There is no content warnings for this chapter xx Enjoy the finale!
┗━━━━━━◁◁ ▐ ▌ ▷▷ ━━━━━━┛
"Are you nervous?" Jisung asks quietly.
"A little." Minho breathes heavily, biting his tongue, fixing his hair in front of the bathroom mirror. Jisung was sitting on the counter next to him, head slightly tilted, watching the elder fondly. "It's just lunch with my dad, but. . . y'know. I haven't really sat down with the guy without his wife present."
"So it's really one on one, then?" Jisung asks, watching Minho check himself over in the mirror still.
"Yeah. It's just the two of us." Minho turns to look at him, searching the younger's gaze for any cast of hope or strength that he can pull from him. "I really wish I could take you with me."
"I know you do, jagi. It's for the best, though. I don't want him to feel outnumbered." Jisung says softly, watching Minho move towards his spot on the counter, planting himself between Jisung's thighs. Jisung moves his arms to settle on Minho's shoulders, arms loosely hanging there, fingers just barely toying with the edge of Minho's hairline.
"I'm gonna come home the minute we're done talking." Minho assures, almost as if Jisung would doubt that he wouldn't come home in the first place.
"I know." Jisung raises his brow, looking at Minho curiously. "I didn't think that you wouldn't."
"I'm just making it clear that no matter what happens, I'm coming back here." Minho half-smiles, eyes still searching for anything to cling on to within Jisung's russet hues.
"I will be waiting for you to come back, okay?" Jisung smiles at him sweetly, trying to coax any anxiety lingering within the elder's chest to dissipate. Minho smiles back at him with a slight nod, gaze shooting downwards for a moment in avoidance. Jisung knew that this was hard for him, seeing the clear pain and resentment stowed within his expression easily without even having to search for it.
Minho wasn't usually so phased by his emotions, hiding them well beneath an icy exterior that most patrons and random people are greeted by, leaving only Jisung and Chris to truly see his heart for what it was. He was just as affected as everyone else was, if not more, feeling intensely at times and unable to portrait it in words.
Jisung waits patiently, as he always did, watching the elder compose himself and his thoughts idly. This was a huge step of progress, one that Minho had been avoiding for the better part of ten years. Jisung was proud of him for trying, that was all he could hope for in the end.
"I'm sorry, I'm not usually so. . . quiet." Minho clears his throat, gaze lifting again. "This is new for me."
"There's a lot of emotions behind this meeting." Jisung affirms, trying to empathize the best he could. "You don't have to mask it all anymore."
Minho's heart could burst if he wasn't so overtaken by unfamiliar angst. He isn't completely sure what he's feeling, teetering on the edge of anger and sadness, accompanied by nerves that are nearly indescribable. Jisung could see right through him, though, leaving no secrets lingering between them anymore. Minho was an open book with worn and damaged pages, but Jisung was delicate in reading the scriptures, panning through page after page just because he wanted to understand Minho completely. Minho didn't hide from how he felt anymore, allowing himself to feel every beating emotion with a sore heart that had been tossed and beaten for years on end. He was healing, he knew he was, but it was only possible because Jisung was the one healing him.
"I know." Minho says softly, hands carefully wrapping around Jisung's thighs. Jisung sat a head higher than Minho, gazing down at him with a growing smile, listening to the calm quiet unfold between them. It was a comforting silence, one that Minho wishes he could relish in, knowing that what he had here was secure and loving, leaving no doubts of what he could expect to return to day after day. Jisung was his. Minho was Jisung's, too.
Jisung leans down to kiss him slowly, hands raising to cup the sides of his jaw, threading into his hair. Jisung kisses him twice, breaking away, forehead leaning against Minho's with a thumb treading across the elder's gently flushing skin. "You're gonna be late, hyung."
"It'd be worth it for you." Minho teases, earning a cute giggle from Jisung that he can't help but smile at.
"Remember what we talked about, hmm? Try to let him say his peace and only respond when he's done talking. That's the most efficient way at communicating through this without arguing. Stay calm, and he will too. You're allowed to walk away if he isn't fair."
"I know." Minho assures, squeezing Jisung's thighs gently.
"Text me when you get there." Jisung feels Minho nod with a quiet affirmative hum. "Think of yourself before me."
"Now, I can't do that–"
"I want you to." Jisung warns carefully. "This isn't about me. What he thinks about us is irrelevant. It's not going to have an effect on us, jagi. Protect your own heart for once."
