Work Text:
Winter is Jisung’s favorite season.
He prefers the cold over the torturous summer heat, loves the festive vibes - though he is not one to celebrate the holidays grandly - and more than anything, he enjoys the cozy movie nights with his best friend, all snuggled up in bed, munching away on his favorite snacks as they watch the latest anime releases.
And today is one of these days.
Jisung always manages to forget about his worries when he’s with Minho, relaxes and heals as they bicker about anything and everything, as he watches Minho’s face scrunch up adorably when he giggles and his eyes sparkle in excitement.
It’s bittersweet, because while those days are Jisung’s favorites, they also carve scar after scar in his heart, reminding him of the secrets he can’t tell and feelings he has to hide.
He’s in love with Minho.
He doesn’t even remember when it happened, nor at what point he had truly realized his feelings for the older.
They have always been a perfect match. They share the same sense of humor and interests, respect each other’s boundaries and quirks instead of trying to mold them to fit the norms society tries to confine them in, and even though Jisung was a belligerent teenager, they’ve never had a serious fight either.
That doesn’t mean they’re always on the same page. Jisung is a homebody through and through, could spend majority of his freetime in bed and be content, but Minho likes exploring places from time to time and goes camping to relax when he is stressed out. There are many differences like that, but that’s exactly why they match. They are different, but their differences are small and complement each other. Jisung has discovered countless nice restaurants and cafés thanks to Minho dragging his lazy ass out, and Minho has discovered new animes he became obsessed with thanks to Jisung insisting on a chill day.
Maybe that’s why it wasn’t much of a surprise when Jisung had realized his feelings for Minho. How could he not love someone who likes him for who he was rather than an image people made up in their head, who understood him and made him feel at ease?
“What are your plans for Christmas this year?” Minho asks a little out of nowhere as the credits start rolling on the screen, startling Jisung out of his thoughts.
“Not much, probably ordering food and watching a movie?” Jisung answers without much thought and picks up the remote to start the next episode.
“Huh? Are you not going to meet up with your boyfriend?”
Jisung stops dead in his tracks, feeling like a deer caught in the headlights.
Right.
The little white lie Jisung told Minho a while back.
Guilt had been gnawing away on him ever since but Jisung panicked back then, his brain short-circuiting and before he could even think it over, he had already blurted that he’s in a relationship.
The tension between them was high that day. They were fooling around as usual, bickering about some love line in the anime they were watching, something so trivial and yet, they ended up having a whole ass pillow fight over it. At one point, Jisung had straddled Minho’s hips, mercilessly attacking him until Minho gave up as he bursted into a cute laugh, making Jisung freeze on top of him, utterly mesmerized by the sight. It was then that Minho had picked up the topic of love and asked the younger whether he had been in love before and Jisung was so lost in that moment, that he almost confessed his feelings, but fortunately the words got caught on his tongue before it was too late. However, his almost slip up sent him into a state of panic, suddenly fearing that their friendship would be ruined if Minho found out, so Jisung lied. It wasn’t out of bad intent, but he has been feeling guilty about it ever since. He wanted nothing more than to come clear to Minho about his lie, but how could he, when he had no proper explanation to give about why he had lied to begin with.
Maybe that’s his chance to end this charade once and for all.
“He dumped me the other day,” Jisung says as nonchalantly as possible, avoiding eye contact, and hopes Minho just drops the topic altogether, but much to his dismay, he doesn’t.
“He dumped you? Right before Christmas on top of that ?” Minho asks in disbelief.
Dammit.
Jisung belatedly realizes he fucked up again.
He should have said they broke up on good terms instead.
“Uh…it’s okay. I guess we didn’t match,” Jisung tries to wave him off, fidgeting with the remote in his hands. “Don’t worry about it.”
“How can I not worry about it?” Minho mumbles and Jisung can’t help but wince internally, feeling even more guilty about Minho’s honest worry. “You deserve better. Forget about him.”
Jisung glances to his side and his chest constricts instantly at the soft gaze awaiting him. He tries his best to smile as he replies, “I’m over him, hyung, for real, so don’t worry about it, okay? Tell me about your plans for Christmas instead.”
“My plans...” Minho repeats the question quietly, voice trailing off and Jisung tilts his head in confusion when Minho stays quiet for a moment.
“Wanna go on a date with me?”
Time stops.
There’s white noise buzzing in Jisung’s ears as he stares at Minho, who blinks at him innocently as he awaits Jisung’s answer.
Jisung’s heart speeds up in the blink of an eye, beating so fast that it makes him a little dizzy and his mouth suddenly feels incredibly dry.
