A Matter of Proximity

by straybees

Summary:

Jisung spent all evening at his desk, searching for “romantic holiday activities”, hastily followed by “cheap romantic holiday activities”.

The resulting trip he put together seems innocuous enough, but is filled with opportunities for romance to spark.

Hopefully a change in setting will cause Minho to see him in a different light, even after all these years.

Or:

Terrified of confessing, Jisung wants Minho to make the first move. He has one week, a mediocre hotel room and a dream.

Notes:

Written for MINSUNG FICATHON Round Five, for PROMPT P379

"Jisung is too nervous to confess on his own, so he decides to rely on the "there's only one bed" trope. Unfortunately, when he and Minho check in, the receptionist notices and gives them a room with two beds."

With a yawn, Jisung burrows deeper into Minho’s side. 

It’s way past their bedtime, but neither of them seem intent on getting up from the couch. They’ve been pleasantly tipsy all night, listening to music and discussing Minho’s plans to move out that summer. Or more accurately, cracking jokes about how his new job better be worth the sacrifice of their low rent, their perfectly balanced cooking/dishwashing labor division, and the shared picture wall they’ve been putting together these past years. 

It’s an impressive collection of polaroids from their most memorable adventures; their trip to Osaka, the first time Jisung came over to meet Minho’s parents, the time they went clubbing with their friend group and randomly caught Changbin and Seungmin making out in the bathroom—that particular picture is extremely blurry. Jisung had never run that fast in his life, not feeling safe until Minho’s arms were wrapped securely around him and the camera, and an extremely pink and disgruntled Changbin had to admit defeat. 

Looking at the wall always fills Jisung with pride. In his eyes, Minho is the coolest person he’s ever known, and sometimes it’s still hard to believe Minho chose him of all people to call his best friend. The years they’ve been living together have been his happiest ones yet.

So unfortunately, joking about the move is the only way Jisung can acknowledge it at all.

He still can’t wrap his head around it. After finally trusting Minho to be the one constant factor in his life, that belief had come crashing down in an instant, all because “the commute would be too long and impractical” if Minho stayed here. 

Jisung doesn’t quite buy it. Is avoiding an extra hour of traffic a day really worth leaving him behind for? He’d like to believe he means more than that to Minho, and strongly suspects he's not being fully honest—which stings, even harder than him moving out.

Their minds always seemed so well-aligned, understanding each other from a single raised eyebrow, a twitching lip or a simple hum. Now, that tether feels... different. Not fractured. A little frayed at the edges, perhaps. 

He hasn’t mentioned it. Confrontation has never been his strong suit, not with Minho. It simply barely ever came to that, and now their lack of practice is biting him in the ass. Minho is strong-willed, and once he sets his mind on something, that’s usually that. Getting used to the idea of his hyung leaving already costs Jisung all the energy he’d need to fight him on it.

Besides, if he’s really honest with himself, it might be for the best. In truth, he’s been in love with Minho for an embarrassing amount of time now, and the casual news of him moving out crushed almost all hopes of it being mutual.

Part of him believes things might have been different if he’d tried harder to pursue Minho these past years. There had just been a few problems. 

One, it’s awfully scary to gamble an entire friendship for a mere chance at romance. High reward, high risk, or however that saying goes.

Two, flirting with obvious intent is really hard when the lines have been blurry since the beginning. They cuddle on the couch almost every night, happily take care of each other, and often annoy their friends with the amount of winks and kissy faces they jokingly exchange in public. There’s no easy way for him to up the ante anymore, not without straight up confessing or sticking his tongue down Minho’s throat. And he isn’t doing that, because—

Three, Han Jisung is a coward. That’s really what it all comes down to. Perhaps he’s being too hard on himself, but it’s a feeling he can never quite shake. He’s overcome many terrifying feats in his life already; he went to therapy to work through his anxiety, he applied for a job in a field he genuinely enjoys, and one time he took a really big spider outside in order to impress Minho. But despite all of that, he can’t even bring himself to ask out his best friend, always wishing he would take the lead instead.

“Maybe now you can finally date someone without me scaring them off,” Minho quips then, breaking Jisung’s train of thought in a painfully topical way. 

Jisung slaps him on the arm, but there is no real bite to it. Talking about dating always makes him feel hollow inside. “If my future partner can’t handle your presence, I’m not sure I trust their judgment anyway.”

Minho chuckles. “Sounds about right.” He sets his empty glass on the table with a soft clink. “Still, you might at least be less tempted to cancel on them last-minute when I’m not distracting and enabling you all the time.”

Jisung isn’t sure how to explain that he likes having that excuse.

“Ahh,” Minho sighs wistfully, leaning back against the couch. “Remember that guy you stood up completely because of our anniversary? What was his name again… Sang… Sangwon?”

Jisung grumbles. “His name was Sangwoo, which you definitely remember because we dated for over five months, hyung! That’s pretty serious!” 

Minho is quiet for a moment, contemplating his next words. “I see. Remind me why you guys broke up?”

“Because I stood him up to celebrate our anniversary instead,” Jisung admits begrudgingly, feeling Minho snickering next to him. “To be fair, it was an important one! Four years of living together is nothing to sneeze at.” 

It’s no use. When Minho is on the prowl, there’s no stopping him. “You could have at least let him know in person that you’d be missing the opening of his art exhibit!” he says, sounding far from sorry about it. “Poor Sangwoo… I think he really liked you, too.”

Jisung had been well aware of that. That had been the entire problem, actually. It’s how all of his half-hearted attempts at getting over Minho have ended. He knows he’s been a dick about it, and hasn’t tried dating anyone else since. 

He fidgets with the string of his hoodie, not sure what to say now.

“That makes five this year then, right?" Minho says, sensing his discomfort and trying to soothe the conversation back into pleasantness. "Do you have anything special prepared for us?” 

Jisung sits up straighter at that. With all his moping at the prospect of Minho’s move, he completely forgot their anniversary was coming up. Ever since they moved in together, Jisung has made a point of it to celebrate that date, dragging Minho along to a karaoke bar, a fancy dinner, or a spa. It’s not every day you get to move in with your soulmate, after all.

His heart sinks at the realization that this will be their final one. Fueled by guilt, desperation, and a whole heaping of delusion, he quickly starts working out a plan. 

“Actually hyung, yes,” he says, turning to look Minho in the eye. “I was thinking we go on a little holiday this time.”

With his room lit by nothing but the dim glow of his laptop screen, Jisung cracks his knuckles and leans back in his chair. By sheer luck (and probably some higher power taking pity on him), they both managed to get a week off in early May, likely aided by the fact that they’d been working overtime a lot. 

He sighs and stares at the ceiling. The plan is both simple and incredibly stupid. Trying to make up for literal years of lost time in one single week feels like absolute insanity.

However, Jisung is nothing if not a desperate man.

He spent the entire evening tense and restless at his desk, searching for “romantic holiday activities”, hastily followed by “cheap romantic holiday activities”. After sifting through three articles that turned out to be unhelpful AI slop, he decided he’d suck it up and do the work himself. 

The resulting trip he put together seems innocuous enough, but is filled with opportunities for romance to spark. Hopefully a change in setting from their usual domestic life will cause Minho to see him in a different light, even after all these years.

Jisung knows it’s a tall order, but at this point he has not much to lose. Realistically, if he wants Minho to fall for him and make a move, it’ll be much easier to make it happen while they’re still, like, near each other. In general. Which is why he’s now considering perhaps the stupidest part yet: booking a hotel room with a single, king-sized bed. 

Of course, it will look a bit suspicious if Minho figures out he booked them a single room on purpose. But it should be easy enough to pass it off as a mistake, right? Hotels mix up bookings all the time. Probably. Who knows. Either way, if he can ensure they arrive kind of late in the day, it’ll be way too much of a hassle to correct it immediately. Besides, it’s a pretty small hotel, so perhaps there won’t even be other rooms available to switch to.

Jisung picks at his thumb. He’s not too keen on the idea of lying, but he really wants this week to be a success. For that to happen he’ll need all the help he can get. Seducing Minho should be a lot easier if Jisung can at least show him what it would be like to sleep together. 

He blinks his dry, sleep-deprived eyes at the screen and confirms the booking before he can overthink it.

 

1

Three anxious months later, the plan to sabotage their journey isn’t off to a good start.

Jisung had tried his very best to dawdle. He’d set his alarm an hour too late, but Minho woke him at exactly five past eight by throwing open the door to his bedroom, yelling loudly at nothing in particular, and walking away to make coffee. 

He intended to take his time with breakfast, but Minho gave him a small portion, having already neatly packed up the rest “for the road”. 

He pretended he’d lost his charger, but Minho pulled it out of the crack of the sofa Jisung had stuffed it in the night before within minutes. 

Even with the multiple rest stops they visited on Jisung’s insistence (shame be damned), they’re currently still somehow on track to arrive at the hotel exactly at the earliest possible check-in time. Jisung crosses his arms and pouts. Their trips have literally never gone this smoothly, and now he can’t even be happy about it.

Minho cheerfully drums his fingers on the steering wheel, humming along to the music trickling feebly out of the radio on the only channel they have access to, because the knob on the control panel got stuck last month. His rickety old Kia Pride is barely hanging on by a thread at this point, and yet today of all days, it chose to drive without even a hiccup. Jisung sighs.

“Something wrong, Sung-ah?” Minho’s voice is light and airy, with the slightest hint of concern. “You seem kind of tense.”

Jisung shakes his head, not in disagreement but to pull himself together. Being grumpy and childish isn’t going to help his cause in any way. He’ll just see how to deal with the room situation once they get there.

“I’m fine, hyung,” he says, smiling weakly at him. “My legs just feel restless today, I think.”

It isn’t even technically a lie; his ankle bouncing always gets worse when he’s nervous. Minho gently lays his hand on Jisung’s thigh and squeezes, pressing his leg down into the seat. Jisung swallows tightly.

“We could always park the car and go on a little walk, if you really need it?” Minho says, looking at the desolate road behind them through the rearview mirror like he’s willing to stop right then and there.

The kind gesture makes Jisung blush, feeling babied, but he's grateful for any opportunity to delay. “That would be nice. Maybe we could check out the nearby forest for a bit?”

Minho nods in agreement and releases Jisung’s leg. Then he stares at the sky and frowns. “Actually, I think it might start raining soon. It’s not long now anyway, let’s just dump our stuff in our room and see where to go from there. I’ll push my darling to her limit so we can get to the hotel as soon as possible.”

The engine groans in distress as Minho steps on the gas more insistently. 

Great.

As the small town at the foot of the mountain comes into view, Jisung can't help but wonder if he made the right choice. He wanted somewhere quiet, where they could easily spend time together without the constant bustle of people around them. This area had seemed perfect; remote, plenty of gorgeous nature to explore and some fun locations accessible by car. But with the dark grey skies looming over them, the scene is not looking quite as inviting as he’d hoped.

Soon enough, fat drops of rain start hitting the windshield, and Minho is forced to turn on his squeaky old wipers. A dreary sight of wet, mostly empty streets greets them as they slowly drive through the town.

By the time they make it into the parking lot behind the hotel, it's absolutely pouring.

Minho parks the car and turns the engine off, and with it the comforting crackle of the radio. The sound of rain aggressively beating down on the roof is left as their only company.

“Well then,” Minho says, rubbing his legs to warm his fingers.

They both stare at the window, which provides them with not much more than a blurry estimation of the world outside. 

“Maybe it’ll clear up in a little while?” Jisung offers. He’s not very convinced himself, but anything seems better than leaving the car right now.

Minho hums noncommittally and leans back in his chair. He yawns. “You know, I had a dream like this some time ago.”

Jisung grins slyly. “You dreamt about being stuck in a car with me?” 

“No,” Minho says, ears tinged pink, insistently waving his hand at the general direction of the waterfall currently running down the front window. “This. Heavy rain.”

Stretching out his arms in front of him, Jisung comfortably burrows his butt deeper into the chair. “Sounds stressful.”

“It was! There was so much water that I had to swim to work.” Minho shivers, brow furrowing cutely. “But halfway through I realized I couldn’t actually swim, and I woke up being strangled by my blanket.”

Minho’s disgruntled face shocks a laugh out of Jisung, diving out of the way as Minho swats at him.

“Don’t worry hyung, I will protect you if you get any nightmares this week,” Jisung says. He tries not to think about just how close Minho might be lying beside him if he does. 

Minho harrumphs. “You don’t know how to swim either! Why would I trust you with my life?”

“Ah, I would simply build us a raft out of your endless supply of empty tuna cans.” 

“I will not be shamed for eating healthy and consistent meals!” Minho raises his brow in pretend-offense, but his quivering mouth betrays him. They both burst into giggles. 

“Speaking of nightmares,” Minho says as they calm down, sheepishly scratching his neck. “I think I’ve been talking in my sleep again. It used to happen when I was younger, too. Recently I've woken myself up with it a couple of times, so I figured I’d warn you. I brought you earplugs just in case.”

“So that’s what I heard when I walked past your room the other night!”

Minho stills. “What night?”

“Last Thursday, I got up for the bathroom around 3 a.m. and heard weird noises coming through your wall. I figured you were maybe watching some TikToks to fall asleep.” Jisung hadn’t thought much of it at the time, barely awake himself, but looking back at it now, it had definitely sounded like Minho’s voice.

It’s quiet as they stare at each other. Minho opens his mouth, then closes it again.

“Yes,” he says. “I was definitely sleep talking—”

“Oh my god!” Jisung groans, hiding his flushed face in his hands. “I’m sorry. Pretend I never asked.” 

Minho chuckles and awkwardly scrapes his throat. 

“I don’t actually think it’s going to get any better out there,” he says after a while, nodding towards the front window. The world is as grey and wet as ever. “Maybe we should just make a run for it.”

“You’re right.” Jisung sighs. This is going to suck. His face twists into a sly grin. “First one to reach the hotel gets dibs on the shower?”

Minho shrugs. “Your loss.”

Immediately, he covers Jisung’s seat belt with his hand while he unbuckles himself and opens his door, cackling as Jisung tries to pry his fingers off. He doesn’t let go until he’s one foot outside, leaving Jisung scrambling to get himself loose. 

In his haste to get out, Jisung accidentally slams his full weight against the car door before realizing Minho turned the child lock on.

