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Minho grew up in a family that had a huge love for jazz.
As a result of that, jazz had always been his favorite music genre, the type of music that he could enjoy in any mood — sad, happy, melancholic, heartbroken, joyful, excited, you name it, he had a song for it all. It’s not that he didn’t enjoy other genres, but nothing ever sparked his heart the same way that jazz did, and no place ever felt as welcoming and lovely as jazz concerts did.
Well… At least, that’s how things were until Minho got into university and met Chan, who quickly became his close friend and happened to lead a talented music band that played something Chan called “silly punk-rock”. It was, indeed, silly at that time, especially with the way they all dressed like they did entirely different genres, but Minho was surprised when he realized just how much he actually loved their music and shows.
It was nothing like what he was used to, and instead of the nice warmth that his soul was always enveloped in when he listened to jazz, their songs introduced him to the freedom that his soul could also feel. He became a fan without even realizing that, and since he was pretty popular at university for his dancing skills and performances that he occasionally did outside, their fanbase started growing a lot faster as well.
At first, Minho was just advertising their small shows on his social media accounts and hanging out with Chan, always a bit too shy to close the distance between himself and the other band members. Then, he finally met them personally and started attending their afterparty events, mostly held in Changbin’s fancy garage until they earned enough money to rent private rooms in tiny clubs.
In a way, it felt like they were growing together — the band was getting more popular among the locals and not just their university students, Minho became a lot more open-minded and carefree, and their friendship grew stronger with each new day as well. They would listen to all the jazz classics together in the house that Chan, Changbin, Hyunjin and Jisung rented together, and then Minho would cheer for them as they rocked the stage at night, and it was truly a perfect experience.
And then Minho started noticing that he was anticipating Jisung’s guitar parts more than anything in their songs, caught himself staring at the guy a lot longer than it was appropriate, even let Jisung linger in his personal space when others were barely allowed to touch him for more than a brief hug.
He let Jisung rest on his lap after the shows, all sweaty and with his long blue hair wet, he always got Jisung’s favorite drinks, ignoring the way Hyunjin raised his eyebrows at that, and at some point he realized that actually he wanted more.
That wasn’t his proudest moment, but Jisung kept being oblivious to his flirting (or maybe Minho was simply terrible at flirting) and one night, when Jisung once again just laughed at Minho’s attempt to flirt with the skater boy reference, he ended up kissing Jisung. He ran away after that, feeling utterly embarrassed, and left all Jisung’s calls missed that night, but lucky for him, Minho didn’t get to beat himself up over this huge mistake for too long.
Jisung showed up at his door the very next morning, and he had such determination written on his face that Minho could only yelp in surprise when he was pinned against the door, wrists held tight above his head as Jisung kissed him. That kiss was full of despair and love at the same time, it was gentle but still very hungry, and when Jisung said that he wrote at least ten unreleased songs about the seemingly unrequited crush he had on Minho, he knew that they were both very dumb.
“You were always just about the coolest guy at university, everyone wanted to be with you, and me, well—” Jisung tried to explain, but Minho chose to shut him up with another kiss, and ever since then, Jisung’s confidence about this finally went up.
Now, fast forward three years, not many things have changed, except that they all graduated from university and moved to a bigger city, and, well, that they don’t live together anymore. That was the plan at first, to rent another house big enough to fit all five of them so that they could still do all the band-related things even at home and Minho would get to see his boyfriend more often than just at their shows, but it was actually Jisung who said that it wasn’t a good idea anymore.
That was apparently a secret at that time, but Hyunjin was going to move in with his boyfriend, which meant that the band would have to find someplace else for rehearsals and whatnot anyway. Chan decided to help his cousin who just came to their country for his master’s degree, saying that Changbin would stay with them as well, and so Jisung shyly asked whether Minho wanted to share an apartment with him — which he most certainly did and hasn’t regretted a day ever since.
The band is booked and busy, now playing shows in the towns and cities nearby as well, with new concerts every other day, which means that these days Minho barely sees Jisung in person, mostly on video calls when he isn’t working and his boyfriend isn’t rocking the stage.