Did Minho just ask him out on a date?
No way.
When Minho raises a brow at him, starting to look a little nervous, Jisung realizes he should speak , but the only thing he manages to utter is a small, “Huh?”
The tips of Minho’s ears turn bright red and he grabs a bag of chips from the nightstand to busy his hands and avert his gaze from Jisung as he speaks, “I mean- I don’t have any plans yet, so we could hang out, y’know? Better than spending Christmas in your room and thinking about that jerk.”
Hang out.
That’s more like it.
Of course.
Minho didn’t want to go on a date with him, just two buddies hanging out.
Jisung hates the way his heart sinks at the clarification, “Mh. Sounds good. Let’s do that.”
It might not be a real date but that doesn’t mean Jisung isn’t grateful and touched by Minho’s consideration - even though he frankly doesn’t deserve it - and it’s adorable how Minho looks a little bit surprised when he agrees, as if he had expected Jisung to say no.
“Deal,” Minho says as his lips curl into a small smile, the beautiful shade of red not leaving his ears as he motions for Jisung to start the next episode.
Jisung chuckles softly as he presses the play, but he has a hard time focusing on the anime from that point onwards, thoughts way too occupied by a certain man.
Jisung is nervous.
It’s not even a real date and yet Jisung has spent a ridiculous amount of time picking out his outfit, settling on a white shirt with a red cardigan on top, making sure to leave a couple of buttons open each to tease a hint of skin, black jeans and matching black boots. Since it’s a cold and snowy day Jisung put on a winter coat despite hating how it covers most of his outfit, but left it unzipped so the effort spent on his fit wouldn’t entirely go down the drain. He even borrowed some of Chan’s gel to style his hair, keeping the natural fluffiness but brushing back his bangs to reveal his forehead. A hint of reddish eyeshadow, dark liner and colorless lip gloss finish his look for the day.
Will Minho laugh at him for dressing up like this when they’re just hanging out?
Should Jisung have shown up in one of his oversized hoodies and a beanie instead like he usually does?
Jisung fidgets on the spot, taking out his phone to check the time.
Still thirty minutes left.
Jisung takes a deep breath and starts rocking back and forth, even jumps a little on the spot, to keep himself warm, ignoring the curious looks he gets from the bypassers.
It’s the first time Jisung is this early, hell , it’s probably the first time Minho isn’t the one waiting for him , but he didn’t want his habit to oversleep get the better of him today, he wanted to be on time for this date no matter what, so he set twenty(!!) alarms before he went to sleep the night before.
In the end, those alarms weren’t needed, because he was so restless and jittery all night that he kept tossing and turning until he could no longer stay in bed and got up before even one of them could go off.
Not the best way to start the day, but he is surprisingly not tired at all, his nerves keeping him on the edge.
“Jisung?” Minho’s voice makes Jisung whip around his head, butterflies immediately going off in his tummy.
The surprise is deeply carved into Minho’s delicate features, brows cutely furrowed as he takes off his earbuds and picks up his pace to close the distance between them, and it’s outright adorable how he waddles due to the slippery ground and coat restricting the mobility of his legs.
Jisung wants to eat him up in one bite.
Minho is wearing a long coat, zipped up all the way to his neck where a red scarf is hugging his neck, covering part of his face as well. His brown hair is an intended mess and matching brownish makeup highlights his cat-like eyes while the cold colors his cheeks with a hint of red.
Beautiful.
“Hey, hyung,” Jisung greets him almost shyly as he tugs his phone back into the pocket of his coat.
Minho tilts his head in playful suspicion, “Are you really Han Jisung? He’s never this early…”
“Yah!” Jisung laughs and lightly hits his arm as he jokes, “is that how you treat your date?”
Minho hums, a teasing grin on his lips, “Of course! What if you’re a fraud?”
Jisung scoffs in amusement, “Would a fraud know you have Anya hair clips in your tra-”
“Jisungie! It’s you,” Minho interjects quickly and laughs, cutely embarrassed even though Jisung is the biggest Anya fan himself and even uses a phone case with stickers of her since forever. “Why are you so early?”
“Couldn’t sleep,” Jisung answers truthfully and tries to sound nonchalant about it, not wanting Minho to question why he couldn’t sleep, and for once, Minho doesn’t pry and just hums in acknowledgement.
“I also didn’t have the best night,” Minho admits as he takes a step closer, making Jisung raise his brows in question.
A second later, Minho takes off his scarf and gently wraps it around Jisung’s neck instead, hands carefully tugging the soft material in place and adjusting Jisung’s coat to let it slip underneath just a little, and while Minho is busy, his scent that clings to the scarf invades Jisung’s senses. Jisung's heart speeds up, his cheeks warming as he quietly observes the other.