“You dick!” he cries, clambering over the console and making sure to leave shoe prints on the seat as he makes his escape.

After he tumbles outside, it takes him a moment to regain his bearings. It’s like he fell into a pool. More accurately, it’s like a pool fell on him, soaking his clothes instantly. 

He slams the door shut and runs to the back of the car with his arm over his head, where Minho is hoisting his suitcase from the trunk. Jisung pushes him out of the way, yanks his own suitcase out with very little care for the contents, slings his backpack across his shoulder, and after a millisecond of consideration, wrestles Minho’s other bag from his stunned hands and throws it over the back seat, far into the car.

Minho’s roar of frustration is quickly drowned out by the sound of the downpour as Jisung runs off with his own belongings, stumbling blindly with his suitcase in tow.

He can’t see shit. His hair is plastered across his face and his hands are too full to wipe it out of his eyes. It doesn’t matter though, because he’s winning. Jisung lets out a delirious laugh in disbelief, and promptly trips over his own feet.

His knees and hands collide with the wet pavement harshly, and his bag lands in a puddle.

Fuck. He sits up, wiping his palms carefully on his ruined pants. Tears prick behind his eyes from shock more than pain, but before he has time to properly cry about it, a warm hand squeezes his shoulder.

“Are you okay?” a very out of breath Minho asks, helping him up and inspecting his knees while squinting his eyes against the rain. His pants are a bit ripped on his left leg, but Minho seems satisfied to see Jisung standing again. He gently pets Jisung’s hair out of his eyes and grabs his bag for him, adding it to the one already on his shoulder.

“Come on jagi, let’s get inside,” he says. “You’re going to have to take your suitcase yourself, okay?”

“Okay,” Jisung croaks, not sure why he’s feeling so emotional.

Their final steps towards the entrance are walked in silence. Both deflated and out of breath from running like idiots, not to mention soaked to the bone, they awkwardly enter the building.

They greet the receptionist politely, flustered and very wet. She kindly says nothing about Jisung dripping all over the counter as he presents the proper documents to her.

While she checks the system for their details, Jisung’s nerves catch up with him. What is he going to tell Minho once they arrive in their room? How is he going to convince him it was a mistake? How is he going to convince him not to get it fixed?

“—is that correct? Sir?”

He snaps out of his frantic thinking. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Am I correct in reading that you requested a single room?”

“Um.”

“Are you aware there will be only one bed there?” She eyes both of them for a second, as if to check something. “I’m so sorry to ask, we’ve just had some miscommunications about this in the past.”

Well then. He did not expect to be put on the spot like that. Caught like a deer in headlights, he peeks over at Minho, who throws him a calculating look before grinning smugly and raising an eyebrow. 

“I didn’t know you were such a romantic,” he says sweetly, groping his ass hard enough to sting through the wet denim. 

Jisung stumbles a little but regains his balance swiftly, suddenly feeling very, very warm. Unfortunately, he panics.

“I—obviously there’s been some kind of mistake. I’m so sorry. I would never—we’re not together, so. We’d definitely prefer to sleep separately, like we always do.” He coughs, ignoring how Minho’s eyes are boring into the side of his head. “But of course we’ll still take the room, since we wouldn’t want to be of any trouble.” 

He bows lightly and refuses to look at Minho, fearing his facial muscles aren’t working the way they’re supposed to right now. “If hyung’s okay with it,” he adds. 

The hyung in question remains unhelpfully silent.

The receptionist stares at him through her dainty, blue-rimmed glasses. Jisung doesn’t appreciate how it feels like she can somehow see straight through his skull, right into the corner at the back labeled “unresolved feelings for my best friend—to be dealt with later”. 

She recomposes herself and plasters on a smile that Jisung recognizes painfully well from the summer he worked the customer support desk at a local hardware store. It’s the one he used when people were particularly annoying.

He braces himself.

“Actually sir, you’re in great luck! A cancellation came through this morning, so we have a room with two beds available. It sadly doesn’t have a balcony view, but as an apology for the discomfort that our unfortunate mix-up must have caused you, we’ll gladly offer you free breakfast from our kitchen.”

Jisung’s heart sinks. It’s a great offer—much nicer than he deserves, but it still feels like he’s being punished, somehow. He should be relieved about not getting exposed, but he’s disappointed about the separate beds, and feels miserable for lying to an employee. Maybe his cowardly plan falling apart is just what he deserves. 

He bows deeply and expresses his gratitude profusely, avoiding eye contact with the receptionist until they’re safely turned around and on their way, keycard pocketed with a clammy hand. 

Minho loops his arm through Jisung’s. “That was interesting,” he says, tone indecipherable.  

“Yeah,” Jisung says. “Hope you’re not too disappointed! There goes our shot at romantic spooning…” He attempts a laugh, but it comes out a bit weak.

“Bold of you to assume having separate beds will stop me,” Minho says calmly. 

Jisung knows he isn’t serious, but his neck heats up anyway.

Despite nothing going to plan so far, entering their room feels like a relief. Looking around, it’s really not bad at all. The kitschy, floral wallpaper is kind of horrible, but it’s spacious and smells clean. There’s a wardrobe, a small fridge and one comfortable-looking chair behind a desk in the corner. Jisung stares sadly at the two beds and the ocean of space between them. 

“The wallpaper is kind of horrible,” Minho says. 

“Thank you for booking a hotel and planning a trip for our roommate anniversary, Jisung.”

Minho shakes his head in his direction, spraying him with water from his hair. “Thank you Jisungie,” he says, smiling warmly and patting his shoulder. He toes off his shoes and walks into the room. “Which bed do you prefer?” 

Jisung nods towards the bed on the left, next to a sizable window. Minho unceremoniously drops his suitcase at the foot of the other bed and opens it, retrieving comfortable slippers and a big, fluffy towel. He rises to his feet and looks from the towel to Jisung, who is still dripping miserably in the entryway.

He walks over, pries Jisung’s frozen fingers off his luggage and hands him the towel instead. 

“You go first,” he says, with a voice that he must have skillfully hidden his pity from. 

Jisung presses the soft towel to his wet cold chest like it's his most precious possession. “Are you sure? You would have won if you hadn’t helped me up.” 

Minho grins. “Technically we got to the entrance at the same time, remember? We could always shower together,” he says, cupping Jisung’s cheek. 

Jisung’s face heats up immediately. “You’re insane!” he yells, batting Minho's hand away before he does something stupid, like accepting his offer.

Embarrassed but grateful, he bends down to scrape together dry clothes from his suitcase, trying to hide how messily he packed. As he turns to make his way to the bathroom, Minho slaps his ass. The loud, wet squelch makes Jisung want to sink through the floor.

“You better hurry up or I’m coming to join you!” Minho calls out. 

Once inside the bathroom, Jisung stares at the lock for a second before deciding to leave it open. Just in case. 

 

Their first day comes to a close early, both of them exhausted from the journey. With the weather not clearing up all day, they settled for a quiet night, playing cards in their room and only heading out to eat a very mediocre yet welcome warm meal at the tiny diner closest to their hotel. When they returned they brushed their teeth together, making eye contact in the mirror, and Minho had opened his foamy mouth and gurgled to make Jisung laugh. They then spent several minutes cleaning Jisung’s spit off the mirror and sink.

Now, despite feeling drowsy earlier, Jisung is lying wide awake in his bed, too busy moping. Minho fell asleep almost instantly after whispering a soft “goodnight, Jisungie” and turning around to face the wall. Traitor.

Jisung stares at his shoulder rising and falling slowly, only just visible in the dark thanks to a small gap where the curtains fall short. He curses himself for not being smart or quick or brave enough to push through with his plans. He could have been lying right next to Minho. 

It’s not like the room is huge, their beds mere metres apart. But as Jisung lies in his bed alone, seeing exactly what he’s missing out on, the space between them feels vast, empty, and so unnecessary. 

He squints and stretches his hand out towards Minho, pretending he can reach. Then, he holds his thumb and pointer finger in front of his eyes, gently squishing the shape of Minho’s head. Only a hint of his ear is poking out from underneath his dark mop of hair. Cute. 

“Jisung.” 

The clarity of Minho’s voice startles Jisung and he pulls his hand back under the cover. 

“Yes?” he whispers timidly. 

There’s no response. Must be the sleep talking Minho mentioned. Jisung finds it kind of endearing. He relaxes against his pillow and wonders if Minho will say anything embarrassing that he can tease him about tomorrow.

It’s quiet for a while, save for the sound of their breathing.

Then Minho lets out a long, soft groan that has Jisung involuntarily clenching his thighs together. He blushes, unsure what to do now. His heart rabbits in his chest as he lies still, afraid to move or make a sound. 

“That’s it, baby…” Minho mumbles, voice thicker than usual.

Deciding he’d like to keep the last bits of his sanity, Jisung hastily grabs the ear plugs Minho handed him earlier, stuffs them in as deep as he dares, and tries to fall asleep without touching himself.

 

2

The next day starts gloomy as well, but no actual rain falls. It doesn’t really matter either way though, because their main activity today is a guided cave tour. Exploring the mysteries of nature in the deep dark together had seemed pretty romantic, and it would be a great opportunity to cling onto Minho without it seeming suspicious. 

After a quick meal in the tiny hotel breakfast room that’s surprisingly good and not just because it’s free, they pack for the day and step in the car again. Minho drives while Jisung is responsible for navigation and entertainment. Minho didn’t ask him for either of those, but Jisung likes to feel included.

The drive takes about an hour, and by the time they get there, Jisung is absolutely raring to go. After registering for their tour, they wait for the other people of their time slot to arrive. Minho treats them both to a canned coffee from the vending machine down the hall.

“Are you excited?” Jisung asks. He can’t keep himself from bouncing in his seat.

Minho takes a final swig from his can, adam’s apple bobbing as his face tilts all the way up. Jisung loses his train of thought for a second.

“I’m very intrigued,” Minho says, wiping his mouth. Jisung might be imagining it, but Minho sounds a bit reserved. 

He pouts and raises his eyebrows in a way that always seems to do wonders. “Just intrigued?”

Minho laughs and pinches his cheek, but the smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

Jisung lays his hand on his knee and leans closer. The area around their bench has filled up more with the other people coming in, so he keeps his voice low.

“You’re not just trying to coddle me by doing something you don’t like, right?”

“Ah, it’s nothing,” Minho says, shy now, shifting in his seat. “I find the general concept of caves unsettling, is all. The whole… being underneath the surface. Under sea-level. No fresh air. Goes against all of my natural instincts, you know?” The urge to tease him for his cat-like mannerisms is strong, but Jisung holds back and lets him speak. “But I wasn’t lying. I really am curious. I probably would never have done this without you, so this’ll be a fun chance to explore something new.”

Jisung beams. His chest swells with pride about being the only person Minho would dare to do this with. He does feel a little bad for not realizing caves aren't everyone's cup of tea, but he trusts Minho to be honest if it would truly bother him. Besides, now the clinging to each other can be mutual. Maybe he can even impress Minho with his biceps. He has been working out more, after all.

When the group is complete, everyone receives a lanyard with a small control panel and a matching earpiece. Their guide is a cheery woman in her fifties, and she merrily herds the group out of the waiting hall towards the cave entrance with the ease of someone doing this every day. On the way, she explains how the control panel for their earpiece works, and that they will get to use it for the free roaming part of the tour at the end, to learn more about various rocks and fossils strewn around.

They both shiver with anticipation as they follow their group inside, arms interlocked. After taking one single look at the long, winding stairs leading to the bottom of the cave system and immediately swaying on their feet from the sheer depth, they opt to take the lift. They awkwardly sandwich themselves between an elderly couple and a woman trying to keep her three very cute kids from excitedly bouncing around too much.

Upon exiting, an immediate change in atmosphere is noticeable. It’s quieter and darker, and it smells… moist, like a mixture of damp earth and a hint of musty old attic. It’s not too unpleasant, and if anything, Jisung finds it kind of thrilling. It feels like all their years of avidly watching nature documentaries together have led them to this.

They wait for the others to make their way down the stairs and follow the guide into a slightly narrow pathway.

Despite being dressed in extra layers to accommodate for the change in temperature, it’s still chilly. Which is perfect, because now Jisung can huddle even closer under the guise of seeking warmth. He snuggles into Minho’s side as they walk along the lit-up path and listen to several stories about the history of the cave, how it was discovered and how it has changed over the years. 

“Actually, this particular part of the cavern used to be completely underwater! Imagine that,” the guide says cheerily.

A shudder goes through Minho’s body. Jisung squeezes his arm reassuringly. Minho lets out an indignant little huff and lifts his chin in the air.

While they move from room to room, ooh-ing and ahh-ing at the impressive clusters of stalactites, the guide explains that even though not many things survive in the deeper part of caves, there’s a huge world of microorganisms to be found in cave water.

“But that’s not all!” she adds then, halting at a lookout point over a broad but shallow pool. “After years of exploring, researchers found that against all odds, certain mollusks are thriving here, too! A rare species of snails can be found in this cave, scattered across the bottom of some of the waterways.”

Jisung immediately zones in on the water, trying to spot them. Minho promptly grabs hold of his shoulders as if to keep him from falling in, ignoring the sturdy safety fence surrounding them.

“They’re extremely small and hard to spot with the bare eye,” the guide says, making Jisung deflate, “but they’ve proven to be of great help in studies on the driving forces for evolution in habitats with harsh living conditions. For example, while these snails are tiny, their organs are huge to make up for the lack of light and nutrients.” 

As the group moves down the path, Jisung excitedly turns around in Minho’s arms to look at him. He’s already staring back, fondness etched across his features. 

“Hyung! Isn’t this so cool,” Jisung whispers. He can't stop smiling. 

Minho nods. “So cute,” he breathes. 

Jisung blushes, not sure if he misheard.

After they awkwardly jog to join their group again, their walk continues at a leisurely pace, only stopping when the guide has more information to share or when there’s a good photo opportunity. 

The walls of the cave are moist, and while passing through a corridor to a different section, a particularly fat drop of water falls from above and hits Minho’s nose. He sneezes and scowls at the ceiling with the expression of a wet, disgruntled cat. Jisung looks at him fondly and tries to scratch the bottom of his chin, but quickly stops when Minho attempts to bite his finger off.

