Chapter 4: Forest

Summary: It's barely been 24 hours since Ryan has returned to town, and he's already been roped into Grace and Simon's plans.

AN: Warning for Trypanophobia (Min-Gi is getting a testosterone shot in a brief scene.

Ryan jolted awake to the sound of murmuring. He lay on his back as his head spun for a while. After taking in the walls covered with various photos and certificates, he eventually registered that he was back in town, and in Min-Gi’s room.

Min-Gi, however, was nowhere to be found.

He pulled himself out of the bed and stumbled towards the kitchen. Min-Gi and his mother sat at the table while his dad served breakfast. They seemed deep in their conversation when Ryan walked over. They grew quiet as he approached the table.

‘Took you long enough to wake up,” Min-Gi teased. “It’s nearly noon. I’ve never seen you sleep in this long.”

“I guess I was really tired last night, huh?” Ryan chuckled, sitting down next to him at the table.

Min’s hand found his under the table and grasped it, brushing a thumb over his knuckles.

“I wish we’d gotten more of a heads up that you were coming, Ryan. It’s really been a while since I’ve seen you around,” Mrs.Park  said

 “Yeah… I’ve been around… doing stuff,” Ryan trailed off.  Mrs.Park gave him a concerned look but said nothing.

Mr. Park finished preparing another plate and said,“Do your parents know you’re back? Your brothers come over here sometimes asking if you were here. After breakfast, we can go over and catch up--”

 “Oh, you don’t have to worry about that!” he said suddenly. Now both Min-Gi and Mr. Park were also staring at him. 

“I think he’s still a bit out of it from travel,” Min said quickly, taking Ryan by the hand and practically dragging him back to his room. 

“Min, I--” 

“Are you feeling ok? Did something happen out there?” Min-Gi asked, checking his face for any injuries. “I should’ve asked you last night, but you looked so tired and–”

“I told you. I’m fine, Min,” Ryan said, gently pulling his hands away from his face and placing a kiss on his nose and forehead. Min-Gi turned bright red in the face and lowered his head. 

“You’re acting kinda weird this morning. When my dad suggested visiting your family, you flipped out. Did something happen?”

“I just can’t see my family right now, alright? It’s complicated. And… Please don’t let your parents hear about this.” 

“I won't, but… I’d really like to know what’s going on with you. What have you been up to this past year?” Ryan sighed and flopped backward onto Min’s bed, beckoning for the latter to join him. 

“I’ve been traveling around the country mostly. Did a few gigs and odd jobs here and there, Spent nights sleeping in the van to save money while I looked for a place we could move in and live together. Apartments are pretty expensive, am I right?” Ryan gave Min-Gi a crooked smile, but he did not respond.  “It’d be nice to get a place of our own one day ... away from here.”

Min-Gi frowned. 

“Dude, you’ve got huge dark circles under your eyes. When was the last time you had a good night’s sleep? And have you been eating properly? You look so-”

 “Aww, you worry too much,” he chuckled. “I promise I'm getting my full 8 hours of sleep and eating my fruits and vegetables and all that junk.” 

“And the gig you were talking about, how did you come across that?”

“Well, one of the nights I decided to splurge on a hotel bed, the guy next to me was having this huge argument with someone on the floor. I couldn’t sleep with all the yelling, so I came out of my room to see what was going on. Turns out, the person’s a producer and their client just quit on them. They had a whole line of gigs set up and they were gonna lose a lot of money from it since their client walked out!"

 “Go on…”

 “Well, I told them I was a musician, maybe I could fill in that vacant spot?”

“And you trusted them?”

 “Yeah? I didn’t get any weird vibes from them. They seem really nice and just got handed a bad deal. This could be our big break. We can get out of here and forget about this shitty town. Our lives are gonna be great.” 

Ryan leaned in to kiss Min, but he turned his head so Ryan ended up kissing his cheek. He fell over Min-Gi’s lap and pouted, making Min laugh.

“You’re not kissing me until you’ve dealt with your morning breath,” he said. “If you’re not going back to your place yet, I have some spare clothes you can wear for now. They don’t fit me anymore, but I figure you’d still want them one day. Now go freshen up.” 

Ryan made his way to the bathroom to quickly shower and brush his teeth. When he went back to Min’s room, a pile of clothes lay folded neatly on the bed. He slipped into it quickly. They fit relatively well on his smaller frame. 

“You can come back in, Min-Gi,” Ryan called out. “Sooooo… do I get my kiss now?”

“Well… I don’t know…” Min-Gi teased. He dissolved into giggles when Ryan groaned and playfully fell over in his lap. A gentle knocking at the door startled them.

 “You boys alright in there?” Mrs. Park asked quietly. “Don’t let your breakfast get cold!”

 Ryan sat back up, face flushed. Min looked equally embarrassed.