“Hyung?” Jisung asks quietly, but doesn’t get the time to enjoy the moment to the fullest when he promptly earns himself a light flick to his forehead. Jisung yelps and startles out of his small trance.
“As pretty as you look in that fit, I can see you’re already freezing your ass off,” Minho answers as he bends down to zip up Jisung’s coat as well, causing the younger’s face to blush crimson. “Don’t risk getting sick. You look good like this, too.”
Jisung parts his lips to refute and argue that he wasn’t cold - he was -, but the words die at the tip of his tongue when their gazes meet and the tenderness in Minho’s eyes renders him speechless.
“Wanna grab some food first? There’s a nice café nearby,” Minho asks as he straightens, suddenly avoiding Jisung’s gaze, and if Jisung’s eyes aren’t fooling him, his ears start to look a little reddish as well.
Cute.
Jisung hums, face sinking into the warmth of the scarf, “Sounds good.”
Minho starts leading the way and Jisung quietly tags along, fearing that he might get a little delusional today, but who could blame him? Minho isn’t acting much different from usual, but somehow the air around them is different, a little warmer, a little more thrilling, and Jisung’s body buzzes in anticipation, suppressing the fear of this happy bubble bursting at the end of the day for now.
“Aren’t you going to be cold now?” Jisung asks after a while, feeling bad about using Minho’s scarf, but the older shakes his head.
“I’m good, don’t worry,” Minho assures, but suddenly holds out his hand without even looking at the younger, “But you could hold my hand to keep me warm.”
Jisung really isn’t going to survive this day, but even if he drops dead, he’d have no regrets.
He bites on his lower lip as he reaches out to take Minho’s hand in his own, surprised by how perfectly they mold together, and then Minho gently tugs him a little closer so he can put their intertwined hands into the pocket of his coat. A quick glance tells Jisung that Minho’s face is burning up by now, but Jisung doubts he is doing any better, feeling warm all over.
They reach the café after a ten minute stroll and as expected it’s quite busy on a holiday, so they have to line up at the end of the queue, but neither of them minds.
After overcoming the initial nervousness, they easily fall back into their usual chatter, talking about anything and everything, laughing about dumb jokes, and Jisung once again realizes just how much at home he feels when he’s with Minho. Holding conversations often doesn’t come easy for him. He often feels judged and out of place, but Minho hasn’t given him this feeling once. He can say the most random things, voice his weirdest thoughts and yet, Minho would listen and indulge him all the time.
“Oh, Han Jisung, is that you?”
Jisung whips his head around in surprise, spotting his flatmate and good friend Changbin, whose voice is loud enough to reach him even from afar.
He’s leaving the café with a pretty man by his side, who is no other than his boyfriend Hyunjin. Changbin has his arm loosely wrapped about the taller’s waist as they approach the other two, pulling him a little closer the moment they stop next to Jisung.
“Changbin-hyung, what a coincidence,” Jisung greets him with a fist bump and ducks his head at Hyunjin, who does the same to greet him.
“Oh, Minho hyung is here as well. Didn’t you say you have a date?” Changbin asks curiously, looking around as if he was looking for another person.
Jisung considers his answer for a second, before he points at Minho with his free hand, but Changbin doesn’t seem to get the hint, so Minho raises their intertwined hands while simultaneously pointing at him, “It’s me. I’m the date.”
Changbin screeches, his eyes growing wide, and he quickly apologizes to the people around them for the noise when they turn to him, “Don’t fuck with me!”
“Why are you so surprised? Didn’t you say the two would be a good match?” Hyunjin asks innocently and successfully makes Jisung’s teasing backfire.
It’s true that he told Changbin he was going on a date today when his friend got suspicious when he caught Jisung trying on several fits the other day, but he didn’t mention who it was, nor did he plan to, since it wasn’t a real date after all, but a small part of him refused to call it a meet-up still. And it wasn’t like he was going to run into Changbin on his date anyway, or so he thought…
Now that he got caught he didn’t see the harm in calling it a date when Minho had specifically called it one when he asked him out, but little did he know that Changbin and Hyunjin were talking about them when he wasn’t around.
“Oh, look at us being a good match,” Minho remarks teasingly as he wriggles his brows at Jisung, mischief sparkling in his eyes, but his ears give his embarrassment away as usual, but once again, Jisung has no right in calling him out for it because his cheeks feel warm all over again.
