Work Text:
Today is a good day.
The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and Jisung is on his way to his favourite potions shop.
A good day indeed.
The first time he visited Minho's, he'd been more tense than he probably should have been.
There were… rumours surrounding the strange witch and his shop at the town's outskirts. Jisung didn't think much of it when he first heard about it; he barely went out of his way to obtain his ingredients, being perfectly content with the delivery services available to him. Yes, the quality wasn't always the best, but it was fast and cheap! What else could he ask for?
Well, he was content with the delivery services until he came upon a recipe that required poppy milk, a rare ingredient that lost its qualities the less fresh it was.
He spent hours scouring the internet for a seller, but alas, he found nothing. No one was willing to sell such a precious ingredient that would have lost all of its value by the time it reached its buyer. It was a one-way road to complaints and refund requests. On one hand, Jisung could understand. On the other hand, however, he felt incredibly discouraged.
After asking around, only one solution presented itself to him: the infamous potions shop and the outcast who ran it. Every person who recommended the place to him did so with a warning:
"The ingredients are good, excellent even. It's worth it if you can look past the owner."
"I was… surprised when I visited. But, hey, at least you'll find what you want, I guess…"
"He's a bit… odd? I don't want to be mean, you see, but there really is no other better word for it."
After hearing all the different opinions about the place and giving it some careful thought, Jisung reached his conclusion: he'd go, yes, but he'd make his visit a quick ordeal. He'd be in and out of there in a couple of minutes, no harm done. Besides, he was also starting to get curious about the owner. Just what was it about him that managed to rouse such reactions from his customers?
As he stood in front of the door, he couldn't help but admire the exterior of the building. Vines scaled the walls, sneaking into the crevices and cracks in such a way that made it look as though they'd bloomed from within. Flower pots hung by the large display window, which barely displayed anything due to the veil curtains on the other side. Jisung could only make out vague shapes of green and the structure of various shelves, with colourful lumps atop them. Nothing looked off or weird enough to catch his eye.
Maybe people are exaggerating, he thought. A new guy came into town. Of course, people would make things up.
And yet, he still felt the nervousness tug at his heartstrings.
Mustering up all his strength, Jisung took a step forward. He reached for the knob of the door, and he pulled.
The door didn't budge.
Okay, that's fine. He probably had to push-
Nope.
Jisung raised a brow. He glanced at the little window on the door, at the sign that read "OPEN" with big, swirly letters.
Well, clearly this door wasn't opening. Had the owner left for a break and forgotten to flip the sign? Jisung tugged on the door a few more times, but still, it refused to let him in. However, just as he was about to give up and stop by later, he noticed a small paper stuck to the door frame.
Please pull the bell string.
"What bell..? Oh."
True to the paper's words, right next to the paper dangled a little charm, tied to a red string. It led all the way up to a silver bell, almost hidden amidst a bunch of leaves. Jisung had thought that the charm was a mere decoration or maybe a protection amulet, so he'd ignored it, but it looked like it served a bigger purpose.
He grasped the charm, a round cat with a big smile and some glass beads underneath it, and he tugged gently. The bell on the other end of the string made a short, melodic sound before falling silent. He waited expectantly, and yet…
Still nothing.
He let out a sigh. "I guess I'll- Ah!"
A shocked yelp was ripped from his throat as the door slammed open with a loud bang, ricocheting off whatever stood behind it.
Jisung stared at it for a solid second, hand clasped over his chest. It was a miracle he was still standing, given how badly it'd startled him. His knees had practically turned to jelly.
What the…
"Come in!" A voice rang out from the shop, causing Jisung to flinch a second time. Was this a good idea? He wasn't even sure anymore, but his feet guided him forward regardless.
The fragrance wafting in the air significantly calmed Jisung's senses as soon as he walked in. He immediately distinguished the delicate scent of edelweiss and petrichor, laced throughout the blooms all around him – a hint of the owner's magic and his involvement with his products' growth, proof of his tender care towards them, no doubt.
"I'll be with you in a bit!" The same voice called out from the back.
Despite his curiosity reaching its peak, Jisung decided to wait. He could satiate it enough by looking around for now. After all, the interior of the shop was as striking as its exterior.
