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Minho has been dating the friendly couple next door, Seungmin and Jisung Han, for six months now. They celebrated their anniversary just the night before. Minho’s friend, Jeongin, had offered to watch the Han’s daughter for them so they could have the house to themselves, and they’d made a great evening out of it. They’d started with a nice dinner of steak and potatoes and roasted green beans made by Minho. Jisung had requested lots of calories to “prepare for the energetic evening” he had planned for them post dinner.
Minho had enjoyed every bit of last night. Although Jisung and Seungmin have been together for far longer than Minho had even known them for, they’d made a real effort to make him an equal part of their relationship. Reaching the six month mark felt big to him. He loved both of them so much and their daughter, Sooah. He felt like he was really starting to know this family and didn’t think there could be many more surprises in store since he’d learned how to help Jisung through the bouts of anxiety he experiences, learned all of Seungmin’s quirks, and spent late nights taking care of a sick toddler.
That’s why it comes as a big surprise to him when tonight, Seungmin gets a phone call while the three of them are relaxing quietly in the living room just after having put Sooah to bed. Jisung stiffens and takes a big sigh after having glanced at the caller ID.
“Who’s calling?” Minho asks Jisung as Seungmin steps through the sliding door to the patio and answers the phone, his voice being immediately muffled by the glass. Seungmin drops himself onto one of their patio chairs and leans forward to drop his head onto his free hand. Minho frowns.
“His parents.” Jisung answers, hands squeezing together tightly in his lap. His wedding ring presses tightly around his finger, leaving a pale imprint in his skin.
Minho’s eyes flick past Jisung to Seungmin. He shifts, pulling his legs up to his chest. He looks small and it makes Minho feel a knot form in his stomach. Senses he’s in uncharted territory. Despite Minho having met Jisung’s parents several times and being included in their family group chat, Seungmin hadn’t ever talked to Minho about his own parents. Minho had known not to pry, learned long before starting to date the Hans that Seungmin would do things on his own time. Minho hadn’t imagined his first time hearing anything about Seungmin’s parents would leave him feeling this unsettled. “Is something wrong?”
Jisung sighs again. “I want Seungmin to tell you more about it when he’s ready. The gist of it is that they don’t get along well.” He watches Seungmin for a moment longer before finally standing up and heading to the kitchen. “Mind giving me a hand?”
Minho follows him into the kitchen, apprehensive about losing his line of sight on Seungmin, but knows he should follow Jisung’s lead on this. When they’d first gotten together, Minho had made sure to spend time with each of them individually, getting to know them one on one as well as with the three of them together. He came to understand that the best way to learn to care for any of Jisung, Seungmin, or Sooah was watching how the other two did it.
Jisung instructs him to get some water boiling in the kettle while he grabs Seungmin’s favorite tea from the cabinet along with two mugs. Jisung throws a questioning gaze in Minho’s direction and grabs a third mug when Minho nods. “What else can I do?” Minho asks. He’s always been a doer and a fixer when it comes to the people he loves needing support from him, but this time, he doesn’t know what to do or what to fix.
“I know this won’t sound helpful,” Jisung leans his head against Minho’s shoulder as they wait for the water to boil. Minho wraps an arm around him and strokes gentle fingers over Jisung’s shoulder and upper arm. Does it to soothe himself as much as he does it to soothe Jisung. “But honestly just being here is going to be the most helpful thing for him. He tends to go a bit…far away when he gets a call from them. I have to bring him back.” A beat of silence goes by and Minho can feel Jisung take a deep breath. “I’m glad you’re here to help me.”
Minho hums, pulling Jisung into a hug and squeezes him in the way that helps him when he’s feeling anxious. Jisung’s face goes immediately into Minho’s neck. “I’m glad I’m here too. I’ll follow your lead on this, even if it means I should go home. I don’t want to overwhelm him.” It would kill him to leave knowing Seungmin is hurting and he’s not there, but he means it. He would do whatever Jisung thinks is right in this situation.
Jisung holds him a bit tighter in response. “Please stay.” He pulls his head out from hiding and looks Minho in the eyes. “You can talk to him while I pull some things together.”
The kettle beeps before Minho can ask what Jisung means and Minho hears the patio door open as Jisung grabs the kettle. He pours the hot water over a teabag into Seungmin’s favorite mug, then pushes it into Minho’s hands. “Follow me.”