Changbin huffs a soft laugh, still a little stunned and maybe even a little - rightfully - suspicious, “Yeah, I mean, I’m not really surprised, but I’m surprised, y’know?”
Hyunjin giggles as he makes himself smaller to snuggle up further to Changbin’s side, “Wasn’t it the same for us?”
Changbin turns his head to look at his boyfriend, raising a brow in disbelief, but the second Hyunjin laughs, Jisung can watch Changbin crumble and his face melt into the fondest expression ever, “What do you mean? I’ve been head over heels for you from the start.”
“Were you?” Hyunjin feigns ignorance, just smiles cutely at Changbin who scoffs before looking at Jisung.
“You’re the only one getting away with this,” Changbin mutters, no bite behind his words whatsoever, and Hyunjin knows because he loves teasing Changbin whenever he can, and enjoys the reaction he gets out of it a little too much.
Jisung laughs at their conversation, but can’t help but feel a little envious as well.
Hyunjin giggles, not denying his special treatment, “We’ve interrupted their date long enough. Let’s go.”
“Huh? No, wait, I have more qu-” Changbin protests with a growing pout, curiosity getting the best of him, but Hyunjin tugs at his shoulder to get him to move. “Okay, okay. Have fun on your date!”
Minho and Jisung wave them goodbye as the older snorts, making Jisung look at him curiously.
“Wow, I’ve never seen him this whipped before,” Minho says in amusement. “I should visit more often when Hyunjin is around.”
Jisung just chuckles, “It’s fun at first, but gets annoying when you have to see them being lovey-dovey and all over each other in the living room.”
“We can be more disgusting than them,” Minho suggests mischievously, making Jisung laugh again.
But as his laughter dies down, guilt starts nagging him. “We shouldn’t have tricked them, though. I’ll have to apologize later.”
“Hm? When did we trick them?” Minho asks so confidently that Jisung questions for a moment whether this is a date after all, but he doesn’t dare to ask. Everything feels like a dream, from hearing others say they are a good match to the warmth of Minho’s hand holding his own, and Jisung is too scared to wake up.
He decides to let the topic rest.
It takes them roughly twenty minutes to finally enter the café. Turns out it is well known for their cheesecake and it is by far the best Jisung ever had for several reasons.
Of course, the cheesecake itself is delicious , but what makes it even better is the fact that Minho had wanted to go to this café specifically, Minho, who knows Jisung’s taste all too well, which means he had probably looked up that café especially for Jisung.
Minho neither denies nor confirms it when Jisung asks about it, but his ever revealing, blushing ears pretty much confirm it for the younger.
It makes Jisung’s body tingle all over.
Whether Minho’s feelings for him are entirely platonic or something else, Jisung truly appreciates having him in his life.
As much as Jisung loves Christmas markets, he certainly doesn’t love how crowded they are, especially during the holidays.
He remembers how he couldn’t walk more than a couple of steps last year before he had to evade people crossing his path without sparing him a single glance and stumbling into other people while doing so. There was no fun in lining up for quite a while only to be rushed when it’s finally his turn either. But he does enjoy the festive vibes. He loves seeing all the cute stuff people sell, loves hearing Christmas jingles playing all day, loves the food and sparkling lights once it gets dark. If only it wasn’t for the crowd making the entire experience rather uncomfortable…
However, Jisung tries not to let his worries show, since he will enjoy the time he spends with Minho regardless and it’s the first time he actually has a date on Christmas as well, so he might as well tick off all the cute cliches from his bucket list.
He is mentally preparing himself for the influx of people as they approach the Christmas market when Minho suddenly leads him into a side street and away from it instead, much to the younger’s surprise.
They enter a building that looks rather plain on the outside, but Jisung’s eyes grow wide nonetheless when he reads the words ‘Auntie Lee’s Workshop’ on the sign above the entrance as Minho leads him inside and greets a lady at the counter.
Turns out that Minho made an appointment for them and for a second Jisung fears he will lose a finger or two since he tends to be a little clumsy with these things, but once they are properly inside he realizes it’s not that kind of workshop, but one to make your own jewelry, all safe and Jisung-proof. The lady shortly gives them instructions on how to use the tools and what to take into account when making jewelry before she gives them space and tells them to not hesitate to call her if they have any questions.
Jisung looks around as he slips out of his coat, smiling when he catches two couples working on things together.
“Is this alright?” Minho asks, almost looking a little nervous when Jisung turns around to look at him. “I know it’s not a typical Christmas date thing, but I thought it would be fun.”
Jisung is so touched by all the thoughts and effort Minho has invested in their date that he can’t properly express just how thankful he is, so all he manages to do is beam at the older as he replies, “I love it.”
