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The sound of rain pitter-patters on the windows as a gloomy night looms outside.
He can hear his footsteps reverberating in the quiet and dark hallway and he feels the need to muffle the sound. It feels foreign in the deafening calm of the apartment.
Minho quietly enters his too-silent bedroom and closes the door behind him, sighing when he props himself against the hardwood.
He’s soaked, but can’t find the strength to care.
He removes his soaked socks and crosses the distance to the ensuite bathroom to dump his clothes in the washer and retrieve his clean pajamas.
Felix isn't home.
It's too quiet, his thoughts too rampant and free.
Minho finds himself glancing over at the calendar hanging on his bare wall. An angry red circle stares right back at him.
He knows he should stop, he knows Jisung won't come back any faster if he keeps stressing over it.
But he's restless, antsy.
It's been months since they last saw each other, during one of Jisung's latest vacation permits. His last, until the day he would actually be discharged. Minho has been on edge ever since, constantly worrying, wondering if Jisung is safe, if he's being treated well, if he's bored or lonely.
He misses his smile and his laughter, the way his face lights up whenever he talks about anything and everything that he’s passionate about, in a way that hasn’t changed throughout all the years they’ve known each other.
He misses his voice, his eyes. He misses the way his scent would linger on Minho's clothes after their cuddles, and he misses the way he would always be so warm against him and wrapped up in his arms.
He misses the way they would kiss until they were dizzy with each other and they had no other choice but to pull apart and smile into their next kiss.
He misses his stupid jokes and he misses the way his cheeks would get all pink when Minho did anything remotely romantic, like complimenting him or tucking stray hair behind his cute ears.
But mostly, he misses the way their bodies would slot perfectly against each other no matter the occasion, as if they were two puzzle pieces made to be together.
The rain still comes down like a torrential waterfall and Minho lazily dries his hair with a towel.
It's getting longer again.
He shivers slightly when the cold air seeping in through the window brushes his exposed skin, the chill reaching his bones.
Minho grunts and throws himself on his bed. He burrows his face in the soft pillows and inhales deeply. In his delusion, the smell of Jisung's shampoo still lingers faintly on it.
He's never felt more alone in his life.
It's been a little over half a year since he and Felix started sharing an apartment, since Felix came to occupy the spare room in their home. He thought living with another person would help him miss Jisung less, would distract him from the pain of loneliness and his own memories of a wretchedly cold winter spent away from his dearest friends and the love of his life.
Help him forget the missing chunk of his heart, torn out from him when three of his favorite people on earth had been taken away from their group - barely one year after Minho and Changbin themselves had finished their duty.
Felix has always been there, ever since he can remember, and he's always been someone Minho can count on.
His presence is comforting, as much as Minho would love to avoid admitting it out loud.
It wasn't perfect at first. They had to get used to sharing their space all over again, after leaving their dormitories and living alone (or in couples, as for Minho and Jisung) for a while, and Minho found he couldn't really hide much from his new roommate. After all, Felix has always been too observant for his own good, a quality Minho absolutely despised in the beginning stages of their friendship.
But now it was almost like a secret weapon Felix could use whenever Minho was feeling particularly down or lonely.
Minho was so used to Jisung, to the way he was like a heater, warm and full of life, that it really wasn't that hard to get used to having his acquired twin around, who never seemed to run out of energy.
Minho likes his presence, he really does, but it's still a constant reminder that Jisung isn't here, that he's not home. Not with him.
The bed feels so empty, so cold, despite the thin duvet covering him and the many blankets he's wrapped himself in.
Minho tries to ignore the sounds of the city outside his window, the cars going by, the people bustling through the streets, and the faint hum of the shops and restaurants that come alive at this time of night.
He burrows deeper into the softness of his pillow, closes his eyes, and tries to drift off.
It takes a while, but Minho finally lets himself go to turbulent sleep, his last thoughts being how desperately he needs the touch of another human being's warm body next to him, the way Jisung's always used to be.
The rain slows mid-night and Minho is roused from sleep by a hand gently shaking him.
"What the fuck- Felix?" He grunts, voice raspy with lethargy.
"Sorry, I was gonna let you sleep but you were... you were shaking, hyung." Felix's voice sounds strangely muffled, almost like he's speaking from underwater.