“...and if the two gentlemen in their own little world at the back could pay attention, we can all move on to the free-roaming part of the tour very soon.”

Flustered, they both listen to the explanation of the rules of the final section—no climbing over ropes or fences, no running, no yelling, but other than that they’re free to either wander for the next half hour or leave at any time by following the red signs to the exit up ahead.

“What should we do first?” Minho asks. They both feel a bit sheepish now, without the security of the group and guide to follow. 

Jisung leads them towards a small fenced off area with some glittering rocks. The sign indicates that there’s audio to listen to, and as they both fiddle with their control panels, Jisung spots an opportunity.

After pretending to pay attention for a while, he turns off his earpiece. 

“Hyung, I think mine is broken,” he says, pocketing it before Minho can check. “Kept hearing annoying feedback. Could we just share yours?”

Minho rolls his eyes but gives in, like Jisung knew he would. He leans in closer and presses their temples together lightly. Minho’s breath hitches when Jisung boldly snakes a hand around his waist to hold him more securely.

With the earpiece wedged between them, the tinny voice coming out of the speaker is just loud enough to hear. Jisung can’t make out a thing that’s being said, though. He’s too focused on staying still, enjoying the give of Minho’s soft waist underneath his fingers, the aromatic smell of Minho’s body wash, and the slow rise and fall of Minho’s chest. 

When the voice stops after what feels like an eternity, they step apart again, stretching and straightening their backs. Jisung immediately realizes this was a mistake and pulls his hoodie down.

“What did you think?” Minho asks, neck tinged pink. 

“I think…” Jisung inhales deeply for what feels like the first time in a while. “I think I want to go look for the snails.”

Minho raises an eyebrow, but before he can say anything else, Jisung marches off to the watery part of the cave, determined to hide his deep flush, among other things. 

He rounds a few corners and finds the chamber he was looking for, making his way to the back, near the water. With the safety shield of relative darkness, he turns around again, expecting to see Minho right behind him. 

He must have walked faster than he thought, because Minho only wanders in just then, looking around nervously. Upon spotting Jisung, he rushes over to him, slightly pale in the face.

A wave of guilt hits Jisung when he remembers Minho admitting his discomfort with caves. 

“Shit, are you okay hyung?” he asks, grabbing his hand and rubbing it with his own. “I got a bit enthusiastic, I’m sorry. I won’t leave you alone again, yeah?”

The tips of Minho’s ears appear red, even in the dark. He says nothing, but squeezes Jisung’s hand tightly. They carefully kneel down together to get a better look at the water. Jisung grabs his phone and aims his flashlight at it, trying to peer at the bottom.

“Just… you know. Was scared you’d fall in and become snail food,” Minho mutters quietly after a while.

The light of Jisung’s phone is bounced back by the water below and casts a soft glow on Minho’s features. He’s always looked so handsome in half-shadow, and the slight tenseness still visible in his face does absolutely nothing to diminish that.

“Thanks for always looking out for me,” Jisung says, horrified at the intense sincerity in his own voice. He might as well have cut out his own heart and handed it over. “I promise I’ll always protect you too.” He needs to stop talking.

Minho smiles shakily. After a few seconds of silence, he bites his lip.

“Jisung-ah, I think I should—”

A weird rustling noise above them causes them both to jump, breaking the trance.

Minho peers at the dark ceiling. “What the hell was that?” 

Jisung slowly tilts his phone upwards while they both hold their breath. Then, a very disgruntled bat flees from the light by zooming over their heads, making them shriek.

By the time the guide finds them, they are giggling and attempting to brush cave dirt off each other’s ass. She escorts them to the exit while tutting about wandering off and being noisy.

“I didn’t know your voice could get that high,” Jisung says with a smug grin as they wait for the lift. The rush of adrenaline has worn off, and everything just feels funny now. 

Minho squints at him. “I thought you said you were going to protect me. Kindly explain to me how crying and jumping into my arms constitutes protecting me.”

“I did not cry!”

“So you admit to jumping into my arms, then? Like a beautiful little princess?”

“I was trying to flatten us to the ground, keep us out of harm’s way! It was a tactical decision.”

Minho drags him into the empty lift and coos at him all the way to the top, knuckling his hair into a frizzy mess.

In the gift store, Jisung is extremely delighted to find a collection of small bat plushies. Despite Minho’s protests, he buys one for him. Minho refuses to acknowledge its existence all throughout their journey back, even when Jisung sets it at the table of the restaurant they stop at for dinner. 

 

Jisung doesn’t know what time it is when he wakes up that night, only that he needs to use the bathroom. He sneaks over to it quietly and prays the toilet flushing won’t wake Minho up. When he enters the room again, he anxiously listens for Minho’s breathing and finds it still as deep and even as before. 

Unable to help himself, Jisung carefully pads up to Minho’s bed to check on him. Soft snores escape his relaxed, pouty lips. He looks surprisingly docile like this. 

Jisung’s heart soars when he spots a fuzzy wing peeking out from underneath the blanket. Even though he suspects it will have mysteriously disappeared when he wakes up tomorrow, he falls asleep with a smile on his face.

 

3

The weather has cleared up some more by day three, so after a quick shower and some food, Jisung decides to make it their city outing. During the drive there, they crank up the radio and sing along as hard as they can, making up lyrics where needed. Only once they reach the city limits do they calm down, as Minho needs his full attention on the cars around them, steering them carefully through a small bottleneck.

They come to a stop at a traffic light. Minho stretches his neck and sighs. “I almost forgot how hellish cities are to navigate after those lovely country roads.”

Jisung stares at the stream of vehicles passing by. “Is it very stressful?” He’d overcome many of his anxieties, but driving a car remained something he’d rather avoid.

“Ah, it’s nothing,” Minho says. “Even our sweet Jeonginnie passed his driving exam recently, didn’t you hear? How quickly they grow up.” He wipes away pretend-tears.

“It’s not like that makes you a full adult,” Jisung mutters, picking at a bit of fluff poking through the side of his worn-down seat. 

Minho flicks his leg playfully. “Luckily my baby has someone to drive him around everywhere, hm?”

Jisung preens.

After locating the car park and unfolding themselves from their seats, they decide to hit the major shopping district first. Being exposed to that many people will be easier while they still have full energy. 

On their way there, Jisung remembers one of the articles he read in preparation for this week. He halts for a second, then reappears at Minho’s other side, at the outer edge of the sidewalk.

“What are you doing?” Minho laughs.

Jisung bristles. “What does it look like? I’m keeping you safe from harm.”

“If you think for one second your tiny little body is going to stop a car from hitting me—”

“It’s just a gesture, okay! And I’ve been working out.”

Minho gives him a long look up and down. “Legs, too?”

Jisung groans. “Listen, I’m trying to make you—trying to be nice here.”

“Is that right?” Minho gives him a lopsided smile. “Well, I really appreciate that. However,” he says, taking Jisung’s arm and dragging him to his other side again, “I’m older and more expendable, so leave the noble human shield tactics to me, okay?”

Once they reach the high street, their first order of business is finding lunch. They dawdle in front of several restaurants before finally settling on a small, traditional looking establishment, tucked away between a popular cafe and a shopping mall.

Their decision is validated as soon as the owner finishes laying out all the different types of banchan. With their plates loaded up, they eat their fill and then some, leaving the place warm and sated. 

“I’m going to try to make kimchi-jeon just like that once we’re home again,” Minho says as they step outside. “I think I haven’t been fermenting my kimchi long enough in the past. This was so much more flavorful.”

Jisung is delighted. Having a roommate that loves to cook really is one of the best things to ever happen to him. “D’you think we can try adding cheese to them too?”

Minho makes a face. “You can put cheese on yours.” He pokes Jisung in his side. “I guess I’ll have to teach you the recipe, so you won’t be completely hopeless once I move out.”

Every time Minho brings up the move—which he’s done quite a lot these past weeks—a small part of Jisung’s heart crumbles off. He wishes Minho would stop mentioning it so that he could at least live out their final months together in peaceful denial.

Not knowing what to say, he drags them both into a clothing store to change the subject.

They browse in silence for a while, both in need of a new summer wardrobe but also not feeling super enthusiastic about having to carry heavy bags along with them all day. A mannequin wearing a leather jacket catches Jisung’s eye. 

“Hyung, look! I think those pants would look really good on you.”

Minho stares at the pair of washed jeans, straight-legged and artfully ripped in several places. He shuffles from side to side. “I don’t know Sung-ah, I think my thighs might look a bit ridiculous in them.”

“If anything, your thighs will look ridiculously sexy. Come on, try them! I’ll hype you up.”

When Minho steps out of the fitting room, Jisung’s brain melts. It looks so much better on Minho than on the display.

In an attempt to be normal, he simply nods approvingly, raising his thumb. “What did I tell you?”

Minho fingers the tear highest up on his leg and stares in the mirror. 

“I look like a whore.” He wiggles back and forth, spinning around to look at his ass. “It’s… not bad, actually.”

Jisung cheers for him, silently mourning the loss of his sanity as he realizes Minho will inevitably wear these pants around the house from now on.

With their first purchase secured, they meander through the rest of the shopping mall. Nothing in particular grabs their attention, until Jisung spots a small jewelry store. He stares wistfully at the pretty silver earrings dangling in the shop window.

Upon seeing the price tag though, he decides he’s not that interested after all.

After a quick look around the manhwa section of a bookstore, they exit the shopping mall and head to the bustling marketplace they spot in the distance. Lured in by the fresh produce and delicious smells, Jisung suggests securing some food for the days ahead. They leave with their bags considerably heavier, having stocked up on fruit, some steamed buns, a bag of mixed nuts and a small stack of hotteok. 

Weighed down by their greed, they slow their pace and simply enjoy the view. A street busker up ahead has gathered a bit of a crowd so they decide to stick around. Jisung lets his head drop to Minho’s shoulder while they listen. It's always been his favorite place to rest.

Some girls behind them giggle softly. “Look, how cute!”

Minho tenses, and Jisung’s neck grows hot. It’s both validating and heartbreaking to hear that they look good together. He straightens back up again and feels a small pang in his chest when Minho steps to the side, creating some distance between them. Jisung stares at his feet until the performance is over.

Minho pokes Jisung’s arm as they walk off. “What’s up, jagi?”

“Ah, it’s nothing.” Jisung attempts a smile.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Tell hyung what’s going on,” Minho says gently, linking their pinkies together.

“Do you—agh. This is so embarrassing. Do you find it uncomfortable when people assume we’re together?”

Minho stares pointedly at their intertwined fingers. “Do I look like I mind?”

Jisung blushes. “Okay, fair point. I just thought you didn’t like it when those girls talked about us.”

“I thought you might feel awkward about it, like when you talked to that receptionist a few days ago.”

“Oh.” He hadn’t thought about how that had come off. “Well, of course I don’t mind either. I just felt a bit caught off guard about the… bed situation.”

Minho squeezes his hand. “Luckily you stayed calm and didn’t overreact.” He comes to a halt. “Actually, can we go back to the mall before we have dinner? There’s one more thing I want to buy.”

Outside the shopping centre, Minho makes Jisung sit on a bench with their bags. “I’ll be quick, you take some time to decompress, alright?”

Jisung gratefully leans back and grabs his phone, scrolling through his apps aimlessly. He does like exploring busy areas, but they also drain him very quickly. 

After a few minutes, a slightly pink Minho exits the building again. He trots over to Jisung’s bench and steps in front of him.

“Here,” he pants, reaching out his arm and smiling proudly. In his hand is a small, black package with a thin ribbon strapped around it.

Stunned, Jisung takes it. He peels back the paper carefully, not wanting to ruin any part of this gift. When he opens the box he finds inside, he gasps.

"Hyung! These were so expensive!”

He gently fishes the delicate earrings from their casing, marveling at the way the silver chains shimmer as they catch the light. Dangling at the bottom are a small moon and star.

“Consider it a thank-you for putting together this trip,” Minho says, scratching his ear.

Jisung blushes, stands up, and bravely presses a soft kiss on Minho’s cheek.

“I love them. You’re the best.”

 

They quickly loop back to dump their bags in the car, and arrive at the restaurant just in time. Jisung booked a reservation months ago. He’s very pleased with himself when they get to skip the queue and are led to a nice table at the back immediately. 

After gaping at the chandeliers adorning the ceiling of the stately building, they hesitantly place their order, feeling like two fish out of water. Everything and everyone around them seems so expensive. 

As soon as their food arrives however, all their worries wash away. They sneakily take some pictures with their phones, feeling embarrassed but not wanting to waste the opportunity for bragging rights.

It turns out Jisung vastly underestimated how hungry he’d be until there was food in front of him. After politely taking his first few bites, he ends up scarfing down the meal at a pace he’s not proud of.

He picks at his final piece of meat, thinking of how to savor it in a meaningful way. Then he eyes Minho’s plate wistfully, still half full somehow.

Minho stares at him and grabs a bite with his chopsticks, wiggling it in the air. Jisung opens his mouth expectantly.

“Brat,” Minho says, pulling his chopsticks away again. “Say please.”

“Please, hyung?”

Minho eats the bite. 

Jisung gaps indignantly. “I said please!”

“I’ve decided that’s not enough. Grovel.”

“I’m… so happy to have you as my best friend?

Minho yawns obnoxiously and folds another chunk of beef into his mouth.

Jisung kicks him under the table.

Minho snatches the last piece of meat from Jisung’s plate and brings it towards his own mouth slowly, maintaining eye contact.

“I was saving that—hyung, please give it back, I’m so sorry for kicking you, you are so cool and strong and your hair looks so nice, and I think you were actually so brave when that bat came out—wait!”

 

Later that night, Jisung sits in the one chair their hotel room provided them, legs slung over the armrest. He feels comfortably full. After Minho stole his last bite, he’d fed him the rest of his own plate to make up for it. He also treated him to dessert, calling him a spoiled little kitty. If Jisung could purr, he would have. 

With the remainder of their activities entirely dependent on the weather, he unlocks his phone to check the prediction for the following days. It appears to be completely clear and sunny from now on. Perfect.

“How angry will you be with me if I make us get up really early?” 

Minho doesn’t look up from his sudoku puzzle book. “Depends on what I get for it in return.”

“A super pretty sunrise from one of the viewpoints on the nearest mountain. With me,” Jisung says in his best seductive voice. 