Minho’s eyes grow just a tad wider as he blinks at the smaller and his lips stretch into a soft smile right after, “I’m glad.”
Minho takes off his coat as well and Jisung can’t get enough of how adorable, yet handsome Minho looks in this fit. He wears a black sweater with a cute cat print on the center, his chest muscles perfectly outlined despite the thick fabric, and the most precious part is that it was a gift Jisung gave him for his birthday earlier this year, making it even more special.
Jisung hums as he happily hangs up his coat, thinking of what jewelry they should make.
“Hey, let’s make bracelets for each other,” Jisung suggests excitedly as he pulls Minho over to the boxes displayed, skimming over the beads which come in different shapes and colors.
“Alright,” Minho agrees easily and quietly trails behind Jisung.
“What about these?” Jisung asks as he points at some brown beads. “They’re pretty but not too flashy, and they go well with all kinds of colors.”
Minho hums, “Yeah, I like them.”
Jisung takes a couple of beads from the big box and transfers them to a smaller one to take them back to the table. “Hyung, choose some pendants for us while I take care of this.”
As usual, Minho agrees without hesitation and proceeds to take a look at the pendant while Jisung already prepares everything they need on the table. Minho joins him shortly after, adding two brown pendants with golden Chinese characters Jisung doesn’t recognize to the pile.
Jisung picks up the reel of elastic thread, eager to get started and motions for Minho to lean closer, “Gimme your wrist.”
Minho wordlessly complies and rolls up the sleeve of his sweater to offer Jisung his wrist, who immediately starts wrapping the elastic thread around it to measure the correct length. Jisung is totally in the zone as he focuses on the task and only gets startled out of it when Minho suddenly murmurs, “Pretty.”
Jisung snorts, taking a quick glance at the older before focusing back on the task and picking up the scissors, “It’s just an elastic thread.”
“Not that, you,” Minho retorts confidently, making the younger’s eyes snap up at once, and when he sees the flirty expression on his face, Jisung’s cheeks warm instantly for the nth time that day.
“Stop flirting with me, hyung. I might actually fall for it,” Jisung says coyly and bites on his lip as he carefully cuts the thread and sets the scissors aside to make sure neither of them gets hurt by accident.
And then Minho reaches out to tug a loose strand of hair that has fallen on Jisung’s forehead back in its place, his fingertips brushing against Jisung’s ear as he does and causing the younger’s skin to erupt in goosebumps, “I should continue then.”
Jisung deliberately ignores that comment for his own sanity and rolls up his own sleeve instead as he presents his wrist to Minho, who grins all satisfied as he takes his sweet time to measure the length for Jisung’s bracelet, his fingers brushing Jisung’s skin more than necessary and sending waves of tingling excitement through the younger’s body with each touch.
Minho might be good at teasing him, but the two of them can play that game, “Taking quite long there. Don’t get lost in your fantasies of tying me up, hyung.”
Minho playfully tightens the thread on Jisung’s wrist, looking up at him from under his impossibly long lashes and smirks, but Jisung sees the way the corners of his lips twitch, sees the blush creeping on his neck, so he knows Minho isn’t unaffected either, “Wouldn’t you like that?”
Jisung swallows heavily, trying to ignore how that comment went straight to his dick.
The tension between them is so thick that Jisung could drown in it, just like back then when he almost confessed his feelings. It’s dangerous, but he can’t stop .
“Maybe I would,” Jisung murmurs suggestively, his voice barely above a whisper, and when Minho has to avert his gaze, he smirks victoriously.
However, their little bubble bursts when the couple at the table next to them cry out in surprise as they accidentally rip the piece they had in the making, colorful beads rolling all across the room. Jisung quickly clears his throat, averting his gaze as his heart races in his ribcage, and he tells Minho to wait for a second as he bends down to help the couple clear up the mess.
What is he thinking?
Has he lost his last brain cells when they crossed the threshold?
It’s not the first time they’ve made suggestive jokes, but never with this tension surrounding them.
Jisung secretly steals a glance at the older, who rubs his neck as he looks anywhere but Jisung, the blush slowly spreading to his cheeks, so Jisung can’t help but overthink as he chews on his lower lip, his fingers slightly shaking as he hands the couple the beads he picked up with a polite smile.
The way Minho flirts with him is different from when he flirts with Changbin. The two of them would often joke around and act like they could hardly resist each other, spewing compliments at random times and asking each other out, but everyone and their mom knows they aren’t serious and it’s just them being playful. Minho doesn’t look at Changbin like that, he doesn’t blush nor let his touch linger, but he does with Jisung.