Minho scrunches his eyebrows together, trying to remember if he put on his earphones before sleep or if the sound of the rain was just that loud and had rendered him deaf.
"Hyung.. Can I stay with you tonight?"
Felix's question resonates in his mind as Minho slowly regains consciousness.
The apartment is silent, except for Felix's mumbles. He can make out a few words.
Lonely...cold...cuddles.
It's only then that Minho notices that Felix is trembling, and he sits up on the mattress, just enough to take a look at the younger.
He lets out an exaggerated sigh, feigning annoyance.
"Get in, loser."
Minho watches as Felix carefully climbs in under the covers, not daring to come closer to Minho than the opposite side of the mattress.
As always, the younger always takes a long time to find an adequate position to sleep in and Minho can hear him shifting and shuffling around restlessly.
"Move closer, Lix" Minho grumbles quietly, almost half-asleep again, and he feels more than hears the soft ' oh ' that Felix utters when he finally moves over towards Minho.
Felix is facing him, the blankets covering him up to his neck, and Minho watches him closely as the other lets out a small sigh of relief at being surrounded by the warm cocoon of the duvet and the closeness of another person.
Minho knows it's a little cold in his and Jisung's apartment and he remembers the first time he noticed that Felix would sleep under several blankets. It had made Minho's heart melt just as much as it was doing now.
Felix's body is trembling slightly with the cold, but as Minho feels him scoot a little closer still, until they are pressed against each other, he seems to calm down. He finally lets out a long sigh, and Minho smiles to himself.
"Hyung?"
"Yeah?"
"Can you hold me? Like we used to?" Felix asks, voice small and hesitant.
Minho really can't say no to him.
He wraps his arms around the younger's frame and pulls him to his chest.
Minho feels Felix's cold feet against his shin and he instantly tangles their limbs, wrapping Felix's legs between his own.
"The others are coming back soon, we just have to wait a little bit longer... " Felix's words become more and more slurred as he carries on, exhaustion evidently catching up to the younger now that someone has provided him with the warmth he so desired.
"You've been so strong, hyung.. so so strong-.."
He doesn't hear the rest of Felix's mumbled words and he watches his face as he drifts off to sleep.
His eyebrows are knitted together and he seems distressed somehow. Minho notices the way his fists are clenched over his own chest, so he does the first thing that comes to mind, the first that usually seems to calm Jisung instantly, and presses his lips against his forehead.
"Yes... It'll be alright, Lix." he mumbles against his skin, almost like a secret.
As he continues holding him, Minho starts feeling his own eyelids closing and he burrows himself further into the pillows and the comfort of Felix before letting the fatigue once again envelope him in its gracious arms.
***
Minho isn't sure if he's awake or asleep, but he does know where he is. He knows he’s in his bed and the sun is shining on his face.
He also knows he’s not alone.
He can feel Felix's weight on his body and he doesn't move.
It's the perfect mix of warm, cozy and relaxing, and Minho can't help the fond smile that creeps up on his face when he notices the peaceful look on the other's face.
Even the single thought of having to disturb such peace almost breaks his heart.
But he’s sure that if he doesn’t ask, the idea plaguing his mind will never leave. It will stir and stir and stir in his overthinking until he will inevitably burst.
"Lix..." he whispers, and the other stirs, mumbling something incoherent through the filter of unconsciousness.
"Yongbokie.. Wake up." Minho insists, starting to poke the other along his back and ribs.
"Hm,.. what?" Is the only thing that Felix manages to get out, burying himself further in his hiding spot - right in the middle of Minho’s chest.
"Do you ever think about what it would be like to have a family?"
Minho feels the other's head lift from his pecks, can feel him staring with confusion at the impromptu, unexpected question even without having to meet his gaze.
"A family? You mean..." Felix trails off, deep voice still heavy with remnants of drowsiness.
Minho hums. "I was thinking about it last night. I was texting Hyunjin and I... I just started wondering."
He feels the weight leave his chest and the bed dip when Felix sits up, leaning against the headboard right next to him.
"Why the sudden thought?" Felix doesn’t sound judgemental, simply curious and so very open.
Minho adores him.
"I don't know. Just a random thought, I guess." The older keeps avoiding Felix’s piercing eye, keeping his own shut until he hears the other sigh.