It’s a lot easier between the concerts, because yes, Jisung will stay in the studio till the morning on some days, but for the most part he still comes home — unlike this period of time, when they’re doing concerts in other places.
Tonight they’re finally playing here again, which means that Minho gets to attend the show and keep Jisung company at the afterparty later, celebrating the successful end of their little tour that lasted several weeks. It’s been a tiring time for the band and especially Jisung who somehow managed to get food poisoning at one of their stops, so, as excited as Minho is for the concert, he’s a lot more excited for his friends and boyfriend to get their much-deserved rest.
Everyone already knows him here at the venue with how many times he had a VIP ticket with full access, but it still feels a little bit awkward to ask one of the security guards to get him the backstage entry. Minho came here a bit late on purpose: he waited until the last twenty minutes before the show as it’s supposed to be a surprise, since the band members must already be preparing to head to the stage and won’t see him in their changing room.
It’s nothing big, just a nice bouquet of roses that he got for Jisung as a gift for all the hard work he put in every show they played, and yet Minho still prefers to hide it in the room now for Jisung to find later rather than give it to him personally before the concert starts.
Jisung might look like the most confident and the hottest guitarist out there when he’s on stage (the last part might also be a little biased on Minho’s end), but they all know how emotional he gets when he’s tired, and oh is he exhausted these days.
Finding out that he isn’t the only one who had this thought isn’t unusual for Minho: if anything, when he sees Hyunjin’s boyfriend setting up various snacks and drinks, it makes him smile. They’re not really close friends, but Minho likes him, and he’s happy that the band’s most romantic member who wrote countless love songs (more than half of which were never released because of that) has someone like this in his life, someone to wait and support him after every concert.
“Hyunjin said that they’re going to play for two hours tonight,” Seungmin shares after waving at him with a smile. “That’s their longest set so far, so I thought I’d get them some snacks that they can have before the afterparty.”
“Yeah, Jisung mentioned that they decided to play some of the unreleased songs to wrap up this little tour, even said that some of those would be new for me,” Minho chuckles and places the bouquet with a cute pink post-it on the table. “You were with them for most of the shows, right?”
Minho couldn’t go because of his job that demanded his full attention during those weeks, which made him a little sad at first, though he quickly realized that this way the final show would be a lot more special for him.
Seungmin, on the other hand, managed to attend almost every concert, always standing in the front row and being the main reason for Hyunjin’s happy smile — they sure love their fans, but for Hyunjin, nothing comes close to the love that he feels towards this guy.
Sometimes, looking at them being so disgustingly in love with each other makes Minho wonder how they’re not married yet.
“I’m glad you made it today too, though,” Seungmin says and then smiles at the sight of flowers. “Jisung is going to love it.”
“I hope it’ll cheer him up somehow,” Minho nods, thoughts suddenly drifting far from this concert hall, back to all the days when Jisung gave flowers to him.
It’s just a way to show that they care about each other, both during happy and tiring days (and concerts can be both at the same time), but Minho never plans to get used to this. Such moments leave beautiful traces in his memory, and he doesn’t want to take that for granted, ever, so he usually presses one or two flowers from the bouquets that Jisung gives him — which is a magical, colorful collection of flower stories now.
The concert is about to start in less than five minutes, though, so Minho can’t stay here and reminisce for too long, especially not when Seungmin looks at him with a patient smile and asks whether he wants to sit at the table with some drinks or watch the concert from the side of the stage.
It’s not an easy choice, because sitting down at a rock concert feels like the most boring thing for Minho yet the side of the stage is awfully dark, dirty and cluttered, but since they’re now late for their usual front row…
“Stage?” he still barely even hesitates, happy that Seungmin prefers it too.
They don’t get to talk to anyone except the crew members that are pretty much used to seeing them in this concert hall at this point, but the way Jisung’s face lights up when he sees Minho is one truly unforgettable memory.
Back in the day, when he just got into university, Minho would never think that a few years later he’d be dating a rockstar, even if they still have a long path ahead as a band, and being here, backstage as a VIP guest, reminds him once again just how unpredictable life is.