“I’ve seen the sun rise before. It’s okay.” The corner of Minho’s mouth tugs up. Jisung knows he’s just playing up his nonchalance.

“Yes, but this one will be special. This is our unique roommate anniversary holiday activity sunrise, hyung. We’ll remember it forever!” Jisung makes his eyes as big and wet as possible.

Minho stares at him, squinting and pinching his lips into a straight line, pretending to think about it. “Alright then, let’s do it. I can’t promise I’ll be very talkative, though.”

Jisung beams. “You won’t regret it!”

4

 

Jisung wakes with such a jolt at his alarm that his phone falls off the bed. He pats around for it on the floor blindly while trying to shield his ears between his other hand and shoulder from the deafening sounds of the Chainsaw Man opening theme. Perhaps he should pick an alarm that doesn’t make him hate one of his favorite animes. Or lower the volume next time.

Across the room, Minho is a lump underneath his blanket, making groaning noises loud enough for Jisung to hear over his alarm.

He successfully manages to find his phone and turn off the culprit. The upside is that he’s awake now. The downside is that it is currently, as his phone so helpfully reminds him, 4 a.m. Nobody should be awake at 4 a.m. However, the sun will begin to rise in about an hour and they’re supposed to be at least somewhat higher up the mountain by then. 

He plants his feet on the floor and stares at Minho, who is no longer fully underneath the blanket but now staring straight at the ceiling, as if he’s trying to disassociate from reality.

“G’morning hyung,” Jisung grumbles hoarsely. “Sorry about that.”

“Mmhhm,” hums Minho, unmoving.

“I’m gonna take a shower, let’s head out in fifteen minutes.”

Another hum. 

Jisung grabs fresh clothes and underwear and drags himself to the bathroom, awkwardly covering his morning wood that somehow wasn’t affected by the alarm jumpscare.

When he comes back out, Minho is sitting on his bed, clothed. His hair is still mussed from sleep, face slightly puffy. 

Thankfully, they’d had enough wits about them last night to pack their bags in preparation. Planning to follow a hiking trail around the mountain after witnessing the sunrise, both of them will carry a bag with a big water bottle and some of the food they’d bought at the marketplace. Minho had insisted on bringing a packet of blister plasters and some cat treats as well, just in case.

Jisung hoists his backpack across his shoulders. “Let’s go?” 

Minho nods morosely and gets up from his bed, putting on his cap.

Geared up, they quietly leave the hotel and head towards the mountain. It’s a comfortable silence. It’s also just about all Jisung can handle right now.

He checks his phone occasionally to see if they’re heading the right direction until they reach the unmistakable start of the mountain path. The slightest hint of turquoise blooms at the edges of the sky, just enough to make the path ahead visible. Jisung starts walking a little faster, afraid to miss the sunrise, making Minho and himself get up at ungodly hours for nothing. Minho follows him without complaints, seemingly understanding the plan.

As the path gets steeper, Jisungs calves start to burn, and he finds himself unzipping his jacket to regulate his temperature. Next to him, Minho shrugs off his hoodie and ties it around his waist. He’s always run a bit hot. Still, Jisung shivers in sympathy while looking at his short sleeves, sturdy arm muscles on display despite not being flexed.

He trips on a small rock and decides looking ahead and focusing on the path might be for the best.

The world around them slowly turns brighter and brighter. When Jisung anxiously goes to grab his phone out of his pocket to check how close they are, Minho speaks up for the first time since leaving the hotel. 

“We’re almost there.” He points at a sign further ahead.

Relieved, Jisung grabs Minho’s hand and tugs him along, speed walking the final meters until a little clearing on the cliffside pops into view. The sky ahead of them has started turning a soft purple.

Incredibly, it turns out Jisung wasn’t the only one with this idea. A few people are already gathered at the viewpoint; a couple in full hiking gear sits on a bench he would have loved to share with Minho, and an elderly man they’d run into at the hotel breakfast two days before leans on his cane, still managing to look less out of breath than Jisung feels. 

They quietly join the others and stare at the valley waking up.

In the distance, a rosy hue spreads, followed by the strong orange glow of the sun as it appears from behind another mountain. It lights up the few sparse clouds scattered across the sky, outlining them in gold.

Minho hasn’t let go of Jisung’s hand yet, so Jisung squeezes it and shuffles closer to him. He's slightly tempted to take a picture, but doesn’t want to ruin the moment. Besides, he knows it won’t be able to capture the splendor in front of them anyway.

Minutes pass. As the sun rises, the sky’s orange tones slowly fade into yellow, into nothing.

The couple leaves, softly talking among each other and holding hands. Jisung looks at where his and Minho’s hands are still linked comfortably and blushes. The old man gives them a serene nod in acknowledgement and starts making his way down the mountain again.

“Hyung… was it worth it?” Jisung asks quietly, staring at the last wisps of pink dissipating at the horizon.

“Jury’s still out,” Minho croaks. Jisung turns to gawk at him, and Minho winks clumsily. “It was very beautiful, Sung-ah. Thank you.” He yawns.

When Jisung yawns in sympathy, Minho sticks his finger in his mouth. Jisung splutters and pushes him away.

Minho stares at the view one last time. “Perhaps we can do this again in winter someday, when the sun rises at a civil hour.” 

Truth be told, he has a point. Either way, they’re awake now, and they have a hiking trail to explore. They both blink against the daylight to get the final remnants of sleep out of their eyes and get on with it.

Conversation is sparse, perhaps because it’s still earlier than their usual wake-up time. They allow the silence to breathe, and only speak when something crosses their mind.

Jisung loves this about Minho. With other people, even close friends, Jisung often can’t shake the urge to make everyone feel comfortable and entertained. It results in him being louder and more energetic to compensate, sometimes saying things he’ll feel awkward about later that day just to keep the conversation going. 

It’s not all bad. He likes his bubbly side and genuinely enjoys making people laugh when it’s not done out of anxiety. But sometimes he craves a moment where the world around him comes to a stop, and he gets to just be.  

Meeting Minho made his world stop, that first time. In hindsight, it was probably just the immediate budding start of his crush, but he didn’t fully recognize that until a few years into their friendship. At the time though, Jisung was mostly blown away by how at ease he felt with this complete stranger he met at Hyunjin’s birthday party. 

He’s still not sure what made Minho so special then.

Perhaps it was his unapologetic sense of self, his refreshing weirdness throwing all of Jisung’s carefully practiced scripts for conversation off-kilter.

Perhaps it was his brutally honest opinions, overruling Jisung’s anxiety about not being interesting or fun enough with a simple “I like normal”.

Or perhaps it was something less tangible, like the same comfortable aura he seems to radiate to make stray cats warm up to him in an instant.

Folding Minho into his life had been one of the easiest things he’d ever done. The only challenging moments happen when Jisung’s feelings get the best of him and make him forget how to form coherent sentences, like when Minho stares at him too long, or strokes his hair while they watch a movie, or generally exists near him. Other than that though, it’s never been a struggle for them to coexist, even when they disagree on things. 

Then again, they don’t discuss sensitive topics very often.

“Minho-hyung,” he says, breaking the silence.

“What’s up?” Minho replies energetically. The cadence of their brisk walk seems to have woken him up properly.

“We never really fight, do we?”

Minho is quiet at that, mulling it over. “Would you like to?”

“What? No… I mean. Well. Shouldn’t we?”

“Why?”

Jisung gestures vaguely. “I don’t know, wouldn’t that be healthy? To strengthen our bond, by learning we can overcome hardships together, something like that?”

Minho laughs out loud, a wonderful, carefree sound. “Okay, sure. You start.”

“Hyung!” Jisung whines. “Right now?”

“Yeah, let’s do this. Say something to upset me.” 

“I can’t! I wouldn’t know what!”

“Sure you can. Try harder, c’mon.” Minho jabs him in the arm repeatedly.

“I… you always pressure me too much,” Jisung says, catching on. “It’s annoying.”

“I don’t mind being annoying if I know that’s what you need to push through something difficult,” Minho states calmly. 

Okay, well. Honestly, Jisung can’t really argue with that. Minho does always see right through him, after all. Still, he tries. “Are you sure you’re not trying to push your own agenda onto me?”

Minho grabs his chest dramatically. “How dare you imply I don’t want anything but the best for you!”

“Well, it’s a bit arrogant to assume you know me that well! How would you feel if I did that to you?”

“You couldn’t! You’re an open book, I’m cool and mysterious,” Minho retorts.

Jisung’s not sure if it’s another joke, but he feels a pang of frustration nonetheless. He remembers the confusion he felt when Minho first announced his move, how sudden the decision was made, how he barely explained anything at all.

“And whose fault is that?” he says. “You almost never tell me what’s on your mind of your own accord.” 

“I’m older than you. I’m allowed to have my secrets.” The playful tone has all but disappeared from Minho’s voice.

They’ve stopped walking.

“Can you stop deflecting?” Jisung says. “It’s not fair that you’re always making me be vulnerable while you get to keep your fucking walls up.” 

He regrets the words as soon as they’ve left his mouth. “I’m sorry, hyung,” he adds hastily, voice warbled. “I didn’t mean that.”

A beat of silence. 

Minho stares at his feet. “No, it’s okay,” he says, uncharacteristically quiet. The pout of his lips is more pronounced than usual as he sighs through his nose. “You’re right, actually. Probably more than you know.” He kicks at the sandy path. “It’s not your fault, Jisung-ah. I pushed too far. Hyung’s sorry.” 

Jisung isn’t sure he’s ever seen Minho like this. He can’t deny it feels special to get a hint of what’s underneath his tough outer shell, but it also feels incredibly wrong to see his hyung upset. He steps closer and gently pets his arm. “Well I am still sorry for implying we should fight more. This sucked.”

“It did.” Minho swallows. “Look at us, though. Making it through our first one, all in one piece.” He smiles carefully. “I really should put more effort in sharing my feelings. I’m grateful you pointed that out, even if it hurt. I need to remember that my insecurities affect you, too.” It’s strange to hear Minho admit that. Warmth spreads throughout Jisung’s chest. “I can’t promise I’ll change overnight, but I promise I’ll work hard.” He reaches out his hand. “Just… give me some time, okay?”

“Okay hyung. I forgive you.” Jisung spits in his palm and smacks it to Minho’s. 

Minho screeches.

 

After another thirty minutes of walking, they spot a very inviting looking patch of grass next to the path and decide to take a break to eat their assorted snack breakfast. Minho lays out his oversized hoodie and sits on it, patting the other end. 

“I have my own jacket!” Jisung protests. 

“Yes, but I know how much you care about it. Yongboks gifted that to you, right? You wouldn’t want it to get dirty.” Minho pats again, insistently. “Come, come!” 

Jisung sits down next to Minho, face a little warm. As much as he played up complaining about Minho deciding what’s best for him earlier, he almost never actually minds. It feels nice to be seen.

He stretches his legs and ankles, and yawns while Minho unpacks their food. The sunlight dapples lightly through the trees scattered around them, and apart from the wind rustling through the leaves and the occasional bird making itself known, it’s nice and quiet. 

After they both eat their fill, Minho sighs contently and tests the grass around them with his hands. Deeming it dry enough, he lies back and rubs his belly. He spots Jisung eyeing him and splays out his arm invitingly, wiggling his eyebrows and making the flirty little gremlin face Jisung has a complicated love-hate relationship with at this point.

He’s not about to decline a nice pillow though, so when he’s done rolling his eyes he curls up next to Minho, nestling his head above the crook of his pit, cheek resting against the side of his chest. After carefully crossing his leg across Minho’s, he feels like a little koala.

“Did you have anything else planned for today?” Minho asks after a while.

“Nothing much. This hike is supposed to take a few hours, and I figured we’d be pretty tired after doing all that on little sleep.” Jisung splays his hand across Minho’s torso, toying with the fabric of his shirt. “There’s apparently a very small petting zoo at the edge of a nearby town we could visit, though. I’m just not sure they have a lot of interesting animals. Probably some bunnies, hedgehogs, guinea pigs… maybe some hamsters…” he tapers off, trying to sound nonchalant.

“We are obviously visiting the petting zoo,” Minho agrees instantly.

Jisung tries and fails to hide his smile. “I didn’t know you’d be so enthusiastic! I thought you deemed animals smaller than cats generally beneath you.”

“You’re not wrong, but I might get a reward for handing over this escaped little rodent,” Minho says, cooing and poking Jisung’s cheek. 

Jisung blushes and retaliates by poking all his fingers into the plush of Minho’s stomach. Minho’s arm tightens around Jisung’s neck until he taps out and begs for mercy.

 

Inspecting the map again points them to an alternative route up ahead that will lead them directly to the nearby town, so they settle on visiting it by foot and simply walking back after, rather than looping back to the hotel and taking the car. They set back out on the trail with renewed energy.

When they arrive at the petting zoo, Jisung is glad he didn’t oversell it. It truly is small; a single building accompanied by a few fenced off areas and a tiny barn. Still, it’s a sight for sore eyes after their long walk, and with some much needed ice cream from the kiosk at the entrance in hand, they sit on a bench to rest their weary legs. 

The bench offers a perfect view of a lively field of bunnies, and between licks they bicker about which one is the cutest. Minho chooses a small brown one with a slightly curly coat, while Jisung tries to make a case for a perfectly white one with big, dark eyes.

Jisung is delighted when his bunny flops on its side after hopping around for a while, insisting he’s won for sure now.

Minho smiles and lets him have this one. He often does.

After finishing their ice cream, they leave their bunnies behind, walking over to the alpaca enclosure next to the barn. The two animals inside are peacefully chewing on some leaves, barely paying them any attention. 

“Hello,” Jisung says hesitantly.

One of the alpacas swivels around and takes a few steps in their direction. Its cream-colored fur has been shaven around its neck, making it look a little wonky.

“Should we keep some distance, in case he spits at us?” Jisung asks.

“I think that’s llama’s.”

“Pretty sure it’s both.”

They stare at the alpaca.

“Well, I think he’s very handsome,” Jisung says, trying to appease it.

Minho nudges him. “Why don’t you take a closer look?”

The alpaca blinks its black, glassy eyes.

“No, I’m good.”

They take a quick selfie with Minho’s phone, angling the camera to include the alpaca in the background, and head inside.