Felix eventually replies. "I've never really thought about it."
Minho opens his eyes and finally looks over at his younger friend.
"Really?"
"Yeah..." Felix frowns, and Minho can't help but smile a little at how cute he manages to look, even after so many years.
"What about you, hyung?" Felix interrupts his silent wondering, taking him back to his still unresolved dilemma.
He thinks about it for a few seconds, not wanting to offer a half-assed or untrue answer.
"I don't know." At that, he also sits up and joins his housemate, leaning against the wood.
"I've never really thought about it for real… not until now."
Felix stares at him, waiting for him to elaborate.
"Like, I've always had you and the others, so... I didn't really feel the need to think about it. But now, with Jisung gone.." Minho trails off and Felix nods in understanding. Of course he would know, of course they would all understand without him having to spell it all out.
"But now... yeah, I just keep thinking about what it would be like. To have it become official, to have it written on paper. It's stupid, I know... But I can't help it. " Before his ramblings can continue any further, Felix interrupts him with a smile, as Minho stares down at his hands in his lap, playing with his fingers.
"Yeah, I get that." With the corner of his eye, Minho catches Felix hesitantly reaching out, barely a few seconds before his smaller hand envelopes Minho’s fidgeting one.
Only then does he continue. "Do you think Jisung would want to have children when he's back? Do you think he would... he would marry me?"
Felix lets out what Minho can only define as an affronted gasp. He almost laughs out loud at the close-to-cartoonish display. "Hyung... It's Jisung. And it's you we're talking about... are you really having doubts about this? Do you really think he wouldn't want to be with you?"
Minho doesn’t even need to think about his reply, instantly blurting out a strong and resolute, "No, of course not."
"Then what's the problem?" Felix prods, fully aware that getting him to open up in such a way isn’t easy, that taking advantage of his responsiveness now is the only way to get any clear answer out of the older man.
"I don't know.."
"Hyung.."
"I'm scared, Felix."
"Scared of what?" He sounds desperate now and Minho loathes being the cause of his distress.
"That Jisung will be back, and things won't be the same. That maybe, with distance, he'll have changed his mind about all of this, about wanting to risk it all for me, for us... " Minho is aware he's babbling, that his thoughts and worries are going towards a direction that only speaks of trouble and pain.
Thankfully, Felix is there for him, there to hold his hand through it all.
"Don't be stupid, hyung. You two have survived so much and so many years together, why would this be any different? Did anything change when you went to the military?"
Minho shakes his head, no.
"See? You already answered yourself. You two are the same, and nothing will change that or your feelings for each other." Felix sounds much calmer, his tone soft and so reassuring, just like the little pats he’s leaving on Minho’s skin.
Minho smiles softly, looking over at the younger, whose hair is messy and stuck up in all directions, whose cheeks are still a little flushed.
He fights the need to reach for him and pinch his cheeks. Instead, he sends him a delighted grin, tugging him closer for a sideways half-hug.
"You're right. Thanks, Yongbok-ah."
Felix smiles back and eventually lays back down on the mattress.
"What do you want to do today, hyung? I think Bin and Channie hyung are working, so it's only us and Jeongin, if he feels like entertaining us." Felix grins, playful, and Minho scoffs.
"Well, we could go visit him, I've been meaning to check up on that little shit."
No matter how old they got, Jeongin would always retain the same title, to the amusement of the older guys.
"Or.. we could invite him here and finally get to finish our Marvel marathon, with some ice cream and other junk food? It's Friday, we can order takeout and enjoy our break. What do you think?" Felix suggests, eyes sparkling, as if something like that would have been his preferred activity on any normal day.
As if it wasn't, instead, what Minho and Jisung would choose for themselves, if the other man happened to be there with them.
"That sounds lovely, Lix. Let's get fat together and not tell Chan hyung."
They both chuckle and Minho finally stands up.
"Now, let's shower and change. We all know how grumpy Innie gets when he thinks we're dirty."
***
As it turns out, it doesn't take much to convince Jeongin to join them, with the promise of free food and a lazy day spent on their sofa, watching movies.
Minho and Felix take turns to shower, and the warm water feels good against Minho's tired muscles. He tries to relax as much as possible, expelling any residue of grief and worry from his brain, and letting it fall down the drain with the soothing water.
