When Minho Was There • Minsung

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Minho had suggested they do something fun outdoors while the weather was still fresh because the summer heat was bound to hit within the next couple of hours.

The sun was filtered through the abundance of leaves that hung from the trees surrounding them. Jisung didn't know that if they hiked up a bit further past the spot where they had their first picnic together, there was a long, winding path above the rest of the city. It was above the mansion, higher than the rest of the houses, and had a beautiful view of the marsh.

And according to Minho, it was a great spot to gather wild mushrooms. So that's what the two of them decided to do. Minho made a quick stop by the mansion to grab a basket for the two of them and a pocket knife, which he snuck out of his father's study. Apparently, Minho's nan didn't let him use knives either, so in a way, their lives weren't all that different.

Speaking of Minho, he was currently crouched behind a fallen tree trunk, slicing off some of the bright-yellow mushrooms that sprouted from underneath the damp bark. Jisung was sitting on the trunk, watching Minho and tossing in the mushrooms as the elder handed them to him.

His sleeves were rolled up, and Jisung thought he was going to melt into a puddle of goo.

The things Minho makes me feel.

"You know a lot about mushrooms." Jisung said as Minho handed him another fistful.

"Father taught me when I was little." Minho huffed as he finally stood up, giving his arms a good stretch as Jisung tried his best not to stare.

Minho took notice of the way Jisung avoided him. He raised an eyebrow, leaning forward to grasp Jisung's chin as he turned his head to face him.

Jisung's eyes doubled in size, and Minho's gaze hovered over his lips before he let go, stepping over the trunk and back onto the hiking trail.

It took a moment for Jisung to fully process what had happened, but when Minho was almost fully out of sight, Jisung shouted.

"Hey! What was that for?" he shuffled off of the trunk before rushing to catch up to the elder.

✧

"You know," Minho said, his fingers dancing over the edge of his pocket knife. Jisung hummed in response, urging the others to continue as he began counting the number of mushrooms they'd collected.

"I once came home with three bags of mushrooms." Minho chuckled softly, his head tilting back to look up at the trees ascending through the sky. There were so many different kinds; their leaves were all different shapes and shades of green, and some even grew flowers. "The look on my mother's face!"

Ouch. That hit a nerve.

Jisung knew it was selfish of him to rain on Minho's parade, especially since the other seemed so happy talking about his parents. However, Jisung couldn't help but feel a sinking feeling in his chest. When Minho said the word 'mother, it just reminded him how much he wished he could share fond memories of her with him, but he couldn't.

When he remained silent, Minho could sense something was off. The light-hearted atmosphere was now a bit sad. "What's wrong?" Minho asked, nudging Jisung with his shoulder. Jisung never took into account how strong Minho actually was, and so he almost fell at the contact. "You're so quiet all of a sudden."

Jisung simply shook his head, not knowing how to handle that achy feeling in his heart. He didn't want to burden Minho, but he didn't want to lie to him either. After all, relationships are built on trust, and that's what he wanted with Minho.