"But you're my heart." Minho tries to argue, noticing Jisung's cheeks rise with flushed color. Jisung rolls his eyes, biting his tongue, taking a breath to compose himself playfully.
"You're my heart too. But that's not what I mean. You are always so hellbent on looking after me and protecting me that I don't think you're ever watching out for yourself. If something ever happened to you, I–" Jisung searches Minho's eyes, breath caught in his throat. "I don't know what I'd do. So please, for me, protect and look after yourself."
"Okay." Minho settles, leaning closer, brushing his nose against Jisung's with his eyes lulling closed. Jisung's eyes close too, quietly breathing in shared air, thumbs brushing Minho's soft skin still. The familiar and welcome quiet returns, bringing a sense of peace to settle in Minho's heart. He isn't sure why he's feeling it, or where it stems from, but he's thankful nonetheless. "I love you so much, Jisung."
Jisung smiles, biting down on his bottom lip. Minho's honesty bleeds through his tone and Jisung can't help but preen hearing the words tumble from his lips. He's heard Minho say that confession over and over again, but he never grows tired of hearing it. "I love you most, Minho."
To Minho's unfortunate surprise, he finds himself willingly leaving the apartment after kissing Jisung breathless. A few words of encouragement and laced shoes later, he's making his way outside and towards his car, finding himself thoughtless for once this month. It was the beginning of November now, leaving colder air to consume Seoul slowly, sending even more colorful leaves crashing to the pavement below. Minho wore his usual black leather jacket, stuffing his phone into his pocket before he turned into the parking garage, immediately spotting his car that rested in one of the first parking spots.
He clambers inside and slams his door shut, starting the engine and rolling outside, making way towards the cafe his father had suggested that was barely a ten minute drive. His breaths are even, mind focused, seemingly unbothered by seeing his father for the first time in what seemed like a few weeks. He hasn't heard from him besides when he had reached out just a few days prior, seeking council from Chris for days on end before even committing to the idea. Chris was always giving the same answers, ones that he insisted Minho should hear from his father instead. As much as Minho would hate to admit it, Chris was always annoyingly right.
Before he can think too far into anything, he pulls into the parking lot for the restaurant. He pulls into a spot, turning his car off, hesitating; collecting his thoughts idly. He takes a minute to text Jisung, vaguely typing something along the lines of I'm here so the younger knew he made it safely.
He knows he can't avoid doing this any longer, so he opens his door and treads into the building, listening to his car horn set off once he locks it. He greets the hostess inside, telling her the name under the reservation before being led towards a secluded table for two near the back of the bustling restaurant, finding the calm corner oddly soothing. It was dimly lit, only really disturbed by the natural lighting pouring inside from the large, black-framed windows. Minho settles himself into his chair, studying his surroundings momentarily before feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket. He half-expects it to be his father, but to his surprise, it was Hyunjin.
Hyunjin
Ji just told Felix and I what's going on. We're all supporting you, Minho.
Call me if you need anything!
Minho sighs, debating on if he should even respond to Hyunjin's thoughtful message. But, in an act that is so unlike himself, he decides to play nice and send one back, hoping to catch his close friend off guard.
Thank you, Jinnie. We'll talk soon, 'kay?
He liked to mess with Hyunjin from time to time, finding the banter between them even more comforting than the still quiet he's met with inside of the unfamiliar cafe. It was small, but nothing too fancy, which was incredibly unlike his father to be so interested in a place like this. But he digresses. Maybe the man really was changing, and he was just too blind to notice.
"Ah, thank you." A familiar voice interrupts Minho's thoughts as he swivels his head towards the sound, watching his father trek towards their shared table. Minho doesn't stand from his seat to greet him, and instead just stays quiet, listening as his father approaches closer. He panics for a second, rethinking his every move up until this point, wondering if there was still time to chuck himself out of the window to avoid all of this and escape before–
"Minho." His father beckons quietly, sitting down on the chair ahead of him. "I'm glad to see you."
"I wish I could say the same." Minho honestly remarks, raising his brow as he settles into the press of his chair, feeling regret sinking into his pores.
"Listen, I know what happened between us was not amicable. I'm here to make amends, not argue with you."
"Okay." Minho nods his head slightly, folding his arms. "Go ahead. I'm listening."
His father takes a breath, probably not expecting Minho to act so hostile from the start, but he shrugs it off, straightening the button-up shirt he was wearing.