Or maybe that’s just wishful thinking.
Maybe Jisung just wants it to be different.
Just for today, he will allow himself to be hopeful.
Just for today.
After he returns to Minho’s side, the two slow down their teasing a bit and actually start working on the bracelets properly, carefully arranging the beads and pendants and after half an hour or so, they are done and gently slip their creations on each other's wrists. Jisung is eying the bracelet in awe when Minho suddenly takes his hand and pulls it closer to the center of the table as he pulls out his phone.
“Wait a second,” he says as he takes a photo of their molded hands, showing off the matching bracelets, and the sight sets off another bunch of butterflies in Jisung’s tummy.
Jisung is gone so bad.
When they are about to leave Minho says he will go and pay real quick, which Jisung initially refuses because he already paid for the food they had at the café, but Minho insists on paying, saying Jisung can pay next time, and the implication of another date successfully shuts Jisung up.
Jisung uses that chance to look up the Chinese characters on the pendant Minho has picked for them and almost drops his phone when the app shows him the translation.
‘Soulmate’
Time flies when he is with Minho and Jisung wishes he could slow it down somehow.
They grabbed some food at one of the restaurants they frequently go to, their teasing continuing throughout the evening as their conversation flowed seamlessly as usual, and somehow the day went by in a blink. They decided to go for a stroll in the park nearby to digest, a cup of hot chocolate in their hands and the faint sound of Christmas jingles playing in the distance accompanying them.
The park is decorated with holiday lights that sparkle like stars in the darkness and it’s surprisingly not as crowded as Jisung had expected.
“The park is beautiful,” Jisung murmurs, his warm breath painting a misty cloud into the cold air as his lips stretch into a grin, “Just like you.”
Minho snorts next to him, adorably trying to keep his expression neutral but failing visibly when his gaze slightly wavers. He is quickly covering it up by screaming “Waaaah , smooth.”
Jisung laughs at the response, endeared, and takes a sip from his drink as he keeps looking at the other, unable to take his eyes off Minho.
He wasn’t joking.
Minho looks incredibly beautiful.
It’s not the makeup he is wearing, nor his styled hair, it’s just, all about him. The way his eyes sparkle when they chat, the way he grins and his cute bunny teeth peek out, the way he slightly pouts when he speaks, the way he gets all serious when he elaborates which friend takes his butt slaps the best.
And there is more than that.
As Jisung reminisces about the day, he realizes just how much Minho truly knows about him, how he didn’t need to ask and still planned the perfect date for them, and others might think that’s a given when two people know each other for a long time, but there are things Jisung doesn’t explicitly mention and yet, Minho picks those up all the time.
Minho tends to call himself unromantic and likes to act like he doesn’t care for others, but he does, more than anyone else.
He is truly beautiful, inside and out.
“Thank you for being so considerate of me today,” Jisung says on a more serious note, smiling softly as he plays with the bracelet on his wrist, the tenderness in his voice a little foreign to himself.
“I wasn-” Minho tries to play it off, but Jisung won’t let him, not this time.
“No, you were. From the food we ate to the things we did, you knew exactly what I liked and avoided what could possibly make me uncomfy,” Jisung points out and quickens his steps to block the older’s way, giving him no chance but to look at Jisung. “I know you did, so thank you. I really had a lot of fun today.”
Minho blinks as he holds Jisung’s gaze, a faint hint of red colors his cheeks rosy, but then he quickly averts his gaze, flustered by Jisung’s earnest words. “Don’t think so highly of me. I also indulged myself, y’know?”
Jisung giggles, feeling giddy all over, “I’m glad.”
He decides not to fluster Minho any further and falls back in step by his side as he thinks out loud, “Need to find a way to make it up to you.”
“Buy me a house,” Minho answers instantly, making Jisung burst into a hearty laugh.
“Maybe if you wait like…five life times, then I might be able to afford one,” Jisung jokes.
“That takes too long,” Minho utters, still avoiding Jisung’s gaze as he switches the cup in his hand over to the other one before he holds his now free hand out to Jisung. “Warm my hand instead. It’s cold.”
Jisung’s heart skips a beat.
The lines are getting blurred, little by little, with each passing hour, minute and second that passes, with each word they speak and action they do, and right now Jisung starts to believe that their feelings are mutual after all. He reaches out to interlace their fingers, his heart beating so fast that it might combust any moment.
Minho’s hand is warm.
Jisung had walked much slower than he usually does, had tried his best to drag out as much time with Minho as possible, but they’ve reached the front door of his apartment, and there is nothing he can do to further prolong their parting.