 “We’ll be down soon!” Ryan called out. Min sighed and massaged his temples.

“Are we ever going to tell them that we’re…” 

“I’m… still not ready…”

 “Your parents like me, right?”

 “Of course. As my friend. Telling them we’re dating is an entirely different ballgame. Especially after everything that’s happened…then you disappear for a year and no one knows what you’ve been up to… I…I just hope they’ll like you as my boyfriend.”

 “Do they think I’m not a good enough partner for you?” Ryan asked softly, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in his chest. 

“It’s not that it’s just…I just need the right time and place to tell them, ok? I’ll let you know when that happens.” 

“Of course,” Ryan said. 

“Want to race to the kitchen table?” Min-Gi teased, getting a head start. Ryan laughed and caught up to him, scrambling to the table, The two ate in silence, for the most part, sneaking loving glances at each other and blushing. 

“You know, since I’m back, maybe we could have a little jam session?” he suggested, pulling at Min’s ear. “It’s been a while since we’ve played together.” 

Min turned bright red and lowered his head before battling his hand gently. 

“Dude…” 

“What? It’s cute when you make that face.”

“You’re making it worse! What if my parents see?” 

“They’re upstairs, I promise. So… is that a yes?” 

“Yeah. I’ll get my mini synth,” he said. He quickly planted a kiss on Ryan’s cheek and went upstairs, leaving Ryan by himself. He sighed and rolled his head back in the chair, closing his eyes. Come to think of it, he couldn’t remember the last time he was able to relax.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw Mrs. Park sitting in front of him.

“Uh… Hi Mrs. Park,” he said quietly. “Sorry I kind of crashed here without saying anything.”

“I’m not mad about that, sweetheart, but I just wanted to check up on you… since it’s been a year since we’ve talked. I’ve got a few minutes before I have to go to work to chat.”

“Oh, I don’t want to make you late or anything, Mrs. Park, really, I’m alright.” Ryan started to mess around with the food on his plate.

“It’s no worries at all, dear. I just want to know how you’ve been and all.”

“Traveling,” he said quietly. “I’ve been across the country mostly. I guess it got pretty lonely after a while so I came back.”

“I’m glad you’re back. Did you see or meet anyone interesting?” she asked. Ryan paused for a moment, but shook his head. 

“Nothing beats coming back to my friends at home,” he admitted. He glanced at the clock. Mrs Park sighed and stood up.

“Well, I should get myself ready for work,” she said. “But one more thing, Ryan?”

“Yeah?”

“You can talk to me about anything, you know right? It will stay between the two of us if you want.”

Ryan nodded, and Mrs. Park left the kitchen.

Hearing a knock at the door, Ryan considered going upstairs to tell someone. Mrs. Park showed up to answer before he could get very far. 

“Is Min-Gi here?” went a young woman’s voice. “We're his old classmates… and friends. We'd like to talk to him.

 “I’ll call him downstairs. You can have a seat in the living room while you wait,” Mrs. Park said. 

Ryan got up to check out the sudden visitors and saw Grace and Simon sitting on the couch. It’d only been a year and yet they looked so much older than when he last saw them. Grace’s hair was done in knots. Simon’s hair grew out even more.

 Grace was the first to spot him and ran over immediately.

 “Ryan!” Grace gasped, hugging him tightly. 

“Grace!” Ryan gasped. She quickly lifted him into the air as she hugged him. She’d gotten a lot stronger since he’d left as well. 

“I’m so glad you’re back and safe. We missed you! What the hell have you gotten into this past year?”

“I missed you guys too! If you put me down, I can tell you!” Ryan said, his voice slightly strained from the tight hug. 

“Yeah, sorry,” she said sheepishly as she gently lowered him. 

Min showed up right behind Ryan, equally surprised at the guests in the room.

 “Grace! Simon…” he trailed off. “Look Grace, I’m sorry I didn’t believe you about the notebook-” 

“It’s ok, I get why you were so upset,” she said with a soft smile.

“But Ryan said we should hear you out,” Min continued, wrapping an arm around Ryan’s waist and pulling him close. “So… I’m hearing you out.”

“Just one problem,” Simon joined in. “We have the notebook, but we don’t have the thing… well, the robot… guy .. I guess???? To explain it. My so-called stepmom is holding him hostage, so I have to attend her goddaughter's birthday party to get it back.”

“But once we do, he’ll show you everything we know.” Grace continued.

“So…what do we do until then?” Min asked.

“Oh we’re not waiting till after the party to get the One-One, we’re getting him back tonight AT the party,” Simon said. “And we’ll make Joanne pay in the process.”

“How are we gonna do that?”

