Archive of Our Own ^beta

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There is something calming about coming back home after living in a dorm in a different city for four years, but Jisung can’t help but tear up a little when he drags himself and his luggage off the train, looking around for his brother. He’s happy to be back, that’s not it—he loves his hometown, and he loves his brother—but he wishes he’d left college on a better note. 

“Jisung-ah! Hey!” Chan calls out and waves at him, and Jisung starts sprinting towards him, jumping into his brother’s arms and hugging him tight. Chan lets out a noise of surprise, but he catches the weight of Jisung and his luggage, before wrapping his strong arms around him.

“I missed you so much, hyung-ah,” Jisung says as he hides his face into the crook of his brother’s neck. It feels good to hug him again, especially now that Chan has gained some weight and muscle. 

“Me too. Happy that you’re back.” Chan presses a kiss onto the top of Jisung’s head, and Jisung lets out a shaky breath, trying not to cry. He straightens himself and grabs his brother’s arms, softly squeezing them to ground himself, but a tear still manages to escape his eyes.

“Oh, ‘Sungie, don’t cry,” Chan says with a gentle sigh, helping him dab away the wetness with the back of his hand. Jisung shakes his head—he doesn’t mean to cry, he’s cried his eyes out already during the past couple of weeks, so he feels pathetic for still not being done by now.

“I see the personal training business with Changbin is going well,” Jisung says with a breathy chuckle, trying to lighten up the situation as he pats Chan’s biceps, and Chan lets out a startled laugh. The latter brings Jisung back into his arms and ruffles his hair. 

“And I see you’re wearing something of your own. I like the outfit.” Chan gestures at the oversized colorblocked sweater he’s wearing as well as his painted chunky sneakers. Jisung huffs, a smile finding his way onto his face. “Come on, give me your backpack and suitcase, the bus will be here in a bit. Let’s go home.” 

Jisung isn’t looking forward to the necessary saying hello to everyone, and he would rather just go to Chan’s place and crash for the day. For the week, preferably. But his brother has different plans, and he encourages him to at least say hi to their parents and Changbin. 

Jisung would rather not see his parents today, because they will probably start talking about jobs or they’ll tell him that they were expecting him to be in Paris or at least Seoul by now. Chan helps him out by cutting things short and telling them that they have to unpack, and that Jisung has had a long journey.

A long journey is an understatement, in Jisung’s opinion, but at least his parents didn’t nag at his outfit today. And Chan was right about it being better to get it over with right away, even if it does put a damper on Jisung’s already mediocre mood. His brother is okay with him not talking much, though—they’ve called and caught up many times already, and Chan knows him better than anyone else. 

“Changbin is coming over, if you’re okay with that,” Chan announces as he serves Jisung a plate of kimchi fried rice and sits across from him at the table. Jisung shrugs and prods at his food with his chopsticks. “He’ll be happy to see you, but I can cancel if you’re not feeling up for it.”

“You can have fun with your boyfriend, hyung. I’m fine,” Jisung assures him, he’ll just hide in his room if he feels too bad to interact with his brother’s boyfriend, but Chan shakes his head.

“I’ve seen him at least every week for the past two and a half years, and he’s not more important than my little brother who is struggling after a break-up,” he assures him, his eyebrows knitted together in a serious expression. Jisung bites his lip to hold back a bittersweet smile.

“I’m fine. It’s been almost two months since we broke up and he was an asshole anyway, so…” He trails off and stuffs his cheeks with rice, a nasty feeling growing in his chest once again. He should be over this—He doesn’t want to grieve the loss of his relationship anymore, not when he knows it was doomed anyway. 

“Doesn’t mean that you didn’t once think he was considerate. It’s okay to be upset, still. Jonghwan brought you happiness once and you were together for almost a year, so you have every right to still want to eat a bucket of ice cream with me and vent, especially since you’ve been busy with moving back home the past two months,” Chan tells him and Jisung snorts. “We never got to do that when you and Jisoo broke up.”

“Yeah, because I was like thirteen and I didn’t actually like her!” Jisung says with a laugh, covering his mouth with his hand. Chan snickers as well, and Jisung’s heart is starting to feel lighter already. “I think I just need to be distracted from everything, because… I’ve shed enough tears. I’ve vented to you, like, three times already—I’d call you in the middle of packing all my stuff, remember?—so I’m really okay if Changbin hyung comes over tonight. I’m just tired from the journey.”

“Okay, whatever you say,” Chan says with a grin, and they continue eating in comfortable silence. Jisung lets out a sigh. He missed this, missed his brother, and hopes that him being home again will allow him a fresh start—this time, without romance.

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Changbin and Chan make a great couple, don’t get him wrong, but Jisung is struggling with longing for something like them. It still stings to wonder if he could have had something like that with Jonghwan, but he knows that it isn’t possible when he simply got tired of respecting Jisung’s boundaries. 

And however much Jisung promises himself that he isn’t going to try again—that it’s not worth it—he will always be a bit of a hopeless romantic. And not even fifty hours after he returned home, he already finds himself attracted to an old friend.

Because damn, Lee Minho became handsome.

This morning, Chan wanted to drag him to the gym with him and Changbin, just to make sure he wouldn’t stay in bed all day and to help him get over his breakup, but Jisung wasn’t looking forward to doing a heavy workout today, so instead, Chan suggested that he’d go to Minho’s first yoga class at the gym. It’s a free trial, yoga is supposed to help with mindfulness, and Jisung knows Minho because he has been Chan’s best friend since elementary school, so by extension, Jisung saw Minho a lot too, until the latter graduated high school.

They used to collect bugs together with Chan, or they’d watch Chan play games together, commenting on his moves and mistakes or making up things about the lore of the game. Sometimes they would all draw together, and sometimes Jisung would join them in playing outside at school. 

Jisung remembers that he would have a lot of fun every time Minho would come over, and Chan has been updating Jisung about his life a little in the six years they haven’t seen each other, so Jisung is looking forward to seeing him again. He hopes that they can reconnect a little, because it would be nice to have a friend to talk to as well.

He’s way too early for the yoga class, because when he arrives, there’s no one there, not even Minho. Jisung brought his sketchbook, so he tries to fill the time by sitting in the corner on the floor and sketching some outfits, but his inspiration is running a little low this morning.

He starts mindlessly drawing some clothing, and he barely notices the clicking sound of the door opening, but when a pair of sneakers squeak against the wooden floor, Jisung freezes and quickly puts away his sketchbook.

Fuck, Minho is gorgeous, is the first thing Jisung thinks, because he hasn’t seen the guy in at least five years, and Jisung swears that he wasn’t this broad five years ago, nor did he have such a sharp nose and jawline, did he? It doesn’t help that he’s wearing a pair of black leggings that hug his huge thighs in all the right places. 

Jisung might not be sexually attracted to him, but he can appreciate a good physique, and Minho is ticking all the right boxes. He tries not to remember the fact that he’s Chan’s best friend and was always very kind to Jisung when they were younger. Jisung thinks he might soon be in trouble. 

Minho doesn’t notice him right away, but Jisung drops his pencil with a clatter, and Minho jumps before turning around. Their eyes meet for a brief moment, and Jisung tries not to notice how big and beautiful they are, but he’s failing kind of miserably. 

He remembers Minho as a bit of a nerd, big glasses and bowl cut, just like Jisung had, but they’ve both changed a lot, and Minho has really gotten quite beautiful. Did he always have such pretty dark eyes?

“Oh, hi! Oh—Jisung-ah! Hey! I heard you were back. I mean, how could I not? Chan hyung couldn’t shut up about his little brother.” Minho drops his bag and smiles at Jisung. It feels a bit awkward to see him again after so long, but Minho doesn’t seem to be feeling the same as he’s coming over to him as if they’re hanging out at home with Chan. “You don’t have to stop whatever you were doing, by the way. I’m just going to set up for my yoga class. It starts in ten minutes if you want to join.”

“Y-Yeah, I’m here for that,” Jisung says and he sits on his knees to show Minho the yoga mat behind him. “I was a little early, because, well… I was early.”

Minho’s face lights up all of a sudden, and Jisung’s heart does something funny. “Oh! Great! I was wondering if anyone would come since it’s my first time setting this up. How are you doing? How do you like being back?”

“I’m… okay. I like being back, I missed my brother, and I missed it here,” he admits with a chuckle. He stands up and thinks about what to ask Minho in return, but he blanks. Small talk isn’t his strong suit, but Minho saves him. 

“Will you start up your own store here?” the man asks as he lays out his yoga mat as well as a couple of other ones. Jisung starts doing the same and he shrugs.

“Not right away, I don’t have enough money for that, but I’m going to work at the secondhand store and repair clothing, plushies, accessories… That kind of stuff,” he explains. He doesn’t even know if he’d want to start up a brand by himself. Of course that’s the dream, but he isn’t sure if he’d be able to do it and survive. Maybe if he starts small. Maybe.

“Oh, that’s nice. The secondhand store is—” Minho begins, but he is cut off by his alarm going off. Minho quickly fishes for his phone in his sports bag and turns it off before giving Jisung a sheepish look. “Ah, sorry. This means it’s just about time to start, but it seems like you’re the only one so far…” 

Minho presses his lips together in a disappointed pout, and Jisung softens, his stomach churning in compassion. He’s glad he came, and he now he’ll have to come here every week because otherwise he’ll turn into a shrimp who’s being eaten alive by guilt, thinking about Minho’s disappointment. 

Just at that moment, another person comes running through the door. “Sorry, I’m late! I lost track of time talking to the guys doing weights downstairs,” the guy announces and Jisung recognizes him. It’s Felix, one of his classmates throughout his school life. “Oh, hi, Jisung-ah! You’re back!”

“Hi, Lix,” Jisung says with a little wave. Meanwhile Minho’s expression has lit up again, and he motions Felix to come over and pick a yoga mat. 

“I knew I could trust you to come, Lix-yah. Let’s get started.”

Minho starts with a little introduction as well as breathing exercises. Jisung finds them to be calming already, especially since Minho is talking them through them in a gentle tone. He should remember these exercises for later, maybe they’ll come in handy one day. 

“I like to start and end every lesson with breathing exercises. I found them boring at first, but they’re a good way to relax your muscles and center your thoughts,” Minho explains, his voice gentle and low. “It’s also to practice breathing through your stomach, which is important both during exercise as well as when you’re practicing flexibility, or when you’re stressed and need a moment to quickly relieve it.”

Minho’s voice is nice to listen to, and even if Jisung is struggling a bit in terms of strength and flexibility—both things Minho is apparently very proficient in—he’s having a good time. Usually he’s too fidgety to do anything like meditation, but if Minho is narrating, he finds himself being able to concentrate better, and during the meditation session at the end, he almost falls asleep—something he hasn’t been able to do very quickly lately.

“Okay, thank you for coming today! First lesson is free for everyone, so if you know anyone who could benefit from this or would be interested, please share, it would help a man out. I know Chan hyung and Changbin are very handsome and great trainers, but I’m sure that there are people who’d like this as well,” Minho says with a chuckle. Jisung softly snickers, but he doesn’t think he’ll be able to recommend it to anyone, since he just got back a couple of days ago. “I hope you’ll come back next time, just visit the gym’s website to sign up or come talk to me.”

“Will do. Uhm, see you next time, Minho hyung,” Jisung says as he nods his head towards the older man. Minho smiles again, bright and excited, and Jisung already promises himself to make sure he’s here every weekend, even if it’s just to feel useful and make Minho happy. 

It’s been a while since he felt like he made a difference to someone other than his brother, opposed to feeling like he’s a burden and way too high-maintenance, so he’s glad that he can do something for an old friend. He thinks it would be nice to force himself to go out every weekend, too, so it’s a win-win. 

Jisung only now realizes that he is totally staring at Minho. He doesn’t really get why Minho didn’t say anything, because he definitely noticed, if his subtle grin is anything to go by. Jisung quickly looks away before he grabs his stuff and leaves, a faint blush heating up his cheeks. 

He hopes that he isn’t going to crush on Minho, because where having his heart broken by a guy from college he’s never going to see again anyway is bad, having his heart broken by Chan’s best friend will be catastrophic. He can’t do that to himself, nor to his brother.

Surely, he’ll be fine, though. Minho may be handsome and charming, and also probably really kind, but Jisung is strong and he promised himself not to fall for anyone in the near future.

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Jisung thought that he’d only see Minho once a week, and perhaps in the grocery store or whatever, but it seems like life has other plans. He’s starting his new job at the secondhand store on Monday, and he only has a couple of old shirts to fix up to begin with, so once his lunch break arrives, Mrs Moon tells him to stop by the bakery next door to get something to eat, and that he can stay away for as long as he needs.

What he doesn’t expect is to run into Minho inside the bakery, behind the counter, in a white apron with a cat motif and flour-covered hands. He knew Minho was a good cook and that he liked baking, but he totally forgot that he worked at the bakery.

“Hey, Jisung-ah! Good to see you again.” Minho greets him with a gentle smile as Jisung slowly walks towards the counter. “Can I get you something?”

“Hi, hyung. I didn’t know you worked here,” Jisung says, looking around the little bakery. It hasn’t changed at all in the past four years, but the menu has. There are a wide variety of cakes, sweets, and bread types, way more than Jisung remembers. “Chan hyungie told me you were a good cook and pastry chef, but I didn’t realize you’re running the bakery now.”

“Yeah, I wanted to tell you yesterday but I forgot. Are you here for lunch? Mrs Moon loves to send people over from the store,” Minho tells him. He blows a strand of hair out of his face and Jisung already finds himself staring. There’s a bit of flour on Minho’s jaw, and he looks adorable in his cat apron.

“Yes! Uhm, here for lunch. Is there anything you recommend?” Jisung shakes his head and forces himself to stay focused and to not look at Minho’s face the entire time, trying to fit him into the memories of them as kids. He still likes cats and baking, it seems, but Jisung also finds himself wondering if he’s gotten a partner in the meantime. 

“Is there anything you like? I think I remember you having a sweettooth, but I have a lot of sweet things. For lunch, though, I like having the panini if I can’t have rice,” Minho says and Jisung holds back a shy smile, somehow flattered that Minho remembered something of him. A faint voice in the back of his head tells him that Jonghwan was like that at first as well, but he quickly pushes that away and into a corner, hopefully to never come back.

“I’ll have the panini, then,” Jisung says. He can always have chocolate cake another time. 

“Sure. To go or do you wanna eat here?” Minho asks as he grabs a piece of bread from the display to put in the oven behind him. Chan’s voice in the back of Jisung’s head tells him that reconnecting with old friends is a good way to distract himself from the bitter ending of his college life, so he tells Minho that he’ll eat here. 

Lunch rush is not really a rush in Jisung’s hometown, and compared to the busy campus cafes, the bakery is a breath of fresh air. Even if making small talk with the towns people and telling everyone about his degree in fashion design over and over again is exhausting, it’s not as bad as he thought it would be. 

He takes his time eating, and he keeps getting distracted by looking at Minho working behind the counter. Zoning out is infinitely better than being left alone with his thoughts, after all, and Minho is a sight for sore eyes. Even when Minho sets up his slightly fake customer smile, he’s cute, and Jisung feels conflicted about it. 

Surely Minho isn’t an asshole, he knows him after all, but he thought that about Jonghwan as well. There’s just no way to predict what someone will do when they hear that their partner doesn’t want sex. He’s getting way ahead of himself here, because re-establishing his and Minho’s friendship is most important to him right now, but even in his fantasy he can’t stop worrying about things going awry.

While he’s overthinking, Minho suddenly meets his eyes. Jisung freezes as Minho frowns at him and tilts his head. “What’s up?” the older man mouths at him, probably noticing his troubled expression. He then points at the small piece of panini left. “Is it not good enough? Did you find cat hair in there? Or is there flour on my face?”

Jisung softly snickers and shakes his head. “Sorry, I was just zoning out,” he explains with an awkward chuckle. “The panini is very good. And, uhm, there’s a little bit of flour on your chin.”

