Archive of Our Own

Han Jisung was lying on the couch, staring at the ceiling while his friend, and roommate, Felix was video gaming on the console, sitting directly on the floor.

“I don’t want to go,” he whined loudly.

“Mate, there is no way you can skip work.”

“Why? I can call in sick.”

“Aren’t you already short for this month rent?”

Jisung groaned because Felix had a point. He was short of money. Even if he was only eating ramen until the end of the month, he would merely have enough to pay. He didn’t need to do huge calculations to know skipping one day would put him in a disastrous situation. He had to work to win money. But…

“Is it about your crush again?”

“I have no crush on him!” 

He defended himself maybe way too hard. Or maybe giving out too much information. He definitely had a crush on his colleague. Which was also clearly one-sided.

“If you say so.”

Felix didn’t believe him but Jisung couldn’t admit his feelings out loud. He was too embarrassed to feel anything for the guy who merely says ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ to him. On the best days, he would get a ‘thank you’ if he was able to get close to him and help him. Other than that, Jisung’s colleague would avoid him at all cost. His other colleagues tried to convince him otherwise but Jisung saw with his own eyes the avoidance. At one point, he thought he hated him, as he never talked to him, never smiled at him, not even a polite one. He was blank. So no, he wouldn’t confide in Felix about his crush. What would be the point? He had no chance, why would he embarrassed himself?

He sighed before getting up. One last glance to his friend and he bid him goodbye before heading out.

“Oh Jisung, don’t forget the umbrella, I saw online that the weather will not be good tonight.”

He thanked Felix and left. Adding to the night shift at the cafe, now he was surely getting wet and drenched and tired before even starting to work. When he had to spend the next five hours alone with his crush. And the customers. Not that they were a lot of customers on a Sunday evening, which it was why there were only the two of them for this night shift.

It was going to be a very long evening.

-

Felix had underestimated the forecast news he saw. ‘Will not be good’ was an understatement. It was almost a little storm going on, the wind was blowing hard and cold on his face, making the rain found a way to whip his face, drenching him almost down to his underwear. Luckily, his uniform was safely dry in his closet at work, at least, one part of the universe was good to him.

He took his shift smoothly, happy to get out of his wet clothes and getting in the dry ones. Brown pant, light beige shirt and a black apron above everything. Standard uniform. He took a deep breath, trying to relax before entering the main room. Where, of course, his crush was already present. Because Lee Minho was never late. Always early. Always helping their co-workers from the previous shift to end their service. He wished he could hate him for that, it would help him to get his things together. But no, his silly brain thought that was nice. Kind. Hot. He never took himself for someone who would find kindness exciting. But here he was, unable to stop his heart to beat faster whenever his hyung would gladly and quickly help one of their coworkers, of their customers. Even Jisung, on rare occasion, everything silently. With Jisung, Minho was always silent. It was not that he was loud with everyone else, he seemed to be someone of very few words but at least, he talked to them.

“Hi hyung,” he waved at him when he reached the counter where Minho was already cleaning the top.

“Hi.”

One word, one quick glance, no smile. One second and Jisung watched him drop down his head, focusing on the counter again. Jisung learned the hard way that trying to get more from him was a waste of time and effort. That didn’t prevent the usual pinch of his heart, feeling hurt by how little he was considered by the man he felt things for.

“Jisung-ah, here you are!”

He turned to their manager, Aerin-ssi, and smiled at her. She was good to him, had been a good mentor and was always smiling to everyone. He bowed to her and before he even greeted her back, she started talking again to both of them:

“So, one of you will need to clean the tables 13 to 15, a group of teenagers just left, they were a little bit disruptive, so take care of it, okay?”

They both nodded.

“So far, there is nothing damaged, or not working, so you should be good for the evening. Don’t forget to close everything, to shutdown all the lights and turned off all the machines.”

They nodded again, they knew all that but she always repeated the instructions. Jisung’s mind was starting to be bored, making him loose his focus. He, mentally, shook his head to push away any unwanted thoughts, trying to focus back on Aerin-ssi’s voice.

“Oh I forgot, be careful on your way back? I don’t think neither the rain or the wind will go down before your shift ends. I don’t want any of you to be drowning or flying in the night. Take care of you?”

“Yes sunbae-nim, don’t worry,” Jisung smiled to reassure her.

“We won’t take any risk,” Minho added.

Jisung had to fight to keep his deep content sigh for hearing more than one word from this man. He was also very (too much) fond of his voice. It was melodic and soft. Even when he was angry, which happened rarely but it did happened once or twice, it was a sound Jisung could listen to all day long. So was his chuckles and his laugh. A treasure Jisung witnessed from afar, never in full volume. He- He should stop daydreaming and start working.