The entryway consisted of a small room where every wall was lined with shelves upon shelves. They held a variety of ingredients, from dried moss to moon crumbs. A wooden desk stood on the other side of the room, facing the door, and other than the register, it was littered with papers and flower petals. There were also two doors leading further into the shop, one of which was right behind the desk and left slightly ajar. The other one next to it was made of glass, leading to what looked like a… a greenhouse?
Just as Jisung was about to inch closer and explore a bit further, the door behind the desk opened. He turned towards it, and then-
"Sorry about the wait. And the door. That spell has been acting up lately, and I haven't had time to get someone to fix it. Soonie-yah, remind me to work on that after I'm done with the orders."
Jisung's jaw dropped.
The man who'd entered his view was… Where did Jisung even begin?
Maybe he could start with his hair; that silver hue that he swore shone with blue iridescent hues under the sunlight. Or perhaps he could start with his face; those dark feline eyes, that sharp nose and sharper jawline, all of it leading to the most plush pair of lips Jisung had ever seen. Or he could start with his frame and his broad shoulders that promised strength – no, guaranteed it. Or-
"Excuse me?"
Jisung quickly snapped out of his daze, warmth rising to his cheeks. "What-?"
"You were just standing there," the owner said, blinking rapidly and fluttering his eyelashes. They looked so long-
"M-My bad," Jisung stammered, trying to reconnect with reality. "I came to buy something."
He was met with a half-confused, half-wary look. "Most people do. What do you need?"
One chance. Please.
"Uhm, poppy milk."
"Hm." The owner narrowed his eyes slightly. "I might have some leftover from the last batch of sweet dreams potions. One moment, please."
And just like that, he disappeared behind the door again.
Jisung felt like throwing himself into a cauldron and turning himself into a bug, just to hide under a rock.
How had he managed to embarrass himself in a conversation that lasted only a few seconds? And why did said conversation have to be with the most handsome man Jisung had come across in his life?!
He took a deep breath, attempting to steady himself. It was okay. He could still salvage this. He just had to remain calm.
Hah. Easier said than done when the other guy looked like that.
"You're lucky today." The owner emerged from the back with two glass vials in his hands. Inside, there was a light green, milky liquid. "Will this be enough?"
"Yeah, that's fine." Jisung nodded.
The owner returned his gesture and ducked his head under the desk. He stayed like that for a moment, seemingly looking for something, before Jisung heard him let out a groan.
"Dori-yah, what did I say about tearing up the packaging paper?" He yelled into nothing before standing upright again. "I'd wrap these up for you, but it looks like I need to restock."
"Don't worry about it." Jisung took a moment to scan their surroundings for anyone the other could have been referring to, but it was obvious that it was just them in the shop. "Sorry if I'm overstepping, but who exactly were you talking to..?"
"My familiars," the owner replied. "They're pretty shy, but they refuse to let me go to work on my own. If you see any items moving on their own, it's probably them."
"They're invisible?"
"Not to me." He nudged his chin over Jisung's shoulder. "Soonie has been sunbathing by the display window the whole time."
Jisung turned around, confused. There was nothing out of the ordinary by the display window, at least nothing that indicated the existence of a living, breathing being.
"Anything else?"
"Oh- No, thank you."
"Okay. That'll be 27.500 won."
"That's cheaper than I thought it'd be," Jisung muttered, taking the money out of his wallet.
"Poppy milk isn't hard to harvest."
"It's still a rare ingredient, though…"
"Not when you have a poppy patch in your backyard. I'm not going to charge you more just because it's hard to buy online." His gaze flitted up to Jisung as he tucked the money into the register. "Unless you want me to?"
"Nope! I'm good!"
"Alright then. Thank you for stopping by."
"Ah, you're welcome."
"Mhm."
He took the vials and carefully placed them inside his bag. The owner was already about to move on with his day when Jisung finally gathered the courage to speak up. "Uhm, what's your name, by the way?"
The other paused, turning to Jisung again with a curious look in his eyes. "I'm- My name is Minho."
"Nice name."
"Thanks?" A pause. "And you are..?"