The tension in his shoulders feels like it's been slowly released, and, when he ultimately returns to the living room to the other two men, he's sighing with content.
"Are you good, hyung?"
"Yeah, I'm feeling a lot better now. Thank you, Yongbokie."
Felix smiles and motions for him to sit next to him, and Minho takes the offered seat between the youngest members.
"Innie, are you ready?"
The maknae shifts in his seat for a few seconds but ultimately nods, and Minho sees the way his eyes are glued to the television screen - where the first Avengers movie has been stopped right before the opening credits. He looks weirdly on edge.
Minho tries to brush it off, falling back on the couch right as the movie finally begins.
Halfway through, they're interrupted by their doorbell.
Minho keeps his gaze on the screen, assuming the new arrival to be their food delivery, since Felix had been fiddling with his phone for a while through the first few minutes of the show, so he barely pays it any mind when a strangely excited ball of sunshine springs up from the cushions, running towards the door with a loud exclamation. "I'll get it!"
Guess skipping breakfast wasn't such a good idea if he's so hungry now.
Oh well, he's an adult, he can take care of himself.
Even between these passing thoughts, Minho can hear him open the door, his voice hushed as he addresses whoever is outside their door.
Who would be visiting this late anyway?
When the younger dancer doesn’t return after what feels like endless minutes Minho begins to turn in his seat to ask a visibly fidgety Jeongin what might be taking Felix so long, but he's interrupted by something he swears his mind is making up on the spot.
Something that can't be real, because it's too soon, it’s not time yet, how could it even be?
He hears his voice, accompanied by the most beautiful, giddy laugh.
He freezes in his place, wide eyes locked with Jeongin.
Minho watches in a stupor as Felix walks back into the room, a presence trailing closely behind.
Minho can't see who it is, can’t see the identity of the new presence, not with how the angle of their walls covers anyone coming from the hall until the very last step into the living space, but he can hear him. He can feel him.
And then, the last step comes.
The last step comes and Chan turns the sharp corner.
Oh.
So it really was his mind just hallucinating.
Of course, it was. It couldn't have been Jisung, he knows he couldn't be there already.
It isn’t time yet, you idiot. Why would he be here?
Why?
Why isn’t he here?
"Minho? Are you okay?" Chan sounds closer, much closer than by the edge of the entrance where he'd been just a couple of moments prior.
And when Minho dares to look up, to meet his gaze, he can't stop the tears rapidly pooling in his eyes, or the way his body starts shaking.
Can’t stop himself from breaking down right there, in front of everyone, in front of his youngest members. He hides his face in his hands, curling up into his own knees.
What a fucking failure.
"Chan hyung? H-hyung, hey... yes, sorry, I'm okay, I swear– I’m okay..." Before he can even finish the sentence through harrowing hiccups, he feels someone's arms wrap around him. Strong, muscular, safe.
The scent invading his nostrils is familiar. So familiar and gentle that Minho finds himself relaxing by reflex in the solid embrace.
"Min... jagi. Will you look at me?"
His voice.
That fucking voice.
It's not a vision. It can't be fake, it can’t be made up. Not again. Please, not again.
"It's okay, you're okay. You're safe."
Minho slowly lifts his head from its hiding spot in his own arms and is met with a pair of big, sparkly brown eyes.
"Ji?.. " his voice is barely a wet whisper, and he sees the other's smile widen.
"Hey, love. Yes, it's me, Min. It's me."
Minho feels the way his heart stops and starts all at the same time, his body trembling with the emotions coursing through his veins, threatening to send him tumbling into a new outburst of tears and gut-wrenching misery. He swallows thickly, as if trying to keep everything inside his chest.
"How.. are you here? It's not-- it's not time yet. You shouldn’t be here, what if you get in trouble–" Minho doesn’t even realize he’s started weeping again, not until Jisung addresses it in the sweetest tone Minho has ever heard from the other.
"Shh, it's okay. I'm here. Please don't cry, hyung, it's okay." Jisung's hands lift up and cup his cheeks, gently wiping away the tears rolling down his cheeks.
"I'm so sorry, hyung.. I didn't mean to make you cry. I told the others the surprise was a stupid idea."