Five minutes later, the cafe was empty except for Jisung and Minho. The only sounds he could hear was the background music and his shoes on the tiles while he was cleaning the three tables Aerin-ssi was talking earlier. When they all left, leaving them alone, he took the excuse to put some distance before he did something he would regret. Like talking too much. He was conscious of his crush, he was also conscious on how his embarrassing feelings would make him ramble too much and how he would annoy Minho. Distance it was.

But it was not a lasting solution because after fifteen minutes of meticulous cleaning, the tables were shining under the bright lights, the tiles were fully white again and there were no more crusts on the couches and chairs. He had nothing to do anymore on this side of the cafe.

He looked over the counter where Minho was busy to put in order all the coffee seeds they were selling. He laughed quietly, if he was at this kind of tasks, their shift were definitely going to feel longer than usual. Especially since they didn’t see any new customer since the start of it.

He looked outside, where the rain was still heavily falling. The visibility was really low. Lower even than when he got here. The whirlwind were concerning. He could see the way it was impacting on the rain, on the drops of rain, like drawing something out of nothing but air. He still had enough time before he had to head outside, everything could calm down until then, but the uneasiness from the possibility of it not calming down still held a weighty presence in his mind, nervously twisting his guts.

It had to calm down. It would.

He tried to convinced himself.

-

The silence was driving him crazy. He needed to talk. He needed to stop looking outside the windows. It had been two hours and nothing changed outside. Nothing. Except, if he faced the truth, that it had worsened. That he was starting to get scared. How was he supposed to walk almost thirty minutes outside to get home when he couldn’t see two meters away outside and the wind was so violent that the rain was whipping against the windows? He couldn’t calm down, he was way past this possibility.

He was wondering how Minho could be still serene? He finally stopped doing chores, ordering things and had taken his phone out, leaning over the counter, the phone still hidden for any customer who would enter. As if someone would be this crazy to be out in this hell. Jisung tried to use his phone but he couldn’t focus, his eyes kept looking up at the weather outside, thinking of everything that could end badly when he would ultimately stepped out. His stomach was now a mess, it was hurting, he was too hot and he was shaking. He couldn’t stop his feet to tap on the floor, it brought him a (too) little relief to even try. So he had nothing to do but to let his brain took every scenario, each one worse than the previous one, and showed him how it would go bad for him.

If only he could talk to Minho. Maybe his crush could be of use this time. He would be so focus on him, on the way he would talk to him, on how pretty his face was, on how soft his voice was, even maybe how cute his smile would be if he managed to get one from him, the very first one… He shook his head, just for himself, because none of those things were going to happen. There-

Both of their phones rang at one second from each other. Jisung took his from the counter top and looked at the new message. And read it again. And again. No, that was not true. That-

“Shit.”

He jumped at Minho swearing. He looked and saw him glaring at his phone, shaking his head.

“What?”

Minho jumped too, startled by the silence being broken.

“You received it too didn’t you?”

Jisung didn’t move or talk or even breath. Six words. Minho said six words to him, directly, even looking at him.

“You did not?”

Jisung woke up from his staring and looked down at his phone where the text message was still displayed:

‘Security alert: Seoul city hall has declared safety measures for the whole city: strict lockdown due to the increased strength of the storm. Seoul habitants are asked to stay indoors, remain where you currently are. Do not venture out. Call emergency only for urgent matter.’

They were struck in the cafe for the night. At least.

They were struck together in the cafe.

They were struck alone.

And then, the electricity went out.

-

Jisung curled up immediately, his breathing getting heavy and erratic. There was no way he would make it alive by the next morning. This was too much. This was more than he could handle. How was he-

“Hey, are you okay?”

His head snapped to Minho, right next to him, clearly concerned. He was close. He had never been this close since they started working together.

“We’re going to die.”

He didn’t know why he said that or how he could use his voice when he was feeling like everything inside his body was going into failure.

“Just a storm.”

Then Minho got up and walked away. Jisung blinked, worrying he just had imagined the interaction. Would his mind trick him like that? Had the cafe been erased by the storm and he was actually dead and weirdly dreaming? Then, he heard footsteps and Minho came back and put a glass of something on the counter next to him.

“Drink,” he said softly before putting again some distance between them.

Some distance switched to meters when Minho reached for the front door and locked it and headed to sit on the couch Jisung cleaned up early on his shift.

Jisung took the glass, smelled the liquid before drinking it when he discovered it was only water. He was thankful for how good it felt when it went down his throat.

