Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It’s Chan who tells Jisung about Lee Minho, very oblivious to the story he is about to set off. 

On a Friday night like any other, accompanied by faint hip hop music, Jisung is sitting on the floor of his friends’ living room for a random sleepover and playing cards with them. He’s got a good deck in his hands, but these types of games have always come easy to him for a single reason:

He knows what everyone is thinking.

Chan has to draw a new card for his deck and Jisung smiles at what he hears in Chan’s head. Damn it, why can’t I get any hearts? I keep getting spades even though I only need one more damn heart… Poor guy has been on a losing spell ever since their first round.

Next is Changbin. I have to draw a card too, right? Let’s just do that… I’ll just bluff again. No use looking into his head for too long because Changbin has no idea what the cards’ titles are and barely knows how the game works but has been pretending like he does for the past thirty minutes so Jisung isn’t about to waste his time there nor call him out.

Once it’s Jisung’s turn, he puts down a favourable card and the rounds keep going. He’s mostly focused on whatever his friends are talking about in between their concentrated silence, giving his comments here and there.

Ah, the mind reading. Curious about that? Of course, you are.

Well, Jisung is great at reading people – that’s what his friends Chan and Changbin would say. But what Jisung is actually good at is reading people’s minds. Sometimes he wants it. Some other times it is casual second nature, almost an accident. All he needs is to have someone’s head in his field of vision and Ta-dah! he can find out what you’ve done last summer. If you thought about it, that is.

Thoughts out for Jisung!

He’s been practising enough with these two – Chan and Changbin, his long-time friends – who have been losing to him in more than simple card games for many years now. Not that they are aware of the competition and the reasons.

It’s Jisung’s best secret.

A secret that leaves nobody else with secrets of their own.

Should I really tell them? Jisung hears come from Chan’s mind – Oh? – which seems to go far away from the game at hand all of a sudden. Even though it’s Chan’s turn, he plays on auto without actually thinking much of it. They’re my best friends, so I should. I’ll just invite them so they can see for themselves. That’s all. That’s okay, right. Yes, that’s a great idea. Maybe Jisung should have paid more attention to what’s going on up there for Chan because it sounds like something interesting is about to come out. Chan isn’t the type to be nervous about telling his best friends anything. Changbin on the other hand is still busy mulling over the on-going card game.

“Hey guys…” Chan slowly starts, already flushing a little pink but trying hard to seem nonchalant as he keeps playing. “You wanna come to a party with me tomorrow? There’s one in the dance studio down campus. It’s kind of exclusive, but some of my friends are dancers there and are allowed to bring friends. Plus, I wanna introduce you to someone there.”

“Sure,” Changbin shrugs, scratching his neck before putting down a card with the hopes that it’s the right one. Lucky it is.

Jisung curiously plays along. “Who you wanna introduce? You know basically everyone on and out of campus, dude.”

“True,” Changbin comments, only half listening.

With a sigh, Chan puts down his cards and goes through his hair.

Don’t need to be a mind-reader to know he’s nervous. No, shy. “Just Hyunjin and Minho,” he shrugs, very bad at keeping the casual act up because even Changbin is eyeing him with suspicion now. “They’re dancers there. I met them because I produced a song for them to choreograph a few weeks ago and… yeah. They’re cool.”

Changbin puts down his cards as well, a sly grin forming on his face. “Oh really? What’s so great about them that you’re like this about introducing them? Usually you just surprise us with random people.”

“You do that too, Changbin hyung,” Jisung comments, sipping on his Pororo Banana Milk through his straw. It’s his favourite and Changbin paid for it an hour ago because he lost at rock-paper-scissors, which makes it even tastier. The taste of victory can be stored in a Pororo drink bottle.

“I do,” Changbin admits. “But no one can reach the levels of social butterfly Bang Chan here, you hermit.”

Well, that’s true; both Chan being a social butterfly and Jisung being kind of a hermit. Even though Chan dresses like some tough rapper in all black and chains and all that stuff, he radiates the energy of the sun, has the mind of a leader and has a caring heart of gold to boot. Not even his clothes can deter the comfort his soul emits.

The polar opposite in terms of vibes is Changbin. Easily intimidating anyone at first glance with his muscled figure and permanent (unintended) glare on his neutral face – whether he dresses in pink hoodies with cartoon characters on them or all black chainy stuff like Chan, people just respect him out of fear. He’s a cute ass softie on the inside though. Very protective too.

Not to forget they all share a strong love for music, major in music production and work pretty well together as a unit of three despite their small age difference. And they’re the perfect friends to have for someone like Jisung, the quiet type who is only loud when he’s with close company or pissed off – Chan and Changbin provide Jisung with social security in all the best effortless ways.

As you can see… as much as Jisung genuinely likes the two, they’re also pretty useful.

“Well, I just think they would be a good fit for our little group,” Chan quietly answers at last, nodding mostly to himself. I hope they’ll fit into our group at least… Why is that, Chan? Spit it out or at least think it. Don’t drag it out. “They’re both hot shots in their uni departments and in the dance troupe. Lee Minho is in I.T. and Hwang Hyunjin is in Interior Design. Maybe you heard of them already…? They’re pretty friendly but you can check their personalities out yourselves when you meet them.”

“Don’t know ‘em. Are they pretty?” Changbin asks, pulling out his smartphone. “Got their Instagram?”

Chan rolls his eyes. “Yes, they’re both very pretty and no, you can ask them yourself.” Minho is so beautiful. Photos can’t do him justice… and I’m too nervous to follow his Instagram so soon. Either way, you should keep it in your pants for this one, Changbin. Jisung hums more at the thoughts in Chan’s head than his spoken words. Cheesy as they often are, they’re interesting nonetheless. I can’t just say Minho is mine when he isn’t even mine. I can’t just tell others to lay off…

So that’s what Chan hopes to achieve, huh, a romance with this Minho person?

“Nice.” Nice indeed. Changbin picks up his drink of soda with a satisfied smile and puts his phone away when he finds no Minhos or Hyunjins in Chan’s following list on the app. “We’ll be there. Right, Jisung?”

“Wouldn’t miss out on this one for Channie hyung.” Jisung gives a thumbs up and supportive smile.

“Anyway,” Chan waves them off and claps his hands together in his lap. “I want you guys to meet and be friends. Make a good first impression, alright? I want this to go well.”

It’s an easy agreement.

The rest of the conversation flows smoothly, with some pestering by Changbin for more details on the two dancers and reluctantly vague answers by Chan, until they finally move on to different things and decide to order some late-night food. They play rock-paper-scissors again where Jisung wins as always and laughs together with Chan at Changbin’s losing whines. He’s got the money anyway, he can pay.

In the end Jisung finds himself wondering what’s so special about this Minho guy because obviously, Chan – of all people this golden boy – got a big fat crush, bigger than the usual little bursts of interest.

That’s kind of a big deal. This Minho person must be the whole package. Jisung wants to know more. Is Minho that pretty? Chan didn’t put out a claim on Minho either – that is not Jisung’s fault, you know – so if Jisung likes what he’ll see, he’ll take his own shot for a single sweet night. It wouldn’t be the first time Jisung takes a taste of who or what Chan and Changbin find for themselves.

It’s like a game. It’s always been and it always will be.

Jisung likes winning.

What? Don’t be a prude now. No words, no claims = no repercussions or blame on Jisung. Serious connections he’ll leave alone anyway, usually. It’s just here and there that Jisung pulls that stuff for some fun. His friends’ choices in potential partners tend to be pretty neat most of the time and Jisung himself is never really on the lookout for anyone. But he does have an easy time getting what he wants.

That’s just how it is when you hear what goes on in people’s heads. Always one or two steps ahead.

It’s a simple system.

So, with the way Chan’s thoughts keep turning sugary sweet for this stranger that is Minho, Jisung decides to play nice for now. He’s very much curious though.

Unfortunately, Jisung’s mind-reading abilities only go as far as to hear thoughts but not see thoughts, so he will have to wait until he meets the surprise that is Lee Minho.

As it is, Jisung tunes out the minds of his friends for the rest of the night and relaxes into the couch cushions.

After tonight and having fun at the party tomorrow, it’ll be enough socialising for a while. Once that is done, he’ll definitely hole up in his own apartment and get his energy back by spending some good time alone again. Maybe he’ll binge-watch the anime that’s been on his to-watch list for months now.

Either way, he knows how to entertain himself.

“Man, I know you said you’d be fashionably late, but we’ve been waiting for almost an hour now. I can only get you inside if you’re with me while entering, you know. Hurry up a little!” Chan’s nagging on the other end of the phone call is accompanied by the faint music in the background, indicating Chan and Changbin really are already at the dance studio, waiting for Jisung to arrive to go inside together. “Where are you anyway?”

It’s already late and – having gotten ready for the dance studio party – Jisung decided to go to the mini supermarket down the street first. After waking up in Chan’s and Changbin’s shared apartment, he had gone back to his own apartment to get ready for the evening and also just charge his social battery by relaxing alone. Only once he left the apartment – about five minutes ago – did he realise he had forgotten to eat all day (the bag of chips he ate while watching anime doesn’t count). It happens sometimes. Naturally he’d like some food in his system first.

“I’m close by. Just getting a quick meal, hyung,” Jisung puts the pout in his voice. His phone is in his pocket, while he hears Chan sigh through his chunky red headphones. “Can’t you just go in without me for now and just come back outside to get me when I arrive?”

The supermarket’s sliding doors open with a ding, signalling Jisung’s arrival. He strolls leisurely through the aisles, eyes scanning each shelf to find a quick tasty meal. Changbin’s voice rings from a distance through the headphones next, “Jisung, I want to get laid tonight, so don’t waste my time!”

Ignoring Changbin, Chan sounds tired when he continues, “I’ll keep my phone on vibrate, just call when you’re here then. Don’t be sulky if I react late though, I have my own plans for tonight as well.”

Not really minding it much, Jisung sighs, “Geez, have fun you two. Your dancer friends can meet me any other day too, you know, but I promise I’ll be there and I will patiently wait for you to pick me up then. Alright?” He picks up instant ramen, packaged in a ready plastic bowl. He can just eat here at the supermarket on one of the tables; they have a microwave and hot water too. Maybe he should get some instant tteokbokki too? Mix it with some cheese maybe.

“Fine with me,” Chan agrees. “Just make a good impression once you meet them. Take care, Jisung. Don’t wander around too much this late at night!” Ever the caring saint.

Jisung scoffs fondly, “Sure, hyung. See ya!” and hangs up on him.

Now Jisung has also picked up instant tteokbokki and wanders to the refrigerator aisle to get a little package of cheese for his meal. He easily finds a small package and then – as fate wants him to have a perfect meal – he spots his favourite Pororo Drinks on discount sale.

“Lucky…!” Jisung whispers under his breath with a wide grin. He almost skips his way over to the discount sale section, one arm holding his ramen and tteokbokki packages to his chest while the other is already reaching for the refrigerator shelf.

But suddenly his view on the drinks is blocked by someone’s back and Jisung’s reaching hand nudges right into that person’s back before he quickly takes it back to himself. Eh… how annoying.

“Hm?” The stranger jumps a little with small noise of surprise and then turns around with wide brown eyes, blinking at Jisung.

Fuck, if pretty was a person then pretty stands in front of him. Chocolate brown hair styled away to show his whole face but looking soft to the touch. Catlike eyes, dark, sharp and curious; there are gems around his eyes and light sparkly eye shadow. Nose straight out of an art book. Naturally pouty lips shiny and open the tiniest bit. Jisung thinks those lips would look even better wrapped around his dick.

Inappropriate first impression to have, admittedly, but it is what it is.

(This is the first time anyone has ever captivated him like this.)

Jisung doesn’t even know this beautiful man. Perhaps today is one of the hornier days in the calendar.

God, Jisung wants him.

But he is terrible at talking to strangers without any preparation or support; no mind reading power has ever been able to save him out of that one. He wishes Chan or Changbin were here to give him pointers on the beautiful stranger, start the conversation for him or even just be his moral support.

“Minho hyung!”

Another stranger appears, also a pretty boy with dark hair but with all around softer edges and taller slender frame. Jisung doesn’t pay him much attention, eyes on the beauty in front of him. The other stranger is focusing on the beauty too anyway. “Why are you just standing there? Let’s just buy what you wanted and hurry to the party.”

Ahh. Minho, huh? There are many people named Minho. What a funny coincidence that Jisung is meant to meet two Minhos on one day.

The beauty, Minho, just hums – a teasing snippet of what seems to be a soft voice – and turns back to the refrigerator shelf. He takes out two bottles of strawberry milk of the Pororo discount sale section and hands one to his companion, before he gives Jisung one last blank look-over. Jisung thinks he’s being checked out, almost smirking there, but then he hears Minho’s mind stoically go Wah, a squirrel on a late-night meal run.

Jisung frowns in disapproval. Jisung is looking smoking hot tonight, outfit perfect just like his hair, and yet… A squirrel, that’s what you think of, really? Weirdo.

The other stranger side-eyes Jisung before pulling Minho away with him.

And seeing Minho walk away, even his body seems perfect. Lean. Graceful. Some sort of athlete? Minho’s thighs are barely contained in skin-tight leather pants and the red silk blouse makes him shine even in the fluorescent yellow supermarket lights. Jisung would love to–

Shaking the thoughts off, Jisung sighs deeply.

They’re gone around the corner to pay while Jisung is left standing in the refrigerated discount sale section by himself. What an unusual encounter.

Mourning his lacking social skills just like the loss of the hot stranger named Minho, Jisung grabs his own Pororo banana milk. Whatever, he’ll have enough fun options tonight.

After paying, he prepares his meal quick and eats fast, leaving for the party soon enough. Maybe he can pick someone hot at the party for some fun or maybe he can see some other drama go down, who knows. He just hopes for a good time before he holes up in his apartment again to relax by himself.

The thick walls of the dance studio turned party house boom with music and people.

Each dance practice room has been decorated and made ready for the party, different music playing in each room – weirdly enough not mixing. Additionally there are two rooms with more chill vibes, where the music is part of the background ambience in a lower volume. They even put up tables, couches, snacks and drinks inside the dance studio.

In one of the calmer rooms Jisung himself is seated on the couches, winning random card games on the coffee table in front of them. It’s illegal to gamble with real money, but who’s going to stop them for a few won?

Chan and Changbin are on his left. Despite them rushing Jisung, those Minho and Hyunjin people have yet to arrive and since Chan is only here for them, they’re just kind of wasting time for that highlight.

Momo and Sana (close friends of Chan) sit opposite them, losing their money to Jisung. Of course, Jisung loses a few rounds on purpose too, lest he be accused of cheating, which he is definitely doing due to always knowing what everyone is thinking; Sana thinks a lot about the girls near their corner so it’s confusing to follow her card game thoughts sometimes.

“We should stop playing cards with Jisung,” Changbin comments, slumping in his seat as he’s out the game.

Chan sighs, “You say that every time but we always end up playing anyway. At least we’re not the only ones losing.”

Momo and Sana give Chan a glare but they keep playing anyway. They think Jisung is a shy sweetheart, which is just fine with Jisung; no need to talk much either. Though he does cheer whenever he wins and enjoys the pretty girls coo at him, wilfully ignoring Changbin’s fake gagging.

Although this is one of the chill rooms with the music volume lower than the other party rooms, there are still couples and friends dancing as the next song starts playing. A slow and sensual track; Jisung thinks it’s kinda obnoxious to dance in this room but then again, this is a dance studio so what’d he expect a party full of mostly dancers and their contacts to do but dance everywhere like they’re in mating season?

At some point Jisung grows bored of the card game and leans back in his seat to look around after pocketing his wins, letting his other four companions play and talk on their own.

Considering that this is one of the rooms with a ‘quieter’ style (in other words, still loud music but the slow kind with the volume just low enough that you can actually talk without yelling) and therefore less visited than the other rooms, Jisung finds some people he vaguely recognises in the crowd, even though he isn’t really personally involved with many people.

There are couples grinding to the sensual song and there’s friends just having fun; he sees Kim Seungmin from his Business English course chilling in a corner with someone and also recognises past hook-ups in the loose crowd.

Just like his friends, naturally Jisung catches a few people’s eyes as well. Got a little good reputation.

Jisung knows he’s handsome, nice features even if the balance feels off some days. He also knows how to dress and how to talk – if you give him enough time and space to prepare and see what’s in your head. But that’s not all his mind-reading is good for. The activity of people-watching takes on another level when you know people’s inner lives.

He knows what everyone is thinking.

Swiping through the minds of every face he sees, he lingers on the more or less interesting ones.

The nearby girl dancing with her friend keeps looking over to Jisung; she heard of him and finds him even hotter seeing him in person, he leans back confidently to fit her thoughts. He gives her a cocky grin and gets a smile from her back. Should I talk to him? He’s obviously flirting! Maybe I can go home with him tonight… Despite the friendly ego boost, she isn’t special and she isn’t that hot either. There are enough better options here who want Jisung.

He’ll have his fill later if he really wants some.

There is a boy nearby who’s deep in his feelings about wanting to experiment with another guy and man, that’s so boring. My friends will think I’m gay if they hear about me sucking a guy’s dick. Maybe I should ask if I can suck Seowoon’s dick, like, platonically? He did say he does it all the time to a sunbae even though he’s straight too… Yeah well, got news for you about your sexuality and Seowoon’s sexuality.

One more notable presence is the person currently approaching Seungmin; they heard he’s a quiet and friendly nerd and apparently that’s their type – superficial crushes, what’s new? And oh, they don’t like the person sitting with Seungmin. Why is Hyunjin always sticking to Seungmin? He’s so annoying... There are quite a few Hyunjins on campus, huh. Well, good luck with that one.

Jisung almost laughs out loud at these pathetic minds but his attention is whisked away by a new presence entering the dimly lit room, instantly pulling Jisung’s eyes to him.

The familiar catlike eyes from earlier this night scan the room. Where is he?

Leave whoever it is and just come looking for Han Jisung, you pretty thing.

Like this, Jisung has the time to appreciate the full view, ignoring the people moving in and out of his way as Minho slowly wanders through the room in search.

Tight leather pants fit snug around fit thighs. Only a modest number of buttons undone on the shiny red silk button-up blouse. The dim lights catch on the gems around his sparkling eyes and his lips faintly follow the words in his head. He texted me he’d be waiting for us in this room. He should be here somewhere…

With Chan and Changbin here, plus the time to listen and know more about this beautiful stranger, it’s the perfect opportunity for Jisung to get what and who he wants.

“There, he is here!” Chan is on his feet with a happy exclamation, startling Jisung out of his appreciation, and then pauses again, slumping back into his seat and looking like an excited puppy instead of his usual solid self. “Be nice when Minho comes over, guys.”

Ah. Him?

Chan’s Minho and Beauty Minho are the same Minho? Damn it.

Unfortunate. Jisung had an inkling but hoped otherwise.

Jisung knows he decided to be nice about this, to let Chan live out his apparently-serious crush but fuck, Jisung should just drop being nice altogether when it comes with such an opportunity.

No. Come on, Jisung. Play nice. He sighs at himself and suppresses the urge to roll his eyes at the coincidence.

When Jisung looks up again he sees the prize he could get for being mean.

“Hey.” Through the sensual music in the background, Minho’s voice still sounds as pretty as his face. It’s a vastly different experience to hear someone’s voice spoken out loud than only the voice in their head. Minho’s smile is small and a little apologetic – how polite – though he’s mostly addressing Chan. “Hyunjin should be around too but I lost him a while ago so I went to look for you on my own, haha. I texted him though so he should join us soon.”