"Oh! I'm Jisung!"
"Nice to meet you, Jisung."
"Yes- I mean, it is. Nice to meet you." Good job, Han Jisung. You're doing great. Just awesome. "I'll get going- Thanks for the ingredients!"
He didn't wait for Minho's response. Instead, he bolted out of the shop, clutching onto the strap of his messenger bag as hard as he could.
So, yes. His first meeting with Minho – and a few of those that followed – might have brought him much ridicule and caused him great mental pain. However, slowly but surely, he stopped fumbling over his words. Conversations between them became longer, even if Jisung was the one doing most of the talking. He'd bombard Minho with random tidbits of information from his books and rant about annoying customers, all the while Minho would hum along and tend to his plants.
Most of the time, it didn't seem like the other was interested in what he had to say, but there were instances when Jisung would succeed in making him crack a smile. It was the bare minimum, and yet it was enough to keep him going.
Jisung tugs on the charm hanging by the red string and waits. The door slams open, just as it did the first time, though it has less of an effect on him now that he has witnessed it numerous times.
"It's me, Minho-hyung!" He calls out, entering the shop. "Hello, Soonie, Doongie, Dori." He adds, directed to no one in particular. Minho's familiars still haven't revealed themselves to him, even though he has been stopping by multiple times a week for the better part of a month and a half. Still, Jisung knows they're there, and he believes it's only right to say hello.
"Jisung-ah," Minho greets him. He's seated behind the register, sorting through a few paper bills. "Are you here to buy something again? You're going to go broke at this rate."
Jisung chuckles, scratching at the tip of his nose. Truth is, most of the ingredients he's bought lately have all been excuses to see a certain shop owner. He's aware that he's losing money like this, but he just can't resist stopping by once in a while. On the other hand, he's pretty sure that Minho has been giving him discounts, which has to mean something, right?
"I am! I'm getting a potion this time," he says, approaching the shelf and letting his eyes roam over the different bottles.
"You aren't making it yourself?"
"No, this isn't for a customer. It's for myself."
"Hm." He turns his head to see Minho walking up to him, scanning the lines of potions. "What do you need?"
"A growth spurt potion. My friend Felix wants to bake a cake for his boyfriend and needs strawberries, so I promised I'd spell him some fresh ones."
"So you made the spell, but you couldn't bother with the potion?"
"Hyung," Jisung whines, dragging out the word. He's gotten used to Minho's seemingly aloof attitude at this point. "I'm a customer! You have to give it to me either way! Besides, you know I'm better with spells."
Minho scoffs, shakes his head. "I'm just saying," he says with a twitch of his lips. He pulls a bottle from its spot and holds it out to Jisung. "This should do."
"Nice. Thank… you…" His words trail off as he reaches for the bottle. His fingers brush against Minho's, and even though it is such a short-lived touch, Jisung feels hot all over. His eyes meet a pair of feline ones, and his lips part around another sentence – probably another barely-disguised compliment, when he hears glass breaking.
Jisung looks at his hand, then down at the floor. The potion bottle lies between their feet, shattered into pieces. It does a perfect job at snapping him out of his trance.
"Oh my god! I'm so sorry, Minho. I didn't- I'm sorry!"
Minho runs a hand through his hair. He doesn't look too annoyed, but Jisung still feels so bad. He ended up getting lost in Minho's eyes – again – and didn't get a proper grasp on the bottle when it was being passed over to him.
"I'll get a broom," Minho says.
"There's no need, I can pick up the pieces! Just bring a mop." Jisung drops to the floor and starts picking up the broken pieces, placing them into the palm of his hand.
"Jisung-ah, put them down. They're sharp, you'll cut yourself."
"I won't, it's- … ow."
A fat drop of blood forms in the middle of his palm. Jisung looks up, just in time to meet Minho's eyes, which have that I-told-you-so look written all over.
He leans down and plucks the shards of glass from Jisung's palm with careful fingers. Then, he grabs his wrist without making eye contact and lifts him to his feet. Jisung is dragged over to the chair over at the desk. Minho forces him to sit down, casting him one more glare over his shoulder.