He looked over, watching how Minho was already lying on the couch, the brightness of his phone’s screen lighting his face with a blueish color.

The night was going to be very long.

Jisung sneered. If he didn’t take into account the hell raging outside, this was the best opportunity ever to create some connection with his crush. They were alone. No one would interrupt them.

Except…

Minho didn’t seem to want that. He made it obvious by choosing the farthest spot in the building.

Jisung tried not to let the feeling hurt him, it was just a crush after all. His feelings were not deep at all, so why would he really care about his behavior?

Right?

His eyes stang, he blinked away whatever was forming. It was nothing. Maybe, if he told it himself enough, he would really think it.

-

He had texted Felix before the network failed too. It helped him to hide his anxiety away. But now he had nothing to do other than think about it, he was again going crazy. Restless. Anxious. Nervous.

When he looked at Minho, he was still lying on the couch, still playing on his phone despite the loss of communication. He was lucky because Jisung completely relied on Internet, without it, nothing on his phone was working.

-

“Hyung, why do you hate me this much?”

His voice, a little bit unsteady and harsh, broke the melody of the rain and the wind. He waited, not daring to raise his head and see Minho’s face. His anxiety won the war. He needed to be connected to someone. Especially if it was the man who he was crushing on. If he could beat his brain without being hurt, he would do it with so much joy.

When seconds passed and turned into minutes, he knew he would get no answer. Or maybe it was an answer itself? It-

“I don’t hate you.”

He almost didn’t hear him, it was whispered. It made Jisung sneered and grew confidence. He hated to be lied to. Yes he could be sensitive. Yes he could be easily hurt. Yes he was weak and not just look like it. But he was enough a grown man to still be able to handle this kind of thing. With time and a lot of thoughts, and cries, and hyperventilating. But he was strong enough.

“Don’t lie to me,” he groaned. “I, it’s not a big deal. It happens. I, I just don’t understand what I did to make you hate me so much. You can’t even talk to me. Even for work thing related.”

Even now he wanted to add but keep it to himself.

They were stuck, Minho had nowhere to flee. He could still remain silent and wait until morning. If the storm calmed down by that time. Another stone of stress weighed on his stomach. If this conversation went bad, being more than one night together would be a living nightmare for Jisung.

He heard movements but still didn’t want to raise his head, his eyes only focusing on how his hands were playing with a pen. The footsteps went closer and closer until it stopped at the end of the counter, five meters away. Jisung smiled sadly, still so far.

“Han Jisung, I don’t hate you.”

Minho’s voice brought a feeling he couldn’t decipher correctly. Was it exasperation? Hurt? He would maybe know if he looked at least once but all his courage went off when he started the conversation. Now he could just endure it.

He shook his head in reaction of Minho’s statement.

“Why would you even think that?” Minho asked and this time he knew it was disbelief.

Which made him snapped his head up, two big round eyes looking through the obscurity at his hyung who seemed lost. How could he be lost when all he did for the last eight months they were working together was to avoid him and not talk to him? It made something short-circuit in his brain because he snapped. Badly.

“Why? Seriously hyung? Are you really asking me? You don’t have any idea at all?”

“I… wouldn’t ask. I thought we were… good?”

“Good? Good? How?” He gave a forced laugh. “Hyung, you barely say anything more than good morning or goodbye to me.”

Minho blinked several times, silent. He could see it because his phone suddenly lighted up.

“It doesn’t mean I’m not in good terms with you? Or that I hate you?”

“Of course it d-”

Jisung stopped himself mid sentence. Wait. He wasn’t wrong. Not being overly friendly wasn’t a sign of hatred or anything related. It was just a sign of indifference. And it was way worse than hatred. Indifference meant Minho didn’t even consider Jisung worth something for him. He did not need to waste time by talking to him more than the polite usage required. It was worse because when hatred meant there was some feelings, even negative ones, indifference meant there was no feelings involved. His utopia of being an enemies-to-lovers trope was all it was: an utopia. Indifference meant there was nothing.

If he didn’t feel anesthetized by the cold, he would have reacted somehow. But his brain went frozen, his body numb. Here, his love, because now he didn’t need to hide his true feelings, was being trumped over. Killed to void.

“Okay,” he managed to say without breaking.

He took his phone, walked around the counter on the opposite side of where his hyung was and headed  to the farthest sit from the counter. And the couch Minho chose earlier.

At least, now he had no more excuses not to move on.