“Ah, thanks. I'm glad you like it.” Minho smiles and wipes his face with his apron before he leans on the counter. “I worked hard to perfect the recipe, but I think I'm satisfied now. I won’t tell you the details, though.” 

“You say that as if I can steal it. My cooking skills are very mediocre,” Jisung replies, unable to stifle a laugh at Minho’s incredulous expression. “And I mean very mediocre.”

“Okay, but Chan hyung might steal it. He's unpredictable when it comes to food,” Minho says as he points a finger at him. “I can't trust him.” Jisung laughs for real now. 

“That’s true. I couldn't even eat on a video call with him without him wanting a bite,” he adds, and Minho snickers, his eyes growing into little crescents. “No, it was really tasty—the panini—but I think I'll go back to fixing some secondhand clothes.” 

“Sure, I won't hold you hostage. Good luck, Jisung-ah,” Minho says with a little salute, and the gesture makes his heart do something funny for some reason. “See you later.”

“You too, hyung,” Jisung softly responds, a bashful smile growing on his face. A blush dusts his cheeks as he leaves the bakery and gets back to the secondhand store. 

Mrs Moon notices that something is up as soon as he gets back to his desk and she smiles at him, a knowing look in her eyes. “Minho is a charming guy, isn't he? Not that great at small talk, but something tells me that you might not mind,” she says as she greets him. 

“Uhm, well, I know him from a couple years ago. He's Chan hyung's friend—mine, too, actually—so no small talk needed. It's just… It's been a while,” Jisung admits, unsure of what to say about what he feels for Minho, because it's only just starting to grow. 

“You seem a little conflicted, Jisung-ah. Don't be. It might have been a while, but listen to your heart. Thinking is for when you're in school, not for when you're reconnecting with old friends or family,” Mrs Moon says with a gentle pat on his shoulder. “And just a little tip. Minho has gotten handsome over the past few years, but so have you, so don't doubt yourself.” 

“Ajumma!” Jisung exclaims, his cheeks growing red as Mrs Moon laughs before she apologizes and suggests that they get back to work. Jisung decides to ignore the comment and focus on sewing, losing himself in the tedious but automatic task. 

When he gets back home and tells Chan about his day, however, his brother grins at him the same way as Mrs Moon did. Jisung sighs and rolls his eyes. He really thinks it’s not the time for him to be developing a crush already, no matter how sweet and nice Minho has been so far or in the past.

“Hyung. I just want to be friends with him right now,” Jisung says with a huff, glaring at his brother across the dinner table. He isn’t sure if what he's saying is true, but the last thing he wants is to have his brother pushing him into a romantic relationship—which Jisung knows he won’t do, but he'd first like to be comfortable with these feelings. 

“I didn’t even say anything! I think it's nice that you're getting out there and that you're talking to old friends.” Chan raises his hands in defence. “But, I just want you to know that Minho is a very nice guy and that I've always thought that you two would be great friends if given the opportunity to hang out more. He’s a bit weird, you know? In a good way. Just like my precious little brother.”

“... Okay, let's not get sappy on me.” Jisung giggles despite his best efforts to pull a grimace at his brother's words. He already feels a bit better, though, so he softens. “Thanks, hyung-ah. I’ll keep it in mind. Love you.” 

Chan coos and reaches over the table to pinch his cheek, gasping when Jisung bites at his fingers in retaliation. Chan huffs and pats his head instead. “Love you too, 'Sungie.”

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As the days go by, Jisung realizes that it's a good thing that he decided to go back home after college, rather than trying a shot in the dark at some fashion institute in a big city. The constant anxiety that accompanied him throughout college and especially during the last few months is finally starting to fade now that he's back in a slightly familiar environment, but most importantly, now that he is back with familiar and trusted people, such as his brother, Changbin, friends from high school, and also Minho, who makes a comfortable conversation partner during his lunch breaks. 

He's also a nice teacher, and since the first lesson, the yoga class has expanded to four students, with the addition of two familiar faces. Seungmin, who was also a classmate of Jisung’s, and Jeongin, who was in the year below him. Felix is the only one who is a bit flexible out of the four, but Minho is very patient, albeit a bit cruel as well. 

He's not afraid to offer 'help' in the form of pushing them to the limit of their flexibility or in the form of (hopefully empty) threats. More than that Jisung is suffering under Minho’s no-nonsense approach, he is happy to see that Minho asks for permission to help them and listens to Jeongin when he tells him that he doesn't want it. 

It’s only a simple show of asking for consent, but it makes Jisung feel strangely choked up. Because although it’s simple, Jisung has seen too many people being inconsiderate with others’ boundaries. 

And while he’s distracted by looking at Minho guiding Jeongin— without touching him—he loses his balance and falls over, right on his butt. He yelps and flinches, a brief pain shooting through his lower back.

“Ow.” He hisses and rubs his back, feeling embarrassed about falling over, but before he can scramble to get up, Minho crouches next to him and places a gentle hand on his shoulder to help him upright again. Jisung tries not to blush when Minho’s hand stays glued to the small of his back, but luckily the exertion flush might hide it. 

“You okay?” Minho asks softly, and when Jisung finally gathers the courage to look at him from up so close, he sees that Minho is trying and failing to hold back a tiny little amused grin. 

“Y-Yeah,” he answers with an awkward chuckle, his stomach clenching in the annoying anxiety that comes with embarrassing himself in front of others. Minho snickers softly and Jisung lets out a sigh. “Hyung!”

“Hey! I didn’t mean it like that. Falling over happens, there’s no need to be embarrassed, even if I think it’s funny,” Minho defends himself, unfortunately letting go of him now, but not for long, because he holds out his hands to offer to help him back into the pose. “I’ll help you with the pose if you want.”

Jisung pretends to think about it and pretends that he doesn’t really want Minho to touch him again. He doesn’t know how well he does, but eventually, he lets Minho guide him back into the pose as he gives him some tips on how to maintain his balance.

And Jisung isn’t sure if he’s imagining things—getting lost in his mind again—but he wonders if Minho’s hands are supposed to linger as long as they do. His fingers are gentle on Jisung’s waist, adjusting the bend of his knees, and correcting the position of his arms, but there’s no need for them to stay on his back when Jisung has already found his balance.

“See? You’re doing well,” Minho softly tells him, his voice low enough to make Jisung feel like he’s saying it just for the two of them to hear—not just as an instructor telling him he’s executing the pose well, but as a friend reassuring him.

“Only as good as the teacher, right?” Jisung says in a rush of confidence, and Minho starts laughing, high-pitched and delighted, and Jisung has to focus to prevent himself from falling, literally and figuratively. He bites his lower lip to stop the foolish smile from becoming too obvious. 

“Flattering may get you cookie points in school or with Chan hyung, but it isn’t going to get you out of stretching later,” Minho retorts after a moment, pointing a stern finger at him. Jisung loses balance again as he lets out an exaggerated sigh, but this time he catches himself. 

He doesn’t like stretching, but it isn’t all that bad when the sound of Minho’s laughter is still fresh in his memory. And the thought of doing meditation afterwards and listening to Minho’s voice makes the stretching more bearable as well. 

The meditation at the end of the class helps Jisung calm his heart after it has been making a fuss for so long, but it still flutters at the sound of Minho’s voice. It’s strange how much difference six years can make, because even though Jisung looked up to Minho before and they were friends, he was too busy struggling with his sexuality to even think about kissing his brother’s best friend, and now that he’s figured himself out, there seems to be an endless amount of space for him to start crushing on him.

Well, not an endless amount, because there’s still a good chunk of his heart locked up because of the hurt he felt after his last relationship. He’s still hesitant to put himself out there and start something new so soon (just over three months after a breakup, is that soon?), but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t like to imagine all sorts of romantic scenarios anyway. 

And it also doesn’t mean that he won’t enjoy Minho’s charming smiles and lingering touches during the yoga classes. (Nor will he pass up the opportunity to sneak a glance at Minho’s hefty thighs every once in a while, just to appreciate and admire them.)

“Thank you for the lesson again, hyung,” Jisung says with a gentle tilt of his head once Felix, Seungmin, and Jeongin have left already. He’s always the slowest one with cleaning up and coming back to reality after the meditation, but Minho has waited for him all three times so far, always patient.

“Thank you for coming and accepting my eccentric ways of teaching,” Minho answers easily. “I’ve been told that I’m not cut out for teaching, so I was a bit nervous about starting this up, but I knew you and Chan hyung would have my back. I appreciate you coming every week.”

“Okay, well, first of all, I really like the class. I… The breathing exercises are really nice and it’s something I can use more often, you know? Second of all, I’m a fashion major, so I’m used to eccentric teachers. Third of all, you got me to successfully meditate three times in a row so far, which I think means you’re a pretty great teacher,” Jisung admits, barely holding himself back from oversharing and going off on a ramble. Minho smiles at him, making him feel a little abashed once again.

“What did I say about flattering, Jisung-ah?” Minho teases him, and Jisung scoffs. 

“It’s not flattery if I'm serious!” He crosses his arms and inflates his cheeks in an attempt to make Minho laugh again. It works, and they say goodbye to each other with a smile, even if Jisung wouldn't mind hanging around longer—which is a sure sign of him really liking someone, because normally he would want to go home as soon as possible. 

At home, he runs into Chan and Changbin, who are in a quite compromising position on the couch. They're still dressed—thank goodness—but they're definitely already in the stage of sucking each other’s face off like he’s seen horny college people do when he’d try to go to a party every once in a while. 

“Oh my gosh,” Jisung breathes out before freezing and looking away. He doesn’t necessarily mind watching people kiss, but when it’s his brother making out with a friend, he’d rather not watch.

“Oh my god!” Chan squeaks and pushes Changbin off his lap. Changbin grunts and frowns at the rude surprise of his boyfriend pushing him away. Chan scrambles to help him up, but his entire face is bright red as he looks at his younger brother. “Jisung—You’re back. Of course you are. Shit—Sorry you had to see that. Holy shit. So, uhm… How was yoga?”

“It’s okay. I’m not fourteen anymore. You can go on, just… try to be a bit quiet, please? I’m going to take a shower,” he says with an awkward chuckle, pointing a finger towards the hallway. “Yoga was nice, by the way. Minho hyung is a good teacher, uhm… I embarrassed myself but Minho hyung was a good sport about it,” he rambles, before he starts shuffling past the couch, but Changbin clears his throat.

“Wait, Jisung-ah! Uhm,” he begins and Jisung stops in his tracks, slowly turning back around to face his brother and boyfriend. They look a little disheveled, and Chan subtly fixes Changbin’s hair. “Before things, uhm, escalated, Chan hyung and I were talking about inviting Minho hyung over for dinner as a sort of late welcome for you.”

Changbin then looks at Chan. “Is three weeks after he came home late? Not really, right? Anyway…” he turns back to face Jisung, “What do you think? Should we invite more people or are we enough?”

Jisung shrugs, the only other person he’d like to invite would perhaps be his college roommate Hyunjin, but he is currently in Seoul looking for either a modeling job or a fashion design studio to work for, and he has only been responding to Jisung’s texts very late at night, so he’s probably too busy. “Just the three of you is okay. I like the idea, but I have one suggestion.”

“Sure. What is it?” Chan nods and gives Jisung a curious look.

“Minho should cook—or at least bring a dessert,” he answers with a little grin. Chan starts laughing and pats Jisung on the back.

“I’ll tell him you said that. I’m sure he’ll appreciate the request. Now go shower, Changbin is staying over for dinner.” Chan claps his hand on Jisung’s shoulder with a wide smile. “You can tell us more about your day then.”

⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⁀➷｡˚⸙͎۪۫⋆ ༄ 

Maybe having a crush on Minho isn’t so bad, after all. The man is easy to talk to, and both Chan and Mrs Moon were right about the fact that reconnecting with him would be nice. It helps him forget about Jonghwan and move on from him. 

And as he crushes on Minho, he realizes that those last weeks of being together, things really crashed with Jonghwan. He didn’t notice at the time, but in hindsight he realizes that he didn’t feel those lovely feelings he now feels for Minho at all anymore.  

It is both scary to know that even if he once felt the same as he does now, things can still crash and burn, as that it is soothing to know that he perhaps now can see it coming—or at least that he now knows better how to prevent himself from even starting a relationship with someone who won’t respect his boundaries.

Knowing himself, though, he’ll get caught up in the romance and make the same mistakes, but there’s a small part of him that hopes that the universe will be forgiving this time, because every time Jisung sees Minho, he gets a little lost in his eyes, kind smile, and unique personality. 

And at times where Jisung allows himself to get a bit selfish, he allows himself to think that Minho is seeing him in a different light as well, after six years. He always greets him with a smile, and never talks with other customers in the bakery as much as he does with him. 

“You look nice today, Jisung-ah. Did you make it yourself?” Minho leans on the counter as Jisung enters the bakery once again during his break. He’s wearing his baggy high-rise pink jeans and the oversized tee he painted on together with Hyunjin in summer, as well as his big boots, just because he felt good enough to dress up today.

“Yes! I made the shirt with my roommate, and these are the best jeans I’ve made so far,” Jisung explains with a grin as he approaches the counter. “Can I get, uhm, a chocolate bun?”

“Sure. I’ll make you some tea with it, because I wanna chat for a bit.” Minho grabs a chocolate bun and puts it on a napkin and a plate for him. Jisung tilts his head in curiosity as Minho accepts his money. Minho’s eyes crinkle in a way that makes Jisung a little weak in the knees—a way that he remembers all too well from all those years ago. “What would you like me to make for dessert tonight?”

“Oh,” Jisung dumbly replies and Minho snickers before grabbing a cup to pour the boiling water in. He nods his head towards the table near the counter, where Jisung sits and accepts his cup of tea. 

“Chan hyung told me you wanted me to fill your immense craving for sweets, so what do you wanna have?” Minho casts a brief glance at the entrance before grabbing a chair and joining Jisung. Jisung suddenly notices that his ears are a little red. 

“Uhm… Anything with chocolate would be good, but I really like cheesecake—but that’s probably a little too ambitious for tonight,” he answers, forcing himself not to stare at Minho’s ears. The older man hums. 

“You’re right about that, but I’ve actually been experimenting with an easy cheesecake recipe to put on the menu, so I have some mini ones at home to get rid of,” Minho says with a grin. Jisung’s eyes widen and his stomach growls, despite the chocolate bun in front of him. 

“You do?! Well, I’ll gladly be your taste tester slash trash can if it means I get to eat cheesecake,” he says, his mouth already watering at the thought. Minho laughs at him, but Jisung’s mind is still thinking about food. Mini cheesecakes? Minho might really be his dream man. 

“I guess that’s a yes to my mediocre cheesecakes. They’re strawberry and classic, by the way,” Minho explains and Jisung nods eagerly before biting down the chocolate bun, which tastes as good as ever. 

“Yes. It means yes. And don’t you dare ever use my, mediocre, and cheesecake in the same sentence ever again, hyung,” he replies with filled cheeks, protecting a little bit of his dignity by holding his hand in front of his mouth. It doesn’t protect his heart from beating faster at Minho’s giggling, though. 

Minho keeps staring at him with an amused look, his eyes roaming around his face, until they suddenly halt near his lips. Jisung is just about to combust, but Minho then points to his own cheek. “You got a little something…” he says softly, but Jisung is a little distracted by the way Minho’s lips are moving for some reason.

Minho purses his lips as he lets out a little scoff, and before Jisung can pull himself back to reality, Minho has already grabbed a napkin to help him wipe whatever’s on his cheek off. “Ah, thank you. Was it chocolate?”

“Yeah, but there’s one little speck of chocolate I can’t seem to get rid off…” Minho leans back and pokes Jisung’s cheek, and it takes a moment before he realizes that Minho is talking about his cheek mole. 

Minho crosses his arms and looks at Jisung with a thoughtful look. “It’s been there for so many years already. I guess you really do like chocolate,” he adds and Jisung snorts. His heart flutters at the endearing comments, and he self-consciously touches his cheek, unsure how to compliment Minho in return, but then he remembers Minho telling him not to flatter him, so he decides to stay silent and protect his dignity.