He can see that Jisung is speaking, but Minho can't even process anything anymore, can't even register the feeling of fingers sliding along his face. Not when his attention is all on the man himself.
He can't believe this is happening.
"Did you hear that, Minho hyung? We were gonna surprise you, but Channie hyung decided to ruin it! You weren't supposed to step in first, look what you did!" Jeongin speaks in fake annoyance, standing up from the couch to reach the oldest in the room and repeatedly smack him on the arm.
Jisung turns to look at the others, and Minho's gaze follows, just for a few seconds.
Jeongin is looking at him with wide, hopeful eyes, and Minho has enough clearness of mind to feel bad for the youngest - for all of them, really - for making them all worry with his reaction.
He can also see the way Felix is looking at him, the way he seems to be scrutinizing his every move, waiting for any signal that he should intervene.
But Minho only has eyes for one single man, even through the thick film of tears.
"Jisung?"
The other snaps his head back at him, and Minho can feel his chapped lips breaking into a smile.
"You're here. You’re really here.."
Jisung laughs, carefree, and the sound is everything Minho could ever dream of. Has dreamed of for the past unending months.
"It's me, hyung. I'm really here."
Before he knows it, Jisung is hugging him, wrapping his arms around him so securely, and Minho holds him tight, pulling him in until the younger is fully sitting on him, until not even a centimeter of space is between them.
He can't stop himself from crying, even when he presses his lips against the other's hair, kissing his head repeatedly, snaking downwards only minutes later to pepper his cheeks and the bridge of his nose with just as much attention.
"I missed you so much, you stupid idiot. Don't ever do something like that again, okay? You– you scared the hell out of me." As much as he may try to sound at least a tiny bit angry, he knows he won’t succeed, not even a little. Not when he has a lapful of Jisung and he can finally breathe again.
Yes, even through the snot and unflattering tears.
"I’m so sorry, Min… I'm really sorry." Jisung's voice is muffled against his shoulder, and Minho's breath catches in his throat when the other nuzzles his frigid nose into his neck.
"Fuck... it's okay. You're here, that's all that matters. I just... I just can't fucking believe it. You're really here, with me." Minho can't stop the words from spilling past his lips, looking at the other with so much wonder and a smidge of apprehension, as if expecting him to disappear any second now.
His grip tightens, nails digging into the fabric of Jisung's jacket.
"God, I love you. You fucking came here in your damn uniform–" Minho utters, incredulous, and Jisung chuckles happily, nodding against him.
"I love you too, hyung. Always, forever, every fucking day of my life. Of course I came here like this, why would I wait any longer when the most beautiful man who ever graced this earth has been waiting for me for the better part of two years?"
"I'm holding you to that."
"Wouldn't have it any other way."
Minho doesn't know how long they stay like that, the two of them, wrapped up in each other's arms.
It feels like a dream, and Minho is still terrified it will disappear, that he will wake up, cold and alone in his bed, and his heart will once again be ripped apart by the realization.
They are alone, with no sound echoing through the room except their synchronized breathing. The movie has been turned off at some point during their reunion, but neither of them pays any attention to the detail. Or to the fact that the others, sensing their need for privacy, had left the house undetected.
"Hyung?" Jisung's voice is quiet, and he can feel the other's head moving, until his face is hovering in front of his own, a small frown etched onto his face.
"Yes?" Minho speaks with a tone that's just as mellow, as if afraid of breaking the surreal spell of contentment surrounding their interlaced bodies.
"Take me to bed, please?"
"Are you sure?"
"I've never been more sure of anything in my whole life. Except, maybe... choosing you every day of my existence."
Minho can't contain his smile at the cliché but much-appreciated words, and he leans forward, his lips finally finding their rightful place against Jisung's soft mouth.
"I missed you so much. So, so much."
"I missed you too, Min."
In a sudden turn that almost gave Minho whiplash, Jisung’s tone turns sultry and devilishly tempting. "Now show me just how much you did."
***
Waking up takes more effort than ever.
His bones ache.
His muscles throb even in places where he never thought it would be possible to hurt.
He has never been this happy in his whole thirty-three years of life.
Not when Jisung and he had first met, over a decade ago, not when they'd confessed their love for each other for the very first time. Not even when Minho himself had returned from his service, shoulders and physique too burly for his liking, and Jisung had spent hours showing him just how much his new body could favor their relationship. Just how much he could love him, not even a tiny bit less then before he'd left.