-

When his feelings became too heavy to handle, he curled himself into a ball, bracing his body as tight as he could. It wasn’t enough to prevent tears from forming into his eyes. He couldn’t cry here. It had been so long since the last time and tonight, it was already the second time he was threatened to loose it. The outside hell was clearly not helping as it grew again stronger than before. Sometimes a thought of the big window walls exploding due to the storm went through his head. Before, it startled him, scared the hell out of him. Now, he almost could welcomed it. At least, he wouldn’t have to hear Minho’s movement, without being able to know what he was doing. He didn’t get back to his couch.

“I’m gay.”

Jisung jumped, kicking the table with his feet and let out a groaning sound of hurt.

“Uh?”

He dared to look at Minho’s serious and worried face. Why did he tell him that?

“I’m gay,” he repeated like it was enough.

“And?”

Minho’s face twisted visibly in pain, like Jisung should know what was lying under his statement. But he had no clue, really none.

“You’re… don’t make me say it, please.”

Jisung’s eyes widened when he heard the deep pleading in his hyung’s voice. That was a sound he had never heard until now, it was unnerving, to say the least.

“I’m sorry hyung, I just,” he said nervously, stuttering a little on his words, “I just don’t understand…”

“You’re homophobic. And I’m… gay.”

“I’m… Excuse me?!”

Him? Homophobic?

“That’s why I kept my distance with you. I didn’t want to put both of us in an uncomfortable place. You are nice and kind. Well, outside of that.”

Jisung was at loss of words. Never in his life he would have thought that someone would take him for homophobic. He was bisexual! How on earth would he hate himself? His best friend was gay.

“So… I don’t hate you,” Minho talked again softly. “I just hope we can still work together. Since you know now.”

Jisung didn’t say anything, he was only able to listen and being submerged by thoughts and thoughts. In front of him, he watched Minho’s face fell down. He turned his wheels soon after and went to his side of the cafe. Now, Jisung could breathe again, think again. The number of words exchanged were not big but it seemed his brain couldn’t process them altogether synchronously. Minho thought he was homophobic? And, instead of confronting him and making them unable to work together, he took it on himself and did what he thought was necessary. That was kind. Selfless. He thought Jisung would hate him if he knew his sexual orientation and was still considerate toward him? How on earth such man existed? 

Jisung winced realizing something else.

If his hyung would have been less nice, they wouldn’t have dragged this mess for this long. If he had confronted him since the beginning, he would have learn that he was not homophobic, quite the opposite actually! Would they have talk more? What a question, of course they would have talked more. They barely exchanged words until now. If Minho had seen him as a simple colleague like the other employees, he would have behaved the same and they would have communicated, talked, maybe even laughed together.

Minho’s niceness digged a gap between them, preventing them of something.

“What made you think I was homophobic?”

His question surprised his hyung, surely he had thought the conversation was over. It was far from it. Jisung usually was introverted, had a hard time to initiate conversations. But sometimes, a switch in him turned on and he could be brave, he could express his thoughts.

He watched as Minho sighed, not intended to be witness but he catched it anyway.

“I heard you, back when you started working here.”

“What did you hear?”

Minho got back on his feet and walked toward him like he gave Jisung no mean of escaping. This was the duality of Lee Minho. Soft but resolute. That’s what he liked about him. One of the many things. He chuckled bitterly in his mind. He was pining after him when Minho was thinking he would be disgusting by him.

“Some guy hit on you. You rejected him and after he left, you said to Inna-unnie ‘I can’t stand people like that’.”

Jisung tried to remember the moment but it was almost eight months ago, so much guys had hit on him since then.

“I don’t care you know?” Minho stated like nothing was going on in Jisung’s head. ”You have the right to think whatever you want. Unless you treat me like shit for that, I don’t care. You just ha-”

“I can’t stand people degrading me and calling it flirting with me,” Jisung interrupted when the memory hit him finally.

That time, the guy just saw a shorter gay man, with a soft face and maybe no virile alpha male mannerism and thought that calling him some princess slut bullshit would allow him a free pass into his bed. He felt disgusted of himself when he had nothing to be ashamed of. He never played in his game or anything which would call for that.

The shock on Minho’s face was funny and hurtful. He had been a victim in the story and ended up like a villain for Minho. Someone he had to keep his distance from, when he was the one who had ben hurt.

“I’m sorry. I, oh my god. I.” Minho stuttered, unable to keep his gaze.

He turned his back, still muttering.

“Hey,” Jisung got up and grabbed Minho’s wrist to force him to look back at him. “It’s not-” No he couldn’t say it was nothing when it was something. “Why didn’t you ask me?”

Minho raised his eyebrows like Jisung’s question was wrong.

“Hey Han Jisung, do you hate gay men? Should I have ask that?”