"Listen. What I said to you at the gala was inappropriate. I don't expect you to break up with whoever you're dating, nor do I mind who you find interest in. It's not my place to control your relationship. It did catch me off guard, which isn't an excuse for what I said, but I just wasn't expecting that. Watching the cameras baffled me because I truly thought I was being pranked or something similar."
"So. . . you don't care that I'm dating him?" Minho's shoulders untense, gaze softening slightly.
"No. I don't know that I ever did. Do I care that you hid that part of yourself from me? Yes. Of course. But I understand why."
"So then why bother saying what you said? Why bother mentioning how disappointed you felt?"
"There isn't an excuse for that, I'm sorry I can't provide you with words that would even begin to describe my thought process in saying those things."
"I really wanted to fucking disown you for that." Minho bites lightly, jaw tight. "Jisung talked me out of it."
"He sounds like he's a good influence on you, then." His father subtly adds, but Minho rolls his eyes.
"He has the best impact on me. But why do you care? Why does any of this matter to you?"
"Because you're my son, remember."
"Oh, sorry I forgot. You only really call me when you need something from me, and let's not forget about that drunken speech I had gotten after mom died. Don't you remember?" Minho watches his father shift uncomfortably in his seat. "The one where you called me a mistake? The one where you simultaneously blamed me for mom's death because I begged and begged for her to cook kimchi for dinner and she had to go to the store to get it? What if I would've died instead? Would you be having this same conversation with her right now?"
"No, I don't know–"
"Exactly." Minho takes a breath, trying to remember the words Jisung had instilled within him before he had even left. He needed to stay calm, but he could feel himself getting worked up the more his father denied any responsibility. "You drove the stake between us. I didn't."
"I didn't mean to." His father admits, eyes avoiding. "I always had your best interest in mind. I swear I was just trying to look out for you."
"Looking out for me wasn't forcing the company down my throat and telling me to marry a pretty woman and that you're expecting grandchildren in the next five years."
"I didn't realize that I wasn't being fair, Minho. Your mother wanted all of these things for you, too."
"I know she did." Minho's voice is suddenly softer, posture still leaning into the chair. "I resent her for putting all of that shit into your brain."
"Don't hate her for that, Minho. She didn't know any of this about you. She wasn't here to find you so infatuated with a boy and to see how much you love to dance. She didn't know any of that."
"You two should've known that you can't force your own wishes and desires down a child's throat to begin with. Where does that make any sense? Where in the fucking manual to be a good parent is that highlighted? Because I want to see it."
"You're right." His father nods, catching Minho off guard. "You're absolutely right. It was unfair, and it's not something I'm proud of. You're our only son, and we should've treated you better."
"I'm glad you see that." Minho bites his tongue, watching his father shift around in his seat again. "So. . . where do we go from here?"
"Well, if you don't want the company, then that's fine. I can rearrange the terms and get some other things in order to take the stress off of you."
"Okay." Minho sits up in his chair slightly, arms unfolding from his chest.
"I'd like to sit down with Jisung and apologize, as I'm sure you two discussed my actions and what I said. If he's your. . . partner, then I'd like to properly meet him as such."
"I can talk to him about it." Minho doesn't outright reject his father's offer, leaving the idea completely up to Jisung, though he's not sold on the possibility of discussing his relationship with someone who feels like a stranger now.
"Lastly, I'm gonna stop the rent payments. I don't need you paying me to live in the complex anymore."
"You don't have to do that just so you can revive our relationship–"
"But I want to, as an act of good faith. I'm trying my hardest, Minho. You're all–. . . you're all I have left of her. I don't want to lose you, too." His father's voice breaks suddenly, and Minho's entire body posture softens. "I've been resentful, yes, but my wife has expressed to me in recent years that I should be repairing the bridge instead of setting fire to it. You're the last bits I have of your mother here on Earth. I got rid of all of her things and moved out of our house, and I just can't bear to see you leave too."
Minho isn't sure what to say, hearing the honest truth pour out of his father, which was all he really wanted to listen to, finally feeling his own resentment turn from a boil to a gentle simmer, almost on the edge of being still water again.
"I know it's not easy for us to communicate, and I know how closed-off I've been, but I promise you that I'm trying. We don't have to talk on the phone everyday or even go to lunch, but I just want us to be on better terms."
"Well–" Minho sighs, swallowing nervously at the words about to leave his lips. "It's a start."
