hold me ♡ minsung

EPILOGUE

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    Jisung took a deep breath through his nose as he stepped inside the house, noting one thing immediately: quiet. Near perfect silence— apart from carefully placed footsteps heading downstairs. It was unexpected, to say the least.

     He kicked off his shoes as Changbin perked up at the sight of him, catching himself at the bend of the banister to pause and speak quietly with Jisung.

    "Sung-ah, there you are— Minho hyung was looking for you."

     Any plans Jisung had before that were quickly forgotten, because all he could do was ask (while his feet were already heading further into the house to let him search),"He was? Where is he?"

    "On the couch. Said he's not feeling good," Changbin answered, shrugging as Jisung slid on his unremoved socks on the hardwood before Changbin had even finished talking, hurrying into the living room.

      Jisung hardly even saw Chan and Felix sitting at the table, because his eyes were focused on finding Minho— Minho, who was lying, fast asleep, on the couch, with his feet resting in Hyunjin's lap, and his hands tucked into the pocket of the hoodie he was wearing in too-warm weather and an un-air-conditioned house. 

   He paused, stuck against the wall standing and staring, feeling a fond smile push his cheeks up. It hit him, here and now, that Minho had come quite a long way in less than half a year (in the time since they were shivering outside college with hot chocolate in hand, dusted with gentle, melting flurries, and now, when they were sweating out increasingly warm days with tubs of ice cream). Somehow he managed to get from puking because Hyunjin had looked at him, to letting himself fall asleep, not just in Hyunjin's sight but (feet only, but still) partially in his lap. There had been such a gradual change in the things that Minho was willing to do, and willing to be seen doing, that Jisung almost forgot what a huge thing this was.

    Jisung knelt beside the couch, peering at what was visible of the boy's flushed, pained face, glistening with traces of sweat (but that wasn't entirely surprising in these conditions). His head was turned in toward the couch and pressed down into his shoulder.

     Hyunjin took out his earbuds then, whispering, "He wanted you."

    Jisung's head whipped to the side to look at Hyunjin as he spoke. He brushed off the fact that those words made his heart flip, because it was more important to figure out what was wrong with Minho. "He's sick? "

    Hyunjin shrugged. "Seems like it... he didn't say anything to me, though. He was walking around all woozy and stuff, with that face he has when he's looking for you. And then he laid down and fell asleep in like a minute. ...Anyway, if he is sick, I didn't do it this time."

    Jisung nodded, the corners of his lips rising in an amused smile while he looked back at Minho, tilting his head for a better look, seeing his pink cheek squished against his shoulder, forcing the side of his lips out into a pout. "Has he been out for a while?"

    "Yeah, like an hour and a half. I wanted to get up and do things but... I don't wanna disturb the sleeping kitty. Not when he's being nice to me for once."

    "I wouldn't either, if I were you," Jisung laughed, hushed.

     It must have been that sound that caused Minho started to stir, hands fidgeting slowly and falling out of his hoodie pocket as his eyes opened gradually.

    "Good morning, sunshine," Jisung cooed, resting his palm over Minho's stomach, feeling it tense immediately, then relax slowly. Hearing his voice, Minho turned his head and stared him down with bleary eyes.

     "Where've you been?" he croaked, whether that was from grogginess or sickness or a mix of the two. He would've complained about Jisung's tone had he not been sleepy and delirious and somewhat Jisung-deprived.

     "Working. Sorry," Jisung answered, rubbing Minho's stomach softly, earning a contented hum and coaxing him into closing his eyes again. "You're not feeling well?"

     Minho just groaned, and that was as good an answer as any when it came to him.

   Jisung used his other hand to press against Minho's forehead and cheeks without even the slightest noise of protest in response. He frowned, murmuring, "Where'd you get a fever from, huh?"

    "Probably Hyun."

    "I'm not even sick!" Hyunjin threw his hands up to insist upon his innocence.

   "Hey! Jisung!" Chan's voice suddenly cropped up from the kitchen, as he heard Minho's voice and realized there was no longer any need to be quiet. "Have you even been looking at the group chat?"

   When Jisung gave a sheepish, guilty smile, Chan filled him in on what he'd missed— the plans he'd been automatically included in.

   "You better get him healthy before we go to the beach this weekend," the oldest informed, before he was back to his card game with Felix.

   "Will do." Jisung stood, with plans to search out some medicine for Minho in the little medicine cabinet the boys were accumulating supplies for bit by bit, but a hand caught his wrist and pulled him back down. He was caught by surprise and therefore easily allowed himself to be brought to Minho's chest, and when he got there he laughed airily. "Hyung, I was going to get you medicine."

    "Stay here," Minho mumbled, for Jisung's ears only, wrapping his arms around Jisung to keep him in place.

    "You're gonna get me sick, too," Jisung complained, but he didn't try too hard to wriggle away... not just yet.

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...so.

who would like a sequel?

(yikes why didn't i proofread this before i posted it ahahah)