“Don’t play that game with me,” Jisung snapped, “there was plenty of way and times when you could have ask.”

His hyung opened his mouth but closed it before shaking his head.

“What?” Jisung asked exasperated. “I wasn’t that important for you to bother to ask? Having a normal relation with me, like you have with everyone else, was not something you wanted so you didn’t bother? Am I that unimportant?”

He shut his mouth with his hand when he noticed how much he had said and how much of it he didn’t want Minho to know. His mouth had run faster than his brain. Stupid mouth!

“I, what?”

It was Jisung’s turn to shake his head and move backward. Finally, it didn’t matter whether Minho thought he was homophobic or not, either way he was not enough for him to want a link between them.

“I’m not homophobic hyung. Actually, I’m bi if you need a proof. So you don’t have to… avoid me or anything. Don’t feel guilty for misjudging me, it doesn’t, I don’t care okay? It’s nothing.” He was lying but it was better than to say he was in pain, his feelings were his own to suffer from. “Don’t worry.”

He intended to go back to the couch he chose but it was only two meters away from his hyung, not far enough. So he headed toward the counter, like he needed the physical furniture between them.

“Fuck,” Minho swore in his back. He cleared his throat when Jisung reached the counter. “You’re not unimportant Han Jisung. I wanted to- But- It was easier to think I never had a chance than being rejected.”

“Wh-what?”

He was looking at his hyung like he was an alien on earth. Did he heard him well? Did he imagined everything? He had to, there was no way Minho would want him. His hyung kept his gaze up but stayed where Jisung left him.

“You heard me Jisung-ah.” His tone changed to something firmer.

Jisung watched him, studied him. The softness was still there but something else also was. Something he never witnessed before.

“Why would I have rejected you?”

Minho smiled. Or smirked? Jisung wasn’t sure anymore. This was a new side of his hyung he didn’t know of. 

“Because I’m gay and you’re you. You’re this nice, heartwarming, funny, hot guy who walked in this cafe like you felt you didn’t belong there but you actually did. Someone as bright as you, I don’t think there is a universe where I could catch your attention. So… easy way.”

“Are you crazy hyung? Did you hit your head when you were little?”

“Uh?”

“I’m hot? Have you seen yourself? You’re a walking fucking model! I even lost the count of how many times I found myself drooling over you at work! And that I had to hide it because I thought you hated me! And catching my attention? Damn hyung, my roommate even knows about your existence and calls you my crush. Bull- Oh.”

Did he just said he had a crush? And that he drooled over him?

Minho was frozen in his spot. Mirroring his widened expression. Could he take back what he just said? He talked too much. They were just talking about attraction, not feelings. Panic started to run all over his blood system. It was too much. He was too much. He couldn’t even stayed on the same level and-

“I like you Han Jisung,” Minho talked as a thunderbolt lighted behind him, “you’re not the only one.” His face was soft as was his smile. “Or am I reading this wrong?”

Jisung couldn’t voice his answer so he shook his head, maybe with a little too much energy. Minho’s smile widened, a complete contrast with the torrential rain behind him. Actually, it was quite the image. The fear he felt earlier of the elements outside had disappeared to let him appreciate its beauty enhancing Minho’s one. It was like the image of a god. He was- His thought didn’t go further because his hyung finally moved. Slowly. Toward him. Jisung closed his hand into fists. What was he going to do? He was watching him, until he reached the counter but he did not turn around it. He just leaned on it, his arms resting completely and he put his head on his hands, so close to Jisung that he could even count his eyelashes. His lungs weren’t working anymore. The air wasn’t getting in. He was close. Too close.

“So…,” Minho was still smiling but something in his eyes was different. “Would you go on a date with me?”

“Uh, uh,” was the only thing Jisung managed to say.

“Good.”

They kept looking at each other, the more the seconds passed, the more Jisung relaxed. Seeing this closely and being able to keep his gaze on his hyung’s figure was heaven. He could fully enjoyed it, didn’t have to hide it. And it seemed it was the same for Minho, he wasn’t hiding the way his eyes were taking in everything.

“Are you… no, forget.”

“What am I hyung?”

Minho chuckled at his needy voice.

“Are you the kind of guy who would wait for the first date to be kissed? Or you wouldn’t mind having a taste before?”