"So?"
"So. . . we can try to repair what we've broken. I can try to forgive you if you can try to accept me for who I am now, instead of begging for me to be who you want me to be."
"I can do that." His father nods willingly, letting the silence flood over them momentarily. Minho can't believe that the conversation went as well as it did, feeling an immense weight lift from his shoulders and dissipate into the air above him.
It was almost as if he had nothing else weighing down on him, freeing himself of the burden that had plagued him for a near decade. He no longer was worried about disappointing anyone, nor did he care about his image anymore. He could just be himself with Jisung.
"Tell me–" His father starts softly. "How did you meet Jisung?"
"At my work, well, my old job. I worked at a bar with Chris for a few years, and I happened to meet Jisung there."
"So he isn't your coworker?"
Minho slightly scoffs. "No."
"So he was a customer?"
"Yeah. . . he was interested in me first and I can't lie to you and tell you that the attraction wasn't mutual. We went out after I was off and I followed him home. . . the rest is kind of history." Minho decides to skip the whole friends with benefits conversation, not wanting to allude to his sexual activity during a test run on his newly-formed relationship with his father.
"He's good to you?"
"Way too good to me." Minho assures, hands messing with one another in his lap.
"Are you happy?" Minho wets his lip with his tongue for a moment, brows slightly pinched as the question radiates through his chest. Of course he was, he wasn't going to deny that. He was just unsure of why his father was asking in the first place.
"Incredibly."
"Then that's all that matters to me." His father breathes calmly, leaving Minho still confused as to why the questions were spurred on from what seemed like nothing. "I truly do not mind who you're into or who you date, Minho. If you're happy and he's good for you, then that's all that matters."
Minho suddenly feels the urge to cry, but he swallows the aching tears building in his eyes. This was an entirely new side to his father he has yet to see before, now caught off guard again and a wordless mess. His eyes search his father's face for a second before darting down to his hands, words caught on the edge of his tongue. He doesn't know what to say, let alone what to do, so he just blurts out the first thing that comes to mind. "Thank you."
"Hope you don't mind if I ask one more thing–" His father continues. "Is he living with you?"
"Oh," Minho blinks twice before looking back upwards, shaking his head. "No, not officially. He's a producer and wasn't making enough to rent his apartment out, so I told him that he could stay with me until he was back on his feet."
"That explains all of the footage, then." His father hums with a slight nod.
"I'm gonna ask him to move in with me, though." Minho adds on haphazardly, not really thinking through his sudden will to be honest. He wasn't sure if he was testing his limits or just suddenly finding it necessary to confide with his father, but he doesn't feel regret in doing so.
"When?"
"When I get home. He's going out with his friend for drinks tonight and Hyunjin is going to come out to help me prepare something."
"You're not going to propose to him are you?"
"No," Minho shyly laughs. "It's too soon for that."
"I still would like to meet him properly," His father adds quietly, a slight smile curled on his lips.
"Yeah." Minho nods, leaning into his seat again, smiling back for a second. "I'll ask him."
"I'm home," Minho greets as he closes the door, spotting Jisung in his familiar place on the couch. He slings his jacket off of his shoulders and kicks his shoes off, trudging forward to crash onto the sofa with his partner, who gladfully holds his arms out and welcomes him without hesitating.
"How was it? You seem like you're in good spirits." Jisung mentions, kissing Minho's forehead.
Minho, who forced the younger into laying down on the couch and was now laying on top of him, arms snaked around his torso with his face in the crook of the younger's neck, responded as clearly as he could manage. "Better than I expected."
Jisung's hands trail up and down Minho's back, fingertips featherlight in their drag. "What did he end up saying?"
"He kind of apologized, though he never directly said it. I know he finds it hard to apologize."
"Did you forgive him?"
"Yeah. I guess." Minho sighs. "He wants to meet you again."
"What did you say to that?"
"Well, I told him that we're together and everything and that it would be on your terms if you wanted to meet him properly."
"That's sweet of you." Jisung hums, feeling Minho shift slightly, head turning to rest on Jisung's shoulder, now facing his neck with lulled eyes.
"He was accepting of us being together." Minho mentions quietly, hugging the younger tighter.
"I bet that was a relief for you to hear."
"Honestly–" Minho takes a breath, contemplating. "If he would've said something different, I would've just walked away. I was fully prepared to leave that place fatherless."
"I'm glad you didn't." Jisung smiles.