Chan is already up on his feet, nudging by Changbin and Jisung so he can go stand next to Minho and properly introduce him to their little group. Changbin is already trying to analyse Minho and even Momo and Sana seem to be curious about the pretty boy.

Albeit still seated and simply looking up at Minho, Jisung just appreciates the view. Looking is within bounds after all.

Minho lets his eyes wander to greet the small group too, until they still on Jisung. Oh, it’s the squirrel from before. Jisung pulls a mild grimace at Minho’s thought but shrugs it off, letting himself stare while it’s appropriate. He’s glaring at me again, Minho thinks confusedly. Cute.

Maybe it’s mean but Jisung hopes Chan’s crush will stay secret and fail; Jisung wants to play with this one. See what it takes to win him over.

But for now, he won’t.

The grin on Chan’s smile is almost as bright as the colour red on his ears but even Minho is shy when Chan introduces him. He points at each of the smiley friends on the couch, “So these are the friends I wanted to introduce you to. Minatozaki Sana, Hirai Momo, Seo Changbin and Han Jisung.” Then he gestures from them to Minho, who smiles shyly at all the eyes on him. “And you guys, this is Lee Minho.”

“Lee Minho.” Jisung whispers at the same time Chan announces it and nobody notices it, except Minho who curiously tilts his head at him for a moment but drops his gaze as soon as they meet eyes again.

Jisung looks away and hides half a smirk. Tonight he’ll keep silent and just listen. 

Play nice, Han Jisung.

As it turns out Minho is not only beautiful.

For one he is quiet and soft-spoken. He doesn’t really speak much and when he tries, he isn’t always heard by the louder conversation participants. But Chan makes sure Minho is heard when he notices it, smiles at him like Minho shared more than just what he had for lunch. Chan is smitten and Minho… Minho is still a little awkward when given too much attention.

However Minho’s mind is a little weird sometimes, more fast-paced.

When Changbin talks about a professor he dislikes, Minho’s mind jumps to an opossum documentary he watched once as if that connection makes perfect sense and loses track of the conversation going on around him.

When Chan tells the story of how they met during a project where he produced a song for Minho’s dance team, Minho adds on with a small smile that “it was like a circus”. In his mind it continues to It was a fun experience. But Changbin narrows his eyes, taking it as an insult against Chan. Sana and Momo are a little taken aback, wondering if it might’ve been a stressful collaboration for him.

At least Chan internally debates more on whether it’s a compliment or a jab at him, deciding it was probably meant positively so he smiles.

Good guess, Chan, ever the optimist. Jisung snorts in amusement.

The funniest part is when Sana gushes about the girl she wants to talk to by the end of the night. Minho’s mind jumps to Ah, I know that girl, I had a meal with her once. to What should I have for lunch tomorrow? to Chan’s hair reminds me of ramen. to If we could grow food on our heads, I want to grow blueberries on mine. to an innocent Changbin’s chin is really sharp. I wonder if he would let me touch it if I asked.

Surprisingly Minho has been noticing all of Jisung’s reactions, curious and confused but shrugging it off for the most part.

He isn’t completely oblivious, is he?

Looking away to force down his laughter, Jisung just smiles and bites his lip, nodding along to the on-going conversation.

But his eyes keep finding Minho to hear more of what’s going on inside his head.

Many people have weird thoughts sometimes, Jisung would know – he has his own share and hears everyone else’s. Still, the way Minho’s brain works amuses him and it’s hard to understand. Maybe that’s why Chan likes him? Chan is usually better with people but Minho makes even him secretly question his social skills. Amazing.

“Minho hyung!” This is the second time Jisung hears this exact phrase from that voice.

Just a moment after hearing it, a familiar handsome boy happily plops down on Minho’s lap. Minho grunts, reflexively catching the boy around the waist and keeps him half-seated on him. Hyunjin smiles gratefully, “Didn’t you see me? I was sitting with Seungmin in the other corner. We were waiting for you!”

“I didn’t. If you didn’t disappear when we arrived, we wouldn’t have to look or wait for each other, dumbass.” Minho rolls his eyes, looking more annoyed than he actually is. A little embarrassed by the public display of affection might be the better description. It’s a bit much for the public eye, Hyunjin. Your breath reeks of alcohol too, man... He pushes Hyunjin to sit on the booth beside him instead, to which Hyunjin pouts. Though Hyunjin perks up easily to greet everyone else in the booth; he seems a little tipsy and very happy. Excited for something or does he just like parties that much?

It’s obvious that Hyunjin enjoys getting all up in Minho’s personal space, which Minho doesn’t mind beyond a little embarrassment. But Chan is a little miffed for sure.

Oh dear jealousy, how entertaining you are.

Well, Jisung has to conclude that the world must be a truly small place.

Of course, after finding out that Beauty Minho is also Chan’s Minho, it was clear that the supermarket guy next to Beauty Minho was also the same Hyunjin Chan talked about. Couldn’t Chan have a crush on Hyunjin instead? Chan is usually into more bubbly ones like Hyunjin anyway. 

But all Chan does is welcome him and let the conversation flow again. As always Changbin brings the mood up further.

Social skills, there you have it.

After a while Minho and Hyunjin excuse themselves to wander around more before the night is over. Then Sana and Momo leave to find their other friends and Jisung, Changbin and Chan are left by themselves.

They take a breather, basking in the silence of their best friends circle.

Though Jisung didn’t join any conversations besides nodding his head, humming or laughing, Chan and Changbin don’t mind his silence continuing. They have always respected his boundaries and as a major introvert, Jisung appreciates that. He can be loud and he can be quiet. They know when to push, to pull and when to let him be.

See, they’re always so useful to keep around as friends, aren’t they?

Well. Anyway. Jisung wonders if he should look for someone to hook-up with as a little treat for being nice to Chan today.

Lucky you, Jisung won’t touch Minho for now and just quietly hope Chan’s crush dies out on its own. Obviously he might not find someone as beautiful as Minho, but hey, hopefully Chan won’t get Minho into bed either, so Jisung thinks it’ll be enough.

He is, right? Nice, he means. He’s only been looking and listening, playing the lineless role of basically a sweet side character. Now he can close his eyes, focusing not on Minho and being nice but on whether he should get up and look for a hook-up. Weird enough that Chan just had to come out with such a catch. Usually Jisung has an easier time not being interested.

Yeah, yeah, we said not to focus on that.

Unfortunately the musically-accompanied silence doesn’t last long thanks to a nervously curious Chan. “So... what do you think about them? About Minho and Hyunjin.”

Jisung opens his eyes to see Changbin grimacing like he’s in pain from Chan’s question. Jisung just hums quietly, thinking of what to say and letting Changbin take the lead.

Changbin sighs, having deemed Minho’s character as cold and rude. I don’t really like them. But they’re okay… Chan hyung really seems to like this Minho guy, no, Minho hyung though so they can’t be that bad. “They’re alright,” he tells Chan honestly at last but with a gentle tone because Chan looks so invested in their opinions. “Minho hyung doesn’t really talk much and when he does it’s a little… eh. And let’s be honest, Hyunjin didn’t wanna be here. He just sat with us because Minho was here. Pretty boys got a little too much ego, I think.”

“Hm,” Chan tries to smile, nodding in acknowledgement. “It may seem like it but they just need time to warm up, you know. And Minho is always a little aloof. He’s a bit of a tsundere. I’m sure you’ll like them soon enough.”

Shrugging, Changbin gets up and makes to leave. “Sure. You seem to like them so there must be something to like.” He means it, smiling. “I’ll go find a lay for tonight. You can leave without me, I’ll come home in the morning.” Jisung shakes his head at him with an amused grin because this kind of exit is so typical of Changbin.

Smirking smugly, Changbin stretches a little and then weaves through the crowd to leave the room altogether.

Not a moment later Chan nudges Jisung.

“Jisung,” Chan is a little insecure and has Minho on his mind, just like he’s had ever since yesterday (when did Minho start invading Chan's mind so much without Jisung noticing until now?). He’s disappointed that Changbin didn’t get along with Minho and Hyunjin, hoping that Jisung will have something better to say and stares at him with hope in his eyes. “What did you think about Minho and Hyunjin?”

“You’re really curious, hyung. What’s got you so excited?” Jisung grins teasingly, nudging him back with his elbow. 

Giggling, Chan blushes a little and lightly slaps Jisung’s shoulder. “Hey, just answer the question!”

Hmm. Jisung isn’t really interested in Hyunjin. If anything, dude is a bit of a bother with his sickly-sweet calls of his ‘Minho hyung!’ like dude, shut up and keep it in your platonic pants or whatever – Jisung didn’t consciously read this dimwit’s mind even once (drunk minds are a hassle) but he already doesn’t like him.

As for Minho… wait. Jisung can be nice and nudge the situation to his liking, right?

Just a little.

“Hmm, they seem nice! Maybe it’d be good to meet in a better environment at some point, for better conversations and a more relaxed atmosphere,” Jisung taps his finger against his lips, pouting. “I’d like to meet Hyunjin sober to actually get to know him and… well, hyung…” Jisung pauses for dramatic effect, sighing deeply like it’s the saddest thing today but in his mind he’s short of laughing about how Chan’s eyes widen in worried anticipation. “Channie hyung… don’t you think Minho hyung might’ve been a little uncomfortable?”

Fuck, did I make Minho uncomfortable tonight? “Really? Did you notice something?” Of course, Chan immediately takes the blame on himself. His worried gaze drops down, brows furrowing as he thinks about all that he’s said and done with Minho while he was here.

Chan is a bit of a sensitive soul when it comes to these things. So Jisung lets him; lets him go over each little touch to Minho’s shoulder, lets him go over each syllable he has said to Minho and lets him go over each word Minho has said to them.

Just a few more nudges. Make him insecure about this.

“Yeah, I dunno… is he usually the quiet type? Not that I want to assume but, uhm. He didn’t really seem to enjoy any of the conversation topics…” Frankly, Minho got lost in his own head most of the time so that’s not a full lie.

Another sigh to pause for dramatic effect while Chan intently listens to Jisung’s words. “Don’t you think he would’ve enjoyed getting to know us in a – uhm, I don’t know, hyung – a cosier setting?” Jisung pulls out the worried and pleading puppy eyes, serious with his advice. “Let’s not force him into a conversation with so many people again, okay, Chan hyung? I think you forgot to think about what is best for him. If we really want to be friends with him, he should be comfortable.”

Obviously absent-minded Minho didn’t really mind the party nor the people that much but Jisung is still right about the better environments to get to know someone you want to get close to and Jisung’s social skills on a scale of one to ten can only reach a six on good days and Chan’s a whole ten 24/7. Geez, Bang Chan, you make this too easy tonight.

Good, contemplate Jisung’s advice. “Hmm… I should’ve noticed. I just thought since he’s a dancer of this studio and invited me– damn it, I shouldn’t have assumed.” Chan curses under his breath and leans back on the couch. A couple falls down on the couch next to him, wildly making out (weirdly enough, to the beat of the music; dancers right…?) but Chan ignores them as he continues going through each interaction with Minho today.

And then Chan’s mind supplies the cherry on top, worried but not quite there yet. Maybe the circus comment was a jab at me after all…? It wasn’t. For some reason Minho used that phrase as a compliment but hey, Jisung will add oil to the fire Chan unknowingly provided.

“Wait. You worked together before, right? Did you mess up around him often, dragging him around?” Jisung laughs a little at non-existent correlations like it’s a funny coincidence. “Minho hyung’s circus comment makes sense now! He really doesn’t like this type of stuff, huh.”

Chan looks crestfallen.

Jisung acts like he hasn’t noticed yet, picking up the abandoned deck of cards on the table in front of them as he keeps lightly chuckling. “So that’s why he was teasing you when he called your project time a circus. Hyung, does he not like you or are you already so close that you started teasing each other that much?” Shuffling the cards, he looks up then, letting his laughter trail off like he has only just now noticed how hurt Chan looks. “Hyung… you okay? What’s wrong?”

Ah, maybe Jisung took the nudges a little too far. Chan has never been good at dealing with guilt, be it because of actual mistakes or nothing at all. Like right now. Jisung feels a little bad but he’s also proud the nudging worked. Still, maybe he should make it up to Chan later by finding him a new crush or buying him something nice to eat.

“N-Nothing. It’s fine. Thanks for your advice as always, Jisung.” Chan clears his throat, thoughts tumbling in his head. I should go find Minho and apologise– no, not now. I can’t keep crowding him like this. Maybe later. I’ll text him to meet me for lunch or something, I– “I should go home for tonight.” Jisung blinks like Chan’s serious persona is a surprising appearance. “Want me to drop you off at your place or will you be fine?”

Genuine this time, Jisung smiles reassuringly. “Nah, I’ll be fine. You sure you’re alright though?”

“Don’t worry about me, yeah?” Great, now you’re worrying your dongsaeng. Chan rubs his neck, then stands up and is already walking away. “Text me if you need anything. See you!”

Hmm, is the crush really that serious or are these thoughts just Chan’s good manners shining through?

Jisung chuckles quietly to himself and puts the shuffled card deck back on the table, getting up to look for someone pretty for himself.

What a pity it can’t be Minho... though if Chan keeps his mouth shut about his feelings and gives up… then Jisung can play with Minho too.

By staying at the party, Jisung’s goal was to get a blowjob from someone pretty and go home. Maybe even a full on one-night-stand. Wherever the wind carries him.

Either way, he meant something fun. Although he got some random sort of fruity carbonated drink, going outside for a breather might’ve been where he truly went wrong. Look, Jisung is a massive introvert and needs a few breaks in between all that socialising. Even his safety nets Chan and Changbin are gone – let him live a little. Flirting can wait.

So…

Instead of fun, what Jisung finds is… an idiot.

Outside at the back of the dance-studio-turned-party-hall is the empty and silent fenced outdoor area – looks like an unkempt garden where some wannabe Instagram models would love to take photos – a few walks in, there he lays: Hwang Hyunjin flat on his back in the overgrown grass, long limbs outstretched and eyes closed.

The sound of crickets accessorises the scene very well.

Pathetic. Jisung just stares in mild disgust. Who knows what kind of bugs crawl around there? How did the big guy even get here? Can’t read an unconscious man’s mind, you know, but he’s assuming Hyunjin probably got drunk enough to mess himself up and black out here. From a safe distance away, it looks like he’s still breathing so luckily, it’s not a crime scene Jisung stumbled upon.

Kind of weird how no one noticed Hyunjin through any of the big windows yet or came looking for him though. Or maybe it’s the overgrown grass hiding him so well.

Whatever. Not Jisung’s problem.

Taking a sip of his drink, Jisung then shakes his head and looks for a boulder to sit on. The lights coming from inside the windows help him a little around the greenery and the little uneven stone patches in the shorter grass areas. With how dark, cloudy and chilly it is outside, he’ll just go back inside in a few minutes after finishing his drink and then hopefully find a nice toy for the night.

Oh! There is a nice boulder–!

“Hyunjin? Are you here somewhere? Hyunjin!”

That sweet voice, searching yet again.

Suddenly Jisung finds himself in a debate with himself on what to do: A) throw his drink away into a bush, hope the birds don’t get drunk on it and help Hyunjin so he can make a good impression on Minho or B) hide in a bush, hope no birds or bugs in there will attack him for it and let Minho handle passed-out Hyunjin or C) just sit on this boulder and sip his drink.

There are leaves and twigs crunching nearby. Minho is close.

What should Jisung do?

His hands start sweating. His eyes dart to the very appealing bush then to the disgrace that is Hyunjin’s passed-out body. Back and forth and back and forth and dude, he wanted to play nice today! Why is he being presented with a perfect coincidence on a silver platter? 

“Hwang Hyunjin!”

Jisung flinched so hard he almost dropped his paper cup.

That was a hot growl – Minho must be getting pissed – though his tone becomes more whiny next. “I’ll leave without you if I don’t find you here either, don’t test me!” Minho is just around the corner now.

Fuck.

Sorry to mother nature, Jisung throws his drink into the bush, runs the few steps and then drops on his knees – ouch, this pair of pants is one of his favourites too! – by Hyunjin’s unconscious body, hands helplessly hanging in the air. What is he supposed to do to help him in the first place? Check his pulse?

He does exactly that just in time for Minho to appear around the corner, barely illuminated in the dark night.

Round eyes like the ones of a searching cat instantly land on the pair in the tall grass.

Minho rushes over as soon as he realises it’s really Hyunjin on the floor. “What happened to him?” he asks, voice calm but strained with worry. How sweet, his thoughts match his words. Does he actually care about this loser? “Hyunjin…” Yeah, he does.

With a sigh, Jisung takes his hands away onto his own lap and watches Minho fuss over the guy. “Dunno, man. I just found him here like this… will he be okay?”

Without warning Minho’s expression turns completely blank and he takes a swing, slapping Hyunjin hard across the face with a resounding Smack!

“Shit!” Hyunjin jolts awake, thick lips pouting and red hand-printed cheek now hiding behind two big hands. Even his eyes are red-rimmed and watery. “If you knew I was awake, you could’ve just told me to stop playing dead instead of slapping me!” But he isn’t actually mad nor badly hurt – Is this a normal occasion for them? – nor is he super drunk, just tipsy enough for Jisung to read his mind without too much of a hassle.

Unimpressed and disappointed, Minho just stares at Hyunjin.

Hyunjin’s teary eyes wander to Jisung, feeling wronged. “Hey, Minho hyung,” he calls, still looking at Jisung, and ‘Minho hyung’ in his voice is starting to sound more and more annoying. “I think you scared our new friend.”

Ohh, Jisung only now realises he’s been watching the whole thing with a shocked face but he can’t even school his expression because wait, excuse me, our new friend? Who the hell said Jisung is friends with you. Have you seen yourself?

“He’ll be fine,” Minho deadpans before plopping down on his butt to sit more comfortably in the tall grass. His eyes switch over to Jisung who immediately straightens up at that. “Jisung, right?” Jisung nods. “Sorry you had to find this dumbass play dead in the middle of the night. Must’ve been scary but I promise you he does stupid shit all the time.”

Serious, Jisung resolutely nods. “I believe you.”

“I’m literally right here.” Hyunjin half-heartedly complains and heaves himself into a sitting position, adjusting so they’re basically sitting in a close little triangle. Then he side-eyes Jisung. This dude is so sneaky. What’s his problem? Excuse me part two, you little– “By the way, hyung, this guy just stood here for like five minutes and didn’t give a– Ouch! Dude?!”

This guy really is annoying. Jisung smiles sweetly at Hyunjin then at a lightly amused Minho, taking his fist back from Hyunjin’s shoulder. “Sorry, there was a bug.”

Gotta be careful with how you hit because Hyunjin is into that stuff. Minho sighs with a little smirk and Jisung, appalled, subtly inches further away from Hyunjin.

“Now that that is done…” Minho drawls and easily pulls both of their attention to him again, leaned back on his arms behind him. His blouse somehow has more buttons open now, showing just a sliver of his chest. Jisung feels like a Victorian virgin, staring at what certainly must be perfect pillows and– oh, Minho’s hands are buttoning them again. Damn it, Jisung meets his eyes again and Minho raises his brows a little with an expression that says Really? just like his thoughts do, but Jisung doesn’t mind, just shrugs back and purses his lips.

