Alone {𝕄𝕀ℕ𝕊𝕌ℕ𝔾}

Chapter Thirty-Two

ANY REMAINING OUNCE OF LOGIC WAS COMPLETELY THROWN OUT THE WINDOW THE MOMENT their lips came into contact. Jisung couldn't think about his parents, Jaehyun and Felix – all that was on his mind was Minho, Minho, and Minho.

The kiss was so soft, unlike how Jaehyun had kissed him, and the boy had been in too much of a panic to remember much about their first kiss together, too. His insides were reduced to piles of mush, and heat crept up the back of his neck.

His hands that had been awkwardly resting at his sides came up along Minho's chest, gripping onto his shoulders and leaning in further. The brunet's hand came up to cup Jisung's cheek, his other hand snaking around his waist.

They slowly parted, and despite Jisung's hold on him weakening slightly, the older male did not let up, instead opting to press their foreheads together. "Don't run away again... please," he breathed, and a pang of guilt flared through the younger's chest.

"I won't, I'm sorry," he whispered, blinking back the tears that prickled at his eyes. He had been – still was – terrified. Terrified of what would happen to him if his parents ever found out about him. About Minho.

He closed his eyes, leaning into Minho's touch. The brunet gently stroked his cheek with his thumb, sitting back slightly. "Don't cry; your smile's too pretty to hide away," he whispered, and Jisung let out a choked laugh, his cheeks heating up slightly.

"Shut up," he mumbled playfully, opening his eyes to stare at the other again. He'd never realized how strikingly beautiful Minho was. "Can I ask you a question?" the elder questioned, and Jisung smiled slightly.

"You just did," he giggled, causing the brunet to roll his eyes. Minho's face softened slightly though, but even though his arm was starting to ache, he didn't let it fall from the other's face. "Why...why do you deny it?" he asked hesitantly, eyes searching Jisung's face for any possible give-away.

The younger male tensed, and recoiled slightly, Minho's hand dropping back to the couch. He didn't face Minho, and kept his eyes trained on the ground. "I'd rather not talk about it," he mumbled, and the brunet nodded quickly, casting his eyes downwards too.

He sighed; he'd just ruined the mood. "Okay. I'm sorry," Jisung looked up at him and shook his head. "Don't apologize," he stated wistfully, closing his eyes slightly. He didn't really want Minho to know what his parents would do if they found out he was gay; would they do the same thing they'd done to his sister, or would it be worse?

I don't want to think about this right now, he decided, turning to face the older again. "Let's go out," he blurted, quickly standing. Minho looked up at with a raised eyebrow, and the strawberry blonde shuffled a bit, cheeks tainted pink.

"I-I mean... if you want to," he cleared his throat, and the brunet smiled up at him, before also standing up. "Okay, let's go."

~#~#~#~#~#~

Minho and Jisung walked side by side through the bustling evening marketplace. It was quite nice, if he said so himself. Jisung could barely keep his smile small enough to seem normal, and even though he knew it wasn't a date, he felt content just spending time with the brunet.

Whipped, his sister would've said. She probably would've laughed at him for being so love-sick, but she would've smiled proudly, too. He missed her so much. "You wanna grab something from the convenience store?" Minho questioned quietly, and although the strawberry blonde hadn't noticed, his gaze had never left the younger.

Jisung nodded happily, a slight skip in his step. He shrugged off his thoughts about his sister – just as he had his thoughts of Felix, and his parents. He wouldn't let anything ruin this moment. He had plenty of time to worry when he got home.

The pair headed into the corner store, and headed towards the ice cream section. Minho's eyes crinkled in amusement, and Jisung tilted his head in confusion. "What's so funny?" he asked, eyebrows furrowing slightly.

Ignoring him, the brunet walked up to the fridge and pulled out a two-liter carton of vanilla ice cream, shaking it slightly. Jisung's eyes widened in sudden remembrance, and he looked down in embarrassment. He'd forgotten about how he'd continuously pestered the elder.

How did he even get Minho to warm up to him? All he did was annoy him. Jisung shook his head, deciding that he wouldn't think about such meaningless details. What mattered is that they were (sort of) past that awkward stage of acquaintanceship. At least, the strawberry blonde hoped so.

"Shall we?" Minho bowed his head in the direction of the cash, and the younger nodded, grinning brightly at him. They came up to stand in front of the cash, shoulder-to-shoulder. Just as Jisung took out his wallet, Minho stopped him. "I'll pay," he said with a smile, causing the younger male to gape in protest.

"What? N–" He didn't have time to finish his sentence when Minho had already handed over the necessary money. "Minho!" he cried, crossing his arms with a pout. The elder chuckled and bopped his nose playfully before collecting his change from the old lady at the cash register.

"You two are such a lovely couple, it's refreshing." She smiled, and the two froze, eyes wide. "Oh – no, we're not a couple," Minho chuckled with a shake of his head, eyeing Jisung who just looked down. He knew they hadn't agreed to go out with one another in that way, and he knew it was also probably for his sake, since he was so adamant about not being gay, but still...

It kinda hurt. 

A/N: I am l i v i n g for these daily updates I wish  I could do this all year round >~<.

Also I have yet ANOTHER question for you!!!

Q: So I've been planning on releasing two new Stray Kids fics (though I have yet to actually w r i t e up the first few chapters to post *sigh*) and I wanted to ask y'all (my lovely readers), a question. 

Would you rather: Several stories, less frequent updates on each book individually (but the same amount collectively), OR, one book at a time, but instead of splitting my time in let's say three, I focus on that one story? There are equal pros and cons to both tbh -.-'. 

A: ANSWER HERE UWU LOVE YOU!

Lots of love,

~Junnie 

P.S: Grammarly wanted to change 'Jaehyun' to Hyundai pfFFFT