Nothing, nothing could compare to now.
He has no idea how he had lived all these months without Jisung by his side.
Jisung, a part of him, the biggest chunk of what made Minho him.
And now that he is back, Minho feels whole once more.
Minho can feel the other's body heat against his, can feel the warmth and softness of his bare skin, the way his knees fit perfectly into the bend of his own, the way Jisung's chest presses flush against his back with every breath.
Minho can feel him, soft and spent, still nestled between his asscheeks.
It’s all so vivid, the touch and the feeling of their bodies melting into each other, all the ways Jisung had found to demonstrate how much he'd missed the older, no matter that he’d asked Minho to do the same right before taking him to bed.
Minho can’t help but smile into the pillow, as his lover begins to shift in his sleep.
"Rise and shine, sleepyhead." Minho mumbles, his words almost unintelligible, muffled against the fabric of his pillow.
Jisung doesn't answer, burrowing his face closer to Minho's sensitive nape. The stubble on his chin tickles, and Minho lets out an involuntary giggle.
He's never been so fucking happy.
"Come on, I know you're awake."
"Hmm... leave me 'lone, you meanie."
"Come on, Jisungie. Wake up, our phones have been vibrating for the past half hour, I think the others would like to see you for a bit too..."
"Don't care, I'm staying right here... I have everything I want and need right here." Minho can't deny the way those simple words make his heart-rate increase impossibly hard, the influx of emotions managing to clog up his throat.
It's as if Jisung is trying to see how much he can push his buttons, or how far he can take this before Minho loses it.
"Fuck off." Minho laughs, trying to keep the trembling out of his voice. "You're such a sap."
"Maybe… but I'm your sap."
Minho finally turns around to look at his beloved, finding him already staring back with an affectionate grin that reaches all the way to his bleary eyes.
"I love you, jagi ." He says, barely above a whisper, but he knows Jisung hears every single word.
The other smiles even brighter and Minho feels him press their foreheads together.
"I love you too, Min... I'm so glad to be back."
They stare into each other's eyes for what feels like hours, until Jisung suddenly breaks the spell.
"Hyung? Are you.. Is everything still the same?" His words are full of doubt, almost as if he expects Minho to push him away, out of some sense of uncertainty and confusion.
Minho can't blame him. Not when he'd felt just the same, barely a few hours prior.
"Is it still the same for you?" He asks instead of replying, mirroring Jisung's own hesitancy.
Jisung nods immediately, not stalling for even a single second. Then he abruptly stops the action, frowning in thought.
"Did... did you think I changed my mind about you? While I was away? Did you think I wouldn't want you anymore? Hyung…"
"Don't say it like that, Ji..." Minho interrupts the younger man, grabbing both of Jisung's hands to lace their fingers together.
"I want you, I will always want you and I know you love me just the same, that you want me forever and always but… that– that place changes you. That place makes you feel so inadequate in so many ways, makes your true self hide in some forgotten corner of your soul until you become merely a shell of yourself, of what you were before entering and you can take anything that's thrown at you. That place– it made me feel so outside of my own body, until I finally stepped foot out of the gates and saw a glimmer of myself. Until I finally saw you and myself, right in you."
He's not sure why his voice breaks, why his eyes start welling up with tears as he releases those words. But they are true, they ring with sincerity and truth. And Minho needs him to understand this, even if Jisung has already been through his share of the ordeal.
"Hyung, please look at me.."
Minho meets Jisung's gaze again, this time without hiding his face away from him, knowing that his fears have, at long last, been voiced aloud.
"No matter what happened in there, it didn't change my mind about you. You don't have to worry about that, I promise. Not for a single second."
Jisung moves closer, his eyes never leaving Minho's, before pressing their tender lips together.
His touch is warm and familiar, and Minho finds himself melting into the kiss. He feels Jisung's tongue lick at the seam of his mouth, and Minho opens up willingly, allowing the other access to everything he has. The kiss doesn't last long, but Minho can feel the emotions pouring through Jisung's every fiber.
The younger man pulls away only a few seconds later, foreheads once again pressed against one other, breaths mingling in the minute space between them.