What? Just appreciating the goods.

Cluelessly waiting, Hyunjin still stares at Minho. “Now that that is done… what?” 

Minho sighs. “I’ll haul your ass home, what else? What were you even doing outside?”

Judging by the choked-up sound Hyunjin lets out, that was the wrong question to ask.

“Minho hyung…!” Hyunjin calls, voice as watery as his red-rimmed eyes. He’s going to cry and takes a breather. Jisung averts his eyes again, looking around the messy jungle of a garden. Awkward. Jisung spots his cup in the bush nearby and sees a bird sitting in it… well, better than drunk birds, he guesses.

And Hyunjin sniffs. “I-I, uhm, I confessed to Seungminnie and… a-and he–” A hiccup. A breather. “He… rejected me… Just… Just like that. Isn’t interested in me… I. I just…” And there you go, waterfalls. Ugh. 

With how whiny Hyunjin’s words were, his thoughts are probably worse. How pathetic.

Disinterested, Jisung conveniently keeps his eyes averted at literally anything else, watches the bird sit in his well-placed cup in the bush and wonders if he’ll be born a bird his next life.

Minho’s sigh is long and deep. “I know you don’t want to hear this right now but… I told you so.”

Harsh and sort of teasing but gently offered words. Jisung turns back to them to hear what Minho really thinks. I told you to be careful. Not to fall for him and then I told you not to try anything with him. Look where not listening gets you. His scolding thoughts are laced with genuine worry and a tinge of empathy, though it’s mostly acceptance. Minho knew this would happen; his unsurprised expression shows as much as he reaches out to gently hold Hyunjin’s hand.

Why would he even care for someone so stupid? 

Nevertheless this is awkward. Jisung feels like he shouldn’t be here for this and quite frankly, he doesn’t fucking wanna be here. Making a good impression on Minho just backfired in all possible ways, it can’t get any worse so Jisung just makes himself comfortable, idly playing with the long grass.

“You never end up like me. Hyung, I think I should be more like you. I can see that now,” Hyunjin admits, wiping his tears with his shirt collar. He’s just sitting here in a white t-shirt even though he did have a jacket when they saw each other earlier. Why would he come out here without a jacket? Dramatic much?

Though Minho is just wearing a silk blouse too, but he did seem to not have a jacket with him even at the supermarket. In times like these Chan would’ve offered his jacket. Honestly Jisung could offer his own but from what he has seen, Minho would rather let Hyunjin take Jisung’s jacket and yeah, no.

Why is Jisung not focusing more on the drama you wonder? Because he does not care. At all. It’s annoying actually. Just look.

But in that moment Hyunjin’s stare on Minho and his thoughts throw Jisung off. Tipsy and emotional but a moment of perfectly clear honesty.

Minho hyung, you’re always so patient with your love. You don’t want to waste it the way I always do. Even though you act like the toughest asshole on earth, your heart is soft and kind and always so careful. You told me once you’re waiting for your soulmate – as if such a thing even exists – and nobody else. Unlike me, you don’t play with your love. I hope whoever ends up your soulmate ends up the angel you deserve. And I hope I can learn to be as patient and strong as you.

Ohh? Now we’re talking. 

After the long tense pause, Minho speaks, cold and strict. “Hyunjin. I’m me, you’re you. We’re different people. Just be you. Don’t compare us like that, that’s nonsense.” Jisung looks at him. Seriously, your comparisons to me are pissing me off. You do this shit way too often. That’s what he gets for taking so much care of this loser. “Let’s just go, I’ll drop you off at your house.” He heaves Hyunjin up with him to stand. Jisung reflexively follows suit. Minho checks all over Hyunjin, trying to see if he got hurt and trying to fix his appearance.

So dejected and rejected, Hyunjin shakes off Minho’s caring hands. “Let’s meet at the car. I need to piss. I drank a bunch of orange juice before I passed out.”

Minho sighs, tired. Just don’t go searching for Seungmin again. “You didn’t pass out,” Minho corrects him and Hyunjin just grins at him, it’s a real one with his eyes almost disappearing into crescents. Minho’s brows furrow at that. “I can come with you–”

Arm having reached out to stop Minho with a light tap to his wrist, Jisung himself is as surprised by his own behaviour as Minho and Hyunjin are.

But Hyunjin really wants a moment alone and actually find a toilet, so Jisung will not say no to an opportunity to be alone with Minho. Maybe there is still room to get something out of this situation. If his body is already doing the job for him then he might as well continue.

Being nice doesn’t suit Jisung anyway.

The smile on Hyunjin is directed at him, as if he did this for Hyunjin. “Thank you, Jisung. Maybe you’re not so bad after all.” And then he’s skipping off, almost tripping twice on the way and disappearing around the corner. Minho wants to yell after him not to take too long but he gives up with a sigh, focusing on Jisung instead.

The sound of the cicadas register in Jisung’s mind again.

The clouds in the night sky seem to have made way for the moon to shine through because the man in front of him is glowing in its unique light.

A picture-perfect scene.

And Minho is still looking at him, always with that same look of curiosity he’s been giving Jisung since their very first moment. He also thinks Jisung kept him here just for Hyunjin’s sake. 

When Jisung keeps staring right back at him and starts to chuckle a little at how innocent Minho looks, Minho’s mind cutely provides an Ah, how does he keep staring so shamelessly? And why is he laughing now? Minho is blushing, positively shy and wondering if he did something or if there is something on him. His hands subtly reach to his hair, checking for a leaf or anything but he comes up empty-handed. A tad confused, he keeps his head low to hide his blush and how shy the staring makes him – of course, he’s not very successful with how he shifts under Jisung’s gaze. 

The beauty in front of him thinks of this moment of silence as not awkward but tense, unsure as to why. He considers leaving but he won’t because he sees this as an opportunity to make friends, thinking about what to do with Jisung until he has to leave. Maybe Jisung needs a drive home? I could drop him off too if he wants me to...?

A very pure trail of thought. 

Beautiful and pure, huh? No wonder Chan likes him so much.

Minho offers way too much not to take, not to have interest, not to steal him away from anyone else who wants a piece of him.

And Jisung enjoys all of him already.

Because he’s too beautiful not to play with.

Sharp features laced with a certain softness in them that Jisung just can’t pinpoint beyond the fact that he wants those sparkly eyes to cry and that sweet voice to beg him for more, pouty lips panting and gasping if they’re not filled with something to suck on.

Jisung decides right then and there that he wants to feel Minho’s skin hot against his own, wants to feel his lips and tongue around his own; that he wants this beautiful man on his knees, on his hands and knees, against the next possible wall, on a car in the parking lot; any surface available and then some more. He’ll even allow Minho into his bed if Minho wants to do it there. Jisung can wait, work his way up patiently – he just wants him.

He knows what he wants and he knows how to get it.

Jisung swallows and holds out a hand, turned up. Then he looks up at Minho, gaze deep and meaningful. “Minho hyung, I think I have to tell you something.”

There is that curious confusion again, Minho even tilts his head, absolutely clueless but doesn’t offer his own hand to Jisung. He doesn’t know what to expect and that’s fair, so careful. What could Jisung possibly have to tell him so seriously? 

“You and I,” Jisung breathes in, hand still up but turning into a loose fist. “Can you… Can you feel it too?”

“Feel what?” Minho immediately asks, small hands reaching up to curiously pry open Jisung’s as if the answer is in there. There’s nothing. “I’m not sure what you are talking about…?”

In good nature Jisung chuckles, letting Minho inspect his hand. Fingers brushing over Jisung’s skin carefully like he’ll find something if he searches long enough. “I can hear what you’re thinking, Lee Minho. There’s nothing on my hand, I just wanted to hold yours.”

Minho lets go of his hand like he’s been burned and his flaming ears prove the point. “A-Ah, I see. Uhm…” His head lowers first but then Don’t become weak for pretty words, Lee Minho! He really encourages himself enough to put his chin high up in the air, looking down his nose at Jisung with a glare – though the red ears take too much away from the intimidation factor – and then he raises a brow, voice cold again. “Stop playing games. Just tell me what you’re talking about, Jisung.”

Too bad, Jisung will win this round. He smiles. “You think my words are pretty?”

A pause. Wild blinking but an otherwise blank expression. Then Minho narrows his eyes. Yes, how did you know? “No, I don’t.”

“I can hear what you’re thinking,” Jisung laughs, tapping the side of his head two times and then points at Minho. “That’s how I know. I keep hearing your thoughts in my head. You’re so curious, I thought you’d hear mine too.” He sighs, like it’s so unfortunate and so unexpected that Minho can’t read his thoughts too, but keeps it light enough. “You don’t feel it?”

What the hell is he talking about? I feel nothing out of the ordinary. Naturally Minho loses the strong pose at that, eyes softening. What kind of joke is he pulling? “I did notice you glared at me a lot.” Jisung frowns at that; did he really glare? But Minho continues, “You… is that why you were so amused at the table with the others? You heard what I was thinking?” A soft gasp, eyes rounding and ears flaring up anew. “No way… Even when we were, uh – I don’t know if you remember but – even in the supermarket aisle…?”

“Of course I remember!” Jisung laughs and crosses his arms, acting playfully upset. “The first thing I thought when I saw you was how beautiful you are and the first thing you came up with is how I look like a squirrel!”

Wow… he can really read my thoughts? Why? “Just… just give me a moment.” Minho drops to sit back down on his haunches, curling into a ball. What does this mean? Is this Han Jisung person an… an alien? A super-powered human experiment? Is this mind reading ability a human mutation that will show up in way more humans? What–

“Hey, stop comparing me to weird things. I’m just me.” Jisung joins him in the same position and gently uses his finger to make Minho look up to him by his chin. The stars sparkle in his dark brown eyes, always so curious. “You know what that’s like, right? I don’t want to be compared like that to others either.”

“Okay,” Minho breathes, letting Jisung’s finger hold his chin up. He really hears all my thoughts. I should be careful. “What are you then?”

The smile on Jisung’s face, as he freely lets himself take in the sight that is Lee Minho, is pure only for the moment. Along with the moon and the stars Minho’s beauty is out of this world too, up close even more so. Minho, too, lets his gaze wander over Jisung’s features with the attempt to analyse him, coming up empty but he isn’t put off at all. 

If this was a movie, Jisung would be categorised a villain and Minho would be the poor damsel in distress unknowingly walking into his trap.

“Isn’t it obvious? I felt it as soon as our eyes met. And since I can’t hear anyone else's mind, I can only come to one single solution...”

Alas, the story goes as follows and Jisung chooses a different role to play for this modern day. So gentle with who he has in front of him. Such a pretty toy. The finger on Minho’s chin ghosting down his neck as Minho shivers at the feeling and maybe the cold night air.

How pure he is, waiting patiently and eagerly for Jisung to answer him. Patience, Minho must have a lot of it, waiting for his fated love. A romantic, isn’t he?

But Jisung isn’t.

“I am Han Jisung, your soulmate.”

(He’ll play along until he gets bored though. This pretty thing will end up heartbroken some day anyway.)

The hesitance of Minho’s bubbling happiness is one out of fear and care, but his heart has already skipped a beat and his sparkly eyes have lit up, telling Jisung all his feelings perfectly enough: there is the fear that this is all a lie or a dream, that this is something that will hurt and to be honest, if he lets Jisung in then it most certainly will hurt him in the future (though he doesn’t know that part yet).

The naïve hope overpowers his instincts to be carefully closed-off. 

Just to hear the words Minho doesn’t have the strength nor confidence to say out loud, Jisung keeps listening in.

With a smile, Jisung meets Minho’s eyes that are so fixated on him in awe.

I was ready to wait forever until you.

But you finally found me.

My soulmate, Han Jisung.

Chapter Text

The thing that many people don’t realise is that the most intimidating people might just also be the most skittish ones. Strong and collected demeanours do well in hiding a soft interior; not always necessarily in a traditional manner though. Even loud and boisterous personalities are easily shot down once you know how to work their weaknesses; it’s just how people work – good or bad, inflicting pain or offering peace – you can do a lot with that type of knowledge.

Since Jisung can read people’s minds, he tends to have an easy time looking straight through anyone and their masks in a short amount of time. 

But really, even Jisung hadn’t expected Minho to just fucking bolt after thinking something so… ugh… sappy along the lines of ‘Oh my dear soulmate, I’ve been waiting for you’ and shit. Naïve and easy, if only it weren’t for the instant escape.

But still, that was supposed to be the part where Jisung draws him further in, not the part where Minho wordlessly runs away – who even does that? Though the change from insecure hope and happiness to pure panic was a little cute, so Jisung isn’t really mad about it nor the lack of action that night. A little rude, but as established, Minho is cute enough for Jisung to shrug it off – it’s just a pity the night ended so quickly without more.

As good as it is for Minho to stay far away from Jisung, there’s no way the game can be allowed to end this early when Jisung laid out such perfect groundwork for it. Soulmates? How laughable. But a fun storyline to follow through.

(Lee Minho can be careful all he wants, he’s no match to Han Jisung.

A game of predator vs prey.)

It’s been a few uneventful days since then.

Changbin nudges Jisung out of his thoughts. They’re actually on campus right now, on the way to drop something off for one of Changbin’s professors before going home.

“Yo, Chan hyung is over there,” Changbin says, eyes ahead and gesturing with his soda can in hand. It’s obvious he is not a fan of the scene. “Is that Lee Minho with him? He looks kinda…”

Yes, different.

Minho. On this sunny day standing under the shade of a tree, it’s definitely him but he’s completely different from a few nights ago. Flowing silk, tight leather and sparkling make-up are replaced by an all around… smaller vibe: casual light blue jeans, a white shirt loosely tucked in and a pastel pink cardigan two sizes too big. He’s even got a pair of nerdy thin frame glasses on top of his nose, unstyled but fluffy bedhair to top it off. And of course, a messenger bag fit for a day on campus.

Call it best of both worlds. The duality is adorable, really. 

Especially the part where he has Jisung on his mind is adorable though; nervous and ready to bolt even though he looks calm and collected as he speaks with Chan.

Not that Chan and Minho spotted Changbin and Jisung advancing towards their direction yet but interestingly enough, according to their minds, the pair ahead is talking about Jisung, and it’s Minho asking questions. Well, it’s an understandable reason to be nervous then because, as expected, Minho is still hung up on the soulmates thing.

A smirk grows on Jisung’s face.

Changbin pulls a grimace, “Let’s just drop my paper off and leave. We can text Chan later, I don’t wanna–”

“Hey, Channie hyung!” Jisung calls out, smirk now turned into friendly smile for Minho and Chan, who look at him in surprise – one happy, while the other visibly pales. Jisung waves at them as he pulls a disgruntled Changbin with him.

Once they reach them, Chan turns to them and Minho takes a step back, obviously wanting to hide behind Chan and avoid Jisung’s eyes at all costs. Why is he here?! I should say goodbye and go…

“Oh, Minho hyung, hello.” Unbothered, Jisung smiles at the way Minho only nods in greeting, almost glaring despite his hidden shakiness on the inside. It’s too funny and Jisung wants to make it worse for him, but a mind-reading soulmate wouldn’t do such a mean thing just yet, so Jisung focuses on Chan instead. “Chan hyung, what are you up to? I thought you’d be home already.”

Trying to ask Minho out for dinner if I can gather enough courage. I have a mission to do better! Chan shrugs, still smiling. “I was on the way home from my last lecture and met Minho on the way, so… yeah. Why are you guys still on campus?”

Changbin sighs, still visibly unhappy about Jisung having dragged him here. He side-eyes Minho before looking at Chan again. “Just wanted to drop off my paper at Professor Lim’s office…”

Jisung takes another glance at Minho who’s (understandably) thinking of ways to politely escape.

What’s the need to be polite for? Jisung almost raises a brow at that but finds himself smirking a little when Minho finally meets his eyes, while Chan asks Changbin about his paper. Minho puts his chin higher as if that’d help hide what goes on inside his head and evens his stare into a solid glare. Don’t look at me. Don’t talk to me. And don’t you dare keep reading my mind. But you don’t need a mind reader to know that’s what he wants to portray.

Honestly Jisung is only amused and lets his smirk melt into a friendly grin, interrupting Changbin’s speech about the world’s first audio recording techniques. “Oh, I just remembered! Channie hyung, you wanted to show me one of your track samples, right? Let’s drop off Changbin hyung’s stuff together and use one of the campus studios to work on it!”

Chan’s face drops to confusion – hey, Jisung didn’t lie, Chan really told him about a new track sample just yesterday – and Changbin brightens at the chance to leave as well, Minho’s brooding silence not helping his first bad impression on Changbin. Before Chan gets a word out to protest the idea, Changbin hooks an arm with his and drags him along, “Let’s go, hyung! I wanna hear it too!”

Jisung lingers behind a little, watching them go before turning to look at a surprised Minho already staring at him. Did he do that to help me because he heard my thoughts again? Ah! Wait, he’s still hearing my thoughts, isn’t he!? Stop reading my thoughts! Minho swallows and looks away, hands uselessly looking for something to do by reaching to grip his messenger bag’s strap on his chest.

Jisung chuckles a little, genuinely amused, and puts his hands inside his denim jacket’s pockets before following his friends, lest they question his motives.

He can’t help but look over his shoulder one last time and smile at Minho, who is – as expected – watching him leave with even more questions in mind.

See, running away doesn’t grant you freedom so easily in a game like this.

“See you around, Lee Minho.”

As it turns out Minho does look pretty good bend over.

The past week has made it obvious that he has been trying to avoid Jisung, slipping away whenever they catch a glimpse of each other on campus. Of course, Jisung doesn’t follow him, nor are any of their little meetups planned; it’s pretty random. Jisung might be playing this game, but he’s not a creep and there is no rush. Things tend to work out in his favour anyway and he doesn’t waste too much thought on Minho or any special strategy besides the usual bits.

(Although, yeah, the soulmate-mind-reading bit is new. But it’s an entertaining starting line, especially with a toy like Minho.)

Interestingly enough, Chan has been hanging around Minho more lately and lets Jisung know that Minho is quite interested in Jisung (and Changbin). Naturally, Chan is very hopeful about their potential friendship – much to Changbin’s chagrin. Though apparently Minho is too reluctant (shy, if you ask Jisung but he keeps that to himself) to meet them again (Chan still blames himself for that).

But see, being careful only gets you so far, Lee Minho.

In the end Jisung still gets to enjoy the view of having Minho bend over in front of him.

Sure, Jisung would like to put his hand on Minho’s lower back, push him further down, make his body arch in a pretty bow… but this is also a nice start for someone like Minho. Ahh, Minho is so pretty, even from behind. Jisung would like to press up against him, lean down to whisper dirty nothings into his ear and bite into his shoulder to leave a mark, let his hands wander and make Minho whine under his touch.

It’s just so tempting; he’d look even prettier if he got marked up by Jisung.

Unfortunately, Minho is simply bend over a big study desk to comfortably look over that stupid Hyunjin guy’s laptop, who is on the seat opposite of Minho’s.

Yes, clothes on – the mellow kind like last time – very decent, very attentive. Would be easier on him to just walk around and sit down next to his friend but Jisung isn’t complaining about the view he provides this way. Just helping his friend, thoughts in mild disappointment that said friend is having troubles with extracting stuff from a few simple zip-files.  

Hmm, nothing as spectacular as Jisung would like it. They’re spending the early evening in the campus library after all. Students come here to do work or lie to themselves by pretending to work.