Determined to show Minho he’s perfectly fine being close to animals, actually, Jisung leads them to a spacious playpen with some guinea pigs. He sits down carefully on the ledge, and a staff member hands him a towel for protection. Before he knows it, there’s a small critter shivering in his lap.

Minho immediately starts taking pictures like he’s getting paid for it.

Amazed, Jisung strokes the soft, brown fur of the guinea pig with gentle pets. It nudges against his hands and squeaks curiously. He smiles. “I think I’m in love.”

“What?” Minho says, lowering his phone.

“I mean look at her, she’s so cute!” Jisung holds out his finger and lets it be sniffed.

“Oh. Yes.” Minho squints at the guinea pig for a while. “She's okay, I guess.” He looks around and leans in. “Should we steal her? There’s room in my bag.”

“Hyung!”

 

After visiting every enclosure, and then making a quick second round so that Jisung could say goodbye to all the animals, they head out on the road again.

Their walk back takes another hour, and it turns out that, young and relatively fit as they are, there is perhaps a limit to what a human body is supposed to do on a single day. As soon as they reach their hotel, all the exhaustion catches up to Jisung at once.

Next to him Minho seems to be faring about the same, if the way he’s dragging his feet as they walk through the corridor is anything to go by. 

They tumble through the door to their room, clumsily take off their shoes and dump their bags, then fling themselves face-first onto their beds.

“Let’s just take a quick nap,” Jisung says into his pillow.

Minho lets out a muffled grunt in agreement.

While he drifts off almost instantly, Jisung has a nagging feeling he’s forgetting something.

 

“…sung.”

Jisung blearily opens his eyes and wipes drool from his cheek.

“Whah..?” he manages.

Minho leans over him and gently pets his hair. “It’s half past eight. We slept for over three hours and we need to figure out dinner before everything closes.”

Jisung launches himself off the bed and rubs his face harshly.

“I was going to set an alarm,” he whines, sitting down to hastily put on his shoes.

“I honestly barely even remember entering the room.” Minho chuckles. “You’re good, let’s just grab something from the local store. I think it closes at nine.”

Their walk to the store quickly turns into a jog when they realize how close they’re cutting it, but it helps Jisung wake up properly. It also makes him realize how absolutely ravenous he feels.

They make it just in time, entering the store with an apologetic bow. Jisung blinks aggressively to adjust to the fluorescent lights. Without overthinking it too much, they end up purchasing some cup noodles and instant tteokbokki and hastily heat them up in the microwave, after which the owner kicks them out as politely as he can.

With their food containers warming their hands, they wander leisurely through the town in search of a spot to sit and eat. The streets are empty and it’s mostly quiet, apart from a dog barking in the distance and a door slamming shut somewhere. They end up sitting on a little wall, shoveling their food inside and only stopping to exchange cups halfway through.

While contently chewing on his last piece of tteokbokki, Jisung looks up.

“Whoa.”

The dark sky above them is completely clear tonight, resulting in a breathtaking view of the stars. Even with the few streetlights around them, the tiny town causes minimal light pollution, especially compared to Seoul.

“Hyung, look,” he says, pulling on Minho’s sleeve to drag his attention away from his noodles. He points to the sky to direct his gaze. 

Minho is quiet. His big eyes glimmer from the lights around them, making them look like they belong up there with the stars as well. There’s some sauce at the corner of his mouth. “Pretty,” he says, lips slightly parted. 

Jisung leans in to swipe the sauce away with his thumb. 

Minho looks back at him just as he’s put it in his mouth to lick it clean, and smiles. “How tired are you?”

Jisung assesses himself. His feet did a lot of work today, but nothing’s hurting too badly anymore. Napping for three hours certainly helped a lot, and he’s not sure he could fall asleep again anytime soon after their run woke his body up.

“Feeling surprisingly okay,” he says. “Why, is there something else you’d like to do tonight?”

“I was thinking we could go back to the viewpoint and have a proper look at the sky.”

Jisung chokes. “Now? It’s so late…”

Minho pushes himself off the wall and stretches his arms above his head, shirt lifting up. Jisung’s eyes fly to the little strip of belly poking out faster than he’d like to admit.

“Yes, but we’ve messed up our sleep schedule already anyway. And I don’t know if we’ll be getting another chance like this anytime soon,” he says, grabbing Jisung’s empty cup and stuffing it inside his own. “Come on, it’s not that far. We can go back right after. Be a good dongsaeng and show me your youthful spirit!”

Truth is, Jisung doesn’t need much convincing. He feels silly for not thinking of this himself, in fact. Stargazing is such a romantic activity, he should have put it in their schedule to begin with. 

Knowing the path now, their journey feels much shorter than that morning. They let their phone flashlights lead the way, but it’s still very dark, and the trees next to the path feel eerie now. Jisung sticks close to Minho, and when Minho’s hand grazes his, he grabs onto it tightly. Minho squeezes his palm and doesn’t mention it.

As soon as they reach the viewpoint, Jisung knows this was the right decision. He gasps at the vastness of the sky, somehow so different from that morning. Braving the scary mountain path feels so worth it with how much clearer the stars look here, no lamps in sight.

They turn off their phone flashlights and find that, under the moonlight, they can still make out the bench Jisung had been eyeing that morning. He eagerly leads them to it and leans his head on Minho’s shoulder as soon as they sit down.

While they gaze at the sky, Minho rubs his thumb absentmindedly over Jisung’s hand, which he never let go of. 

Jisung sighs and sinks further into Minho’s side. 

“I feel so small.”

“You are small,” Minho mutters softly. “My tiny baby.”

Jisung wriggles against his arm. “You know that’s not what I meant. It’s just… I find it really calming, in a weird way. I feel deliciously insignificant.”

“I don’t think you could ever be insignificant.”

“I—well. Thank you.” Jisung blushes. “But I meant it more like, you know, the things I do—I guess they matter less? My worries are kind of meaningless, in the grand scheme of things.”

Minho hums. “Have a lot on your mind, lately?”

Well, of course, but Jisung currently isn’t feeling brave enough for that conversation. It’s been a very, very long day. He shakes his head against Minho’s shoulder.

It’s quiet for a while. “You sure? You know you can tell hyung anything, right?”

Jisung bites his lip. “I just don’t want to talk about it right now. I want to enjoy this moment with you.”

Minho thankfully lets it go, squeezing Jisung’s fingers understandingly. “Why don’t you come lie in my lap so you can look at the stars without straining your neck.”

“Wouldn’t it make more sense for you to lie down, since you’re older and more fragile?” 

“Get the hell in my lap before I change my mind.”

After Jisung gets comfortable, he excitedly points out constellations while Minho gently pets his hair. He’s sure Minho already knows about most of them, but appreciates that he lets him ramble. 

Whenever Jisung feels stressed about a project deadline, he tends to fall into these rabbit holes of random temporary obsessions. Minho calls it procrastination. Jisung calls it expanding his mind library. A few months ago, Minho had found him passed out on the couch after pulling an all-nighter while watching documentaries about the galaxy. It’s nice to finally feel like it was all worth it, even if Chan had chewed him out when he’d begged for an extension.

“...and to think that what we’re looking at is essentially history! Since the stars are so far away, the light we can see now is hundreds or even thousands of years old… imagine how different the world was when it started its journey towards us.”

It’s quiet. Worried he has gone on for too long, Jisung checks Minho’s face, and finds that it’s not aimed at the sky at all. In fact, he’s staring directly at him, with something in his gaze Jisung can’t quite work out.

“Hyung…?” he whispers, unsure how to finish that sentence.

Minho barely seems to register it, just squeezes Jisung’s hands where they’re splayed over his tummy. His eyes blink slowly at him, cat-like, two deep pits of darkness with a gleam of starlight.

Jisung may have felt small and free underneath the night sky before, but here, under Minho’s gaze, he feels almost too large for his own body. Too seen, no place to hide. 

His survival instincts must be severely lacking, because rather than running away, he feels a strange urge to expose his underbelly, hand Minho the knife himself and allow him to peel back every layer until all of him is visible. He wishes Minho could peer straight into his skull, see the feelings that have been threatening to spill out any day now anyway. I want to be yours, they say. Won’t you please have me?

But the words won’t leave his mouth.

Jisung shivers involuntarily, and it seems to wake Minho out of his trance. He blink-blink-blinks and straightens his posture. “Are you cold? It’s cooling down, maybe we should head back.” He helps Jisung up and rubs his arms roughly to warm him, shaking him back and forth.

“Aish, hyung,” Jisung whines, pushing him away. He’s grateful for the sudden change in atmosphere, not sure what would have happened otherwise. Not sure he’d have been ready for it.

During their walk back however, Jisung can’t shake the feeling that something has… shifted. Maybe it’s the exhaustion after their long day, or the surreal atmosphere of this starlit night, but the air between them feels thicker, more tangible.

While descending the mountain path they don’t reach for each other, and when Jisung’s fingers accidentally graze Minho’s wrist, something in his stomach flutters uneasily. He sticks his hands deep inside his pockets for the rest of the walk.

They enter the hotel quietly with their keycard, get to their room, and brush their teeth in silence. Jisung spots a bit of toothpaste on the wall that they must’ve missed when cleaning on their first night. He wants to point it out to Minho, make him laugh—but when he meets his eyes in the mirror, gaze fixed upon him, he finds that he can’t bring himself to talk at all. He quickly bends down to spit in the sink, rinses his brush and stumbles out of the bathroom.

Just as Jisung’s pulled his sleeping shirt over his head, he hears a slight shuffle behind him. He turns around and squints through the dark to see Minho simply standing there, in his pyjamas, hands wringing at the ends of the sleeves they’re barely poking out of.

He looks strangely small.

“Sung-ah,” he says, stepping closer. From this distance, Jisung can see him clenching and unclenching his jaw, like he’s gearing up for something. He leans in, and for a small, beautiful yet terrifying moment, Jisung thinks they’re about to kiss.

Instead, Minho wraps him up in a hesitant hug.

“Thank you for today,” he murmurs in a tone that’s slightly off, chin hooked over Jisung’s shoulder. His arms are wound tightly around Jisung’s, leaving only his hands free to awkwardly pat at Minho’s hips.

Jisung isn’t sure what to do. For all the times they’ve cuddled, they’ve almost never hugged full-on like this. His breath hitches when he realizes Minho seems to need it more than he does.

“Of course, hyung,” he whispers, trying to soothingly pet what parts of Minho’s sides he can reach with his fingers. 

It’s intimate, being pressed together in the darkness. Their body heat seeps through the thin fabric of their sleep garments. Minho’s chest deflates as he sighs softly into the hug.

After a minute, or a few seconds, or perhaps an hour, Minho releases him and steps back.

“I think I need to pass out now,” he says, giving Jisung a final quick nod and walking over to his bed. 

Jisung’s head spins from the whiplash.

“Sleep well, Minho-yah,” he mutters as he crawls underneath the covers. 

By the time he’s willed down his very confused boner, Minho has fallen asleep, muttering unintelligible things and moving around restlessly. Instead of putting in his earplugs, Jisung stays awake, intently watching the blanket-covered lump of Minho’s body until it calms down.

Only when Minho’s breathing has slowed to soft, consistent snores, does Jisung drift off too.

5

 

When they wake up the next day after a very long night of sleep, the tension from the previous evening seems to have dissipated. Minho is back to his old self, poking Jisung’s butt while he bends down to tie his shoes, laughing at his disgruntled expression.

Jisung isn’t sure if he should feel relieved or disappointed. It makes everything a lot more practical, at least. He solemnly promises himself to bring it up once they’re back home, but will gladly write it off as an exhaustion-induced mystery for now. It’s their final day, and he wants them both to enjoy it to the fullest. 

“Alright, I think we should walk the rest of the way from here,” Jisung says, looking up from his phone. 

When Jisung had seen “swimming” listed as a fun activity to do on a date, he’d blown it off initially. Minho and him are both not great in the water, only able to do basic paddling if needed. It makes them both feel self conscious when they’re at a public pool, so they usually opt to just rot in the sun chairs when their friend group drags them along.

He couldn’t deny that the prospect of seeing Minho shirtless wasn’t appealing though, and he figured he could make it work if he could remove the actual swimming part, and perhaps the public aspect too. 

Which is why Minho is currently driving them down a narrow, sandy path at a snail’s pace, looking for a place to park the car. He settles on a grassy patch on the side of the road, and looks around cautiously when they step outside. “If we get in trouble for illegal trespassing I’m making you pay the fine.”

“I think we’re allowed to be here, it’s just that almost nobody ever is.” 

Jisung had done extensive research into bodies of water in their area in order to find the shallowest, least popular lake he could find. He can’t deny he’s nervous, though. This particular lake was so hidden away, he couldn’t even find any proper pictures of it.

Minho closes the trunk after retrieving their bags and gives it a little pat. “I just hope nobody steals my baby.”

“I am willing to take that risk,” Jisung says, looking back at Minho’s wreck of a car as they trudge through the bushes.

A few stumbles across tree roots later, they find a path, or at least something that seems enough like one. It aligns with the direction Jisung’s map tells them to go, so he shrugs and leads the way, Minho following close behind.

“I’m glad the weather has been so nice these past days,” Jisung says. “Hopefully the water won’t be too cold now.”

“Ah yes, of course.” 

Minho sounds a bit off, but Jisung can’t quite place it.

After a few minutes of walking, a clearing comes into view in the distance, and Jisung sees the first sparkles of the sun reflecting on the water. He lets out a relieved sigh. “I told you it was this way!”

Minho hums quietly.

As they get closer to the lake, Jisung is pleased to see he did his research well. The scenery is not that impressive looking, perhaps explaining why there’s no other people in sight, but the water is clear, and the bottom is visible for a long stretch ahead of them.

Jisung grabs Minho’s hand when they reach the edge of the clearing. “See hyung? It’s not very deep! We won’t have to swim at all.” 

Alarmingly, Minho lets out a weird giggle. 

Jisung stops walking. “What’s going on?” He stares at Minho as he recomposes himself. 

“Alright, you have to promise not to be mad. I wasn’t sure if you were serious about the lake.”

Jisung’s eyes bulge. “Why would I lie to you about that? It took a lot of effort to find a place where we could hang out in the water undisturbed!”