Today is the first time Jisung loses track of time by talking to Minho during his lunch break, stretching it on for too long, even for the kind Mrs Moon. Not even the customers buying some goods in between their conversations break their flow, and only when Mrs Moon comes to get him, they say goodbye to each other, promising to see each other again tonight.

Sewing shirts, patching up jeans, and preparing dinner with Chan and Changbin can’t pass by fast enough, in Jisung’s opinion, especially since his brother and boyfriend are acting like it’s a date night for them instead of a welcome dinner for Jisung. It’s not too bad—Jisung likes complaining because seeing his brother be so happy and giddy with his boyfriend makes him long for the same—but Minho immediately scolds Chan and Changbin for kissing when he arrives as well.

“This is actually pretty good, hyung, Changbin-ah, Jisung-ah. I’m glad I didn’t have to cook after my shift,” Minho comments as he swallows some food before passing around some side dishes. “I hope you didn’t make Jisung do all the work either, because I can’t imagine cooking after sewing all day is nice either.”

“Well, as far as I heard, Jisung-ah spent almost two hours in a certain bakery instead of sewing,” Changbin counters, and Jisung blushes, but Minho is also uncharacteristically quiet. “Also, how is working out any less tiring than baking and sewing?”

“Not my point. Today is a welcome dinner for Jisung-ah, right? He shouldn’t have to do the work. Now, let’s talk about him,” Minho deflects, and as if to prove his statement, he puts a piece of meat onto Jisung’s plate. Jisung bites his lower lip and snickers, his blush not fading as the three others at the table look at him.

They all talk about what they’ve been up to during the time they haven’t seen each other, sharing stories and listening to Chan and Changbin tell their story about their first date for the hundredth time. 

“Okay, okay, we know you two were awkward as heck in the gym together and then Changbin finally got the guts to confess just when Chan hyung was about to lift a weight, which he then proceeded to drop on his face,” Minho says with a sigh, but it’s evident that he’s stifling his laughter by the way his lips are trembling.

“I still wish I would have been here to see Chan hyung’s face when that happened,” Jisung adds with a long exhale. He also wishes he’d be able to witness Chan’s happiness more directly than on a long nightly video call where his brother aired out his heart and joy, but around that time he was having fun with Hyunjin, making a lot of clothes and finally starting to find himself. 

“What about you, Jisung-ah? Do you have any fun love stories from college? I remember you and that girl when you were—what is it? Thirteen?—but what about a boyfriend or girlfriend now?” Minho then asks, pointing his chopsticks at him. Jisung’s heart immediately clenches in anxiety, but he forces himself to not think about the sad stories.

“First of all, I didn’t even like Jisoo, please forget that that happened. And, well, I wasn’t exactly wanted in college, nor am I the guy to, uhm, party around much, but there was one time my roommate, Hyunjin, was upset after some guy ditched him, and, well, Hyunjin is very handsome and has been asked to do modeling a lot, and we were friends, so I was dumb and I suggested taking him on a date in the spur of the moment,” Jisung tells them, already smiling at the memory. “He laughed in my face, but kissed me anyway, just to prove a point probably, because although it was nice, I realized that I only liked him as a friend. And—I realize I only have funny rejection stories and not that many success stories.”

“That’s okay, ‘Sung-ah,” Chan assures him gently, an endeared smile on his face. 

“Yeah, I mean I have a lot of rejection stories as well, like that time this friend from cooking school wanted to have this friends with benefits arrangement and I was down but he called it off after one time because I was too concerned for my cats—” Minho begins, and Jisung snorts, covering his mouth with his hand. The man is cut off by Chan, who loudly clears his throat and decides it’s time to clean up.

“Okay, let’s keep things civil while we’re eating, Minho-yah,” he says with a stern look, but Minho simply shrugs. Chan then claps his hands together and looks around the table, probably eager to change the subject. “Who’s up for some dessert? I heard Minho brought cheesecake.”

Jisung perks up and smiles. “Yes! I mean, sure. I'm up for some dessert.”

Jisung doesn’t know if it was the love talk, or simply them being sappy as heck, but Changbin and Chan can’t hold themselves back from feeding each other cake and giggling amongst each other as the four of them are eating dessert at the coffee table, leaving Minho and Jisung to their own fate, while trying to ignore the awkwardness of third and fourth-wheeling.

“The cake is really really good, hyung. Both versions. I could eat more, but I should probably show some restraint,” he says, hoping to lighten the mood a little. Minho laughs—mission accomplished.

“You can have more if you want, but you can also save what’s left for later—” he replies, but he is interrupted by Changbin cackling at something Chan said, before he softly bumps his fist against his boyfriend’s chest. Chan giggles and caresses his finger along Changbin’s cheek.

“Okay, so far for this night being about you. I knew they were bad, but after two years, really? Are they still like this?” Minho shakes his head and puts his little plate down before getting more comfortable on the couch and facing Jisung properly.

“I think it’ll take a while before those two start losing the sap.” Jisung finishes his dessert and mirrors Minho’s pose. “I don't really mind, but sometimes I wish I could have something like that, too.”

The confession slips out before he can catch it, but Minho stays silent, looking at him with an expression Jisung can't quite read. He lets out a sigh and tries to save himself. “Do… Do you mind them? I mean, uhm, do you know what I mean?” 

“Yeah. I think I do,” Minho says after a moment. Jisung’s heart is starting to pound faster in his chest, the atmosphere getting a little thick, and Jisung wants to say something to cut the tension, but Minho saves him once again. “It’s been a while since I’ve been with someone.”

“Yeah. It's tough sometimes,” Jisung replies, and if he’s entirely honest with himself, he thinks he’d like to try again with Minho. It’s been barely a month since he’s back, just over three months since he broke up with Jonghwan, but probably longer since he stopped feeling something for him.

He has known Minho for way longer than Jonghwan, and even if there was a pause of six years, it’s easy and comfortable to reconnect and become friends with him again—which is quite the accomplishment for Jisung.

“Do you—” “Would you—” the two of them speak at the same time, breaking the silence that blanketed their part of the room. Chan and Changbin are still busy whispering to each other, and if Jisung paid attention, he’d see that they’ve noticed the atmosphere around him and Minho, but he is too caught up in the moment.

Minho and Jisung burst into laughter at the same time, the tension seeping away from Jisung’s shoulders. “Sorry. You can go first,” he says, suddenly getting shy about what he was about to say. His heart is pounding a little fast, still.

“No, no, it’s fine, you can go first,” Minho retorts, so Jisung huffs and purses his lips into a pout. 

“Hyung! I said you could go first. Mine’s not… It’s not important,” he lies. He has lost the confidence to ask Minho to go out with him, but he hopes that Minho might have wanted to say something similar. 

“Okay, I don’t think I believe you, but if you say so…” Minho huffs and leans his head on his hand, his arm propped up on the backrest of the couch. “I was just wondering if you’re busy after yoga class, because, well, the weather has been nice lately.”

Jisung’s stomach flips, and he feels like the unsaid implication of a date is definitely present, but he doesn’t dare to assume anything yet. “I usually don’t have anything to do on weekends,” he admits with a smile, hoping that his face isn’t too obviously red. Minho’s warm expression makes Jisung feel like he’s overheating a bit, but he really wants to let Minho know that he’s interested as well. “Did you want to, uhm, do something together?”

“If you want, yes,” Minho answers simply, his finger coming up to touch his lips in a habit he seems to have. “I thought I could take you to some places you’ve probably not been in a while.”

“That would be nice. I’d like that.” It comes out almost as a whisper, but Minho’s wide smile tells him that he heard him loud and clear. A giddy feeling fills Jisung’s chest and he is glad that Minho is braver than he is. 

Once the conversation dies down and Minho and Changbin leave, Chan immediately approaches Jisung, bursting with excitement. “Do I see my little brother flirt with Minho?” He glomps onto Jisung and hugs him tight, making Jisung groan as his cheeks grow warm in embarrassment. 

“Uhm, not really. I tried, though, and he did ask me if I was free after yoga class to visit some places around town,” he answers softly, deflating into his brother’s arms as tiredness from such a long day catches up on him. 

“Really? And you said yes, right?” Chan relaxes his grip on him as well until they find themselves in a more comfortable position to cuddle. Jisung nods against Chan’s chest.

“I think I’m okay enough to… to try again,” he admits, his heart skipping a beat at the thought of going on a date with Minho, perhaps even kissing him. He really likes the thought of having an afternoon outing with Minho.

“I saw, ‘Sung-ah. I saw it in your eyes when you were talking to Minho earlier. You’re doing better, so much better than when you came back a couple of weeks ago. I’m proud of you,” Chan replies, before pressing a kiss on the top of his head. Jisung takes a deep breath and hugs his brother a little tighter, grateful for the support he always receives from him.

“Thanks, hyung-ah. I’m glad to be back, I missed you,” he says with a sigh. He doesn’t know what he’d do without his brother having his back all the time, and knowing that he’s supportive of him and Minho makes him feel confident, something he hasn’t felt in quite a while.

⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⁀➷｡˚⸙͎۪۫⋆ ༄ 

Minho’s yoga class is always a very welcome event at the end of every week, and now even more, because he can look forward to the outings that have become a regular thing between them. They go out for lunch together immediately afterwards a couple of times, and—once Jisung gets the courage to ask Minho whether these are dates or not and Minho tells him that he hopes they are—they go out for dinner and a movie after taking a shower at home.

To say Jisung is nervous for his first real date after breaking up with Jonghwan would be an understatement, and since his brother is working out with Changbin for the day—of course after he made sure to give Jisung the biggest hug ever—he’s left to his own devices to get ready, and he’s already making picking an outfit way too difficult for himself. 

He’s thinking about ripping apart some of his old clothes and making something from scratch, but he doesn’t have much time left, and he still needs to make sure his hair isn’t an absolute bird’s nest. 

The universe seems to be starting to like Jisung, though, because his phone rings, and when Jisung picks it up, the screen lights up with a message that might as well have been sent from above. 

“Holy shit, Hwang Hyunjin, you’re either alive and freaking psychic or you’ve died and they’ve made you my guardian angel because, man, I could kiss you right now,” Jisung says as he picks up the phone and sits down on his bed. Hyunjin laughs through the speaker, light and bright.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, because I’ve been responding to your texts just fine, but okay. Let’s not kiss, though,” the man replies, his voice still a little high-pitched in delight. Jisung missed seeing him. 

“Okay, let's not, then, but I need your help preparing me to look amazing and kissable right now, so what do you think about video calling?” Jisung can barely wait to switch over to video when Hyunjin only gasps in reply, but he does accept the call.

“Oh my god, you’re blonde. I love it,” Jisung exclaims happily, surprised to see Hyunjin’s new look. He inspects Hyunjin’s hair with a big smile and then his outfit. He doesn’t look as polished as he does when he goes out usually, his hair clipped back with a hair clip and he’s wearing a simple big white tee, so he’s probably having a quiet afternoon. “Since when?”

“No, no, no, you first. You gotta spill the tea, ‘Sung. You can’t just tell me you need to look kissable and not elaborate. Tell me—Does Han Jisung-ssi have a date tonight or does he have someone to impress?” Hyunjin shakes his head as Jisung props up his phone on his stand on his desk, and he blushes. 

“I… Both? I have a date with someone I’d like to impress,” he answers with a shy chuckle. Hyunjin all but squeals through the phone. 

“Really? You’re already getting back out there?” he asks as he beams, and Jisung nods, subtly avoiding his gaze. “No, no, look at me, ‘Sungie. Let me see your face.” Jisung faces the camera again, pressing his lips into a little smile. Hyunjin leans closer to inspect him before he nods approvingly. “Yes. I see it. You look good. Home is doing you good, I see.”

“Thanks, Hyunnie.” Jisung scrunches his nose and sends him a kissie face. Hyunjin sticks out his tongue in return and Jisung snickers. “Now tell me when you bleached your hair!”

“Fine, fine! One more thing, though. Who is the lucky guy? Is it Minho-ssi?” Of course Hyunjin gets it right immediately, but then again, Jisung told him about the yoga class and perhaps also a little bit about how handsome Minho had gotten, so he shouldn’t be surprised.

“Yeah, it’s Minho hyung. He… We’ve been going out for lunch after yoga class and last week I asked him if it was a date, and he said that he’d like it to be, so… Tonight we’re going out for dinner and a movie at his place,” he explains, and he can’t help but smile. His heart is pounding fast, but it’s starting to become a less anxious pounding and a more excited type of flutter. 

“Ah, so it really is the handsome yoga bakery guy who feeds you sweets. He sounds like a nice guy. He was your brother’s best friend back in the day, right?” Hyunjin asks, still not telling Jisung about his bleached hair. 

“Yeah. He still is my brother’s close friend, and we were friends as well—mostly hanging out when Chan was there as well, but I already feel like we’ve grown closer than we’ve been,” he replies with a love-induced sigh, thinking of all their conversations at the bakery or after yoga class. It just feels like they fit well together, and although Jisung knows he often suffers from a case of rose-colored glasses when he’s crushing on someone, he feels like it’s special this time, because it’s still relatively soon after a breakup.

“Now it’s your turn, Hwang Hyunjin-ssi,” Jisung says, pointing a stern finger at his friend. Hyunjin is still smiling and he lets out a huff. “I’ll show you my outfit ideas while you tell me about your hair and everything, okay?” 

“Sure. I bleached it yesterday, because—and this is actually why I called you just now—I got a job!” Hyunjin begins, and Jisung immediately whips himself around from where he was grabbing a shirt from the bed. 

“You did?! Oh my god, where?” He squeaks in excitement and almost forgets that he was supposed to show his outfits until Hyunjin warns him not to crinkle his shirt. 

“Yeah, I got a modeling job just outside of Seoul! It’s not exactly what I envisioned yet, but maybe they’ll surprise me and I’ll start to like it,” he explains, and when Jisung holds up a pair of skinny jeans and a simple dress shirt, Hyunjin shakes his head. “Too boring, not you. Next. So—At least I’ll be able to make some connections in the fashion world now. I’m excited.”

“You should be. I think you’ll do great. You were always happy to wear whatever we made to show it off,” Jisung tells him while he grabs the next outfit. “And maybe you’ll really like it and keep doing it. I actually really like working at the secondhand store, fixing clothes, making fun patches to cover holes, and sometimes I even get decorative pillows to fix up, or cute kids stop by with their toys or stuffed animals.”

“I think it’s cute. The job fits you,” Hyunjin says as he leans his head on his hand to inspect the next outfit. It’s a blazer he got from his brother paired with more fitted jeans, but Hyunjin shakes his head. “This outfit is also too bland, Jisung-ah. Pick something you made. You told me he complimented your self-made outfit, right?”

Jisung deflates and nods, his stomach swirling in anxiety. “Yeah, but what I make is… Isn’t that too casual? Too… colorful? Too normal? I wear stuff like this daily,” he responds, casting a glance at his own pieces he laid out but suddenly didn’t dare to touch anymore. Hyunjin sighs and pouts at him.

“Okay, let’s not overthink this, ‘Sungie. You wouldn’t wear these boring outfits at all, so it’ll automatically be weird. It’s special if you wear something you made yourself, isn’t it? Tell me what outfit he liked,” Hyunjin tells him seriously. Jisung sighs. He’s right, and he shouldn’t overthink this. 

“He liked the pink pants and our collaborative shirt, but also my yellow hoodie,” he says, showing off the pieces he’s talking about. He also realizes that these are all colorful pieces, and that he was definitely getting in his head over nothing.

“Cool, then why don’t you pair your bootleg jeans with the green shirt? I liked how that shirt came out. It’s also a little bit dressy, right?” Hyunjin suggests, and Jisung perks up. He almost forgot about his green shirt—it’s a little more fitted so he guesses it’s a bit more fancy than his usual attire. 

“Good idea, thank you, Hyunjin-ah.” Jisung immediately starts grabbing the clothes and redressing himself. In the meantime, Hyunjin tells him about his adventures while looking for a job in Seoul in more detail. It calms Jisung’s heart to talk to him before the date, and it’s also nice to know that Hyunjin is supportive of him as well.