The campus library is a place of decency most of the time.

And Jisung himself is supposed to look for a seat to do his own work, not get lost in eating Minho up with his eyes. See? Another perfect coincidence presented on a silver platter.

Or maybe not so perfect. Jisung has to submit this dissertation in the next two days. He’d like to finish it today since he’s been procrastinating it enough this close to the deadline.

Hyunjin is the one who notices Jisung staring, expression souring immediately when their eyes meet.

Pervert.

Maybe so.

Unbothered, Jisung gives him a small smile that is honestly more of a press of his lips into a thin line than a greeting. To Hyunjin’s credit he fakes one back at Jisung before he nudges Minho and juts his chin towards Jisung.

Confused, Minho straightens up on his end of the desk, looking halfway behind him and finally meeting Jisung’s eyes while sliding back into his own seat. Oh shit, it’s him. Careful now… Despite being nervous, he gives a light bow with his head to greet Jisung, eyes barely managing to keep the eye contact. Please don’t come over. Please don’t come over. Please…

Well, Jisung is a nice guy here, right? What kind of soulmate would pressure their partner and make them uncomfortable? Not Han Jisung. And he got a dissertation to work on. So he just gives Minho a small smile (a better one this time) and a casual bow back and then trudges further down the aisles of desks, hand rubbing his neck. Just as the many times before, he leaves Minho alone as wordlessly asked.

This time he doesn’t look back.

It only takes an hour before Minho appears behind Jisung.

Saying Jisung feels smug about it would be an understatement.

Despite wearing his bulky noise-cancelling headphones and not having turned around, Jisung knows Minho is behind him because he’s taken the solo desk facing the window and through its reflection, he can see Minho standing a few steps behind him. Minho has been waiting for the past, hmm, now eleven minutes, just to talk to Jisung, very unaware that he’s already been noticed.

Also, it’s kind of hard not to notice when someone is practically staring holes into the back of your head.

Although Jisung can’t read minds through reflections, he can tell Minho is just politely waiting for his chance to talk about something serious – the soulmate thing most likely – with Jisung, who’s obviously still working on his own thing.

Eleven minutes are enough of the waiting game for the beauty, right? Jisung finished a while ago and just got done proof-reading anyway.

So he sighs and makes a show of stretching and rolling his shoulders to show he’s finishing up. He begins packing his stuff and puts his headphones away too – any other day he’d leave his headphones on and head straight home, but he wants to give Minho the perfect chance to talk to him. A glance to the reflection in the window tells him Minho is eager to be noticed now, straightening up his posture. This time his expression is not panicked or closed off. Well, his facial expression never fully is but his body language and the running away tend to be the real tells for it. 

Overall, there is always something soft and yet sharp and mildly unapproachable about Minho; for Jisung that just makes him all the more appealing to play with.

Finally Jisung gets up and turns around, seemingly ready to leave with his backpack on. Putting on a show, he acts surprised and stops – wide eyes and an inaudible ‘oh’ – when he meets eyes with Minho who becomes a little sheepish already.

“Hi.” Minho smiles, small but hopeful, hands in front of him fidgeting in long blue hoodie sleeves. His naturally sharp features clash with his overall sense of softness, even in his voice. “Would you like to get some coffee with me?”

That’s a direct approach. Jisung tilts his head and bites his bottom lip, looking away once and then at Minho again while awkwardly putting his hands into his jacket pockets. The hesitance is all for show of course. “I’d love to but… you’re only here now because you feel bad, right? You don’t have to force yourself to talk to me and it’s getting late anywa–”

“No!” Minho immediately says, a little too loudly for an evening at the library. He realises it and his ears turn red. He comes closer instead with a quieter voice, “I mean, you can read my mind, right? I do feel bad but I also… uhm, I think I want to get to know you better.”

Of course, that’s been true for a while now; proof in Minho’s head and Chan’s cluelessly optimistic reports. Jisung gives him a weak smile and a seemingly helpless shrug, as if he’s unsure about saying yes. He’d say almost anything to get into Minho’s pants. “Alright. Coffee then?”

“Yeah.” Minho’s relief is almost blinding.

“Hey,” Minho starts once they’re out of the library and on the way to the coffee shop with him leading the way; he’s already switched from polite to casual speech as soon as Jisung called him ‘hyung’ again a minute ago. Such an easy-going guy. “How does the mind reading work? Do you have to see my face or make eye contact or something? Can you also read my mind when you see only my hand for example? What if I wore a paperbag on my head? Or a helmet? Are there rules to the whole thing?”

It’s only a small portion of questions from the many that have been swirling in Minho’s mind. He’s been thinking a lot on the short way out of the library, almost bursting at the seams with thoughts on how to apologise to Jisung and theorising the mind-reading combined with their (fake) soulmate bond, and of course, wondering how to ask Jisung these things in the best way.

Kinda nerdy.

Thankfully he’s pretty solid in his belief that they’re soulmates, thinking of it like it’s a proven fact.

Well, technically it is proven enough for Minho. Jisung isn’t going to complain when things go well. Mind-reading isn’t supposed to exist in the first place.

Jisung just shrugs and takes a moment to think on how best to manoeuvre the whole soulmates mind reading story.

The streetlights are illuminating their way off campus but it’s not too dark outside yet at all and the trees rustle in the wind with every light breeze. It smells like rain, but so far it’s still a dry evening, not too dark yet either.

He lies, “How would I know? I haven’t had much of a chance to figure this out either.”

“Ah… right.” Minho looks away, instantly feeling guilty again. Even though he respected my distance, I was so mean, wasn’t I… How can I make up for being so… damn it… The strong glare on his features would betray his real feelings – if Jisung didn’t know what he’s thinking, he’d think Minho is angry at what Jisung said instead.

Jisung smiles. “You’re cute.” He watches with amusement as Minho startles, caught off guard by the compliment. “But it’s not your fault, so don’t blame yourself, Minho hyung. I’d be careful if someone told me they could read my mind too! Soulmate or not, it’s only natural to need some time to think.”

He’s so kind and mindful… That’s an ironic pun at most, unbeknownst to Minho who nods with a deflating sigh, shoulders slumping and eyes on the pavement in front of them. “Yeah, but… ugh, I didn’t have to avoid you. What kind of shitty soulmate am I…”

“Not a shitty one, just a careful one!” Jisung corrects and lightly bumps his shoulder with Minho’s, trying to reassure him. He should be even more careful. Minho would probably make a good soulmate if the concept actually existed. But anyways, Jisung can be talkative and improvise most of this, despite being a good representation of introvert stereotypes. He can make up something pretty. “Honestly, I felt bad too. I thought I scared you away with how direct I was, so I left you alone after you ran away the first time. It must’ve been uncomfortable for you too… Soulmates are just so cool, you know, I got so excited on my own. It was so obvious to me that we’re soulmates when I kept meeting you after that first time with that huge… wow-effect and I just… uhm, felt like I had to talk to you about it. Maybe I shouldn’t have… I’m sorry about that, Minho hyung.”

Right under a streetlight, Minho groans and stops in his steps, tugging on the sleeve of Jisung’s denim jacket to make him stop and look at him too. “Stop it! I’m glad you decided to tell me about it. It’s seriously my fault for keeping us apart. Instead of lurking around and getting scared of this, I should’ve tried seeing things from your perspective too. It must’ve been confusing and lonely for you whenever I ran away from you… that wasn’t fair of me. I’m the one who’s sorry. We’re… We’re s-s-soulmates so…!” Minho blushes bright at the words, squeezing his eyes shut and tightening his grip on Jisung’s sleeve. He takes a deep breath before he opens his eyes again, voice small and almost a whisper as he drops his hand from Jisung’s sleeve. “We’re soulmates so we should be there for each other.”

That’s kind of dramatic and very romantic, especially with the knowledge that Minho speaks from the heart – really, Minho probably watches some sappy shows in his free time – so Jisung isn’t surprised, but he does have to suppress a laugh. It’s just so funny, you know. He settles for a grin, not too eager about overlaying his real personality too much. Too much acting gets exhausting and can end up ruining the game.

A mandatory rule for using your mind reading privileges and mind games: Have fun, but still always be yourself. Play your cards right.

Fine, fine. Let’s give Minho some sweet words too.

“You’re right. Soulmates should be there for each other,” Jisung takes Minho’s hand gently in his and Minho lets him through watchful but openly glinting eyes focused on their hands. “But since we’re soulmates, I knew you wouldn’t leave me alone for too long.” Minus the soulmates thing, that’s true, Jisung did expect Minho to come to him at some point, so Jisung has been ready for this. Minho is blushing again, frowning and in his mind even complaining about his heartrate speeding up at the touch, while Jisung continues talking in a tone as gentle as the way he holds Minho’s hand in both of his now. “I believe that, in the end, soulmates would always want to find each other again no matter what.”

How does he always say and do the perfect things? Minho complains more inside his mind, frown deepening as he blinks rapidly and lets his free hand rub over his t-shirt, where his heart is. It makes my heart flutter. He pulls a pained grimace and slowly lets his hand slide out of Jisung’s gentle hold. Don’t get so excited, Lee Minho. A deep breath in.

“Yes, but we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves.” He sounds and looks strict as he keeps a strong gaze on Jisung but his blush betrays him. “Let’s take it slow and get to know each other. We shouldn’t rush into anything just because we’re soulmates.”

“Obviously,” Jisung says it with round appalled eyes. “Just because I make your heart flutter doesn’t mean I’m already yours, my dear soulmate.” He exaggerates a pout, finger on his lips and then pointing to Minho’s forehead. In a teasingly scolding tone he adds, “What are you imagining up there? Don’t get risky.”

Minho sputters in embarrassment, searching for words. Aren’t soulmates supposed to fall in love with each other!? “T-That’s not what I meant! Stop reading my mind!” He pulls his hood over his head and starts walking again, nearly jogging down the street. There he goes, trying to flee again.

With a laugh, Jisung follows him. “Hey, wait for me! You said we’re getting coffee together!”

“Then hurry up!” Minho yells over his shoulder.

Jisung catches up just in time to catch Minho’s giggle and then Jisung complains some more, “Fun fact about your soulmate: he hates running.”

“Ah, me too,” Minho slows down, then gives Jisung a blank expression. “That wasn’t even running though.”

“Well, I still didn’t like it,” Jisung says, matching his pace with Minho so they’re walking side by side again. “But I do like coffee a lot. My favourite is iced americano.”

“Oh, mine too!” Minho grins at their similarity, eyes on the way ahead again. The sky will probably darken soon but the streetlights are ready for it anyway. Minho’s grin turns into the small smile from before when he was waiting for Jisung in the library. “Thank you for coming by the way. Even though I ran away from you, you still didn’t leave my mind so… I ended up asking Chan hyung about you,” he admits, becoming a little shy again. “I didn’t mean to pry but I just couldn’t help myself, I’m sorry…”

“Hmm, that’s not too bad, don’t worry.” Jisung shrugs, leaving out the part where Chan always told him everything anyway, plus Jisung got to look into his thoughts for the details too. “I’ll forgive you on one condition only though.”

Minho turns his head to look at him with pouty lips parted the tiniest bit and eyes sparkling.

Hmm. Curious and eager to please?

That might be the prettiest expression so far, like it’s his own brand and Jisung gives it a grandiose title: The Curiosity Of Lee Minho. Subtitle: A rise to fall into the arms of disaster.

Arms of disaster as in Jisung’s arms. Ah, Jisung is a comedic genius. He’ll laugh about it later. Of course, there are better expressions he will pull out of Minho soon enough.

Voice a notch softer, Jisung leans a little closer as if telling a secret, “Whenever you are curious about me and want to know something about me, you’ll come directly to me from now on, deal?”

“Deal!” Minho answers easily.

They soon enter a café where Minho is apparently a regular.

It’s a homely place, beige colours and greens with plants at every corner. Since there aren’t many customers in the evening, their orders are quickly taken care of, and they’re seated by the windows on the upper floor of the coffee shop with two iced americanos and cookies as an extra gift. Minho’s eyes never leave Jisung, watching like a hawk for either his theories to somehow be confirmed or making Jisung slip up about his soulmate mind reading secrets. Technically he isn’t so wrong, people do tend to get nervous when stared at intensely but too bad, Minho is looking for the wrong things and Jisung is prepared to play anyway.

As soon as the waitress leaves their table, Minho speaks up, “We should test how far the mind reading can go.”

Jisung looks up from his drink and simply blinks.

“I’m not saying I don’t trust you. But I gotta know since it is my mind you’re reading…” Minho clarifies – as if there was any reason to trust Jisung in the first place, soulmate thing aside – and then averts his eyes for a moment to think how to word this, a serious air around him. I don’t want you snooping around my mind all the time. Some things should be kept to myself, doesn’t matter if it’s my soulmate or not. He meets Jisung’s eyes again. Where did his innocent vibe go? “So…” Minho breathes in. “Can you still read my mind if I do this?” He puts the menu card up to hide his face.

There it is. Ha!

Biting down his laugh, Jisung crosses his arms over his chest and leans back in his chair. He pauses and hums for dramatic effect and then, “No, it’s not working.”

Minho drops the menu card back down, revealing an excited grin. “Really?” But you can hear my mind now?

“Yes, now I can.” Jisung can’t help but chuckle.

So it must be about the face! Minho clenches his eyes shut. Do you have to see my face or my eyes? Can you still hear what I’m thinking, Jisung? It looks cute combined with the grin and menu card still in his hands on the table. Soulmates are literally bound by the soul… I’m pretty sure the eyes are the crucial part. Maybe it’s eye contact or you need to see my eyes somehow?

Close, Jisung thinks. But not close enough and grounded by the wrong premise. Just like Jisung doesn’t tell him that he can read everyone’s mind, he also doesn’t tell Minho the circumstances under which the mind reading works. He tells him something that keeps him just fine under Jisung’s watch (well, keeps his mind under his watch).

“Hmm,” Jisung leans forward on his elbows on the table now, frowning exaggeratedly. “I’m trying, I think, but it doesn’t work. But if I can see your eyes, it just happens.” Minho blinks his eyes open curiously, listening intently. I thought the same thing! “Oh, do you think it’s eye contact too? Maybe it’s like, eye contact is giving me permission to hear what you think? You know like, I may be able to hear your mind but only if you make eye contact with me?”

“Just like the supermarket! You didn’t hear what I was thinking before but you heard me call you a squirrel, right?” Minho exclaims, clapping his hands once. Frankly the reason Jisung only heard the squirrel part is because he was distracted by the Pororo Drinks sale. “That must be it! But… what about this,” Minho angles his head away and looks out the window. “Is it eye contact or just the eyes?”

His side profile is so pretty.

Minho’s eyelashes are long, slightly curved. The natural pout of his lips is so inviting, and his neck looks so sadly untouched under the low coffee shop lights. A small lone earring –  a thin creole – adorns his earlobe. Outside a car drives by and lights his features up brightly for a second. The one eye visible to Jisung catches the light and so does the silver earring.

He’s staring again… Maybe he has to concentrate to hear my mind from this angle if I’m not making eye contact with him? Minho lightly bites on his bottom lip in thought and Jisung just keeps staring unabashedly. Minho straightens his posture a bit, looking down and then up again, still out the window, and it looks like he’s royalty – the image betrays how self-conscious he has just become. Positioned so perfectly, Jisung wants to walk over to him, tip his chin further up, only to make him submit for Jisung by opening his pretty lips up for him. 

The entire presence of Lee Minho is…

It’s like all of Jisung’s favourite manga artists met up with mother nature to create a real-life beauty to finally rival the most alluring pieces of art found in grand stories.

This masterpiece will be Jisung’s to paint over.

Minho turns his head back to him, bottom lip free and frowning lightly in confusion when he meets Jisung’s absent-minded stare on him.

“Uhm, so it didn’t work?” Minho tilts his head at him.

“Ah,” Jisung blinks multiple times to rid himself of the daze, “I just–” Fuck it, Minho is a romantic anyway. “I just got kinda lost there. Man, you’re so… beautiful, it’s distracting.” This time Minho flushes pink at the compliment and Jisung continues, sheepish smile and a hand rubbing his nape, “Sorry, the mind reading didn’t work at that angle.”

“I-It’s okay!” Minho waves him off, gaze softening and lowering to the menu card he still has in his hands, now fidgeting. He mumbles out the rest, “We’re, uh, figuring it out together after all.” He drops the menu on the table, sweater paws on top, as he nods to himself. “I guess it’s eye contact then…?”

“Yeah, that might be it,” Jisung is still rather absent-minded when he picks up his coffee and sips from the straw, keeping it in his mouth and chewing on it. The horny side in him needs to shut up; yes, he hasn’t gotten laid in a while (his own choice, mind you, he just doesn’t feel like it sometimes and his hand does a good job too) but it’s no excuse for being so easily distracted by an explicit-rated daydream and a pretty face.

A very pretty face, even prettier if Jisung–

Jisung sighs. No way he can get Minho into bed tonight already, so he should just look for a quick substitute. Or go home.  “Hey, Minho hyung.” Minho startles again, so skittish today. It seems he’s been lost in thoughts too, but he looks attentively at Jisung now. Jisung tries to sound more apologetic than annoyed, “Sorry, but is it okay if we go home now? It’s getting late and I think it’s going to rain tonight.”

“Oh, sure,” Minho agrees easily, “Chan hyung told me you tend to need lots of alone time, I respect that.”

Nice one, Chan. Jisung snorts, putting his drink on the table and taking his denim jacket from the back of his chair to wear it. “Yeah, pff, Channie hyung, huh. What else did he tell you?” He asks even though he knows, just to tease Minho a little.

And it works. “Nothing much…” Minho trails off, cheeks becoming rosy again and looking away.

Jisung smiles. “Fine, fine. Come on, I’ll walk you home. Where do you live?”

“Just 10 minutes from here actually, you don’t need to.”

That’s good then but Jisung should play the role of the romantic gentleman… so in a few minutes outside he shall insist on walking his ‘soulmate’ home.

Minho gets up as well, iced americano finished a while ago. After putting their trash away, they exit the coffee shop in silence. Jisung’s mind is pre-occupied with deciding whether to find a hook-up – is he really spontaneously gonna go to a bar just to get some? – or just go home and take care of himself or maybe just read some manga to banish the horny.

When Jisung glances at Minho just as they come to a stop on the sidewalk outside the coffee shop, Jisung almost has to laugh at the deep frown directed at the asphalt and an Is it too much if I invite Jisung over for dinner this weekend? that sounds more like Minho is complaining rather than wondering. I still want to spend some time with him. But maybe I am too straight forward? I just want to get to know him though…

“Hey,” Jisung pulls him out of his thoughts. “What way?”

Minho recovers quickly and points left, pointedly avoiding meeting Jisung’s eyes. He adapts quickly once he learns something, huh. “There, but if you want I can walk you home.”

With an exaggerated gasp, Jisung’s mouth drops open. “I asked you if I could walk you home and you do this to me?”

“Dramatic,” Minho rolls his eyes.

“You know what’s really dramatic?” Jisung widens his eyes comically, pointing left too. “My apartment is also that way.”

“No way.”

“Yes way.”

Minho mumbles something inaudible under his breath, already walking in said direction without further prompting. If he lives close to where I live, I’m gonna get goosebumps. Soulmates even in geography?!