“Joanne hasn’t let One-One out of her sight all morning, so I bet she’s bringing him to the party tonight. But she’ll have to put him away at some point. I bet she’s gonna hide him somewhere in the area,” Simon told the group, crossing one leg over the other and leaning back. “We need to 1) find out where she’s hiding him, 2) Distract her long enough to grab him, and 3) get the hell out of there before she notices what happened.” 

“The party is invite-only,” Grace pointed out. “My parents and I got them in the mail last week. They have other plans tonight, though. Luckily, I’m allowed to bring a plus one!” 

“So can I,” Simon said. “Looks like you two will be coming with us.” 

“Wait, won’t people recognize us there?” Min-Gi asked, wringing his hands. “It’ll bring too much attention to us to be able to sneak away with the robot. How big even is this robot guy anyways?”

“Luckily for you guys, it’s a masquerade party,” Simon said. “And One-One’s like a soccer ball. Not too obvious but you can’t miss him when you see him.”

“You’ll blend in with everyone else easily when we get the disguises.” Grace grinned, clapping her hands together. “I know where to get the outfits. We’re going to look great tonight! Come on, we don’t have time to waste!” 

She grabbed Simon by the hand and reached out for Ryan.

“Well actually,” Ryan cut in, “Min and I have to do something first. We can meet you guys at your place afterwards.” 

“Sure. You still know how to get to my house?” 

“Of course. See you there….Bye Gracie.”

Grace’s face softened at the nickname.

“Bye, Ryan.”

After Grace and Simon left, Ryan turned to Min-Gi with a smile. “Ready for a little jam session?”

“Well, there’s just one thing I’ve gotta do,” Min-Gi said. He awkwardly shifted weight between his two feet.

“What’s up?”

“I usually ask my mom to do this but I forgot this morning and she’s gone to work. Do you still remember how to do my shots? I haven’t missed a single dosage and I don’t want to miss it now.”

Ryan smiled and followed Min-Gi to his room. He sat on the bed quietly and rolled up one pant leg while Ryan brought out an injector. Ryan quickly washed his hands before preparing to administer the shot. Min-Gi looked away as he did this, hands gripping the sheets on the bed.

“Sorry,” Min-Gi mumbled. “Still freaks me out every time.”

“You’re fine, you’re fine,” he said softly as he administered the shot. Min-Gi winced but stayed still. Ryan removed the needle and got him patched up. His hands brushed over Min-Gi’s thighs and legs gently before getting up and putting the materials away.

“Thanks,” he said with a kiss before rolling his pant leg back down.

“So… are we ready to go now?” Ryan asked after helping Min-Gi to his feet.

“Ryan, how are we gonna get to that place in the forest if you don’t have your van?” Min-Gi asked. “What if someone spots us?”

 “They won’t. I know a shortcut,” Ryan assured him. “We can walk together.” Ryan held out his hand, leading Min out of the door and along the road in front of them. He playfully swung their arms back and forth, cocking his head back and smiling wryly. Min blushed and gently twirled him around a few times along the way. It took a while, but they eventually arrived at their spot in the forest. Surprisingly, everything remained untouched after an entire year. 

“Everything’s still in place…except covered in a little snow.”

 “Did you ever come back here while I was gone?” he asked, leaning on Min’s shoulder. Min-Gi sighed and shook his head.

“I… I just couldn’t bring myself to be here while you weren’t. I’d just get too sad coming here on my own.” 

“Well, now you don’t have to,” Ryan said softly. 

“I’m glad.”

 Ryan sighed and sat on a snowy tree stump. Min winced. 

“What?” 

“Come on, we don’t know what bugs or animals got around here,” Min groaned, awkwardly brushing off a separate stump to sit. He pulled out his mini synth and shivered. He stared at it.

“Are you uh..”

“It’s…been a while since I’ve used this,” Min admitted. “Ever since you left, I’ve felt… frozen in place. Everything keeps coming and going, but I don’t think I ever left where we were when those kids got on that train.” 

Min-Gi’s fists tightened. Ryan felt a pang of guilt growing in the pit of his stomach.  He reached out

“Min…If I’d known leaving would have hurt you this much, I-” 

“Hey, that doesn't matter now. You came back like you said you would, and that’s all that matters. And soon, we’ll be getting out of here together.” 

This in fact made Ryan feel even more guilty, and he quietly began strumming his guitar to ease his nerves. 

“Do you still wanna… you know?” he mumbled without looking up.

 “Yeah? That’s why we’re here, right?”

“Right. Let’s play.” He and Min-Gi spent hours playing a lyricless tune. The sun started to set. 

“I think we’ve gotta get to Grace and Simon now,” Min said. “If we’re not too late…”

 “Come on, just one more song?” Ryan pleaded. 

“Ryan, we haven’t even been playing songs,” Min chuckled, getting up and holding out his hand. “Now come on. You can walk me all the way to Grace’s place if you want. You can even hold my hand.” 