"Sit," he orders, pointing an accusatory finger at Jisung, before slipping to the back.
Jisungs sits, lips pressed in a thin line. He didn't mess up too badly, did he..?
Minho returns a few moments later, holding some cleansing water and gauze. He kneels in front of Jisung, taking his hand in his own and beginning to take care of the cut, first wetting the gauze and then patting it over the wound.
"What did I tell you?" He grumbles under his breath, barely audible.
Jisung frowns, despite expecting it. "Well, maybe it's because you told me."
Minho's head perks up. "What?"
"Maybe you hexxed me." He gulps. He can see an opportunity forming here, one that doesn't show itself every day. Jisung would be stupid not to at least try to make a grab for it. "I-If that's the case, then you need to make it up to me."
"Oh, really?" Minho's tone is incredulous, slightly amused.
Jisung doesn't lift his gaze from his lap. He simply nods. "Mhm."
"What about the potion you wasted? Shouldn't you be the one making it up to me?"
Wait- that's it!
"Ah, you're right! Then- Let me make it up to you!"
"Jisung-ah, I was joking-"
"I'm not!" He finally faces Minho properly, determined to make the most of this one and only chance. "Let me treat you to dinner!"
Minho stares back at him, eyes wide at his sudden request. He stares and stares, until he does that cute blinking thing he does whenever he's confused.
"Are you- Are you asking me on a date?"
Jisung flushes. He clears his throat, blindly searching for his earlier confidence. "W-Well, it doesn't have to be a date if you don't want it to be…" He mumbles, his voice losing its volume the more words that slip out.
"But you want it to be?"
"Are you going to make me say it? Yes! Yes, I want it to be a date."
Minho falls silent. It'd probably be wiser for Jisung to look away instead of subjecting them both to this awkward staring contest, but the other just has this effect on him. He's glad he didn't after all, because when Minho surrenders and looks away, Jisung catches a glimpse of the tips of his ears.
They're flaming red.
He only has a second to observe them further, because that's when Minho also stands up.
"Somehow I feel like this is more for your benefit than it is for mine," he says.
"I'll prove you wrong! It'll be the best date you've ever been on!"
"You don't even know if I've dated other people before. What if my first date picked me up in a limousine?"
Jisung opens his mouth, then closes it again. His expression scrunches up as he tries to come up with a solution. "I could spell a car into a limousine for a few hours?" He's never seen a spell like that, but perhaps he could be the first to make one! He'd be willing to try it if it's what Minho wants.
"Jisung, you don't have a car. You don't even know how to drive."
"I'll figure it out!"
Minho sighs, though it's light and, dare Jisung say, a bit fond. "Pick me up at eight. Without a limousine."
"Yes!" He pumps his fist into the air, jumping out of the desk chair. "You won't regret this, hyung!"
His mind is already racing with ideas. He could take Minho out to a nice restaurant – their town is full of them. But that would be too typical, wouldn't it? They could also just chill at home, and Jisung could cook something- yeah, yeah! That sounds perfect!
"I'll get going!" He calls out to Minho, already half out the door. "See you tonight!"
He'll realise he never got the growth spurt potion for Felix's strawberries only an hour later, but that's okay. Felix will be understanding, even if his strawberries are one or two days late.
-
The problem with making plans that require a significant amount of preparation is that they need time. Jisung might be able to cast spells and craft potions that help people sleep better, grow crops and animate objects, but he can't whip up a few extra hours.
Earlier that day, when he came up with the plan of cooking for himself and Minho, he thought that he'd been onto something. Felix was planning on making something for his boyfriend as a surprise, so why couldn't Jisung do the same for his date?
Because Jisung can't cook, that's why.
He followed every simple recipe he could find online: pasta? He left them to boil for too long. Fried rice? It stuck to the pan.
The thing about using animated objects to complete an activity, as he's come to find out, is that you must be capable of doing said activity yourself before you pass it on to something with no conscience. Jisung doesn't know why it didn't cross his mind; he's usually smarter than that – the keyword here being "usually".
In the end, he decided to copy his friend to the letter. He made a cake, popped it in the oven, and then went as far as to plaster four good luck charms on the oven's door right before he left the house. Minho didn't give him another address, so Jisung figured that he would just be picking him up from his shop.