“Okay, I gotta go now, but thank you for calling tonight, Hyunjin-ah. Love you. Mwah.” Jisung sends him another flying kiss and this time Hyunjin catches it and eats it. 

“Good luck. And remember, you’re adorable and you’re incredibly funny, so go get him,” he answers and Jisung smiles, but before he can end the call, Hyunjin interrupts him. “Okay, wait, wait. One more thing. Will you tell him you’re asexual tonight? Because then I need to give you an extra hug in support.”

Jisung pauses. He kind of forgot to make a decision about that, and he isn’t sure if he should bring it up on the first date. “I… I don’t know,” he admits as he takes a shaky breath. “Should I?” 

“Oh shit. Sorry I didn’t mean to make you nervous again… If it was a stranger, I’d say, yes, tell him before he can hurt you, but since you and Minho are friends, I’d say you can wait until it’s relevant,” Hyunjin says as the corners of his lips twitch down in a slight grimace. Jisung huffs, he wishes he was there to hug him. “Just wait and see, yeah? Don’t worry about it.”

“Okay.” Jisung takes a deep breath and forces the sudden wave of anxiety to calm. No need to make himself nervous when Minho has always made him feel comfortable. “Okay, I’ll just bring it up when it feels right to do so.”

“Exactly. Now don’t worry and have fun,” Hyunjin says with a smile, and now he sends Jisung a flying kiss as well, which Jisung catches and slaps right onto his cheek. Hyunjin laughs as he rolls his eyes and waves. 

“I will. Talk to you later, Hyunjin-ah. Make time for me,” Jisung waves back and ends the call. His heart is a little calmer after the call, despite the brief spike of anxiety he felt, and now he’s mostly excited. 

He walks the short distance to Minho’s home and already gets a whiff of the delicious smells that come from his kitchen. They would go out to a restaurant together, but they’ve almost visited every restaurant in the area already, and going to the city wouldn’t give them that much time to shower and get ready, so Minho offered to cook for him at home.

Jisung’s heart is pounding in anticipation, and he’s feeling giddy at the thought of having dinner and watching a movie at Minho’s house, because even though he’s been to Minho’s parents’ house when they were younger, this is not his parents’ house, it’s Minho’s place, and it feels strangely intimate to be there alone with him.

His hands are shaking when he rings the bell, but hearing Minho’s footsteps somehow makes him feel better. Even though they saw each other this morning, he’s looking forward to seeing him again. Spending time with Minho is as easy as sewing a circle skirt at this point, so he’s happy to be in his presence the whole day.

“Hey, you’re right on time,” Minho greets him with a bright smile, and Jisung already blushes at the way Minho pauses and leans back a little to look him up and down, inspecting his outfit. His smile turns into a subtle grin, and he bites his lower lip. “You look really nice. Another one of your pieces?”

“Y-Yeah. The shirt is. The pants are store-bought,” Jisung explains with a smile, and he can’t help but let his eyes roam along Minho’s features. He’s wearing a cat-themed apron, but underneath, there’s a gorgeous silk shirt and fitted pants which show off Minho’s beautiful thighs. His hair is parted and shows off his cat-like eyes, which always make Jisung feel a little shy and fuzzy. “You look really handsome, too, hyung.”

“Thank you. Come in, by the way. I’m almost done with dinner.” Minho’s ears grow red, but he smiles as he motions Jisung to come in. His hand comes to lightly rest on the small of Jisung’s back, a subtle but very appreciated gesture that makes Jisung feel welcome. 

“Make yourself at home, say hi to the cats if you want, there’s some water on the dinner table if you want, I won’t let you wait long,” Minho tells him, and Jisung does what he suggests—he’s been wanting to meet the cats in person for a while anyway. The three are a little shy with Jisung at first, but it’s okay, Jisung is happy to watch them play with each other. 

And Minho is indeed quick to announce that he’s done cooking, so he moves to the kitchen to offer to help him bring everything to the dinner table. Minho pauses and smiles at Jisung’s suggestion. “Sure, if you can grab the kimchi and rice bowls, please.”

Minho unties his apron and joins Jisung at the dinner table once everything is set up, and it smells great. Jisung’s mouth is already watering and he can’t wait to dig in, but first he wants to compliment Minho some more. “It smells really good, hyung, I can’t imagine how long you spent preparing all of this,” he says.

“I spent a while on this, but it’s okay, I like cooking, obviously, otherwise I wouldn’t choose to stand in the kitchen for hours every day,” Minho responds with a chuckle. “It’s even better if I can watch someone eat and enjoy it, though, so eat up! I want everything gone.”

“Okay! Happy to be your trash can, hyung.” Jisung laughs when Minho already starts putting some food onto his plate, and Minho snickers at his words. 

“Did you have a nice afternoon, ‘Sung-ah?” Minho asks as they’re eating, offering him another piece of meat. Jisung hums as he’s still munching on his food, and Minho grins. “You look happy. Are you just happy to have the food or to see me?” 

“Both! Hyung, of course I’m happy to see you,” Jisung says with a sigh, shaking his head as he gives Minho an exasperated look. “My afternoon was nice, by the way. Hyunjin, my ex-roommate, called me to tell me about a modeling job he got, and it was nice to talk to him after a while. What about you?”

“Good. I obviously spent all afternoon preparing food, but seeing you eat it so deliciously makes it all worth it,” Minho replies, leaning his chin on his hand. Jisung blushes and covers his mouth, but Minho laughs. “Don’t hide! You’re cute.”

“Hyung…” Jisung’s face feels hot in embarrassment, because Minho’s eyes are very fond on him, which makes his heart race like a madman. He wants to keep looking at Minho’s smile, though. “You are cute too, Minho hyung!” 

Minho cackles and presses his lips together into a satisfied smile. “You’re still a flatterer, Jisung-ah. I hope you mean it.” Minho points his chopsticks at Jisung with a half-assed serious expression that poorly veils his grin.

“I do. I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t, hyung. It’s embarrassing sometimes, you know?” Jisung answers. He’s not one to throw around compliments to just anyone—otherwise he’d be better at flirting, probably—but when he does feel like someone deserves one, he isn’t shy to make sure the person knows.

“Okay. Good.” Minho huffs and continues eating with a rosy flush on his cheeks, which is either because of the warm food, or because he’s feeling just as giddy as Jisung is. Jisung hopes it’s the latter. 

“You know, I didn’t expect to be sitting here on a date with Chan hyung’s little brother, but I like it,” Minho comments after a while. They’re still slowly eating the last bits, spending a lot of time talking in between bites.
“...Me neither, if I’m honest, but I’m not just Chan hyung’s little brother,” Jisung answers with a snicker. He hopes that Minho thinks of him as a separate person, instead of as someone related to his good friend, but the way Minho shakes his head tells him that he does.

“I know, I know. I used to think like that, though. You were just Chan hyung’s little brother most of the time, except maybe when we would go looking for bugs together, or when we’d insult Chan hyung’s gaming skills,” he explains, touching his lip as he tilts his head, a little smile growing on his lips. “But can you blame me? Chan hyung always talked about you, you know? You two are so close, I can’t help but associate you two with each other a bit.”

“Okay, fair point. Chan hyung does like doting on me, I guess,” Jisung replies with a snicker. He really loves his brother, but he hopes that it doesn’t take away from Minho seeing him as an individual. 

“He does. After six years, though, I feel like things have changed. You’re definitely not just Chan hyung’s little brother anymore,” Minho tells him, and he opens his mouth to speak again, but he hesitates. 

“Yeah. Things have changed. We’ve grown up, I guess, and we’re more comfortable in our own skin, too, probably. You certainly got a lot more handsome, hyung,” Jisung blurts, and Minho starts laughing again. 

“That sure is true. For the both of us, by the way,” he replies as he stretches his arms above his head. Jisung hums and smiles when Minho winks at him—very badly. “Let’s clean up and get a movie started! I’ll grab us some sweets to eat during. I got them especially for you.” 

“Who’s the flatterer, now, huh?” Jisung stands up to help Minho clean up, looking down at his plate with a satisfied little smile. His heart is pounding fast, but he can’t help but give Minho a teasing grin. “Getting sweets just for me? I think you might like me.”

“Says the man offering to be my trash can, I think you might like me a little better, Jisung-ah,” Minho teases him right back as he pushes a bowl of sweets into his hands, a lopsided smirk on his face. Jisung laughs, and he wants to retort that he only cares about his food, but he doesn’t have the heart to make a joke like that. 

The two of them sit on the couch, occupying only one of the cushions of the loveseat while Minho starts up the movie. Jisung remembers from the old days that they’re both talkers when watching stuff, so Jisung isn’t afraid to make comments as the movie plays. They laugh and Jisung subconsciously leans towards Minho on the couch, craving to be a little closer to him. 

It kind of feels like they're still their twelve and fourteen year old selves, watching Chan play a game while they comment and laugh. Except now they don't have the buffer that is Chan between them, nor do they have the pesky teenage insecurities anymore. (At least, not as prominent anymore.) 

And now it is evident how well they go together, both in terms of easy banter as well as in terms of hobbies, humor, and apparently also physical affection. Jisung feels comfortable enough to slot himself under Minho’s arm, and Minho doesn't even push him away when Jisung shakes with laughter or fidgets with his fingers. (It's not like Jisung minds the way Minho plays with Jisung’s earlobe, or gently grazes his fingers along his cheek, either. In fact, he likes it, and he is consistently fighting the urge to lean into the touch or make embarrassing noises in content.) 

(Maybe Minho is right, maybe he does like him more—more than he thought he did.)

The night goes surprisingly well, almost too well, and Jisung feels like something should go wrong, that Minho should show that he’s not perfect in some way or another. And Jisung should be careful what he wishes for, because then, after the movie has ended and Minho has put the bowl of sweets away, Minho sits down next to him again and hands him a cup of tea before he places his hand on Jisung’s thigh.

He immediately tenses up a little, a flash of a movie night with Jonghwan replaying in his mind, where his ex did the exact same, with an ulterior motive. He forces himself to relax so that Minho doesn’t notice, but he can’t help but wonder if he should tell Minho about his sexuality and preferences now. 

Minho’s hand stays safely near Jisung’s knee, though, never moving up or inward, which is a relief, but Jisung still feels a little restless, unsure of when or how to bring up the fact that he doesn’t want sex. He can’t help but fear that it's not a good time, or that Minho won’t understand, or that he will try to push his boundaries anyway, just like everyone else.

“Are you analyzing the movie in your head or are you constipated?” Minho suddenly asks, pulling Jisung out of his mind. He gently brushes his thumb along Jisung’s knee, and Jisung shrugs. 

“Just zoning out. It happens,” Jisung lies, pressing his lips together into an awkward smile. Minho’s brows twitch as if he doesn’t quite believe him, but he doesn’t press. Jisung decides to change the subject, because he needs a distraction right now. “Thank you for tonight, hyung. I had a good time.”

“Don’t mention it,” Minho says with a shake of his head, his fingers still caressing his leg, which is making Jisung a little too jittery right now. He grabs Minho’s hand and intertwines their fingers, and Minho smiles, gladly accepting the gesture.

“Uhm, so, uhm… If you didn’t notice, I do really like you, hyung, and, well, I wouldn’t mind doing this again,” he says. He bites back the urge to dive in and ask Minho to be his boyfriend, because he doesn’t want to make things official before he knows if Minho even wants to be with someone like him. 

Minho snorts, once again pulling Jisung out of his spiraling thoughts. “‘Sung-ah. If you weren’t aware yet, I kind of meant our past outings as dates as well, so… Of course I want to do this again. I like you a lot, too,” he assures Jisung, his cheeks growing pink. Jisung’s heart accelerates and he smiles, feeling infinitely better.

“Right. Yeah,” he answers awkwardly, but Minho huffs and puts his cup of tea down before he pulls Jisung closer by their linked hands. Jisung inhales sharply when Minho whispers for him to relax, but he can’t seem to do so. Not when Minho is so close to him all of a sudden.

Jisung presses a soft and brief kiss on Minho’s warm cheek, catching the other off guard, but Minho quickly softens and shows him a shy smile, which makes something warm and nice bloom inside Jisung’s chest. Their eyes meet, and Jisung squeezes Minho’s hand before he leans a little closer.

“Kiss me, Jisung-ah?” Minho requests softly, his ears red as a tomato. The sight makes Jisung’s stomach flutter, and he briefly wonders if Minho might be a little unsure about something. He swallows and nods, leaning forward even more, until he goes cross-eyed. 

He lets their noses brush, and he doesn’t know who ends up closing the gap first, but he closes his eyes and a moment later, their lips touch and connect in a chaste kiss. Jisung’s heart is still pounding fast, but this time it isn’t paired with the slightly nauseating feeling of anxiety in his stomach. 

When they part, Jisung’s eyes flutter open and he can’t help but cup Minho’s cheek to steal another kiss, just so that he has a little more to remember and to hold on to whenever he feels insecure. (And maybe the same holds for Minho.)

Minho walks him home, managing to sneak him a goodbye kiss before Chan opens the door to let him in. They’re both still giddy, and Jisung might replay the night over and over in his head, hoping that their date will set the tone for the rest of the relationship, and that because they are and have been friends, things will go well. 

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“Good morning, ‘Sung-ah.” 

Jisung jumps out of his skin when he runs into Changbin in the kitchen, instead of Chan, who he expected instead. He clutches his shirt and gasps. “Hyung! Jesus. I didn’t know you were here.” He gestures at Changbin, who is wearing a mix of Chan and his own clothing, and he looks like he just woke up, which means he apparently spent the night here. 

“Yeah, I’m here. I mean, duh,” Changbin answers with a shrug, and he scratches the back of his head before he clears his throat. “So! You want breakfast? Chan hyung made way too much food yesterday. He’ll be up soon, I hope.”

“Okay.” Jisung frowns at Changbin, wondering why he’s suddenly acting like this, but he’ll accept breakfast anytime. Chan joins them after a minute or two, as Changbin said, and Jisung tells them about his date with Minho.

“It’s really nothing special, but it was nice,” he says, and his cheeks grow pink again as he remembers the feeling of Minho’s lips on his own. Chan coos at him, and wants to reach across the table to pinch Jisung’s cheek, but Jisung slaps his hand away and half-heartedly glares at him. 

“I’m glad it was nice. You were home quite late, too, did you have a special dessert with Minho as well or something?” Changbin laughs at his own words, but Jisung doesn’t get it. They didn’t have cheesecake or whatever, if Changbin means that, but before Jisung can say so, Chan already turns towards Changbin to hit him on the shoulder.

“What? I know he’s your little brother, but he’s an adult too, right? It’s not like we didn’t come back from the gym and exercised some more, did we—?” Changbin continues and Chan cuts him off with a loud groan. It’s only then that Jisung realizes what Changbin meant by special dessert. Gosh darn those vague euphemisms. 

“Sweetheart, it’s not just because he’s my little brother, okay?” Chan hisses through gritted teeth, and Changbin frowns. Jisung’s stomach drops when he realizes what’s going on—Chan didn’t tell Changbin. He didn’t tell Changbin about Jisung being asexual, and now he’s standing up for him anyway. Jisung scowls, he doesn’t want his brother to fight with his boyfriend because of him.

“Wait, hyung. You, uhm… Did you not tell Changbin that I’m ace?” he asks, making Chan and Changbin pause and look at him. He feels a little awkward under their gazes.

“No, because, well, that’s personal, isn’t it?” Chan says, vaguely gesturing around. Changbin squints at Jisung, then at Chan, and then his expression smooths as he seems to realize something.

“Ace—? Wait. Oh… Oh, so that’s why you showed me that article a couple of weeks ago. I was wondering if you were trying to tell me something,” he says. Jisung’s eyes grow wide as he looks at his brother, who shrugs and tugs at his pink ear. “Okay, I understand. Sorry for being blunt, Jisung-ah.”

“No, it’s okay. Sex talk is fine, just, you know, since you’re dating my brother it’s a little weird. Don’t worry about it too much, though, I’ll tell you if it gets too much for me,” he assures Changbin with a gentle smile. Changbin laughs and glances at Chan, who is avoiding everyone’s eyes and pretending the ceiling is more interesting. “And, well, you won’t have to worry about me talking about my sex life because it doesn’t exist and I have no plans to make it exist either.”