For a brief moment, Jisung considers inviting Minho in for one of their sleepovers, but the bigger part of him wants this day special, doesn’t want it to be just a usual day they spend together, so as much as he longs to have Minho by his side for a little longer, he doesn’t invite him in.
“Thank you for today, hyung,” Jisung says earnestly, smiling. “I had a lot of fun.”
Minho hums, reciprocating the smile, “Me too.”
“Oh, right,” Jisung utters, realizing he is still wearing Minho’s scarf, so he reaches up to unwrap it and hand it over. “Thanks for this as well.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Minho mumbles as he takes it from Jisung’s hold, their fingers brushing in the process, and somehow time seems to freeze for a second. Neither of them moves. They are quietly staring at the scarf in their hands, knowing this will be the last moment before they have to say goodbye, and neither of them seems to truly want it. But Jisung stays determined, despite every fiber in his body telling him to hold onto Minho and he slowly retracts his hands.
Right at this moment, Minho catches his wrist, making the younger’s gaze snap up in surprise. “Hyung?”
Minho hesitates, his Adam's apple bobbing, visibly torn, but then he takes a step closer, making Jisung’s heart speed up. “Doesn’t a date usually end with a kiss?”
Jisung blinks once, twice, he doesn’t know how many times.
He tries to process the words that escaped Minho’s lips, tries to figure out if he is imagining things, but he isn’t.
There is no trace of teasing in Minho’s voice, no mischievous glint in his eyes, no playful smirk on his lips, and yet, it feels like a dream, something he has daydreamed about a thousand times, something he didn’t dare to hope for.
Jisung’s heart is beating so fast that he feels lightheaded. He loses himself in Minho’s gaze, melts into his touch when Minho reaches out to gently cup his cheek, his thumb drawing small lines on Jisung’s skin, giving him all the time he needs to consider and reject him, but Jisung doesn't want to, so when Jisung’s gaze drops to the older’s lips, Minho slowly leans in to close the distance between them.
However, in the very last moment, Jisung wakes up, feels the weight of the bracelet on his wrist as it carves the guilt he has swallowed down all day in his flesh and makes him jolt out of his trance, making him take a step back.
Jisung startles himself, but Minho even more so.
The taller looks at him, his eyes wide in shock, something akin to pain flickering in his gaze before he smiles down at Jisung apologetically.
“I’m sorry. I thought-” Minho frowns and Jisung's heart aches as he sees regret written all over his face. It seems like Minho tries to find the right words, struggles to make up for his mistake, but all he manages to say is, “I’m sorry. I should go.”
No .
Minho looks down at the scarf in his hand, taking a step back to create more distance between them.
No .
That’s not it.
Jisung panics. He is quick to close the distance between them again and reaches out to desperately hold on to Minho’s coat, stopping him from moving any further. “Wait, you are getting this wrong!”
Minho hesitantly meets his gaze and stays quiet as he waits for Jisung to elaborate.
“I want to kiss you,” Jisung is quick to assure, ignoring all his fears and worries that he carried on his shoulders in the past, wanting nothing more than to erase that pain from Minho’s eyes, “Fuck , I want to kiss you so bad , but I can’t. Not yet. There’s something I need to tell you first.”
Minho blinks several times like he usually does when he is confused.
“I lied,” Jisung confesses, pressing his eyes shut for a moment to ground himself, guilt burning under his skin.
“Huh?” Minho seems to get more confused by the second, and Jisung can’t blame him.
The younger swallows around the lump in his throat and gathers all the courage left in his body to hold Minho’s gaze. He deserves an explanation. He deserves the truth. “I didn’t get dumped.”
Minho’s gaze softens instantly, the tension in his body easing, and now it’s Jisung's turn to be confused because shouldn’t that aggravate him even further? But Minho reaches up to cup Jisung’s cheek instead, quietly listening to what the younger has to say, and Jisung doesn’t understand what he did to deserve someone like Minho in his life, who is comforting him despite being wronged.
“I couldn’t get dumped, because I never had a boyfriend to begin with,” Jisung says and instantly bites on his lip, nervously gnawing on it as he awaits Minho’s reaction.
Jisung expected a lot, anger, disappointment, but what he didn’t expect was to receive a soft, understanding smile as the man he loves whispers, “I know.”
Jisung’s eyes widen in surprise, jaw dropping, “You knew?”
“Well, I didn’t know, but I had a feeling,” Minho corrects himself, gently caressing the younger’s cheek to calm his nerves.
“How?”
Jisung is stunned.
