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time seemed to stop at five in the morning.
nothing seemed to matter in those precious sixty minutes kept untracked, it was their moment, only theirs. minho wouldn't call himself a narcissist, but in the moment when the constellations in jisung’s eyes met with his, he'd like to think time stopped just for them.
like a routine, the question of tiredness would be responded by the shake of a head, though feeling the strands of soft hair tickling his neck as the shorter boy curled up to him instinctively.
the streets were quiet and calm, allowing the two boys to stroll in peace with their hands interlocked. it was an hour till sunrise, an hour till things started moving, an hour till jisung and minho had to part till morrow. the former stepped forwards with a smile dancing on his lips due to the paused conversation. minho flushed red. “i told you to stop smiling like that,” he grumbled, looking away from embarrassment.
jisung chuckled, airy and soft. “cant help it.” he grinned. “you actually took the time to look into it!"
he swore he heard a faint well, why wouldn't i? but decided to keep his mouth shut against it, saving minho’s dignity. a few minutes prior to the moment, the younger rambled on and on about the planets and signs, always something new, never the same idea as the last conversation. today spiked the topic of two related planets, how jisung thought that maybe neptune represented their love more than the planet of love itself. "hopeful, youthful, naive." to which minho retorted with, “venus is love, right? why would our relationship reflect off of any other planet besides the one that binds us itself?”
now stood shellshocked jisung staring straight at the back of minho’s head with wide eyes, almost tripping over a puddle if it wasn't for the tug of the hand from his boyfriend to avoid the water. astrology wasn't in minho’s small circle of interest. scratch that, it was probably far from that claiming he had better things to do than figure out his life off of the blinding, alien infested spheres orbiting around the sun. this time, jisung hoped that maybe minho searched up astrology and looked at some cheesy sites on the web just for him.
pulling jisung closer to his side, minho scoffed and swung an arm around the boy's shoulder. they made their way to the station, prepaid tickets and receipts in hand.
the taller male led jisung through the halls and down to the empty platform, internally smiling to himself in relief. to pass time, he pulled out his phone deep in his black, thick jacket and opened the playlist, already ready and prepared. (he hoped jisung didn't see it open already, he didn't want the suspicion of minho thinking about him the whole day. cause he wasn't. definitely not.) starting the tracklist, he sighed in comfort, glancing down at the elder seeing him do the same.
the subway came when the fourth song began, soft, mellow vocals whispering out of the old phone's speaker. he let jisung choose the cart this time forcing them to run almost all the way down to the end of the platform just to reach the last section. wind flew and blew mercilessly through minho’s hair as he attempted to catch up to his lover.
entering the deserted cart and diving into a seat, jisung laughed as he watched the other boy shake his disheveled hair, attempting to compose a decent appearance. pushing minho onto the bench, giggling and clumsiness, jisung sat on his lap, bare skin from the holes in the ripped jeans brushing against the same fabric before beaming and running his slim, paint-stained fingers through the blond, messy locks.
as the tune changed automatically, the lovers shared a knowing look before the latter stood up and lip synced to the fun song. they sang their hearts out, following the beat while minho dissolved in laughter as he watched jisung dance and jump around to match the mood of the track. it felt completely different from the night before, mumbles of lyrics and quiet breaths.
how minho sang into jisung’s ear, soft and smooth during yesterday's cart turned into the screams and chants of an upbeat song blaring through the volume-limited speakers. the belting of the cheesy lyrics of love and first meetings, taunting minho to pull him off his feet and dance with jisung on the subway. turning to his right, his eyes crinkled with a smile seeing their reflection off the glass, both now twirling with stars in their eyes, lost in their own world.
the subway stopped to their destination as their energy shot through the ceiling. both running out the cart with giggles and arms out with freedom, they sprinted out of the station and into the alive downtown streets.
city lights. peering up to minho, jisung bit his lip to hide a smile. tall, bright, attractive, protective.
"you're doing that weird look again."
"what look?" jisung questioned with a taunt, knowing completely well what it was.
"like that. as if i'm the most fascinating thing in the world."
the elder kept his mouth shut, both already having an idea what he would say. (spoiler alert: in jisung’s eyes, minho was the most fascinating thing in the world and maybe he started to think city lights came close to second.)
intertwining their pinkies, they excitedly explored the town, dashing and sightseeing with the flashes of pictures and stops for bursts of laughter. abruptly halting in front of an art shop, jisung gaped at the familiar inked canvas perched on the wall. in the corner of his eye he saw minho peering back and forth from the painting to his partner. "it's beautiful, you know,” he breathlessly mumbled.
as a thank you, jisung stood on his tippy toes to give a small kiss on minho’s nose while the latter groaned, simultaneously feeling warmth disappear from his pocket. "give it back,” he grunted.
holding the pack in his hands, jisung shook his head, digging out a small lollipop from his flannel pocket and slapping it into minho’s palm. "there." he raised his eyebrows in settled agreement and for the second time, tippy toed again, but this time pecking both his cheeks.
with the trade of his cigarettes for lollipops, minho grumpily complied and linked their arms to keep walking. passing theatres and small gift shops, they both took mental notes of what to enter when they visited again during another night.
eventually after the stolen kisses and tired legs, the two boys found themselves napping on the train back to their town, legs tangled, necks sore. the loud screeches of underground tracks woke them up and they hesitantly exited the vehicle to the recognized air, stalking back to their meeting place. huffing a breath of reluctance, they stopped near the numerous plants decorating the front of the closed drug store on the corner of the street. the elder leant back on the rectangular cement planters as he searched for eye contact with his boyfriend.
dawning six am, minho smiled with comfort as his hand gently tugged at jisung’s hip, pulling him closer to place his other hand on the latter's cheek. no words were said, no words needed to be said.
finally meeting gazes with jisung, he pressed their lips together and pulled him closer till they were one, not wanting to let go. the hands sitting on his neck massaging the short hairs standing up off of minho’s nape replied back, sharing the same thought.
gently pulling away, foreheads resting against one another's, they desperately let their breaths mingle for a second. five seconds. ten. jisung smiled and pecked minho’s lips for his “see you later” (they liked to call it a promise) before stepping back and walking away till the city lights and lighter flames couldn't brighten the rest of the path. sighing to himself, minho rolled some pebbles under his sneaker heels and stuffed his hand into his pocket before observing the stars with a lollipop between his lips.
staring up at the same sky, both boys chuckled to themselves trusting the universe with their kissed-sealed promise to never be said. goodbyes were meant to symbolize parting, never to be seen again. together, they settled for a tomorrow.
as the hour hand touched six, jisung and minho hoped five am would return quicker. until then, the busy morning will come, the day will be on a move, and time will start back again.