He was right, it seems.
Minho stands under the awning outside the shop, dressed in a beige cardigan and light-washed jeans. He looks handsome, which, well, he always does. Jisung also changed his outfit to look a bit nicer after taking a shower, which he deemed necessary following his failed cooking attempts.
"Minho, hi!" Jisung waves at him, quickening his pace.
The other's head perks up, and if he were a cat, Jisung is sure that his ears would, too. Minho meets him halfway, albeit in less of a rush.
"Hi," he says.
"Hi," Jisung repeats, like a lovesick idiot.
Minho graciously spares him, moving the conversation forward. "You, uhm, you look nice."
"Y-You too! Like always, of course."
Focus!
"So. What do you have planned for us?" Minho asks as they fall into step together.
"I thought we could hang out at my place. I've got a nice surprise for you in the oven!" Jisung says.
"Oh."
"Hm? Are you not comfortable? We can totally go somewhere else if you'd like."
"No, it's not that." Minho shakes his head. "My familiars might be coming along, if you're alright with that. They're pretty protective of me."
"That's not a problem at all! I actually have some treats I wanted to give them."
"You do?"
"Yeah. I always tell myself that I am going to bring it with me when I stop by your shop, but I end up forgetting anyway."
Minho regards him carefully. Jisung rolls his shoulders, hoping it will ease the tension. This isn't going too badly so far, if he excludes making a fool out of himself. Then again, that's nothing new.
They get to his little cottage in just a few minutes, with the sun's orange rays peeking over the rooftop. Jisung doesn't live too far from the shop, something that made his visits ten times easier and combating the urge to check up on Minho daily ten times harder. When they get there, he opens the door of his garden to let the other in first, and then he rushes to his front door to do the same.
"Doongie says that something smells… odd," Minho points out as Jisung is fumbling with his key. His fingers are trembling for some stupid reason. Probably because he's about to let the guy he has a major crush on into his house.
"It might be the burnt fried rice I left outside earlier. I couldn't get it off the pan."
"You burnt fried rice?"
Jisung turns around to flash him what he hopes is a reassuring smile. "I'm not making you eat it, don't worry."
"Nevermind that. No, Doongie says that it's something else… Something sweeter."
Something sweeter? Jisung didn't throw away anything else.
Oh shit, the cake!
"S-Shit-!"
He finally manages to get his hands to stop shaking and throws the door open, using his body weight.
He smells it too, as soon as he enters the kitchen; the scent of char he'd gotten so familiar with today.
"No, no, no! You must be kidding me!"
He rushes to open a window before he pulls the oven's door open, the good luck charms fluttering to the floor. A cloud of warm air hits his face, and his eyes water. Jisung puts on his oven mitts to pull out the cake and sets it on the counter with a distressed huff.
The cake looks good upon first glance.
"What flavour is it supposed to be..?" Minho asks over his shoulder.
"Milk chocolate…"
"… It looks a bit dark for milk chocolate."
"I know," he says in a disheartened tone, letting the oven mitts slip from his hands. "I'm really sorry, hyung. The truth is, I kind of suck at cooking."
A hand lands on his shoulder, a steady weight. "Hey, it's alright, Jisung-ah. Things happen."
"But it was my third recipe today! It was supposed to work!"
"Like I said, things happen, and charms don't always work as intended," Minho hums. "Still, maybe leave the cooking and baking for when you're not alone. At least until you get the hang of it."
Jisung nods his head, feeling way more dejected than one probably should over a burnt cake. What are they supposed to do now? Order?
"Actually, that reminds me…" He hears Minho shuffle around for something in his pockets. When Jisung looks over at him, he sees him holding a bottle, one that's similar to the one he broke this morning.
"Hyung, you're a blessing!" He beams. He'd remembered about Felix's potion way too late, and he'd felt too embarrassed to go back to buy one after they'd made their dinner plans. Jisung probably would have used it as an excuse to see Minho again, but he can come up with a new one. "At least one thing is working out for me today."