"Nothing could ever sway me from wanting you, hyung. I've fought too much for you, for us, to let you go this easily. We have fought too much to have what we have today to just let it go without second thought." His words are full of conviction and sincerity and Minho easily gets lost in Jisung's chocolate-brown eyes all over again.
"I'll always want and love you, hyung. No matter where we are, what our circumstances might be. You're it for me, the one and only, my forever soulmate. I hope you know and will always remember that."
Jisung's speech leaves Minho with tears newly rolling down his cheeks, as he struggles to form words through the tightness in his throat.
He doesn't get to answer before the other is wrapping his arms around him in a warm embrace.
Minho burrows into the bare skin of his chest, trying to hide his teary face from the younger, even when he knows there's no point. He can't help it, though, as his lips stretch into a smile against warm flesh, and his eyes squeeze shut to will away any more emotions threatening to spill.
He lets himself bask in the moment.
Deep down, as Jisung's fingers cradle his head and sweep through his messy hair, he knows they will be okay.
***
The hot water feels good on their tired bodies, and Minho watches the steam cloud up their bathroom mirror while he finishes washing.
"Do you think we should tell them that we're awake? I want to be selfish and stay here with you for a little longer, but.. I know Hyunie and Minnie can't handle all the love on their own." Jisung trails off with a smile so apparent even in this position where Minho can't see him, the younger standing right behind him under the showerhead.
He feels gentle hands touch over his waist, followed by muscular arms coming to completely encircle his middle.
A small, unassuming kiss is placed on the skin under his ear, sending sweet shivers down his spine.
Minho sighs, entranced and completely serene, before responding.
"Let's just stay like this for a bit more. I want to savor you and your presence till I inevitably end up having to share you with the others.." He mumbles, his arms raising to press over Jisung's own, hands splayed across warm, smooth skin.
He leans back further into the embrace, pushing himself against his lover's bare chest, and he feels the other relax against him.
"Anything you want, hyung. Anything you need."
Minho chuckles lightly, eyes sliding close. "You already give me everything I need. And more, so much more."
Minho doesn't need to open his eyes to see the way the other smiles fondly at his words, doesn't need to turn around to face his boyfriend in order to feel that affectionate gaze raking over every single inch of his exposed body.
Only then Jisung decides to speak, his tone a whole puzzling mystery.
"Hyung... I need to ask you something. I've been thinking about it over and over and–... I think it's time." Minho tries to remain unbothered by the cryptic words and instead melts even more into Jisung.
He gives the other a soft, short hum, silently asking him to continue.
"I–... Fuck, I didn't think I would ask it like this, but when has anything about us been normal..." Jisung stops for a second, releasing a small laugh into the shivering skin of Minho's neck.
"Will you marry me, hyung?"
Minho freezes.
He isn't sure he heard right. He can't have heard right.
Not with the water drumming against the tiles, not with his mind clouded by exhaustion.
He opens his eyes, as wide as they can go, and stares into the damp wall in front of them. He can hear the showerhead sputter off behind him, and feels the way Jisung releases him only seconds later, to turn it off properly.
He doesn't move.
"Minho?"
His name is called from behind him and he tries to swallow down the tight lump in his throat.
"I– Jisung.."
It comes out broken and quiet, and Minho can feel the weight of the younger man's presence behind him, waiting for further elaboration.
"Yeah..?" Jisung's tone is a mix of worry and confusion and Minho wants nothing more than to kiss him until those feelings are entirely pushed aside.
"Fuck.. come here, you idiot." Minho doesn't wait for a second more before spinning around and grabbing onto the other man's wet face, bringing it close enough so he can smash their lips together, as if trying to convey his reply through a single kiss.
He tastes like a blend of honey and mint, like the pancakes they'd eaten just before settling back into bed, like Jisung's own, unique musk and Minho's mixed together.
Minho is hooked.
His hands caress over Jisung's cheeks, brushing away the strands of wet, wild hair covering his eyes.
"Yes, yes, yes ... fuck, of course I'll marry you, Jisung." Minho manages to get out in between the frenzy of his lips finding the younger's mouth multiple times, a smile rapidly taking over his features.