“Sure. Thanks for trusting me and telling me. I feel like you’re less embarrassed about this stuff than Chan hyung,” Changbin replies with a snicker. Jisung laughs and shakes his head.

“I’d love to keep the illusion alive, but I’m honestly the same as Chan hyungie,” he admits, but he can’t hold back a bright grin at Changbin’s words. He feels validated, because it’s important to him that he’s on good terms with Chan’s boyfriend, but also because Chan subtly made sure that his boyfriend was informed about him. 

He wonders if he should send Minho one of those articles, or if it’s perhaps better to tell him about it himself. He isn’t sure what would be best, but he forces himself not to overthink it. 

Jisung plans to talk to Minho during one of his lunch breaks the coming week, but he doesn’t get to enjoy them for as long as he’d like to, because Jeongin comes by the secondhand shop with a little girl whose plushie has torn at the arm, and Jisung wants to make sure it’s fixed properly, which takes some time, and he also has a suit to take in at the seams, as well as a bracelet to fix.

He’s sitting cross-legged on a stool while he’s carefully sewing the bear plusie, and he doesn’t even notice that Minho comes into the shop, a bright smile on his face as he approaches Jisung. He only sees Minho’s legs, but he’s too focused to look up.
“Excuse me, Han Jisung-ssi, I come bearing gifts,” Minho says in a polite tone, startling him and making him look up at the man. His eyes widen, but he smiles and happily stands up to kiss Minho’s cheek in greeting.

“Hyung! Why are you here? You should be providing people lunch,” Jisung says as he sees the little packed piece of bread Minho is holding. 

“Lunch rush is already over, ‘Sungie. Felix is taking over for ten minutes because I wanted to bring you lunch, but also because, uhm, my favorite yoga pants ripped a little at a quite embarrassing place.” Minho chuckles awkwardly as he hands over the bread to Jisung before showing him a plastic bag. Jisung’s eyes grow wide and he laughs.

“I know the feeling all too well, hyung. I underestimated the size of my butt while making jeans one too many times,” he answers with a snicker, and he accepts the bag before writing the task down on his to-do list. “I get that your thighs are a little too amazing for pants to contain as well,” he adds, and Minho cackles. 

“You keep flattering me, Jisung-ah. Stop it. And don’t worry about making it a priority, I have multiple pairs,” Minho assures him. He points at the brown fluffy animal on the counter. “The bear plushie is way more important to get fixed first.”

“Exactly. I can’t make Minah wait too long for her beloved Bear-ssi. That’s why I missed lunch. I’m sorry, I really forgot, hyung.” Jisung sits down on his stool again and starts unpacking Minho’s lunch gift as he gives him an apologetic look, but Minho waves him off.

“It’s okay, I understand. I’m grateful you always take time to come chat with me at work, because, you know, it’s nice and all,” he explains with a fake non-chalant shrug, but Jisung spots his red ears. He smiles to himself, endeared by Minho’s cute way of saying that he appreciates Jisung’s presence. 

“So you decided to visit me for once? Thank you, Minho hyung.” He stands up again and briefly kisses Minho on the lips. Minho lets out a huff and pecks Jisung on the cheek in return.

“You’re welcome, but I kind of have to get back now. See you around, cutie.” Minho winks and laughs when Jisung pushes at his shoulder as his cheeks go red. “Bye!” 

Jisung waves him goodbye before he grabs the plushie and hugs it to his chest. He lets out a deep sigh and rubs his cheek against the soft fur. “See that, Bear-ssi? He makes my heart go wild. I really like him, and I feel like he likes me a lot, too. Do you think he’ll be okay with me and all of my difficulties?” he softly asks the animal.

He exhales again when only silence answers him. He hugs the plusie a little tighter and hums to himself. “Hmm? I should find out for myself? I guess you’re right. I just need a little more strength to do so.”

Mrs Moon walks past him as she comes back from running an errand, but she simply smiles at the piece of bread on the table next to him with a knowing expression before she moves on. Jisung blushes to himself as he lets go of Bear-ssi to put him aside for now and finally eat some lunch, but the butterflies in his stomach make it difficult to eat. 

And while his growing feelings do give him some strength, the many ways he can mess up or lose Minho weigh on him and make him freeze every time he thinks about bringing up the things that ended all his past relationships and ruined a lot of possible ones. 

He decides to stay at work a little longer after he finishes patching up the stuffed animal, because he can’t stop thinking about Minho and all of his kind gestures towards him across the past few weeks. He grabs the box of fabric scraps and starts thinking of something to make for him—he can probably manage to make a handkerchief slash bandana with this, but if he makes a heart pattern and embroiders his name, then it still could be special.

“Jisung-ah, are you done? I’m about to close up,” Mrs Moon announces as she locks up the back room of the store. She grabs her coat and walks over to him with raised eyebrows.

“Oh, ajumma, I wanted to make something for Minho hyung quickly. I can close up,” he says as he gestures at the box of scraps. Mrs Moon smiles and shakes her head before motioning him to come over.

“You’re kind, Jisung-ah, but you should take the box and go home. Just don’t use everything, yeah?” she says with a fond but strict pat on Jisung’s shoulder and Jisung ducks his head to hide his embarrassed smile. 

“I know, I won’t! Thank you ajumma,” he replies with a chuckle, his cheeks probably pink because of the way Mrs Moon is smiling at him. They close up together and Jisung thanks her again before speeding home.

He spends all night making a patchwork handkerchief with a heart in the middle, his name embroidered in a corner, and it’s not his best work, but he hopes that Minho will appreciate this little present as a show of gratitude. 

And it might be a little overkill, but he even gets up early in the morning so that he can give it to Minho before he gets to work and continues the busy week. It’s way too early for him usually, but he’s full of adrenaline this morning as he sees Minho opening up the bakery. He runs the last bit to close the distance between the two of them and Minho lets out a squeak in surprise when he hears him.

“Who—? Jisung-ah?” Minho raises his fists and Jisung flinches, but the former quickly relaxes and lowers them again before he tilts his head at him. “Why are you here? It’s barely seven in the morning.”

“Well, good to see you too, hyung,” Jisung answers with a huff, crossing his arms to fight the urge to hug him in greeting. Minho snorts and pats Jisung’s cheek with an apologetic hum.

“Sorry. I was just surprised,” he replies with a chuckle, and the pleading look he gives Jisung is too adorable for him to resist, so he uncrosses his arms and pulls Minho into a hug. He presses a firm kiss on the side of his head and pulls back to see Minho looking down at him, his eyes flicking down to his lips for a moment before a small smirk grows on his face. “Hi, there.”

“Hi, hyung. Good morning,” Jisung whispers in reply, and Minho invites him into the bakery, keeping the sign set at ‘closed’ for now. Jisung follows him into the kitchen, and he’d love to help him set up, but he first wants to give Minho his gift. “Okay, so I didn’t just come here to watch you, so… Do you have a minute now for me to give you something?”

Minho pauses and turns around to look at Jisung as he raises an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you already fixed my yoga pants, ‘Sung-ah,” he says, trying to peek inside the tote bag Jisung is holding. 

“I didn’t, but I did make you something,” Jisung replies, and he grabs the quite messily wrapped gift—he simply tied a bow around it, because he didn’t have much time to do anything else, but if the way Minho’s eyes light up is anything to go by, he doesn’t mind it. 

“It’s small and a little rushed, but I just… I just wanted to do this for you until I get the money to make something more proper.” Jisung stretches out his arms to offer him the handkerchief and Minho bites his lower lip as he holds back a bright smile. 

Minho’s fingers are quick as they undo the bow around the handkerchief and he holds out the cloth to inspect every little detail. His ears are red, and it takes a minute, but he eventually finds the signed name in the corner. He coos and gives Jisung a grateful look, his eyes scrunched up in delight.

“This is adorable, Jisung-ah, you didn’t have to do this,” he says softly, holding the handkerchief close to his chest, a lopsided and goofy smile on his face. Jisung blushes at the endearing expression.

“I wanted to,” he assures Minho, and the latter exhales before he carefully tucks the handkerchief into his pocket and motions Jisung to come over. Jisung steps forward and he takes Minho’s free hand in his own. He relaxes when Minho smiles before the latter cups his cheek and dips down to kiss him.

He drops his bag and lets his unoccupied hand rest on Minho’s chest, a gentle warmth filling his chest. It hasn’t been long since their first official date and their first kiss, but Jisung already missed the feeling of Minho’s soft lips against his own, their lips slotting together like puzzle pieces. 

He has to stand on his tip toes very slightly to be comfortable, but as soon as Minho notices, he lets go for a moment to grab his waist and lift him up ever so slightly. Jisung gasps and wraps his arms around Minho’s neck with a giggle. Their noses brush from their proximity, and Jisung smiles when their eyes meet.

Minho’s eyes are dark and full of something that makes Jisung shiver from his head to his toes. He can’t stand the amount of fondness in his gaze for much longer than a couple of seconds, so he threads his fingers into Minho’s hair and pulls him back into a sweet kiss. 

Minho tilts his head and savors the moment by pulling Jisung flush against him. Neither of them deepen the kiss, which Jisung is grateful for, and it stays a slow and loving dance of lips. Jisung nibbles on Minho’s plump upper lip, and holds him close, burying his nose against Minho’s warm cheek.

He thinks he could keep doing this for a while, forgetting all about space and time around him and only existing in a little bubble that spans just the two of them, only feeling the way Minho’s hands fit against his sides, the way his lips move over his own, and the way his soft hair glides through his fingers. His chest feels warm and he is comfortable in Minho’s arms.

But the bubble has to burst at some point, because Minho has to open the bakery and Jisung has to get to work, and it’s Minho’s phone buzzing that puts an end to their moment. 

Jisung didn’t expect his little gift to have such an impact, that the thread of restraint between the two of them would snap like that just because Jisung would give him a gift and they’d have time to show each other their appreciation. 

“I have to start getting ready, sorry,” Minho apologizes, and Jisung makes a little noise of protest, taking a moment to hold Minho for a second longer. Minho snickers and rubs his hand along Jisung’s back. “I know, I know. I’m warm and huggable and great and amazing, but don’t you have a job to get to? I need my yoga pants fixed.” 

Jisung laughs and pulls out of the hug with a snicker. “Hey, I’m supposed to be in charge of flattering you, hyung. Don’t steal my thunder,” he warns the older man and Minho lets out a cackle, covering his mouth, but between his fingers, Jisung spots his familiar bunny teeth. 

“But you’re right, I do have to get to work, but not yet. I can help you set up,” he adds and Minho happily accepts the offer. They keep glancing at each other while Minho fills the display with pastries and Jisung makes sure that the tables are ready to sit at, though, and Jisung kind of wants to kiss him again. 

They have to say goodbye to him too soon already, especially considering that they haven’t had much time to see each other the past week, but he has to go to work. Minho makes sure to give him some lunch to go, but also to kiss him right on the lips before he goes, though, leaving Jisung with pink cheeks and a smile that just doesn’t seem to go away.

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“Here you go, a pair of yoga pants for our beloved teacher with his awesome but dangerous thighs,” Jisung announces as he hands over the piece in question. He's early, just like he was that first time, but this time it's not because he's anxious and trying to distract himself from lingering thoughts of his college life. Now, that's all behind him, in the past, and he's firmly facing forward to the future. 

“Ah! Thank you, Jisung-ah. I think I'll change into these because I underestimated how tight my other pair would be.” Minho scrunches his nose and chuckles. Jisung can't help but look down at his legs, and the way the fabric hugs his muscles—it sure is tight. They might rip again if he keeps these on.

“Yeah! Sure, I added a little bit of room at the seam so that it hopefully doesn't rip as easily anymore.” Jisung quickly tears his eyes away from Minho’s legs and looks back up at him. A blush creeps up his neck when he spots Minho’s red ears and subtle grin. 

Jisung doesn't have the time to process what his look means before Jeongin already enters the studio and Minho excuses himself to change into his newly fixed pants while Jisung greets the younger man.

During the class, Jisung tries to see if he did a good job fixing the pants and if the patch or new seam is visible, but he barely spots anything, even though he knows where to look, so he gives himself a mental pat on the back for hiding the fixing job well. 

While he is distracted looking at Minho’s clothing, he almost misses the way Minho has Jisung’s handkerchief tied around his wrist. When he notices it, his face grows warm and he smiles to himself, his heart pounding as he realizes that Minho is carrying his gift with him in public.

It’s almost as if something as simple as a handkerchief made them official or something, made some invisible curtain lift itself and now Minho knows what Jisung really feels for him. It makes Jisung excited, because he is starting to realize that he really wants things to work out between him and Minho.

Minho is kind, cute, funny, and just the right amount of weird (which is a lot of weird), and he always makes Jisung feel like he’s not weird. Most of all, Jisung feels comfortable around him, and feels like he can be himself, unapologetically. 

Minho seems to sense the strange mood as well, and Jisung subconsciously notices that he is a little more touchy than usual, adjusting Jisung’s position and giving him pats on the back while telling him that he’s doing well. It all makes Jisung giddy and jittery—definitely the opposite of what yoga should do—but when the meditation begins and Minho guides everyone to relax, Jisung starts paying attention to his breathing, and his heart slowly calms down, just like his racing thoughts.

He almost falls asleep at the end, and in his sleepy daze he doesn’t notice Felix, Seungmin and Jeongin leaving, until he’s woken up by Minho’s gentle fingers on his cheek. “Hey, ‘Sung-ah, wake up. Yoga class is over,” Minho whispers, and Jisung’s eyes fly open.

He’s met with Minho’s entertained expression as the man is crouched in front of him, and he blushes. “I know. I didn’t fall asleep, I just—almost did,” he explains with a chuckle. 

“Okay. You seemed a little distracted today. What were you thinking about?” Minho stands up with a grin and offers him a hand. Jisung takes it and lets Minho pull him up. It happens with a little more strength than Jisung expected, and he bumps into Minho’s front.

“Oh—Oh, well, I was just thinking about that, uhm, I did a good job on the pants,” he answers softly, a blush growing on his face because it might sound weird, but Minho simply hums and moves his hands to the small of Jisung’s back. “And, well, that you’re a good yoga teacher.”

“Funny coincidence, because I was thinking about something similar,” he answers, something twinkling in his eyes as they flick down to Jisung’s lips. Jisung doesn’t get what he means, but he does get the message of Minho wanting to kiss him, and so he stands on his tip toes a little to capture Minho’s lips.

Minho immediately reciprocates it, turning the initially soft kiss into a bruising and serious one. Jisung’s heart skips a beat, and he holds on to Minho’s arms to ground himself in the hopes that his heart won’t pop right out of his chest. 

Minho slows down a little, perhaps noticing that Jisung can’t quite keep up with him, but there’s still some kind of urgency in the way his lips move against Jisung’s. The urgency makes Jisung’s cheeks heat up, his face flushing. And when Minho gently licks Jisung’s lower lip and sucks on it, Jisung’s stomach flips. He keeps his lips closed for now, simply basking in short and more innocent kisses, but after a moment, Minho slips his tongue between his lips and he licks into Jisung’s mouth.

Jisung gasps and reciprocates the kiss, although he lets Minho take the lead—he’s definitely not experienced enough to take over. The quick, hummingbird-like pounding of his heart is starting to get a little heavy, though, because he is starting to realize where this might be leading.

Jisung doesn’t mind making out or french kissing, but it’s the point where his own enjoyment reaches a peak and where he starts worrying about going further instead. He hasn’t told Minho about being asexual, but surely Minho isn’t planning to do anything in here, is he? They’re still sort of in public, after all.

Jisung inhales deeply through his nose, and he tilts his head the other way to allow himself to breathe for a second. His face is burning up, and he can’t focus on his thoughts at all with the way Minho is pulling him close, kissing his jaw for a moment. He doesn’t know if he wants to stop or if he wants to continue and hope that Minho won’t cross any boundaries.