Minho snorts, “We spent so much time together and yet I’ve never seen, or met, or even heard of said boyfriend unless I specifically asked about him.” Dammit. “And you also gave me contradicting answers, so you were either being extremely secretive about him or you made him up.”
Jisung’s cheeks warm in embarrassment, wanting nothing more than the ground to swallow him whole. “Well…I tried.”
Minho giggles, “You aren’t the best liar, Jisungie.”
“Don’t make fun of me!” Jisung whines, but feels so much better now that he finally came clean to Minho.
Minho wraps his free arm around Jisung’s waist, pulling him closer as his gaze drops back to Jisung’s lips, “Why did you lie though?”
Jisung’s grip on his coat tightens, heart pounding heavily as he whispers, “Don’t you know why?”
“I wanna hear you say it,” he murmurs and nudges Jisung’s nose with his own.
Jisung meets Minho’s gaze, just looks at him for a moment as his cheeks feel warm, even warmer where Minho’s hand is touching him, nervous but also relieved to finally be able to say the words out loud, “Hyung, I love-”
But Jisung doesn’t get to finish the sentence.
Before he can utter the last word, Minho closes the distance between them and pressing his lips on Jisung’s, warm and soft, and lingering there only for a second before he pulls back, face splitting into the most beautiful smile Jisung has ever seen.
“You…,” Jisung finishes weakly, tearing up as he gets overwhelmed by his emotions, and quickly wraps his arms around the Minho’s neck to pull him in for another kiss, molding their lips together.
He doesn’t know how long they stand there in each other’s embrace, relishing the moment to the fullest, soft kisses and quiet teases getting exchanged, but at one point they hear the apartment door of some other unit open, so they have to part, lips swollen and glistening with each other’s spit.
Coming down from his high, Jisung waits until his neighbor is gone before he reaches out to hold Minho’s hand once more, suddenly feeling a little shy. “Why did you never say anything when you suspected I was lying?”
“Even if my assumption was correct, there must have been a reason for you to lie,” Minho explains and moves his hand around until he can intertwine their fingers once more. “I wanted to give you the time you need. If you wanted me to know, you’d eventually tell me.”
“Why did you ask me out on a date then?” Jisung asks curiously, still feeling like his head is making all of this up.
Minho chuckles, seemingly a little embarrassed, “I wanted to be patient, but I also couldn’t hold back any longer. I needed to know if there was any chance for us at all, or if I needed to finally bury these feelings for you once and for all.”
Jisung reaches out to cup Minho’s cheek, heart somersaulting when he instantly melts into the touch, “We were both idiots.”
Minho hums in agreement.
Right then, they hear another door opening on the floor below theirs, so Minho takes a step back, “I think I should go. Get some rest. You said you didn’t sleep well.”
There is so much he wants to say, so much he needs to ask, but they have time for that in the future, so Jisung nods, but still makes no movement to let go just yet. “Mh, you too.”
Minho hesitantly lets go of Jisung’s hand despite his iron grip, but ruffles the younger’s hair once before he withdraws it entirely. “Merry Christmas, Jagi.”
“Merry Christmas,” Jisung mumbles, heart skipping a beat at the nickname, far too distracted by the urge to kiss him again to fully perceive it, but when Minho actually turns to leave, Jisung realizes something and stops him immediately, “Wait!”
Minho looks at him in surprise, blinking.
“Say it!”
“Say what?” Minho asks innocently, but with the way his lips twitch and his eyes sparkle that menace knows exactly what Jisung wants to hear, making the younger blush.
“Hurry up,” Jisung whines, but Minho just smirks, eyes sparkling with mischief.
Minho leans in to peck Jisung’s lips once more, but then retreats far enough to be out of Jisung’s reach, “Sweet dreams.”
Jisung narrows his eyes, sulking but not really sulking as he waves Minho goodbye and all strength left in his bones leaves his body all at once. It’s a miracle Jisung still makes it inside, almost stumbling over his own feet in the process and carelessly dropping his coat on the floor as he slips out of his shoes, entirely ready to get scolded by Changbin when he returns tomorrow.
He still has a hard time processing what just happened when all of it feels like a dream, but a look in the mirror tells him that it really happened, that Minho really kissed him.
Jisung flops on his bed and screams into the pillow, blushing and kicking his feet as serotonin floods his body.
He barely registers his phone buzzing in his back pocket, but he does, and takes out his phone, his face immediately lighting up when he sees Minho’s name on the screen. He clicks on the message and stares. He stares and stares some more until his cheeks hurt from smiling too hard and he presses his phone to his chest, holding it tight.
Minho sent him the photo he took at the workshop with the caption:
‘I love you’