"When are you having drinks with Felix?"
"He's on the way here soon, I think." Jisung sighs, reaching his arm over to the coffee table to tap his screen awake, eyes struggling for a moment before he realizes that there were no new notifications.
"I just wanna sit here for a minute." Minho presses a kiss to Jisung's neck, snuggling closer. "I'm glad it's all over."
"Me too." Jisung melts when he feels Minho's kiss. "I'm glad you're okay."
"I'm just glad you're here." Minho remarks, warm exhales hitting the cooled kiss on Jisung's skin. "I don't know where I'd be without you."
"At the bar. Probably." Jisung scoffs, listening to Minho tiredly laugh.
"You're right." Minho's eyes shoot open when he hears Jisung's phone vibrate on the table, stirring them both back into reality. "Is that Felix?"
"Yeah." Jisung helps Minho sit upright, following suit, letting the elder straddle him in a comfortable switch that neither of them bothered to question. Jisung's hands were pressed into the couch behind him, keeping himself upright, giving Minho all the access he wanted as he looked down at the younger fondly. Minho just sits in silence for a second, eyes studying Jisung as if it'd be the last time he ever saw him.
"Text me when you get there and when you're on the way home." Minho warns protectively, and Jisung nods. "Don't drink too much."
"We're just going to have a drink and some bar food, hyung. Nothing serious." Jisung watches Minho's brow rise and he instantly bites down on his lip with a smirk.
"I'm holding you to that." Minho smiles back, kissing him once before lingering an inch away, bottom lip grazing across Jisung's teasingly. Jisung reaches for another kiss but Minho denies him, a friendly reminder of who was still in control of their dynamic, regardless of who was on whose lap.
"I promise. One drink." Jisung swears in a whisper.
"Good boy." Minho kisses him again, giving into Jisung's desires before hearing his phone vibrate again. Minho parts from him begrudgingly, backing off of his lap before watching the younger rise off of the couch to straighten his shirt. "Go have fun."
"I will." Jisung smiles sweetly at him, leaning to grab his phone off of the coffee table. Jisung then turns back around towards Minho, a cheesy grin plastered to his lips, leaning back down to greet face to face. "Love you."
"Love you, too." Minho smiles back at him, kissing him once more before he watches Jisung stride towards the front door and leave with a small wave, closing the door behind him.
It's only another twenty minutes before Hyunjin arrives with three totes full of stuff that Minho didn't expect.
"What did you get?" Minho says as he inspects every item Hyunjin removes from his totes, a look of confusion covering his gaze.
"I wasn't sure what you were in the mood for. But–" Hyunjin pulls a bottle of champagne out from one of the bags, holding it proudly with a cheesy smile.
"Oh my god, you didn't."
"I did! It's something worth celebrating. You guys are taking a huge step together, even though he's been living here for like three months unofficially, but still!"
"It's just cheesy, is all. But Ji likes cheesy shit, so I guess that's fine."
"I got cuts of meat and rice and soybean paste–" Hyunjin shrugs. "Everything you could possibly want for a cheesy dinner for your cheesy boyfriend is here."
"Thank you." Minho slightly laughs, smiling as he eyes the assortment of ingredients.
"I'm really happy for you, hyung." Hyunjin smiles at him again, leaning against the counter. "A few months ago, I wouldn't have predicted that this is where we'd be standing."
"I know. The last time we had a real conversation you were basically telling me to get my shit together."
"Ha, yeah. I was." Hyunjin scoffs in reminiscence towards their talk in Jeju, forcing Minho to hear his own insecurities so that the male wouldn't ruin his own relationship like he did.
"You ever going to ask Felix to move in with you?" Minho asks quietly, and Hyunjin shrugs.
"I don't know. Maybe. Our relationship is a lot more subtle than you two. We're just figuring each other out and seeing what we want. It's taken a lot for him to trust me again, so even though I have really strong feelings for him, he's still figuring himself out."
"Give him time." Minho nudges him with his arm. "I'd know a thing or two about that personally."
"I know you do, because look where your ass ended up. You're in love."
"Yeah, yeah. I am. But it feels nice. It doesn't feel weighed down like it used to."
"That's because you found someone who's right for you. He's your person."
"Don't tell me you believe in this soulmate shit too?" Minho looks at Hyunjin a bit gobsmacked, but Hyunjin just shrugs.
"I believe in it to an extent. With how much push and pull Felix and I have, it kind of feels that way. We keep getting drawn back to one another, almost like the universe is pulling our strings to one another."