Minho gives him a small smile, seemingly pleased by the swing in his mood. "I'm glad I could help."
"Say, do you want to see me cast it?"
"Cast what? The spell?"
"Yes," he says. "It's a full moon tonight, it'll work extra well."
"You're not going to summon giant strawberries, are you?"
He scoffs. "Psh. I'm not a trainee anymore. Follow me!"
Jisung grabs Minho's hand and one of his ink brushes as he leads them both to the front yard of his house, where he grows some of his own potion ingredients – not a lot of them, just the few that are common enough and easy to sustain. He makes a beeline for the strawberry bush he'd planted recently. He had to give it some time to let the leaves grow wide enough for the spell to be drawn on them, but now there are a lot of them with plenty of space.
He beckons Minho closer, his knees digging into the dirt of the patch in front of them. Minho crouches next to him, his curious eyes drinking in Jisung's movements.
Jisung pops the cork off the vial and dips his brush inside the bottle, swirling it around to ensure the potion seeps into the bristles. He takes one of the bush's leaves in his hands, and he gently begins drawing the symbol of the spell while muttering the words in one breath. When he's done, he blows on the leaf with one long exhale.
The symbol glows a faint silver before it completely disappears.
"Did it work?" Minho whispers, leaning in a bit closer.
"Yup. We should start seeing results any minute now," Jisung says, turning around. "You too, hyung."
Minho furrows his brows, and although he looks quite baffled, he shuffles his way to spin around as well. "Why are we facing the other way?"
"We need to give the plant some privacy. You didn't know that?"
"I don't use spells on my plants. It runs the risk of affecting the quality of the ingredients."
Jisung nods thoughtfully. He can see how a spell might affect the finished product. After all, permanent spells engrave themselves on the plant's roots. Thankfully, this isn't one of those.
They sit in wait for a little while, until a faint rustle is heard from behind them, stunning them into silence.
Jisung turns to Minho with a wide grin. "We can turn around again now."
And truly, when they face the strawberry bush again, its branches are heavy with fresh, red strawberries. There are a few white blooms as well, bits of the spell's leftover magic that weren't strong enough to form brand new fruits.
"Tadaa!"
"Wow."
"Cool, right?" He plucks a strawberry and places it into Minho's awaiting palm. "Try one. I promise it's not as bad as my cooking."
"We'll see," he says. Jisung nudges him with his shoulder.
Minho brings the strawberry to his mouth, and Jisung forces his eyes to focus elsewhere. Otherwise, he fears that he'll be caught staring at his lips. Instead, he plucks a strawberry for himself too, holding it by the stem and taking a big bite.
"Good?"
Minho nods eagerly. "Really good."
"Do you want to snack on some strawberries, then?"
"Aren't these supposed to be for your friend?" He asks.
"I can make some more." Jisung shrugs. "I also have some milk chocolate left. We can melt it and dip the strawberries in it."
"Alright."
So they head back inside, and Jisung shows Minho his way around the kitchen. He entrusts him with melting the chocolate using a so-called "Ben-Mary" method – which requires a pot of boiling water for whatever reason, while he picks some strawberries. He comes back a few minutes later with his bowl filled to the brim, just in time for the last chunks to have melted down completely.
They take turns dipping the strawberries in the chocolate, and despite his most honest attempts, Jisung ends up dropping more than half of them in.
"More chocolate never hurt anybody!" He tells Minho in his defence.
"Maybe, but it's late. You're not going to be able to fall asleep."
"I don't sleep anyway."
"Jisung-ah."
"Fine, fine. We'll only eat some of them, is that better?"
They decide to let the chocolate harden a little bit before they eat them. Jisung falls back on the couch, grabbing the remote and flipping through his streaming service. The cushion dips next to him when Minho joins him.
"Do you want to put on a movie? I really like the Studio Ghibli ones, if you'd like to check them out-"
"Tell me the truth, Jisung."
"What?"
Minho has his hands intertwined in his lap, fidgeting with the hem of his cardigan. "Why did you decide to invite me over to your place? Did you not want to be seen with me?"
Jisung sputters. "W-Why would I-?"