Jisung almost answered ‘yes’ instantly. Usually,  he was that kind of guy. He was romantic at heart and the whole romantic first date ending with a kiss like in kdramas was really appealing. With Minho, the waiting, the months of pining were pushing him to accept, to, like Minho said, taste it now. Not to wait. He was about to accept, the word was already on his tongue when his gaze catched the little twitched of his hyung’s mouth. He closed his own mouth and watched carefully. At first, his eyes could only catch the leaning in, the playfulness in his gaze, how his shoulders were loose. Minho wanted to kiss him. He discarded the warm feeling growing in him, he focused more on the part he overlooked before. Like his hands. They were both holding up his head, this was normal if he didn’t catch the way one of his fingers was clicking on his chin. It was almost hidden from his sight. He did catch it nevertheless. He knew what it meant, something was bothering Minho. Despite his want of skinship, something didn’t sit well with him. He was thankful for those long hours of observation on his work hours. His answer was easy to find now.

“Romantic through and through,” he smiled finally, “bring me on a date and maybe you’ll be lucky enough to kiss me.”

He didn’t know where this confidence came from but he was glad it appeared, especially when Minho completely relaxed, letting his hands fall on the counter, one of them close to his own. His smile grew wider.

A thunderous light startled him so much he jumped a little, lost his balance and spread on the counter, his arms kicking in Minho’s arms.

“Oh sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

But Minho took both of his arms to help him recover his balance, silencing him in the mean time. Minho touched him. Willingly. His gaze fell on the two spots where their bodies were linked, unable to process the reality of the moment. They never touched before, not this intently, not knowing things between them were evolving. It was too much to take in.

“Don’t worry, it was pretty loud this time. Why don’t we sit? This way you won’t fall.”

“Oh hyung, you don’t know me at all. I’m very capable of falling and hurting myself even if I’m already sat on the floor.”

His joke did hit like he intended because he was thanked by a melodic and soft laugh from Minho. He hid his smile while he walked around the counter and headed to Minho’s couch. The older man followed him and hesitated when they reached it. But Jisung, still in his abnormal self-confidence moment, saw it and acted immediately: he grabbed Minho’s wrist while he pushed himself back and forced him to sit on the same couch, right by his side.

Then, none of them talked. They were both looking at their hands on their knees. Jisung was searching in his brain for a subject to start but it was completely empty. He couldn’t find any interesting thing, or any that would interest him. Maybe they wore out their momentum? If he could do the calculation, he was sure the count of words exchanged tonight would far more than all the words exchanged until today. If that was true, he was doomed. How could they be dating if they couldn’t talk?

“You’re a dancer right?” He finally found a subject who was safe.

“Hmm,” Minho hummed softly.

“What kind of dance?” 

“Are you trying to do small talk?”

“Hyung,” he whined softly, embarrassed.

“It’s cute.”

Jisung’s body froze. Cute? Cute? 

“But to answer, I like hip hop. Actually, I’m trying to learn contemporary, if you know what it is.”

“I don’t.”

“Oh. Let me show you,” he quickly moved to take out his phone and searched on it until he froze, a finger levitating over the phone. “I forgot, there is no network.”

“Don’t worry, I can search for it tomorrow.”

But Minho shook his head, visibly upset by the difficulty. Then, he raised his head, smiling proudly.

“I can show you!”

He got on his feet, quickly moved some tables to empty a spot big enough for his taste. Jisung could only witness everything. He watched as Minho stretched a little bit, despite the brevity of the dance. Jisung liked his professional side. Soon enough, he reached the center of the new empty spot, closed his eyes and relaxed his whole body. Without music, his right arm still moved with grace and following an inaudible rhythm. It took only three moves and Jisung couldn’t look away. The beauty of the moves, the expression of his face, the music he couldn’t hear but still could feel in his body. Mesmerize was too weak to express how he felt. He couldn’t tell how much time had passed when Minho finally stopped, his breath quick and short.

“You were beautiful.”

But the compliment didn’t land as Jisung expected. Instead of a smile, of a proud expression, Minho deflated.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Minho shook his head to dismiss it.

Jisung got on his feet, preventing Minho from sitting down, from hiding himself from him.

“No, I said something you didn’t like. Why?”

“It’s nothing Jisung-ah.”

“Like I’m homophobic?”

He said it harsher than he intended when he saw Minho twitched. His hyung sighed, his eyes closed. Then, he opened them and looked right into his own.

“Do you like me only for my look?”

The direct question surprised Jisung, even if he asked for it.

“Of course not!”

But that was not enough, if he read Minho well.