Jisung loves saying that unpredictability is the only predictable thing in this world, he even wrote a solo song with that phrase, and that’s also how tonight’s concert goes.
They had a short call earlier, unable to meet personally due to the band’s tight schedule that didn’t even allow them to go home until after this last concert, and Jisung mentioned that the set would be a surprise for everyone, but that’s just one way to put it.
With how many concerts Minho already attended and how many evenings he spent by Jisung’s side as his boyfriend was looking through their lyrics, he believed that he had most of the setlist memorized by now.
However, and the crowd goes absolutely wild at that, they decided to make this show special and added several new songs, some yet to be released later and some that will never be out in the world — what really surprises Minho, though, is that he actually doesn’t know some of those.
One of the songs, and Jisung sings it like he truly means it, is about missing someone at home. The melody is upbeat and fun, just like all their songs are, but the more Minho listens to the lyrics, the more he realizes that Jisung poured all his longing and love into this song, that Jisung is the person behind the lyrics and that it’s about him, Minho.
This isn’t the first song that Jisung wrote about him, and not even the twentieth at this point, but every time Minho hears about it, something unexplainable, a warm feeling that he can’t name fills him to the brim, leaving no space for doubting himself or his worth at that moment.
Before he met Jisung, he knew all about feeling inspired by other people, had some dances created after seeing his favorite jazz artists live, but he had no idea what it felt like to be someone’s muse, and it never stops fascinating him.
“We are thinking of releasing this one in our next album, how does that sound?” Jisung asks the fans once the song is over and they get a moment to catch their breath and drink some water.
He barely looks at the crowd screaming for this idea, however, instead stealing a glance at Minho, who shows him thumbs up and a quick heart; the way Jisung struggles to keep a straight face makes both him and Seungmin chuckle.
Chan, being their leader, continues to hype the fans up for the next segment of the concert, which is also going to have one new song, and then they get right back into it, not wasting any time on unnecessary talks.
The rest of the concert flies by in a blur, just like it always is with great, memorable shows, and before Minho knows it, it’s already time for the encore, which also means that he’s getting to hug and kiss Jisung soon. He absolutely loves their concerts, loves the music, the atmosphere and knowing that his support can be of a great help for Jisung, but it would be a lie to say that on some nights, like right now, he isn’t waiting for the show to be over.
He certainly wouldn’t mind spending the whole night just listening to his friends play their entire discography, but he also knows how exhausting it is and how much this tour drained them already, so he finds himself really excited when they finish the last song.
Jisung and Hyunjin, both really close with the fans, do their usual thing and come to the front row to take some selfies with the lucky VIP-ticket holders, throwing their guitar picks in the crowd afterwards, and Minho suddenly wishes that he was there too.
But he got Jisung flowers, and he knows that taking post-concert selfies is going to be a moment way more special for the fans than him anyway, so he gives both Chan and Changbin his high-five and waits together with Seungmin. A few minutes later, Jisung and Hyunjin jump back on the stage, waving at the fans and then finally leaving too, with Hyunjin immediately glomping Seungmin in a sweaty hug and Jisung only laughing at Seungmin’s fake disgust.
“You really shouldn’t encourage him to do that,” Jisung snorts, but they both ignore him, too busy with each other.
“Should I?” Minho quirks an eyebrow at him, but he can’t hold back a smile when Jisung all but attacks him with a hug, lifting him up for a moment and even spinning him around. “I’m happy to see you too, Sungie.”
He’s the only person allowed to call Jisung by this adorable name, and you can be sure that he uses that privilege on every given opportunity, always making his boyfriend smile at that so bright that the sun could think he’s trying to rival it.
That’s also something that Jisung’s fans love about him a lot, how goofy and cute he usually gets the second he leaves the stage where he completely forgets about this natural side of his and turns into the hottest and most confident version of himself.
Since Jisung is wearing his favorite platform boots tonight, Minho has to tiptoe in order to leave a little kiss in the corner of his mouth, grinning when Jisung decides that it’s definitely not enough and kisses him again, this time properly on the lips. There is something heart-fluttering about tiptoeing as they kiss, with Jisung’s hands cupping his face, because they’re about the same height when they don’t wear any shoes yet feeling small in Jisung’s embrace never fails to make him melt.