"I went through a few relationships to get here." Minho adds on. "This one feels incredibly different."
"I can imagine. I've never seen you so willing to show someone affection before."
"Well, okay–"
"You're like grossly in love with him. It's sickening."
"Stop it." Minho swats at him playfully.
"I'll leave you to do all of this though." Hyunjin hums, eyes flicking towards his phone resting on the countertop a few inches away. "That must be Felix asking for me to pick them up."
"He was serious." Minho smiles, laughing quietly to himself. Hyunjin looks away from his phone, eyeing Minho curiously. "I told him one drink, and he must've listened to me."
"He's down bad." Hyunjin says with a not-at-all serious tone, which spurs Minho into smacking his shoulder. "What?! Tell me I'm wrong!"
"You aren't, but that isn't the point!" Minho carefully pushes Hyunjin towards the door as he listens to the younger's quiet giggles. "Go bring my boyfriend back home so I can get started cooking."
"Yeah, yeah." Hyunjin smiles at him once they reach the front door, tapping his pockets momentarily to make sure he had everything. "Let me know what he says, though. . . I have a feeling I know the answer anyways."
"Thank you for all of this. Seriously. Tell Felix I said thank you, too."
"Of course. Go get 'em tiger." Hyunjin winks at him before he leaves, closing the door behind him. Minho turns around on his heel to inspect the scene ahead of him, tongue wetting his lips as he studies the food on the counter. He just had to go with his gut on this one, surely. There was no way he could mess this up, even if he was a nervous wreck.
"Thanks for the ride, Hyunjin." Jisung smiles as he unbuckles his seatbelt, grabbing his phone that rested on the seat next to him.
"Anytime. See you later, Ji." Hyunjin says as he turns in his driver's seat, smiling at him.
"Text me later!" Felix beams, earning a glance from Hyunjin that stirs Jisung into pure curiosity, a question sitting on the back of his tongue. He wants to pry as to why, but he shrugs, assuming it was nothing important.
"Will do. See you!" Jisung waves as he gets out of the car, closing the door and heading towards the lobby of Minho's apartment complex. The air was colder, something Jisung openly grew to appreciate in small amounts. He could withstand the cold in short spurts, otherwise deeming the weather unbearable at times. But, after claiming to be such a cold person romantically, there is a certain love he finds for the cold weather, finding understanding within it. Only because he felt misunderstood too, at times.
The lobby is warm, lit with yellow lighting, as usual, decorating his walk towards the elevator without issue. The machine chimes as its doors slide open, welcoming the younger male inside before he presses the number three, waiting patiently for the doors to close automatically.
The ride up is quiet, and he finds himself ready to laze around on the couch, hold one of the cats, and mindlessly rest to one of Minho's beloved cooking shows. He really loved his life with Minho, growing completely fond of their routine and shared habits, wishing that he could never give this life up for another one shared alone. He was never a pet person, but now with three felines claiming stake to his heart, he finds himself unable to imagine waking up without one of them tucked near his feet. Minho was an entirely different story. Jisung finds it even harder to sleep alone anymore, almost unable to sleep without Minho's arms around his waist. He had grown comfortable in a home that wasn't his, but he had hoped that it one day could be.
The elevator reaches his floor, doors sliding open with soft airlocks as he strides towards the room at the very end of the hall. Jisung reaches into his jeans pocket for his keys, shuffling around before finding Minho's spare key and shoving it into the lock, twisting it to the right.
"Minho'ah–" Jisung greets as he opens the door, immediately greeted by Minho sitting at the kitchen island, head resting in his palm, two plates of a fully cooked dinner waiting ahead of him and one to the seat to his left. Jisung raises his brow, closing the door and locking it, kicking off his shoes after. "What's this?"
"Come sit." Minho smiles and Jisung grows even more suspicious.
"Okay." Jisung shrugs off his jacket, hanging it on the nearby hook, striding over to settle in the seat next to Minho to eye the plate of food waiting for him. Jisung then raises his gaze to look at the kitchen, spotting no pans in sight, blinking in pure shock at how the elder managed to time his arrival with food preparation and even with time to clean. How did he–? Felix.
"Hungry?" Minho asks, turning to face Jisung in his chair, eyeing him fondly.
"A little." Jisung grows even more curious, reaching for his utensils to dig into the meal Minho so graciously made.