Minho’s apologetic smile is so sincere that it makes Jisung look away for a second. “I thought you might be pranking me since you know I don’t like swimming. Figured we’d just be having a picnic with a view, or something like that. But it turns out I underestimated just how well my jagi really knows me.” He awkwardly gives Jisung a one-armed side hug. “I didn’t bring any swimming trunks, though.”

Jisung splutters. “Then what’s in your bag?”

Food is what’s in the bag, as it turns out. Apparently, when they had made a quick stop at the gas station earlier because of Jisung’s teeny tiny bladder, Minho had sneakily bought some extra snacks at the store. He proudly sets them out on top of the checkered picnic blanket Jisung had frantically and unsuccessfully searched for when he was packing, and finishes the display with a huge bottle of sunscreen and a can of bug spray. Show-off.

They sit down to eat after Jisung adds the food from his own bag to the pile. He appreciates the thought Minho put into this too much to feel hurt about not being taken seriously, but he plays it up anyway, pouting dramatically every so often so that Minho keeps feeding him the best bits with a roll of his eyes. 

As they take turns eating bites from their shared chopsticks, Jisung wonders if they’re maybe too comfortable with each other. He thinks back to the time they exchanged their gum in front of Changbin just to piss him off and shrugs. This is fine, in comparison.

When they’re fully sated and warm from the sun, at the verge of dozing off, Minho gets up, cracking his knees and hips involuntarily and then cracking his knuckles voluntarily—just for good measure. He dusts off his shorts and looks around. Then, he takes off his shirt. 

“What are you doing?” Jisung asks, alarmed yet mesmerized. 

“I’m going to enjoy the nice shallow lake you so thoughtfully picked out for us.” Minho says calmly, grabbing his big bottle of sunscreen and lathering himself up. 

“I thought you said you didn’t bring swimming trunks,” Jisung says, following the movement of Minho’s fingers across his chest. 

“I know,” Minho says, grinning at him and turning around before he shoves his shorts and underwear down in one go, giving Jisung an intimidating view of his pale round cheeks before he hurriedly looks away.

Jisung listens to the rustle of Minho’s clothes as he steps out of them and only looks back up when the sound of his footsteps has faded away. He gapes at Minho’s broad back as he toes at the water, hops from one foot to the other a couple of times, and runs in. When Minho screams and shivers dramatically, waist-deep in the lake, he can’t help but crack a smile.

“How’s the temperature?” he yells.

Minho frantically rubs his arms. “Come join me and feel for yourself!”

Jisung groans and stands up, knowing it’d be a dick move not to follow him. He’s not sure what the etiquette is on what to wear when your best friend is naked. Part of him feels like he should go in bare as well, out of solidarity. Part of him also feels like that’s a really bad idea.

Deciding he’s not brave enough, he merely pulls off his shirt and shorts and starts rummaging through his bag for his swimming trunks. 

“Are you letting your hyung be vulnerable all by himself?” 

Jisung frowns at Minho, who is standing with his hands on his hips. His judging stare is visible even from a distance.

“Just admit that you’re a pervert!” he yells back. 

Still, he feels weird about putting on his swimming trunks now, with Minho watching him. Blushing, he strips off his boxers and pads over to the water, hands across his junk.

“If a fish bites my balls I’m going to be so mad,” he grumbles dramatically as he nears the shore. Minho lets out a high-pitched cackle.

Precariously balancing on his left foot, Jisung tips his right toe in the water. “It’s cold!” 

“You’ll get used to it,” Minho calls out encouragingly. He does seem to be faring better now, no longer shivering, soaking up the sun.

Jisung hesitantly walks forwards. The water is cool yet bearable on his ankles, but once it reaches past his shins and licks at the sensitive back of his knees, he winces and comes to a halt. 

“I think I’m good,” he says, still awkwardly far away from Minho.

“I think you need to suck it up and come join me here.”

“I think I’m actually allergic to lakes.”

Minho wades towards him at an impressive speed. As he emerges from the deep, Jisung isn’t sure whether it’s weirder to stare at the water running down the thick cock hanging between his legs, or look the other way entirely, so he compromises by closing his eyes.

They snap open again when Minho grabs Jisung by the hips and hoists him up on his shoulders in a fireman’s carry.

“Yah! Minho-hyung! Put me down!” Jisung yells, trying to ignore how his dick is pressed right into Minho.

Minho just chuckles and leads them back to the deeper part, smacking Jisung’s bare ass repeatedly to make him stop wriggling. When he deems the water high enough, he drops Jisung in.

The cold shocks Jisung’s system and he wheezes for air when he comes up again, eyes bulging in their sockets.

“I can’t believe you did that!” he rasps. “I could have died!”

Minho flicks water at him from his fingertips. “You would’ve been fine. I think I read how to do CPR somewhere once. I’m sure I would have figured it out.”

“You’re insane.”

“Wanna practice just in case?” Minho says, puckering his lips and making grabby hands.

Jisung squeals and sploshes away. 

 

It turns out Minho wasn’t lying. After mucking about and bickering back and forth for a while, the temperature is doable. Jisung basks in the sunlight, marveling at the way it glitters on the surface in the distance. He turns to Minho, who’s taken to searching for pebbles on the lake bottom to skip across the water.

“I should have brought my polaroid camera,” Jisung sighs wistfully.

Minho smirks at him and juts out his hip. “I can always pose naked for you another time.”

“You’re so— I meant for the lake!” Jisung splutters. “It’s a nice memory, I want to see it on our photo wall.”

Minho nods and throws his final pebble. They both watch as it bounces across the water two, three times, before disappearing. “We should start thinking of how to split the pictures soon. I don’t want to live in an apartment without your face all over it.”

His words feel like a punch to the gut. In all honesty, Jisung had completely forgotten about the move for a moment. In fact, he’s not been thinking of it much at all these past few days, so easily distracted by how much fun they’ve been having.

He swallows. A wave of nausea rises up when he realizes he came here with a plan, but has been slacking off more and more as the week progressed. It’s just so easy to fall into the comfortable rhythm they’ve spent so long building up. He curses himself for wasting so many opportunities. He should have been more forward, flirted harder. He should have insisted on paying for their entire meal at the restaurant. He should have undressed proudly today, showing off instead of cowering and complaining all the way through.

Jisung’s chest tightens when he realizes they’re leaving the next day, and it feels like nothing of importance has changed.

It’s been quiet for a while, but his reply is stuck in his throat. Minho is just standing there, gorgeous, naked, patient as ever, and suddenly Jisung can’t deal with the thought of losing him.

“Sung-ah. What’s on your mind?” Minho smiles at him, calm and encouraging.

Terrifyingly, Jisung lets out a little squeak on his next exhale. He chews on the inside of his cheek and thinks back to last night, how Minho said he could tell him anything, how he looked at him afterwards. The tension in the air.

“I think you already know,” he breathes out in realization.

“Know what, jagi?”

"Hyung… ” Jisung whines, sinking into the water until he’s crouched down, hiding and holding his own knees for comfort. “Please don’t make me say it.” 

“I think you’ll feel better if you do.”

Jisung stares intently at a tree at the edge of the lake. He wishes he’d prepared himself better. Then again, this entire trip was a desperate attempt to prevent this entire situation. He forces his breathing to calm down. If he doesn’t go for it now, he’s not sure there will ever be a right moment.

Here’s to being brave.

“I don’t want you to move out.” 

No, that’s not quite it. 

“I want you to keep living with me.” 

Getting there. 

“Forever.” 

Okay, maybe coming on a bit too strong. Jisung squeezes his legs and inhales shakily before he takes the plunge. 

“Because I like you. As more than my best friend and favorite hyung. I have feelings for you. And I—” He swallows, taking a moment to settle his thoughts. “I know that might mess up what we have, but I can’t unfeel it, and I don’t want to. It means too much to me.”

He turns to Minho, who doesn’t seem weirded out, or even surprised, and it gives Jisung enough courage for the final stretch, reeling on adrenaline. 

“And I think… I think we work together. I’ve never felt this way with anyone else, and I don’t really want to find out if I will! So please, don’t leave me hanging.” Tears prick at the back of his eyes. “Not because I won’t survive, but because it’ll hurt. I’m trying to be strong right now, but I—I’m so scared, hyung.“

He pants like he’s run a marathon, water still lapping at his shoulders, and finds himself wishing he had chosen a lake deep enough to properly drown himself in.

Minho is still staring at him without saying a word, a strangely proud look in his eyes. Then he smiles, and starts wading closer to Jisung.

Jisung isn’t sure why his first instinct is to crawl backwards but he makes an attempt anyway, promptly losing his balance and clumsily dipping his head underwater for a second. He splutters as he comes up. Maybe the lake is deep enough to drown in, after all. But before he can reconsider that option, he’s dragged up under his armpits and pulled into a bone-crushing hug.

He didn’t realize how much he was shaking until the sheer pressure of Minho’s arms around him forces him to stop. Breathing in and out slowly against his shoulder, Jisung grounds himself with the warmth of Minho’s body in contrast to the cool water around them.

After a few moments, Jisung is released, swaying backwards softly. Strong, small fingers determinedly swipe wet strands of hair out of his face and give his cheek a pinch.

“My jagi is so brave,” Minho mutters fondly, eyes glittering.

Then, he leans in and kisses the water from Jisung’s lips. 

It’s over before Jisung can fully register what’s going on, mindlessly chasing Minho’s mouth as he pulls away again.

He blinks dazedly. “What—“

“I like you too. Of course I like you too.”

The lake is quiet. It’s like the world is standing still for a minute while Jisung processes this information that feels both new, yet somehow to his own amazement, blatantly obvious.

“Really?” he asks, just to make sure.

“Really really,” Minho murmurs with a bashful smile.

A dizzying mixture of relief and confusion floods Jisung’s senses, accompanied by a warm prickly feeling down the back of his neck as he fully realizes Minho just kissed him. Like it was nothing. Like he’d been ready for it all along.

Jisung shakes his head, not sure if he’s dreaming. “How are you so calm about this?” 

Minho grabs his hands and gives them a firm little squeeze. “You remember how you were so proud of planning the trip all on your own?”

“Well, obviously? But what does that—“

“And you remember how you sent me the confirmation of the hotel booking, because you wanted me to say you were a good little bug?”

Jisung flushes. “Yes, but—“ Oh. Oh no.

Minho grins crookedly as realization dawns on Jisung’s face.

“You do realize I was able to see the specific request for a room with one bed, right?”

Jisung covers his face with his hands. 

“That could mean anything!” he whines into his palms. 

“It could,” Minho admits, inching closer and gently peeling Jisung’s hands away from his face to look at him. “But to be honest, I’d had a suspicion for a while already. And then the way you reacted when that poor receptionist called you out on it kind of settled it for me. I’ve been waiting for you ever since.”

Part of Jisung wants to throw a small tantrum, but the sight of Minho’s lips, plush and pink close and so warm when they touched his own just now, is a little distracting. 

He blinks up at Minho, whose gaze is fixed on Jisung’s mouth as well. The sun forms a halo on the droplets in his hair. 

Jisung’s breath hitches and, realizing that he is allowed to do this now, he leans in.

Minho sighs into the kiss and immediately grabs the back of Jisung’s head, angling him to give himself perfect access to lick into his mouth. 

The water laps at their waists as they get tangled up in each other, bellies rubbing together when Jisung pulls Minho closer. The kiss is searingly hot and yet not nearly enough. Jisung has just enough conscience left to realize he’s not done talking and pulls back, even if it’s very hard to let go.

“Wait,” he pants, grabbing at Minho’s shoulders to keep him at bay. “If you already knew then, why didn’t you say something? You could have saved me the agony! We could’ve been doing this all week!”

It’s funny how easy it is to spot Minho’s shyness. His face is far more expressive than he’s probably aware of himself, and even without that, the tips of his ears getting red within seconds give him away as well.

Jisung rubs Minho’s arms, not able to stop touching him even if he wants answers. “Well?”

Minho’s nose scrunches up and he scrapes his throat awkwardly. “As we established yesterday, I… find it hard to be vulnerable. I promised you I was going to work on it, and I still intend to keep that promise.” His voice wavers. “I already tried, a couple of times this week actually, to tell you how I felt.” He wrings his hands. “I just… couldn’t.”

Overcome with a need to comfort his hyung, Jisung slides his hands down to grab Minho’s, holds them tight, forces him to make eye contact. “Believe me, I understand. I literally planned this entire holiday in the hopes you’d make a move, just so I wouldn’t have to. We clearly both suck at this.”

“You did so well just now though,” Minho mutters. “You’re stronger than I am. Although I really am sorry for pushing you one last time.”

The rawness in his voice makes Jisung blush. “You better be,” he grumbles, but he’s way too relieved to be genuinely mad. “I felt like I was going to piss myself and pass out. You should have stepped in as soon as it became clear what I was going to say.”

Minho’s mouth twitches into a wry smile. “You were already gearing up for it, so I didn’t want to steal your thunder. I figured doing it yourself would build character.”

Jisung stares at him, unimpressed.

“I also do kind of like to watch you squirm.”

Jisung splashes water at him. “You’re a coward! You owe me so many vulnerable confessions after this!”

Minho wades backwards and puts his hands up in an attempt to shield his face, but it’s no use.

“I’m—” he splutters, spitting water back at Jisung, “I said I’m sorry! I promise I’ll tell you everything that’s on my mind from now on!” 

Jisung doesn’t stop, feeling a freeing sort of glee from watching Minho struggle. Maybe they have this in common, too.

“For example,” Minho growls wetly, pushing closer to Jisung again and powering through the wall of water he’s putting up, “right now I think you’re a brat who needs to respect his elders.” He lunges forwards and tackles Jisung around his waist, making them both go under.

When they come up again, Jisung barely has time to gasp for air before Minho pulls him in for another kiss. He smacks his shoulders repeatedly until Minho lets go, coughs up the lake water he accidentally swallowed, and catches his breath. “You’re so greedy!” he pants. 

“Don’t blame me. I’ve been waiting a very long time for this,” Minho says, grinning and pushing his hair out of his face. It’s unfair how attractive it makes him look.

“I’m still mad at you,” Jisung lies. He crosses his arms and pointedly takes a few steps back.

“Are you now,” Minho says, raising an eyebrow.