It takes them both some time to notice that something is wrong — some time and one very confused Changbin who points that out when they enter the changing room, while he’s already munching on some chips that Seungmin got for them in that variety of snacks.
“What’s that on your cheek?” Changbin asks, drawing everyone’s attention to him. “Is that blood?”
“Where would that come from—” Jisung starts, but is cut off with his own embarrassed chuckle. “I’m sorry, I think that’s mine. I guess I got too carried away and didn’t even notice how I cut my finger on the string during the last song.”
Before any of them gets to process this, Chan already hands Minho their small first-aid kit, wordlessly telling him to take care of the cut while they all get changed for the afterparty — stage fits may look cool, but they’re not very comfortable, especially not after a two-hour concert. Minho just nods and accepts the kit, tugging Jisung by the wrist and walking to the small couch where Hyunjin is already changing out of his shirt, revealing a new tattoo on his chest.
Minho doesn’t comment on it, knowing that he’s the only one who hasn’t seen it yet, but he thinks that it looks cool — Jisung talks a lot about tattoos as well, but so far it’s only Hyunjin and Changbin that actually had the gut to commit to something like that.
When he and Jisung first started dating, Minho would turn around or close his eyes for these few minutes of everyone changing into their more comfortable clothes, yet now there’s barely any shyness left between them, so he simply focuses on treating Jisung’s small injury.
“You really need to be more careful,” Minho shakes his head, but Jisung only rolls his eyes at this soft nagging.
“Maybe I like it when you kiss my wounds,” he says almost dramatically yet finishes that with a wink that nearly makes Minho blush.
Hyunjin grimaces upon hearing that, pretending that he’s about to throw up, and that is what saves Minho’s face from actually turning bright red.
“Oh Hyunjin, should I tell everyone about that time when you—”
Minho grins when Hyunjin immediately shushes him, suddenly embarrassed while Seungmin looks at them with curiosity. That was a great evening, a few months before Seungmin’s heart finally warmed up enough to let Hyunjin close, and Hyunjin had a few more drinks than usually after the concert, so he ended up texting Minho instead of Jisung — and, well, his texts were full of drunken love confessions that were meant for Seungmin, of course.
Seungmin still doesn’t know about that, and even though Minho found that particular situation cute, he never stopped wondering how Jisung manages to put up with all this Hyunjin’s lovely clinginess. So yes, it’s definitely not his place to pretend that he’s disgusted with comments like this.
However, Jisung’s remark wasn’t really a joke, because he does love it when Minho takes care of his cuts and scratches that he inevitably keeps getting while playing his guitar with perhaps a bit too much energy. Part of this care is kissing each scratch and every cut after putting a band-aid over it if necessary, and just like Jisung doesn’t even notice his new injuries until they start to sting after the show, Minho barely recognizes that he does that too.
“Come on, Hyun, you don’t need to look like you’re about to walk the runway for the afterparty, it’s just us and our friends anyway, and they’ve seen you looking uglier than this,” Changbin snorts, urging Hyunjin to hurry up, to which he snorts too.
“Yeah, that’s exactly the reason you’re using that expensive perfume, sure, because it’s just us and friends.”
They continue to bicker about that as Chan finishes getting changed as well, but Minho barely listens to them, because he notices a shadow of tiredness on Jisung’s face that has nothing to do with his dark makeup or the concert they just played.
It’s a lot bigger than this, yet Jisung is always good at covering it with jokes, brushing it off and pretending that it doesn’t bother him in the slightest, but Minho sees it and genuinely wants to do something that will help ease that weight on his shoulders.
It’s too bad that even several years through their relationship Jisung still struggles with sharing his problems despite working on it continuously, because this means that there are times when Minho knows something is wrong yet all he can do is offer his warmth and hope for the best.
That’s usually enough, but Minho wishes he could do more, wishes he also knew what would make Jisung feel better other than quietly holding him and listening to his tired, slow heartbeat.