Well, Jisung might too, man. He follows though, hands in his denim jacket pockets. But hey, if they live near each other, then getting close enough to Minho for a fun night shouldn’t take too long. He’ll have Minho begging for him in no time. Minho already wants more than slow anyway.

As it turns out they do both get goosebumps because Minho stops by the convenience store they first met and points upwards, wordlessly telling Jisung that he lives in the apartment building next to it, so he’s first to leave but not before Jisung points into another direction down the street, blankly telling Minho that he lives only a few blocks down.

It’s kind of creepy how easily things seem to work in Jisung’s favour and therefore unavoidably against Minho who’s bound to have his heart broken – he may not be in love with Jisung yet but the way his eyes sparkle at yet another ‘proof’ of their soulmate bond almost makes Jisung feel bad about his plans.

(“We really must’ve been destined to meet,” Minho says in awe.)

Keyword: almost.

Once Minho gets into his apartment building with a satisfied goodbye, Jisung goes the short way to his own home alone with a triumphant smile despite no plans to look for other fun tonight.

It doesn’t rain that day after all.

It starts raining outside when Jisung almost falls asleep on the couch of Chan’s and Changbin’s shared apartment. A heavy downpour lets its droplets loudly smack against the closed window, startling Jisung out of dozing off.

It’s been smelling like rain all this week but it only starts raining now, unlike the weather report’s efforts. He curses under his breath before adjusting his position, closing his eyes again.

It’s the weekend so Jisung and Changbin were just hanging out; Changbin kind of dragged Jisung out of his own apartment for it and now it’s getting late already. They’ve been waiting for Chan to come back from his part-time job at the local radio station since he had texted them that he’d bring food with him.

“Man, Chan hyung is definitely going to get caught in the rain…” Changbin’s voice comes from his right where he is seated on the single armchair. The slight creaking tells Jisung that Changbin is leaning against the old armchair’s back to look out the window.

Jisung opens his eyes, picking at his raggedy t-shirt, only in loungewear as usual when they’re just chilling at home. “I guess so. Let’s hope he’ll be quick. His immune system is basically the Hulk anyway, so let’s worry about the food.”

“I think he’ll bring chicken.”

“Didn’t he say he’d try out that new Turkish kebab place?”

“Yeah, but wouldn’t he have to ask us how we want ours? Chicken is easier.”

“Hm. Maybe it’s the golden M, hyung.”

“I’m so hungry.”

“Me too.”

Right on time, they hear the keys jiggle at the front door. Jisung can feel the saliva gathering in his mouth, imagining what kind of food Chan could’ve brought with him; certainly Changbin feels the exact same way, already thinking of how he’d devour everything offered (not if Jisung and Chan can help it but you know, he can dream). The steps from down the hall don’t sound like a single person though and the steps seem to venture into the kitchen first and then it’s quiet, save for some plastic rustling.

“He isn’t alone,” Jisung says.

Changbin gets up as if readying himself for a hunt like an animal, eyes set on the open doorway of the living room. “Yeah. Let’s check on that.” Jisung glances up at him from his laid down position. If he only got food for three of us then why would he bring a fourth mouth to feed?!

A dramatic thought of a war cry, and then Changbin is already speedy on his way to the kitchen.

Jisung sighs from deep inside his chest. Naturally he follows, though he shuffles his feet lazily across the floor to get there.

It’s rewarding though because as soon as he steps into the hallway of the apartment his nose picks up the scent of, yes, it’s chicken. Jisung would’ve enjoyed any food option, but he does like it when his friends make good guesses sometimes too.

The heavy rain can be heard in every room, pitter-patter on the windows of the apartment. It offers a unique enjoyable ambience.

“Let’s get you some dry clothes, Minho, come on. You can use my blowdryer too.”

Jisung freezes in the doorway to the humble kitchen, almost running into Chan. And right behind Chan is Minho. And they’re both dripping wet, obviously got caught in the rain, and Jisung shakes himself out of it and steps aside. Chan doesn’t question it, just breezes past him with a, “Got everyone fried chicken for dinner. It’s on the table. Make sure Changbin doesn’t finish everything before we can all have some!”

Minho is a little slower; he pauses for a moment, smiling shyly at Jisung. “Hey, Jisung.”

Their eyes meet and Minho’s quiet surprise but sincere happiness at seeing him again is a little overwhelming. I didn’t think I’d see you again so soon but it’s nice.

“Hey,” Jisung breathes out, a little caught off guard. It’s been only two days and they meet again in Chan’s and Changbin’s apartment of all places. Jisung looks like he’s been homeless for those two days and he’s very aware – raggy t-shirt and sweatpants, hair a mess – a little too early for shitty appearances if he wants to hook up with the guy someday soon, but apparently Minho isn’t deterred at all, just continues his way and disappears down the hall in Chan’s room.

“What the hell was that.” Flat, same. But also, couldn’t Chan have given them a little heads up?

Whatever.

Nonchalance back on him, Jisung turns to Changbin to give him a lazy shrug and then focuses on unpacking another box of fried chicken as he sits down at the table. “What was what?”

Changbin’s glare could be worse and he seems to drop it by thoughtfully staring at the table, so Jisung isn’t worried. When he looks up one more time to check, Changbin’s thoughts can be taken care of easily. Is he playing wingman for Chan hyung and Minho hyung? I knew there was something suspicious about Chan hyung suddenly wanting more friends in our trio. Did Jisung notice before me and not tell me? Can’t believe he’d betray me like this… Does Chan hyung really have a serious crush?! Or maybe Jisung is actually interested in Min–

“Okay, look. I’m just trying to support Channie hyung in recruiting more friends for our circle, man. You should try being nice too, Changbin hyung. Minho hyung and Hyunjin aren’t bad guys,” Jisung interrupts that trail of (correct) overthinking quickly and then stuffs his cheeks full by sucking a whole chicken bone clean. To be honest, he couldn’t care less about Hyunjin but he’s part of the package unfortunately and Jisung has to play his cards right, so it won’t end in dramatics with Chan when the game ends someday.

“I admit they’re intimidating in a way,” Jisung adds because it’s technically true. “But they’ve been friendly to us so far too, haven’t they? Give them a chance, for Channie hyung.”

For one, Jisung can’t be openly aware that Chan likes Minho in a romantic serious way, so he plays the part. This way he can get closer to Minho without looking like an asshole in case he gets the beauty first (or after Chan, but Jisung prefers the former and either way it’s close to stealing). Instead, he’ll look like The Typical Innocent Guy who accidently finds himself in a love tangle, blissfully unaware of his friend’s feelings.

Although it doesn’t happen often, it’s one of the many strategies he pulls whenever Chan or Changbin find out Jisung got with any of their hook-ups or crushes: unawareness. Works wonders, especially if combined with guilt-ridden puppy eyes. He’s got a handful of great strategies that work well with his personality, even if he has to exaggerate his social awkwardness at times.

It’s not like he wants to seriously hurt his friends after all, it’s just for some fun and he knows where to put limits.

“Oh,” Changbin says after a long pause, considering him. “You’re too nice, Jisungie. I’m not a fan but I guess, you’re right. Maybe I should give Minho hyung and Hyunjin the benefit of the doubt…” After that he gets back to eating, thinking about (ever so reluctantly) letting their trio become a quintet for the sake of Chan’s welcoming heart. While Changbin is an extrovert, he does tend to be very selective about who to let into his close social circle – fair stuff.

Chan comes back in that moment, sitting down at the table next to Jisung and opposite of Changbin and starts eating. Naturally both Jisung and Changbin give him a questioning stare.

“Stop looking at me like that,” Chan says, cheeks flushing a little pink but he acts like it’s not a big deal. “I coincidently met him on the way home and invited him inside because it was raining. I don’t want him to get sick.”

Jisung quietly huffs out a laugh, concealing it by sucking his fingers clean of grease. Sweet Chan is using the opportunity to see Minho in his clothes. While his mind is obvious about it, there is also the fact that if it was only about worrying about Minho’s health then Chan could drive Minho home, the guy’s got a car.

Of course, Chan looks at him anyway and catches his smile. Confused, he tilts his head. “Why are you laughing?”

Shrugging, Jisung gestures to Changbin with that same smile. “Because of the perfect timing! Changbin hyung just decided he’d give Minho hyung and Hyunjin a chance.”

At the mention of it Changbin sighs and opens his mouth to complain but Minho chooses that moment to appear in the doorway of the kitchen, weak yellow hallway light illuminating him from behind. This is so awkward… I should’ve just gone home. As expected, he’s wearing one of Chan’s big t-shirts and black sweatpants, tugging self-consciously on the hem of the t-shirt but his face wouldn’t betray any of his feelings; it almost looks like he’s annoyed to be here as he looks around before awkwardly and slowly shuffling over to the last free seat next to Changbin.

All the while Chan, Changbin and Jisung watch him.

They avert their eyes back to the food in front of them when Minho glances at them too.

“Sorry for the intrusion…” Minho mumbles quietly and bows his head a little, eyes on a random corner of the kitchen and hands politely on his lap under the table.

Chan has been owning the colour red ever since Minho stepped into the room with his clothes on and he’s almost sputtering when he waves Minho off, “Don’t worry, you’re not intruding! We’re just having dinner and hanging out anyways. You’re always welcome here, Minho.” And you look so pretty in my clothes… Hmm, the thoughts are nearing the corner of sexual ownership if Chan would admit it to himself.

“Yeah,” Jisung adds, ignoring Chan’s thoughts, and smiles when Minho meets his eyes. “It’s convenient, isn’t it? We wanted to get closer to each other anyway, Minho hyung.” While Chan and Changbin assume Jisung means Chan’s friendship plan, Minho relaxes with the thought of their soulmate bond in mind.

The small happy smile on Minho’s face makes everyone else feel better about the situation too (even Changbin) and he nods with quiet enthusiasm, “You’re right, let’s make the best of it.”

Changbin offers him one of the open boxes of fried chicken, trying the whole being nice to a potential new long-time friend thing. “Dig in, Minho hyung.” And Minho quickly catches up on Changbin’s efforts.

Easy.

In just a few minutes they build up a casual conversation throughout the greasy dinner. Even though Minho is still a little timid, he easily flows with Chan’s and Changbin’s way of talking while Jisung keeps to his trademark side-commentary. One of the things that come up is that Minho was on his way home from the dance studio, on foot, when he met Chan and they decided to walk home together until it suddenly started pouring. Chan asks him about his car, the one from the dance studio party, and Minho explains that it’s actually Hyunjin’s car and he doesn’t own one, just ends up designated driver most of the time.

Jisung isn’t quite sure when it happens but when he becomes conscious of it, he also isn’t sure why he doesn’t stop himself from not keeping to side-commentary; he finds himself telling fun jokes and laughing loudly along to the other guys’, as if it were their usual three but the difference is that he looks out for what Minho thinks and laughs at. It might be Chan’s thoughts influencing him – He’s so pretty when he laughs, along other cheesy but superficial things.

And then the food is all gone and they’re laughing in a comfortable atmosphere until finally, Chan mentions the rain having stopped. Jisung hadn’t even noticed until now, turning his head to check the window.

From this 2^nd story raindrop-adorned window the dark night greets, only faintly lit up by streetlights and the bright moon.

It’s quiet, conversation lulling into something sleepy. What time is it?

“I can drive you home if you want,” Chan offers Minho with a smile, eyes tired but content. And then I can keep doing that until I get a kiss some day when I drop you off at your doorstep. Well, now, that’s definitely a movie thing.

Almost a good approach but ultimately wasteful.

Chan could’ve let Minho stay over the night, using the late time as an excuse to spend more time together but if Chan lets this opportunity slip out his fingers then Jisung will make use of it with his own.

And unknowingly, Minho plays right into his hands. “Oh, don’t worry about me. I can walk home alone. It’s a nice night out for walk anyway. Most stray cats come out at night.”

Both Chan and Changbin mull it over a second with a grimace and want to argue that it’s not good to walk home alone at this hour but Jisung is faster than they can think. He speaks up, casual and like he just remembered he also has to go home, “Cool, I gotta go too. How about I walk home with you then? It would be dangerous to walk around alone so late.”

Changbin shrugs – Hermit Han could’ve slept over but we definitely exhausted his social battery already – while Minho lights up at Jisung’s idea. It’s cute. “Sure! We live close by each other anyway.” Then he gives Chan a little grin. “I’ll make sure to wash your clothes and return them to you soon! Thank you, Channie hyung.” With that, he’s already on his feet and disappearing into the hallway to go pick up his stuff.

Jisung almost bursts into laughter as he checks on Chan, who’s torn between wanting to argue more and being smitten with Minho.

“He’s nicer than I thought,” Changbin comments, satisfied with the night. “Maybe last time was just too much stuff going on. He seems more comfortable in smaller rounds… Have we got us another shy kid?”

Jisung isn’t sure if he’d classify Minho’s personality as shy, but he does have something quiet and reserved about him. Maybe he is like Jisung in the sense that he becomes loud only once he feels comfortable.

“Hyunjin told me he’s the introvert and Minho is the extrovert,” Chan shrugs, still smiling dopily as he fidgets with one of the empty greasy paper boxes. He is proud of himself for doing better than last time at the party for Minho. “I think Minho likes spending time with people and to be honest, I think he likes you two as well. He’s been asking a lot about you two whenever we hang out.” A pause, then he remembers more. “Just last time he told me he won’t ask anymore because he wants to slowly get to know you by himself! I told you he’d- I mean they’d fit in well with us. Give it some time.”

So Minho is quite the obedient one, isn’t he? No more asking Chan. Jisung scoffs softly at that, letting out a little chuckle and leaving the kitchen to gather his own stuff (just his phone in the living room and his denim jacket by the apartment door).

There is something sneaky about Minho too, who seems to have known how to ask Chan about both Changbin and Jisung so that Chan doesn’t suspect anything about the little goals Minho set in his mind about the whole soulmate thing. He does wonder when Minho will realise that Chan wants more with him and what Minho will do with that information. The reactions could be entertaining to see.

They say their goodbyes at the apartment door, coats and shoes on.

“Are you two leaving so I’m left to clean up the kitchen?” Changbin playfully glares at them.

Chan acts surprised. “So you’re cleaning up by yourself? That’s great, dude, thanks!”

And this one spontaneous night has made Minho comfortable enough to tease Changbin too, smiling with exaggerated awe. “Woah, Changbin! You’re so kind, thank you for your services.”

Changbin scowls at both of them while Jisung just laughs and makes to leave before the conversation drags on. “Have fun, guys. Good night!” And then he’s walking off, hearing the other three say their goodbyes as well and then Minho’s steps following behind him, rushing to catch up.

On their way to the bus stop it’s quiet.

If they walked the whole way home, it’d take at least half an hour, but with the bus it only takes 2 minutes of a walk and a 10-minute bus ride on a good day. It’s an unspoken agreement.

The two of them just take in the fresh night air in comfortable silence – Jisung doesn’t know why the silence is comfortable but from his periphery he knows Minho has a small smile on his face. He doesn’t focus further on Minho, leaving the other his privacy.

The smell of rain is fresh tonight, adorned with the underlying scent of the city.

“When I met Chan hyung on the way home in the rain and we took shelter under this exact bus stop, he was kind enough to invite me to his place since I had just missed the bus,” Minho starts, not looking at Jisung but Jisung is finally taking a proper look at him. “As soon as he started the sentence, I had already decided I’d say no, that I’d go home anyway.”

They stand side by side under the bus stop’s roof. Jisung looks away, ahead to where Minho watches the passing cars, because Minho does that with a small smile and something soft in his gaze.

“What changed your mind to come with him?” Jisung asks, mentally patting himself on the back for not sounding bored. He knows he could just take a peek at Minho’s face and know, but he’ll leave it to Minho to be honest. Jisung doesn’t really care that much about his reasons why. It was in Jisung’s favour and that is enough.

Minho hums. “You.”

Jisung frowns, then finally looks at Minho. “Me?” Of course, Jisung has a hunch about where this is going. Minho saying something like that shouldn’t be unexpected – he’s a huge romantic after all, isn’t he?

(What’s he like when he’s not with Jisung? Someone who waited so long for the unrealistic prospect of a soulmate must have their own uniqueness and their specifics around the absence of romance too.)

When Minho fully turns his body to give Jisung his undivided attention, his smile is a little brighter but still soft at the edges and the lights from the cars and streetlights catch in his eyes – it’s a ridicoulously pretty sight. This man looks like he belongs into an exclusive neon lights photobook as an artpiece. Make it contain explicit content and rate it for 18+ audiences to show its full potential. 

(Jisung wants to be the only one in the audience. A private show. What could be Minho’s full potential?)

Their eyes meet and Minho’s voice turns into a mumble, just loud enough for Jisung to comfortably hear. “He mentioned you’d be there.” Minho pauses to look down at the concrete between them and chuckles a little, “He mentioned Changbin too, of course, but I just found myself eagerly agreeing as soon as he said your name.”

I wanted to see you again.

Maybe the sincerity is too much, maybe it’s the gentle curve of Minho’s lips or the way he looks up at Jisung as if to say ‘I feel so much about you already, it’s embarrassing’ in a shy manner and the brave and clear challenge of ‘If you don’t believe me, you can read my mind’. Jisung does so he knows Minho speaks the truth and it should make him feel victorious but instead, he feels his own face heat up, not sure what to say.

“I… see…” Jisung says.

He feels a little warm about it but it’s enough to piss himself off and for Minho’s mind to go So you can be shy too sometimes, huh? despite Jisung’s calm, like he sees right through him. And his inner words don’t sound condescending like anybody else’s- like Jisung’s would- nah, Minho just thinks it’s charming and feels shy and surprised that he had that effect on Jisung.

There is no ulterior motive at all. Nothing sadistic. Just an observation Minho enjoys.

Sincerity is… Sincerity is… Sincerity is scary, but it shouldn’t be.

Either way, Jisung doesn’t like this so he wants to turn this around.

Forcing himself into a role is something he’s practiced in, so it’s almost second nature when his gaze hardens, something cool breezes past them and he steps forward, no touch but still short of invading Minho’s personal space bubble. The air only warms between them.

“Ah…!” Minho’s breath hitches when he takes a step backwards and his back comes in contact with the bus stop’s ad screen. There is colour on his cheeks and ears and Jisung is almost sure that if Minho took his clothes off the blush would go even further than that little bit of neck (but that is nothing for the public eye).

A beautiful intense pink – where Jisung only felt a little warm, Minho goes up in flames.

It won’t take long for Minho to be completely overwhelmed. He’s already unsure where to look; his eyes keep finding Jisung’s eyes, then move to the side, then to Jisung’s lips and repeat, repeat, repeat, and rapid blinking. He’s nervous but excited. Anticipating if he knew what for. I don’t know where to look. Shit, I don’t know what to do! What does this mean? Did I offend him? But he’s looking at me like that…? Minho swallows and his stoic face cracks the tiniest bit, the colour and careful breath adding to it. He may not know what this tension between them is but his body wants more of Jisung anyway.

It’s a different kind of sincerity. 

Jisung just looks into Minho’s sharp eyes and enjoys how the sight strokes his own ego more than anything else, successful in turning the situation around.

This is how it should be.

Prey should stick to being prey.

A few cars pass by and Jisung is reminded that their bus should arrive soon.

“You wanted to see me again so badly?” Jisung’s voice drops naturally, while Minho’s entire focus drops to his lips. It quirks the side of Jisung’s lip up into a smirk; Minho’s mind runs trying to interpret it all correctly but he still manages a nod to Jisung’s question. “Why?” Jisung asks like he doesn’t know that nor the effect this simple question can have on Minho.