Minho then licks into his mouth again, and his hands move down Jisung’s back towards his butt. Jisung tenses up and he squeezes Minho’s arms, subconsciously signaling him to slow down. Minho slowly parts and starts kissing Jisung’s cheek again, leaving soft pecks along his jaw toward his neck. 

Jisung is glad that he’s slowing down a little, but the atmosphere is just as heated as before. Minho is teetering the edge of Jisung’s boundaries as his fingers play with the hem of Jisung’s shirt. 

Jisung should stop him before Minho unknowingly does something Jisung isn’t comfortable with—it’s only fair to the both of them—but he is frozen in the moment, too passive as his brain is shutting down. Minho kisses him so carefully, after all, his lips so soft on his skin. He slowed down when Jisung turned away and non-verbally told him so, he’s so gentle with him, and yet his stomach churns when Minho slowly lifts his shirt, ever so slightly.

“Can I…?” Minho asks for permission, his voice a little rough. It’s obvious that he wants to ask him if he can put his hand under his shirt, and it snaps Jisung right out of his stupor.
“No. No, uhm—No. Don’t, please,” he stammers and, damn, when did he get so out of breath? Minho freezes and immediately stops moving. He pulls back and looks at Jisung with a frown, his eyes roaming all over Jisung’s face.

“... No? You— I-Is everything okay?” he asks softly, but Jisung shakes his head. His heart is pounding way too fast and he wants to tell Minho why they need to stop, but his throat feels tight and he’s afraid of Minho’s reaction, because he looks so confused, maybe even offended. “Did I do something? What’s going on?”

“I just—I, uhm, I don’t—I’m not—” Jisung can’t get a coherent sentence out, and he’s embarrassed, almost a little nauseous. He can’t stop thinking about Jonghwan, the way he would give him such a bewildered look whenever he’d insist on his boundaries. He wants to put the world on pause and calm down, but he can’t do it when Minho is looking at him with so much confusion and concern in his eyes.

“Jisung-ah, you’re scaring me. W-What’s—” Jisung cuts him off as he turns around and grabs his bag. He tries to remind himself that Minho is not Jonghwan, and neither is he any of the other assholes who rejected him just because of his aversion to sex, but he can’t stop thinking about it. Minho lets out a sigh, and it stings Jisung’s heart, but he is on the verge of a panic attack and he doesn’t want Minho to see him like that.

“I’m sorry, hyung. I—I need a moment,” he apologizes, not daring to look back and see Minho’s face right now. He clutches his bag to his chest and runs out of the room, ignoring the footsteps coming after him.

“Wait! Jisung-ah—!” Minho calls out but Jisung keeps running, trying to keep himself together as much as he can while he escapes the gym as fast as he can.

The warm air feels cold against his hot face, and he takes a minute to do the breathing exercises Minho starts and ends every class with. Breathing in through his nose, stomach expanding as he holds it for two seconds, then out through his mouth, slow and steady. 

It helps, as it always does, but it also makes him realize how shaky he feels on his legs, and how badly he wants to cry. He bites his lip and pushes himself off the wall to speed home. 

He needs his brother right now, and he hopes that he’s not too busy at the moment. Jisung knows that Chan doesn’t have any personal training to do today, but he might have something planned with Changbin or one of his friends.

And indeed, when Jisung comes home, Chan isn’t there, and neither is Changbin, so Jisung grabs his phone and texts his brother that he kind of needs him right now—if he’s free. Chan doesn’t immediately reply, so Jisung does the next best thing he can come up with—he dials Hyunjin’s number.

He curls up on the floor in front of the couch and clutches his phone tightly. He hopes that Hyunjin has a couple of minutes of time, because although he doesn’t want to bother him, he doesn’t want to be alone right now. 

He’s in luck—the receiver clicks and Jisung hears static before Hyunjin’s voice sounds through the phone. “Hello, Jisung-ah? What’s up?” 

“Hey, do—do you have, uhm, a minute?” he asks softly, his voice cracking in the middle. He clears his throat and waits for Hyunjin to respond, his heart still pounding a little faster than normal. 

“Yeah, I’m not doing anything right now. I have that party later tonight, but I don’t have to prepare for a couple of hours. Are you okay?” Hyunjin says, his voice soothing. Jisung remembers Hyunjin mentioning the party a couple of days ago, bragging about how he’ll be making contacts, but also telling Jisung that he wishes he was there for emotional support. He almost forgot about it in his panic, and he hopes that he doesn’t stand in the way of any preparation.

Thinking about something other than himself already helps, but he knows he’ll have to actually talk someone through what happened to prevent himself from panicking later on. “I’m not really okay, but if you don’t want to hear me vent right before the party I can wait for Chan hyung to come home. You can tell me what you’re going to wear instead, maybe? I’d just, uhm, like some distraction right now.”

“None of that, Jisung-ah. If even you are telling me that you’re not fine I’m going to cancel everything and be here for you, okay? I already told you that I’ll send you my outfits every time. We’re not going to talk about me right now. What’s going on?” Hyunjin firmly tells him, as caring as ever.

“I… I just need to talk to someone who's not Minho hyung,” he admits with a sigh. He hates the way his cheeks heat up in embarrassment at the memory, but he needs to get through this. 

“Why? Did something happen? Did he not take, uhm, your sexuality well?” Hyunjin asks, his voice worried and Jisung lets out a sigh. 

“I didn’t tell him yet. But… It’s related. He… Uhm, we made out after yoga class and…” Jisung trails off, swallowing thickly as he chews on his lower lip. He already regrets how he handled things, and he should have just been clear with Minho from the start, but he just couldn’t think straight. 

“What? Did he do something gross? Did he make you uncomfortable? Because if he did, I swear I will come over to that tiny ass town of yours and show that stupid yoga instructor—” Hyunjin rambles and Jisung cuts him off with a breathy laugh.

“No! No, he didn’t do anything gross, he—He was actually being pretty okay, considering I never told him about my boundaries and all, he just… We were making out and I knew that I needed to slow him down somehow and tell him, but I was scared. Actually—he did slow down a little, with the kissing, so he kind of noticed my mood, but I can’t blame him that he can’t read my mind, you know?” he explains. He grabs a pillow from the couch and hugs it against his chest with his free arm. “He was really into it and it felt like he was doing it for me, somehow. He was being so… gentle. I… I didn’t want to disappoint him, but then he asked me if he could put his hand under my shirt and I panicked a little.”

“I told him no, like, pretty firmly, and he—he looked so confused and concerned, Hyunjin. He—He reminded me of Jonghwan in that moment. I couldn’t look at him and I did something very stupid,” he finishes with a shaky sigh. 

“Did you run away?” Hyunjin asks softly, and Jisung hums in confirmation, his heart clenching in regret. “I get it, ‘Sungie. I would love to tell you that you shouldn’t have left him hanging like that without explaining, but I know that I would have ran away as well. And I know that it was probably the right thing to do at the moment if I think about the times the two of us fought. You always needed some time before we could talk it out, and so did I, to be honest, but I always wanted to fight.”

Jisung snickers at the memory of the two of them arguing about stupid things those first months of college. They had a rough start, but they knew how to make up every time. “I don’t know Minho well enough to say if he’d take it well once you tell him or not, but you should tell him when you’re ready. I mean—At least he asked you if he could touch you, right?”

“Yeah. He…He always does it during yoga class as well. Not as much with me anymore because he knows that I usually don’t mind, but you’re right,” Jisung replies, the words helping him rationalize the situation. “Thank you for talking to me, Hyunie.”

“No worries, you were always there for me during emergencies as well. I’ve got your back and I know you’ve got mine, too. We’ve been through too much shit together to not do so,” Hyunjin replies easily. He’s always been very easy with affection, just like Jisung, but Jisung knows that he means every word. 

“That’s true, but still. You’re far away and you’ve probably got some other stuff to deal with, so I’m really grateful,” he says softly. He’s thankful for Hyunjin, because when he missed his brother and struggled to make friends in college, he had Hyunjin. And even if Jisung pushed too much at the start, they grew close.

They talk a little bit about the party to distract Jisung until Chan gets back—he just texted him that he’s on his way home—and Jisung thanks his ex-roommate about a hundred times before hanging up with a loud smooch once he hears the jingle of keys in the front door.

“Jisung-ah? I’m here!” Chan calls out and Jisung immediately sprints towards him to pull him into a big hug. Chan lets out a yelp in surprise, but he quickly catches him and holds him close. “Hey, hey. Easy there. What happened?”

“I’m sorry, hyung. I hope I didn’t interrupt your alone time with Changbin hyung,” he apologizes as he buries his face in his brother’s chest. Chan shakes his head and cards a hand through his hair in a soothing motion. 

“You didn’t. Changbinnie understands. Let’s sit down and talk, yeah?” he assures him before taking him to the couch and wrapping his arms around his middle. Jisung relaxes in his grip, the exhaustion after being on edge for so long finally catching up on him. 

“I talked to Hyunjinnie for a bit, so I was okay while you were gone. Don’t worry about it, okay, hyung-ah?” Jisung starts off with that, and Chan chuckles before squeezing Jisung a little.

“I won’t. Thank you for telling me.” 

Jisung tells Chan what happened, in a little more detail now because he’s a little calmer. Chan hums to show that he’s listening and he caresses his arm in a soothing way, like he always used to do when they were younger, too. 

“Okay. Okay, shit. I’m sorry that that happened, ‘Sungie. You did what you could at that moment,” Chan assures him when Jisung is done talking, and he presses a kiss to the side of Jisung’s head. Jisung takes a deep breath and wills all of the tension to seep away. He’s still a bit jittery, but he doesn’t feel like crying anymore.

“Thank you, Chan hyungie,” Jisung says with a sigh, slumping against his brother’s torso. “I just wish I told him earlier, but… I was so scared I couldn’t even look at him. He… I couldn’t stop thinking about Jonghwan, with the way he looked at me. I shouldn’t have run away like that—I feel so guilty.”

“Don’t be. You should talk to him. I… I’d like to think that I know Minho wouldn’t hurt you, and that he’s a million times better than Jonghwan, but I have never met Jonghwan, and I haven’t exactly talked much to Minho about his sex life, you know? I know he has one, but that’s about it,” Chan says with a sigh, carding his hand through Jisung’s hair again. “I will talk to him if you want, because you know I’d fight anyone who dares to hurt you—even Minho, yes, and heck, even Changbin— but I think you wouldn’t want that.”

“I don’t. He didn’t hurt me, hyung-ah. This mess is all my own fault, and—fuck, Minho hyungie has been so kind to me. He was wearing the handkerchief I made around his wrist today, during yoga class, but I’m still so scared.” Jisung huffs, and Chan lets out a noise in curiosity.

“He did? I mean—I’m not surprised, the Minho I know is very kind—” he starts to answer, but he’s cut off by the sound of the doorbell ringing.

Jisung tenses up, and he turns around as if he could somehow see who it is on the other side of the door before looking at his brother with worried eyes. His stomach clenches because he isn’t sure if he’s ready to see Minho already.

“I’ll get it. Be right back,” Chan tells him, already reading the silent request off his face, and Jisung makes space for him to stand up and open the door. Jisung stays still and listens, because it might be Changbin, or it might be important. 

“Oh, hi there, Minho,” Jisung hears Chan say, and his heart immediately cranks up its pace. His hands already start sweating and he’s not even looking at Minho. He unconsciously hides himself a little more between his knees.

“Hey, hyung. Uhm… Jisung forgot his yoga mat at the gym.” Minho’s voice is soft, but Jisung hears him loud and clear. He wonders why it took Minho this long to bring it over, since it’s already been over an hour since the class ended. 

“Oh. Thanks, Minho,” Chan answers, and Jisung hears some shuffling. He kind of expects the conversation to end there, but he doesn’t hear Chan close the door. He’s itching to go look, but he knows that he’ll start crying if he sees Minho looking even the slightest bit upset right now.

“Hey, hyung, wait. Is he… Is he okay? I…” Minho sounds different, there’s something in his voice that makes Jisung’s throat feel tight. He can hear Chan sigh from here, and he just hopes that Chan will give Minho some hope.

“He is. And he isn’t mad at you, if you’re wondering. He’s just… He needs some time,” his brother tells Minho, and Jisung relaxes—that’s exactly the message he would have wanted to tell Minho right now. 

“Okay.” Minho doesn’t give Jisung more than that, a simple okay to grasp and hold onto until he finds the courage to sit down and tell Minho everything he needs to know. 

When Chan closes the door and comes back, Jisung hugs him tight and thanks him for being such a reliable brother once again. He doesn’t know where he’d be without his brother and his friends, but he’s happy that he has them in his life.

And now, he has to make sure that another precious person stays in his life, and he hopes that being honest with Minho will do just that, because he doesn’t think he can bear to lose him yet.

⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⁀➷｡˚⸙͎۪۫⋆ ༄ 

Jisung stays in bed for just about the rest of the weekend, watching Project Runway and texting Hyunjin, until Chan drags him out to take a walk with him and Changbin, eating dinner together and singing karaoke afterwards by request of Changbin. Jisung appreciates them distracting him, but it doesn’t prevent him from overthinking at night and restlessly turning in his bed.

Mrs Moon can tell that he’s not doing well when he comes back to work with dark circles under his eyes. She grimaces when Jisung tells her that he doesn’t want to talk about it, but she doesn’t push it. Jisung can’t really focus on the shirt he’s fixing, his mind straying to Minho, wondering if he should go and get lunch at the bakery. 

He made something for himself, but maybe he should just stop by anyway, to gauge if he can handle talking to him soon, to give Minho some hope, but also because he owes it to Minho to gather the courage and take the first step, even if it makes him super nervous.

“Ow! Fuck!” Jisung exclaims, quickly sticking his finger into his mouth as he accidentally pricks himself with the needle. It stings for a moment, but the pain is already fading. He hears the footsteps of Mrs Moon in the shop approaching him in hurried moves.
“Jisung-ah? Are you okay? You’re not using the sewing machine are you?” She rounds the corner with a frown and Jisung shakes his head, showing his pricked finger.

“It was just with the needle, don’t worry, ajumma,” he assures her. Mrs Moon sighs and relief washes over her expression. She takes a quick look at the entrance of the store before grabbing a chair and sitting next to him.

“You’ve been distracted, Jisung-ah. Do you need a day off? Or is there anything else I can do? Do you want to spend a couple of hours at the bakery with Minho, maybe?” she asks him, and Jisung shakes his head.

“I’m okay, ajumma, I… I was actually wondering if I should visit the bakery today or not,” he admits with a sigh, and Mrs Moon tilts her head, a slight frown creasing her forehead. 

“Did something happen between you and Minho?” She places her hand onto Jisung’s, unfurling his tightly fisted hand. Jisung nods and keeps his eyes pointed down at the floor. Mrs Moon exhales long, a little smile growing on her face. “Oh, young love, huh? Look, Jisung-ah, if there is anything I’ve learned throughout my years is that a relationship isn’t found, it’s built. Together. And you do that by talking to each other, making mistakes and then solving them together. You can take your time and take a break, but be careful when it’s still so early—if you’re serious about him, you should go see him and show him just how serious you are. I know it’s scary, but trust me, if you really like him it’ll be worth it.”

Jisung lets the words sink in. He already knew this, but he didn’t yet think about it this way. He was just thinking about how he owes it to Minho to explain himself, rather than if he wants Minho to understand. He does. He doesn’t want to lose Minho at all.

“And another little tip from me, when you fight with someone you love, you should learn to take the first step and apologize even if you feel like you’re not in the wrong,” Mrs Moon adds with a chuckle. “What I mean by that is—Hear each other out, no matter how mad you are. It’s not worth it to fight.”

Jisung snickers softly. “Don’t worry, ajumma, this whole fiasco was a hundred percent my fault. I’m just gathering the courage to go talk to him. I… I need to tell him something and I don’t know if he’ll take it well.”

“If he likes you as much as I think he does, he’ll take it well,” she answers with a knowing smile. Jisung’s eyes grow wide and he tilts his head.

“How do you know?” he asks.