“If I liked you only for your look, I wouldn’t keep dropping things each time I catch you smiling or laughing. I wouldn’t have craved for you to talk to me for more than a ‘hello’. I wouldn’t know about your three cats, Soonie, Doongie and Dori, right? I wouldn’t have taken an interest in cats because I wanted to be able to talk with you about them. I-”

He was silenced by a mouth crashing on his. His eyes widened. It was sudden, it was unexpected. It was nice. Minho’s lips were soft against his. Then, he felt again master of his own body, the sensation disappeared and he watched his hyung taking two steps back.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I didn’t want to but I, I don’t know, it’s just, I-”

He silenced him as he threw himself in his arms and put back his mouth against Minho’s, where it should always be. He didn’t intend to separate any day, never. Minho froze and, contrary to Jisung, got back into his body within a second. He wrapped his arms around the younger one’s waist and kissed him back. It felt marvelous. Best first kiss ever. If he had to trust the way his body was clearly enjoying all the feels.

“I tho-,” Minho tried to talk between two kisses but Jisung hunted down his lips again, “ought,” Another kiss. “You.” He opened a little bit his mouth.”Wan”. His tongue brushed over Minho’s lips. “Ted.” He needed sadly to breath. “To wait.”

This time, he couldn’t refrain the little laugh from emerging.

“You wanted to wait, that’s why I said no earlier.”

“I clearly asked you if I could kiss you.”

“When you clearly feared I was liking you only about your look. That’s why I said no.”

“You didn’t know.”

“Of course I didn’t know the exact reason but I could see your uneasiness. Give me that at least. I didn’t spend eight months spying on you for nothing.”

“You were spying on me?”

“Didn’t you?” Jisung whined a little.

Minho smirked. He was still not used to this, or to the way he liked it a little too much.

“Maybe.” He kissed him on his right cheek. “Maybe not.” He kissed his other cheek.

“Hyung!” He whined again.

The teasing was new but endearing. He liked it as much as it hated it. Minho leaned in again, brushing his lips against his, slowly, desperately slow. It was like every one of his nerve endings were triggered one after another. He took his time, Jisung kept shivering under the overwhelming sensation. Then, little by little, the pressure grew, steadying him. Every moves was deliberate, slow but firm. Jisung needed to rush into it, the flame igniting in his stomach was demanding but he wanted to enjoy the way Minho wanted to kiss him, wanted to share this moment with him. That didn’t mean he was passive, it was more of a follow the flow and propose new concepts. Like when he poked out his tongue to tease his hyung. He felt rather than he saw the smile drawing on Minho’s lips before responding by sucking on it. Oh, Minho was also a player and a teaser. He loved to discover this new information. It- Oh. Jisung’s brain short-circuited when Minho’s hand moved to his lower back, pushing him against his body, their kissed deepened to a new level as they got closer. Minho didn’t speed up, he kept his steady, slow, measured pace. Jisung’s legs barely managed to hold him up, that’s the effect of Minho kissing him.

Minutes passed, when they really broke the kiss it was only for natural reasons: sadly, human body couldn’t work well without proper level of oxygen. As Jisung raised his head to look properly at his hyung, he saw the same wide smile he had on his face.

A thunder rang out, illuminating the cafe with the brightest light they had since a few hours. They both jolted on their spot, tightening their grasp on the other. Then, the shadows took over again, both their chuckles breaking the silence of the rain dropping outside.

“Do you,” Jisung had to clear his throat, “do you think mother nature is for or against us?”

“I don’t really care,” Minho whispered, his hand landing on Jisung’s face to caress it.

“Hyung! Shhh! She’ll hear you!”

“And?”

“What if she’s vexed and maintains the storm on us?”

Minho chuckled. Jisung glared at him. What was it funny?

“Actually,” Minho leaned to whisper in Jisung’s ear, “that would be a great idea.”

He kissed softly on the skin right below his ears, where Jisung discovered it was a very sensible spot when he quirked, almost whimpered at the sensation.

“Locked in here, alone together.”

He kissed him again, lower again, just before his shirt hiding his skin.

“Would that be really bad?”

Jisung was entranced. There was no other word. That felt good, great, exceptional. He loved the way Minho was touching him, the way his own body answered to his touch, the way Minho’s body shivered under his own hand mapping his back, and lower back. They enjoyed each other, lightly, deeply. Until, like they were already synchronised, they both took a step back at the same time. They smiled at each other and Jisung was the one to voice it:

“Let’s rest, okay?”

Minho nodded, taking another step back to put a little bit of distance between them, not without grabbing his hand, intertwining their fingers, and headed to the couch, where they sat side by side.

-

The storm hit for another couple of hours, way after their shift should have ended. They were unaware of the time, they kept on talking and talking and kissing and laughing and enjoying for the first time the presence of the other. With time, Jisung even forgot the threat outside of the building, Minho’s kisses were greatly helping in making his brain melting into nothing.