Minho breathes out shakily and quiet. “I don’t know…” Needing something to hold onto, one of his hands reaches up to place itself on Jisung’s shoulder and holds onto the thick material of Jisung’s denim jacket; that’s when he becomes more confident in his words. Up this close, he is even more distracted by Jisung’s lips but he tries to maintain a calm front. No quiver in his voice, unlike his knees. “Because you’re my soulmate.”

Jisung hums and smiles, then he leans in to give the hopeless romantic something sweet again. Jisung moves slow enough to catch the way Minho’s eyes widen a little, almost sparkling and mind blank waiting for a kiss on the lips. His eyes flutter shut gently when their breaths mingle.

Minho holds his breath.

The bus is in distant view right behind him.

Jisung leans further down and ghosts his lips along Minho’s neck.

Shivering and bitten lips, but Minho lets him. It’s like he is holding himself back from leaning into Jisung; so desperate for real touch.

As soon as Jisung’s lips press against Minho’s neck, gentle but unmistakable, “Mm…!” Minho lets out a small, almost inaudible whimper through his bitten lips and his knees lose all strength. Just in time to balance him before he drops to his knees completely, Jisung has to catch him around the waist and press him against the bus stop’s advertisement wall to keep him standing.

Jisung comes to one conclusion: this toy gives wonderful reactions.

The pink from before has become an intense red, eyes clenched closed still, breath unsteady, and weakly holding onto Jisung.

“The bus is coming, Minho hyung,” Jisung chuckles.

Minho opens his eyes, still a little out of it.

“O-Oh… yeah.” Finally coming back to earth, he tries to blink himself out of his daze as the headlights of the bus come closer. He slowly detaches himself from Jisung and steps away, ready for the bus drive. He has to sort his thoughts and can’t make himself meet Jisung’s eyes again, feeling too exposed but he admits to himself that he liked it way too much.

Whatever that was… wow.

On their way home it’s silent.

Minho wants to ask about it, what it was, why Jisung didn’t kiss him, no idea what kind of atmosphere that was; he missed so much about it, only half aware and somehow fully engrossed in it at the same time – he’s so frustrated and confused, dazed and wanting – Jisung has to keep from laughing so he settles for a small smile to follow along, acting oblivious to Minho’s innocent crisis.

For the rest of the ride home, Jisung decides to leave Minho to brood in his thoughts while he watches the after-rain night scenery pass by. They reach their stop faster than expected, many empty stops skipped.

And just like once before, they part by Minho’s apartment building.

Again, it’s cute how Minho obviously doesn’t want their time together to end. There’s still so much he wants to ask after all, poor thing.

And since Minho knows that the rule for mind reading is eye contact (as far as he’s aware, that is), he tries to make their eyes meet but just can’t keep the eye contact. Frustrated by his own sudden incompetence – I'm never like this. What’s wrong with me? – his pleas are silent and yearning, full of something he can’t explain to himself.

Please stay.

Please stay with me, Jisung.

Jisung knows he could grant such a simple wish and push it far enough to even win his own self-appointed prices.

But the game would be too boring if he scored so soon when there is so much more he could do with Minho before the grand finale. It’s no fun to rush a pretty toy like this, so innocent and pure in his longing for Jisung. He just wants to spend more time with Jisung for the sake of spending time together and reach some understanding.

How sweet, how amusing.

If Jisung were to stay tonight, he’d teach Minho other ways to be together.

Alas, it’s too soon to open the whole playbook.

This one is so perfect – Lee Minho – offering so much to explore and exploit… Jisung wants to take his time taking him apart. 

(It’s nothing special, Jisung tells himself. He’s just extending the game with extra scenes.)

So he gives Minho a knowing but kind smile, takes his smaller hand into his own and says, “Minho hyung, it’s okay, since we’re soulmates we’ll see each other again. Let’s take it slow.”

You’re right, it’s for the best. I know I said it first anyway, but I’m still– Minho stops his thoughts from going into the direction of further shame, ducking his head and hiding his sad eyes with the intention of hiding his thoughts too. I don’t want you to read my mind when I’m so embarrassing. I’m sorry for hiding and not knowing how to use my words. “Of course. Good night, Jisung.”

He squeezes Minho’s hand gently once and it’s surprisingly enough to tug at the corners of Minho’s lips.

“Good night, hyung.”

Jisung lets go and leaves, knowing fully well Minho watches him go until he disappears out of his rose-coloured sight.

Chapter Text

Jisung doesn’t remember when he was first able to read the thoughts of other people.

Somehow he knows it hasn’t always been there, this ability, but it must’ve appeared early in his life. It’s like it’s always been there with him even though that is certainly not the case. Not quite a friend nor a foe, but certainly a weight that doesn’t settle on his shoulders more than on the top of his head.

It started with unidentifiable noise in the form of voices and headaches.

Only with the years could Jisung pinpoint the source and understand what was happening, anxious about the confusing world around him.

It developed into him making games out of it all; it started small. Perhaps it could be called a heavy crown?

Nowadays Jisung thinks of this ability as neither a blessing nor a curse, just something that is there with him. He had to deal with it somehow, so he made peace with it.

Maybe it worked because he’s always been the odd one out in some way or another.

No big issue.

(When he studied hard for a big exam but had a brain blackout so he checked everyone else’s brains for answers instead; When he’s at the grocery store and listens to a mother’s thoughts about multiple store discounts, so he knows what to check out first; When he’s bored out in public on the way home, he sometimes tunes down his music and listens in on what goes on in other people’s minds; When a teacher asks a question Jisung has no answer to, he reads their mind for a passing grade; When people lie about their intentions in harmful ways that cross certain limits, Jisung makes sure to play the role of payback when he’s given the slightest opening and interesting enough pitch…

When Changbin’s first girlfriend – whom hadn’t been introduced to Chan and Jisung yet – met Jisung alone at a party and flirted with him. He knew who she was only when she thought of Changbin too, and so, Jisung shamelessly exploited a single thought for a little fun ride and when innocently mentioning it to Changbin, the relationship was over and nobody the wiser;

When Chan hooked up with his crush at a party and said guy thought Chan’s gentleman-ness was fake (it never is) so he left Chan the next morning with only insults. Seeing Chan sad is uncomfortable. In turn, Jisung was just as much of a gentleman when he met the guy by chance – Chan never introduced them personally – only to leave the charmed guy the morning after in silence.

At least those toys were pretty on the outside.

Sometimes Jisung likes to play with his friends’ more casual targets too.

There have been many incidents piling up in the years of usage; some Jisung doesn’t deem worthy of bringing up for whatever reason.

Still, you can think of each of them what you will. Wink.

Jisung isn’t a good guy and he has never even implied otherwise. But in the end… he’s content with his way of life.

Isn’t he?)

It’s not like he can turn off the mind reading completely or has full say over its functions, so he has simply taught himself to make use of it. Learned about it all on his own and practiced too. It’s a natural part of his life now, less than a headache. 

Isn’t it similar to people with naturally good social skills or someone with a natural ability to sing? They can hone their abilities to their benefit too if they want to. They don’t always use their abilities the way other people would imagine either.

But Jisung has never been good with people anyway – as much as his friends believe otherwise thanks to this secret ability – so he wouldn’t know. He just does what he wants.

After all, reading minds doesn’t mean you understand or relate to the people behind them… it just means you hear it. What you do with it is another topic altogether.

And perhaps… nobody’s lies and pretence will ever work on you.

The world and its people can be quite overwhelming sometimes.

(Another thing he doesn’t remember is when he first started playing games like this.)

Reading other people’s thoughts can ease his mind, if he isn’t shutting the noise out by closing his eyes and ears to the world.

It’s 16:30 on the dot and the sky outside is darkening.

The red chunky headphones over his ears block out any other sounds beside the music coming through them.

(Mozart. Piano Sonata in B-Flat Major, K. 333: II. Andante cantabile.)

He stands by the window on the fifth floor, waiting for the elevator. The stairwell is under maintenance. He doesn’t really care for what, but it makes the way in and out of the building longer to be worth an eyeroll. It’s been a long day of lectures and seminars; some of which included group work assignments which are the bane of Jisung’s academic life unless he is allowed to work with upperclassmen friends Chan and Changbin. Being put in a random group of strangers, ranging from painfully insecure over opening their mouths to painfully egoistical… Having to deal with these people despite not being a social ace himself is rather exhausting.

Jisung’s mind reading can only help enough to speed up the process and maybe – like today – make someone, who would’ve been useless in the group work anyway, quit the seminar. It might sound harsh, but Jisung doesn’t really care. That student had been thinking about it already, Jisung just nudged him in the right direction with seemingly unrelated side commentary. It would’ve been worse if the student dragged the whole group’s work down later and therefore Jisung’s grade and sanity too. Some people actually quit studying altogether in the middle of a semester’s group work sometimes, you know?

So, there you have it. Jisung only made that student decide to quit the seminar instead of the whole thing. A small mercy on Jisung’s part, though he doesn’t wish the student anything but to stay out of his sight.

Ahh. Jisung has been sporting a mild headache since then.

He sighs and the elevator opens.

Hwang Hyunjin is in it, damn it.

Their eyes meet in an instant and it takes Jisung a lot of energy to give a more or less polite nod of the head as a greeting to which Hyunjin reponds with an awkward fake smile.

Hyunjin’s lips move as he steps out the elevator but Jisung closes his eyes, focused on the music, and just passes by him to get into the elevator and press the button for the ground floor. Jisung really isn’t interested in being bothered any more today, especially not by this lanky idiot.

When he turns around from his spot now inside the elevator and opens his eyes, Hyunjin has a hand on the automatic elevator doors to keep them from closing.

Jisung sighs yet again and then slides his headphones down to sit around his neck, ears now subject to whatever Hyunjin has been wanting to say.

“Thanks,” Hyunjin says, almost sarcastically. “Is Minho hyung still in his seminar? I thought they were going to finish early today.”

How the fuck would Jisung know, Hwang Hyunjin. “I don’t know. Why are you asking me?”

Ah right, Jisung is a music production student so he probably had classes here in the arts building. Hyunjin’s face turns into open surprise. “Oh, I thought you were with him just now. His seminar is supposed to be on this floor, room B525. Their usual room in the science building was taken over by an exam, so they had to switch this week.”

Hm, so Minho is in the building too. “Well, my own seminar here just ended and I didn’t know about that. I’m on my way home.” To be fair, they’ve all been seeing each other a lot the past two weeks and even have a group chat now – all courtesy of the one and only Bang Chan, of course. Hyunjin’s assumptions are unfortunately not unrealistic.

(Jisung has mixed feelings about those developments though.)

Hyunjin blinks at him thoughtfully and his lips twitch as if wanting to grimace. Minho hyung would’ve been happy to see Jisung. I could ask Jisung to join me for Minho hyung but… I’d rather not! “Ah okay, see you then. Sorry for holding you up!” A grin.

And then the hand on the elevator doors is gone and so is Hyunjin.

Feeling somewhere between amused and mildly offended, Jisung huffs out a little laugh.

The hallways’ colours are as dull as the sound of Jisung’s loitering footsteps.

All the walls are painted in cream white with light grey doors, looking as heavy as Jisung knows them to be. But at the top of the walls and doors there is a single line of colour, a seemingly never-ending connection throughout the entire building. Section B of the arts building – that’s where Room B525 is – has the lines in a lilac colour. The lilac of bellflowers, to be exact. People always expect the colour to be blue because of the letter B but Section B’s official name is Bellflower Section.

It’s something you understand if you read the students’ manual and campus map. Or if someone tells you.

A pretentious play on words and colours that borders on obnoxious. Jisung likes the concept anyway.

The fun thing about rooms B500 to B599 is that they all come with tinted windows to look into the classrooms from the hallways. These are usually reserved for curious newbies and families at events as well as sponsors and recruiters to look into students’ (and sometimes professors’) real time practical classes, but students themselves use it to ogle other students and their work too. The students inside those rooms would only notice someone watching if they pay close attention to the windows, otherwise the dark colour tint lets them forget about possibly being watched during class so that they can do their work undisturbed. Only the arts building and the chemistry department in the natural sciences building offer a few rooms with windows like these.

On the way Jisung picks up a drink at a vending machine.

Soon he stops at a broad look-in window right next to the closed door of room B525.

He expects for his eyes to instantly find Minho, but instead Jisung has to let his eyes swipe through the room of busy students with their laptops and tablets open in front of them. There are a few empty seats between students, leaving gaps. There is a professor at the front, hands gesturing along to his words and the media projection on the white wall behind him. A few hands shoot up in answer from the students and so on. Their thoughts a loud mess that Jisung tries to ignore each time his eyes try to focus and find a familiar mind.

It is a fact that he cannot read a person’s mind through reflections, but he can read them through any type of glass and material as long as the other person’s head is in direct sight.

When in search for a specific person, his brain automatically takes his searching focus as a signal to start reading people’s minds instead of simply glaze over them as he would usually do. Which means he hears clear aborted glimpses of people’s useless thoughts while trying to find someone; Minho.

People watching is easy as it requires no certain focus and Jisung can pick and choose, but a simple search like this can become bothersome in a crowd. The way he has to search for Minho so long in a room not even crowded adds to Jisung’s initial irritation from before. It’s not something he’s used to doing.

Then suddenly the projector is turned off, students rush to pile out the room and the professor takes his time packing his things. End of seminar, though not early as Hyunjin had suggested earlier.

And then: Lee Minho.

He appears from the back of the room, somewhere out of sight. It’s likely that he had to do some tech support for the professor. He makes his way over to his seat in one of the middle rows, a gap closest to the window, slow to collect his things as he lingers on his paper notes while doing so.

A pastel mint wool sweater and light blue jeans – the overall sense of easily overseen.

Straight nose carrying those thin frame glasses and eyes sharp with a light thoughtful frown. If process B is wrong, then how is process C supposed to work if it’s based on B? Yongbok probably made the same mistake in his paper as I did here. I’ll go over the presentation with him later to catch up on notes.  

Before Jisung can wonder about who Yongbok is – perhaps someone in the same major but different course or someone who skipped this one? – a tall guy from the last seat row approaches Minho as the room empties out, friendly smile on conventionally handsome features. The tall guy is interested in a hook-up disguised as a study session, a crude thought of banging the handsome prude. Minho doesn’t even give him his full attention, still thinking about his work. The tall guy is saved from more disinterested rejection from Minho when three girls approach to ask Minho for advice on something the professor said in class.

Minho’s expression is serious and combined with his naturally sharp features, he’s intimidating to all four in front of him. Since Jisung can’t hear them from outside the room, he wonders if Minho is as soft spoken as he so often is with Jisung. The minds of the others don’t indicate much about it; they don’t think Minho is cute – their thoughts contradict in calling him helpful but cold, summed up in bitter projections. Does he think he’s better than us?

Maybe it’s in the way he speaks or the confident way he holds himself, as if untouchable.

Personally, Jisung thinks he wouldn’t relate to their reasoning even if he stayed in their heads for hours, so he focuses on Minho. Minho, whose thoughts go round about how to help them despite not wanting to. Plus, what if Minho is better than them or even only thinks so? Why is that such a big deal to other people?

They leave with curt huffed thanks.

Hmm.

As expected, people are rather irritating. And kind of ungrateful.

What a waste of time, Lee Minho.

And Jisung’s too, frankly. He himself usually doesn’t get into situations like these to think about it this much.

(Actions over intentions? They stayed polite enough, didn’t they?)

Other than that, there is no one waiting for Minho. Odd. 

Minho takes his time putting his coat on, slinging the messenger bag on and unknotting his wired earphones as he makes his way towards the exit of the room in slow steps. Gaze and mind far away.  

Cats. Minho is thinking of his pet cats at his parents’ home.

(Adorable. Jisung bites down a smile.)

Jisung lets him think in privacy but watches his body move – strong legs hidden in loose jeans, thighs thick enough to be hugged by the fabric with each step forward anyway, pretty hands almost hidden under sweater sleeves beneath the coat, and pretty eyes focused on the knotted wires, lips jutting out in a pout and then nibbled on, lean shoulders and graceful posture.

Jisung anticipates the way his face is certain to light up just seeing his soulmate here, waiting for him – it’s what Minho’s face keeps doing whenever they see each other nowadays.

Today it will be the same.

A little surprise for Minho. It’s obvious he is tired, so Jisung feels glad he came here for him.

Oh, what? Obviously only because it’s a good opportunity to make Minho feel closer to him. Jisung really has been taking his time with him, but he does have to remind himself and make sure the game flows nicely, you know. It’s a game after all and still entertaining so far.

Jisung cringes at his own thoughts, not sure why. They leave a bitter taste in his mouth so he shakes them away completely, getting ready to greet Minho instead. Honestly it’s Hyunjin’s try at leaving him out that actually made him wanna pick Minho up anyway. Ha, you lanky asshole, Jisung has arrived.

“Why are you here?” Speak of the devil… it’s Hyunjin.

Jisung holds back from rolling his eyes as he cranes his head towards the idiot that appeared next to him; wherever Hyunjin was before, Jisung is not happy to see him again and won’t hide it too much. “Do you always ask stupid questions? It’s obvious that I’m here for Minho hyung.”

Hyunjin does not hold back from rolling his eyes either. Rude. “You–”

“Jisung?”

Jisung turns around at the familiar call of his name.

Catlike eyes first confused and then becoming round with absolute surprise and fucking sparkles. 

Minho.

Once their eyes meet, the sparkling eyes turn into happy crescent moons and his lips form a little grin that tries to stay small as if being this happy about someone’s presence is somehow embarrassing.

Maybe it is.

“Hey Jisung,” Minho says, with that soft voice of his, and steps up to him, trying not to show how Jisung’s presence is already affecting him so much but anyone could see he’s bad at it even without the power of reading minds. “What are you doing here?”

“Picking you up,” Jisung replies and he realises he’s been grinning a little too, but he shrugs it off by holding up the canned drink. It’s strawberry soda. “Here you go.”

(Minho’s genuine happiness is infectious, that’s all.)

Minho’s eyes turn round again as he gingerly takes the can out of Jisung’s hands, noticing Jisung has no drink for himself. Maybe we can share.

“Thank you…” One side of his lips tugs up and he raises a brow at Jisung, “You thought about me?” It’s to tease Jisung, but the way he holds onto the soda can with both hands and the pink tips of his ears makes it look like he’s the one who becomes shyer at the words alone. He can’t even keep the eye contact, just drops his gaze to the can of strawberry soda.

Jisung hides his own growing smile by sticking out his tongue and shrugs. “You’re welcome.”

On the way home Hyunjin joins them – he wanted to hang out with Minho first anyway and complained about Minho not noticing in favour of Jisung – but he does a good job at not being a third wheel somehow. He laughs at any of Jisung’s jokes, though he’s bitter about his sense of humour fitting Jisung. And Minho is way more of a tease than first expected, to both Jisung and Hyunjin. But Jisung also finds himself liking to humour Minho, especially when Minho’s eyes sparkle in response.

(How does Minho do that? Sparkling. This isn’t a shoujo.)

On the short way home all fatigue and irritation is almost completely blown away. Jisung’s headache is replaced by the relentless bickering between Minho and Hyunjin.

And so, when Minho tells Jisung that next Thursday his seminar is back in the usual building and even informs him of the room number, giving him a lingering look when he says it ends around the same time as today… well, Jisung doesn’t need to be a mind reader to know what he wants.