“You’re not the only one who visits the bakery, sweetheart,” she answers with a chuckle. “I’ve been going there for way longer than you, so I know Minho very well. I stopped by there this morning and I noticed something was off, but he knows how to hide it better than you. I’ll leave it up to you to see for yourself, though.”

Jisung lets out a sigh. “Fine. Thank you, ajumma. I… I’ll stop by during my break for a bit, but I don’t know if I can talk it out yet—I don’t think either of us will get back to work if I open that can of worms.”

“That’s fine. Take your time, Jisung-ah. And don’t worry about not coming back either, whatever’s good for you,” she assures him. She stands up and pats his knee before going back to work, meeting some people in the shop and talking to them.

Jisung puts a bandaid on his finger before he goes back to work, and he makes up his mind about visiting Minho later today. He makes sure to thank Mrs Moon again before leaving, and his heart is already making a big fuss as soon as he steps out of the store, but he pushes through and walks the couple of meters towards the bakery.

The door seems heavier than usual, and Jisung feels out of breath when he opens it. Minho is standing with his back towards the entrance, and the second that it takes for him to turn around feels like an eternity, Jisung’s heart shooting all the way up in his throat. 

“Hi there, what can I…” Minho’s greeting dies on his tongue when his gaze meets Jisung’s one, and he promptly shuts his mouth. Jisung’s cheeks heat up, and he wants to say something, but just at that moment, another customer walks in, walks past him and stands at the counter.

Jisung keeps his eyes glued to Minho while he helps the customer, frozen in place, and he hopes that Minho isn’t mad at him. But even if he is, Jisung should say something.  

The customer leaves again and Jisung takes a hesitant step towards the counter. “Hi, hyung,” he begins, but his voice already cracks. Shit. He’s even more nervous than he was for their first date.

“Hey,” Minho says, short and concise. Mrs Moon was right, he hides his emotions a lot better than Jisung does, but there’s something in his eyes that shows Jisung that he’s not completely fine. “Do you want to order anything?”

“I brought my own lunch today, but… I-I want to say sorry for bailing on you like that after yoga class,” he blurts out. His heart is thrumming in his chest like a hummingbird, throat and chest feeling tight. Seeing Minho for the first time after the incident at yoga class is affecting him more than he thought it would.

Minho doesn’t say anything, simply tilts his head. Jisung swallows thickly and scratches his arm as he gathers the courage to say more. “You… You didn’t—I don’t know if I can explain right now, because it would take a while, but I want to explain. Will you hear me out, hyung? I’m really sorry for running away before.”

Minho stays quiet for another couple of seconds, and Jisung silently focuses on his breathing while he waits. In… and out… 

“Okay, yeah. I’ll hear you out. I… I have some things to say as well, but I’ll keep them for myself for now. Thank you for coming here today, though,” he says eventually. “When do you want to talk?”

“Uhm, when do you have time?” Jisung asks in return, his shoulders lowering a little as he hears Minho’s voice. He’s glad that Minho is talking to him. 

“I’m free whenever. Is tonight too soon for you?” Minho answers, giving him a curious look. Jisung’s heart clenches. He doesn’t know if he’s ready. On one hand, he wants more time, he wants to keep avoiding the situation and think for longer, but on the other hand he wants to stop overthinking and he just wants Minho back—he won’t be able to stop thinking about him for a while. 

“Uhm. I… I don’t know,” he admits with a shaky breath. Minho patiently waits for him to continue, and Jisung thinks fuck it, like Mrs Moon said, it’s hard, but Minho is worth it. “I think tonight is okay.”

“Sure. Just stop by my place when you’re done, okay?” Minho replies, still not giving away much of how he feels—which probably means he’s upset. Jisung doesn’t remember Minho being upset often when they were younger, but he remembers Chan having a hard time reaching him sometimes. 

“Okay, thanks, hyung. I’ll see you tonight,” he responds, trying to give Minho a tiny little smile. He doesn’t know how well he does with the smile, but Minho’s face softens, and Jisung’s heart finally manages to slow down ever so slightly. “Good luck with work.”

“You too,” Minho answers softly, and he turns around to get back to the kitchen. Jisung’s gaze lingers for a while, watching the way Minho’s fingers come around to tighten his apron. He blushes for some reason and quickly turns around and walks away.

Mrs Moon doesn't say anything about his red face and ears, and she just lets him distract himself for the couple of hours left until the shop closes. Jisung is lucky to be able to zone out while hand sewing, but as soon as he's done, his thoughts start racing again as he tries to practice what he should say, but he’s too nervous. 

He texts Chan that he'll go to Minho’s place immediately after work, because the anxious churning of his stomach won't exactly make him crave dinner any time soon. Chan asks if he should come with him, and however much Jisung wants to crawl into his brother's arms and speak to Minho with the safety of having him by his side, he knows that he should handle this by himself. 

His heart is up in his throat as he stands in front of Minho’s door, and he's a little nauseous from anxiety, but he closes his eyes and focuses on the way his toes feel against his socks, the way the fabric of his trousers feels around his legs, the weight of his jacket on his shoulders, and the warmth in his face, just like he learned to do from Minho during meditation. 

Minho opens the door not long after Jisung rings the bell, and god, since when has Jisung been shaking? 

“Hey, come in,” Minho says, but Jisung stays put for a moment, until he trusts his legs to move again. He stiffly shuffles off his shoes and jacket before following Minho into the living room. He hopes that Minho will help him get started somehow, because his voice isn't really working at the moment. 

Minho looks at him with concern in his eyes, and Jisung notices that his hand twitches, as if he wants to reach out. Instead, Minho clears his throat and asks, “Did you eat anything yet?” 

Promptly, Jisung starts crying. Tears well up in his eyes and he can’t stop himself from letting out an ugly sob—all of the emotions that have been building up over the past few days, maybe even weeks or months, overwhelming him. And now, it all releases, just because Minho showed a little sign of being concerned for him.

Jisung crouches and hides his face in between his knees, his arms wrapped around his legs. He doesn’t want to cry right now, but once the floodgates open, there’s no stopping them for a while. He tries taking deep breaths, but it doesn’t really help.

He feels a set of arms around his shoulders, which slowly guide him up and to the couch. Minho’s hands disappear from his arms once they’re seated, much to Jisung’s dismay, but he is a little calmer now. 

“I… I’m sorry, hyung. I—I don’t know why I’m—why I’m crying,” he apologizes, wiping at his cheeks to get rid of the tears, but he’s still sobbing. Minho looks at him with a troubled expression from where he’s next to him on the couch. “I…I want to explain, but—I just need a second.”

“Is it okay if I tell you something, first, then?” Minho softly asks. Jisung nods as he sniffles, hugging his knees to his chest. Minho sighs and presses his lips together. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, because I’m sure you have a good reason for reacting the way you did, but… I just—I felt like a fucking asshole, Jisung-ah. You made me feel like a jerk.”

The words stab Jisung in the heart, and he bites his lip to muffle a whimper, but he knows Minho is right. Minho’s lips twitch down into a grimace, and his eyes flick down at his hands before meeting Jisung’s watery ones.
“I don’t know what I did, though. I-I thought you—You were looking at my thighs the whole class, and you’ve been making these comments about them, I thought you wanted me. Did I read it wrong? Did I do something that made you uncomfortable? Did you change your mind about me?” Minho continues, his voice shaking. He sounds more hurt than he’s blaming Jisung, but he hopes that explaining himself will make it better rather than worse.

“You just left without saying anything, and I… I have no idea what happened that made you get upset like that. I was so scared I fucked up. Will you explain it to me? I just want to know what I can do to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” he adds with a deep sigh. Jisung blinks, trying to get the tears to finally dry, but Minho’s words squeeze his heart painfully. 

“I will. I want you to know, but it's… personal,” Jisung begins, sniffling and wiping what are hopefully the last of his tears. Minho hums softly, and shuffles a bit closer to him on the couch, perhaps to show him some silent support. Jisung takes a deep breath, here goes everything. 

“So, I'm asexual. I don't know if you… if you've heard of it before, but…” Jisung trails off and inspects Minho’s expression for a moment. 

“I have,” Minho says, lifting a part of the weight off Jisung’s shoulders. 

“I… I didn't… I wasn't trying to send you signals by looking at your thighs, I'm sorry. I just—I like looking at them, but not in a sexual way, if that makes sense? Every ace person is different, some want sex, some are okay with it, some not. I'm part of the last group—I'm… I'm sex repulsed,” Jisung explains, his heart hammering in his chest. He braces himself for a bad reaction, but Minho stays silent, a slight frown on his face. “I'm sorry. I really do like you a lot, hyung, just not in a sexual way, because, well, I can't.”

“No, don't be sorry—Why didn't you tell me?” Minho asks with a shake of his head, and Jisung opens his mouth to speak, but Minho beats him to it. “I mean—I understand that it's personal. I just… I would have stopped, you know? I would have done better.” 

“No, hyung-ah, it's okay. You didn't cross any boundaries. I'm okay with making out, and I like kissing normally, but the idea of going further… I don't like it,” he says, reaching out to loosely hold Minho’s hand. “I just want to know if you're okay with this, too.”

Minho pauses as he intertwines their fingers and gives Jisung a genuinely confused look. “What? Am I okay with your sexuality and boundaries? Of course I am, 'Sung-ah. Those are part of you,” he replies with a squeeze of their hands. 

Jisung gasps softly and swallows away the growing lump in his throat. He doesn’t need to cry again, not even if it's because he's touched. “I—I mean, it's okay if you want sex in a relationship, I just can't give you that. Like, I don't want sex.”

“Oh.” Minho’s mouth forms an 'o', and he thinks about that for a moment. Jisung’s stomach flips in anticipation, and Minho shakes his head. “Yeah, no, I'm definitely okay with that. I think I like you a little too much to let you go.” 

“Hyung…” Jisung blushes and scratches his neck abashedly. Minho snickers and rubs his thumb along the back of Jisung’s hand. “I feel the same way, that's why I was hesitant to tell you. I was afraid that you wouldn't understand or that you would, uhm… I don't know, not like it.” 

“Why would I? I mean, I don't know a lot about asexuality, but, everyone is different, right? It's not like I don't have boundaries either. I can't read your mind all the time, but that's why I want you to tell me when you don't want me to do something. I'll be a little more careful assuming whether you want something or not, but I'd rather not assume anything at all,” Minho responds before giving Jisung a lopsided grin. “I'd like it if you didn't assume anything about me, either.”

Jisung sighs deeply. “I know, I'm sorry. It's just that… You know how I said that I didn't have any funny relationship stories? My previous boyfriends, uhm… The reason none of my relationships have worked so far is because I'm sex repulsed,” he admits, his lips twitching down into a scowl. 

Minho’s eyes widen in surprise, and Jisung gives him a sheepish look. He doesn’t really want to talk about this, but he might as well get it over with, get everything out now that he started. 

“Oh. Oh, fuck. I didn't realize,” Minho says as he swallows. He pauses and scowls. “And you're sure that I didn't make you uncomfortable?” 

“I'm sure, hyung. I was just afraid that you would do so because I was thinking about my ex, and how he was trying to find ways to push my boundaries all the time. Story of my life,” Jisung answers with a bitter chuckle. Minho sighs and lets go of Jisung’s hand to invite him into his arms. Jisung dives into them and hugs Minho tight. 

“I’m sorry, ‘Sung-ah. I didn’t know. Do… Do you want to tell me about it or not? Maybe I can, like, learn from it or something, or you can just vent or something. I’m not the best listener in the world, but I sure as heck can tell you that I want to punch and castrate some people,” Minho tells him as he pats his arm. Jisung laughs and leans his head against Minho’s shoulder before he nods.

“Gosh, you’re just like Channie hyung. Just a little more violent than he is,” he replies with a giggle. Minho giggles as well and he shrugs.

“Well, Channie hyung has always been the weaker of us two,” he responds with a sudden serious look. Jisung cackles and kicks his legs before squeezing Minho. 

“Stop, hyung, don't make me laugh. I won't be able to tell you about my depressing love life anymore,” he complains with a huff, the anxiety fading a little from his chest. He's grateful that Minho joined him in lightening the mood a little, but he'd hate to bring it down again. 

“Sorry, the floor is yours now.” Minho pats his head before wrapping his arm around his shoulder. “Tell me how I shouldn't treat you.” 

“Okay, do you want to hear the whole story? Like, from the beginning?” Jisung asks and Minho hums. 

“Yeah, let's start with Jisoo,” he replies and Jisung scoffs, but his lips twitch up into a smile. He wants to start telling Minho everything, but his stomach suddenly growls. He pauses and blushes in embarrassment, and Minho snickers. “Okay, let's go to the kitchen, I have some soup and rice to heat up, so you can tell me everything while we wait and eat, yeah?” 

Jisung softens and smiles. “Yeah, that would be nice, thanks, hyung.” 

“So, since you wanted to hear about Jisoo so badly, I will tell you everything, so don't go complaining that I'm oversharing or whatever, hyung, you asked for this,” Jisung begins as he leans against the kitchen counter and watches Minho grab the food from the fridge. 

“Ha!” Minho laughs. “I know what I asked for. I want to hear about you, okay? Now stop stalling.” 

Jisung huffs, a blush dusting his cheeks, and Minho lets out a sigh. “I don't mean that, you can take your time, but you won't be oversharing,” he clarifies softly, with a fleeting touch to Jisung’s shoulder. 

“I know, hyung. Thank you, though.” Jisung offers Minho a tiny little smile, and Minho softens before he continues to heat up the food. 

“Jisoo asked me out when we were both fourteen or something, and she was my first girlfriend. I didn't necessarily have a crush on her, but what was I supposed to do? Say no?” he begins with a chuckle. Minho gives him an incredulous look, but Jisung shrugs. “I was awkward okay, I hate saying no. Anyway—We dated for a while and she was cute, but my friends kept asking me if we made out or if I touched her chest yet and that shit made me shiver. I never understood it, and when they asked me if I found her sexy and said no, they looked at me like I was crazy. I thought, maybe I'm just a late bloomer, but I was honestly relieved when we broke up, because we didn't even really do anything anyway. She was my first kiss, but it was barely a peck.”

“If it makes you feel better, I didn't have my first kiss until I was almost twenty,” Minho says as he's stirring the soup. Jisung pauses and his eyes widen. 

“What? But you're so… you ,” he retorts and Minho lets out a cackle. 

“Jisung-ah, you remember what I looked like when I graduated high school, right? I was the odd guy in class, and I also had a crush on my seatmate, but I didn't even know it was a crush back then. I wasn't exactly wanted or wanting, if you get me.” Minho raises his eyebrows at him and Jisung presses his lips together as he thinks about it. Minho was a little bit of a nerd, just like Jisung, but Jisung was too busy figuring out himself to pay much more attention. 

“Okay, I guess you’re right, but I didn’t have a real first kiss until I was twenty either,” he replies. Minho shrugs. 

“We can't all be like Chan hyung, can we?” he points out, and Jisung snickers with a nod. 

“I spent the rest of my teen years figuring out myself, basically, I thought that maybe I was gay, but I didn’t necessarily find guys hot either, although I do like looking at them. I did those stupid 'am I gay?' tests, but I kept getting results I wasn't happy with, until I stumbled upon one that included asexual, and my eyes were opened,” Jisung continues with a chuckle. “I looked up all kinds of things about asexuality and over the years I found out more about myself.”

Minho hums from where he’s preparing the food, already plating everything. Jisung’s stomach growls again. “Okay, I heard you, Jisung’s stomach. Let’s sit and eat and you can continue.” 

Jisung snickers and punches Minho’s shoulder before grabbing a plate and a bowl for himself and sitting down with Minho at the dinner table. “First, thank you for the food, hyung-ah. I didn’t realize how hungry I was.” 

“Don’t mention it. I had it in the fridge, it’s nothing.” Minho waves him off and Jisung smiles as he takes his time to dig in and still his hunger before he continues his story.

“Okay, so, uhm, I had some crushes in college and well, I was still an awkward eighteen year old, and I told some of my crushes I was asexual, which they didn’t exactly take well,” Jisung tells Minho, and he keeps his eyes down at his food. He doesn’t like recalling this stuff, but he has long gotten over it. “I… Uhm, let’s say I’ve gotten rejected because of it multiple times. They didn’t believe me, or thought I was, uhm, ‘too cute’ to be ace.”

