one hundred four

"Calm down, please," Minho said and held his hand out to Jisung. It was a gesture meant to calm him, but it ignited more fear in him instead.

"Stay back!" He hissed. "Who are you? You lied to me, didn't you?"

"No, I just omitted a few things," he sighed. "Let's talk about this, okay? You must have remembered something... and I'm guessing it wasn't one of the good memories."

"It wasn't!" he yelled, moving away when Minho took a step closer. "Stay where you are!"

"Fine," he sighed defeatedly. "Whatever you saw, I'm sorry about it, but you don't need to be scared. I would never hurt you."

Jisung's chest rose and fell with each rapid breath he took. "H-How is it possible for your eyes to change colors into a brighter red one? That's not normal."

Minho exhaled and bit his lip. Conflict shone in his eyes. It was clear that he didn't want to tell Jisung, but he was driven into a corner now.

"I'm not human," he began, slowly easing into the topic. "The truth is that... I'm a demon."

Filled with horror, Jisung's eyes widened. The warmth in his gaze was long gone, instead it showed mistrust and doubts.

"Why... why the hell would I want to be with such a creature?" He breathed, appalled.

His shock had him forget all the happy memories he had seen before. This was very hard to swallow for him.

It wasn't just the fact that demons were real, it was the fact that he had been so close to Minho without having an idea about his true identity.

"Why does what I really am matter so much? You were fine with our relationship the entire time until you found out about this."

"Demons aren't known to be particularly kind."

"So you're saying I treated you badly these past days?" Minho shot back, raising his head. "I've tried all I could to help you. This isn't fucking fair!"

Jisung couldn't deny that he was right, and if he thought about it, Minho defied all logic with his behavior.

Demons were supposed to be ruthless monsters, but Minho... he put Jisung's wellbeing first and made sure he would recover all of his memories.

Jisung raked his hands through his hair, upset and confused. This was all too much to absorb. He closed his eyes briefly and calmed himself.

He locked his eyes with Minho's, figuring that it would be best to ask questions now. "Are you going to kill me?"

"No. If I wanted to, why would I take care of you? Why would I help you regain your memory? I wouldn't bother to do any of this if my only intention was to kill you."

"I see," Jisung mumbled, sighing in relief. "Do you have powers? I mean, in most movies and books, demons have fire powers or something."

"Yeah," Minho replied. Inwardly, he hoped that this wouldn't freak Jisung out some more because that would rather be hurtful to see.

"You can what?" He sputtered in disbelief. "What the hell? Show me."

"Fine, but don't freak out," he said. Turning his palm and facing it upwards, he summoned a golden orb. It hovered between them and illuminated the room with its gentle glow.

Jisung leaned in to inspect it more closely, and he noted that it was made up of tiny particles of pure light. It radiated warmth, and its presence felt soothing.

"Can I touch it?" He asked fascinatedly.

"Yes."

He stretched out his hand, slowly nearing the gleaming orb. His fingertips came in contact with the light. It engulfed his hand, a tingling feeling spread over him.

The sensation was incredibly familiar to him. He had felt it many, many times before. Abruptly, something in him burst.

The barricade that blocked his memories was torn down without warning. Stinging and pain shot through his brain, and he gasped.

A series of scenes flashed before his eyes. He remembered it all, and it was overwhelming at the same time. Finally, everything made sense.

Finally, all his questions were answered. He remembered his bond with Minho and all the memories they shared. The good and the bad ones.

He raised his head and saw Minho standing directly in front of him. He recalled how he had treated Minho just now and what awful things he had said.

His heart sank. Minho didn't deserve any of that. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said," he burst out and hugged him.

He couldn't believe that he had been so mean to Minho, and he wanted to hit himself for it. "You've been very patient with me. Thank you for that. I know that it must've been difficult."

Minho froze when he caught on to what was happening. "Y-You remembered?"

"Yes, everything," he answered, burying his face in Minho's chest.

Minho heaved a relieved sigh, his body relaxing. He wrapped his arms around Jisung and hugged him tightly. "Finally. I was about to lose my mind. Are you okay now?"

"I think so," he said quietly and smiled faintly.

"I missed you so much," Minho whispered, his voice barely audible. It quivered a bit. His hug grew tighter, more protective.

To be continued...