It doesn’t matter that Hyunjin is cluelessly and impatiently waiting for Minho to hurry up with his goodbyes in front of Minho’s apartment building.  

What matters is that Jisung offers Minho that he’ll pick him up every Thursday from now on to walk home together.

Jisung figures out that Minho’s presence in and of itself is quiet.

It’s an unexpected conclusion since – Jisung learns – sometimes Minho yells for fun and likes to make loud noises at random times. Nothing sexy, just genuinely weird noises that are rather hard to describe but Minho says it’s just how he feels like, whatever that means… Hyunjin once explained that Minho is just weirder than usual when he gets comfortable around someone. 

Additionally, Hyunjin says Minho is hard to read and hard to understand; Jisung will have to disagree. Even with the advantage of being able to read minds, Jisung thinks it’s just a slow process, not a hard one. Even so, it’s not like you have to always gun for understanding completely, as long as you understand enough. The rest will naturally come along, especially if you put in effort. Still, Jisung doesn’t share his own opinion on the matter beyond a simple shake of the head.

When Minho is excited he speaks louder and is hard to calm down but when he’s really excited, then he’ll become quiet but his eyes are the ones speaking volumes, at attention and filled with those damned sparkles. Sometimes he gets like that when he has prepared a joke.

There are a bunch of terrible puns and wordplay, teasing everyone and especially Changbin who has come to enjoy teasing back just fine. 

And then there is teasing towards Jisung that flusters Minho himself more than it’s supposed to fluster Jisung. Although Jisung gets caught off guard sometimes, he always ends up laughing along with Minho even when he doesn’t want to.

And Minho is awkward sometimes, says random things or gets lost in his head in the middle of conversation when he thinks he doesn’t have to include himself in it. But he’s also a good listener when he wants to be. Not to mention, the more he’s opening up to Jisung (and Chan and Changbin), the more the cold and collected act becomes transparent and reveals his soft core; though he’s certainly whiny and defensive about it.

And of course, Minho loves his cats and thinks of them as family. It’s an endearing side note, hard to dismiss. In their time together, Jisung has been subject to numerous photos and videos of Soonie, Doongie and Dori; Minho never fails to update him on their well-being. 

All of what Jisung assumed in the beginning is nothing compared to what he’s learned of Minho in the past weeks.

So far, Jisung isn’t bothered by any of Minho’s facets.

(Quite the opposite if he admits.)

“Woah!” Minho exclaims to prove Jisung’s observations correct yet again and break their comfortable silence, smartphone in hand.

It’s the second official Thursday of Jisung picking him up from class to walk home together.

After a pause, Minho continues in a normal volume, “It’s the group chat. Chan hyung asks if we wanna go to the cinema together with everyone.”

Jisung has that group chat muted for his own sanity (Hyunjin and Changbin talk a lot of nonsense). He glances at Minho. “Do you want to go?”

“Depends on the movie,” Minho taps on his smartphone screen, probably asking exactly that in the group chat. “Ah, Chan hyung says I can pick…?” Of course that would be Chan’s answer. “Oh, there’s been that new horror movie…!”

Horror? Jisung is too skittish for horror… but what kind of impression would that give Minho? He’d rather not look like a scaredy cat.

“You’re into horror? That’s kinda unex–…” Minho blinks at him curiously, meeting his eyes at the abrupt trail-off. Jisung chuckles and shakes his head. “Nothing predictable about you, huh, my bad.”

Minho’s smile is a little cheeky. “So I’ve been told.” But he’s more interested in something else, even though Jisung is left wondering by who he’s been told such things and in what ways. “What do you think? We could, uh…” he wavers in his confidence there, eyes dropping back to his phone and lips jutting out a little as the tips of his ears redden. “…We could chill at my place until it’s time to go to the cinema? We could go there together later? Since we’re on the way to my apartment anyway…”

Calling Minho desperate is the wrong word. Ah, but unlike Jisung, you’d call Minho in this moment cute, right? Or maybe cluelessly pathetic in the midst of what this is actually supposed to be?

Truth is: Jisung has been declining any time alone with Minho together in closed spaces. Anywhere in public or with other company is fine – both happened and were fun. But, well, Jisung isn’t sure how to word what he feels. Something is weird. For once it feels odd to go the standard quick route, despite it being available. It’s like there is way more he could get out of this than initially planned but… it doesn’t fit the narrative Jisung has been following before he met Minho.

It adds to the flair of the game, Jisung wants to say, it’s just more fun this way! Jisung likes to indulge him but keep him at bay all the same.

Either way, both of their homes have been implicitly marked as off-limits by Jisung, but maybe it’s time to allow Minho some feeling of victory too. This isn’t the first time Minho asks for more time together with him alone.

Jisung’s usual games never take longer than a few hours, at rare times a few days. This is new and Jisung can admit it’s been different from the start. But he shouldn’t stray away too much from his norm.

“Jisung?”

Ah. Right. He blinks out of it.

Minho is looking at him, dejected, but he looks away as soon as their eyes meet to look at the concrete they’re walking on instead. I guess he still doesn’t want to. I’m not rushing him, am I? “You don’t have to come with me. Are you still joining the movie later though? Apparently it’s pretty late so Chan hyung wants us at the cinema by half past nine. You should let him know if you’re joining since he’s the one who asked…”

Jisung sighs, smiling at the way Minho tries so hard not to pout that he ends up glaring ahead. Lee Minho, stop sulking! Your soulmate doesn’t have to spend his whole day with you just because you’re clingy! Minho is so… Jisung fondly shakes his head and nudges Minho with his elbow. “I’m coming too.”

“Mm, tell Chan hyung,” Minho responds, casual and almost stoic, still glaring ahead. I don’t mind at all and I definitely won’t sit next to Jisung at the cinema… We’re taking things slow, yes. Anyway, the movie looked good in the YouTube trailers, so I look forward to that only. A haunted house…

Slow… Things are going too slow, aren’t they? “I’m coming with you, Minho hyung. Like you said, we can just go there together after hanging out.”

Minho stops and turns to him, holding onto his arm and making Jisung stop too (and laugh). With slightly widened eyes but otherwise blank expression, Minho stares at him. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Jisung keeps laughing, though he tries to keep his face more serious. “Why? We can order some food in the meantime if you want.”

Minho narrows his eyes at him.

Jisung forces down his amusement into a close-lipped smile and raised brows.

“What’s so funny?” Minho asks, annoyed.

“You?” Jisung keeps his brows raised and smiles wide, then holds his hands up in defense when Minho brings up a threatening fist. Not really afraid or bothered, Jisung still smiles. “Why are you so shocked that I want to spend time with you?”

“Oh.” Minho lets his arm go, averting his eyes with a frown. Don’t let him read your mind, Minho. Be unbothered. “I’m not shocked. I’m an absolute delight, of course you want to spend time with me.”

“I agree,” Jisung enthusiastically says, attentively watching Minho’s reactions. “Then why were you so–”

“I wasn’t shocked,” Minho denies, pursing his lips and turning his head further away at an attempt to hide his eyes and therefore his thoughts. I thought Jisung kept rejecting me because I was going too fast, man. Felt like whiplash. The pinkening ears give him away more than his thoughts, to be honest. “Just asked to make sure I heard you correctly. I’m nice like that.”

Jisung hums and rubs his chin in a dramatically thoughtful way, making Minho steal a pouty but curious glance at him. “You know,” he pauses for dramatic effect as Minho gives him his full attention, “Your ears are too honest for any of your poker faces.”

Scandalised, Minho’s mouth drops open wordlessly and the colour on his ears is accompanied by even redder cheeks as he slaps his hands over his ears, glaring at Jisung. I can’t believe- oh, wait! “No!” He stomps away, clearly embarrassed and feeling exposed. I’m going to have to learn how to hide my mind and my ears now?!

Jisung can’t help bursting into laughter, eagerly following Minho.

“Hey, wait up!” He sings, “Let’s go toge~ther~!”

The inside of Minho’s apartment is both surprising and expected.

Small two-room space, made for one person but there is two chairs at the small dinner table in the kitchen area. The furniture modest, the decoration simple but cute. A fluffy rug where the couch and TV are. The colours are all natural and easy on the eyes, consisting of crème and fitting pale earthly colours. The white door to the bedroom is half open, showing half the made bed, while the bathroom door is closed in the other corner.

Jisung toes his boots off in the entry way and lets his eyes easily sweep over the neat space as Minho closes the apartment door behind them, leaving his shoes in the neat shoe rack right by the door. Though not sparing it a glance, Jisung puts his boots in a free space there too and his backpack beside it. Then he tentatively follows Minho further inside.

It doesn’t look fancy at all, but Minho and the way he dresses comfortably reflect in his mostly practical apartment décor too. It’s kind of cool and homely at the same time.

“Do you like tea?” Minho asks, already taking out a box of teabags from one of the kitchen cabinets. “I have lots of options. All organic!” He chuckles a little at the end and Jisung looks at the back of his head. I hope Jisung will feel comfortable here.

“Sure.” Jisung comes to stand in the small kitchen area, crosses his arms across his chest comfortably and leans back against one of the kitchen counters, watching Minho prepare the tea.

“Any favourites? I probably have it if it’s not something super specific.” A standard silver two-level tea kettle, but when Jisung squints he can make out engraved lines on it… a cat? That’s quite fitting.

Jisung feels the corners of his lips tug up, looking at Minho’s concentrated face. Since Jisung is no expert on tea, Minho will probably find a way to please his taste buds on his own. “Surprise me, hyung.”

Confident to do so, Minho only hums.

The following pause consists mostly of Minho’s practiced movements, but they don’t talk. The silence lingers comfortably.

It doesn’t take long for the tea to be ready and served in mugs just as simple and just as cute as the owner of them; they both have simple cartoony cat designs on them. Minho carries the mugs over the short way to the coffee table in the living room area while Jisung follows him.

It’s kind of nice to just watch him.

“It’s chamomile lavender tea!” Minho grins once he’s settled on the couch. Somehow even the tea fits him well. Then he looks up at Jisung and tilts his head in confusion. “Are you just going to stand there?” He blinks and pats the empty spot beside him. “Come sit.”

Ah, right. Jisung sits down next to him, a polite distance away but enough for their knees to touch if they want to.

The couch pillows are also – expectedly and surprisingly – cat head shaped, but other than the cat ears extension, just a fluffy beige. He and Minho discuss what to order, but Jisung is still distracted by watching Minho and connecting the dots around the apartment. Minho turns on some quiet background music, mostly soft ballads to fit the vibe.

The tea tastes good and unlike anything Jisung tried before. It warms him up from the core.

There are plants on the windowsills and white half-translucent curtains. On the shelves are books and little knickknack decorations, as well as family photos and group photos he assumes are Minho’s friends with him. Minho doesn’t talk about either family or friends but he talks about his cats and his current university courses, easily grabs Jisung’s attention fully for the conversation.

They talk away, remembering only in the middle of it that they wanted to order food so they order pizza to arrive in an hour since they’re not so hungry yet and move on with the conversation again.

Jisung isn’t even sure if they say much at all but they laugh a lot and cringe at other things. Small silences go by almost unnoticed.

Minho is leaning sideways against the couch’s back, having gotten comfortable and curled up with a pillow in his arms to completely face Jisung and intently listen. His eyes and lips smile softly at Jisung, happy to have him here and thinks his expressions are quite fun as Jisung rambles on about an anime they’ve both recently completed watching – what a coincidence.

Minho’s commentary and opinions range from agreeable to ridiculous, teasingly judgemental pauses accompanied by puns and jokes.

Somehow, Jisung is reminded of Chan and Changbin but Minho still has something fundamentally different about him. That much is hard to ignore.

They jump from topic to topic to topic. Somehow it becomes evident that they – Minho and Jisung – are so absolutely different from each other and yet quite similar in other ways.

(Maybe the word Jisung is looking for is complementary or the expression of fitting like puzzle pieces, but that would be too much. Such nonsense.)

Exactly because of that and everything else, Jisung isn’t sure what to make of Minho anymore but he feels himself relaxing more and more as their words become more quiet, eyes never quite leaving each other’s for too long.

It happens so naturally, a slow and subconscious shift.

It’s the doorbell that pulls Jisung back into reality. It’s like his mouth suddenly closes up and his shoulders slowly stiffen him into sitting up straight from where he had somehow mirrored Minho’s own cosy position. It’s how their knees were barely touching but something about it felt too close, too much all of a sudden.

(Jisung should’ve paid proper attention.)

He blinks, staring at Minho, and the pause makes Minho blink back into reality, too, with a small surprised noise. I should try not to get lost in Jisung’s eyes when I have pizza waiting for us. Get yourself together, Lee Minho! Like a hero’s catchphrase, he quickly finds his smile again and gets up. “It’s probably the pizza delivery. I’ll go get it.” Minho leaves him to open the door.

All that turns into background noise as Jisung goes through his hair with a hand.

What the fuck were they doing?

What the fuck is Jisung doing?

Behind him, Minho closes the apartment door and comes back to the couch with two medium-sized pizza boxes in hand and a bottle of cola.

“They apologised for the long delay and gave us a free drink but honestly, I didn’t even notice…” Minho mumbles as he settles everything on the coffee table and himself back in his spot, not opening the boxes just yet as he turns to look at Jisung. “What time is it?”

Due to his tongue still feeling too heavy in his mouth, Jisung wordlessly pulls out his phone from his pocket and shows the lit-up screen to Minho.

“20:02.” Minho confirms and Jisung pockets his phone again. It’s strange how unbothered Minho not only seems to be but genuinely is. He doesn’t dwell on any of this but notices Jisung still stiffly sitting beside him. Perhaps I accidently killed his social battery? He doesn’t say that though. Just averts his eyes to the pizzas and casually starts their dinner. “Come on, let’s eat.”

The pizza toppings are as unusual as one would imagine to be with Minho’s taste, but he did assure Jisung he’d definitely like these while they were ordering and for the rare instance, Jisung has actually been curious about trying something new.

Right now, he just feels weird though.

“We should leave after eating,” Jisung says, gulping down the weird feeling as he slides closer to the coffee table and Minho. When he tries the first bite of the first pizza, he tries not to let his surprise show. It actually tastes really good and he finds himself covering the weird taste in his mouth with the food instead.

“I knew you’d like it.” Words almost a whisper. Minho is smugly smirking at him, though quick to look away and stuff his face with a big bite of pizza when Jisung catches him stare.

Jisung doesn’t say anything and ignores the thought he read in Minho’s mind.

Why isn’t the silence uncomfortable?

Jisung hates horror movies.

And frankly, he has always hated surprises. Usually there is nothing good about them.

What do you find in horror movies? Surprises. The worst kind. Jump scares are terrible, not even a plot factor but just there to shake you awake. This movie too, it sucks. The plot even sucks. Typical haunted house shit and a group of paranormal investigators getting fucked over by ugly demons and unnecessary violence.

Oh, obviously he can not read the people’s minds in the movie. Film, photography and other types of media do not count as direct line of sight, as far as Jisung has tried. But it would help to know what the actors are thinking, something like There will be a jump scare now or This is the scene where the girlfriend character is brutally murdered by a monster or something casually real like I have to pee.

Jisung hates horror movies.

He tries his best not to show how scared he is though and does a good job at it too. Thankfully Chan, Changbin and Hyunjin have no qualms taking the stage on dramatics, having no problem showing how affected they are by the stupid horror movie. At least they also bond over their shared experience.

Not even half-way into the movie, even Minho startles Jisung as he leans in to whisper something to him. He pauses at Jisung’s round eyes and then smiles. “The demon looks like it’s been modelled after the theme of a sewage wedding.”

That doesn’t even make any sense but when Jisung looks over to the huge screen in the dark cinema hall, he admits it kind of fits the sludgy monster wrecking through a wall. The demon looks kind of ridiculous now. He looks back at Minho with curiosity, squinted eyes and pursed lips.

Success. Minho thinks – Jisung didn’t pay enough attention to him to know what that’s about – and his smile disappears to make room for a serious expression. “Do you mind spoilers? I’m really good at guessing movie plots.”

Jisung just shakes his head, frowning a little. That’s probably how Minho stays so calm watching this. He’s barely shown any reaction to the movie’s scenes, besides squinting sometimes but it might be because of the screen switching between bright and dark sceneries so much. 

Minho’s calm composure next to him doesn’t really help his jitters.

Despite Chan’s best hopes (and pitiful tries), their seating arrangement has turned out as follows: Jisung, Minho, Hyunjin, Changbin, Chan… Jisung wishes he had at least one of his actual friends next to him for this shit show.

“That blonde guy is going to get lost and when he gets back to the team, he’ll accidently hurt his best friend. He’s going to be distracted by guilt and becomes an easy target so–” Minho stoically makes a cut-throat hand movement and then continues, “–since most of them are emotionally on edge, they get taken out in order of vulnerability. By the end of it, only the intern girl is going to survive. I’m pretty sure the truck driver is going to save her. The one who showed up for a small scene at the start while they were at the gas station. It will surprise the audience.”

Jisung blinks. “No way, hyung,” he scoffs quietly, “Don’t be weird. Why would the intern survive? Smart characters always die because of other people’s mistakes. The blonde guy will probably be at fault for that too. He dragged them to the haunted house to investigate, remember? He’s got the main character protection thing. Nobody cares about a friendly truck driver.”

Minho tilts his head at him and raises an unimpressed brow. “I don’t think so.” And then he settles back in his own seat and focuses on the movie again. I’m never wrong about these things.

As if… Jisung frowns, turning back to the movie too.

Minho’s guess – seriously a guess, Minho never watched this movie before today! Jisung checked his mind so he could not lie about it – it turned out to be true. Honestly, Jisung ended up paying so much attention to the actual plot and comparing it to Minho’s predictions that he… just forgot to be scared about it. Though of course he definitely still reacted to the jump scares.

What a useful guy Minho can be. Jisung can give credit where it’s due. Is that what the ‘success’ was about?

Having just stepped out the cinema, they stand by the promotional posters away from the entrance. It’s late at night by now. Stars litter the sky. The wind coolly breezes by, rustling their clothes.

“No, but like, Minho hyung spoiled the whole movie again!” Hyunjin whines, arms linked with Changbin who struggles against his long limbs and dramatic movements, “I heard him whisper it all to Jisung. Like, he does that to me all the time too! I didn’t wanna listen in, but how could I not?” He nudges a bored-looking Minho with his elbow and a pouty glare, “Anticipating the worst made it even scarier for me.”

“It’s a horror movie. You’re supposed to feel scared,” Minho says without any interest, staring at a lit-up promotional poster about a children’s movie with cats in them. Ah, one of them looks like Dori. “You’re welcome, Hyunjinnie.”

Hyunjin tsks and rolls his eyes, one last big movement before he settles against Changbin’s side. The poor guy struggles, feeling dizzy by how much Hyunjin basically manhandled him the whole way outside. It’s hard to keep up with Hyunjin… my ears are still ringing from his screams. Jisung eyes their linked arms with barely concealed disdain.

Thing is, Hyunjin and Minho have been making a place for themselves in their group since their introduction, just as Chan – smiling fondly at the two by their side, very aware of and amused by Changbin’s suffering – has intended all along. Naturally, due to Chan’s and Jisung’s encouragement, Changbin has been trying very hard to understand and get to know the new pretty faces in their group and so, he lets a lot slide.