“I put a lot of effort into planning this holiday and still ended up having to confess all by myself! You’ll need to put in some more work of your own if you want to win me back.”

“Come back over here and I’ll show you exactly how much effort I’m willing to make for you.”

Jisung’s blood runs straight to his dick, but he’s determined to at least pretend he’s not desperate. “How about you work for it and catch me first instead?” he yells, turning around and wading through the water as fast as he can.

Immediately, he hears chaotic splashing behind him. It’s hard to estimate how close Minho is exactly, but he refuses to slow down and check, instead screaming and giggling nervously as he stumbles towards the shore. With the water below his waistline now, it gradually becomes easier to move his legs, but he can hear the noises catching up to him.

“Gotcha.” 

Minho’s arms circle him like a vice, trapping Jisung’s arms to his sides. He tries to wriggle free but it mostly results in his ass rubbing against Minho’s half-hard cock, reminding him that they’re still very much naked.

“Impatient, huh?” Minho murmurs in his ear, nipping at his lobe and grinding his hips forward. Jisung is not proud of the noise that leaves his throat, going lax in his hold.

Minho noses along his nape and lowers one arm to Jisung’s waist, groping at his chest with his other hand. “Wanna make you feel good, Sung-ah,” he says, voice hoarse. “Are you gonna behave if I let go of you now?”

Jisung nods dazedly, then keens when Minho tugs at his nipple in reward. He leans into Minho’s body, warm and solid behind him.

“Can I?” Minho asks, mouthing over Jisung’s neck.

“Yeah—hnngh,” Jisung moans, as Minho sucks a mark straight onto the side of his throat. Waves of pain-pleasure ripple through him, even more so when Minho glides his hand down his torso, gently raking his nails across his belly, through the soft, then coarse trail of hair, until his fingers neatly circle the base of his cock. He gives it a squeeze, and Jisung’s hips kick forward involuntarily.

“Please,” he gasps, so fucking sensitive already. He feels Minho smile against his throat, hears him panting softly. It’s hot to know he’s not unaffected, emphasized further by the thick cock twitching insistently against the cleft of his ass.

“Anything for my baby,” Minho says, slowly starting to fist Jisung’s shaft. He bites and licks a messy trail from Jisung’s shoulder up to his ear and back again, and Jisung quickly realizes he is not going to last long. 

Minho speeds up his movements, polishing the head on every upstroke, gathering pre to slicken the glide. Jisung is grateful for the sturdy arm still around his waist because his legs give out when he comes, suddenly, much earlier than he expected. His head falls back onto Minho’s shoulder, mouth slack, moaning pathetically while his cock gets milked dry.

He takes a shuddering breath when Minho lets go of him carefully, making him balance on his own legs again. 

His cum floats sadly in the water in front of him.

“I was going to—I wanted to…” Jisung trails off. 

Minho gently spins him around and smiles at him, pupils blown. “You were going to what?”

“I wanted you to fuck me,” Jisung mopes. Minho’s neglected cock jumps against his hip.

“I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I left my lube and condoms in my suitcase.”

Jisung’s eyes widen. “You brought lube and condoms to our lovely anniversary holiday?!” If he wasn’t still coming down from a mind-blowing, albeit embarrassingly premature orgasm, he’d be aghast right now.

Minho looks unfazed. “I assumed I might be needing them and as it turns out, I’m never wrong.” 

Jisung stares at him. It’s bold, it’s arrogant, it’s… highly convenient, honestly. Kind of hot, too. Jisung could kiss him. Among other things.

“Let me suck you off.”

At that, Minho’s chest flushes. “Are you sure? You said you wanted me to work for it.”

“You did, hyung. I came. Thank you for that, by the way.” Jisung slithers his hand greedily down Minho’s body.

Minho catches his wrist right before he reaches his goal. “I also feel like we still have some things to discuss.”

Jisung considers him for a second, appreciating his self control. He knows Minho is right—several questions still sit in the back of his mind, but it’s hard to think clearly in his post-orgasm daze. “I promise you we can talk later. It’s just that I’ve been wanting to suck your dick for literal years. Please put it in my mouth.”

Upon receiving a shy nod, he drags a very pink Minho to the shore and directs him to sit on the flattest looking rock, warmed by the sun. It’s not an ideal position, but the discomfort of his own knees in the mud is quickly forgotten at the sight of Minhos’ thick thighs splayed out in front of him, framing the weeping cock curved against his belly. It looks even bigger from this perspective.

“You’re unreal,” Jisung stammers, digging his fingers into the bulging quads on display.

Minho turns another shade darker. He reaches out his hand to cup Jisung’s cheek, allowing him to nuzzle it for a few seconds before he pushes his thumb past his lips. 

Jisung moans around it, eyelids fluttering. Minho presses down on his tongue, strokes the ridges of his crooked bottom teeth, taking his time with it.

“So beautiful.”

Jisung opens his eyes and sees Minho staring down at him, mesmerized. His thumb leaves his lips with a soft pop, and Jisung feels his hand nestling into his wet mop of hair instead.

“This okay?” Minho’s voice is careful and soft, like he’s talking to a small animal he doesn’t want to scare off.

Jisung swallows and nods, feeling lightheaded from the slight pull at the base of his scalp. He leans forward and grabs Minho’s cock, pressing a shaky, wet-lipped kiss to the tip. He hears Minho sigh and works the spit in his mouth forwards, lets it drip onto his length and spreads it sloppily with his tongue. 

Minho swears. Encouraged, Jisung sinks down onto his cock, taking it as far as he can go for now. He curls his hand around his shaft and moves it up and down to make up for the parts he can’t reach. Minho’s hand tugs a little harder at his hair, making Jisung groan around him.

Determined to make a good first impression, Jisung pushes himself down further, gagging wetly and coming up teary-eyed. While he works up a rhythm, he pushes his other hand between Minho’s legs, fondles his balls, massages his knuckles into his taint. Minho’s hips buck up and Jisung chokes again, retching a little.

Minho lets go of his hair immediately to let him come up for air.

“No, please, ‘m okay,” Jisung slurs, out of breath. He blinks up at Minho pathetically with watery, clumped lashes. “Wanna be used. I’ll be good?” 

Minho groans, bunny teeth bared.

Strong fingers weave into Jisung’s hair again, with more purpose this time, and he sighs happily as he sinks back down onto Minho’s cock.

Things turn hazy after that. It's a dizzying mixture of being pushed and pulled while gagging weakly, working his tongue along Minho’s shaft as best he can, spit frothing at the base from his efforts.

After a while he realizes his nose is fully reaching Minho’s pubes with every push now, and his eyes roll back. 

Minho hisses. The grip on his hair tightens like he’s trying to pull him off. “Jisung-ah, I think I’m gonna—”

Jisung hums and stays down, bracing himself.

With a small gasp, Minho comes, body spasming, legs shaking. Jisung swallows him down until he can’t anymore, spluttering as he pulls off, a final weak spurt landing across his nose.

He sighs and leans against Minho’s inner thigh, fucked out and cum-drunk.

“Baby.”

“Hmm?” Jisung mumbles, nuzzling Minho’s softening cock.

Minho uses his thumb to wipe Jisung’s nose clean. When Jisung looks up, Minho’s eyes are dripping with fondness.

“Let’s get back to the hotel. I want to take care of you. And talk some more.”

 

After sharing Jisung’s towel to dry off and packing up their stuff, they hurriedly walk back to the car.

They don’t talk much, just share nervous smiles and soft giggles, hands staying interlocked the entire way through. Once in a while their shoulders bump into each other comfortably. Jisung is still shy every time their eyes lock, despite having literally had Minho’s cock in his mouth half an hour ago—or perhaps exactly because of that.

When they arrive at the car, Minho quickly pins Jisung against it for another searing kiss before walking to the driver’s side, leaving him staggering as he regains his balance. He’s going to have to get used to this quickly if he doesn’t want to embarrass himself. 

Jisung clambers in, fixes his seatbelt and stares unabashedly at Minho as he turns the engine on, checks the rearview mirror and navigates them back towards the main road. 

Once back on asphalt, Minho scrapes his throat. Jisung watches the muscles in his forearms flex when his grasp at the steering wheel tightens.

“So. Now that we’re in a moving vehicle, and I can’t run away from you, I think I should talk about some things.”

“You’re making it sound kind of scary,” Jisung mutters, pulling his knees up to his chest.

Minho smiles. “I promise you it’s nothing bad. Well, I don’t know. It might be a little bit, actually. But the result will be positive?” He groans and rubs his forehead. “I’m really not good at this, I’m so sorry.”

Not sure whether to relax or not, Jisung swallows tightly. “It’s just me, hyung.” He reaches over and pats Minho’s arm. “I think you’ll feel better if you tell me.”

Minho chuckles nervously. “I see what you’re doing.” He looks ahead and takes a deep breath. “Okay, I’m going to try to be as honest as I can, because it’s not fair that you’ve been doing all the hard work. Please do not interrupt me too much because I will chicken out.”

Jisung nods, not making a sound.

“You know how you said you planned this entire holiday in the hopes of me making a move?” Before Jisung can answer, Minho continues. “I hope you’re not feeling too guilty about that, because I feel like I’ve got you beat. By miles. And I feel so, so silly about it now.”

Jisung sits up straighter, heart in his throat.

“I’ve liked you for so long that it’s kind of embarrassing,” Minho chokes out. His eyes are strictly focused on the road, like he’s trying to forget Jisung is within hearing distance. “But that’s not the issue here. In hindsight it’s almost funny. I should have noticed your crush on me so easily—perhaps I even did, but I never fully let myself believe it. Didn’t want to assume, didn’t want to overstep. If I’m being really honest here, mostly I just didn’t want to risk getting hurt. Either way, the problem is that I, one day, did something especially stupid. I decided—” he stops for a second, biting his lip. “I decided I’d try to get over you.”

Trees zoom past them in a blur as they sit in silence.

“It started as just a coincidence. I had been meaning to check out this dance school I’d been hearing about for a while, and when I went to their website, I noticed they were looking for teachers. I thought: maybe this is my way out. Something to throw myself at, away from you, from our house, from everything that reminded me of all these feelings I didn’t know what to do with. So I applied for a job, a few days later.”

Jisung’s heart sinks. It’s painful to hear how much they’d both been pining all along, not to mention how he apparently could have prevented Minho’s moving out if only he’d been braver sooner. He’s glad they’re on the same page now at least, but still mourns the little home they’ve been building together all these years.

“It was a very cowardly move. Perhaps even more so because part of me considered it a final test of sorts. I figured if you had feelings for me too, you might try to stop me, and I’d never have to risk anything myself.” He finally looks over at Jisung, then. “I’m sorry. It’s why I kept bringing it up; part of me always hoped for a reaction.”

Jisung takes a second to process this, then offers him a watery smile. “I’m not mad at you, hyung.”

Minho scoffs.

“No, really! We’ve both gone to extreme lengths to avoid the things we feared.” Jisung sighs. “If anything, it’s given us an insight into what we should work on from now on. It’s a good reality check. For people who claim to be best friends, we sure suck at talking about our feelings.”

Minho nods sheepishly, then squints and raises his brow. “Just best friends?”

Jisung slaps his arm. It’s quiet for a while as they let the conversation sink in.

“I really am not angry,” Jisung says again, deciding to be fully transparent while they’re at it, “but I am kind of sad. No matter the initial reason for applying, you do seem like a very good fit for that dance school. You’ve been looking for a position like this for years! And I feel like a horrible friend, because I haven’t felt any happiness for you since the day you told me about it. I’ve only been thinking about how much I’ll miss you when you move out.” He sniffles and rubs his nose. “But I wouldn’t want you to give up your dreams for me.”

Minho hums in understanding and looks away. “I… have one final confession to make.” He shifts in his chair. “I’m really sorry, I promise I’m done after this one. I do still want to take the job, you see. I did really apply for it. It’s just that I may have left out the fact that they’re big enough to have multiple locations.”

Jisung gasps.

Minho is beet red. “I told myself I was going to apply for the one further away if I was absolutely confident you had no interest in me, but it turns out I’m either a pathetic loser who can’t let go, or simply an optimist, so I actually applied for the school near us. Which means I won’t have to move out, if you’ll still have me.” He breathes in and out shakily. “Please forgive me for lying to you, it made me feel guilty as hell and has been fucking up my sleep for months now. I will never do it again.” He squares his shoulders like he’s considering jumping out of the car after all. ”I love you too much for that.” 

Jisung feels like crying and laughing and crawling into Minho’s lap all at once. “I love you too, hyung,” he ends up settling on, savoring the aftertaste of those words on his tongue for the first time. He thinks he could get used to it. “Of course you can stay. I also really want to kiss you again right now.”

Minho grabs his hand tightly. “As soon as we’re back at the hotel, we shall make out until our lips shrivel up and fall off.” 

Jisung snorts and brings Minho’s hand to his mouth, pressing a gentle kiss to his fingers. 

When he lets go, Minho drops his hand to Jisung’s bare thigh, right where his shorts have ridden up. “Let’s enjoy the rest of this drive for now,” he says with a sly grin, squeezing softly.

“Eugh. Can’t believe I’m in love with a gross old man.”

Minho meanly pinches his inner thigh. To Jisung’s horror, a high-pitched whimper escapes him.

“Hyung, don’t—”

“You’re getting hard again,” Minho says, pleased. 

Jisung flushes and stares shamelessly at Minho’s crotch. “So are you!”

“No, I’m just big.”

“Fuck you.”

“We can do that another time.”

Jisung groans, but can’t deny his dick twitches at the prospect.

Despite their rush to get back to the hotel, Minho makes them stop at a roadside restaurant to collect some takeout for later, explaining that he isn’t planning on leaving their room again today after they’ve entered it. Jisung blushes and squirms in his seat the rest of the way.

 

As soon as they dump their bags and close the door to their room, Minho grabs Jisung and crowds him against it with a soft thud, protecting Jisung’s head from impact with his hand. Jisung moans into their kiss, letting Minho overtake him completely. He opens his mouth obediently as Minho’s tongue demands entry and immediately slides against his own with a sense of urgency that makes him dizzy. 

Strong hands give his ass a rough squeeze and slide down to the backs of his thighs. Jisung instinctively wraps his legs around Minho’s waist as he lifts him, eager to be closer. He kisses Minho sloppily, drunk on indulgence, tangling his hands in his hair to keep him near. If he’s a little too rough with it, Minho doesn’t show it, merely deepening the kiss and bucking up into him instead. 

