"You look just like the boy I saw in my dreams." Jisung jabbed a finger at the blonde's chest.
He certainly wasn't expecting the other to grab his hand, wrapping his fingers on top of Jisung's.
"Dreams?" A small smirk edged the corners of his mouth...
"Tell me one of your secrets, Minho." Jisung swung their arms together. Once again, they were holding hands, though the mood had significantly changed, and now the both of them were drunk on love.
"It was long ago—that time I went mushroom picking with my father." Minho insisted they spent a little more time wandering around, so they'd continued on the hiking trail with no set destination. They'd figure out how to get back down later.
"Nowadays, I hardly see my parents." Jisung now understood that Minho also had complications with his parents. He could tell just by hearing Minho's voice that he was hurt. This made him upset, so he gave the back of Minho's hand a small peck to cheer him up.
"Mother's usually traveling, and because of work, father's home only twice a year." The two of them stopped, looking over at the scenery below them. They'd made it to a ledge, or, well, more like the edge of a cliff. Jisung remembered seeing it before, when he was exploring the mansion for the first time. The view was breathtaking, and it was even better seeing it next to Minho.
"Here." Minho pointed down a small, winding path that led down the cliff. Jisung gulped. He hadn't really thought about the trip down; it was much worse than going up. But he trusted Minho, and so, gripping his hand tightly, he followed as Minho began to lead him down the steep trail.
"Usually, Nan snd the maids are the only ones home."
That sounds so lonely, poor Minho,
"-and me." Minho interjected. Jisung watched the sky with a misty expression. The sun was beginning to set, and he'd only just realized how long he'd been out with Minho.
It was peculiar, being here, at the marsh. Jisung was almost sure he'd been dreaming when he found himself at the mansion in the middle of the night, but that wouldn't make sense since he was very much alive and next to Minho right now. Had he slept and walked down to the marsh? That was the only plausible explanation.
He was brought back to the current topic of conversation when Minho began to speak again.
"I slip out while Nan and the others are gossiping." Minho smiles up at Jisung, who's peering anxiously down the slope. "And look how free I get to be!"
Jisung thought that in that very moment, Minho looked cute. He'd never seen Minho so fidgety and excited. It was adorable. "It's lovely when my parents come home."
They'd reached the end of the trail, and Jisung recognized the spot they were in. It was just a few steps away from where they had their picnic together—the meeting that sparked interest between them. "They host parties," Minho said as he helped Jisung off the last little slope. He hopped off the trail, and his shoes squelched in the mud below him when he landed. "Like the other day."
He himself was obviously not a big party person, but if that was the only time Minho had to socialize, he understood why the other liked them so much.
"With my parents and many people there, it's delightful."
Jisung snorted. He and Minho had very different opinions, but that was okay. It added dimension to their relationship. Or, well, situation-ship? Jisung wasn't sure what they were or if Minho even planned on taking it a step further.
"I get to wear new suits and dance too." Minho and suits were a deadly combo, as Jisung had witnessed firsthand how it completely deflated his composure and any self-respect he had for the rest of the night. Honestly, if Minho had asked him if he'd be down for anything, Jisung would most certainly—
"That's when I'm sure I'm the luckiest man in the world." Minho interrupted Jisung's thoughts, which he was bummed out about, but he could always resurface those images later.
"I see." Jisung often found himself saying that phrase, but it just seemed appropriate. He was letting Minho know that he was listening without taking away his time to talk.
"Tell me, Sung." Minho spoke, but this time he was a little more hushed. There was a rough edge to the way he said Jisung's name.
He called me Sung. Oh my god he called me Sung. And just like that, he was ready to worship the ground Minho walked on.
"Hm?" was all Jisung could manage to say without his voice breaking. Minho could tell the nickname affected him, as a small smirk broke out on his face but was quickly replaced by an unsure smile.
"Will you be my boyfriend, forever?"
Maybe it really was a dream. His mind was conjuring up images of Minho. As if he'd really ask Jisung to be his boyfriend, no, that was impossible. And yet here they were, Minho staring at Jisung with an empty expression, yet he could see the hopefulness in the way his eyes shone.
Fuck this.
"Yes, Minho, I'm your boyfriend, forever." It felt good hearing it come out of his own mouth, and it felt even better when Minho kissed him again, thumb-tracing the curve of his jaw.
He could really get used to this. Jisung could sense the imprint of Minho's smile as their lips moved together. Meeting Minho was the best part of this whole trip. and he wouldn't give it up for the world.
End of Chapter 25 ◂⊱✧⊰▸
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
TBC c: authors note 3/4/24: SURPRISE!! im actually whipping up another edited chapter cause i've been truck by motivation
