Echo ; minsung

Chapter seven

Chapter 07

Minho's heart raced as he felt Jisung's arms wrapped around him, providing a sense of safety he hadn't felt in a long time, if even at all. His own arms instinctively found their way around Jisung, holding onto him as if he was the only thing he had left in the world.

"Yeah, not so scary after all," Minho replied, his voice soft, almost a whisper. He could feel the warmth of Jisung's body against his own, and it was oddly comforting.

For a moment, they stood there, wrapped in each other's embrace, the world around them fading into the background. It was as if time had paused, allowing them to savor this newfound connection, this unexpected moment of intimacy between two strangers turned potential friends.

But eventually, reality pulled him back in, and Minho reluctantly pulled away, though he kept his gaze fixed on Jisung's face, as if trying to memorize every detail. Everything about him was worth memorising.

"Thank you," Minho said, his voice barely above a murmur. "For everything."

Jisung smiled, a soft, genuine smile and wide smile, making them sparkle with warmth. "Anytime," he replied, his voice was equally quiet. "I meant what I said—I'm here for you. You're my friend now, hm?" The elder knew from the second they met that Minho was struggling, it was hard not to notice. He honestly felt terrible for him after seeing him crying like that on that night. He figured he might need someone in his life– someone that could be there for him and Jisung did not mind being that person to him.

There was something about Minho that made him feel at ease. He seemed like such a sweet person. The kind of person people write poems for. Should he write him a poem? Maybe that's too soon. Something just told him he had to get close to him, he needed to.

They stood there for a moment longer, neither one wanted to ruin their moment. But eventually, the chill of the winter air reminded them of where they were, and with a reluctant sigh, they slowly let eachother go. Both of them were unable to look at the other but Jisung did not miss the shy smile tugging on the other's lips.

"Do you maybe want to hang out for a while?" Jisung was the first to break the silence and scratched the back of his neck as he got nervous. Minho didn't seem like the type to judge him and it felt like they were getting along just fine, that didn't change the fact that he was nervous.

He eyed a spot on the grass, underneath the large, leafless tree. Minho glanced in the same direction before nodding and followed the other, his smile still not leaving his lips.

As they walked side by side, their shoulders occasionally brushing against each other, Minho couldn't help but feel a sense of hope stirring within him. Maybe, just maybe, this encounter would turn into something more.

The pair talked for some time. In fact, they did not stop talking. And the younger was definitely not the most talkative person. Maybe he was just lucky to have found someone who would take over most of the conversation for him. He didn't have a problem with that, he loved listening to him. Jisung's voice was comforting in a way.

Both of them were laying down on the grass, close to each other to stay warm since the ground was quite cold. Laying on the ground in the middle of Winter might not be the smartest decision. But they were comfortable and mostly too occupied with each other to even care about the temperature.

Jisung eventually turned his head to Minho again and lightly chucked when he stopped mid sentence. "Sorry, I'm rambling, aren't I?"

"Let's move on to you now. So– what do you like to do for fun"

The truth is that Minho wouldn't mind listening to him rambling. He could easily listen to him all day long. "I like to read, mainly fictional stories I guess. The others are kind of boring."

"You read for fun?" The elder couldn't help but chuckle and shook his head before he let out a soft hum. "Are you one of those smart kids?"

Minho giggled quietly and shook his head in denial. Even though he actually was pretty smart, at least above the average of his school.  "I get good grades. Reading isn't just for smart people."

The other male listened attentively as Minho spoke and scoffed before he turned his head to look up at the sky again, watching the clouds slowly hover more above them. "Couldn't be me. I dropped out about a year ago. School wasn't for me." He replied while smiling awkwardly.

He has always been embarrassed about him dropping out of high school. As soon as his parents agreed, he was out of there. It wasn't like he actually showed up to any of his classes anyway. That was definitely the main reason why his parents agreed in the first place.

It was the best choice for him. Sitting in a classroom all day made him feel miserable, he couldn't do that for another year.

Minho was definitely able to understand that. If he wasn't so scared of messing up his future he would've done that a while ago but he couldn't do that anymore.  He wouldn't want to disappoint his mom in any way. She did too much for him. Not that he was actually thinking of dropping out, his education was important to him.

"It's okay, I get it. I'm sure you're good at other things. School isn't for everyone." The younger smiled in order to let him know he wasn't judging him for any of his decisions. He wanted Jisung to feel comfortable with him, the same way he made Minho feel so safe around him.

"I'm yet to discover those talents." Jisung chuckled to lighten the mood.

About a few seconds later, he felt a raindrop fall on his cheek. He looked up at the sky and noticed how the air above them was filled with dark clouds. There was barely any light coming through them.

"I think we should go before it gets worse."

Jisung got up from the ground and put his hand out for Minho to hold. Which was exactly what he did. He smiled down at him and pulled Minho up from the ground without any struggle.

Surprisingly, Minho did not let go once he was back on his feet. The younger only smiled down at the hands and then up at the other male. He suddenly got reminded of the first night they met, and how Jisung kept his arm wrapped around his shoulders until no they reached the house.

He felt so safe with him that night and all he wanted was to feel like that again. Jisung did not seem to mind since he only gave his hand a gentle squeeze in return. "Come on, I'll walk you home."

The younger nodded and followed Jisung to his house, who was leading the way like he was walking to his own.  Minho was surprised that he even remembered where he lived.

A.N I was a little lazy with this chapter but I promise the next one will be better 😭 I'm a little behind schedule because I've been sick for some days now but I'm trying to get some things done now!