“I’ll do you one even better.” In a flash, Ryan scooped Min off his feet and carried him bridal style out of the woods as they both laughed.

 “I see Grace’s silhouette in the window,” Min pointed out. “Also, you can put me down now.” 

When Ryan knocked on the door, a tall burly man greeted him and his boyfriend. It’d been a while since he’d been around here. This man looked completely unfamiliar.

“We uh, we’re here to see Grace?”

 “Says who? The Monroe family didn’t say they were expecting guests tonight. Especially with Charles and Briar being out of the house.” 

“Come on, we’re her friends--” The man took a menacing step toward the two. 

“You have 10 seconds to get lost, or I’ll be forced to--”

 “That’s enough, Maurice,” Grace’s voice cut in. “I invited them here. Were you not paying attention?”

Maurice scowled and let Ryan and Min through. Grace immediately pulled the two upstairs to her room. 

“He seems to take his job seriously,” Min-Gi commented. 

“He's kinda new, my parents got rid of the old one after those kids disappeared…and you guys stopped coming over.” 

“It has been a while since we’ve been here, huh?” Ryan said, flopping backward on her bed. 

“Hey! Shoes off the bed!’ Grace hissed, batting at his legs. “There’s no time to relax anyways, the party’s in a few hours. What were you two doing this whole time anyways?” 

“Making out, probably,” Simon commented.

 “Simon!”

“What, am I wrong?” 

“We were practicing,” Ryan said quickly. “We uh… we lost track of time.” 

“Oh I’m sure,” Grace said, pulling several bags from her closet. “We couldn’t choose what to get so we just bought as much as we could carry. Go try this on.” 

She gave everyone different bags and ushered them to separate rooms to change. Ryan found himself in the bathroom across from Grace’s room. The first outfit was entirely too big for his body and hung loosely on his frame. It reminded him of how he’d try on his father's clothes and cologne when he was a young pre-teen, only to be subsequently yelled at for it.

He put the second outfit on. Well, he tried to. He stopped trying to close the third button on his chest when he felt a seam pop. He quickly shoved those clothes back and tried the third outfit in the bag. Thankfully, the suit fit comfortably over his body. He looked up in the mirror. The suit was mostly black with a red shirt and black tie underneath. After taking a few turns around to check himself out, he returned to Grace’s room.

Simon was helping Min adjust his bow tie on his uniform. Grace strolled into her room moments later in a simple gold top with golden pants that flare out at the bottom and gold heels. She looked at the three guys in the room and nodded in approval.

 “I knew I picked the best outfits,” she said triumphantly with a giddy spin. 

“Yeah, but why are Simon and I in waiter’s uniforms?” Min asked. 

“We’re supposed to keep Joanne distracted while Grace and your little boyfriend over there look for the robot. We’re gonna be her assistants for the night,” Simon explained.

 “We’ll keep in touch with these earpieces,” Grace said, holding up a little black box. “They’ll be super decorated so people think it’s all decoration. Now, there’s just one more thing we need-”

Ryan’s phone rang. He quickly excused himself to go answer the call.

 “Mr. Akagi, I’m hoping you didn’t forget about your audition in a few weeks?” someone said. “I’ll be in town with my partner that day. Please don’t be late.”

“Of course I didn't forget, Mx.Sangster. My band and I are gonna knock your socks off when you get here,” Ryan said, uneasiness creeping into his voice. 

“I’m sure you will,” they chuckled. “If your friend is anything like you said he was, I’m sure this will be a huge success.” The person hung up before Ryan could say anything else. Min peeped out of Grace’s room and made his way over to Ryan.

“You alright?” Min asked, draping his arms over Ryan’s shoulders. “Who was that, Ry?”

 “The person I told you was gonna change our lives for the better. They’re coming over here to check us out. If we impress them, we’ll be set for life. We can finally put all this behind us.”

Ryan pressed a kiss to Min-Gi’s cheek, but he turned away.

 “...I thought you already had the gig secured. Ryan, are you sure this is a good idea? Who even is this person you keep talking about?” 

“I told you, I’ve got this under control, babe. All you have to worry about is letting your magical hands do their thing when the time comes. I’ll handle the rest.” Ryan turned around to face Min and held his hands close to his chest. Min-Gi frowned again, but his face softened once he locked eyes with Ryan.

“I really don’t like being in the dark about this. But, I’m choosing to …trust you. Because you’re my best friend… and my boyfriend.”

Ryan could have sworn he heard Min’s voice crack ever so slightly at the word “trust”, but he didn't linger much on it when Min-Gi dipped him and  kissed him gently soon afterward.

“I’ve been waiting all day for that,” Ryan said when they finally pulled away.

 “Hey, love birds!” Grace called out from behind the two. “We’ve gotta get your earpieces on and go over the game plan.”