
Seungmin pulled back, watching the man force his watery eyes opened.
He was... so beautiful.
“Minho?”
The man blinked a few times before his eyes widened, and Seungmin’s heart broke the second he opened his lips to speak.
No sound. No anything.
Seungmin wouldn’t cry. He wouldn’t do that right now. Minho needed him.
“Yeah... it’s me.” Seungmin whispered shakily before reaching over to tug at the other nail, Minho falling forwards into Seungmin.
He was shorter than him.
Seungmin helped keep Minho upright, the man only seeming to want to collapse into him.
“Minho... we have to go, okay? We have to get out of—.”
Seungmin heard a noise, and before he could turn he was shoved into the wall by Minho, too fast to realize what was happening before he heard a loud cry.
He pulled himself up from the greenery, eyes wide at the man who had taken them captive. Seungmin panicked at the sight of him on Minho, reaching down and ready to throw him off.
But his fear didn’t last long.
Seungmin gasped at the sight of Minho pushing the man away to the side, holding his hand shakily with the nail intact. Covered in fresh blood.
The man was unmoving, blood trickling from a hold that was in his forehead. A perfect sized hole for the long nail...
Seungmin only watched a moment before directing his attention to Minho, walking around the man and helping Minho to his feet, the man shakier than he was.
“Minho...” Seungmin looked him in the eye before wrapping his arms around him securely, releasing shaky sighs as Minho wrapped his arms back around Seungmin carefully, his hands careful not to touch him.
He’d get him out of there. And now at least... they wouldn’t have to worry about their captor. Because he was lying in the pretty greenery, butterflies dancing around his face.
He’d get them out.
—🦋—
Seungmin helped Minho upstairs from the basement, helping Minho onto the couch as they reached the living room. He didn’t know what to do about the nails in his hands right now, but his priority was to get to a phone. Which thankfully was on the coffee table next to a butterfly mug.
So he called the police. In the least shaky way possible. And the moment he put the phone down, he broke down, curling into Minho at the couch and crying into his chest. It’s all he really could do at that moment.
Because what else would he do right then? He wanted to check the others. And he promised he would help Chan. But right now he was just... he couldn’t stop shaking.
Not right now.
—🦋—
Lee Minho. Seungmin had repeated his name in his head for hours. Lee Minho. Lee Minho. Lee Minho. It was a beautiful name for a beautiful person. And Seungmin had waited for hours to see him.
Six. The man had abducted a total of six different people. Six people shoved into cells and five mounted in that horrible room. Though three had died months ago. The only survivors were Chan, Minho, and Seungmin.
Chan would probably be in the hospital a lot longer than Minho. He’d been there longer... Seungmin wasn’t sure how long exactly. But according to the news Chan had been missing for over a month. And according to the news, despite Seungmin swearing he’d been gone for just as long. He’d only been missing for three weeks. And Minho had been missing for two.
They weren’t there that long at all. But it felt so long. It felt like weeks longer. It felt like months.
Seungmin took a deep breath as he stared at the door. He could finally see him. He could finally talk to him. Well... Seungmin could talk. He didn’t know the science behind what had happened in that place, but apparently their captor damaged their vocal cords, making it impossible for them to speak. And Seungmin hoped it was reversible. He hoped he could hear Minho again. Because that’s what he knew. His voice.
But overall, he just wanted to know Minho was okay. And after waiting for so long, he was finally opening the door. Able to see Minho. Minho actually requested to see Seungmin. And as soon as Minho could have any kind of guests besides family, Seungmin rushed to the opportunity.
The room was quiet of course. And when he crossed the room he nearly melted at the soft smile that met him.
“Hi...” Seungmin whispered before walking to the bed, frowning at the bandages wrapped around the man.
Minho held out his hand, bandage wrapped where he’d been punctured, and Seungmin didn’t hesitate to grab it, Minho lacing their fingers.
He was so warm.
“It’s nice to meet you...” Seungmin continued before sliding down on the bed beside Seungmin, “it’s so nice...”
Minho nodded at that, tilting his head as if he was studying Seungmin.
“What?” Seungmin laughed as Minho cracked a wider smile, “am I uglier than you expected?”
Minho shook his head before reaching over to grab a pen, scribbling something onto the notepad they must’ve given him before he held it up for Seungmin.
Seungmin’s face heated, and he couldn’t help but laugh and bite his lip.
“I’m not sexy... shut up.”
Minho gave him a look before scribbling again.
I didn’t say anything, asshole.
Seungmin couldn’t contain his smile as Minho shook his head.
“Are you okay?” Seungmin asked, Minho watching him a moment before nodding, “good... I’m glad you’re okay. Are they going to help with your... I don’t know if they can but—.”
Seungmin didn’t expect the warmth that hit his lips. But it was too nice to drag himself from. He felt himself melting into the warmth.
His lips were soft and had a hint of strawberry. He probably had chapstick or something. Whatever it was only made Seungmin press into the kiss. And Seungmin hummed softly as Minho brought a hand to his face, fingers brushing hair behind Seungmin’s ear before his lips pulled away.
“Wow...”
Minho’s smile was so pretty. Seungmin could stare at it for hours.
“You...”
Minho looked up to him, nodding before taking his pen back to the pad.
When I get out of here can you buy me food?
Seungmin scoffed, “oh I have to buy you food?”
Minho pouted, Seungmin nearly melting at the man’s expression before he scribbled more.
We can split it then! I want to eat dinner with you. I want to spend time with you.
Seungmin smiled as he read the messy writing, “spend time with me...”
More scribbling.
Please ♡?
The heart made Seungmin laugh, “okay... okay. I’ll buy you dinner.”
Minho slipped the pad away to sport a sly smirk.
Seungmin shook his head in disbelief, “you’re unbelievable...”
Minho nodded before tapping a finger to his own lips.
It didn’t take Seungmin long to figure what that meant. He leaned forward, slipping his fingers to the back of Minho’s neck as he kissed Minho again, this time with more enthusiasm and a little tongue—which made Seungmin heat up way more than he needed to. But it felt nice.
It was all nice.
He didn’t know what would happen in the future, but he just hoped that Minho would be okay. And happy. He didn’t seem broken, and didn’t seem pessimistic. He was so... he was a bright light.
And Seungmin looked forward to spending his time with the man he hadn’t known long at all. He looked so forward to it.
—🦋—