coincidental | minsung

23

ﾟ+..｡*ﾟ+

"I love you."

Jisung felt his whole body go rigid, if only just for a moment. Long enough for Minho to register it too and laugh breathily in response.

"What, you weren't expecting me to say it first?" Minho teased.

A warmth in Jisung's cheeks and stomach. The room was dark but Minho's eyes shone bright enough for Jisung to see them. He focused on this, tried to use it to calm his breathing, which had hitched once more.

"Technically," Jisung mumbled his words. "I already said it. Just to Changbin and Chan."

"Doesn't count," answered Minho stroppily.

The older had shifted slightly onto one hip so he could curl his leg further around Jisung's. He used one slow finger to draw circles on Jisung's bare arm. Observed the way that even now, with them both exhausted, the lightest of touch pulled a shiver up through Jisung's skin.

"Why tell them, and not me?" Minho asked. Jisung paused to register his tone; not offended, closer to curious.

But still, Jisung picked his words carefully. There were a million reasons; a million reasons why he knew he loved Minho, a million reasons why he didn't tell him, a million reasons he still didn't want to now. But something about the afterglow of your first time makes you honest, so pushing words through spent lips, Jisung answered:

"Was scared."

Minho's circles continued. The patterns traced his forearms, but Minho didn't reply, so Jisung continued.

"I've not... I don't really let myself get close to people. The reason I've never slept with anyone is because I've never wanted to, and I've never loved anyone because I've never let myself."

"What changed?" Minho prompted.

"...Who knows? Maybe it was me, maybe this is me growing up, or healing, or whatever?"

Minho smiled at this answer. Even knowing Jisung for as short a time as he did, he'd seen the younger change. Or, maybe not change, but let bits of himself that he'd once hidden begin to slip through.

"Or maybe it's you." Minho hadn't intended for Jisung to continue, but the younger had anyway. "Maybe it's always been you."

"People have told me my good looks could sink ships," Minho sighed. "Suppose they could make an untouchable ace swoon, too."

Jisung laughed at this, pulled back slightly from Minho to knock his shoulder with a playful fist. The older pouted and shifted closer to Jisung again.

"What's with the ace thing, anyway?" Jisung pried. "Second time you've said that now."

"Don't you know? You've got a reputation."

Jisung eyed Minho warily. He knew he did in his college, but wasn't aware that this reputation spread further than that. Of course, there'd been the instance with the psychos at Minho's college, but Jisung thought that was because of the rumours that he'd slept with Hyunjin. Not anything to do with him personally.

"C'mon, don't act oblivious. You have so many talents it's almost irritating. Of course people know who you are," Minho explained with a roll of his eyes.

"Did you know who I was, then? Before the party?" Jisung asked with a frown.

Minho nodded. Jisung felt the movement of the older's chin against where it now rested on his chest. This meant the older felt it too, the clench of muscles as Jisung froze. Do I want to know more?, Jisung asked himself.