Jisung smiles back, all teeth and gums, even when they are still touching each other and trying to breathe normally,
"You already know that I want to be yours for the rest of my lowly life, Jisung. I want us to die a natural death, together. Always, always together."
Jisung nods, his eyes welling up with a certain wet film, but he quickly wipes them clean and smirks at him. "Yeah? Are you going to keep me forever, then?"
Minho snorts, before lunging forward and wrapping his arms around Jisung's neck.
"Fuck yeah, you can bet I am."
***
"Is that really how you two got engaged? I– Actually, no, I fully believe it. I don't know why I was surprised for a second there." Seungmin groans from his seat, on the opposite side of the table.
Jisung just shrugs, laughing, while Minho keeps surreptitiously scooping more meat onto his fiancé's plate.
God, even just thinking the word feels surreal. Marvelous, like nothing ever before.
His smile widens at the mere thought, and he can see Jisung looking at him with fond amusement.
Minho raises a questioning eyebrow at the other, as if daring him to say anything or even try to tease him. Instead, the younger just smiles, soft and adorable- despite his new, far from cute body - shaking his head and looking back at their friends.
At their family.
It's weird, being here, at an inconspicuous hole-in-the-wall restaurant, after so long.
Everything is back to normal, back to its natural order and Minho couldn't care less about the specific details of how exactly they got here, when his heart is filled to the brim with joy and excitement.
"I always knew it was going to happen, sooner or later." Chan looks up from where he was busy feeding Jeongin giant bites of jeon, grinning at the two lovebirds across the table, and Changbin scoffs.
"Everyone knew, hyung. It's not like these two were ever subtle. Gosh... do you remember when they first met? Jisung wouldn't stop babbling about the most handsome and beautiful guy I've ever seen, hyung, I swear. Oh, he was so cute back then." Changbin goes on and on to list various examples, his imitations of Minho and Jisung becoming progressively wilder.
Minho narrows his eyes at Changbin, who seems to not give a single fare and simply laughs harder.
"Oh wait, but the best has to be the time Jisung composed and recorded a whole ass song about hyung. Little whipped bastard."
Jisung chokes on his water and Minho flushes at the sudden reminder of that particular period of their life.
He watches as Jisung shakes his head and slaps the other male's hand away when it starts poking him in his side. "Bin hyung, stop it. Minho is going to kick you under the table if you keep going."
Changbin cackles some more, throwing his head back in amusement. "Oh? Does he do that too? I would have never guessed! Just one look at him, all sweet and soft and cuddly with you... Who could imagine that he's such a feral kitten?"
Jisung stops his glaring at the other just for a moment, turning to Minho with a challenging smirk.
"You heard what he said." He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively at him, but Minho can see through it immediately.
He knows the younger man has already spotted the way his cheeks have turned an endearing pink.
Before he can react or retort anything back to his lover, though, Felix speaks up, loud and clear.
"Oh yes, Volcano! Was that when you two started dating?" The dark-haired male asks innocently, and Jisung spits out his water in surprise, turning wide eyes on Minho.
They had never told anyone the specific details of their confession, of how and when they'd actually gotten together.
No one knew, apart from Chan.
Who was now looking at them with the eyes of a proud father.
Minho hated it.
Except… Did he really?
"Oh God.. are we seriously bringing that back up? Why now?"
Felix turns towards their eldest, ignoring Jisung's laments entirely.
"Hyung? Do you know something?"
Chan just smiles, but doesn't answer, instead going back to feeding Jeongin another few pieces of food.
Minho shakes his head and sighs, while Jisung continues to splutter unintelligibly next to him. Minho can't help but be endeared by the sight.
Fuck, he wants him so much.
"You know what? We're not doing this." Minho scoots back his chair, abandoning his mostly empty plate of food to reach out one hand towards his future husband.
"You losers can stay here all you want, me and Jisung have... stuff to do."
Before he can turn around fully, though, Felix stands up from his place at the table.
"Wait, hyung! I wanna come with!"
Changbin laughs at Minho's antics, standing up himself only to wrap an arm around Felix and lower him back down.
"I don't think you do. By stuff to do, I'm pretty sure they mean each other."
Minho snorts, while Jisung flushes and pouts, making it obvious that Changbin is right on the money.
On the other side of the table, Jeongin and Seungmin groan in distress.
The rightful order has finally been restored.