“Hey,” he says quietly, still holding Jisung’s hand in his even after putting a band-aid over the cut. “Is everything alright?”
“I don’t… I don’t know,” Jisung sighs, voice just as quiet, clearly hoping that no one will overhear this conversation.
It makes no sense to hope for it in such a tiny room even when half the people in it are busy with their own topic, but lucky for them, only Seungmin notices that — and they know that Seungmin will always have their back, that’s just how he is. He does that now too, squeezing himself between Minho and Hyunjin only to be pulled to sit on Hyunjin’s lap just seconds later, and successfully draws the attention away from them.
“I think I’d prefer to spend the night at home, will that be okay?” Jisung asks, looking away for a moment as he starts chewing on his bottom lip nervously.
“Of course,” Minho gives him a soft smile and squeezes his hand gently. “Should I tell the guys?”
Jisung shakes his head and decides to say it himself, so Minho leaves him to do that and only now remembers that Jisung barely paid any attention to the bouquet that Minho got for him, most likely thinking that it was for Hyunjin. Nobody asks any questions, they just wish Jisung a good night and say that he definitely deserved all the rest that he needs, all aware of how exhaustion leaves him feeling at times.
While Jisung gets his suitcase and says goodbye to their friends, Minho just waves at them, grabs the flowers and calls a taxi, leaving the concert hall first to make sure that there aren’t any fans waiting for the band outside. For the most part, their fans are respectful and understanding, and they know how tough it is for artists to stay energetic and talk to them after shows, but some people are still too immature to understand this, so they stay and keep waiting for hours.
Luck is on their side tonight, however, because there isn’t anyone outside, so when the taxi arrives, Minho helps his boyfriend with the suitcase and then they both take the backseat. It feels a bit awkward to talk about it while their taxi driver can hear everything, even though they’re not really hiding that they are together, and Minho doesn’t know whether Jisung wants to talk at all — he simply places the bouquet on Jisung’s lap, saying with just his smile that it’s for him.
“I didn’t even notice that you got me flowers,” Jisung says once they get out of the car, looking at him with a myriad of stars in his eyes. “Thank you.”
Sometimes Minho thinks about how such simple, tiny things can make someone’s entire day, how much they can actually change, and it always leaves him feeling fascinated. Jisung looks at him as though he hung the stars in the sky and then gave each of those stars its own beautiful name, but all he really did was buying pretty roses.
No one can see them here, and Minho doesn’t care that they are just two minutes away from their apartment: he tiptoes again, since Jisung didn’t get to change his clothes at the concert hall, and first kisses Jisung on the nose, then smiling at his cute reaction and kissing him on the lips. There is something really nice about kissing like that, when Jisung is taller because of his platforms and Minho has to tiptoe, something incredibly touching that he, however, can’t even describe with words.
“Let’s go inside?” Jisung whispers once they pull apart, and Minho nods, taking the suitcase from him and carrying it upstairs.
Home is always welcoming, warm and cozy, just like they both love, a place for them to hide from all the daunting tasks, meetings and thoughts, a place where they can truly feel free and just enjoy each other’s company. It’s quiet and dark, and it’s such a stark contrast to the loud, crowded concert hall that even to Minho it feels a bit weird for a moment, let alone Jisung, who freezes in the doorway until Minho gently touches his shoulder.
They both know that unpacking can wait until tomorrow, even if there are some clothes that were meant to be washed over a week ago, and the suitcase stays by the front door as Minho takes the flowers and asks whether Jisung wants to have some tea before bed. It’s not even a question that they are going to sleep within the next hour, because Minho sees just how washed out he is, how much of a tall this little tour took on him.
People mostly see him as someone with constantly high energy, with bright smiles and fiery, fun riffs, with his voice that never lets him down on stage and those silly but absolutely adorable dance moves. People see Jisung as a happy pill, and that’s who he is, truly, but they don’t realize that you can be happy with what you’re doing and still get burned out, still only be a shadow of your truest self at times.
But Minho knows that, sees deeper than the surface, and he understands that right now he needs to take care of Jisung, be a shoulder to lean on like Jisung is for him whenever he’s losing the firm ground under his feet.