"It's not a lot, but I made stuff you like." Minho says as he grabs his own utensils, waiting to hear some sort of comment about any of this.
"I see that." Jisung is a bit in shock, admittedly, finding it hard to comprehend that Minho would go to lengths like this just for a romantic dinner spent at home with one another.
"Did you have a good time with Felix?"
"Mhm," Jisung hums as he takes a bite of his chicken. "Had one drink, like I promised."
"What'd you drink?"
"We both had some type of martini. I can't really remember what all was in it." Jisung takes another bite.
"Well," Minho takes a bite too, chewing before talking again. "I'm glad you had fun and got out of the apartment for a bit."
"It was nice. Felix is always happy to take me anywhere, I swear."
"That's good." Minho smiles at him, watching the younger take another bite.
"But. . . he was a little off. He seemed particularly interested in me texting him about something tonight?"
"Oh." Minho acts the same, face remaining unchanged and unaffected by Jisung's will to pry the truth from him. "Maybe he just wants to talk to you more."
"No–" Jisung sets his utensils down, eyes narrowing playfully. "He's never so eager about stuff like that. Not unless you dared to set something up."
"Me? Set something up?" Minho pretends to act incredulous. "Never. Not like how you planned a whole ass surprise party."
"What're you planning, Lee Minho?"
"Nothing!" Minho laughs, pointing to Jisung's plate. "Eat your food, weirdo."
"I don't believe you." Jisung squints harder, trying to stifle his laugh.
"There's nothing to hide! Just eat. I made you a really nice dinner, so please eat it."
"I will after you tell me what you did." Jisung leans into the back of his stool comfortably, eyeing his partner with a smirk.
"God, you're very persistent tonight." Minho rolls his eyes, taking another two bites before setting his utensils down. "Fine. You wanna know that bad?"
"Yes! It's actually killing me."
"Well," Minho pushes his plate away a few inches, biting the interior of his cheek as he feels anxiety crawl up his spine. "After we ate, I was gonna give you this grand speech and try to be romantic and shit, but since you're so impatient, I'll just ask."
"Ask what?" Jisung's eyes widened momentarily, stomach twisting in anticipation.
"Han Jisung–"
"Oh my god," The younger mumbles under his breath.
"Will you actually move in with me?" Jisung blinks rapidly, almost as if he didn't expect those words to come from his partner's lips. "No more temporary living with me until you can find some place else. Like seriously, move all of your 'useless shit' in here and crowd my apartment. I want you to. Please?"
"Wait." Jisung leans away from the back of the stool, still somehow confused.
"What?" Minho's eyes widened too, almost afraid of rejection.
"I thought you were about to ask me to marry you." Jisung smiles, almost unable to control the giggles that erupt from his mouth.
"Oh my god, no!" Minho smacks his arm gently, listening to Jisung descend further into a giggled stupor. "Are you crazy?"
"Maybe a little," Jisung says, reaching to grab Minho's hand. "Are you sure you want all of my shit in here? Because. . . there's a lot of it."
"I just want you." Minho says tenderly. "If you come with a lot of shit, then so be it. We'll make room."
"No backing out now, Minho'ah–" Jisung leans closer, nose touching Minho's. "You're stuck with me forever."
"I wouldn't want anything else." Minho breathes happily, leaning closer, connecting their lips in a warm kiss. Jisung smiles through it, hands reaching to cup the sides of Minho's jaw.
"We should get married." Jisung mutters when they part, and Minho laughs at him.
"One day." Minho rolls his eyes playfully as he responds, gaze growing warm and adoring the longer he looks at the one male that turned his world upside down. He'd do it all again in a heartbeat if he could, simply because he doesn't want anyone else. He just wants Jisung, and only him, leaving his icy, cold heart to melt into something warmer.
Jisung was everything to him, and Minho was everything to Jisung. In their perfect little happy world, Minho finally finds comfort in being able to love and be loved again, and Jisung finds happiness in knowing that he found someone willing to accept him for who he was.
AN: Thank you for reading this incredibly ambitious and self-indulgent fic of mine. I love Minsung with all of my heart and felt incredibly attached to their story and found it hard to end it several times. If you've read this far for the whole journey, I cannot express how thankful I am. I got to try a new writing style with new topics and scenarios that I had never written before within this fic, and to say it broke my comfort zone several times is an understatement. Again, thank you. So much. I hope you enjoyed my version of Minsung to the very end. <3