They leave the kitchen and head back to the living room. Minho feels a quick flash of relief at seeing Seungmin, but that quickly disappears when he takes in Seungmin’s state. He’s just standing in the doorway, eyes not really seeing and phone gripped tightly in his hand. Jisung takes his phone from his hand and puts it in his own pocket before gently guiding Seungmin to sit in the middle of the couch. He gestures for Minho to sit next to him.
“I’m just going to grab some things while Minho tells you about his day. He has some tea for you too.” Jisung scoots a coaster closer on the coffee table and Minho sets the mug on it.
Jisung walks away and Minho focuses his full attention on Seungmin. He’s sitting on the couch, but it’s like he’s not there at all. Minho has come to learn that Seungmin has a sure and steady presence to him wherever he goes, but there’s none of that in Seungmin now. His back is ramrod straight where he sits perched on the very end of the couch. His eyes are vacant. The only sign Minho has that Seungmin is still in his body is that his fists are clenched and trembling atop his knees.
Minho grabs Seungmin’s left hand and slowly uncurls his fingers while he starts talking. Jisung had said he would tell Seungmin about his day, so that’s what he does. He repeats some things that he had already talked about while they ate dinner, but he goes from the very start of his day and talks about every detail he can think of. Jisung floats in and out of the room, first to drop off the other two mugs, and then again to wrap Seungmin’s favorite blanket around him.
Minho gets about halfway through recounting his day when Jisung finally settles onto the couch on Seungmin’s other side. He stays silent, so Minho keeps talking, while Jisung pulls Seungmin further onto the couch and works on massaging open his other hand.
Minho recounts everything up until he had come over for dinner. He notices that despite the fluffy blanket over Seungmin’s shoulders, he’s still breaking out in goosebumps. He leans forward and grabs Seungmin’s untouched mug, still warm, and folds it into Seungmin’s hands. “Hold this, baby, it’ll warm you up.”
He gets the mug settled into Seungmin’s hands and jerks a bit in surprise when Seungmin suddenly takes in a deep breath. He looks first at the mug in his hand, then over to Jisung, who strokes a hand through his hair and smiles at him. “Hi, are you back with us?”
Seungmin turns his head next to face Minho, and Minho is relieved to see that Seungmin is actually focused on him, that he has more of his presence back to him now. Seungmin nods in answer to Jisung’s question before taking a sip of his tea.
He melts into Minho’s side then. Minho readjusts so that Seungmin’s head can be comfortably cushioned on his chest and sees Jisung giving them a soft smile. Jisung pulls a leg up underneath himself and leans into the back of the couch so he can face them. He puts both hands on Seungmin’s leg, squeezing the muscle there to help Seungmin relax further. “One or two; Finish tea then go to bed, or finish tea then watch a movie?” Seungmin holds up one finger. “Talk or no talk?” Seungmin holds up two fingers. “Alright baby, peace and quiet while you finish your tea and then we’ll take you to bed.”
Minho smiles at the display, taking note of how Jisung cares for Seungmin, and learning yet another piece of how to care for this family he’s fallen in love with.
Later, when they’ve gotten Seungmin into pajamas and teeth brushed, Minho joins him and Jisung in bed. Jisung is already curled behind Seungmin on the bed, leaving enough room in front of Seungmin for Minho to lay down too. He’s unsurprised that Jisung has given up his usual middle spot for the night.
Minho pulls the covers up and grabs one of Seungmin’s hands, threading their fingers together between them. Seungmin still hasn’t spoken, but Minho has stopped feeling anxious about the situation, Jisung being so sure of it has helped him. In the low light, it’s hard to see all of Seungmin’s features, but Minho can feel Seungmin watching him, so Minho watches him back.
Jisung’s soft snores have just started up when Seungmin breaks his silence. “Thank you, hyung.” His voice comes out a bit scratchy, so he clears his throat and whispers the next part. “You helped a lot, by just talking. Gave me a way back out of my own head. I’m sorry if I scared you.”
Minho holds Seungmin’s hand just a little bit tighter. “You’ll have to try pretty hard to get rid of me. I think Sooah might have something to say about it too.”
Minho can hear the smile in Seungmin’s voice when he speaks. “She just wants the cats, hyung.”
“Mm, sure,” Minho says, finally letting his eyes fall closed when he sees Seungmin close his.
It’s quiet for a few minutes and Minho feels himself getting closer to sleep. Seungmin’s voice suggests he’s close to sleep when he speaks into the quiet of the room. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”