Jisung keens when Minho’s clothed cock grinds against his ass, his own straining against his shorts. He can feel himself leaking in anticipation.

“Bed?” Minho gasps out, tearing himself away. His hair stands up from where Jisung has been pulling it, making him look absolutely feral.

Jisung nods dazedly and gasps when Minho swivels around, blindly toes off his shoes and carries him to his bed without any signs of struggle. He dumps Jisung on the mattress, unties his sneakers and throws them behind him without looking away even once. Jisung feels like he’s about to be eaten alive. He’s too turned on to think, shivering from how wanted he feels.

In a flash, Minho crawls on top of him and pins him down. He leans in close, scraping his teeth across Jisung’s neck, licking along his jawline, before pressing their lips together again hungrily. “Been wanting this for so long,” he groans into his mouth.

“Yeah?” Jisung gasps, arching up from the bed when one of Minho’s hands finds its way underneath his shirt to pluck at his nipple.

“Mm-hmm, drove me crazy.” Minho rocks his hips down into him. “Thought of you while touching myself all the time.”

“H—ahh, me too, fuck,” Jisung moans. “Pretended it was your cock inside of me when I— ah— when I fucked myself.”

Minho’s eyes glint dangerously. He sits up and tugs at Jisung’s shorts. “Off. I need these off.”

With trembling fingers, Jisung hastily undoes his zip. He squeaks when Minho steps off the bed and pulls down not just his shorts, but his boxers too. While Minho discards them, Jisung instinctively pulls up his legs and knocks his knees together, feeling exposed. His shirt is still on, albeit rucked up all the way above his chest, and Minho is still wearing all his clothes.

“What are you—ahh!”

Minho pulls him down by his ankles until his bare ass hangs over the bottom edge of the mattress. “I told you. I want to take care of you,” he says, sinking to his knees and pushing Jisung’s legs up.

Jisung has about two seconds to process what’s happening before Minho’s thumbs pull apart his cheeks and he feels his hot breath right against his hole.

“Fuck!” Jisung cries as Minho’s tongue drags across his rim. His entire body trembles, and he grabs the backs of his own thighs to keep them securely to his chest. 

Minho’s sharp nose rubs across Jisung’s taint as he laps at his hole with broad, slow strokes.

“Feels so good,” Jisung chokes out, gasping when Minho starts poking at his entrance more insistently.

Minho moans as loud as Jisung when his tongue finally breaches him. Like a starved man, he licks at his hole endlessly, mercilessly, prodding inside and groping his ass until Jisung fully relaxes for him, shuddering wildly at every touch.

After a tender kiss to his rim and a quick nip at both cheeks to say goodbye, Minho finally leans back. “Let me grab the lube so I can open you up for me.”

“Wait! I want you near me,” Jisung says hoarsely, regaining consciousness and weakly making grabby hands. “I can barely see you from here. I miss you.”

Minho stands up, and it’s only then that Jisung remembers he’s still fully clothed. His chin and neck are shiny with spit, all the way to the damp collar of his shirt. “I don’t think this tiny bed is made for a lot of action,” he says, wiping his mouth. “I’d be too worried about either of us falling off.”

After some quick consideration they settle for spreading Jisung’s blanket on the floor. Immediately he sprawls on top of it, limbs splayed out lazily. He still feels fuzzy around the edges, but remembers to finally tear off his shirt, and watches intently as Minho undresses as well. Seeing him naked still hits just as hard as it did earlier that afternoon. He wolf whistles when Minho shucks off his boxers, and promptly gets hit in the face by them. When he plucks them off, Minho is kneeling between his legs, lube and condoms in hand.

“Much better,” Jisung says, greedily taking in Minho’s plump pecs while he gets ready.

Minho rolls his eyes and sticks a lubed up finger in his ass.

Despite the extensive prep with his tongue, Minho takes his time opening him up, seemingly more for his own pleasure than for Jisung’s. He grins smugly as Jisung moans and wriggles around while he circles two, then three fingers against his prostate at an agonizingly slow pace. 

Jisung’s dick weeps. “Hyung, please,” he begs, on the edge of crying, if that’s what it takes. “Please just fuck me already. I want you inside of me so bad.”

Minho curls up his fingers, pressing hard. “I am inside of you.”

Jisung squeezes his eyes shut in concentration as he tries to stave off his orgasm. He feels an actual tear spill out between his lashes and run down his cheek. “Your cock! Please, I want your cock, hyung.”

Minho groans and carefully slips his fingers out again, friction against his rim causing Jisung’s dick to blurt out another dribble of precum. He wipes his hand on the blanket and grabs the condoms.

“Actually, do we really need these? I’m good to go without them,” Minho says, shaking the strip in the air.

Jisung moans. He’s so fucking hard. “Me too, please get them out of my sight.” He’d gotten tested last year after Sangwoo broke up with him. 

God, why is he thinking of Sangwoo when Minho is about to fuck him. 

God, Minho is about to fuck him.

All thoughts leave his head when Minho spreads his legs and presses his lubed up cock against his ass, rubbing it across lazily and making a mess.

When Jisung remembers how to open his eyes he sees Minho smirking down, gaze fixed, taking his time to stare at his exposed hole. He gasps when Minho tugs it open with his thumb. 

“So pretty.” 

Jisung moans, flustered. “Pervert.” 

“That’s right,” Minho grunts as he pushes in. Jisung’s eyes roll back.

All the patience he possessed while he fingered Jisung seems to have been used up. He fucks into him with deep, insistent strokes, snapping his hips on every thrust.

Jisung’s head lolls against the blanket as he lets himself be moved by Minho, not sure how much time is passing, a feeling creature only.

The discomfort of cold spit against the side of his cheek breaks him out of his trance, suddenly realizing he’s been drooling for a while now.

Minho doesn’t seem to mind in the slightest, staring at him with his pupils blown, chest flushed a deep red as he hovers above him. He smiles. “You feel so good, Sung-ah. You drive me insane.”

Needing him closer, Jisung grasps at Minho’s neck and pulls him in for a messy kiss. Minho pants into his mouth, his well-trained hips allowing him to keep up a steady pace all the while.

Jisung can sense a familiar tension building in his underbelly, but his legs are slowly giving out, losing their grip on Minho’s waist from being jostled around. He wails when the change in position makes Minho almost slip out for a second, bringing him back from the edge.

Minho sits back to grab the insides of Jisung’s knees, hooks them over his elbows and leans forward, trapping him. His cock reaches even deeper now, spearing him open as he picks up the pace again. All Jisung can do is grab Minho’s shoulders and hold on for dear life as he loses his grasp on reality.

Feeling out of his mind, Jisung looks down between their bodies and watches how Minho thrusts into him, his thick shaft shiny with lube, balls slapping against his ass. His own cock is trapped uselessly against the folds in his belly.

“Is it like you imagined?” Minho growls. “When you fucked yourself?”

“Better, so much better,” Jisung babbles, eyes fluttering. “Want you inside of me forever, wanna—wanna be filled up always—”

It’s too much. Minho’s cock drags across his prostate over and over, making him lose all strength in his limbs. His hands drop from Minho’s shoulders.

Minho blindly grabs one of them, interlocking their fingers. “Anything for you, my baby.” He increases his speed, canting his hips just right. “We’ll make it happen. We live together.”

Jisung’s eyes roll back when he comes all over himself, feeling warm spurts of release hit his stomach and chest, dripping down his sides.

“Gonna bend you over our table, gonna make you ride me on our couch,” Minho continues, voice getting higher and raspier as he loses control, strokes getting sloppy. “Gonna ride you too, if you’ll let me.”

Jisung sobs, from overstimulation and from happiness. “Please. Want all of that. Want you to never leave me.”

Minho groans in his ear as his body seizes up, burying himself deep inside with one final thrust. Jisung’s cock weakly spits one last dribble across his belly when he feels Minho fill him up, then slowly soften inside of him.

They stay like that for a while, breathing together slowly, Minho a grounding weight on top of him.

When Minho finally pulls out and starts to get up, undoubtedly wanting to get the shower ready for them, Jisung weakly grabs his arms. “Not yet. Stay close for a little bit longer.”

Minho smiles softly and nods, rolls over next to him instead. Immediately, his brow furrows.

“This isn’t comfortable at all!” he says. “Is your back okay?”

Jisung nods dazedly before he fully processes the question. He’d honestly lost track of his surroundings for a while, along with most feelings in his body that didn’t have to do with Minho fucking him. Coming back to himself, he senses how his spine is definitely angry at him for lying on the floor, the blanket having provided absolutely no support.

Oh god. The blanket. His blanket, which he can feel himself steadily leaking cum onto, joining the copious amounts of lube and sweat probably already soaked in there. 

He turns to Minho, irony of the situation not lost on him as he bites his lip.

“Hyung? Can we share your bed tonight?”

∞

 

When Jisung wakes up, they are completely entangled; his face squished against Minho’s chest, arms clinging to each other’s torsos, legs pretzeled together. If Jisung keeps his eyes shut and doesn’t think too hard, it’s almost impossible to distinguish which limbs belong to who; just a single, monstrous, comfortable entity.

Hot huffs of air blow through the top of his hair in a slow, steady rhythm. Minho must still be asleep. That’s okay, Jisung can be patient. It’s not like last night changed his entire life, and now he can’t wait to live more of it, or anything like that. He feels like he might still be dreaming, actually.

Pretty much stuck in his position, Jisung gently noses against Minho’s skin to pass the time, breathing him in with his eyes still closed. He feels some sparse, thin hairs speckled across Minho’s chest. He hadn’t noticed those last night. To be fair, there had been slightly more pressing matters at hand.

Smiling to himself, he presses a drowsy kiss into the fold between Minho’s smushed pecs. Licks at it too, for good measure. 

Then, losing all patience and inhibition, pushes his nose in between and rubs his face from left to right.

Minho emits a small, not entirely disapproving rumble as he gains consciousness. Jisung can feel how Minho tenses his body for a second, stretching his toes, twisting and untwisting his ankles, all while his entire torso expands endlessly with a huge yawn. With a yelp, Jisung gets yanked up on the bed, until he’s faced with Minho’s eyes. They are puffy from sleep but perhaps softer and prettier than they’ve ever been, blinking at him lazily. 

“Jisungie.” 

“Good morning hyung,” Jisung whispers in the alarmingly small space between them, now very, very awake. Without the final remnants of slumber clouding his thoughts, he becomes increasingly aware of how hot he feels, how heavy and awkward his limbs are, how his half-chub is pressed up against Minho’s hipbone. He’s not sure how to proceed.

Minho smiles, more lopsided and devastating than usual because of the pillow pressing into his face. He rolls his hips forward slightly. “Were you enjoying yourself down there?”

Jisung counts Minho’s eyelashes in lieu of responding. He gets to twelve before Minho pulls him in for a kiss.

Their lips slot together just as easily as they did last night, and Jisung’s worries melt away again. He presses himself closer, swings his leg over Minho’s waist to trap him there. Like clockwork, Minho’s hand finds Jisung’s ass, squeezes it like it’s his property. Jisung lets out a small moan, and Minho takes the opportunity to claim the inside of his mouth, too.

“Your breath kind of reeks,” Minho mumbles after a few warm, lazy swipes of his tongue across Jisung’s. 

Jisung promptly pulls away and pushes his lips together, anxiously forming them into a thin line, cheeks bunching up. “Get back here,” Minho says, grabbing his chin and pulling him in to place a kiss to his mouth. “I like it.”

Jisung splutters out an undignified squawk and twists his face away a second time. “Mmpfh—what do you mean you like it? Freak!” he cries out, making sure to aim anywhere but Minho’s nose. “Like your breath is any better!”

Minho rolls on top of him. Jisung yells, which is a mistake, as it turns out it’s quite difficult to regain the air in your lungs with another fully grown man weighing them down. He squirms and swats at Minho’s shoulders until he places his forearms on either side of Jisung’s head to hold himself up, caging him in. The tips of their noses touch ever so lightly.

“Just,” he presses his mouth to Jisung’s, “let me,” another press, “kiss you.” When Jisung still doesn’t respond, Minho nips at the pout of his bottom lip.

“Ouch!” Jisung bats at his face to make him back off. “Hyung, please stop playing hot and cold with me, I am very fragile and vulnerable right now. And a little sore, actually.” He winces at the slight burn of his ass flaring up. “And why would you point out my morning breath,” he adds in a whisper.

Minho nods understandingly and cups Jisung’s cheek, giving it a little pat. “I just like that I get to have you like this now, before you scrub your night with me away, or the day has any chance to place its mark on you. All mine.” His neck flushes red, like he’s suddenly aware of what he just said. 

“You’re so weird,” Jisung mutters, blushing and feeling more in love than ever. “I’m not sure how I feel about you being more open with your feelings now. Maybe we should go back to how things were—”

Minho kisses him. “Stop whining and maybe we can go one more round before checkout.”

With their bags packed and suitcases in tow, they head to the lobby. To Jisung’s dismay, the same receptionist he lied through his teeth to on their first day sits behind the counter. He flushes and hands her the keycard with a bow.

“Did you both enjoy your stay?” she says with a smile.

“Yes!” he says, nodding eagerly. “Thank you so much for your service, we had a lovely time.”

“You were able to make it work then, despite the room change?”

Jisung coughs. “What?”

“You still had a good time, despite losing access to the balcony view?”

“Oh. Yes, absolutely.”

Minho smirks. “We were quite busy, barely had time to notice it was missing. Next time, we’d definitely love to have that room though. See what the view is all about.”

The receptionist grins smugly at them as they walk away, hand in hand.

 

Notes:

Thank you dear prompter, I had a lot of fun with this! I hope I did your idea justice even if I ran with it a little bit. This was my first time joining a fic event and my first time finishing a longer work, and I can't wait to practice hard and join again next year :)

A really big thank you to my lovely beta and personal chew toy cloud, to aire for encouraging me to write this in the first place and supporting me all the way through, to lian for suggesting several cute minsungisms to me and to grace and chee for cheering me on whenever they could. I'm so, so lucky with all of you!!

Comments are extremely appreciated <3

You can also find me on twitter!