"Come on, I've heard the town gossip. I'm not deaf." Minho rolls his eyes, then casts his gaze downwards. "I'm weird. That's what this town thinks. I just… I believed you were different."
"Hyung, no." He frantically reaches out to grab both of Minho's hands, aching to steal the anxious tremor from them. Jisung can't have him thinking this way. He might not know him that well yet, but it's obvious that there is so much more to Minho than what first meets the eye.
Jisung wants to find out more about him, wants to find out all there is to know.
"I didn't mean anything bad by inviting you here. I'm just more of an indoors person – I always have been, and I thought that- that it'd be nice to treat you to a meal I made myself. Nevermind the fact that that failed miserably." He chuckles to himself. "I figured that you could go to whatever restaurant you liked on your own, so I wanted this to be special."
"You… You don't think I'm weird?" Minho blinks up at him.
Jisung smiles, squeezes his hands in his own. "I like weird, hyung. It's who you are."
He remains the sole focus of Minho's blank stare for a few more seconds, and then the other looks away. This time, Jisung knows exactly where to look; Minho's silver hair does a horrible job at hiding his flushed ears. In fact, it only makes them all the more obvious, serving as the perfect backdrop.
"That's good to know, I guess," Minho mutters, and Jisung's smile widens.
"What about me?"
"What about you?"
Jisung pouts. "Yah. What do you think about me?"
Minho lets his eyes rake over his form. "You're normal."
"What?!" He exclaims. "That's all you have to say? Are you calling me boring?!"
Except, he didn't have to react like that. Because then Minho smiles, bunny teeth on full display, and speaks with the softest tone Jisung has heard yet.
"Well, lucky for you, Han Jisung, I like normal."
Jisung feels his face heating up way faster than it should be humanly possible. Maybe he can make it his personal goal to make Minho smile as much as he can. He believes it to be an honorable endeavor.
Out of nowhere, there's something soft brushing against his leg. However, when he looks down, he sees nothing.
"What was that?"
"Huh. Dori-yah must be opening up to you," Minho says.
A strange sense of pride fills him, staring at the empty spot on the carpet. Yeah, an honorable endeavor indeed.
-
"J-Jisung-"
"Hm?"
"Please, I didn't flip the sign yet-"
"No one is going to come, hyung. It's late," Jisung mutters against the column of Minho's neck, thumbs kneading into his biceps. He presses kisses all over, not pausing his ministrations even as he adds, "Soondoongdori interrupted us last night."
Minho, despite his protests, tilts his head further back, exposing more skin to Jisung. It's contradictory, but exactly what Jisung likes to see. "They wanted to cuddle."
"Well, yeah, and I wanted to share a passionate night with my boyfriend. I'm just taking what was promised to me."
"I never promised- mmh!"
Jisung smirks at the sound, licking up the spot he'd just bitten. "I don't know, it sure sounded like you did when you pinned me to the bed last night, hyung."
Thud!
Shit. Jisung knows that sound; he knows it too well. That's the door slamming open.
Both of them freeze, their heads snapping to the entrance.
"Oh, gosh! Excuse me-!"
"I-It's fine!" Minho pushes Jisung away and sends him stumbling, wiping his lips with the back of his hand. "We're sorry, you can come inside!"
The lady who just entered waves a hand in the air in a dismissive gesture and clutches her bag closer to her chest. "Don't worry! I'll uhm, stop by tomorrow!" She yells over her shoulder. She's gone as fast as she appeared.
For the next minute, they both just… stand there.
Jisung breaks the silence first.
"So, how much time do you think it will take for the rumours to spread?"
"Less than a day." Minho shakes his head. "You're infected now. Everyone is going to think you're as weird as me."
Jisung gives him a sweet smile, closing the distance between them once more to brush their noses together. "I thought you liked normal, though?"
Minho mirrors his expression, wrapping his arms around his neck. "I like anything if it's with you." He pulls Jisung in for another sweet, tantalising kiss. "Let me flip the sign so we don't get interrupted again."
He reluctantly lets Minho go, flopping down on the desk chair. His eyes flicker over to the ginger cat nuzzling against his feet.
"Soonie-yah, remind me to fix that spell for hyung."