As much as Changbin likes Jisung, Jisung would’ve been pushed away ten times if he touched Changbin like that. Hyunjin is a snake. Or a siren. Touchy bean pole.

A demon, if you will.

“Hey, isn’t that Felix?” Hyunjin wonders out loud and then yells over to the lone boy who just exited the cinema, “Hey Felix! Over here!”

The Felix person turns around at the voice, blinking at Hyunjin and the others one by one before he walks over towards the group.

With unique features but small stature, he’s pretty. When he finally joins their little circle and the light illuminates his face better, the freckles all over his face become visible too. Plus, green eyes? Probably contacts. His expression doesn’t look very pleased at being called over, something cold and calculating about him as he eyes their group. Though in the end his gaze mostly settles on Minho and Hyunjin.

Jisung feels something off but he doesn’t get to think much further about it.

“Hey Hyunjin, hey Minho hyung!” his voice is shockingly deep and his grin is bright, friendly, and welcoming; completely contrasting his first impression. “I can’t stay long since my friends are waiting for me, but it’s always good to see you. Seems like you’ve all been having fun, that’s nice.”

Didn’t think we’d meet him here. It’s a sweet surprise. Minho puts his hand up in greeting and nods, voice soft. “The movie was good.”

“We hope you had fun too. Go hurry to your friends!” Hyunjin shoos him away with a grin, making Felix chuckle.

With a smile, Minho playfully adjusts the marine blue beanie on Felix’s blond hair. “We can talk more later, sorry. Have a safe trip home.”

Blond hair, that’s gotta be dye too, right. His eyelids have some glitter on them too. It weirdly fits his otherwise sporty outfit.

“You too, hyung.” Felix smiles warmly, putting a hand to his beanie as if happily acknowledging Minho’s help that way and then looks at Chan, Changbin and weirdly lingers on Jisung before he lightly bows at them and steps away. His eyes and polite smile are both sparkling. “I wish you all a good night.”

And so, he is gone again, quickly disappearing around the first corner of the building. Jisung frowns after him. Felix reminds him of a fairy, but something about him... 

“How is he scary and cute at the same time?” Changbin groans and then he glances at Hyunjin, before frowning at Minho. “But then again, you two are kind of like that too. Hyunjin is only scary when you don’t know him but Minho hyung, you’re actually scary, no joke, but you’re still cute. Do you guys all befriend people similar to you?” 

“Hey, just because someone looks scary doesn’t mean they are scary,” Chan chides playfully but he means it. Minho and Hyunjin probably don’t want to hear how pretty and scary their friend is… although Minho should know he’s cute. “Never judge a book by its cover.” Jisung pulls a grimace at the cheesy line, even if he agrees with it.

“Yeah,” Changbin agrees with a sigh. “I’m right though. Honestly, people who look innocent but are actually scary are the real trouble.”

Hyunjin shrugs. “You are right and I will tell Felix about this.”

“Great first impression,” Chan makes a face at Changbin who just pulls a grimace himself. Their conversation drags on a little more.

Meanwhile Minho quietly calls for Jisung’s attention, face now half hidden by a baby blue wool scarf around his neck. He must’ve taken his glasses off outside. “Jisung,” His smile is small and relaxed. “Do you wanna take the bus together?”

Before Jisung can even open his mouth, Chan speaks up to offer his help as always. “I can drive everyone home, it’s no problem.” Dude really pays attention to Minho, otherwise there is no way he could’ve heard it over his (now dying) conversation with Hyunjin and Changbin.

Hmm. Think quick. What should Jisung do? A) Decline Chan reasonably and have Minho for himself. He should finally make a meaningful step, man, wouldn’t today be great for it? or B) Take up Chan’s offer and just go home or even C) keep their group together by extending the hangout?

“I’m definitely not taking the bus. Thank you, Channie hyung, you’re such a sweetheart!” Hyunjin stays clinging onto Changbin and letting him sway along as he reaches out to pat Chan’s arm in a friendly manner. Chan just giggles, letting Hyunjin and Changbin get into something like a praise battle for Chan.

Well, it buys Jisung time to think a minute longer and so, Option C is definitely out. Jisung is in no way a social bee, it’s been enough for weeks, really. Today has been too weird and he feels goosebumps from the cold, trying to ignore Minho’s shameless imploring stare on him. He checks on Hyunjin and Changbin, whereas Changbin’s mind makes him pause. I just wanna go home and sleep. Chan hyung, my hero, drive us home quickly please!

Jisung smiles at Chan then, decision made.

It’s obvious he should consider Changbin’s feelings too! “Oh, Channie hyung,” he pauses until Chan, flushed and smiley from all the praise, looks at him. “You’re just going to unnecessarily make your own drive home longer! Minho hyung and I basically live in the opposite direction from you. It’s late but we’re not alone, so we’ll just take the bus. I’d rather let you guys go home and rest quickly.” It’s the puppy eyes that really sell it, even if it’s not a lie.

Another imploring stare on him from Hyunjin which Jisung only acknowledges briefly. He really cares about his beefy friends, huh. Yes, but of course that’s not all.

Chan’s smile falters a little but he isn’t too deterred, “Are you sure? It’s safer to go together. It’s okay if it takes a little longer. I don’t mind.” A stand-up guy but no match for Jisung who already knows the outcome of this.

He just smiles at Chan sympathetically, but as he expected, it’s Hyunjin who speaks up for it. “Minho hyung has a bunch of black belts in martial arts stuff. He’s like a guard dog. Jisung won’t die, even if there were demons involved.” He promises, shuddering and remembering the movie.

Satisfied, Jisung looks over at Minho to confirm their bus route home but he stops when he sees Minho pull a mildly displeased expression. I’ve never been compared to a dog before.

Jisung has to swallow down a laugh at Minho’s bitterness and then glances at Changbin, knowing he’ll speak (well, whine) next. “Let’s just hurry home, guys. It’s cold, it’s late, I’m tired… the longer we stand here, the more time we actually waste in the middle of the night! So, have a safe way home, Minho hyung, Jisungie! Bye!”

And then he makes his way into the direction of the parking lot. This time Hyunjin is easily getting manhandled along as he struggles to hold onto Changbin’s arm. Sweet karma. 

It takes Chan a moment to react. He watches them go but he turns back to Minho and Jisung fast enough, understanding smile on his face. “Fine then,” he steps closer and puts a hand on Minho’s shoulder, “Take care of our Jisungie.” He pauses, blush deepening again, and Minho waits for him to continue, catching that he wants to say more. “Uhm, please text me when you’re home safe?”

The way it comes out as a question amuses Minho, grinning at Chan’s shy blossoming smile. “Of course, hyung-nim. Have some trust in me.”

Of course, I trust you. Chan thinks, cheesy as ever. And then he looks over at Jisung. “Get home safely, Jisung. Don’t stay up too late either.”

Jisung salutes him. “Drive safely.”

Chan’s eyes linger on them for a bit as he walks backwards while Minho gives him small goodbye waves. Everyone gets along well. They… they get along well. That’s… nice. And then Chan gives one last dimpled smile and wave, hurrying towards the parking lot too so Changbin and Hyunjin don’t have to wait too long.

It’s funny, the way Chan is so optimistic about things and yet so pathetic at the same time.

Sometimes it makes Jisung feel bad – not now, but sometimes! Chan acts like he hasn’t noticed the way Minho obviously favours Jisung, chalking it up to their friend group in general warming up to each other instead of accepting the notion that he might be losing out on his crush.

“What are you thinking about with a smirk like that?”

Oh, right. Minho. Look at him trying to tease Jisung. Though Minho is genuinely curious about Jisung’s thoughts, he seems to be good at observing people too.

Jisung should keep his guard up more and play better. He’s been slacking off lately, hasn’t he? That would explain today’s weird… weird happenings.

“Are you trying to tease me for wanting to be alone with you?” A simple counter question that replaces Minho’s mischievous grin with surprise and reddens his cheeks from more than the cold night air. Jisung chuckles at Minho’s cute reaction, turning completely towards him and adding a cherry on top with a playful frown. “You keep thinking of ways to get me alone, you still remember I can hear your thoughts, right?”

How can he just say things!? Apalled, Minho’s eyes widen even more and in the next second, he buries his face in his scarf, squeezing his eyes shut and promptly walking away from Jisung. “I’m innocent!”

Yes, that seems to be the case so far. Jisung smiles, contently following him towards the bus stop at the end of the cinema plaza. “I never said you weren’t. You must be projecting…”

“You implied it,” Minho snaps. “Don’t talk to me.”

“But we–”

“Do you not understand your own mother tongue?”

Jisung rushes to walk beside him, leaning his upper body closer to get a proper look at Minho. “Hey, that’s–”

“Ah-ah, no, don’t you dare look at me!” He buries his face further into his scarf, both hands helping hold his scarf up, and walks even faster.

Wondering if Minho can even properly see like that, Jisung sighs and decides to stop teasing him for now. Minho is cute, but Jisung isn’t sure if he should be irked by his advances being rejected or be smug about how overwhelmed Minho seems to be by a few simple words. 

To be fair, it’s not just simple words if they’re from your soulmate, right?

It's amusing enough. He can’t seem to drop the smile on his face – it’s a small one so he doesn’t bother biting it down either.

Just a few steps behind Minho, he silently follows. Although it’s way past midnight by now, the streets around the area are lit up by streetlamps as they reach a more crowded street, bus stop in sight.

And Minho has slowed down his pace, glancing over his shoulder here and there to see if Jisung is still there.

Like an unspoken promise, Jisung meets his eyes every time as if to say I’m going nowhere but with you right here.

According to red ear tips, Minho receives the message well.

All the way home and on the bus ride too, it’s silent between them. The hushed nightly city noises are nothing but background noise. All that is exchanged are the few small glances; one checking, the other one confirming.

There are no words spoken, even when they exit the bus at their stop and the moon shines directly onto Minho – it looks like it’s been waiting here to form a halo around him. Even then, Jisung stares to appreciate but keeps quiet.

Minho is beautiful, it’s a well-established fact. But what ends up keeping Jisung’s blood warm isn’t skin; it’s every time their eyes meet – Minho’s eyes sparkle and sometimes they don’t, depending on the light falling around them, but the transparent intent behind those pure eyes… Jisung can’t help but feel his insides melt as he keeps hearing Minho’s unsaid words, heavy with more than a day.

Are you still here with me?

(It’s dumb, all of this. The way Minho feels and the way Jisung feels about it too.

And it’s dumb because Jisung wouldn’t leave on his own way home.)

Their neighbourhood has less streetlamps to illuminate the way but the stars and moon help out enough.

If only to light the way for Minho since Jisung is still a few steps behind him, not paying attention to their path as his eyes either stray to get lost in the surroundings or focus on each step Minho takes in front of him. Keeping the silence inside of himself too, his eyes like to find the small of Minho’s back instead of his head and of course, the small glances over his shoulder where Minho’s eyes check on Jisung, he makes sure to meet each of them.

Just keep walking, Lee Minho. Jisung wants to tell him each time. What are you doing, looking at me like that?

(Sincerity keeps them in an envelope.)

Their steps… Jisung feels like it’s a gentle and quiet tune together with the rustling leaves of the trees and the cold air breezing past. He barely registers it all.

It’s like a bubble is encasing him.

Is the bubble encasing him and Minho?

Suddenly Minho stops, tilts his head up at the sky, easily catching Jisung’s attention and making his eyes snap up to hear what he’s thinking without really meaning to. The sky is so pretty. It’s so… It makes me wonder if Jisung will stay.

What, today?

Jisung tilts his head in confusion but averts his eyes to the ground as he comes to a slow stop next to Minho. Not sure why he doesn’t want to keep listening in.

“You know, the way home took around an hour,” Minho mumbles, as if only thinking out loud to himself but he tilts his head towards Jisung with his eyes still on the starry sky, “It felt like mere minutes to me.”

An hour feeling like a handful of minutes. Jisung couldn’t agree more now that he thinks about it, looks around and realises they’re in front of Minho’s apartment building. Jisung couldn’t agree more so he doesn’t say anything.

This is nonsense.

Minho turns towards him then, eyes softening as his lips curve into a little smile, and then drops his gaze onto the pavement beneath them. So shy. I’m being weird, aren’t I… I never really know what to do if I think about it too much.

Jisung blinks slowly, taking in the scene in front of him that is Lee Minho. But, to Jisung, Minho is neither a scene nor just Lee Minho.

Because Lee Minho is supposed to just be a pretty toy. The perfect toy, maybe. There is a playbook, supposed to want something other than Minho’s terribly pure longings.

The slipping reminder washes away the white and lilac hues of the moment with a light grey.

Jisung reaches out, fixing Minho’s loosening scarf in careful movements. It makes Minho’s breath hitch in surprise, caught off guard by how close Jisung’s hands are to his face, eyes following each movement. Even Jisung himself just keeps his eyes on his own hands and when he is done – and only then – he drops one hand, and lets the other and his eyes too trail the small way up to Minho’s lips; already parted, already inviting, already waiting. A gentle, almost ghostly hold on Minho’s warming cheek.

With his thumb he edges closer, just as gentle and slow, and feels the soft but bitten lips. Perhaps the cold air has added to it too. Jisung breathes out a chuckle when he notices Minho has been holding his breath.

“You can breathe, you know,” Jisung quietly says, looking up and- well, and maybe- maybe he should have expected his own breath to almost be stolen at the sight of Minho’s enchanted gaze too. The deep brown resembling a reflection of the sky above them, softened by a dropped guard and undivided attention directed on Jisung.

Jisung could do anything to Minho right now.

After a shallow swallow, it’s Minho who speaks up in a whisper and unable to take his eyes off Jisung’s face, as if there’s anything he could miss.

“Can we please kiss?”

Oh, how bold such soft words and vulnerability can be. Minho tried hard to keep his voice steady.

(The words linger hot around Jisung’s neck. Why are they around Jisung’s neck?)

Jisung thinks they should. Kiss, that is. And way more than that too, but he can only focus on Minho’s wish.

He looks at Minho’s lips and Minho patiently waits for his answer, skin so warm against the palm of his hand.

They should kiss and maybe more. He’s known that he could’ve taken anything from Minho days if not weeks ago. What the hell has Jisung been doing?

A step closer and Jisung takes another look into Minho’s eyes, which are almost pleading in obliviousness of how Jisung can make everything behind them crumble.

It’s why Jisung gives a nod and breathes in, finds himself a little shaky when he takes in just how Minho is already so pliant for him just by the touch of his palm against his warm cheek, eyes closing and trusting Jisung completely.

Soulmates. How can Minho feel so secure under the false protection of a childish title?

It’s why Jisung guides Minho into a kiss just as gentle and warm as Minho deserves to have. Their lips just linger against each other for a moment and Jisung is shocked by his own admission. Who truly deserves what?

He can’t bring himself to do more but this. Feels his free hand shake so he curls it into a fist and he is just about to break the kiss, when suddenly he feels Minho tug at him, moving his lips carefully against Jisung’s as if it’s just to keep him there.

Stay with me. I like you here.

Closed eyes and trembling limbs for both. An echo, sounding as close as they are. Jisung’s mind must be playing tricks on him. He couldn’t have heard such a thing from Minho even if it fits him.

But it is enough to keep Jisung there.

Minho’s lips are a little dry but in the middle of it he licks his own lips and by proximity Jisung’s a little too, and then moves in again.

And he is clumsy, either by nerves or inexperience. There is nothing perfect about it except the pure sincerity in Minho’s every movement. Jisung feels himself smiling, being tugged closer by more than both of Minho’s hands and lips now, feels something inside of him being tugged closer.

Even when the hold feels almost desperate, Minho’s hands stay gentle.

Jisung isn’t sure where it’s coming from but he winds an arm around Minho’s waist, the other still gently holding Minho’s cheek burning against his palm, sliding a little further to reach his nape and hold him better.

Obliging to Minho’s wordless pleas, he guides him and kisses him, carefully pushes him against the wall of the apartment building, caressing his cheek all the while. There is nothing hurried about the warm exchange even when Jisung is granted access to Minho’s tongue and tasting him, curious how he can’t form any words in his head to capture it all while Minho just clumsily tries to follow along and simply let Jisung do whatever he wants to do to him.

Small noises of pleasure keep coming from Minho and a momentary weak breath against his lips, “Mm… Ji-Jisung, I–” which Jisung stops to bring them together again, no matter how purely good his words could sound. Jisung doesn’t think he could handle more of something so sweet.

Blatant sincerity, utmost care and lonely purity... this is Minho feeling for the sake of feeling for Jisung.

(So naïve.)

(Despite having never considering himself a good person, Jisung has never considered himself cruel before either.)

The kiss is broken by Jisung’s ever-growing smile, thumb taking his vacant place against Minho’s wet, red-kissed lips, feeling along them as he leans his forehead against Minho’s. He opens his eyes, finding Minho’s still closed. What a pretty scene to take in. Puffs of hot soft breaths, shakily depending on Jisung to keep him standing – Jisung isn’t sure Minho realises how broken apart he looks right now.

Can a kiss ruin a person?

“Are you taking things slow, Minho?” Jisung boldly drops formalities in a whisper between them, testing the waters on how deeply Minho drowned in him.

It takes a moment for Minho to find the words to answer – mind almost empty – lips moving slowly before the words even come out. He shuts them before anything makes it out, lets his eyes flutter open and slides his hands from Jisung’s shoulders to his chest, finding stability again as his eyes take in Jisung in front of him. Minho’s gaze is still not fully there when the first coherent thought appears. First kisses are supposed to be bad.

Jisung snorts, leaning away but staying close, then breaks into laughter. “What?”

“Hmm?” Minho hums, more alert now and letting his eyes travel all over Jisung too. “Jisung… Jisungie...”

Ah, Minho tests the waters too. “What, Minho?”

“Jisungie…” Minho repeats, only to just burst into giggles, lightly pushing at Jisung and dropping his head low to hide himself but still stay close. I don’t know what to do. Minho thinks and keeps giggling, making Jisung chuckle along too. I’m so happy you’re here with me. I don’t know what to do.

“Minho,” the name glides off Jisung’s tongue smoothly. Although there is a giddy feeling inside of him too, there is something too bitter about it to call it happiness too. Still, it’s good. Jisung focuses on the good. For once, he wants to deal with thinking it through later. “Are you taking things slow, Minho?”

Minho chuckles out a little last quiet ‘haa’ and then meets Jisung’s eyes with a smile, properly standing now and pushing Jisung another step away from him while still keeping his hands on his chest.

“Yeah,” Minho says, bites down his smile. “I promise I won’t ask you to stay tonight.” Even if I want to. I’ll do it another day.

Jisung laughs. “Alright.”

Expression softening, Minho lets his eyes travel all over Jisung once more – letting the reality of what just happened with his soulmate sink in – then closes his eyes and turns around, walking towards the apartment building’s entrance door.

Wanting more and yet feeling content, Jisung just watches him go.

Like many times before, Minho glances over his shoulder and of course, Jisung meets his eyes now too.

“Good night, Jisungie.”

On his way home, Jisung doesn’t know what to do with himself, smiling like a fool the whole way, but he doesn’t want to dwell on it. So all he does is go home and fall into bed in hopes of falling asleep quickly, not wanting to fully acknowledge how scattered he feels with these mixed emotions inside of him. 

(Scenes keep repeating in his head, keeping him awake. He finds that he doesn’t even mind.)