When they noticed the rain was not heavy anymore, they couldn’t determine for how long it had been the case. They laughed at their foolishness. When the network got back up, they had to reassure their family and their manager of their well-being. They could now leave the cafe, the electricity was back again and they could close and lock everything down.

Jisung was waiting behind Minho who took the charge of closing. He was biting his bottom lip and he couldn’t help but jump from one foot to another. The dread fell unexpectedly on his stomach when he crossed the cafe exit. They were in a bubble until then. Nothing else mattered except them, their feelings and their bodies. But now, they were in the world, they had families, they had friends, they had their lives. How what they had been doing during the night would continue in the outside world? How did they not talk about that? What did they talk about during all those hours? How could he know what was Minho’s favorite song and movie and anime but not what they were? What are-

“Are you free tonight?”

Jisung scared-cat-jumped, eyes widened on Minho. Who softly laughed at him.

“Uh?”

“For our first date?” He said casually, like Jisung wasn’t spiralling just a second ago.

Then, Jisung catched the little uneasiness in Minho’s posture, completely at the opposite of what his face was showing. Jisung was not the only one to wonder where they were left. Somehow, it eased his heart and left him confident in their relationship. He maybe was the one to spiral down easily but Minho would be the one to indicate the right direction, allowing Jisung to step up and actually make them heading toward that direction. The perfect match.

“Won’t you be too tired?”

They just did an all-nighter, just thinking about their day was making Jisung already exhausted.

“Well, maybe.” He smiled, took a step to reduce the gap between them and grabbed his chin before kissing him softly. “You’ll have to entertain me Jisungie.”

Minho let his hand fall down, took Jisung’s hand and intertwined their fingers before walking down the street.

“I’ll walk you back,” he simply said, leaving Jisung no space to refuse.

So he walked with him, not even trying to hide his smile. Which was mirrored on his hyung. He lifted their linked arms and kissed Minho’s hand, playfully. Minho stopped and Jisung watched him look around, like he was searching for something. He didn’t have to wait long before being moved, too easily for his own taste, behind a bus shelter and he felt at the same time the wall hitting his back and soft lips crashing on his mouth. He leaned, melted in it, relishing in the feeling. He would never be tired of it, this was a certainty he felt deep in his body. Slowly, the kiss grew tender and evolved in little peck like Minho, or Jisung, couldn’t get enough, couldn’t let go of the other, there always was a last one. And another. And another.

They both chuckled when they finally managed to separate, but not too much, just enough to breath and still be in their bubble. It felt intimate. Whether their relationship just had a few hours, the natural bond they formed, the natural intimacy and connection they shared was there and they would be a fool to discard it, not to relish in it.

“Maybe,” Minho whispered, breathless, “we should stop kissing before our first date?”

“Why?” Jisung whined shamelessly.

“It…,” Minho laughed like he was drunk, “actually, I don’t know. Maybe, I don’t know, to give you the romantic first date?”

“How…?”

Minho shrugged lazily, Jisung wasn’t blind, he knew this move.

“Hyung…”, his voice dropped one tone.

“Once I heard you say that you loved romance. Romantic gesture and… stuff.”

Shocked was way beyond how Jisung felt at that moment. His hyung really paid attention to him all this time, and Jisung never saw a thing. He forgot everything when he noticed the way Minho’s ears were redder than a few minutes earlier. It wasn’t their kiss, he was sure of that. It was, oh.

“You’re cute hyung.” He smiled lovingly. “But you know, we already did the catastrophic weather trope where we confessed to each other before almost dying. I think we can skip the cliche of the first romantic perfect date.”

Minho chuckled, his smile only growing wider.

“You just want to get into my pants?”

It was Jisung’s turn to blush red.

“I’m not sure I’ve had enough of your kisses yet hyung.”

Minho lowered his head on Jisung’s shoulder, Jisung almost thought he dreamt the moan escaping his hyung’s mouth.

“You’re killing me Jisungie,” he groaned.

Jisung laughed softly, stroking gently his hyung hair.

“Hyung,” he whispered directly to his ear, “you’re killing me too.”

Minho jumped, startling both of them.

“Home. I bring you home. I go back to my home. And tonight date.”

Jisung laughed again at the torturous face his hyung wore.

“And I’m kissing you when I’m coming to take you out.”

And he walked, taking Jisung with him, Jisung who had his mouth opened, without any sound coming out. Unaware of the big smirk his boyfriend as he was proud of his effect.

-

Later that day, when Felix got home, he spilled everything about what happened. When he stopped talking, Felix looked at him, amused:

“So, happy that I dissuaded you from calling in sick?”

His friend dodged easily the pillow threw at him.

The End