“Oh my god,” Minho groans and rolls his eyes. “I’m getting aggressive, and not because you’re cute, this time.”

Jisung lets out a startled laugh. “I mean, it’s a little insensitive, but yeah. I’ve gotten used to tuning it out by now. I decided to not tell everyone I wanted to date that I was ace immediately, but once I got a boyfriend in my second year, just about the same thing happened as what happened between us, but then I didn’t panic and I told him that I was ace right after he grabbed my butt while kissing and—” He cuts himself off, taking a breather because his heart is starting to make a fuss again. Minho is looking at him with a slight scowl, and Jisung is suddenly starting to feel embarrassed—he doesn’t know if he can continue. “Uhm, maybe it’s too weird if I keep talking.”

“Huh? No, don’t worry. If you wanna stop, you can stop, but you don’t have to hold back for me,” Minho assures him gently. Jisung lets out a sigh, and nods. 

“It’s kind of embarrassing, but he, uhm… He said I was overreacting and that I should help him out. He wanted to keep going and just completely ignored what I said. Needless to say, I immediately broke up with him,” he continues. Minho’s frown deepens, but Jisung can’t look him in the eyes when he’s about to talk about Jonghwan. “In my last year, I got another boyfriend, and I told him about being ace a couple of weeks after we got official, and I finally thought I found someone who’d understand me. He told me he knew someone else who was ace and he didn’t try anything the first few months we were together.”

“Oh god. Only the first few months?” Minho sighs as Jisung nods with a reluctant expression. He swallows and chuckles bitterly. 

“I really liked him, but after those first few months, he started to, uhm, like, push my boundaries? Like, he’d start ‘suggesting’ that we could go a little further than last time, and when I’d say no, he’d tell me ‘oh, don’t worry, we’ll take it slow’ or 'we'll do it together, I'll help you out in return'. I wouldn’t budge at first, but he’d say ‘just try, you won’t know if you like it if you don’t try’, and eventually, I would try some things, and I’d cut it short and feel fucking awful afterwards. Sometimes he even cut it short because he was getting bored,” he rants. His whole face is hot and his eyes sting—he really thought he was over this already, but his heart still clenches at the memories. 

Minho reaches across the table and grabs Jisung’s hand in a show of support. Jisung squeezes it and exhales shakily. “The worst thing was that I wasn’t even the one to end things between us, can you believe that? I… I thought things would get better, but he was the one who got fed up with me first. He said that he thought I was ace, not a prude, that his ace friend would do things I didn’t want to do. I—I swore to never date again after things ended with him.”

Minho stays quiet and caresses Jisung’s hand with his thumb. “Fuck. I’m trying real hard not to get angry right now,” he says, gritting his teeth. Jisung snorts and shakes his head. 

“He’s not worth it, hyung,” he replies. “Me and Channie hyung have gotten angry at him enough for the both of us.”

“Still, that’s so… Ugh,” Minho eloquently comments. It’s okay, Minho is showing his support in the way he listens and holds Jisung’s hand. If he needed to hear comforting words, he’d go to Chan, and if he really needed someone to relate to him, then he’d go to Hyunjin, but now he has Minho for comfort, too. 

“Thank you for listening to me, hyung,” Jisung says when he’s washing dishes together with Minho—he’s doing the washing while Minho dries and puts the plates back. “Thank you for hearing me out and being patient with me. I really appreciate it—appreciate you.”

“Anytime, really,” Minho says, with a shrug that Jisung knows is him trying to be casual, but he can tell that that’s not all there is to his emotions. “And, well, I think you’re pretty cool for opening up like that. Thank you for helping me understand.”

Those words make Jisung’s heart do a flip in excitement, and as soon as he’s done washing the dishes, he dries his hands and jumps into Minho’s arms to hug him tight. Minho gasps, but he catches him with a laugh, rubbing his hand along Jisung's back. 

Jisung then raises his head and presses a kiss onto Minho’s cheek. Minho inhales and his eyes widen. 

“Is that okay?” Jisung asks softly, his breath ghosting Minho’s jaw. Minho slowly turns his head to face him, his nose brushing Jisung’s cheek—on purpose?—as he nods. 

Jisung leans forward to capture Minho’s lips in a soft kiss as his eyelids flutter close. Minho’s exhales through his nose as he leans into the touch, softly dragging his upper lip across Jisung’s plump lower one before they part. 

Jisung’s cheeks are warm, and when he looks up into Minho’s slightly lidded eyes, he realizes that Minho might really understand him, that he might really care about him. 

And Jisung also realizes that he wants to give Minho the world. He wants to make him happy the same way Minho makes him feel worth something. 

“Hyung…” Jisung whispers, and Minho hums in question as he cups Jisung’s face with a gentle hand. Jisung sighs and leans into the touch. “I want to do something for you, too. Is there anything I can make you happy with?” 

“You already do things for me, 'Sung-ah,” Minho answers softly, but his eyes are sincere. “You eat my food, you come to my yoga classes, you visit me at work, you always laugh at my jokes even when you are admittedly a way better comedian, and you always show me affection, whether it's physically or with your adorable open book face.”

Jisung doesn’t know if he wants to laugh or cry at Minho’s sweet words, so he simply hides his warm face in Minho’s hand that is still on his jaw. Minho softly snickers and pecks the swell of his cheek.

“Also, there’s something else I got from you that made me happy,” he says, before unfortunately letting go of Jisung. Jisung almost reaches out and stops him from leaving the room, but he holds back. 

After only a moment, Minho returns with a wide grin, and Jisung tilts his head at him in curiosity. Minho’s ears are a little red, and his eyes are crinkled up in mischief. He then reveals the patchwork handkerchief Jisung made for him. 

“I washed it after yoga class—handwash, because I was scared to crinkle or damage it—but I haven’t worn it yet. Do you want to… uhm, tie it around my wrist?” Minho requests with a soft chuckle, and Jisung eagerly nods. He carefully ties the fabric around Minho’s wrist while his heart is hammering in his chest. He kind of forgot about the handkerchief, but he’s happy that Minho still treasures it.

“You’re going to make me cry, hyung,” Jisung says with a sigh. Minho laughs and pats Jisung’s head.

“Please don’t. I’m trying to do the opposite, you know? I'm trying to make you smile,” he replies. Jisung shakes his head.

“I know! I mean tears of joy, of course,” he retorts with a huff. Minho snickers and wraps Jisung into another hug, pulling him flush against his chest. 

They stay like that for a while, simply breathing in each other’s scents until Jisung decides to go home before Chan starts spamming his messages. He feels infinitely better, even compared to before last yoga class, now that he has aired out his heart to Minho. He feels more confident, ready to take on the world with Minho by his side.

⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⁀➷｡˚⸙͎۪۫⋆ ༄ 

Things start looking up again, and the constant subconscious anxiety of not having told Minho about a crucial part of him is gone now. He gathers the courage to ask Minho to be his boyfriend, but—and he should have been expecting this, because he’s dating Minho of all people—Minho’s reaction is not quite what he expected.

“You can certainly be my boyfriend, ‘Sungie, but first I need to know something,” Minho says as he serves Jisung a piece of chocolate cake. He didn’t order chocolate cake, but apparently Minho wants to treat him today—perhaps as a reward for asking them to be official.

“What is it…?” Jisung chews on his lower lip and he wills the nervous feeling in his fingertips to leave, because surely Minho isn’t going to say something too bad, right? Minho tightens his apron and sits down at the table next to Jisung before leaning his head on his hands.

“I just want to know if you’re okay with me asking you questions related to, uhm, sex?” he asks. Jisung’s eyes widen and he knits his brows together, not entirely sure what Minho means. “Just because I’m curious, but also I want to know what you’re okay with and stuff. That is, if you’re okay discussing that with me.”

“Oh,” Jisung dumbly replies, and he blushes again as he looks down at his chocolate cake. His previously present hunger is erased by butterflies emerging in his stomach. “Y-Yeah, I’m okay with discussing that. I—I might be a little bit, uhm, awkward about it, though, but I hope you’re used to it from talking to Channie hyung.”

Minho cackles and nods. “Channie hyung keeps coming up in our conversations, doesn’t he? But yeah, I’m certainly used to a good chunk of awkwardness from that man. Remember, I saw him pine for Changbinnie up close. God—I’m getting shivers just thinking about it. I’m sure you’re not that bad.”

“Is that a challenge…?” Jisung hesitantly raises his eyebrows and Minho slaps his shoulder. He laughs and apologizes before picking up his fork and stabbing at his piece of chocolate cake. “Okay, I won’t try to outdo him, don’t worry.”

“Good, now eat up, I’ll bother you with questions when we’re not both technically working.” Minho gestures at the little plate in front of him, and Jisung rolls his eyes with a fond smile before he starts eating, a sweet feeling filling his stomach, and not just because of the chocolate. 

And Minho is really nice about the questions—genuinely curious when he asks Jisung about some quite personal stuff. Jisung’s cheeks are permanently warm, but so are Minho’s ears, and it feels intimate to talk to each other like this.

“So, what about, like, masturbating? What are your thoughts on that?” Minho asks him on a free night after a date, when they’re cuddled up on the couch in Minho’s apartment together.  

“Nope. Never done it,” he says with a shrug, his blush spreading to his neck and he tucks himself a little bit more under Minho’s arm. Minho softly gasps. 

“Really? I mean, I don't really do it often either, but, it's nice every once in a while. To me. Like, I do it because I like the feeling and it can relieve stress. I guess everyone is different,” he responds and Jisung shrugs again, but he appreciates Minho trying to relate. “What about getting horny?” 

“Uhm, I guess that happens? I just don't want to do anything with it, if that makes sense? I don't mind the idea, but once it gets too real or too personal, I get uncomfortable,” he explains, and Minho nods to show that he's listening. “It's like… It’s like I'm okay with seeing, like, guns on TV or something, but once I'd be face to face with one in real life I'd be cowering under a table within seconds.” 

“Oh. Oh, I get that,” Minho says with a hum. Jisung perks up and looks up at Minho from under his arm. Minho raises his eyebrows. “What? I think that's a good way of thinking about it. I have one more question, though.”

“Fire away, hyung,” Jisung says, a shy but satisfied smile growing on his face as he rests his chin on Minho’s shoulder. Minho presses his lips into a sheepish smile and looks up at the ceiling, avoiding Jisung’s eyes. 

A brief silence blankets the room, and Jisung’s smile grows fonder. Minho is embarrassed, and Jisung can't help but be endeared, even though he knows that he'll probably disappoint him with his answer if it's a question he gets shy about. 

“Uhm… I just have to ask, just to be sure, you know? Would you ever consider doing something with me? Even if it's just watching or talking to me?” Minho asks softly, touching his lips with his fingers. Jisung’s stomach churns, and he feels bad, but however much he wants to lie, he knows Minho will want to hear the truth. 

“I… Probably not. I'm sorry, hyung-ah. Maybe I will try it after a while, but—” Jisung begins, giving Minho an apologetic look, but the latter cuts him off with a noise of protest. 

“Okay, let's not get ahead of ourselves. I just asked because, well, I'm attracted to you, but I don’t want to do anything you're not comfortable with. If you want to do it for me one day, I will gladly accept, but it's not important to me that we do something like that. Ever,” Minho says with a serious expression. Jisung meets his eyes and bites the inside of his cheek in an attempt to keep calm. “I mean that.”

“I—” I love you, the words are on the tip of Jisung’s tongue, but he swallows them away and instead surges forward to kiss Minho, the fluttering of his stomach and warmth in his chest too overwhelming to contain.

Minho gasps, but he cups Jisung’s cheeks and kisses him back, tilting his face and pressing closer. Jisung takes his time to appreciate Minho and hopefully convey his love through this kiss, hugging him close. He runs his hands up and down along Minho’s arms, running his thumbs along his shoulders as he presses kiss after kiss onto Minho’s lips. 

And once they have to part for breath, Jisung softly places kisses across Minho’s face, his nose, his eyelids, his cheekbones, and his forehead, making Minho sigh in content and making them both giggle. 

“Okay, 'Sung-ah, actually—” Minho giggles and grabs Jisung’s face, keeping him in place and squishing his cheeks. Jisung pouts and purses his lips in an attempt to kiss Minho more, but Minho doesn't let him, he just keeps laughing. “One… One more question, okay?” 

“Mmmfmm. Fine,” Jisung speaks with muffled words, his cheeks growing warm between Minho’s hands as he watches Minho’s delighted expression. 

“Can I please touch your butt?” Minho then blurts out, and Jisung backs off with wide eyes. He searches Minho’s face for any sign that he’s kidding, but he actually seems serious.

“Hyung?! Are you joking?” Jisung pushes Minho’s hands away with a laugh. Minho snickers and scratches his neck, but he doesn’t admit that he wasn’t serious. “...Why?”

“I don’t mean this in a sexual way! I just—I slap Chan hyung’s butt all the time too, and Changbin’s butt, too, but they haven’t exactly been letting me do that much anymore. Your butt is so… tempting to slap. So—” Minho rambles and suddenly snaps his mouth shut when he meets Jisung’s bewildered eyes. “I should probably stop talking. Sorry.”

“No— I’m just surprised. Uhm… You can slap my butt, hyung,” Jisung assures him with a laugh. “Just, uhm, not when we’re kissing, maybe?”

“No, yeah, I got that,” Minho answers with a snicker. “I just had to ask, you know? But I want to make it clear that you can and should say no if I go too far, no matter how much I whine.” 

Jisung laughs and nods with a hum, a fond smile growing on his face. “Okay, I’ll keep that in mind.” 

⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⁀➷｡˚⸙͎۪۫⋆ ༄ 

“So, when will you two go on a double date with us?” Changbin slaps the table and points a stern finger at Minho and Jisung. Chan wraps an arm around Changbin and nods.

“Yeah, we should totally do that,” he agrees with a hum, nosing at Changbin’s cheek and making some kind of weird noise afterwards. Jisung snickers while Minho simply gives them a sheepish look.

“Yeah, uhh, not if you’re going to be like that,” Minho complains with a sigh. Jisung takes his hand and shrugs.

“Unless you guys want it to turn into a battle of being insufferable,” he adds, and Minho turns to him with raised eyebrows, a mischievous grin growing on his face. They come closer and press their noses together and Jisung starts making weird noises. Changbin sighs.

“Please, no, nevermind. Let’s just both be… normal?” he says as he vaguely gestures around.

“Sorry, I don’t think we can do that,” Jisung says with an exaggerated sigh. Minho pouts and nods as well. Chan laughs at them and fondly alternates his gaze between the two. 

Never did Jisung think that his brother’s best friend would become such an important part of his life, nor did he think that he would find love so soon after swearing to give up. Minho came back into his life and broke down the door, first distracting him from the heartbreak he felt about Jonghwan—whose presence now feels so distant—and then stealing his heart without Jisung having a say in any of it.

He’s the first person who has been supportive of Jisung and has respected his boundaries while also wanting to date him. Minho always listens to him, checks up on him, and never protests or complains when Jisung tells him no, slow down, not right now, and he never expects more when Jisung rarely does feel like making out. 

His playful buttslaps stay playful and innocent, even when he sneaks in a little squeeze here and there. And Jisung feels like Minho is getting more open towards other types of intimacy, taking a bath together, doing little fashion shows with Jisung’s self-made clothing or Minho letting Jisung measure his body so that he can make something for him, Jisung trying to help Minho in the kitchen or taste-testing his creations, you name it.

They work together well, and Jisung certainly wants to introduce him to Hyunjin one day, when the latter has more time. At least he doesn’t have to struggle with getting Chan to like one of his crushes slash boyfriend this time.

He loves Minho, he knows that for sure, and he is one hundred percent confident that he will be just as caring as he has been so far, because he knows Minho, and he knows that he’s a good guy. A great guy, even. (The best guy, perhaps.)

And this time, he knows that Minho loves him too. All of him.