That’s why he takes everything upon himself on this night, only asking simple questions and not expecting to hear much in response — they can talk tomorrow, there will be plenty of time for that.
“You pick the tea, and I’ll go bring everything that we need to take care of your makeup, okay?” Minho says as they wait for the kettle to boil and only leaves the kitchen when he sees Jisung nod to this.
It doesn’t always happen like this, after all, they rarely have so many concerts in a row without any real break, but it is pretty much an established thing between them by now. When Jisung feels like this, it’s Minho who works on removing his makeup that he never fails to put on his face, especially highlighting his beautiful eyes, so he already knows what to do.
Once he’s back in the kitchen, just two minutes later, he smiles at the sight of two steaming mugs on the table — he didn’t ask for tea, but Jisung still made his favorite just so that they can drink it after the shower that they’ll most likely end up taking together as well. It’s very sweet and thoughtful of him, and Minho shows how much he appreciates that by leaving a kiss on his cheek when he sits on Jisung’s lap, facing him to easily take off all the makeup.
“How is your hand?” he asks, smiling again when Jisung places both hands on his waist.
“Still hurts a bit, but that’s what you get for being too passionate on stage,” Jisung lets out a quiet laugh and closes his eyes. “I love when you do that for me. Makes me feel special.”
“You are special to me, silly,” Minho responds with a fond chuckle. “You’ll always be my favorite rockstar.”
It is a very intimate moment, something that Minho can’t imagine himself having with anyone else, because the trust that Jisung has for him, the trust that he has for Jisung is simply unmatched. It took them a long while to get here, but Minho wouldn’t have it any other way now: this carefully crafted bond is very precious to him, too precious to even think about anything in his life going differently.
He always has Jisung, and Jisung always has him, be it rock concerts or jazz evenings, nights like this when Jisung is the vulnerable one or evenings when Minho falls asleep on his shoulder with a cute pout and ends up drooling all over it.
“I wish I could skip shower,” Jisung sighs a few moments later. “I feel like I will fall asleep the second my head touches the pillow.”
“But you’re right,” Minho continues for him with a serious face. “Your head won’t touch the pillow on our bed until you shower. I can go with you if you want, though.”
“Really?” Jisung’s face lights up with excitement that almost feels childish, and that’s cute too. “That’d be great, because I really am afraid of passing out there before I can even wash my hair.”
The truth is, Minho doesn’t like showering together and thinks that it’s dangerous and uncomfortable rather than helpful, which is why Jisung is so surprised to hear that. He doesn’t mind doing that with Jisung, though, just doesn’t share the same enthusiasm that some people feel about this: their bathtub is already small enough and it’s super slippery, not to mention that they enjoy different temperatures and showering time.
“Let’s go then, the sooner we do it, the sooner you can have your tea and get into bed.”
Jisung doesn’t want to let him go that soon, however, kissing him on the lips right when he’s about to stand up and head to their bedroom for some fresh clothes. The kiss tastes a little bit like the makeup remover, which is disgusting but bearable, and a lot like the love and gratitude that Jisung tries to convey through that kiss.
They were both longing to be this close again, have those quiet, uninterrupted moments of pure bliss instead of only getting to talk through video calls, and now that they have it, neither of them wants it to end. Eventually, however, Minho gently pushes him away and holds him in place by putting both hands on Jisung’s shoulders, whispering that they need to shower before the tea goes cold.
Of course it’s not about the tea, but Minho doesn’t want to bring up Jisung’s exhaustion, doesn’t want to talk about it more than they both feel it, and somehow, it works like a miracle. Jisung nods, a bit slow to process his words and yet very obedient.
“Can we kiss more once we get into bed?”
“Sure,” Minho smiles and catches Jisung’s hand, intertwining their fingers for a moment, nodding at the band-aid on the fresh cut. “And I’ll kiss it better too, just the way you like that.”
He doesn’t say that Jisung will actually fall asleep the second his head touches the pillow, but there is no need for it anyway — they both know it, and they know that the kisses will come tomorrow.
No matter what genre of music Minho loves the most, Jisung will always be his favorite melody.