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The front door clicked open just after seven.
Minho stepped inside, placing down the grocery bag and unzipping his coat.
“Sung?” He called down the hallway.
He waited. No response.
The silence filled only by the soft rain tapping against the windows.
That was strange, normally he would’ve yelled something in response.
He picked the bag back up, walking further into their apartment.
“Jisung?”
Only this time did a tiny voice answer from the living room.
“Yeah, I’m here.”
Minho walked in, he found Jisung curled up into the corner of the sofa, a blanket draped over him. He was gripping his phone tight, staring at it before turning it off, then picking it up again. Minho watched him do this over and over.
He looked up. “Hey hyung.”
“Hey.”
Jisung went straight back to his phone, his knee bouncing under the blanket.
Minho stopped, placing everything down on the counter. Something wasn’t right.
“You okay sungie?”
“Yes.” He responds, quickly, almost automatic. He thinks, glancing at Minho again.
“I mean, I don’t know..”
Minho knew then. Something was wrong.
He walked over slowly, sitting down with only a little space between them.
“Is there something worrying you?”
He opened his mouth.
“I-“
He stopped.
He knew there was something. He could feel it sitting in his chest, he could feel it in the way everything felt unreal. But when he tried to put it into words, nothing came out.
“It’s just-“
He sighed.
“I don’t know.”
“That’s alright.”
“No, I do.”
Jisung rubbed his palms across his trousers.
“I mean, I’m supposed to go to lunch with my work team tomorrow, and there’s a bunch of messages I haven’t answered, and I feel like I’m forgetting something, but I don’t know what, and it’s just-“
He cuts himself off again, playing with the sleeve of his hoodie.
“That doesn’t make sense does it.”
“It makes sense.”
“No, it doesn’t. Nothing does.”
He let out a frustrated breath, putting his face into his hands.
“I can’t even explain it properly.”
“You don’t have to.”
“But I should be able to.” His voice cracked slightly.
“Nothings even happened, I have no reason to feel like this, so why can’t I just calm down, why do I-“
He stops himself once again. Looking up at Minho.
“I’m sorry.”
“Sung.”
He places his hand on Jisung’s thigh.
“You don’t have to make it make sense for me.”
Jisung stared up at him, his eyes beginning to sting.
“I don’t know why I’m like this.” His voice was quieter now.
Minho’s thumb moved gently against his leg.
“And you don’t have to understand it today.”
“But I-“
“Sung.”
This time Minho stopped him.
He lifted his eyes up.
“You don’t have to solve everything tonight.”
“I feel like I should.”
“I know.”
Something in the way Minho said it made him overwhelmed with guilt.
“I’m sorry.” His eyes drifted back to his lap, he couldn’t bring himself to look him in the eye.
“Why jisungie? You have nothing to apologise for.”
“You just got home and I’m already,” he gestured at himself. “acting like this.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know.” He frowned.
“Exactly.” He gave Jisung’s leg a small squeeze. “Your having a bad evening, that’s all.”
He watched Minho’s hand, not sure where else to look.
“I’m sorry.”
“Stop apologising.”
He gave a small, embarrassed smile.
“Okay.”
Minho raised an eyebrow.
Jisung let out a tiny laugh.
“Alright I get it I’ll stop.”
“That’s better.”
For a few minutes, neither of them spoke. The rain continued against the windows.
Jisung’s breathing slowed, even by just a little.
“Have you eaten anything since you got home?” Minho asked, breaking the silence.
“No, I’m not hungry.”
“Alright. I’m just going to the kitchen, wait here okay?” He pushed himself off the sofa, making his way out.
Jisung watched the door until he came back.
When he did, he was holding something.
He placed the box of almond pepero onto the table in front of them. Not mentioning it.
He glanced at Minho, who shuffled right back to where he was on the sofa. A tiny bit closer to Jisung than before actually.
“Hyung, I told you I’m not hungry.”
“That’s okay, you don’t have to eat them.” He replied, turning the tv on.
“Do you want to watch howls moving castle?”
“I- yeah okay.”
That was Jisung’s favourite movie. Minho knew that, he also knew that it helped take Jisung’s mind off things. Which is why he didn’t mind putting it on, even if they had watched it over 20 times.
When the movie started, Jisung’s kept stealing quick glances at his phone, before picking it up and checking it.
“Did someone message?” Minho asks, keeping his eyes on the tv screen.
“I don’t know.”
There were no new messages.
He stared anyways, placing it back down after a few seconds.
But his hand shifted over a minute later, picking it up and unlocking it again.
“Are you looking for something sungie?”
“I.. don’t know.”
He didn’t take it, didn’t even force it. Just held his hand out. Jisung hesitated before placing the phone in Minho’s palm. He moved it over to the armrest so neither of them would worry about it.
Silence filled the room again and they both watched the movie, Jisung placed his head on Minho’s shoulder, a lot less tense now, his hand only resting on his hoodie sleeve instead of pulling at it.
“Hyung..?” He asked not looking up.
“Yeah?”
“Can you.. stay here with me?”
Minho didn’t understand at first, he wasn’t getting up or going anywhere, so why was he asking?
“Of course sung, whatever you need.”
“Thank you.” He buried his head further into Minho’s shoulder.
Minho didn’t mention it.
He simply shifted underneath him, making jisung more comfortable against his side. Pulling the blanket a little higher around his shoulders.
The movie continued as they watched in silence.
And for the first time that night, Jisung wasn’t thinking about how to deal with tomorrow, or how he was going to respond to all the messages.
He was just there.
Watching his favourite movie.
With his favourite person.
And that was enough.
Eventually, his hand reached over to the box of Pepero. Taking one out and eating it absent-mindedly, probably too focused on the movie to notice.
Minho noticed, he smiled but didn’t say anything as Jisung reached for the box again.
By the time the ending credits started playing, the whole box was gone, and Jisung still hadn’t realised.
“I see you enjoyed the Peperos then did you?” Minho asked smirking.
“I didn’t even-“ he looked down at the now empty box. “Oh.”
He smiles up at him.
Before they could speak again, Jisung’s phone buzzed against the armrest.
His smile dropped.
His eyes immediately flicked towards it.
Minho watched.
Jisung didn’t reach for it this time.
The phone buzzed again.
He swallowed.
“It’s probably nothing,” he mumbled.
“Probably.”
Jisung looked at him.
“What if it’s important?”
Minho shrugged.
“Then it’ll still be important in five minutes.”
He stared at the phone for a moment longer.
Then he leaned back against Minho’s shoulder.
“Five minutes?”
“Five minutes.”
A few minutes passed, the credits still scrolling on the screen.
Jisung took a deep breath.
“You know.. Hyung. I’m probably going to end up like this again.”
Minho didn’t act like he wouldn’t.
“Yeah, maybe you will,” Jisung glanced up. “And if you do, we’ll deal with it then. But right now, everything’s alright.”
He nods.
“Can I ask you something, Minho?”
“What’s up?”
“If this, happens again..”
he hesitates.
“Will you stay with me?”
“Of course I will, you don’t have to ask.”
#
The rain tapped at the windows like it had all evening, Jisung’s breathing had evened out against his shoulder, his fingers loosely curled into the fabric of Minho’s sleeve.
Nothing had been fixed.
Tomorrow would still come. There would still be messages waiting for him, a lunch he had been worrying about, and perhaps another evening where his thoughts became too loud again.
But tonight, he wasn’t alone.
Minho pulled the blanket a little higher and settled back against the sofa.
He stayed.